Thursday, March 28, 2013

March

The babies still eat in a high chair for 'containment' reasons.  Clearly, they are quite capable of eating at and on the table!


Playdate with the Macpherson...a mere 7 kids ages 6 and under!


I hereby declare this the National Svir Argyle Sweater Vest Day.



It's a amazing what kids will eat if with a little sugar (grapefruit in this case!)







Declan has always had a sense of adventure.  He loves being thrown in the air and he loves to stand on David's hands!  



Bottle, check.  Remote, check.  It doesn't take long for kids to catch on to the good stuff!


The twins can be quite a force when they team up and wrestle the big boys.  Cache and Easton usually seem to enjoy it!



David was home for a snow day.  I made soup, fresh bread, and cookies.  Even I amaze myself sometimes.


Xander loves to eat his own dinner then climb on one of our laps to eat our dinner as well!


Today I couldn't find the big boys.  I realized when I found their room to be a disaster, I must be close.


Of course, they are playing Pokemon in the closet with their reading lights, where else would they be?


Our snow storms have not been that exceptional this year... this was suppose to be a huge storm, and we barely got enough to build snowmen (that melted the next day!).



Easton loves to eat snow.  I have to remind him several days later that he shouldn't eat the leftover piles of snow although he assures me they are still clean!




Cache was kind enough to give the snow men some twigs for arms...




Warming up with hot chocolate after a cold afternoon outside.


Cache and Declan love to jump on the couch.  I can't say that I love it, but I do tolerate it on a cold day when they need to get their energy out!




When I went to get Declan from his nap today, I was first greeted by a very bad smell...and then I found this!  Seriously disgusting.  Declan was seriously disgusting too.  How do you even start to clean something like this up?  To make matters worst, he did it again 2 weeks later.  The second time I didn't even bother to take a picture...I'm sure you get the idea.


The boys enjoying Declan's newly-sanitized room.



My first black eye from our women's church basketball game!  I have to say it is quite embarrassing to have a black eye when you are a grown adult.  


We took a fun long weekend and went to an indoor water park with the kids.  It's called Great Wolf Lodge. You stay at the lodge and swim all day.  It was quite impressive and the kids had a great time.





On the last day the twins even went down the tube slides by themselves.  They were amazing!  Also, Easton managed to stand on his tip-toes just the right amount to go on the biggest tube ride as well.  He was so excited.   He probably climbed a thousand stairs over the 3 day vacation!


Cache loves his apple juice!


Cute brothers.


Xander still has a really hard time sleeping.  He often stays awake for hours in the middle of the night, sleeps in till 10, or falls asleep early for nap.  I am going to get his adnoids removed (like Easton did) and hope it's enough to help him sleep better!  Poor kid.


Declan trying to hide in the cupboard.



This is what I call a group time out.  In this case, Easton is the one in time out and everyone else just decided to join in.  Cache even brought and passed out snacks!


I believe in manual labor.  The twins are masters at coloring on the walls, floor, everywhere.  I gave them each a magic eraser and told them to get to work.  I actually think they enjoyed it more than making the mess.



This winter I bought a great Groupon to a local karate place.  I got 10 lessons for Easton and Cache for $60.  That made it $3 a lesson.  The karate instructors were awesome and the kids really enjoyed it.  I had to withstand a million sales pitches, but it was bearable.  I was also glad for the opportunity to get to know how involved karate is..and expensive.  Every weapon has a fee and every test has a fee.  It was crazy (of course, I didn't pay for anything...but I met people who were spending an additional $100 a month in addition to the nearly $200 monthly fee!) They also want you to attend classes 2-3 times a week.  I like the life lessons and skills they teach and maybe when the boys are older I would consider it.  But for now, 10 weeks was perfect!







A family that nebs together stays together!  It seems like someone is always needing the nebulizer in our family.  Bad lungs.  Hopefully they grow out of it!


Declan loves to balance his crackers on our window panes.  


Another light snow day.  Xander tends to think it is too cold, but Cache and Declan love to play in the snow.


Cache loaded Declan with weapons.


More cute brothers....before...


...and after!


Cache showing off his pirate skills!





The amazing playdough creation.  I'm not sure what it is, but the boys were quite impressed with themselves.



Cache invented this scooter-boat.  Gotta love Costco boxes!


My little Picasso.  Xander loves to color... with or without clothing.


My two big boys!  I decided that since we were going to have a very boring spring break at home, we might as well start potty training.  The twins have showed signs of being ready.  They have both gone several times on the potty, they can hold it and pee down the drain in the bath, and after Xander goes in his diaper, he holds himself and says, poo poo!  These were enough signs for me.  Plus, my mom's words haunt me, 'better potty train them before they get too comfortable!'


After each time they go they get a sucker.  I may ruin their teeth, but I see a lack of diapers in my future, and that's a fair enough trade for me!


What is this?  4 laundry baskets filled with kids...the perfect trap, I mean, fort!


This one is Declan.


Once in a while Cache lets me do his hair.  Once in a while, he will even do it himself.





Declan's obsession with silly bands.  I let him wear them for about 10 minutes before I decided he should have full circulation again!



Tuesday, February 26, 2013

February

Our very long and cold winter continues!  With lots of indoor time, the boys are getting more creative in their ways to entertain themselves.  

Declan loves putting on shoes.  He is quite amazing.  
He can even put on socks...my 6 year old still struggles doing that sometimes!


Although he is getting better at taking pictures, I still have to chase him around the house to get one!


In addition to shoes and socks, he loves to accessorize with neclaces and bracelets.  His superhero name today is Rubber band Boy.  He even went to the bus stop to pick up Easton like this because he screams when I try to take them off.  I do draw the line when I see his legs or arms are losing circulation!


Here is Xander, just being Xander.  I pull out a camera, he stops everything, smiles, and says cheese.  
So well-trained! 



The twins love to play at the sink.  Pictures like these still amaze me that I have twins.  



There's something about twins.  Here they are doing the exact same thing, with the same hands.  


I discovered the twins love to paint!  
It's a lot of work, but with smiles like these, we will be doing more painting now!  







Easton loves Cheez-its and he's especially proud of this double.


I move the chairs out of the kitchen to clean the floor.  For some reason, a chair in the wrong place is super fun.  Today they created a new movie watching station.


The twins still love cuddling.


Cache made us a present at preschool for Valentines Day.  
He was so proud of it that he insisted on opening our present too!



I couldn't quite capture the chaos, but I truly believe a bigger mess could not be made with this playdough!  


Here is Cache.  The angry bird, fighting ninja.  


A new game.  It involves throwing a ball up and down the stairs and entertains kids for hours. 


The twins love to build towers with our cans (although I think cans are a very unsafe thing to build with!)
  I am sure that one of these days I won't catch the tower in time and they will lose a foot.  
 Until then, they are all smiles!


Even putting on shoes can be a party.


Why eat Dairy Queen blizzards with one hand when you can use two?



From the moment he wakes to the moment he sleeps, Xander asks for the ipad.


I found this under the kitchen table compliments of Declan.  
It is an upside down booster seat filled with cereal.


I love that Xander drinks the milk out of his bowl after eating his cereal.


The human leash.


We have two cute girls come to our house and help play with the kids. 
 For $3 an hour (combined), this is the best use of money I can think of!



After coming inside, everyone gathers around the heater to warm up.



Cache's version of 'row row row your boat'.




Xander showing off his coloring skills...



Once in a while you get one of those 'brotherly' moments...



Declan is very proud of his stack of dominoes!


Need I explain?