Since the invention of the washing machine, we have rejoiced that laundry can be done in much less time and with much less physical energy than before.  But Tate has come up with an even simpler method that will save even more time and energy....

Tate emerged from his room last week with some wrinkly clothes that I suspected were drug out of the hamper.  So I asked, "Tate, did you get those from your dirty clothes?"

"Well, yes."

"You can't do that, go back and change, " I demanded.

To which he responded, "It's okay mom, I blew all the dirty off of them."

There you have it!  A simple blow will now do the trick =)

Avery wants to wear her pink poofy fancy dress nearly everyday.  But she consents to wear something else during the week when I remind her that she regularly plays in the dirt pile.  Anyway, a friend at church complimented her on her pretty pink dress and I mentioned Avery's love of that garment.  To which my friend replied that she's surprised because Avery seems like such a tomboy.  I have also been shocked at her girly tendencies coming out recently-mothering dolls and my new decorative duck that I put a diaper on for the diaper shower we threw last week, playing with my old Barbies and doll house, and...I'm sure there's more, I just can't think of any at the moment.  Anyway, it's fun to see these personalities continue to emerge from the kids.  Never box them into one stereotype because they will quickly prove you wrong.

Speaking of stereotyping.  This pregnancy has been more sleepless than my others from the beginning.  So, when I couldn't return back to bed just before 5am today, I decided to watch Colin Ferth's "Pride and Prejudice".  Little Avery woke up first and snuggled with me while watching that classic for at least half an hour.  I was eating up our girl time =)

I just peeked in the tv room to find Tate and Eric watching some monster truck show together.  So, we must be a stereotypical family with the boys watching their big trucks and us chicas watching our period piece!

My favorite event of the morning was hearing Eric yelp awake from the bedroom.  Apparently, Tate told Avery that dad couldn't eat this morning.  So, in order to prove him wrong, she went to feed him red juice and teddy graham crackers.  She poked him with the cup and when he didn't respond because he was sleeping, she poured it down his back!  And there was a lot of juice in the cup, too!

It's ironic that Tate got the idea that dad couldn't eat or drink this morning because it's fast Sunday!  Tate didn't know that, though.  Silly kids.

Speaking of silly kids =), we returned from church today and Tate took a big swig of Avery's leftover macaroni and cheese water.  (You know, when she's done with her pasta, she mixes some in with her water cup for experimental purposes I suppose.)  Anyway, he says, "Can I have more water?" followed by "What was that?"  What makes me laugh is that he didn't even act grossed out.  Whereas if we succeed in bribing him to eat one of my delicious dinners, he makes the yuckiest faces like he just barely is able to gag the stuff down.  But macaroni and cheese water?  No prob!

Speaking of no prob,...just kidding, that's all I got.

 I'll have to get a picture of that pretty pink dress and upload it later.  This is Avery saying "cheese" one day when I told her to get her shoes on and she got my sparkly sandals on and headed out the door.

Sorry about the fuzzy picture, but I had to add another picture of Avery being girly for this show Tate decided they needed to dress-up for and put on.  This is the best shot I got.

Cousins

Have you tried root beer milk from the cheese factory in Logan, UT?  It's a must try if you're in the area.  It's magical powers and deliciousness produce a previously uncooperative toddler (Avery) who suddenly says "cheese!" for the camera!  It must be because it comes from a cheese factory.  Ha!  She even agreed to kiss cousin Lane on the cheek for the shot!  I wouldn't believe it, but here's the proof!

Lane let Avery smear thick sunscreen all over his face and hair today.  Then, she smeared it all over her feet.  Two days ago, she got into a large jar of peanut butter and smeared it all over herself, the floor, and the couch.  Good thing Lane wasn't there for that one.  It's funny how he lets her do anything to him, like apply lip gloss.  We were at Ace Hardware a couple weeks ago and the kids ran into a couple other little kids.  Avery hugged Lane as if to show off her little guy.  The other little girls they met in the store said, "Awww, so cute!" even though one of them appeared to be about Lane's age.  I realize that one day these cute little people will be all grown up and say, "why did you coach my cousin to kiss me?!"  All I can say to Lane will be that if he saw himself at 1 year old, he would understand-he is seriously the squishiest little guy.  You have to kiss those cheeks!  I look at him and think he's all Spratling, but I do recall toddler Breann with those giant cheeks and smile, too.  I'll have to dig up a picture to show...

 Lane and Avery spent some time sitting on our rocks.  Seemed like a good kodak moment.

Here we have Avery's mascara application.  I like the Cindy Crawford-esque mole.  I cropped the picture to avoid nude Barbie.  The first thing Avery does when playing with a doll is take off the clothes.  I suppose it's a phase and one day she'll enjoy the dress-up aspect of dolls.

"This looks like paradise."  Tate just told me as he surveyed my bed full of laundry yet to be folded.
It reminded me of a couple weeks ago when he accompanied me to have my blood drawn.  As we left, he said, "That was really fun!"  He and I have very different ideas of paradise and fun.

Just overheard from the kitchen...

Eric, "Tate, did you know I used to be as small as you?"

Tate, in a hushed tone, "Like a little mouse?"

Here's a video of Tate's ramp.  Yes, it's a little anti-climatic.  I like Avery perched in the stroller so contently.  Tate was posing in the kitchen for the picture with the stools.  Then, some rare pictures of Avery because as you can see from the braids shot, she's always on the go.  Unless she's in the stroller.

Sunday at church, Bre handed us some butterscotch lifesavers of which Tate said, "What are those?  Oh!  Are they little donuts?!"  I wish!

Tonight we ate dinner at Bre's house, first BLT's of the season in fact, and they were delish!  Thank you Bre.  Avery brought her soap.  B.Y.O.S. we say around here =)  It's her latest favorite plaything.  She promptly climbed into Bre's shower to check out their bar of soap and break it in half.

This afternoon 3 brave adults, Eric, Bre, and I, took a 1 year-old, a 2 yr-old, and a 4 yr-old to the Disney movie "Brave" in the theater.  What follows was great entertainment, and the movie was good, too.

It was packed and we sat in the center of the 2nd row.

Lane threw-up in the popcorn, then kept right on eating.  Then, he poured water in my purse.  Later, he poured pop on the floor.  I should've left a tip for the clean-up crew.  Bre threw away his dirty shirt and he lasted most of the movie in all his shirtless glory.  He also called me "mommy" and wanted me to hold him, which I loved.

Tate had a hard time keeping his questions that came every 2 seconds to a whisper.  Bless his heart, he tried to keep quiet...sometimes.  He also required cuddling and made me cover his ears because of the noise.  As we left he said "That was great!  But I didn't like it because of the fighting bears."

Avery was enthralled with the movie and shushed Lane while pointing at the screen, indicating that he should watch the movie.  She had some good gasps as she watched.  Near the end, she realized that Lane had left.  She said, "Wheh Lae?" and walked to the end of the isle, stopped to tell us "bye" and took off in search of him.

At one point I had all 3 kids on my lap.  Thankfully, it's a kids movie and the theater was full of noisy kids, so hopefully we didn't stand out too much.  People around us know to expect loud distractions in a kid movie, like Avery or Lane grabbing your seat and jostling you.  (Sorry poor guy in front of us!)