Didn't Quite Make It

(I just realized that title makes it sound like I will be blogging about bathroom mishaps...no worries, that is not the case).

Last New Years I decided that one of my goals would be to read 52 books in the coming year, one per week (books with at least two chapters since we read a plethora of picture books, but they don't count). I only got to 45 (although I may finish one more this afternoon, we'll see how it goes). Seven books in one afternoon is a little beyond my abilities (I really am a pretty slow reader...my dad and Josh love to tease me about that). Oh well, guess I have a ready made goal for this next year. Try, try again, right. I do LOOOOOOVE reading! This is a goal I love to try to meet.

P.S. Happy New Years Everyone!!!

An Incredible Christmas

What a fabulous holiday!! We feel so blessed this year and are so grateful to family and friends who has made this season incredible! We attended some great parties, visited with people we love, ate fabulous food including an amazing ham (thank you so very much), met Santa and Mrs. Claus, and just had a wonderful Christmas. We created a decadent gingerbread house,
Celebrated Parker's birthday,Goofed off (we do a lot of that in life!!!)



Got a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus....SUPER FUN!!!

And mostly, just enjoyed the kids. Christmas is amazing with children. We work hard to remember why we are celebrating, and help our children come to know our Savior and try to be like Him. We are so grateful for His birth, His example and His sacrifice for us.
Hope everyone had a very
Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

We love you all and hope that you have the best holiday ever.

Love,

The DeMoux Family

P.S. One of my family's favorite things about Christmas (or any time)...singing!! Check out my family totally rocking on vocals on my Dad's blog. Ok, we're not the Osmonds, but we do like to sing together.

Two Year Olds....the sequel

Boy, I am a blog-a-holic this month. This one is for you, Dad. Today I made chocolate drizzled pretzels for our neighbor treat. Gavin and Logan wanted to help me. Ok, sounds like fun. I went to retrieve the previously purchased pretzel rods from the basement storage room only to find that someone had thrown them all on the floor, presumably looking for something else in the storage room. Now, they are more broken than they were after the oh so careful Walmart employees shoved them onto the shelf. Oh well. I'll just have to cut back on how many we give people (sorry people). I brought them upstairs and started to sort them into trays of "not broken pretzel rods" and "broken but maybe still usable" pieces of pretzel. I had to leave to feed Ellie so I put both trays on the kitchen counter, away from the two year old. No dice. Said stealthy two year old managed to quietly drag a chair over and came to find me while munching on two heretofore non broken pretzel rods (why couldn't he eat the already broken ones).

So, I put wax paper on a bunch of cookie sheets and turned to the stove to monitor the melting chocolate. I turned back around to find Logan (the two year old) licking two separate sheets of wax paper. What??? Does it taste good? I wouldn't think so. Ok, new wax paper, and put the trays away from where Logan is sitting.

Next I lay the pretzels out and bring over the chocolate and drizzle it over them. Milk chocolate and then white chocolate, they look great (if I do say so myself)!! The kids helped me sprinkle sprinkles over the wet chocolate, and we all had a great time. I turned around to get more chocolate and when I turned back Logan is now running his tongue across an entire tray of chocolate pretzels. THIS CHILD!!!

Fine, I threw those away (no one wants to get slobbery, tongue impressions in their chocolate) and decided I'd just dip a bunch of the broken ones to give to people...not as pretty, but more chocolaty so everyone wins.

After the chocolate sets up, I had the boys help me put them in bags to get ready to deliver. Logan was in charge of handing me the bags, but somehow he managed to get his hands all over the chocolate remnants on a piece of wax paper and he was a mess, and so was the table. I sent him to the bathroom to wash his hands while I wiped the table. By the time I was done, he still hadn't come back so I went to check it out. Yup, chocolate covered bathroom counter top and the soap pump was on the toilet seat with (I swear) 40 pumps of liquid soap all over the toilet and Logan trying to clean the whole thing up with one (that's right, one) square of toilet paper.

That was enough. I put it all away (with my sanity) until Logan was down for a nap. Good thing I love this little guy so much. He may be a monster sometimes, but he's MY little monster.

P.S. Gavin told me Logan was a pill today.

That's 'Cause We Have a Two Year Old

Yup, that is butter spread all over the kitchen rug. Despite what you may think, floor coverings don't taste any better with butter than without (not that I know from personal experience). Such is life with a two year old in the house.

P.S. Josh shaved....HOORAY!!! I love that face!!

My Amish (looking) Husband

Occasionally, Josh likes to grow a beard. I HATE IT!!!! That is why he only does it occasionally. However, it is his face, so I don't really feel like I can complain too much. I just expect him to keep it away from me most of the time. This month has been one of those times (yuck). Last night he decided he is starting to get ready to remove said nasty hair from his cute face, but he has decided to do it in phases. I am sure his school kids will bet a kick out of it. This is what he shaved last night (I have to admit, it is much more pleasant to kiss him now, even without all of it gone).
As a historical side note, Josh had a goatee when I first met him (on a blind date that was one of the worst dates of my life). He quickly discerned that I was not a fan of facial hair and made the ridiculous statement "So, if I want to get my face close to yours I'm going to have to shave, huh?" What a dork (love you honey), I thought. "Like THAT is ever going to happen." Guess he was right after all.

Christmas Concert

Last night, Aubrey sang with her elementary, multi-school concert at Cyprus High School. She loves to sing, guess she takes after her parents. We were blessed that Ellie slept contently in her carseat the entire time, the three older boys sat quitely and weren't trouble, and Logan only threw the paper airplane I made him once, kicked the people in front and behind us twice each and sang Jingle Bells at the top of his lungs for just a few minutes. He also found Santa (wearing a neon green t-shirt and denim shorts) sitting a few rows away from us. Still, it was a good night for Aubrey. I was glad she had such a good time.

Also, I want to brag about my fabulous husband who gets up at 5:30 am to leave for school about 6:30 am, and always takes time to shovel the whole driveway and sidewalk as well as cleaning off my car so that I won't have to do it when it snows. He is wonderful and I am very grateful to have him. He's my best friend and I am so glad that I'm stuck with him!!

(p.s. I HATE shoveling snow!!!...but so does Josh, which makes him all the nicer)

G

Earlier this week (say, Tuesday) I had a rough day. The kids were wild and no one cleaned their room that morning and life was a mess. The kids got home from school and I was not my chipper, loving self. We sat down to do homework together when the kids started fighting and I got upset, and really got after them. Gavin looked up at me with a sympathetic look and said, "Mom, you are being a pill. We're all a pill sometimes."
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It made me laugh, and take a minute to breathe. Thanks, G, for the reality check. I told Josh about this when he got home and he got a kick out of it.

Then, last night as we were driving home from my parent's house (after Joel opened his mission call...Ventura, California here he comes), Josh and I were teasing each other about something and Josh turned to me and said, "You are being a pill!!" We both laughed and then Gavin piped up from the back seat, scolding his father, "Dad, Mom is NOT being a pill today. You be nice!" Josh and I both burst out laughing. What a sweetheart.

It's a good thing I have these little guys to keep me grounded. I might get all full of myself otherwise. They are amazing little people.

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On a more serious note, I was playing with Ellie yesterday, trying to get her to smile. She smiles so easily. However, it reminded me that when playing with an infant, if you want them to acknowledge you, you HAVE to look in their eyes. You can coo and smile all you want at them, but if you don't look in their eyes, then they don't really respond. They seem to know, even at that young age that you aren't really seeing them. I was thinking about how the Savior really SEES each of us, not just what we look like, but what we are, and was thinking I want to make sure that I really SEE the people in my life, not just what they do, but who they are. It is so easy to gloss over with a "How are you?"..."I'm fine, thanks, and you?" but that doesn't really get to the heart of it all. I hope we can all take the time, especially this season when the Savior seems to be closer than many other times in life, to really SEE the people around us and let them know they are seen too. It is something for me to think about.

That's How You Know They're Boys

I came in to the bathroom to witness two boys (four and five years old) who were supposed to be taking a bath, but instead were having "sword fights" by the toilet using their urine streams. I had to shake my head and laugh. At least they were aiming into the bowl.

This kind of thing doesn't happen with girls. Josh assures me this is completely normal male behavior, at least for that age...I hope he has outgrown it.

Thanksgiving Was a **BALL**

Thanksgiving weekend was exciting in lots of ways. We headed down to my grandparent's house, which we all love!! There is always a lot to do. The kids get to spend time at the farm and help with the morning chores (when else do they really get an opportunity to slop hogs and find eggs). Bryce and Parker got to play paintball and Josh and Bryce shot shotguns in the desert (I was petrified Bryce would manage to get shot, but he came back in one piece...Josh says I worry too much...I'm a mom, that's what I do). Josh also got to shoot a couple of handguns and some sort of fancy machine gun like thing (I am not a gun connoisseur). He was in heaven.

We spent lots of time with family remembering the past and celebrating time together and it was fabulous.

Then we came home. We sat down to watch the BYU/Utah game (GO COUGARS!!!). Just starting into the second quarter (could the BYU offense look more limp?) Logan came scooting down the stairs with a bouncy ball in his hand. He popped it in his mouth so I called him over to me to get it out and throw the thing away...but no...he swallowed it! He started choking and sputtering and my first aid training kicked in, I scooped him up and turned him over, but the ball went all the way down. It was not a tiny ball, and we were concerned. Now it was Josh's turn to panic. He has some minimal medical training (just enough to make him nervous about just about every thing that could possibly go wrong), so he called our doctor's answering service. The on call doctor told him this could be a big deal and said to hurry up to Primary Children's ER to have it checked out (alright, maybe I was under reacting this time...I thought let it pass through the kid).

We loaded into the car, dropped the five other kidlets at my Mom's house, and trucked up to the U of U campus (during the BYU/Utah game which we were not longer paying attention to, such irony). We were immediately taken to a room where the nurses were much more interested in the black eye that Logan had from falling down the stairs and smashing into a wall than the ball somewhere in his system (we would end up in the ER the one time he has a black eye). Eventually the doctor came in, made sure Logan could drink without throwing up, and said, "Go home and let it pass through the kid." The nurse that checked us out was adorable, but made sure to tell me to keep Logan away from batteries and scared me with stories of kids who have holes burned in their esophaguses (thanks Dad for the editing) from swallowing batteries.

We got home just in time to see BYU score the game winning touchdown in overtime. Hooray!

So you see, Thanksgiving weekend, was a **BALL**...in more ways than one. (Beware of small rubber bouncing items).

The next day, we put up the Christmas tree and decorated the house, and now we feel all festive.

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

Smile!!

Ellie is a very happy baby, and she has a gorgeous smile that just lights up her face. We have been trying, unsuccessfully, to get a picture of that smile for over a month. It hasn't worked out yet. Below are some pics of the closest we have come.

So, we decided to try to make a movie to capture her happiness, and that went a lot better.

I Am Slowly Going Crazy...Or Am I???

Yesterday, I was making lunch for the kids when I lost my mind...sort of. We were having chicken nuggets, a rare treat at our house, so I was trying to put together actual nutritious elements to go with it. Let's see, applesauce, cheese, a cup of milk, and, oh, great, a slice of buttered bread. Got the bread out and debated whether to give everyone a whole slice, or cut them in half (you just never know if the kids are going to be starving and wolf down everything in front of them or if they will pick at it like birds and leave half the food on their plate). I thought I decided on whole slices and set them on the counter top, then suddenly someone started screaming, so I went to solve the problem. I returned to find I had only gotten three pieces of bread out instead of five. I shook my head at myself, and thought, "I must be going nuts, I would swear I got out five bread slices." I think to myself that someday I am going to forget something really important and be in real trouble. I wonder if I am too young for Alzheimer's or something like it, and wonder if brain loss has to be diagnosed by a physician or if this is the kind of thing you just keep to yourself. Oh well.

Then, two minutes later, Gavin appears in the kitchen doorway looking a bit guilty.
Gavin (looking guilty): "Hi, Mom."
Me (looking suspicious): "Hi, Gavin."
Gavin (still standing there looking suspicious): "Hi."
Me (Now I know for sure something is up): "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Gavin (biting his lip and swaying side to side): "Uuuummmmm."
Me (putting that "Mom" look on my face): "Gavin, what is going on?"
Gavin (suddenly smiling and trying to be nonchalant): "Logan and I are just eating bread in the bathtub!!"
Me (Wow, I'm not crazy after all): "Oh."

Sure enough, I find Logan lounging in the tub, covered in bread crumbs. I brush off the children, clean up the crumbs and smile to myself. Lunch may be spoiled for these two, but I'm not nuts and that's what really counts. YIPPEE!!!

Some Say Tak, Others Merci...I Just Say Thanks

It isn't quite Thanksgiving yet, but today I am feeling exceptionally grateful. No real reason (that I know of anyway), but I feel very blessed. I have a house full of incredible children (sometimes I am not as grateful for that as I ought to be, but most of the time I love it), an amazing husband who takes prodigious care of me (who doesn't love being fawned over), fabulous extended family on both sides (I always kind of wanted a quirky, annoying mother-in-law, but I didn't get one...and I am awfully glad to have the one I've got),a home that fits our family perfectly, and a ward/neighborhood full of people I hope to be like when I grow up (do I really have to grow up?).

Our family has been blessed in a myriad of ways. For example,we have a new baby girl that we weren't sure how we would clothe before she was born (it has been seven years since our last girl and bit by bit the clothes we had have found their way to other homes) and we didn't have money for a whole new wardrobe. However, amazingly, oodles of adorable clothes found their way to our home through what (to me) are miraculous means. Also, through the sweet care of others, we now have a plethora of adorable headbands, bows, and other accessories that are super cute and more than we would have asked for (you know they are cute when your rough and tumble husband insists that his baby daughter have a flower or bow in her hair every day).




Funny how the Lord takes care of you, usually through the kindness of other people. From much needed bunk beds, to volunteer babysitters we have been blessed with the things that we need, and often, the things that we wish for. We are surrounded by people who often say just the thing we need to hear or call just when we need a lift. I often get caught up in MY life and MY family, but I hope to become the kind of person who sees and takes time for the needs of others. How else can I repay my incredible Father in Heaven for all that he has given me. He blesses us with the things we need, many times before we even realize we need them.


And so, I want to say thanks to all of you out there, amazing friends and family, who make my life a joy and who make me want to be better than I am. Thanks for caring and taking an interest in my family (my favorite people in the world) and for helping us have the kind of relationships we want to continue for eternity. We love you all!!!

East Canyon (Or "Easy Canyon" to Gavin)

This past weekend, our family go to spend three nights at East Canyon Resort. My parents have a time share in a condo there and we go almost every year. It is one of the kids favorite things to do. Unfortunately, for the first time ever, they had closed down mini golf course, tennis courts, shuffle board and volleyball, (and the pool but it is always closed later in the year). So, we had to be a little more creative than usual coming up with things to do. Still, we had a really great time, Bryce even got to go paint balling for his first time. Thanks for a fabulous trip Mom and Dad.

This is how you get kids to have fun and then stay hyper for twenty seven and a half hours straight. It was all kinds of exciting.

Not exactly what I had in mind when Logan asked me to take him on the slide.



What could be funner than hanging out with family in the canyon. We LOVE the outdoors!!! We LOVE our family!!! It's a perfect combination.

As a bonus, we got to see/nearly smash into several deer while driving to the resort. Gavin told me that seeing the deer was his favorite part of the entire weekend. Next time maybe I'll forgo the packing and planning and just go straight for the deer sightings...easy and free.

A Little Service

I love this idea for something service oriented to do with the kids. They get to help other kids and be creative at the same time. Family home evening here we come!!

Click Here for Service Project Idea

Jack-O-Lanterns-R Us

Last night we carved our pumpkins for the Halloween weekend. Although they weren't very big, we grew them in our garden, so the kids have been taking care of them all summer and deciding which pumpkin would be "theirs" for the last month or so. We made quite a mess scooping out guts and hacking faces into orange gourds. Logan was jealous that everyone else got to carve on their own. At one point he stole some one's pumpkin carver (not a regular knife...he was relatively safe) and started stabbing a spare pumpkin because he wanted to do it on his own too. Ellie mostly just slept. It was a fun night.

Carving pumpkins (bonus Gavin singing at his pre-school party)

Smoke Follows Beauty

The other day we were getting ready to fry chicken, but the oil got a bit too hot, so it started smoking a bit when we cooked the meat. We opened some windows, but the kids were concerned about the smoke. I teasingly told them that if they showed the smoke where it should go (outside) it would follow them. This is what happened.



Also this week, Logan had a rough day, skipped his nap and ended up falling asleep during dinner.

Finally, I also finished the kids Halloween costumes so the kids would be ready for the primary party on Saturday. We have three vampires, a secret agent, a bumble bee and a fairy/butterfly. As the kids get older, the costumes get harder to make, but they usually turn out alright so I guess it is worth it (I didn't make the bee or the fairy wings, I am not that talented).

What the Hex is Going On

One of my favorite things about Halloween is our annual trip to Gardner Village to see the witch displays. Our kids love it too (except for Bryce who is too old for witches...except for his mother and he is stuck with her). I love Halloween, what other holiday lets you look ugly on purpose and be praised for it...or wander around at work in your pajamas...or send your kids out in the neighborhood to beg for edibles and not have the neighbors look down on you for it. Besides it comes in the fall, my favorite season.

Bryce discovers which witch stinks!!

Josh's new flame.

Chillin...

Look at that, most of the kids looking at the camera...impressive.

One adorable row of children

Gavin and Parker jammin to the sweet tunes.

Aubrey was thrilled to get to meet a real, live witch. I told her she lives with one every day, she said maybe, but I don't dress this cool. I thought this witch's hex for my daughter was very appropriate.

De Week of DeMouxs (What a dumb title, who came up with that?))

It has been a busy week. Sadly, my computer is moving at the speed of continental drift (aka veeeeery slowly) and so I am too frustrated to attempt my usual wit and whimsy in the text of this post.

***Insert snide/anecdotal/ridiculous/humorous comments here***

We took a new DeMoux family picture.

Aubrey was in a parade.

Josh's soccer team won their final game of the season and they played the best they ever have.

This picture has nothing to do with soccer, but I just really wanted to post it anyway.

With the help of my Whitmer family, we expanded our vegetable garden/patch of backyard dirt.

We were able to bless Ellie in Church on Sunday.

Lots of family events and all kinds of excitement. We'd show you the video of Logan dancing naked in the bathtub, but someone might be offended and think we were exploiting him so we'll keep it to ourselves. Here's hoping for another fabulous week to come.

Watch it, I'm Grumpy!!!!

This (below) is how our sweet little newborn behaves during the day. She is quiet and content and adorable. When she is awake, she is pleasant and alert. She is a lot of fun. We adore her!

This, on the other hand, is how our newborn behaves at night (at least lately). Our adorable little angel becomes a terror sheathed in the image of a baby girl!!! It's like Gremlins, without the "just add water" element. The only way to calm this monster is to plug it's face with a binki that it seems determined to spew out the moment you get it in. And so, I do my best to sleep (ha ha ha) with my hand positioned on the infant's face in the bassinet next to my bed so that the gentle pressure of said hand keeps the plug in and the whining/crying/screaming bloody murder to a minimum. (Ok, fine, I still adore her, just with more frustration than during the day).
Possibly I should become a vampire and sleep during the day so that I could be prepared for the night. Do you think sleeping in a coffin is required or is that just a classic cliche?

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To his credit, Josh did get up with her after her 3:00 am feeding last night and took her in the living room to try to let me sleep. Unfortunately I could still hear her so she kept both of us up. But it is daytime now and she is cute again so at the moment, I am sure she didn't do it on purpose.

A Moment as a Mother

I love being a mom. I always have (ok, I have my moments where I throw up my hands and whine "I DON'T WANT TO BE THE MOM ANYMORE!!!"). Even when I was young, I always wanted to grow up to be a mom...and an archaeologist. That second part didn't really come to fruition, and digging around in the dirt doesn't really appeal to me anymore...maybe that has to do with all the bonus laundry and baths I have dealt with over the years (we dealt with that this weekend, thank you rain, and I'm sure there are plenty more to come) because of dirt-digging adventures.

Still, there are always moments that make it all worth it. Yesterday, I was sitting at the computer and suddenly heard very soft singing behind me. I peeked over my shoulder, trying not to disturb whatever was happening, and found that Gavin (who is 4) was laying next to Ellie and singing "If I had a million dollars...I would buy you a green dress...but not a real green dress, that's cruel...I would buy you a monkey...haven't you always wanted a monKEY," as he carefully stroked her hair. It was adorable. I'm grateful that those little angels were sent to my home.

And then today, as we watched conference this morning, Bryce took notes and after each talk he gave me an overview of what the speaker had said. Sometimes he only caught key phrases, not the real meaning in the talk, but I was so impressed that he was trying so hard to get it.

And then President Monson spoke about serving others, sharing many brief stories that were told to him by children and youth. I watched as my children laughed and listened to his urging for us to be more service centered. I listened after his talk as they told me ways they thought our family could help others. I could not have been more proud.

As a mom, you don't get a regular paycheck, there aren't 401k programs, medical benefits or company Christmas bonuses. However, the paydays that do come are much more memorable, and much longer lasting. The moments when children make good choices, take care of one another, reach out to others in need, learn something difficult, or are just happy make my heart swell and I try (like Mary) to keep all these things. A better job, there is not in this world.

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(Lest you think our children quietly sit and listen and ponder the words spoken at general conference--ha ha ha--let me just say we ask kids over 8 to listen to one full session and anyone younger we have listen when the prophet speaks...we give them a conference bingo board to fill out to try to help them focus a little. Although we have conference on every radio in the house hoping that bits and pieces will ooze into the kids brains, we mostly just try to keep the din to a low rumble so that we can hear some of what is said.)

Excitement at Home

Life has been exciting for us this month, but some of the best bits and pieces are just things that happen during a normal day.

For example, we learned this month that the game, Twister, was not so much designed for parents. Gavin got Twister for his birthday and we have played it several times and Josh and I have found that we are neither flexible nor well balanced (in more ways than one). We fight over who gets to spin the dial and who has to actually get up and play. Sweet guy that he is, Josh usually lets me spin (that and I play the "I am a little dizzy because I am so tired from feeding the baby all night long" card). Twister...not for the full grown!!!

Also, we have found that having a new baby has made it a bit harder to stay on top of the other kids the way that we like to. For example, Logan (who is two...enough said) has found that when Mom is feeding the baby, she is not as likely to be able to get up and get him out of things or chase him down when he has something he shouldn't. He flaunts that with his gigantic "Ha ha, you can't get me" smile (Oh, he will learn).

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Along the same lines, I have become a little less vigilant at bath time and that has gotten exciting a couple of times. Josh is a FREAK about getting water on the floor in the bathroom. NOTHING bothers him more than an excessively splashy bath time and the wet repercussions. And so, he has not exactly been thrilled lately when he comes home to a sopping wet bathroom rug hanging up in the shower to dry. Wonder how that happened? It was funny to me.

And the new baby, with five other little monsters!! They sure keep us on our toes...but they are sooo worth it!!

In the Red

Today there is a Murray high school sophomore/freshman girls soccer game, but Josh will not be attending. That is unusual as he is the coach of that team. However, he is not allowed to be at the game. Why, you may ask, and the answer is simple. Because my normally level headed and very even tempered husband, the same man who softly scolds me for my extremes in emotion and for sometimes letting those emotions get the best of me, managed to get a red card at the last soccer game. (For you non-soccer types, a red card is given to players or coaches for extremely inappropriate behavior...yellow cards are given for less severe but still inappropriate behaviors and fouls are given for the stuff that just happens in a game that isn't nice).

Josh's team was playing a team for the second time this season. The last time they played this team Murray won, but the other team beat them up pretty good and muttered threats under their breath and even took a some illegal shots at Josh's girls when the officials weren't looking. Josh was concerned for his girl's safety before the game and even asked the refs to keep an eye out because of the previous problem.

There are two refs at a soccer game, one on each side of the field and the one on Josh's team's side seemed to know very little about the game and let almost everything go. A couple of times these girls shoved his girls to the ground (no kidding, I watched) and when Josh would say "Aren't you going to call that," the ref would respond "Let it go, coach." That happened a lot during the game and near the end, when there were about two minutes left in the game, one of the girls from the other team took a swing at one of Josh's girls because she had stolen the ball (legally) from her. The ref saw it, Josh asked if he was going to call that finally, the ref said "The game is almost over, just let it go." Josh lost it and yelled, "Try that again #7 and we will have an issue!" across the field. Well, obviously, the other ref (who didn't see anything) was appalled that Josh kind of threatened one of the players and appropriately gave him a red card which precludes him from being at the game today.

When Josh got home that night the first thing he said was, "You don't need to chew me out, I already feel really badly." I'm not sure I have ever seen him so meek. He really regretted handling things that way, especially in front of his girls. However, I cannot tell you how many parents came to thank him for being willing to stand up for the girls on his team and do what he could to protect them. Josh apologized profusely to his girls and tried to help them understand what he should have done instead. The girls, of course, think it is the coolest thing in the world that their coach got a red card, especially because they know he almost never loses his cool. Josh has decided to chalk it up to a learning experience and handle things differently next time.

Mostly, I just think it is funny (it wouldn't be if this was his normal behavior, but it isn't) and am having fun teasing him about it. Josh is embarrassed, but taking it like a man...even though his girls have told all their friends so there are lots of students that have asked him all about it. Such is the life of a soccer coach.

Now We Have a Two Year Old

This week has been an exciting week for us. Josh had a very interesting soccer game last Thursday (did I mention he coaches girls soccer at the high school). It was his most eventful game yet (ask him about it sometime). The kids participated in a corn husking contest and Josh and I got to go to Greek Fest, our first date since Ellie's birth (although she came with us--all bundled and hidden from view and germy people-- so I'm not sure if that really counts as a date). The funnest part of the week was that Logan turned two on Saturday (someone forgot to tell him that you are supposed to wait until you are officially two before you become a holy terror at home) so now he can actually be labeled as "terrible two." If he weren't such a sweetheart sometimes, I don't know what we would do. He is the youngest boy, but he picks on his older siblings regularly. However, he is also the first to give a hug or bring someone his blanket if they are sad. One trait he gets from me, the other from his father. We'll leave it to you to guess which is which. He got a t-ball set for his birthday and played with it all day. In the video below you will notice that he has the baseball swagger down pretty well, but that he only taps the ball when he hits it. Funny, when he hits his siblings with things, he swings a lot harder than that.

Also, we couldn't call ourselves doting parents if we didn't post some pictures of our newest little angel. She really is an angel (but so was Logan when he was this age, so what does that foreshadow). She is sweet and content and absolutely adorable. We are sure grateful to have her in our family.