Surprise!

So we are eating dinner tonight. As usual, Bennett is eating bread and jam, his staple at dinner. Jackson, of course, ate everything -- the sausage & bean soup, the salad, the bread. Sarah licked the jam off her bread and asked for me, but then she started into the salad. She loved the spinach and the mushrooms. Couldn't get enough. Yipee! But the big surprise was when Bennett said "Can I try one of those leaves?" He put a little dressing on it and ate an ENTIRE SPINACH LEAF. This was the very first VOLUNTARY intake of a green vegetable in his life. Every other green vegetable he has EVER eaten was either hidden in his food or given to him as a baby. I was shocked. Maybe there is hope for this boy yet.

random comments

Mom: Bennett, please don't pick your nose.
Bennett: Did you know pirates pick their nose?
Mom: Really?
Bennett: Yeah, and their dads don't tell them what to do.

Friess Christmas Exchange

We had a fun post-holiday gift exchange with Friess family when we got home.
The kids played in the crawlspace with Grandpa.
Paxton and Canyon. Only 2 months apart, but polar opposites.

Christmas in February

Well, not really but I'm finally posting a few photos from our fabulous Christmas trip to Arizona. We had a relaxing 3 weeks, or at least as relaxing as it can be with 4 young children in tow! Mark got some great photos of the house in the snow but they are still on his computer. Both of my sisters have a lot more photos and more detailed posts about all the happenings of our trip. Please check them out if you are interested in knowing more. :)Bennett's favorite gift was a Star Wars tent from Nana & Papa.
Sarah loved EVERYONE's gifts, though she was thrilled to have her own "lippy" and a princess doll.
Paxton's first Christmas. He loved watching everyone and spitting up on all the gifts.
Jackson and Lucas got some very cool Star Wars Legos. Many hours were spent putting them together.
Sarah and Katherine learned to get along better as time went on. They loved taking baths together.
Jonah celebrated his first birthday. Who can believe he is getting so big?
Mom and Natalie organized the Prescott Olympics with great events like Blindfolded Shuffleboard.
Mark hiked up Little Granite Mountain on our last day and got some pretty shots.

World's Best Mom

So this afternoon Bennett (who has been sick at home for 3 days along with his little sister) drew a picture of a crown. He showed it to me and said he wanted to make one. "You know, like the purple birthday crown we use in Primary." My dear friend, Beth, whipped up that darling crown out of some purple felt a few years ago when she was in the Primary presidency. I told him I wasn't sure but maybe we could come up with something.

Now when we moved into this house over a year and a half ago, my sewing machine turned up missing. No idea what happened to it. (Even when I knew where it was it was mostly used to hem store-bought curtains and the like. I am NOT a seamstress or slightly crafty!) So my sweet husband bought me a new sewing machine for Christmas (2008!) It was still in the box. I have been waiting for a chance to get it out. I also had some leftover felt buried in a basement closet -- leftover from the only felt project I have ever made, an advent calendar patterned after one my mom made when I was little.

So we went downstairs together and dug out the sewing machine and the felt. It took me an hour or two to get the sewing machine set up and running, but we finally did it. A green felt crown. He was so excited that he wanted me to make one for Sarah. "Princess!!" Sarah was very excited about the idea, so we made another one. This time it was red.

Bennett has been wearing his crown ever since. He is the King of America, he says. He is waving a large paintbrush, which he calls his King's Duster, because kings apparently love to clean. (Sarah, on the other hand, will not wear her crown because she is a fickle little girl.) But Bennett thinks I'm the greatest -- and I'm pretty proud too!

(I have yet to even really look at our Christmas photos yet, but I'll post them soon!)

wired.MD iPhone App

My amazing husband is now the proud owner of a brand new iPhone app -- iPatientEd. (Well, his company owns it, but it is all because of him!) If you or someone you know is doctor, tell them to buy it and write a stellar review. iPatientEd Lite is the free version is you want to download it and check it out. (I think the one 1-star review must have been submitted by a competitor!)

Rants in my Pants

If you haven't read my friend Endre's hysterical blog, now is the time to start. She is having a free giveaway this month. Very cute jewelry! She is listed on my blog list. You can also find her by clicking on the cute button on the right.