They really are learning

Maddie surprised me at dinner tonight. We were talking about birthdays and she said that hers is 8 months away. I said she was close, it is 6 months and we proceeded to count. Much to my surprise, she was right. They talked about the calendar and birthdays at preschool on Thursday, and she must have really paid attention and learned something that day!

Bethany at 6 months (kind of)

Here is Bethy's pictures. She is almost 7 months (because of the girls were sick when we were originally going to do them).
But isn't she stinkin' CUTE!

Bethany turns 4!

Maddie decorated her gingerbread house at Grandma's over Thanksgiving.

So hot, she's gotta wear shades!

Potty training tips

Here is my potty training advice: TREATS!!!! Anything with chocolate....
Or Pink...
Or you can play with!

New addition to our family...vroom, vroom

I don't have a picture yet, but I thought I would share our announcement. We have a new addition to our family. We are now the proud owners of a mini-van. When you have a mini-van as your major mode of transportation, all feelings of youth dissolve and are replaced by the reality that YOU are now the parent. I miss my Altima (Ephraim now drives it to work) and I won't get my sedan back for many years. My sister's feelings about mini-vans is, while she appreciates the ability to transport all 4 children at once, she will be trading her mini-van in as soon as they drop Alex off at the MTC.

For all of the Everett family, the van is called Slate Green (green is the only color I said I didn't want in a car--although it looks more blue than green) and it was purchased in Orem, the heart of Happy Valley. The irony! At least we didn't buy it from the dealer with the big "Y" flag displayed in the front window.

Some pictures

Bethy's first FHE. I pulled out one of my old Sunbeam lessons and viola, instant FHE. Maddie insisted that we all wear princess crowns that I had as leftover handouts.

She looks so thrilled with this career pathway.

Here is Maddie again digging in the "mud" (she calls dirt, mud) in our front flower box. By the way, the tomato plant on the left was our only "garden" this year. It never was planted in the ground, but grew huge above ground still in its 2 inch pot. Pretty amazing.

Maddie is sharing her most prized possession with her sister. That is love!

Bethy is getting so big. We are out of 0-3 month clothes and she is only 2 months. At her 2 month check up, she was in the 80% for weight and 90% for height. I can understand where she gets the weight from, but where is the height coming from?

Mother's Day

We are on day 7 of potty training. I don't think there is anything more disgusting than washing out panties in the toilet that have been pooped in. Moms have a special love for their children, or why else would we do it? I just have to keep thinking about the Jeff Foxworthy bit where he is talking about moms and says "Moms will clean up anything...Moms clean up things that would gag the roto-rooter man...Sewer can be spewing everywhere and mom's is in there cleaning up and singing 'I'm singing in the rain'". I'd better get dang good Mother's Days gifts after this!