Wishing for Rain?

Ever since they got their umbrellas for Christmas they have been wishing for rain ...

that's what they said

He Said...

M: Your going to get babysat.
C: But Why?
M: Dad and I are going on a date.
C: OHHHHH. To get married?
M: No we are already married.
C: Oh then why do you need to date?

C: MOM! Can we play now?
M: Yes, I said in a second.
C: But your seconds are like a lot of seconds till forever.

Talking to no one in particular,
C: I've told you 11 times BABIES are not REAL! (WAR CRY!)

M: Wow your really fast.
C: (Rolls his eyes) I'm just a regular sonic Mom.

After a sibling battle, Connor got sent to sit on the steps for hitting his sister. Unfortunately, Mom didn't get the full story, so when I came to talk to him about what happened I noticed bright red scratches on his arm...
M: What happened Connor?
M: Your arm is all scratched up, did Bella do that?
C: I just hate it she is getting tougher and tougher.

M:There's shapes on that door, do you know what kinds of shapes?
C: Bow and arrows
M: You mean triangles.
C: Yes lots of them.

FAVORITE QUOTE OF ALL TIME
C: I'm a party starter and your a party goer and Dad's a party pooper!

She Said...

While looking at her foot,
B: (Screaming and crying) My boo-boo is gone my boo-boo is gone!
(Mom grabs her other foot.)
B: My boo-boo is here my boo-boo is here! Wanna kiss it?

B: Sometimes I'm not nice! (followed by over exaggerated evil laugh)

On our way to the car, after church.
M: Bella don't crumple your picture. It's beautiful.
B: I know it's Jesus.
(Crumpling the picture more and putting it inside her jacket.)
B: He's cold, too cold.

B: I cried so much I peed.

After a running in the street episode.
M: You never go in the street without a hand!
B: Why?
M: Because its scary.
B: Why?

M: Because a car could come.
B: Why?

M: Because they aren't watching.
B: Why?
M: BECAUSE! You don't run in the street or you'll get hit by a car and DIE!
B: Okay,okay! I got it the first time. (rolls her eyes)

They Said...

C: lets play ninjas
B: princess ninja
C: no theres no princess ninjas
B: princess ninja
C: MOM theres no such thing as princess ninjas
M: she can be a princess ninja
C: NO I'M NOT PLAYING
...
B: friends?
C: friends?
-shake-
C: lets play ninjas
B: hi-YA hi-YA
C: OK right
C: Bella your the bad ninja
B: uh-huh
B: (smiles at Mom and whispers) the bad princess ninja!

M: Tell those boys (Daddy and Connor) Girls Rule and Boys Drool!
B: (Spits) No!
C: BOYS RULE GIRLS DROOL!
B: I know

Elder Returns!

ELDER MARTIN IS HOME

After speaking at Christmas via Skype we were all the more excited for this boy to come home!

And we didn't have to wait long!

Mom made him a cake and I made  him a NEW RM newsletter.

The next day we all got to come and witness him being released honorably from his full-time mission in Salem, Oregon.

He did a wonderful job on his homecoming talk a couple weeks after his return.
Connor and Bella were so excited to see him on the stand!

Now he is patiently waiting to head back to school in APRIL!

8 Months

Update
Sydney is such an active girl she loves to play! Her routine consists of waking up around 7-8 AM and playing in her pack n play till she fusses and Dad gets her a bottle. Then she drinks her bottle with Mom while Dad gets ready for work. Then we all go down stairs. Sydney plays for a couple hours. Then she gets a morning dose of solids. Usually applesauce and yogurt melts. Between 11 and 12 she is very ready for her nap (her morning nap is gone now). So she gets another bottle and sleeps in the swing or her crib. If I sleep with her she gets a good long stretch. Then we wake to playtime! She has another bottle around 4. Usually then about 6 she gets some sort of solids for dinner; table foods or a baby food veggie. Then big time play time with Dad. Then between 8 and 9 she gets her last bottle for the day and Daddy puts her to sleep. And of course her thumb is in her mouth every time she drifts off to dreamland nowadays. We're trying to transition her from pack n play to crib but it's not as easy as we originally thought ;)

Estimated Weight: 17.5 lbs

Likes
Her thumb sucking is constant. Don't get me started. Sheesh.
Bathtime with brother and sister!
Table Foods! She gets so excited when she is getting little bits off our plates.
Sydney's new discovery is making sound. Whether it is grunts back and forth with Dad, like little cave people; OR her "mama, dada, and baba" sounds we are loving her new found voice.
LOVES splashing in the tub!
I can't keep track of all the new foods Sydney has tried but she has tried a lot. Mostly table foods and gets them daily.
Move it move it. Crawling, pulling up, cruising, letting go to stand "no hands" :) No one can keep up with this girl especially with her new hyper speed crawl. One knee down while her foot is down on the other side. It is kinda funny looking but extremely effective!

Dislikes
Getting her thumb pulled out of her mouth.
Getting a toy pulled out of her hands, she is getting quite a little voice and we hear it loud and strong when she's mad!
She hates the johnny jump up, honestly she always hated it and we have rarely used it.
The swing has mostly been out grown unless I'm desperate for a sleep agent at nap time, it's an angry one though.
She gets really made when Mommy leaves the room or she thinks she is alone.
She hates the crib! Uh oh.

Favorites
When her head is resting on our chests and she is just staring taking it all in, those are Daddy and Mommy's favorite of times. She isn't a big smuggler. Daddy blames it in not cosleeping this time around and sure wishes for more of those sweet snugly moments.
No teeth yet, and I LOVE her toothless grin. I am going to miss it.
DADDY LOVES PLAYING PEEK-A-BOO. He hides around the house so Sydney crawls around to find him.

Siblings
Now that she is so mobile the kids are a lot harder on her. Her baby days of being pampered seem to be gone. She is now rough housed with, which is a catch 22 for me. I catch myself saying stop that its too rough Sydney doesn't like that only to see her in smiles.
She gets tattled on ALL the time.
She also gets played with all the time.
Sydney loves being mobile enough to follow her brother and sister around even if they run from her or tend to escape just out of reach - the stairs, but even there wont be safe for long...
She loves company and is never really alone.

Sunbeam

Look who's a brand new SUNBEAM!

Bella is officially a member of the PRIMARY!

She hasn't asked to go back to nursery once.

She has already given the scripture and prayer, very quietly in whispered tones, but it was totally the sweetest thing ever and Daddy loved helping her.

She gets to see Connor and when Mom's not looking play with him.

She sings "Jesus wants Me for a Sunbeam" like a champ!

She loves sitting in her teachers lap.

She is a wonderful helper when she gets called on.

She gets to see Mommy every week, it is a little hard not getting to sit with Mommy, when she is right there, but she does so, so great (with only minor whimpering)!

She loves seeing her friends, "my friends, my friends", it has helped that we have had play dates with a few of them.

She is Mom's excellent helper when trying to show reverence with a finger on her lips or with her arms folded.

She loves showing Mommy and Daddy what she gets from class, saying "I learned, I learned!".

She has a happy glow on her face every time we tell her its church today (sitting in her seat instead of Mom's right away isn't always the easiest but she is doing better and better)! 

If your wondering why Jesus is crumpled, he
was cold and she was trying to keep him warm.

Snow Day

We had a snow day.

We've had a few nothing much but I decided it was enough to play in, so we went over to play with Uncle Joseph and played and played.

Uncle Joseph!

We were cold and wet; but wanted to build a snowblob... I mean snowman!

Bella really did well for an anti cold, wet and dirty type of girl.

Connor ... well he didn't want to even stop and snap a shot.

"Really Mom?"

 I taught the kids how to catch snowflakes on their tongues, a dying art really.

As you can see Bella was more into finding the cleanest, driest, warmest spot to play.

And she loved all the "footprints".

These two had fun snowball fighting, wrestling, rolling, and just out right enjoying the wanderlust of falling snow.

 

And then Bella proudly, and with as much grace as a 3 year old can muster, pronounced she was done and everyone followed suit.