{to cut or not to cut}

Fuzzy and Slick. That's how one of our good friends refers to our boys. And it's true--Henry's hair sticks down nicely, close to his head, while every single hair on Jack's head sticks out.

It is most definitely adorable--fuzzy, red, baby hair. It's also a little crazy looking, and a tiny haircut would probably make a world of difference.

Am I the only one who has a hard time cutting baby hair? Even though I know it would be an improvement, I feel like once you cut it, they just look so much older. I wouldn't even consider it until he turned one, but now that he is, I think I'm ready.

So...cut, or not?

{birthday cake}

A first birthday would not be complete without the cake...

• Jack dove right in--no hesitation at all.
  
• Henry was a little more reticent at first--then he made up for lost time!

The clean up? Not so fun, but totally worth it.

{1}

One year ago...

JACK:

• my cuddle-er, loves to be held
• sweet
  
• happy
• laid back
• curious
• loves to eat!
• easy to please
• 4 cute teeth, but 4 more coming soon!
• Jack Sprat, Jack-Jack
  

HENRY:

• a grin as big as can be
• wants to be EVERYWHERE
• loves to have what anyone else has
• momma's boy
• in charge
• full of energy, never stopping
• stubborn--knows what he wants
• 8 teeth by 10 months--this kid was born to eat!
  
• Henry B.
  

Sweet babies, I can't believe you are one year old!
I'm so incredibly grateful that my plan was not the same as God's plan, and that you are both here with me.

I love you! Happy Birthday my darling boys!

{spill}

Ever wonder what an entire gallon of milk looks like all over the floor?

Well, let me help you with that.




These pictures do not even come close to doing the actual damage justice. It's been an afternoon's project to get it all cleaned up, and I have a feeling I will be finding little droplets of milk for awhile. Poor little Miss Emma--it wasn't her fault. I was bringing in the groceries, and set the milk too close to the edge of the island.

Just another day in the life, right?

{snippets}

I have a riddle for you today.

If your little girl asked you, "I would like mustaches on my blinks", how would you respond?

She wanted mascara on her eyes. LOL.
That Miss Kate, I love the words she uses. She also calls Corn Flakes "Snow Flakes". I don't even try to correct her. She has the rest of her life to say it right!

------------------

Rick was walking by Emma's room this morning around 6am. She was sitting quietly in her room, with the lamp on, reading the Gospel Principles manual. She kills me.

-------------------

{lunch conversation}

Let me set the scene around the table at lunch today...

• two sick kids, throwing up and with fevers (that had been up all night)
• one sick baby, wanting to be held, but not while sitting down; wanting to eat, but not wanting to sit in his chair
• one hungry baby, wanting food that of course needed to be spoon fed
• one big boy, needing insulin and lots of encouragement to get his chores done (including the dishes that were currently spread all over the kitchen)
  
• two girlies, both clearly making it know that they want lunch...now
  

The conversation:

Kate: Why do you have so many kids?

Me: (my harried, but sincere answer) Because we have so much fun together, and we love having you as part of our family.

...a small pause

Emma: I love staying home and having so much fun with you, Mom.

Kate: Dad's sure missing out on all this fun.

------------------

Why yes, he sure is.

{another milestone}

Well, I'm about to have a whole lot more money.

This is the last formula I will ever buy! (most likely)

HALLELUJAH! I swear, I could have put Ryan through his first year of college with what we spent on formula, so it really is a day of celebration.

On the other hand, I am still recovering from the fact that my baby boys are drinking milk from a sippy cup, and will be 1 year old in a couple weeks.

*sigh*

{4th of July celebration}

I look forward to the 4th of July all year. I LOVE it.

It was an especially nice weekend this year, because with the 4th falling on Sunday, Rick had both Friday and Monday off. It was wonderful. We went to the pool, to the beach, ate yummy food, and spent time with good friends. It was wonderful.

Sunday evening we went to watch the fireworks in our traditional spot on the church lawn. It is the best seat in town! It's the perfect place--lots of friends to see, plenty of space for kids to run and around and play, and not much traffic when leaving. We tried to give the four littles a nap that afternoon, and while the boys cooperated, the girls did not. Hence, the exhaustion (and hysteria) set in on our way home, but since the end result was them sleeping in until almost 9am, it worked out just fine.

Handsome boys.

Yep. Jack has a mohawk, and I love it. Since his hair naturally sticks up, I just help it along with a little gel. It fits him perfectly.

Just chillin'...

We had our traditional homemade ice cream, and my girls were two of the best customers.

I'm not sure what Emma is scrunching her nose about, but it made me laugh.

Okay. This picture was an attempt to be in front of the camera more, but you can see how successful that was, lol.

Happy 4th!

{improvisation}

What do you do when you have two boys being wild while you're trying to feed them lunch in the church kitchen during Sunday School??

Grab a bowl (for Jack), and a stew pot (for Henry)!

Now if that pot only had buckles, it would be perfect.