A few weeks ago, the weather switched from bitter cold to a suddenly pleasant 50, 60, even 70 degrees! The kids and I just flitted around outside without coats as the snow melted.
Sand. I remember sand.
Why not use the big squirt guns to soak up the melted snow puddles?
All this non-frozen liquid outside, it's amazing!
I could take photos outside and not get freezing! So time for some face photos:
Stop taking pictures and pick me up! (belly photo bomb)
When you try to take a selfie with a 50mm lens.
After a week of miracle weather, things settle back into the 30s and 40s, which would have otherwise felt pleasant but comparatively felt downright chilly. Oh we are just so fickle.
These days, I love playing with my brothers- wrestling and chasing and being goofy. While Liam and Dash can push each other's buttons, I can get away with a lot more with them when we're playing together. Ha, it's great! I love to break into my unique stomp dance and giggle, giggle, giggle. Sometimes I just break into laughter at my own, secret jokes. When I see something I want, I bust into the fastest run, with piston legs, fingers positively aching forward.
I just learned to climb out of my crib. The first night, I kept climbing out and out and out. And then again in the middle of the night. When I found the house dark, that was really upsetting. Then for the next week, I stayed in my bed! My mom thought it was a miracle, especially after how she had to stand watch over Liam and Dash's room like a prison guard when they learned the same skill. But then I took to escaping at bedtime a few times each night and a few early mornings. But it's still comparatively better- I'm golden!
I still eat a great breakfast and lunch but am pretty picky at dinner. But I still always want dessert. Always ready for dessert. My mom loves my enthusiasm and sweet voice. I started really liking Disney movies, especially Frozen. I spend a lot of my time talking about Anna, Elsa, Hans, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf. I really like letters, identifying them and telling people to write them down for me. Dad loves my cuddles- I am a really good cuddler. I love to laugh and smile at the world and it smiles back at me!
(And because I love them so much, here's some photos of my favorite brothers, Dash and Liam!)
View from Sean's work room at the hospital on day. Frosty. He was just glad there was a window.
When grey woke up, he pulled Liam into a big hug while still in his crib and when I got him out he just latched back on to Liam for several minutes. It was so sweet.
After weeks of scanning the Land of Waldos looking for the man missing a shoe, it was the two-year-old who finally spotted the striped sock.
#tbt that time a bunch of Bradleys wandered through a rainy Chicago around thanksgiving time
The only way he could be made happy that morning.
Laughing at the snowfall. Cutie pie.
Mommy injury. Head to mouth. It was so purple!
Magformers! Everyone loves 'em.
When Sean's in charge of everything.
My valen-turtles.
As lofty as my intentions are, Grey's definitely not the oldest- he doesn't get the greatest one-on-one teaching time. So it was a surprise to me when he set up these playing cards in order. Maybe Liam and dash have been educating him behind my back.
Live long and prosper.
Raspberry fingertips
Ah, to be outside without shivering.
20 weeks and just picked up my first feminine baby outfit. Or as the boys called them, "pretty shirts."
Faces painted! (Grey had a bunny but was a little wiggly in application so the artist wiped it off. After that, he was done)
VIDEOS!
Our ward has a sizeable population of Karen people (from Burma or Thailand) and they had a little party where Liam and Dance learned some of their cultural dance. At some point, Liam started crying because it was just a little too much for him. But he and Dash both did great.
Little singers
Dash helping Grey say a prayer. Sweet sweet sweet.
Grey had just caught a bunch of tosses, so naturally he had to miss the rest once I started filming.
Sean's phone has the feature where he can speed up video so the kids were having a ball with it.
And here's the result!
I feel like Grey learned the alphabet on his own. He knows all the letters and I didn't spend nearly the time reviewing it like I did with his brothers.
(That's facepaint on his cheeks) He was just keeping himself entertained while he sorted.
Back in January, our little preschool group heard about a preschool class run by the local high school for the trimester. We jumped in and our clan of four kiddos joined six other children to do all sorts of fun activities lead by teenagers three days a week. I must say, it was reeeeal nice to not have to plan our own classes and Liam and Dash totally loved it. Many activities involved things I never would have tried (ahem, glitter) or thought of. Plus, it was a really good introduction to a school setting outside of the home. (Can I just tell you, figuring out where to send these two to kindergarten is giving me ulcers)
Alas, the trimester ended. A graduation ceremony was held.
How about them tassels?
Now us moms regain responsibility for the education of their little minds. Are we up to snuff? Let's hope so.
And took a picture of Grey right after I took the graduation photo, so why not share it here:
A touch blurry and full of happy.
While I'm at it, how about one of Rusty:
He learned to walk, you know. He wasn't even eleven months. Lil ragamuffin.
The weather right now is pretty whizbang amazing and it looks like winter's on it's way out, so I better share my last set of snow photos (although I might have some in my camera still, hmm).
Sometimes, when the temperature is warmish and it's lightly snowing, the kids actually enjoy themselves!
Sledding is a favorite and we have the perfect hill in our backyard to descend. EXCEPT it leads right into a fence. So either I have to be down at the bottom to stop them or they've learned to drag their hands to slow themselves.
Grey's content to slip and slide on a stationary sled.
Picking your nose is hard with snow gloves.
Tire swings are a little extra slick in the wintertime.
Did you know you can use your racquetball rackets in the snow?
He thinks he's so clever sneaking on the other side of the fence.
Time for some snowflake catching! First Liam!
Dash!
Grey!
Thanks snow, it was fun, but I don't think we'll miss you.
Sean's a man of many interests that often rotate between themselves. His free time (ha!) floats between woodworking, chess, card tricks, weirdly specific wikipedia research, and whatever else strikes his interest. Every now and then, learning a new instrument sneaks in there. Around the time I began my pregnancy with Grey, he started learning the harmonica.
The first song (and one of the few) he learned? You Are My Sunshine. The twins and I loved hearing him play. And when we finally settled on the name Grey, we thought, hey, it's in that song! and Sean would sing it to my belly. In the hospital after delivering Grey and trying to sooth the crying babe, Sean and I started singing the song. He calmed down immediately. And each time after, same result. It was magic. You Are My Sunshine became Grey's song.
I tried not to use it too much. Surely the magic wasn't unlimited. But if any of my normal soothing tricks wouldn't work, I'd curl him against me and start singing. Sometimes he'd quiet down right away, others, it took a few repeats. But it always worked. Until a few months ago, when he realized he could be stubborn. I was on round ten warbling the chorus and still, the cries! Ah, it was magical while it lasted. To me, You Are My Sunshine will always be for him.
