Kids at family home evening... jk lol <')))><

Tonight we all ate dinner in the tree fort, and for family home evening learned about Adam and Eve. We thought it turned out to be a really fun lesson. The next day I heard Lilly telling Bella "...and I like Eve dollies and you like Adam dollies" Bella was in distress she did not want to have the Adam dolly, well some of those church lessons sink in and some you use to bug your sister with.

The girls love their new preschool it looks like so much fun that I want to go to preschool. They get to ride cool metal trikes and sing and dance to great kid music, paint, play with tables full of rice and beans they even have a little time each day learning about a Bible character. Today they came home and were telling me about baby Moses Bella said in a very serious and concerned tone"and the mamma put the baby Moses in a basket and put him in the river. THAT WAS NOT SAFE !". They sure come up with some funny things to say, and fresh new perspectives.

Lilly looking lovely in her Dads gardening hat

Bella at Malibu looking at some Icon Stars (small star fish) on some sea weed

Toben was very happy about his very own big red sucker

The girls both went surfing with their dad who took them out on his shoulders and caught little waves with them. They both really enjoyed it and Bella asked to go again while we were packing up to go so her good daddy suited her up and took her out again.

Lilly and her cinderella dolly from a happy meal. The dolly goes everywhere with Lilly and that was truly the happiest meal she ever ate. As a mother I saw this darling dolly that my daughter loved and naturally next Saturday I wanted to get her the next one. Well much to her dismay it was the Prince Charming dolly or as Lilly would call it the little boy dolly. I handed it back to her and tried to introduce it in a fun way but no fooling her, "No I don't want that little boy dolly I don't like that dolly". Her immense disgust with that dolly was manifest through her actions of giving the dolly to her little brother Toben who is not allowed to touch anything in the house. Except of course food which he thoroughly enjoys. I love this shot of him trying to eat and drink at the same time, he usually wakes up very hungry.

Lilly and Bella cherry picking at Grandma and Grandpa's. They stood on top of the car and picked every last cherry in reach.

This pic has nothing to do with this week except that the girls have been asking to go to Utah multiple times a day, they really love everyone there.

Lilly Encounters the Manikins

Look Grandpa Gary I like to fix things like you!

The weather is getting cool and the pool is a bit nippy. Flying kites, going to the beach, happy acre and playing at the pool have filled the week. At 10:00 in the morning, the girls still run in first thing and brave the cold water at the pool. This morning Lilly was in and wanted her goggles on so she could go underwater. I tried to dissuade her but to no avail she was excited to swim. Of course it dosn't last long because of the cold and we spend the other hours collecting all of the flowers and berries and mushrooms and such from the great landscaping around the pool. We are always the only ones their in the morning and so when they take off their wet suits and run around naked I figure they only get this time once in life might as well enjoy it.

Bella spent much of the evening drawing trees in a way all her own. She holds the crayon much like an artist using pastels and swipes down a line for the trunk then she tops it with a nice bunch of circles and within a few minutes there is a whole forest covering the paper. I want to get a large canvas and have draw her signature trees all over it, they look so neat. She drew one for everyone in the family and we need to mail them out.

It seems that every moment they are up to something very creative. On Sunday while preparing my lesson for primary Jake took the kids out front but Lilly snuck in unbeknown to me. She quietly set to work gathering toys from every room in the house and lining them up front to back rimming the outside of our table. When I came out and looked at the clock I immediatly started to worry about how we were all going to get to church on time, and I set out to pack the diaper bag. Then I noticed the circle table out of the corner of my eye. I was glad to be pulled out of my mommy world and into the reality of my sweet 3 year old Lilly for a moment. These kids are so creative.

Bella pulled out all these weeds and lined them up she called it her fence.

We love going to Petco and they love helping arrange the store.

The days are very full and I wish we had a full time maid but I think that is what every mom wants. Lilly helped unload the dishwasher all on her own today. I know it is important for you kids to see you work and to be a part of helping, but man at the end of the day I am with Niel Young "a mom needs a maid". It is nice to have sweet chubby and some not so chubby babies to kiss. Little kids are always ready to give kisses and love. They have endless time and nothing to pressing on their docket. It is a nice luxury to just kiss and hug and love them whenever I want all day. I am sure I will not always have that and I try to take as much time for this, but the laundry does need to be tamed and the wasps that infest trees here do need to be killed, the lawn mowed and the food cooked and the dishes washed and the poop cleaned and so on. I am very grateful for a safe place to live where we can get out and walk and explore right out of our front door. I have the perfect mom life amidst the crazy amount of work and I am blessed to have a hard working husband that allows me such enjoyable times raising the munchers.

Our sweet Grandma Dora came last week and was such a shining example to me of someone that knows what life is really about. With the devastating news of breast cancer just a week before and an upcoming surgery she set about that week to make my life perfect, like she always does. Morning walks and trips with the kids so I could get some things done. Then she would come home and wash dishes and vaccume and read books and then sweep and love the girls and wash the table. I thought we might be able to help her in some way that week but she just helped a tired mom without taking a break and was happy and sweet all week. What a Woman! God needs more Dora's on the earth and I know she will get through all of this fine. Our prayers are with her.