EWWWW!

I have to write about Victoria's intense dislike of bugs. This may border on hatred or paranoia!

The other night, I read the book "Hush Little Baby" to her. It has pictures of lightning bugs and crickets. I would read the words (sing, really, but oh, well) and she would point at the bug and say "EWW!" There was even a picture with a quilt that portrayed all the things in the book. I didn't understand what was "EWW" in the quilt picture until I realized there were pictures of these bugs on the quilt. That's when I thought, "Maybe she doesn't like bugs. OK."

But yesterday was the clencher. There was a fly in the car. We had to drive less than 15 minutes to the thrift store from the grocery store. No big deal, right. WRONG!

At first, I hear a little "eww"! and look in the mirror. She looks a little annoyed. I don't know what's wrong. I'm driving.

Then, she starts shaking her head and getting louder. "EWW!"

Now, she is waving both hands in the air and starting to get really upset.

But the time we get to the store, she is in hysterics, screaming "EEEEEWWWWWWWW!!!" and crying like she is dying.

About five minutes from the store, I get a clue and figure out that a fly is on her. It wants her cookie. I try to comfort her, but can't stop laughing long enough to really soothe her. I have never seen a child so relieved to get out of the car!

So, for the love of Victoria, we will be avoiding all bugs and bug places for a while. I think this experience was quite traumatizing!!!


Can we all say, "EEWWWWWW!"? : )

Our Labor Day

We had a fantastic day today.

This morning we had breakfast with the whole Leavitt clan at a nearby park. There was fresh scrambled eggs, bacon, donuts and juice. Plenty of good food to go around.

Everyone also brought sports equipment. So, we could play soccer, volleyball, kick ball, frisbee, football, baseball and even lacrosse. But, by far the favorite activity of the morning was the water balloon, water gun and just water-in-any-container-we-can-lay-our-hands-on fight. Forget all the sports stuff. We all can home wet and happy. And pretty dirty. Baths for all followed.

Then, Mom went to get a tire on the van replaced so we didn't have a second flat tire. Oh well. Just something that HAD to get done, even if we didn't really wanna mess with that today.

Then, we got to see the Ball clan at Shelly's house. I am so glad we made it. Meeting Bella was magical. She is such a precious child.

And it was so nice to see Asia and her little family before they run off to Germany. They will be so missed. I am so glad she is a diligent blogger, unlike me!

We again had lots of yummy food, BBQ and corn and salads and on and on, of course!

We came home this time full and tired and so happy that we have so may loved ones to share a fun day with. I am so grateful for the love of family. What a blessing.

More beautiful hair.

OK. I couldn't figure out how to get Picasa to let me put two pictures in one post. But, doesn't the headband really help her look better?

I DO fix Victoria's hair every day, but this is what I get to start with. Fun, huh?

What do you look lke first thing in the morning?

Shelly, I love all your cute pictures of Bella and her great hair. But, this is how Victoria looks when she first gets up. Remind you of anyone? I didn't know there was such a thing as bed head genes. But, I guess so! She and her Mama both need lots of help in the mornings!



















But wait, there's more! While I was busy, she did her hair all by herself!

She just loves her baths so much...

Victoria is SUCH a water baby! The other night, she jumped right in the tub with David, clothes and all. Man, that was a FULL diaper. This isn't even the first time she has done this. She loves to take a bath with big brother. They really are bosom buddies.

Excited Much?

This is Katherine right before school started. Can you tell she just LOVES school? I hope she doesn't kill me when she sees this on my blog!

Favorite Hiding Places?

Do your kids have favorite hiding places? Victoria is 15 months old and LOVES to hide things under the area rug in the living room. We have tile, so stepping onto the rug, only to find something hard underneath is a bit painful. Let's see. The latest finds... a half eaten lollipop (from Easter), a string of beads, a jellybean, a pencil, 1/4 of a bagel, a book, a Hot Wheels car, and giant legos. I guess I should add checking under the whole rug every day to our list of cleaning chores! I am just a little scared about what might be next.

I know kids this age love to take out and put in, but this is no container! And she doesnt seem to be saving it for later, because she never goes back for things. Weird!

Does anyone else have a kid that stashes stuff? Where?

6X6 Tag

OK Asia. It took me a while, but here is my 6th picture in my 6th folder. Obviously, this is dad with Victoria in our bed in the morning. Since she is naked, my guess is she needed changing, because her diaper leaked. Obviously, none of us have bothered to get dressed yet. But I know she usually sleeps in jammies, because she kicks off the covers and then gets cold!

The folder is dated 10-25-2008, so this was taken between 8-25-08 and 10-25-08. That would make Victoria between 7 and 9 months old. I looked at some of the surrounding pictures and it looks like she was playing with a green stuffed hippo.

I wish I knew more about why one of my children decided this was such a memorable moment, but I don't. But I do know they love to use the camera.

Did ya notice the picture is blurry? We have quite a few like that. We couldn't figure out what was wrong with the camera. Then, we found a fingerprint on the lens! That will do it! So, that little eyeglass cloth came in handy and rendered our camera useful again!

Anyone who reads this blog is free to participate in this tag. I have copied Asia's post:
Rules:
1. Go to your pictures on your computer
2. Go to your 6Th folder
3. Go to your sixth picture
4. Post it
5. Blog about it:

I hope to see some more of these soon.

Spring Break

OK, we didn't go wild, or anything. But this is how we have spent the last week, being out of school.

Mon. Went to visit my Grandma Weezzie. Went to the library.

Tues. Wore green. Went to 4 Corners Park for green nachos and crafts. Cameron had a birthday party this afternoon, So, Mom, Dad and the rest of the kids went to see "Inkheart" at the dollar theater. It's only $1 a person on Tuesday, not $1.50, like usual!

Wed. Went to Lost Creek Park with Grandma Leavitt and cousins Lizzie, Ethan, and Emma. Had a picnic and played with the fun balls Grandma brought us. Then, we went to see the cousin's new house and play more. Next, we went to Half Price Books and browsed for a long time. And finally, Cameron had ANOTHER birthday party and Mom went to work in the Family History Center.

Thurs. Mommy went to the Temple for our ward's Fill the Temple assignment. The Davises came over to play for a couple hours after dinner, too.

Fri. Went to Chick-Fil-A for free breakfast and played at the lay place. Went to George Bush Park to feed ducks and play on the playground. Went home for a little rest. Went to 4 Corners Park for pizza party, sports, and more playing. Seeing a theme here? Oh, and we were with our favorite friends, the Davises all day!

Tomorrow we have to catch up on yard and house work. And we have one more birthday party, for the whole family this time!

Overall, a very low key week, but I hope the kids have enjoyed spending some quality time with our family and friends. I hope they are rejuvenated enough to finish out the school year with a bang! I know I am ready for them to go back to school! I love routines!

We are not dead,

No, we are not dead. We have just been sick with a stomach flu for two very long weeks. So, I haven't been posting lately. It's official. All 6 of us got the bug and we have been pretty miserable in shifts.

But, I think we are about better. The only thing is, David's "tummy hurts", all the time. No other symptoms, but he sure gets UPSET! Nothing like a screaming 6 year old! He REALLY doesn't want to go to school, either. I am beginning to wonder if he is having some anxiety issues. Any suggestions?

I have made an appointment with the school counselor, just to cover my bases, but I have no idea if she can help. I am losing faith in our school's ability to help find solutions to problems that are not EXTREME. Poor "normal" kids seem to get the short end of the stick. Only the really obnoxious kids get help. But, I will try that avenue and see what happens. Any suggestions would be helpful.

These are a few shots of the kids with our friends, the Davises. Katherine loves to play with Leah. They were rolling down the hill and I just couldn't get a great shot of that, but they sure are great models, anyways! David was trying to open a water bottle. Look out, juice boxes, here he comes! He also played with Benjamin, who also loves o get his picture taken. I did manage to snag a shot of Cameron (but without Isaac) I am always amazed at how photogenic he is when I just catch him having fun. But, he also looks so old here. Is he really already 10?

I am so grateful for good friends. My family is so blessed to know good people who are sure fabulous influences on us.

I do have more than one child.

We have been super busy trying to fight off this creeping crud stomach flu that we are so generously sharing right now. However, I have really been wanting to post pictures of Cameron, Katherine, and David.

So here are a few shots of them at the library. Yes, Katherine loves to cross her eyes! They really didn't want to pose for these shots, so I ket them have a goofy one. But, the boys were too blurry. So I cut them out. Boy, am I lovin' Picasa!

Anyways, my boys always head straight to the comics when we walk in. That is what they are poring over in this shot. (No, that's not ALL they get!) I just love my bookworms!

Victoria's Birthday Dinner

This is supposed to be a video of Victoria's birthday dinner. (If I can ever figure out how to do such a thing!) We had Brad's parents and siblings over that night. We so wish all our family could have come, but our house was busting at the seams with 19 people! A good time was had by all, I hope.

This is her morning celebration. Dad's special pancake in the shape of a one with a candle. She had no idea what to do with that candle. I thought for sure she would burn herself. But she was soooo sleepy still. She's not a morning person. (Just like me, whoops!) I guess we could have given her a few more minutes to wake up, but as soon as she was awake, the kids wanted to SING!

What do you think of her outfit for church? Brad made fun of it, saying ot looked like a punk rocker from the early 80's. I thought it was darling!

I can't believe she is a whole year already! Victoria, you bring so many blessings to our family. Thank you for your gentle ways and sweet spirit. You are adored!

DON'T TAKE AWAY MY GLOW WORM!!!! This seems to be Victoria's favorite gift from her birthday. Grandma Leavitt sure picked a winner! Brad was trying to feed her breakfast Monday morning, and she would get so upset when he tried to take the toy away. She didn't want to give it up for anything! She enjoyed opening all her presents and didn't even show particular preference for any of them until the next morning. Monday was celebrated as Glow Worm Day. Thanks for all her well wishes. We will post more later.

New photo software

Another cute shot of Victoria. I am trying to figure out my new Picassa software. So this is a learning experience. Sarah told me the software was eay to use and so far she is right! (Much easier than what we were using.) Brad took this picture a few days ago and I tweeked it in Picassa. I love the sepia tones and how I could blur the edges. I guess with the right software, sharing photos and our ativities will be a snap.

Be gentle. I am new at this.

I really enjoy reading my family and friends' blogs! And I do have some really cute pictures of my kids gathered. But, they are not blessing anyone sitting on my computer! Not even me! So, I will try this and see if I can keep anyone who cares updated on our crazy busy and exciting lives.

To begin with, I will show you the picture I have on my desktop right now. It is Victoria making her "oooooooh" face Christmas morning. She makes this face ALL the time. I can see the wheels turning. WOW! Life through a child's eyes is just so exciting. I LOVE IT!

I can't believe my baby will be a whole year old this Sunday. It has gone by so fast. She's not a little baby anymore. She even walks (although on her KNEES!). I have so enjoyed my fourth baby. She may be my last, so I want to hold on to these precious memories as much as possible. She has blessed our family so much.