Eli's Favorite Things
1. Triangles. He finds them everywhere, on houses, on my dad's boxes in his office, on signs along the road, on our hands (fingers).
2. Chocolate milk. Left to his own devices, this is the only substance he would consume. Well...he has really enjoyed popsicles at Grandma's house this week. :)
3. Leaves. He's so fascinated by the ones on Grandma's plants, the dry ones on the ground and the little ones appearing on the trees.
4. Being Nakkie! He's 2 right? So, we're in the stripping phase. Since we're not potty training yet, overalls work the best at keeping this little monkey dressed.
5. Hugs and kisses. I'm not sure where he got this idea that he's European, but hugs and kisses have to be given on both sides of the cheeks. This was truly his own idea.
6. Saying "Good morning!". This goes on all day and is said in the cutest and sweetest of voices...sometimes when he's getting in trouble, but he always wants to put my face between his hands when he says it, like it will make every bad or sad or stressful thing go away. Maybe it actually will.

Okay, I've been tagged. Not only that, I've been repromended for not posting often enough. Sorry, I really want to do better...I'll try, how about that? Maybe more than once a month?

Where was I 10 years ago?
1998, I was in Provo, Utah, working for NuSkin....Yeah, um....life was a bit different then.

Where was I 5 years ago?
2003, Also in Provo, or the general area, also working for NuSkin...It was another year before I met my hubby.

Where was I 1 year ago?
Pullman, WA. Okay, I NEVER thought I would end up back in Eastern Washington. I grew up in Moses Lake, and when I moved to the "West Side", in 1989, I was D-O-N-E with Eastern WA...I love being here now....We did our stint in Pullman for hubby to finish some prereq's for nursing school. I think it could be one of the happiest places I've ever lived. I will always treasure my days in Pullman.

I enjoy...
Taking pictures, making jewelry, walking, organizing (it's easier when not holding an 18 lb-er and having a 2 yr old tugging at your knees, or trying to tackle you), trying new recipes, meeting new people (becoming a pro at that), hearing from friends (hint!)

My favorite shows are...
Lost, Ellen (yes really, i like her light-hearted-ness...it helps with my crazyness sometimes), Oprah (depending on the topic), Trading Spaces, Smallville, and my guilty pleasure of late...American Idol! I can't get enough of this kid from Murray, Uah! He's way too cute and sweet and has this voice to die for!

I hate...
Lies, cleaning toilets (I'm the only female in my house!), mushrooms (there's a reason it's called fungus!), being cold.

My Biggest joys are...
Really? Do you have to ask? Well it's long baths, of course. Kidding, I do love those, but I have 4 boys in my life that I thank my Heavenly Father every day for. OH, other than them? I love sunny days, singing birds, and happy kids. Knowing that there is a plan for me and my family brings me joy. I cling to that when I'm having a tough day. The Gospel plan and the gifts of life and the Atonement are the greatest things anyone could ask for.

What are 5 things I have to do today?
-go walking
-make phone calls and do paper work for lovely govt. programs that help us survive while hubby is in school
-return library books, get some new ones
-play with my kids
-adore my hubby

5 snacks I like...
-Sweedish Fish
-anything with cherry flavor lately, Cherry Garcia Ben & Jerry's is calling mly name!
-chocolate
-nachos
-root beer floats

What would I do if I was suddenly a billionaire?
Pay off the debts of everyone in mine and my hubbys' families.
Invest
Buy a nice house (for family members too, if they want)
Travel

4 bad habits that I have...
Do I have to ?
-procrastinating
-losing patience (bad spelling, i know) with my kids
-staying awake too late!
-i have a lot more....

5 jobs that I've had
-receptionist
-event coordinator
-clothing sales
-video store clerk
-picking spinich (yes, really...I was 13)
-Arby's (worst job ever, even worse than the spinich one)

Okay, I tag...anyone who reads this...ha! Got to get my fam blogging!

Good night!

It seems like all my posts are timestamped at this time of night. So, now you know why I only post once a month! Usually I'm either nursing a baby or asleep by this time. It is really hard to make myself stay up when I know I could be sleeping. But once I get in the goove....watch out! The previous post is loaded with pictures and most are Eli. Well, it was his birthday last month. He's growing up so fast. He had his first haircuts and he acts more and more kid like rather than baby like. I start to feel a little sad about it, then I realize that there's another baby in the house. We have 3 very discinct and very different stages going on with our children. Hold on, maybe not so much. Our 10-year-old often acts like a 2 year-old. Maybe that's not such a bad thing. It can actually be quite good at times. I have "caught" Eric several times recently playing very happily with Eli. Blocks, plastic animals, wooden trains, cars, but the favorite of all.....FOOTBALLS! Eli loves so much to play chech (catch). Ah, the toys of little (and not so little) boys. I was invited over for a play date this week and there's just one little girl who lives there. She had all sorts of wonderful girl stuff...We have no idea what to do with girl stuff! :O) It was fun for me though, I dream of having a little princess someday. Even if I don't, my princes are gifts from God. I thank Him every day for allowing them to be in my life.

We were in Costco the other day and I had the babies in the stroller. It's they only way to go at that store. If I don't strap Eli in, it's a miserable experience for us all! Noah had toys, Eli had everything to look at in the store. We looked at a CD display, where we could push the buttons and hear a sampling of the music. We pushed the button for the Toddler Tunes CD. It played B-I-N-G-O and Eli danced in the stroller. WE pushed a couple others then strolled off. A little way down the rown he started yelling "name-o! name-o!" It took me a couple of minutes to figure out that he was pointing to the CD display and wanted to hear the song again "There was a farmer, had a dog and BINGO was his NAME-O! Sheesh, how's he supposed to know the real name of the song?

I love that I have a new back seat driver! We have a lot of pot holes on our roads and sometimes it's a bit of a bumpy ride. The other day I hit a rough patch and I hear from the back seat "Kepul (careful) mommy!" I look back and he's holding his arm out with a stiff hand, as if that will help me to drive better.

Noah is growing so fast. He's sitting up now and rolling all over the place. He looks at me like he knows exactly what's going on. I'm afraid I'll never get anything past him!

We had a really nice weekend as a family. Eric is growing up and seeming way to close to becoming a young man. He's pretty amazing with his imagination. This morning he took about 40 minutes to tell us about his dreams of last night. Kendall is sure that he embelishes the stories of his dreams, but even if he does, so what? They're pretty incredible. We'd love to get him to write them down. They're awesome adventures!

I'm tired, but that's nothing new. I think I'll sleep now until the next round starts.

Heavens no! He's not sleeping! He's just freed himself from Dad's grip!

For once we're all dressed semi-nicely. These are rare moments for mom, to have all 3 boys smiling and happy to be cuddled together. (There are many moments of smiles, but the 2 older boys are usually tackling each other)

Ah! Caught you adoring your baby brother!

Yeah, I'm cool!

These next few are on Eli's birthday. He really is a sweet kid, and I don't mean just because he had covered himself in chocolate!

Sweety!

Seriously, I could have never asked him to pose in such an adorable way.

Yo dudes! This chair is the happenin' place!

The new do!

Mom's 1st haircut wasn't so great, so a few days later Dad got out the clippers. No more whispy hair on the back of Eli's head. Sob.

Yeah, I have no idea what this expression is all about. I think he was trying to say something.

I just love the orange bum. This is to prove that I am once again "attempting" to cloth diaper the babies. Through the move and the holidays, I just put them away. Once I solved my hot water and diaper sprayer issues, I had no more excuses, except that I had gotten out of the habit/routine. Disposibles are definately faster, but they also cost me money. Ah well, even if I do it part time, I'm still saving some, right?

WE don't look tired, do we? Hey, we're all together and all looking at the camera at the same time!

Okay, the photos are backwards, but these 2 are AFTER the haircut. Kendall didn't like the "bob" look, but I think it's fine. Scroll up for the 2nd haircut done by dad and the clippers!

Okay, this is Eli's 1st haircut...EVER. Yes, he's fully 2 years old now. If only he would hold still!

2 March 2008 Can you see the teeth? This is very typical of Noah. Always smiling, laughing, just having a good time.

OH MY! What a cozy soft sweater from Grandma Batson!

2 March 2008

More Mamma and boys! Grandma Batson, this photo is for you! The boys love their sweaters even if I did have to wrestle them back into them just for this photo! Man, I can't believe how fast Eric changes into his loungy clothes after church!

Here's Dad with the clippers....so much fun!

Snow Week

So we got a little snow...what's the big deal? I couldn't believe when church was cancelled. I thought for sure there would be school on Monday, but no, not today either, and also not tomorrow! We had some clear skies yesterday then we got several more inches last night. That was on top of the foot + from Saturday into Sunday. Sheesh. I did venture out to the grocery store by myself this morning. It was pretty trecherous, but I had a glorious hour and a half or so to myself. Nevermind that I had no idea where the lines were on the road and that I couldn't stop at the stop signs. I was alone! I bought milk and eggs, so thrilling.
I guess Spokane area schools haven't closed for snow in over 10 years and certainly not for 3 days! I guess we have a days reprieve, then another storm is expected tomorrow night with 4-6 more inches! Will the kids go to school at all this week? We've been watching lots of movies, doing lots of coloring (Eli screams Draw! Draw!), and just goofing off. Tomorrow I think I'll grind some wheat and have the kids help me make cookies and banana bread. Yum! We could make such a wonderful mess!

Here's the entrance to our apartment building.

Kendall spent a while uncovering the van.. This was Monday morning...we have more snow now.

Doesn't he just look like he's about to do something terrible?

Eli loved the snow. When it was time to go in I had to take him kicking and screaming!

The slides were particularly fun with the slick snow at the bottom!

Church was cancelled...what else were we to do?

Here's the view from our back patio. This is looking kind of south-ish towards the main street, Division.

Christmas with the Batsons

Okay, I am well aware that Christmas was a month ago. I can finally see floor space in my apartment, so now I have time to update and stuff.

We moved into our new apartment in Spokane on December 22nd. We promptly took off to Kent for Christmas and left our piles of boxes. When we returned it was chaotic at best and I have been pulling my hair out trying to get this place organized. Truth be told the hair loss is actually a result of having had a baby last summer, but what does it really matter? I have some really funky bald/sparse spots. My dear, sweet husband says he doesn't notice, but today he pointed out a few spots on his beard where no hair is growing. He was so distraught, but I hadn't noticed that either. Hmmm...is is that we're not paying any attention to each other? Or maybe it's just that these silly hair issues really aren't that noticable to anyone else? Who knows? I'm not even sure how often he shaves anymore, is it once a week or every two weeks?

I'm down to one pile of boxes left and it is in my room. Thankfully, this is the biggest room (I mean this room is really big!) in the apartment. So, even with this one last pile there is still room for our huge bed, Noah's little bed, bookshelves, night stands, a dresser...is that all? It's really nice to be able to walk around the bed and not run into anything else. The apartment is mostly organized, but knowing me I'll be tweaking it for months to come. Just something I do.

It's been snowing now for over 12 hours....I don't know how much snow we have, but it's a lot. Good thing we have late church tomorrow. Can it please be summer tomorrow? I have 3 kids with serious cases of cabin fever! Oh yeah, I have it too...I need to go out and walk, play, run, etc. We miss our Pullman friends. Boo hoo.....I'm tired and going to bed.






Football on Christmas day...need I say more?

"Ta da!" Eli thinks he's king of the world.

Noah in his little 3 piece suit. Yes, he really does smile like this most of the time. We love every minute of it.

"Don't even think about trying to get this ball away from me!"

"Bee ball!"

Cousins trying to get each other into trouble. Kickin' back enjoying a milk together.

The rare shot of the mamma...Christmas with my babies. I don't think there is anything sweeter. Well, Noah is sweet...Eli, on the other hand...

Christmas Day! Eli was thrilled that he could rip paper with reckless abandon and not be told he couldn't! He wanted to rip everyone else's packages too.

Our smiliest guy! Okay, so at this very moment he's giving his daddy a hard time, but most of the time he's our most easy going happy kid. One of my favorite blessings at this time is the mellowness of Noah's personality.

Eric's 1st orchestra concert. He started playing the violin in September...is it me or is that bow a little above the strings? :)

Eric playing Joseph in our ward's Christmas pageant. The drama that took place had nothing to do with the actual event. He was too worried about having to "play" someone who was married!

Eli with his buddy Joseph. We keep trying to tell him he should wear clothes when he's socializing. He really doesn't care.

"This tastes horrible!"

Mommy's note: This was the day Eli dumped out garlic bread crumbs all over his room and rubbed them into his sheets. This corn flour incident followed shortly resulting in a very unpleasant mess. Eli choked and gagged on the flour and, well, it was really gross. Later he found a can of bag balm and smeared it all over his room. This was one day. Kendall describes Eli as a monkey with 4 arms all going different ways at once. We can hardly keep up.

"Eh...eh...mess?"

"Look Ma! I found something wonderful to play with."