February

February pictures!  Hooray! 

But first two funny Rachel quotes (I just found these written down on a notecard from a few months ago).

1.  Rachel (after watching me clean up the kitchen after dinner):  "Mom, it's funny, because sometimes it seems like you are actually our maid.  And we're all the kings and queens.  Because, I mean, all your life - well, at least since you've been a grown-up - all you do is clean and clean and clean.  And I mean ALL you do. . . Except when you go on dates.  And movie nights.  So I guess it's not that bad."

2.  Rachel (after saying something that she thought was particularly clever):  Mom, it's weird, because I've noticed that as people get older they usually get funnier and funnier! 

Me:  What do you mean?

Rachel:  Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but I am actually starting to be REALLY funny!

Daniel:  Yeah, funny looking you mean! (he had just walked into the room and couldn't resist)

Rachel (without missing a beat):  I've been funny looking all my life!!

(big pause)

Rachel (maybe reconsidering what she just said):  Well, cute looking is more like it.

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And now February pictures. . . .

Henry holding Cynthia (a rare moment, not usually allowed - see 3rd picture):

Eating breakfast by candlelight (and flashlight).  The power had gone out one morning right before school, which was very exciting to everyone.  We continued to get ready and eat breakfast, just so the kids would be all ready to go when it came back on.  We lit some candles and handed out flashlights.  Henry insisted on holding a flashlight and shining it on every bite.

Henry didn't let the power outage keep him from getting some puzzle time in. 

After about 15 minutes, the sun started to come up so I just opened up the windows in the kitchen, and there was plently of light.  Elizabeth continued to use her flashlight for a few hours, though, because everything is more fun with a flashlight when you are four.

It always makes me happy to see my kids playing together and being best friends (not that they don't have their fair share of arguments - I just don't have any pictures of that).

Rachel and Lizza playing the Leapster together:

Tristan and Oliver using the computer together (Tristan wanted to build stuff on Lego.com, and Oliver wanted to draw a picture of Ironman, so they figured out a way to have both up at the same time):

Lizza and Henry pretending something together.

Rachel and Lizza reading books together while riding scooters/striders.

Cynthia just being cute in my bed. 

Henry jumping off the couch.  When I told him he couldn't jump off the couch anymore he told me he needed to because he was Batman, not Henry.  He then said "Mom, don't talk to me or say that I can't when I jump off the couch again, okay?"  That's his new thing whenever he's planning on disobeying - "mom, when I do it again don't say that I can't do that."  He thinks it's a pretty simple solution.

Decorating cookies for Valentine's Day.

I didn't feel like buying 75 valentines for my kids to take to school just so they could get thrown away, so I decided to make cookies for them to take instead.  The kids loved helping me decorate them and were super excited to take them to school.  (and thanks, Audra, for teaching us about the royal icing - it's so fun!)

Cynthia being cute on Valentine's Day:

Henry posing by a big puzzle.  He must have remembered that I took a picture of Lizza by her big puzzle, because as soon as he finished he laid down next to it and requested a picture.

When he's not doing puzzles, he also has fun drawing pictures.  Usually he just draws straight lines and calls them snakes or sticks, but once in awhile he gets brave and calls his scribbles whatever he wants them to be without worrying that it might not look exactly right.

Here is a video clip of him drawing "not a bomb, but a bomb hill" (whatever that is).  My favorite part is at :34 when he stands up all excited and says proudly "There it is! The bomb hill!  I drawed the bomb hill!"  Also when he gets distracted in the middle because he heard the Star Wars music come on so he thinks he might need to stop drawing and hurry and get his Darth Vader stuff on.   

Cynthia at four months old.  Isn't that about the cutest doll ever?  A lady in our ward made it for her.  They are about the same size right now.

Oliver did a research project at school about bald eagles.  He had to make a 3D project, and decided to make an eagle habitat out of legos.  It was awesome.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but that is a little bald eagle in a nest in a tree and it has a fish in its mouth.

Speaking of Oliver, he is crazy when it comes to animals.  Now that it is getting warmer here, he takes forever getting home from school, because he always stops off at the creek to catch things.  The other day I was upstairs when the kids got home, and Rachel burst in the door yelling, "Mom, Ollie caught a huge scary thing!"  The next thing I heard was Ollie running in to the kitchen, and then a few seconds later yelling, "Mom!  It has eggs!  It's laying its eggs everywhere!!"  You are right if you think this was a very alarming thing to hear.  I raced downstairs (skipping steps, even), to see what was laying eggs all over my kitchen.  It was a giant crawfish, which Oliver had luckily gotten into a bowl of water before all of the hundreds of eggs attached to it started hatching.  You could actually see all of the little crawfish swimming out.  It was fascinating and terrifying at the same time.  And if you are squeamish you might want to close your eyes for the picture:

I still can't believe he picked that thing up and carried it all the way home from the creek. 

In cuter news, Rachel started soccer this spring.  She was so excited about it.  The minute we got home from the store with her soccer cleats, ball, etc., she was out in the backyard practicing with Tristan.  Neither of them know what they're doing, but oh, well. 

That's it for February.