Quack Quack

We like to go feed the hungry birds once in a while. Augi loves the ducks, but she is not so fond of the geese. They are too aggressive. Thank goodness there weren't any swans this time. They are really mean. The birds aren't nearly this pushy in the summer.
Poor hungry birdies.

The reward for feeding the birds is to go choose some new books at the library.

Adventures by Chelsie and Jessi

Chelsie and I always plan such great adventures. OK, so they are poorly planned treks. Anyway, I called Chelsie to say, "Hey, let's go to the Treehouse Museum." She said, "Sure, and Kaedyn wants to ride the train." So, there it began. Oh, let's ride the train to the museum. Oh, and let's invite Dayton. So, it turned into Augi, Em, and I driving to Bountiful to pick up Dayton, then the 4 of us took the train to Layton where we met the Thompson gaggle. Then, we all continued on the train to Ogden. Well, the two block walk that I expected was actually more like 5 blocks. And most of us were under-dressed. Great. So, Chelsie and I dragged 7 children under the age of 4 on a 30 minute walk to the museum. Then, we had to do it all in reverse. As always, it was fun. We won't learn. There will be more adventures.

Poor Dayton. He had no idea what he was in for. So full of excitement and joy.

Aunt Jessi will take care of him, right?Augi and Caisy were in on the secret. Their moms are nuts.Dayton is figuring out that something is amiss. This ride is taking an awfully long time. Even the babies aren't smiling. Kaedyn is staring at him in a strange way.

Augi was looking too cool.

Aaaaa. Once we made it to the museum, it was all better. I didn't get any pictures along the way because it was too freakin' cold and my hands were needed to herd the cats.
Caisy was so cute looking into the microscope. She made it home with every single one of the sample slides in her pocket. Great. We stole from the museum. Now we are fugitives. I did take them from her and promise to bring them back on our next visit.
All in all, it was a fun day.

Em's Giggle

I am hoping this video works. His giggle is the most wonderful sound in the world.

Sleepover, Party, and Giggles

Sniff, sniff. Augi is having a sleepover with Grandma Meme. It is only the second time she has ever been away from me. The first was when Emmett was born. She was so excited. She packed a suitcase last night with all of the essentials: toothpaste, toothbrush, vitamins, jammies, extra shoes, extra clothes, blankie, pillow, doll, books, and gummy worms. I just called to check on her and she is already asleep. She was sick today, so it doesn't surprise me too much that she zonked out. I just hope she got to enjoy the movie and popcorn a little.

Oh, the Valentine's Party. It was a hit. All but one of the children came. I had 8 children under the age of 7 at my house. I can't thank my friend Chris enough for staying to help!

We pulled out the parachute for some fun...


Chris got the party going with some dance moves...
Annie did a solo...

The tummy giggle game was a flop.

The Valentine bag decorating was a hit...

Em was punchy tonight--excited to be alone with the parents! Too bad he could only stay awake for about 10 minutes. I have tried to add a video, but it wouldn't work. Darn. I'll try again.

They're Famous!!!!

OK--so, maybe not famous--but Chris and the kids were on t.v. tonight--for just a nano-second. We had a ton of snow--14 inches in fact--this morning. It was really weird. I got just a few miles down the road and it was rainy, then it was totally dry in SLC. Anyway, the Fox news crew was driving around looking for a man on the street to interview, and they found Chris and the kids. Chris knocked the poor reporter's mic out of her hand, so she just used a brief second of their footage. Augi was shoveling snow in a sun dress. They didn't show them on the 5:00 news, so Augi was really disappointed. She will be thrilled in the morning when we show her the video. I'll try to post it when it is finished recording.

Catching Up, Way Up

I am sick. It is official. I have been feeling down for quite some time, but I am really sick. It just seems to be shifting it's form. I was depressed, then I had a head ache, then I had no voice and a cough. Now, my throat and mouth are really swollen and I have a head ache. I am guessing it is strep. I haven't had strep for like 15 or more years. I don't have time to go to the doc, so I just keep hoping I will wake up better. I will go tomorrow if I am not better. Despite my malaise, we have been busy. We have used our Treehouse membership like 5 times already. It's our new favorite hangout. We went swimming and that did wonders for my S.A.D. I just tried hard not to look in a mirror and soaked up some sun from the windows at the pool. Here are some pictures of our latest adventures, not in any specific order.

Augi in her Bilibo, in the Bath

We had a campout in my bedroom this weekend. This is about as close as these children will ever get to camping with me as a mother. I freakin' hate camping. I want a shower and indoor plumbing and a comfy bed.

Don't ask.

Augi posing, Dayton looking guilty.

Snugglers. Augi is fake-sleeping.

Me, taken by Augi.

We went to India's bday party. Dayton looks guilty, again. Hmmmm. I am beginning to wonder about him.

The boys enjoying the party.

S.A.D. treatment

Augi dressed all warm, ready to go swimming. OK, so it was a weird choice of clothing--but at least she had a hat on.

My little poser in knee-highs and a swim suit. Pay no attention to the mess around her. The story of my life these days.

The World According to Augi

We got Augi her own camera for Christmas, but the piece of crap broke in the first week. I am boycotting Polaroid. Anyway, we have been letting her use our camera. I left out the pictures of carpet and upholstery close up, but these are a few from her recent shoots. I think she is pretty good. She has an interesting perspective, don't you think?

Sensory treatments and the Princess

Many of you know I diagnose my own children on a daily basis depending on my mood and theirs. Try to put that aside. Augi seriously has some sensory processing issues, especially concerning tactile stimulation. This is psychobabble for "she hates clothes." Getting her dressed is a nightmare. Everything is too tight, too loose, too itchy, too buggy. She was even willing to miss out on India's birthday this weekend rather than have to put on "saggy" unders. The specialists at my work have suggested some desensitization type techniques. Well, yesterday we held her upside down and tickled her--basically overloading her sensory system. Afterwards she went into her bedroom and put on an entire outfit of typically buggy clothes. Tights even. There isn't much research behind sensory treatments, but if it helps me get this kid dressed, then I am all over it! Check out Sarah's blog for a picture of how she is dressed today. She is calling herself the "Practical Princess." More updates about our weekend, my SAD, and a little therapy tonight...