i love...

brown sugar in the bouncy chair

that my mom gave me some of her plants, and that em tried to do this one in and it's still coming back despite the attack (i left all the leaves she pulled off in the dirt because they make me laugh)

kids with dirty faces - it means they are having fun

sunny las vegas "winters" and waiting with these two in the front yard for dad to get home

that my smiler and my nose picker love each other so much

open mouthed slobbery kisses from tongue baby here

an afternoon of rock climbing with this fearless little adventure girl

skies so blue my pictures turn out like this one

that this is what i hear from the back seat of my car every time i drive

van eats cereal

over the last few weeks, van has decided that mom's milk just isn't enough for his big little body. so we gave him rice cereal a few days ago. it was exciting for mom and emery (who fed him his 1st bite), but highly traumatic for dad who is so frustrated with another baby who refuses to stay little (in our house we say these types of babies are "broken" - and that's why we'll keep trying for one that might not be broken!) he loves it!! it's yet to yield a full night's sleep for his mom... but maybe soon. here's to hoping! :)

DISNEYLAND!!!!

you heard it right!! and is it weird that now i feel like a legitimate family because we've been? DisneyLand (and California Adventure) has done something (business-wise) right to make me feel that way because i'm sure i'm not the only one who does and that's why were weren't even close to the only family there! :)

of course it was magical! i got all teary as walked in and strolled down main street and might have even shed a tear at the end of the party parade. it was a fun filled weekend of exhaustion and fun.

many, many, many thanks to the staff of hotel Garder for being the best hosts ever! we loved experiencing it all with the "cast members" themselves, staying up way later than we meant to every night talking and watching em and russ russ fall deeper in love... hehe. we love you guys so much.

britt's favorite ride: soarin' over california
aaron's favorite: soarin' over california and space mountain
emery's favorite: she says "peter pan", though i'd argue that she loved the tea cups and dumbo just as much
van's favorite: the nap in the baby bjorn ride - 5 times in 2 days. poor kid. he was an absolute angel the whole time.

magical!

totally swept off my feet

happy moms, confused emery, russell in love

dad and van on dumbo

if a ride was too dark or too loud it was NOT em's favorite

it's a small world afterall....

van's favorite ride

em in the conga line at the end of the party parade

yar!!!

where's van?

em helping us spin on the teacups

eating her deliciously healthy lunch at california adventure - packets of ketchup. i think this is part of what made it magical for her. it was a dream come true.

one of emery's favorite california adventure features - the benches with the holes where she could sneak her fingers up through

two deliriously tired kids. they kept laying down on the ground


i can't resist his cuteness. hopefully emery won't be able to either someday.

awww....

russ is going to be such a good big brother next month. van was happy to be his practice baby!

loves from van.

and i post this video because DisneyLand taught me an important parent lesson: let your kid stop and smell the roses if they want to. at the end of our DisneyLand day we'd been hurrying to get more fun in and emery was just done being hurried. she just wanted to stroll down main street, one foot on either side of the train tracks and just enjoy the end of her day. look how happy she was! good lesson - thanks, Emery. Thanks, DisneyLand!

mommy's little turtle

aaron and i say that every kid reminds us of an animal. it can be the way they look or the way they act. Emery is a squirrel - by how she acts, not how she looks. we finally discovered what van is (at least what he looks like - not how he acts). the turtle from Robin Hood has met his twin.



here are a few reasons i love my little buddy Van:

• he's a crowd pleaser. he had multiple Albertsons employees this morning praising him for his cuteness. he will laugh and giggle and smile for anyone who will love him.
  
• he is so cuddly. Em has never cuddled. i love bribery, even when it comes from heaven. it's a deal, Heavenly Father, i'll have lots more.
  
• he's not a complainer. when i have him sitting up and he falls on his face, he doesn't even whine. when Em is squishing him he thinks it's funny. he's just a happy kid.
• his hair is growing in fuzzy and bright blonde - just like his daddy's was.
  

here he is sitting up. he can do this for pretty long periods of time, but his arms get tired and he ends up face planting... which, again, doesn't bother him. :) i love this kid.



p.s. he's getting a tooth/teeth, too. i'll cry when it pokes it's way through, just like i did with Emery. i love the toothless smile. did i mention my kids teeth early? em is done getting teeth and she just turned 2 (including 3 year molars). she just has to start loosing them now. silly kids that insist on growing up. :(

fun with Grandma and more

we were lucky enough to have a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Wilkinson last week (and aunt amy and chelsey for a night!). my kids sure love their Grams and Pas. i love how Emery really knows them individually and does really different things with each of them and loves them all a little differently. i feel so blessed that all 4 are so close with my kids.

grandma definitely spoiled us. here's some of the fun we had!!

van is the most giggly kid i know!!

and don't mind the husband/wife scuffle at the end. ha. aaron married a spunky wife. glad he loves me in spite of myself. :)