Long Time, No See.

WOW!!!! It's been a while since we've been around!  

Well, here is an update, but I'll warn you that there isn't much order to this whole post.

Hunter has to draw a journal page everyday at school.

Obviously, he's a little behind on the times, and a little obsessed with M. J.

I took the kids to Disney on Ice. They loved it!! 

They are already asking to go again.

This little Miss turned one!

... and we rode the carousel at the mall to celebrate. 

We made a trip to Utah for a special surprise.

We spent a day playing at the Chalet in the snow. 

Hunter and Papa Cardon built a couple of snowmen.

Here was the surprise!!

Mckinley got a new bike.

Lots of time was spent in bed watching movies.

Mckinley actually ate a hamburger!

We watched  General Conference and played conference bingo.

We've been riding bikes a LOT. 

This ride we found a dead butterfly, and Hunter loved holding it.

The girls LOVE watching movies together.

This was either Little Mermaid or Sound of Music.

They both LOVE to sing to the Sound of Music.

We made a "semi-spontaneous" trip to Disneyland.

We found out that Madelynn is afraid of her shadow.

It was SO funny to watch!

I managed to get all three kids on a ride by myself!

(even if there was a little bit of sibling rivalry)

Hunter loves his Tigger tails.

(and went on Splash Mountain to earn this one)

Mckinley in a happy moment!

Madelynn caught a nap with Pa during the Aladdin show.

My dad and I got to go on Indiana Jones. We were almost to the front when the ride broke down.

Hunter started T-ball.

We are loving watching his team play!

Madelynn also decided to take a bath

... with her pajamas on!

Shaving Cream Painting

I've been very hard on myself lately thinking that we just get stuck in a rut of doing the same thing 

over and over.

So, I have been looking on pinterest for ideas of things to do with the kids. I found an idea for bath time.

We started with all the kids in the bath, and then we got Madelynn out. But not before we snapped this shot.

(I love the fact that Hunter is lurking in the background!)

The website I found said that it wouldn't stain the grout.

LIAR!!

That's all I have to say!

So, I sat down at my computer tonight to post a little to try and catch up on the going ons around here, when I realized that there isn't much to update on. I've been really bad about taking pictures. I have a bunch of pictures on my phone, but I'm not the most apple savy person, and I don't know how to quickly move the pictures to the computer.

Life with three ACTIVE kids is crazy! I have a hard time keeping up with them. I read a quote that I loved, "Cleaning the house with the kids still home is like trying to shovel the snow while it's still snowing." LOVE it!! I try my hardest to keep the house clean, but man! Those kids can destroy a house in 2 minutes flat!

Hunter is loving school. Well, most of the time. He asks me every morning if he has school. Most of the time I get a "YES!!" but some of the time it's "NOOOOOOOOO" He has really stepped up to the roll of big brother. He is a giant help to me. I really think I'd loose my head if it weren't for him. He's always reminding me of things that I'm forgetting. He is still the sweetest kid; loves to cuddle, especially with Madelynn.

Mckinley is a firecracker. That girl has an attitude that can go from 0 to 60 in 1 second. She has gotten a million times better than she used to be. She loves her mommy. She's starting to warm up to her dad, but it's usually Mom. Anything that she needs help with, I have to help. She still is a picky eater. Getting better, but still picky. She will play a game Erik made up, "Ready, Set, Meat" basically, you put a bite on your fork and say ready, set, (whatever food you have on your fork. (meat, potato, beans)) She still has to sleep with her "Koka dots" She loves all things Ariel. She has also become a great big sister. She and Madelynn will actually play together.

Madelynn is almost a walker. She has taken 11 steps at best. She's getting gutsy and can take 2 steps between objects by herself. She loves to climb the stairs. The second I take the baby gate down, she's going up those stairs. She is the happiest baby. I rarely hear a peep out of her. She can say, dad, daddy, hi, and sometimes say mom.

Erik is mostly enjoying work. The work part he loves. The politics of medicine he hates. The health care system in this country needs some serious work. (but that's a whole other post that I won't even start here.) He loves playing basketball on Thursday nights with the elders quorum. He loves playing with the kids. He's great and puts them down to bed almost every night. He stretches their bedtime out just so he can play with them more. I don't mind too much, because that means I get to sleep just a bit longer in the mornings.

All in all things are going well around our house. We love visitors!! (That is a hint to ALL our friends and family!)

Gratitude List

This year I'm asking everyone what the top three things are that they are grateful for.

Here's the list:

Erik:

1. Amanda

2. Hunter

3. Mckinley

4. Madelynn

Amanda:

1. Family

2. Being a stay at home mom

3. Friends both old and new

Hunter:

1. My family

2. My fish

3. Video games

Mckinley:

1. My sister and Madelynn and Mckinley and Hunter

2. My koka dots

3. My babies

20 Questions - Kid Style

I found this cute question and answer for the kids and there are their answers.

1. What is your favorite color? Fruity Pebbles (pink and purple)
2. What is your favorite toy? Pink (Baby)
3. What is your favorite fruit? I like Fruity Pebbles (raspberries)
4. What is your favorite tv show? Barney
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Fruity Pebbles (chicken nuggets)
6. What is your favorite outfit? I like dresses
7. What is your favorite game? Um, I spy
8. What is your favorite snack? Goldfish, Cheese
9. What is your favorite animal? Pigs, cause they’re pink
10. What is your favorite song? Popcorn Popping (anything really)
11. What is your favorite book? The Little Mermaid
12. Who is your best friend? Allie (Alison Mickelsen)
13. What is your favorite cereal? I like Branola (granola)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? I want to go to the park. It will be so fun!!
15. What is your favorite drink? Orange juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? I like when it rains
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Daddy (koka dots)
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Goldfish (yogurt)
19. What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner? I like some rice. I want to make some lemonade, too.
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I don’t know, Mommy!

1. What is your favorite color? All of the colors in the rainbow.
2. What is your favorite toy? Slinky dog
3. What is your favorite fruit? Grapes
4. What is your favorite tv show? I like Spiderman.
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Taquitos
6. What is your favorite outfit? Big brother shirt and jeans
7. What is your favorite game? Lego Star Wars
8. What is your favorite snack? PB & J
9. What is your favorite animal? Horse
10. What is your favorite song? If you’re happy and you know it
11. What is your favorite book? How to Train your Dragon
12. Who is your best friend? Lucas T.
13. What is your favorite cereal? Fruity Pebbles
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike
15. What is your favorite drink? Milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas, cause you get lots of toys
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Puff the magic Dragon
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Toast
19. What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner? Tomato Soup with Eyeballs
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Dentist, Rock star, Astronaut, Exterminator, and Tour Guide at Disneyland.

Maxfield Mania

Title stolen from my sister Kylie!

If you want to see how our camping trip was,

A- stay tuned for a MEGA post

or

B- visit Kylie's blog for a hilarious rendition of what really happened.

Really, it all happened!

Just a quick update. . .

Sorry for the lack of posting, (yet again)

My computer died.

Not just a little.

I can't even get the thing to launch windows in safe mode.

GONE.

So I've been stealing Erik's.

Which is kinda like borrowing someone else's scriptures.

Even though they are the exact same things, it just feels different.

It's not mine.
I guess I'm going to have to get used to it though.

But until I get more used to this computer, here's a quick update with pictures of the kids.