Fun around the house

Ben is still in Idaho (and will be untill the 30th) and he wanted some recent pictures and videos of the kids, so here they are. Has everyone heard that we're moving to Idaho Falls? We have a tenative date of May 16h, but at this point it could still change a week either direction.

We got these little bug bubble blowers, so this is Parker using one of them. They actually work pretty good and he really likes them.

Parker loves to go outside and does so dozens of times a day (we have a fenced in backyard that he can't escape from-I'm going to miss that!!). This particular time I told him he had to get some shoes on if he wanted to go outside. Well he found some, they just weren't his. :-)

This is Madisyn eating her first baby food (besides cereal). Squash... yum.

Jumpy jumpy Maddy!

This is the cutest thing ever, and I finally managed to sneak it onto video without Parker noticing. Occassionally he will put "dolly" to sleep, and he sings her to sleep. It is so precious! So here he is singing a lullaby to dolly.

Another video of Maddy jumping. She's just so happy in it that I decided to put it on.

Family Pictures

We finally went and got family pictures taken at the end of March. We haven't gotten a professional family picture done since Parker was 6 months old and we haven't gotten any of Madisyn, so we were definitely due for some. I was really excited to get them back and they turned out so good! The pictures on here aren't the best of quality since they're scanned, but they're all right.

Playin in the rain

Yesterday after it stopped raining, Parker wanted to go out and play in the puddles. So we got on his froggy boots and headed out. He had quite the fun time splashing and jumping in the puddles (although by the time I remembered the camera, most of the water was gone, but oh well). Madisyn was also out there with us, all bundled up in a jacket, and she's really starting to like being outside too.

Yahoo! Puddles!

Say "Cheese!"

Video of Parker playing in the puddles

What a big girl!

Madisyn is getting so big so fast! She'll be 6 months old on Sunday! She has mastered sitting up and is such a big girl, and she looks so cute sitting in her high chair all by herself. When she's sitting on the floor she looks so little, I think it's just adorable! She is such a happy and smiley baby and she makes us all laugh all the time. On another note, she is finally putting herself to sleep as well, which is SOOOOO nice. She's been sleeping through most of the night as well-Hallelujah!

Maddy playing in her high chair

Maddy, 5 1/2 mo old, sitting like a big girl

If any of you don't know what a Johnny jumper is, it's the best thing in the world. Ours you hook into any door frame, you put your baby in it, and they can jump and jump all they want. Well Madisyn loves it! (Parker did too) She'd sit in there and jump all day if we let her! Her little legs are so funny to watch when she does it because she looks like she's doing a ballet. It's way cute. So here's a video of her jumping.

Kids' blankets

Ta-dah! Here are Madisyn's and Parker's blankets that I finished! So I've wanted to make blankets for Parker & Madisyn for a long time (actually since before Madisyn was born). But I didn't really know how to do it or how to start. Well our Relief Society started a quilting group for people who knew how to do quilts and wanted new ideas, or just wanted some help, or wanted people to chat to while they worked, etc, or for people like me who knew absolutely nothing and wanted to learn. So I took the oportunity and learned how to make easy quilts and did it. I am so excited to have them done, and they turned out much better than I expected! I actually finished Parker's about two weeks ago and he's loved sleeping with it, but I just finished Maddy's the other night. Now I need to make something nice for mine and Ben's bed, then I'll have done the whole family. :-) Then I can start doing blankets for baby showers, since they're pretty easy and I love doing them!

Zoo trip

Parker and I got to go to the zoo yesterday with a bunch of friends. We went with four other families who all had kids right around Parker's age (and some older and younger ones too). Of course at his age, he loved it! He "galloped" all around the zoo (that's what we call it-it's what he does when he's having fun and being goofy) and did all the animal sounds to the animals we saw. We didn't get to stay quite long enough to go around the whole zoo, but it was enough.

This little penguin hopped right up next to Parker just in time for a good picture!

Parker petting a goat

On a little mouse statue

This poor orangutan was in this exact spot last fall when we came. Maybe he's just comfortable there??

Parker being a monkey while looking at the zebras.

Chef Parker-Dean

So we don't have Chef Boyardee here in our house, we have Chef Parker-Dean :-) (Dean is Parker's middle name). I was making cookies on Monday, and Parker was quite the little helper. He scooped out all the sugar (and even packed down the brown sugar) and all the flour as well. He wanted to do everything, but I wasn't too keen on a 26 month old cracking eggs and scooping out shortening. So he did what I let him and he loved it!

Parker getting flour out of the flour bin

Video of Parker scooping out brown sugar

Madisyn has fallen in love (que the music) ...with her feet. She discovered her feet a while ago, but just barely started the fascination with them. It's amazing how they can get their feet in their mouths!

Maddy playing with her feet