A Year of Quotes

1/1/15
Logan: I am as hungry as the whole earth!

1/7/15
Eli: I don't really like girls, except for the ones I do like.

1/12/15
Eli: Mom, pick a shirt that matches mine, because people on the same team wear matching clothes.

1/15/15
Eli: Girls have hair, boys have heads.

1/23/15
Eli: Doctrine and Covenants is a good guy.
Me: What?
Eli: Yeah, because he is a doctor. DOCTOR-in-covenants!

1/24/15
Logan: How did you know? Did you look inside my head?

1/29/15
Eli: The cold is mean!

1/31/15
Ali: I was impressed with myself!

2/2/15
Eli: (Totally out of the blue) Ghosts are very hard to capture.

2/4/15
Eli: I don't have enough hands to carry all of that! I'm not an alien, you know!

2/8/15
Eli: Nephites fight because they are ne-fights!

2/11/15
Logan is interested in words and is constantly asking me to define words he hears but doesn't know. The result is that I get kick out of some of the words this six-year-old uses in daily speech. A few I noticed this week are: resist, cluster, and shortly.

2/12/15
Me: The insides of our bodies are always very warm, almost 100 degrees.
Ali: I wish I lived inside of my body!

2/16/15
Eli: Yoda is my favorite because he is green and small, just like me.

2/24/15
Eli: Mom, I know what that's called; it's a minion.
Me: Actually, it's an onion.

3/6/15
Me: Do you need help with that?
Ali: No, I can do it; my claws are sharp.

3/7/15
Eli: Mom, you're lucky. You get to choose to do whatever you want to do. No one tells YOU what to do all day long.

3/9/15
Ali: (In a prayer) Please bless that Spring will be like Spring and not like more winter.

3/10/15
Eli: Mommy, you and me have cute eyes!

3/17/15
For the past 13 years I have been among the few privileged to call this amazing man Dad. I know there were countless people waiting to welcome him and thank him for his work on their behalf, and I know that he is probably very glad be to be able to be of service again, but I will miss him so. I love you, Dad.

3/23/15
Eli: You can call me Honey. Or Peanut butter. Or Jelly. Really, you can call me anything that's nice.

3/30/15
Ali was helping me put some of the baby's clothes away and she said, "I don't even care that it's not going to be a girl anymore; these are just SO cute!" Good thing she has accepted it; Little Mister is coming a week from tomorrow!

3/31/15
Logan has surprised us by being the most excited for his baby brother. During my pregnancy I have frequently gotten notes like this one: "Dear Baby in the Tummy, I am excited for you to come to our family. I love you. I can't wait to see you in the hospital. I am glad you are a boy. XOXOXOXOXOXO Logan"

4/7/15
World, meet Jake, my newest little love.

4/14/15
Eli: "Mom! Why are you hitting the baby!?" (Lest you worry...I was burping him)

5/16/15
Eli decided he wanted to go down a slide at a play place that he'd been too afraid to go down before. I told him I would wait at the bottom and catch him, which is why I could hear him at the top repeating, "I'm not scared, I'm not scared..." for about a minute before he came down:)

5/21/15
Me: Ali, you have such pretty hair!
Ali: Did you have to pay extra for this hair or did you just get lucky?

5/23/15
Logan: When I have my own house all the rules will be opposite--everyone will put their feet on the table and pick their noses.

5/28/15
Eli: Mom, I really love being a human. That's why I'm happy.

6/18/15
Me: Do you know what a diet is? That is where you don't eat things with sugar or extra foods because you're trying to loose weight or be healthier.
Ali: (laughing) I don't think ANYONE would do that! That's all the good stuff!

6/27/15
Eli: my nose is broken. I must be allergic to Colorado!

6/28/15
Eli: (talking about his twin cousins) Which one is that guy? I can't tell because they have the same face.

7/13/15
Eli (when eating his dessert): This is a dream come true!

7/26/15
Logan: Mom, can we put up Halloween Decorations today? It's ALMOST Halloween! October is only almost two months away!

7/31/15
Eli: You're pulling my legs off! (I think he was trying to say "you're pulling my leg.")

8/2/15
Me: Logan! Do you hit or kick your brothers and sister?!
Logan: YES!
Me: (trying not to laugh, but failing): OK, but SHOULD you hit or kick them?
Logan:...no...

8/5/15
Me: Poor Jake has a cold!
Ali: Oh, I hope I get it!
Me: Why?
Ali: Because if he gives it to me he won't have it anymore!

8/10/15
Us reading the scriptures about being righteous.
Ali: What is "being righteous"?
Me: Keeping the commandments, going to church, things like that.
Ali! Oh, good! I'm doing that! I AM going to heaven, I JUST KNOW IT!

8/28/15
Eli: If you're a girl and become a mom you're special.
Me: Dads are special too.
Eli: Yea, but moms are SUPER special!

9/11/15
Eli: Mom! Someone in my class is named Aunt Lianna! She is a human with a brown face.
Me: I think her name is actually Ellianna.
Eli (disappointed): Oh.

9/13/15
Ali: I love to play Axis and Ali's with Daddy! (Instead of Axis and Allies)

9/20/15
Eli: Mom, you know EVERYTHING!"

9/29/15
Eli: Mom, do you know what leopards are?
Me: Tell me.
Eli: They're sick people. I learned about leopards at church.

10/12/15
Eli: Happy is just my style!

10/16/15
Eli's one request for his birthday party tomorrow: "Make sure there's enough food for me and my mates!"

10/18/15
Eli: "I'm getting the ewoks out of my ears."
Also, to hear him tell it, we went to Naboo, not Nauvoo, last weekend.

11/11/15
Eli: Babies sure cry a lot. Good thing they're SO CUTE even when they do!

11/16/15
When I told Ali and Logan they would be responsible for making their own lunches this year Logan said, "No! If I make my own lunch you won't leave me notes in my lunch! That would be so sad!" When I assured him I would still sneak in notes, he had no further objections:)

11/21/15
Eli: Mom! Did you know teachers have homes?!

11/25/15
Eli: (concerned) She (his friend) said she loves me.
Me: We can love our friends.
Eli: But that's what married people do.
Me: Yes, and good friends.
Eli: It just makes me very nervous.

12/3/15
Eli: I'm playing Baskin Robbers

12/10/15
Eli: Can I have the fire fan in my room?
Me: The what?
Eli : You know, the human fire fan.
Me: Oh, the humidifier!
Eli: Yes, the human fire.

12/13/15
Logan: Mom, does Santa REALLY have a naughty and nice list? Because I've never know anyone or even heard of anyone who was actually on the naughty list and got only coal. I think the list is something parents made up to get kids to behave at Christmas time.

12/14/15
Eli: I like praying because it fills my heart to talk to Him.

12/20/15
Eli: I like it best when it's cold. I'm like a snowman that way.

12/22/15
Logan: It's so sad that a long, long time ago babies often died when they were born. You know, like in the 1980s.

12/24/15
Eli's been walking around all season singing, "You better watch out, you better not pound!..." Yeah, I guess you shouldn't do that too!

12/26/15
Eli likes the poof ball table (foose ball table) we got for Christmas.

Dough head

After all the hours of play dough playing around here, this is a first: play dough on the head. 

Merry Christmas!

We had such a fun Christmas month, and Christmas Eve and Day topped it all off so nicely! The night before we had a nativity with just our little family. The big boys played double roles to pull it off, but there was something sweet about it being just us!

Christmas morning brought much joy and gladness. Grandma Quillen made all the kids' gifts this year, and Logan was particularly pleased with his cowboy outfit and wore it all day long.

Jake was very laid back about all the excitement, and calmly explored all his gifts from Santa and others.

I have always loved Christmas, but I love it more and more with each passing year. And not just Christmas day, but the whole season. I love the fun, the magic, the joy, the traditions, the food, the decorations, the music, and of course all the reminders of my Lord and Savior. Merry Christmas indeed!

The Christmas Street

Last year I heard about this street near us that has displays about the nativity, and this year we decided to check it out. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was blown away. This street, and by street I mean a street with about 50 houses on it, has been setting up these displays for 64 years now and it is AMAZING! On one side of the street every house has a person-sized "bible page" that quotes the nativity story from the scriptures, a sentence at a time, On the other side of the street all the houses have life size cut-outs of shepherds, angels, and wise men that go along with the quote on the house opposite it. And when I say all the houses, I mean every single one. They also have Christmas music playing that somehow can be heard all along the street. Then at the end of the street in a common area they have a huge display of the city of Bethlehem and in front of that a lovely nativity scene complete with a lit up star. To top it all off, this December has been so wonderfully mild, it was warm enough for us to get out and walk along the street rather than stay in our car. It was a wonderful experience!

This will definitely be a new Christmas tradition for our family!

Santa

Even though the older kids were kind of wishy-washy about the need to see Santa this year ("We already told EV, our elf, to tell Santa what we want,") I wanted to take them so Jake could get a picture with him. But Jake was much more interested in looking around the room or smiling at other people than even looking at Santa or at me with the camera...I'm sure next year will be different! 

Even though seeing Santa wasn't high on their list of things to do, this Christmas season has been so much fun and so magical. I'm almost dreading Christmas Day because then it will be all over! I do so love this time of year with all the fun, food, magic, and reminders of my Savior.

Queen of Snowflakes

Ali has been enjoying making paper snowflakes this month leading Logan to call her "The Queen of All Snowflakes."

8 Months

Our boy is 8 months old! I just can't say enough how I love this sweet baby and how glad I am that he is part of our family. He loves to laugh at his siblings, smile at everyone, amaze strangers with his peacefulness, and melt his Mommy's heart! 

The more things change...

Remember this?

They still like to do it!

Wacky Day

Eli's preschool had a Wacky Wednesday (on a FRIDAY--so wacky!) and the kids were encouraged to come dressed crazy. Eli asked Ali and Logan to help him decide what to wear and had me do his hair crazy...he sure did look wacky! 

Winter Gear

I love Jake in his winter coat; I call him my Little Green Marshmallow!

But since his car seat has a warm cover, most of the time we go out he looks like this. Cute either way!

Silver Linings

The only good thing about needing a new furnace, and not having heat until we got one (and I mean THE ONLY GOOD THING) was that we had the fire lit a lot... I do love a nice fire, and I guess I;m not the only one!

Creative Inclusion

Ali has been coming up with fun ways to play with and include her family in her fun lately. She creates "parties" in her room with games, good bags, crafts, music and more to which we're all invited; she has a list of "classes" on her door--tumbling, ballet (or ballalay as she calls and writes it), and reading club--with dates and times listed to which we're all encouraged to attend; and pictured here, a store where she made you a pet and all it's accessories and encouraged us to play together with our new pets. What a creative Sweetheart!

Proof

See? It IS more fun to play together than to make each other (and Mommy) crazy!

Loving to Learn

I don't know if it's because he wants to keep up or if he would have been like this even if he were the oldest, but Eli loves to learn and will often ask to do "school at home." I saved a lot of the little paper books Ali and Logan brought home from kindergarten anticipating the need for them, and I'm glad I did. Eli LOVES "reading" the pattern books ("the duck is little, the dog is little, the doll is little, etc"). I sure love him!

Sitting

I would say Jake can officially sit now. He's been working on it for a month or so and now seldom falls down. I love this look, "Yeah, Mom, I've got this." 

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a nice Thanksgiving this year. Jason's mom was here for the week from St. George and it was so nice to have her here. It felt so normal to have her around, sometimes I had to remind myself that this was unusual now! Dinner was good and the company was even better! 

Wheelchair

I knew Ali was working hard on something in her room, but I didn't know what until she brought ti down to show off; she'd made a wheelchair and spent the rest of the evening using it to get around:)

Game Boy

Two oft repeated requests from this boy are, "Will you read to me," and "Will you play a game it me?" Yes, please!

Up High

We had some satellite dishes and an old antenna that needed to come down off our roof, (when we got rid of satellite we had to mail a part back or pay $200...did they care they had put the part on the roof? They did not...) so our wonderful brother-in-law came and helped Jason get them all down. I was glad they were successful and that they both ended the day with no falls! 

Field Trip

Eli and I got to go on a fun field trip to a farm with his preschool. It was fun to do something just him and me again! They had some great play houses the kids loved, and here he is being a pirate on a pirate ship.

He was hoping there would be a scarecrow and was thrilled to spot this spooky guy!

I love my boy!

Pacifiers and bibs

We took away Jake's pacifier while he was sleeping when he was about 3 months old, but he still has it during the day and I think he likes it more than the others did. He's working on being able to put it in his own mouth, and of course more often than not it goes in wrong, but funny enough he seems happy with it any which way!

I didn't realize a new bib would be noticed by this little guy, but it was and so of course it had to be tasted; everything goes in his mouth these days!

Making lunch

Sometimes this happens when a five-year-old makes his lunch:)

Entrepreneur

I wish I could think of something truly marketable my little entrepreneur could make or do to earn money. He is willing to work hard on his goals and doesn't let a little rain or cold dissuade him from his plans. On this day he made paper airplanes and was trying to sell them, as well as giving out free lemonade to attract buyers:)

Side note: A few days after this he noticed some neighbors with lots of leaves in their yard and asked me if he could offer to rake them for a dollar. I told him $5 would be reasonable. Since we didn't know these neighbors Ali, Jake and I went over with him which was good for Ali, who decided to help, because the neighbors agreed to let Logan do it but told him $5 wasn't enough and ended up paying him and Ali $5 each, and good for me because I got to get to know these sweet neighbors!

Morning Buddies

I sure enjoy my peaceful mornings with these two buddies. Eli climbs into Jake's crib to keep him happy while I finish getting ready for the day most days:

Towel Hair

I taught Ali how to wrap her long beautiful hair in a towel like I do which made her feel so grown up; I remember feeling the same way when my mom taught me! I love this girl so much!

Best Bee

One afternoon a pesky bee made it's way into our house. The next day Logan said, "There's another bee in the house!" and I turned, annoyed at having to hunt another bee, and had a great surprise! This bee is always welcome here!

Mad Scientist

We read a funny book called Do Not Build a Frankenstein, and after Logan had to, of course, build a Frankenstein! Our Mad Scientist put lots of details into it (like a head that opens to reveal a brain), and took over the basement bedroom as his "laboratory." Handsomest Mad Scientist I've ever seen!

Happy Halloween!

Ah, the holidays! I am so enjoying the beginning of this holiday season and we loved Halloween! Ali and Logan carved their own pumpkins this year! They're all getting so big!

Cutest trick-or-treaters ever! Ali wore the same Statue of Liberty costume my mom made for me when I was little! As cute as Eli's ghost costume was it was terribly impractical so he only wore it for a couple of houses trick-or-treating and at zero Halloween parties, but being the lover of dressing up he is he didn't mind being a vampire at school, a storm trooper at the ward party and part two of trick-or-treating, and Yoda at our family party. Logan picked out his costume back in September and looked awesome!

Jake enjoyed a two hour nap while the kids trick-or-treated and humored me with a smile for the two minutes I made him wear this while they were gone.

Happy Halloween!

Sitting Practice

We've been practicing sitting. He's still not very good at it, but I'm hoping he'll get it down soon.

And every one of his milestones are encouraged and cheered for by his devoted fans!

Halloween Party

We had our second annual kids' halloween party last Friday, and it was a hit! Eli got to help with some of the food prep.

Here's most of what I made: cupcakes with worms or candy corn, mummy and skeleton gingerbread cookies, jello-mold ghosts and pumpkins, bone bread sticks, mummy hot dogs, tombstone quesadillas, and pumpkin cheeses. There was also punch and spiderweb pizza. 

We had 25 kids here! It was quite a bit wilder than last year, but everyone had a great time and my kids were all super cute with their gratitude and helping clean up when it was over. Family memories and fun traditions? Check and check!