Christmas and a snow day

I am determined to have a post of Christmas. Now that it is May, here it is.

The aftermath:

Christmas gets more fun every year as the kids get older. Ian wanted to do everything just like last year. It was amazing how much he remembered. We wanted to tone down the presents this year, but the kids still ended up with way too much stuff. Ian got some video games, Hailey got a new scooter, and the twins got lots and lots of mega blocks. Plus a million other things from us and relatives. There aren't a ton of pictures because I think I was so worried about the twins getting into the kitchen and other stuff that I forgot to take very many. Oh well. We had a nice holiday even though some of us were a little sick. As we always are that time of year.

One day in January it snowed. This is a rare occurrence in Las Vegas and deserves much celebration.

Ian making a snow angel.

The finished product, haha.

Since the kids had school, they only got to play in the snow for about 30 minutes. We didn't even get to build a snowman, which was tragic. The snow melted before Ian got home from school.

Daily life around the house

Some random pictures from the last few months for your viewing pleasure:

Typical Brandon.

My little leprechaun.

Hailey's first encounter with make-up.

Our first California Poppy.

A picture Ian took of himself.

These three are something else.

One of the signs Brandon is ready to be potty trained.

One day Ian decided to be a king. All the kids got into it and it was SO cute! They played nicely together for over an hour. Still probably the record.

Ian in his throne.

Cute times 2

The twins are finally starting to play together sometimes. It is so darn cute!

Number 2

Brandon and Jackson turned 2 back in February. Two 2-year-olds, phew!

I'm pretty sure somebody had strep that week (I have had it 4 times since the new year), so we had a pretty low-key party with just the immediate family (since we didn't want to spread germs). They got lots of clothes, which was just what they (I) wanted, and some books. It was just right for 2 toddlers. Happy Birthday Babies!

Some things you should know about Brandon:

Brandon is a little sweetheart. He wants the sole attention of his mommy or daddy and always looks for moments when he can worm his way into our laps. He says quite a few words and understands us exceptionally well for a 2-year-old. He likes to climb things, splash in the toilet, eat yogurt, take his diaper off, cry a lot, scream (whether happy or sad), eat candy, go down the slide, play outside, dump water on his own head, laugh out loud at movies, wear Hailey's dress up shoes, and skip. He can be very moody, and sometimes drives me crazy with his crying, but when he is happy he is just the sweetest little thing you could imagine.

Some things you should know about Jackson:

Jackson is silly silly silly. Sometimes I just don't know where he comes up with things! He speaks gibberish a lot, to other people and to himself. He is putting words together and saying things I don't think I ever taught him! He has a weird relationship with his pants. He will take them off and then cry because he wants them back on. Don't ask me what his problem is. He likes to run around with his older siblings, splash in the toilet, eat cereal, play outside, play at the park, beat up Brandon, pee on the floor, get into mischief, give hugs and kisses, make messes, and sing and dance. He knows the words to most of the songs on his videos and does a cute and funny little dance where he moves his hips around. This kid makes me laugh all the time, even when I am about ready to tear my hair out in frustration.

The twins are currently in the process of potty training. This has been a scary thing for me, but must be done. Jackson has shown more than readiness, and is pretty much trained already. Brandon has yet to go in the potty, but I'm not in a big hurry. Potty training twins is quite the journey, and there is no one way to do it. I figure since Jackson is more ready we will get him done and then work more with Brandon. So far, so good.

Easter and a new pet

I am going to try to catch up with the blog, so I figured I may as well start with the most recent. We had a somewhat laid back Easter, including an egg hunt at a park (forgot my camera) and a few dyed eggs and Easter baskets. My mom was in town for Easter. We had my sister Jill's family and my mom over for a delicious Easter dinner.

Apparantly the eggs are kind of depressing....
Ian is at that awkward stage where he can't smile like a normal person for pictures.

Hailey has candy in her mouth.

The twins wouldn't even look at the camera, they knew they had to shove as much candy in their mouths as possible before mommy took the candy away.

For Easter, we decided it was finally time to get a pet. The only pet this family can handle is a fish, of course. The kids got the bowl and we got it all ready and went to pick out a fish. Ian picked out "Darkos", a goldfish with a little black on the tips of its fins. Ian loved him, and would tell him stories and "spend time with him." I've never seen a boy love a fish so much.
Sadly, Darkos only lasted for 4 days. I went and bought a "Darkos 2" while Ian was at school, but then I remembered that a friend had offered her fish tank a few months ago. I sent her a message and she still had it and wanted to get it off her hands. I told her we would take it, and later that day we went to pick it up. What I wasn't expecting, however, was this:

Three gigantic goldfish that were 3 years old! The biggest one was about 7 inches long. At first I thought the kids would be fascinated by them, and they were, but the fish were obviously way too big for a 5 gallon tank. So I posted them on Craigslist. I got 6 calls in 2 and a half hours and a guy came and picked them up that night. Problem solved! I cleaned out the tank and we put Darkos 2 and two new goldfish in. One of the new ones died, but we still have 2 going strong now. Oh the joys of pet ownership, haha.