Secret Agent Spy Training

Well Jon ended up having to work Friday night and again Saturday morning. So basically he came home for a 4 hour nap before his next shift. Which left me home with the boys and no place to go.  After we did a few cleaning chores around the house we made sock puppets out of Jon's old socks. Then it was on to spy training. Lately my boys have really enjoyed watching Spy movies such as: Spy kids and The Spy Next Door. So when I saw this idea on pinterest I knew I had to do it for my boys. I pulled out my red yarn and some tape and went to work converting our entry hallway into a Laser trap.

 

 Secret Spy Ky

 Agent Landon

 And Nathan. He of course touched every string but he had a blast doing it.

 The boys insisted we leave it up for Daddy to try when he got off work.

Kyler was bragging that he was so skinny that he could make it all the way through on his belly so of course Jon had to prove that he could too.

My Little Valentines

This year Valentine's Day took a little prep work the night before. While Jon and Dex were at puppy class, I was busy in the kitchen. I made heart shaped cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and heart shaped cookies with pink frosting. Ky asked why I made pink frosting instead of red and honestly that's because red is so annoying to make with food coloring. 

 When the boys woke up they had these little valentines filled with chocolate hearts.

 While Kyler and Landon were at school having their V-day parties, I decided to do a little party for Nathan and a couple of friends. They made valentines for their dads, played a game, and ate cookies.

Nathan had a really hard time falling asleep for a nap and this is how I found him. Yep that would be my laundry basket filled with his blankets.

After a nice dinner with just me and my favorite guys, we headed down stairs for a bear hunt. My friend Marni gave me a poem about bear hugs and you hide cinnamon bears. So here are the boys and their new cups to be used to hold the bears. I know that's cheesy that I get my kids new cups but they love special cups.

 Nathan also got a Diego DVD

 Ky got a Scooby-Doo DVD

 Landon got a case for his DS

 Jon's parents stopped by to drop off treats and Grandpa thought the bean bag game looked better this way.

 So of course Grandma and Kyler had to try it too

 And not to be left out, Nathan picked up the board and made Ky stand with him

I just wanted to include this pic for memory sake. Dex spent most of his valentine's day at the vet losing his manhood. When we picked him up he was so sleeping his slept like this for at least two more hours. After he got a little of his energy back he did play with his new squeaky toy we got him.

Dex

Our precious puppy

 He is a lab-pit mix

 He totally thinks he's a lap dog. When ever we sit on the floor he comes right over and sits on our laps, which is fine for now but he will get big.

 This is Dex's bomber jacket that he had to wear outside so he wouldn't get sick... see Dad it's not a sissy jacket.

 Nathan and Dex during nap time.

Dex enjoys fetching tennis balls but he really likes playing soccer. (the red behind his front paws is a soccer ball he is trying to dribble.

So this is our new family member. We went to the pet store considering getting a fish or something and ended up bringing home a puppy. We just fell in love with him and knew he was perfect for our family. Dex's favorite place to lay is on a mat in front of the heat vent right under the sink, which can get a little interesting when I'm trying to do dishes. Dex is a total mama's boy and is a pretty mild mannered dog.

King of the Throne

Yep that's right Nathan is king of our porcelain toilet throne. He has gone through today without a single accident and was dry during nap time and barely wet when he woke up ( I think he just didn't get to the potty fast enough when he got up for the day)  

 His little bum sporting his 'Mater' underwear. I seriously had 24 pairs of 2T underwear in all kinds of characters ( left over from his brothers) but he wanted Mater underwear. Luckily at the store they now have Cars characters with more than just Lightning McQueen. So once we got that particular underwear he has been a total champ of this potty training stuff.

 He is showing off his gummy bear to the camera. (the red thing in his hand) After he goes potty he puts a sticker on his chart, and sometimes on his hand too, than runs to the kitchen to get a gummy bear. He started to get a little bored with just gummy bears so he can also have a mini marshmallow or chocolate chip. That sounds so silly but I try very hard not to keep candy in our house so marshmallows and chocolate chips are about as close as I have on hand.

Here's a shot of his new apparel. The problem I'm having now is that Nathan thinks after he goes potty on the toilet he has to change his underwear even though its perfectly dry. I think he is just so excited about his new underwear that he can't stand the thought of only wearing one pair all day long. Oh well, I hope that wears off soon but hey at least he's using the potty and saving me money on diapers.

Bedroom Changes

 This is now the younger boys room. For those of you that have actually been to my house, it is the middle bedroom by the bathroom. We decided, after having a few bedtime challenges, to mix things up a little. So we re-assembled the bunk beds and but Kyler on the top and Nathan on the bottom. There was still plenty of room for  Nathan's cute little tent in the corner. Nathan had been in a toddler bed and that was all fine and dandy except he insisted on sleeping with 4 particular blankets, his little pillow and Thomas the train pillow pet, as well as 6 stuffed animals.  So pretty much there was NO ROOM on is bed for HIM.

 While Nathan thought the new room arrangements were awesome, Ky was not so sure. He was going from sharing a room with Landon to having to share with Nathan (the baby). When Jon suggested we put the bunk beds back together and have Kyler on top, that seemed to help a little. Plus, I told Ky he could hang some of his superhero pictures that he had colored to make it like his own big boy section of the room. One of the worst things about the top bunk is I can't reach them! I have to climb the ladder to make the bed on linen laundry day and when Kyler got sick and threw up at 2 in the morning I COULDN'T GET TO HIM!!!

 Well since the two younger boys are together now, that means Landon has his own room. He has moved into the front room, aka the blue room. Since we don't have another single bed we decided to take the full size out of our guest bed room (aka Jon's office) We even got to use the same bedding, well almost. We flipped the comforter from red floral to this red, blue and beige stripped, and ditched the floral pillow shams. We also moved Grandma Gordon's lazy boy recliner in there for Landon to have a spot to read.

Landon's one requirement with all the shuffle was that he could keep the clock from his old room. Well, I didn't see any problem with that considering none of the other boys can tell time yet. So this is his little night stand set up. His clock, MP3 player with speakers and a little message board we made out of an unused picture frame and some scrapbook paper. The message board came in handy because he just lost another tooth and he wrote a little message to the tooth fairy. Luckily the tooth fairy remembered to write back but Landon erased it before I got a picture.

Finally some SNOW!

 Nathan was so excited to play in it.

 Here is our Ky Guy. He is ALWAYS cold. So playing in the snow usually doesn't last that long for him.

 Jon throwing snowballs at the kids from the safety of our porch.

Landon of course had to eat it.

This is the first snow of the new year and that we've had for quite a while. Jon and I had the conversation about not wanting to get the boys bikes or scooters for Christmas because in Utah with all the snow they couldn't enjoy them.... well this year we were wrong. Anyways, here are just a couple pics of us in the snow. My batteries in my camera died and face it in needed to play in the snow too. After the boys ran and played in it for a while we ended up playing a little game of snowball baseball. The snow was perfect for packing so that was my job. I then became the pitcher and tossed the snowballs to be hit with the baseball bat. The boys loved when Jon would hit them because it would fling snow everywhere.



Happy New Year!

 Landon and Sierra dancing to 'Despicable Me'

 I know this pic is blurry but I love it. This is my sister Melissa holding her youngest Evan. The reason it's so blurry is because they are dancing along with the kids playing Just Dance 3

 Sierra, Dallin, and Kyler showing their moves.

On Friday the 30th we headed down to Provo to spend the afternoon and evening with my sister Melissa and her family. It was a lot of fun full of yummy food/snacks, games and of course dancing. The kids loved playing Sierra's newest wii game Just Dance 3, and I admit I gave it a try too and it was a lot of fun. I even got the bonus star on my dance. The other highlight for my boys was getting to shot Dallin's new BB gun that he got for Christmas.

 The boys playing Sorry Sliders

 Eating cookies and showing off their crowns they decorated

 Jon and his crown that Landon made for him.

Playing Piranha Panic

On actual New Year's eve we didn't really do much. We played games, made mini pizzas, ate cookies, and sported our crowns. Ringing in the new year ended at around 8:30. Jon had to double today (new year's day) which means early to bed so he could prep for is 18 hour shift. I know Jon's shift sounds horrible but a friend at work covered Jon's shift on Christmas in exchange for Jon covering his new years day. Since we preferred Jon being home for Christmas morning,  it seemed like a good idea. So goodbye 2011 and Hello 2012!

Christmas Morning!

 I don't know about your house, but in ours Santa wraps his presents. Jon says that unwrapping is half the fun plus it makes it last longer. So Santa has certain wrapping paper that only he uses.

 Wake up Ky

 When I opened the door to the big boys' room Landon sat up in bed a yelled 'It's Christmas'. The big boys were under strict instructions that they could not exit their room until their clock said 6 am. So a few minutes after 6 I finally went in and got them.

 Nathan was not quite sure he was ready to wake up. I know this pic is a little weird because yes Nathan is sleeping in our pack and play. The reasoning is, when he slept over at Grandma's house a couple days prior he slept in her big crib. So he decided he wanted to sleep in the play pin at our house. Since I really didn't feel like fighting him on the subject, I moved it into his room and he went right to sleep. Last night he was back in his bed where he belongs and the play pin is back in my room for the day care kids.

 As always here is Jon getting ready to read Luke 2. Before all the excitement of Santa we make sure to start our day with the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ.

 Our boys waiting for okay to enter the living room. I think it's funny the Kyler and Nathan have the same expression.

 Unwrapping it finished. Here is Landon's loot

 Kyler's Pile

 Nathan's treasures

 While I was starting breakfast, Nathan helped himself to a chocolate Santa.

 Kyler sporting his new hoodie and showing his hero factory

 Landon jamming out on his MP3 player

Nathan playing in his tent with his Thomas pillow pet.

Well, we survived yet another Christmas. It was a lot of fun and the boys said they got everything  they asked for,  luckily. We were a little nervous on whether Nathan would be a happy and excited 2 year old or a terrible 2 year old (that he's been a lot lately). Luckily he was excited and happy.  Jon and I received nice gifts also and of course Jon spoiled me with a couple of surprises.