A brief synopsis of the birds, birthdays, phone calls, Jesus, and head locks... Annie and Hank

Can I just say that I have the coolest kids ever in the world?  I am not a biased parent and I am definitely not putting down anyone else's kids, but mine are way cool and just fun.  For example...


Annie's pediatrician tells her when she checks her ears out that there are little birdies in them and to listen closely.  I didn't think Annie really got it until this week when she found a little flashlight and held in up to Hank's ear and said, "Baby, birdies!  Birdies!  Birdies!"  and of course Hank pulled out his "save me defense mechanism" and reached up and pulled her hair and she ran off.

Hank took four feet worth of steps tonight!  Then he crawled back into the backroom, pulled the cords out of the computer and looked up and me with a smile... "uhoh" he said.  Uh oh is is favorite word as of late.  That and momma.

Then Hank was found very secretively and elusively double timing the chocolate chips by the handfuls in the food closet.  All he did was look up at me and smile like he was on top of the world and spinning!  Chocolate was smeared all over his four teeth and lips.

Speaking of food... We were treated to Annie's TV soup last  night.  She took the ladles that she and Hank were playing with and went to the TV and pushed the color control buttons while making a shhhhhww sound as she filled up the ladle with TV soup and then served Kelly, Greg, James and myself.  After a couple servings James got full and decided to dump his ladle full of TV soup on my head which caused Annie's jaw to drop and then the lights flashed and all of a sudden everyone was getting soup dumped on their heads.  What great fun with TV soup.  But she did have a very interesting invention.  She filled the ladle up with soup and then sucked on the top of the handle as if it were a straw sucking up all the soup in the scoopy part.  I think she could be on to something.

Oh and potty training...  we put her in real underwear today... and changed the real underwear four times.  I hope she gets is sooner than later.  We have a lot of carpet.  But, she sure like to go poo poo which directly correlates to chocolate in her brain.  Weird.

But we did have changing into about thirty different outfits (slight exaggeration).  A friend gave Annie some of her daughter's old clothes and Annie had to try on all of them.  Her favorite... the butterfly pj top with the flowers pj bottoms and the butterfly shorts shoved underneath the pants.  She can now dress herself! and undress herself!   and undress herself!  and dress herself!...

Hank loves frozen (half way thawed) blueberries and strawberries.  So much so that he sucks them right up like a vacuum, sounds and all.  And he really loves pancakes and chocolate chip cookies and he drinks more milk than a herd of calves.  He's a thirsty one.

Annie loves going to Grandma's beauty shop and getting her hair done.  She sits perfectly still and looks in the mirror while grandma snips away... and styles away.  She always comes out looking just like I did when I was her age after mom did my hair.  Go figure!  She then helps the nail tech pick out the colors to paint her clients nails.  What a good helper...  (She also likes mommy's beauty shop... the toilet, a blow dryer and a brush.)

And they both love to talk to Grandma on skype.  Annie packs around my little laptop and shows grandma all over.  They go into the fort together and then read stories together and then Hank usually wonders over and will slam the screen closed.  But, it poses as a great babysitter for a bit so I can do dishes or sort clothes.

They both love to tackle and wrestle each other.  They giggle and laugh and pull hair and put each other in head locks and leg locks and get drug by their shirts... (well Hank gets more drug than Annie but paybacks will happen one day.)  Lots of visitors to our home usually are surprised as to how hard they play and gasps are not uncommon.  But the rule is when someone starts crying then we quit, which then usually turns into a laugh anyways.  Lots of fun...  They'll be tough right?

Annie can successfully count to three in spanish and english... but they are usually mixed together.... Like this: uno, two, tres...

Hank loves his tummy to get tickled and raspberries.  He throws his head back wholeheartedly and laughs from deep within.  I love it!  I love that both of my kids have a hearty laugh.  They can belt it out!

Annie has a birthday almost everyday now.  She sings..."birfday, birfday, annie birfday!  mommy birfday!  daddy birfday!  Daddy birfday!   birfday....

She talks to Juan, Cami, Grandpa Gene, Tris Tris, Daddy, Daa and puppy on the elmo phone almost twice a day if not more.  But, she rarely never wants to talk in depth with the real person.

Annie says her own prayers now... this is how it goes...  Henvly Fa, Ble Mommy, daddy,Mommy, daddy baby, annie, baby, ble food, Jeeses, AMEN!

Movies are a favorite... sunday we only watch churchy movies... I watched finding faith in christ 4 times today.  It is her favorite.  She loves watching Jesus.  After the mission and watching it soooo many times then I thought I would be alright without it for quite a while... now I am sure of it.  But, I can't complain.  It could be worse.

Hank still watches intently everything that Annie does and loves her.  He is definitely leaving baby stage and entering toddler stage!  Yikes....!!!  But so much fun.  He is tough.  I just caught him pushing around and manhandling a baby stroller for dolls his Grandma Sherrie gave Annie.  He can hang from James' fingers with just hanging on by his hands.  And...  dudnu da!!  After almost ten months of refusing a bottle... he only wants a bottle and mommy has been booted.  Can't say that I am very sad... kind of but that's ok. 

... and it is 1:30am and I probably should go to bed.  I don't sleep well when James is up doing homework all night.  But I might now.  Sorry for the ramblings I just felt like I would forget all of this stuff and maybe someone out there might just want to know what the heck is going on with the kiddos.
Speaking of you out there!!!  I just got to the 10 follower mark!!!  Man is this blog getting popular... haha.  Just jokes!  But I was excited to see more people follow me.  Not at all like the crafty blogs I try not to waste all my time with. (They all have hundreds if not thousands of followers.)
Maybe once I find my camera I will add pictures to this blog.  We shall see.  It seems to be the cool thing to do.

Good night... morning?

Last night I felt peace

It has been a long time since I have actually felt peace... the peace that leaves you feeling like you are unstoppable, that everything well be alright and that you can completly trust that you will make it through.  It's like after going to the chiropractor and she adjusts the upper mid section of your back... right in between your shoulder blades up to your neck and you get off the table and feel marvelous, because you had no idea how much pain your back was really in because you just dealt with it and didn't have time to pay it any attention.  Life goes on. 
I remember feeling that kind of in depth peace a few times in my life.  The most prominent when I was sitting in the temple in Provo contemplating having left my boyfriend to go on the mission...  Did I make the right choice, should I go back?  I felt a rush of peace surge my body and the feeling come over me to trust and have courage.  That has stuck with me through the rest of the years to the present.  But I have been needing to feel that pure, saturating and penetrating peace again.  I needed recharged.
I laid in bed last night next to my husband praying and that feeling came over me again and the thoughts, Trust, courage.  I was so greatful that my Father in Heaven loves and knows me so well that he allows me to feel a portion of the peace and trust that he has for us. 

Now as I lay in bed, I don't feel that magnitude of peace, but I know that it was spoken to me and I can remember and rely on it.