One good picture.

 I've mentioned before that getting my kids to sit still and smile for a picture is impossible.  I don't think I have even one of them both looking at the camera and smiling.  It just will never happen and I've come to terms with that.  Well, last week before church they both looked so handsome and Christmas-y that I decided to give it a try.  Here is the result.

 Yep, not happening.  I think E is actually pinching X.  X turned and hit E in the face after this.

 Almost there!  X is looking at a toy and about to bolt but neither of them are blurry!

 Again, so close!  X. isn't smiling but he's in the shot!

 Nope, back to running away.

 E. was doing such a good job restraining him.  X tried to grab the camera after this shot.

 Such a cute shot of E but X is doing a great job of getting out of his headlock.

 SUCCESS!  Look at that picture!  It's the most triumphant I've felt in ages!  This is the first and only picture I have of these two maniacs where they are both looking and the camera and smiling like cute, well-mannered children.  I totally fist bumped myself and I think I may have danced with one arm in the air for awhile.  It was a good feeling.  I'm printing it out and putting it on my wall, I might even make it poster sized!

Little Reader

From day one this little boy has HATED books.  If you know M and I you know that if there is one possession we have far too many of, it's books.  We have more books in storage that everything else put together.  Our only furniture that isn't a bed or a coffee table are all bookshelves.  We like to read and we like books.  So naturally this was not going to work for us.  Honestly, if I tried to read a book to him X would rip it out of my hands, launch it across the room and then proceed to punch me somewhere.  Yep, not working for me.  So, it's taken over a year of daily book coaxing and reading in front of him and letting him walk around while I read to him, punishing the punching etc. etc.  Now, he can't get enough of his books.  He still can't sit still enough to listen to an entire book (unless it's bedtime and he's tired) but he's doing oodles better.  He's such a sweetheart and it's good to see him adoring something we all love in this house. 
This is his perch.  Pillows torn off and sitting happily reading.  His favorite (of course, what else would I expect from my boys and the brother of famous Thomas fan E) are any books with Thomas on the cover. 

I'm so glad the election is over.  Just wanted to put that out there.  I'm still so over it.  Let's move on and talk about some celebrity scandal or something.

I'm over it.

 I've been known to have some big opinions.  I'm just sayin', I get passionate about things and I defend that.  That being said.  I am totally over the election.  I want to break up with it like a seventh grade boyfriend.  You know, just never say hi in the lunch room again.  Stop passing notes through a series of unrelated friends that are totally over it as well.  I'm done.  I'm through.  I'm over it.  So, I'm posting some things that are totally unrelated but have made me happy lately.

Here is a song that has made me so very happy lately.  It has become almost a daily fix.  Don't judge.  Just listen and I dare you to not smile and sing along.  I dare you.  (Just click on here, really, just do it.  You won't regret it and you won't get Rick-rolled, promise.)

Aight, soI just finished this novel and simply can't wait for the next book in the series...da...da...da!  "Cinder" by Marissa Meyer was so fabulous!  I can't say that I've read anything really close to this. The leading lady, Cinder, based faintly on the story of Cinderella, is actually a pretty Bad-A mechanic cyborg.  The writing was great.  The story was so original and I loved it.  The next novel seems based on Little Red Riding Hood and is called "Scarlet" but doesn't come out until February.  It was great and I would recommend it highly.

I hope this post distracted you from tomorrow's election.  As I said, I'm over it.  I'm going to go read more about Jolie Wilkin's.  Night y'all!

Avenchards!

These pictures are pretty self explanatory.  We were (credit for the name goes completely to Josh Kaminski) the AVENCHARDS! Dun da da dun!  Evil fear us.  We have: a smiley yet tough Cap'n America, a sweet yet sometimes ferocious Hulk, a Mom dressed in black (aka the Black Widow) and our body guard/ Phil.  Beware! 

We had a fun Halloween and even went with some sweet friends trick or treating in a fabulous neighborhood with hundreds and hundreds of  people that all go to see the houses that are decorated like crazy.  It was super fun and definitely a new adventure.

M made me post this one of me channeling Scar Jo.  What do you think?  Are my lips pouty enough?

 Cap got a little tired of pictures.

 During family home evening this week we played some charades and this is E. being a jack-o-lantern.  He came up with all of these and we were laughing so hard.

 This is his slug impersonation.

 Now a surprised jack-o-lantern.  He's so nuts.

 Meanwhile, X. sat peacefully in the rocking chair (he pulls the cushions off first) and ate the Ensign magazine.  Yep, I said ate, cause he does that.

 These are our fabulous pumpkins.  I would say M's pumpkin looks more like Elvis, wouldn't you?  E picked out both designs.  Iron man for M and the Spidey symbol for me.  We don't let our kids run our house at all.

 It's impossible to get these two kids smiling in a shot together.  So we tried this.  It seemed to work.  I'll have to remember this for family pictures.

 Here is our spooktacular Halloween dinner.

 We have our classy witch fingers.  The witch had nice taste in nail polish eh?

 Our jello brain is always a must.

 Traditional dinner-in-a-pumpkin made it's annual appearance.

 E. was really disgusted with the fingers and refused to eat his.  This was as close as he got to trying them.  They really were a little nasty looking.  But they tasted great.

 This is the neighborhood where we adventured.  It was a lot of fun but wild so we didn't get the greatest pictures.

 X. didn't make it to the doors, we hung out and watched the crazed, candy-filled children.

 This house was great.  It had a "Hellivator".  Awesome-sauce.

 E.'s Halloween loot.  Somehow these were signs for "Look at my candy!"

I hope you all had a lovely Halloween.  We did any yes, my house is already filled with Christmas everywhere.  Bring on the rest of the holiday season!

Little Mustard Head

Everyone has a way of showing their appreciation for a meal. Some people sit back and pat their overfull stomachs, some belch, some politely say thank you, and some do the dishes.  Well, X rubs his leftovers in his hair.  If he REALLY likes his meal then I'll be washing his head for ages.  This was his first experience with a hot dog and he was so thrilled his scalp was stained yellow all night.  These pictures don't even do justice to the nastiness.  Gross.

These boys love their Daddy.

For all the family wanting to see these little maniacs, here are a few cute shots of their crazy mugs.

 X is in love with E's bed and if he's quiet I know he's crawled up there and is reading.  Cutie pants.

 Stud muffin.

 

 These two LOVE their bath time.  I mean, they really really LOVE bath time. X asks for it after every meal so there are many days (when I'm reading a really good book and would like to finish a few chapters) that I toss them in their bathing suits and throw them in for an hour or so to play.  They're at the age where they are starting to really play well together.  X is still pretty brutal and crazy but E's starting to hold his own (yes, the younger torments the older, so is life).  Goofy kiddos.