I love my kids so stinkin much!

I just want to tell you all some funny stories about my kids:

Gavin just started going to nursery on Sunday, and let me tell you I didn't think I'd miss him that much, because I wasn't able to sit through Sunday School or Relief Society for months, because he wouldn't sit still, but he went this past week, I think it was like his 3rd time ever. The first couple times he cried and was clingy and I totally had to trick him and sneak out, but this time was totally different. He was so sweet, when I headed for the door, he watched me very carefully and I thought for sure he'd break down crying and run after me, but he calmy blew me a kiss and waved to me with a big grin. When I went back to pick him up, his teachers told me that he had made the rounds several times kissing and hugging all the kids and helping calm down the cryers of the group. What a cute kid!

Collin is sooooo excited for kindergarten and has been loving preschool even more because he realizes how smart he is. He is a crack up. He is already reading...but he kind of has a big head about it...scary. He was preparing to go to his friend's birthday party across the street and we were making a homemade birthday card for the big event. I helped him spell Happy Birthday, he wrote all of the letters on his own, making sure I knew that he could do it by himself and I don't need to tell him more than once. Then I said, K, let me help you spell Jacob's name. He promptly replied, mom I know I see him write it all the time at preschool: it's J A C O B of course. And he wrote it without hesitation! I was so proud! Then he proceeded to draw a musical note and balloons, which I had never seen him draw and then he wrote From: Collin. He knew exactly what to do! How did my baby get so big and smart?

Isabel is my pretty princess. Good thing she's more humble than Collin since she gets told how beautiful she is about a hundred times a day, especially from her Daddy. Her hair is well down to her waist, and she spends time primping in front of the mirror and in the tub. She asks to put on a different princess outfit about every ten minutes from her dress-ups. She loves it when I paint her nails, especially her toes and she tells everyone about it. She is extremely shy...she does not like big groups of people. However, when you sing primary songs with her, she belts it out at the top of her lungs, especially "I Am a Child of God" and "The Lord Needs Valiant Servants".

She loves to draw I's (because that's the letter her name starts with) all over every sheet of paper she can find all over the house...at least it's not on the walls yet. In every book and movie she points out who is the mommy and who is the baby and she takes such good care of all of her babies. She even feeds them bottles and medicine and rocks each of them and sings the "Baby Mine" song from Dumbo to each of them before she puts them down for their nap. She is so sweet. We have a must-do bedtime ritual. I tell her one of 4 princess fairy tales (including all the songs mind you), then I scratch her back, rub her right arm, then left, rub her left leg, then right,

make sure she has the appropriate baby and her "snuggly" (a very soft pink blanky), and she usually passes out pretty quick. I can't tell you how important one on one time is with kids. It makes such a difference.

On Friday night we decided to get a sitter for G and take Collin and Isabel on dates. I took Collin out and Jamie took Isabel. We went to different restaurants, and had a blast! I was so impressed with my Collin! We had to wait for 25 min to get a seat at Chilis. They gave him a kid's menu and two crayons to keep him busy, and did it ever. He colored the maze and a few other activiites they have including drawing hair on a bunch of different characters...that took about 2 min out of 25-30min. Then he played with the crayons themselves for the remaining time until we sat in our booth. First they were rockets, then planes, then light sabers, then horses...you name it. He was so entertained, it was actually quite amusing for me to watch and kept my interest for most of the time, and I'm usually an impatient person. Well, once we sat down, of course we had to wait for the waitress, and once we ordered we had to wait for our food. Well, that didn't bug Collin at all. Kids are so great! We had thumb wars, played I spy, played SLAP, and had wars with the crayons. We had so much fun together, who'd a thunk? He was such a conversationalist too. He asks me at least a million and a half questions every day and tells me at least that much more about the world that he's sure I haven't noticed yet. He is such a character! I sure love that kid!

Isabel didn't have such a compelling experience...but she sure loved being with her Daddy! They went to Red Robin, and I guess they had some mascot looking guy dressed as....yep you guessed it....a Red Robin roaming the restaurant, and apparently scaring my daughter to death. She was so busy watching the bird and making sure that she didn't have to talk or in any way interact with it, that she flipped off her booster seat onto the hard tile, and to her absolute horror, the Red Robin rushed over to help Jamie pick her up. She just screamed and barely calmed down enough eat any of her mac n cheese...poor thing. The bird guy felt so bad that he gave her free ice cream, which she ate every last drop of :) Like mommy like daughter. She has such a sweet tooth just like me. She is always asking for a spoonful of peanut butter or choc frosting, or whatever we have in the house pretty much. I just hope her cute little figure can keep up with it!

Gavin is mischief to the utmost degree. He is so funny! He will actually purposely look over his shoulder to make sure I'm watching before he does something naughty...that he knows I don't approve of, then when I react (which of course is his goal) he runs away giggling. And when I follow, he just runs faster, only to his dismay, that usually lands him in timeout....However, does that deter him like 15 min later from repeating the drill...albeit a different naughty action....NO WAY. He is starting to talk a lot more, my new favorites are nigh nigh as he is whisked away with his big white fluffy teddy and his Baw (bottle), and no no, waving his finger at me like in the song popcorn popping. He is such a tough guy and a bully to all, until it's time to snuggle with mommy and his teddy.

I love my kids so stinkin much!!!