Do you think I like wearing black and white stripes?

As you can see this pic was taken last month,

but I haven't had a chance to

post this until now!

My little darlings all have a "love hate relationship" with each other. I feel like I spend most of my time refereeing (now my title makes sense right?)! Well I was getting really sick of it when my friend Jen told me about something she had read in a Parenting Book. I find that I do this a lot, I don't take the time to do the research myself, but when my friends do I just steal the good ideas:) So here it is ... My favorite parenting trick for my kids! When they come running to me with a he said she said problem I DON'T talk to them, or listen to them. I just seat them as pictured, making sure they can't touch and tell them that the other one is in charge of letting the other one get off of the chair. Sometimes it takes them 5 seconds to apologize and other times it takes them forever, but since they won't let the other one off till they feel validated and apologized to it actually works!!!!!!! I don't have to be the bad guy and they feel like their sibling cares about them. Sometimes, depending on the "crime," I have to impose a "punishment" after chair time. That just comes with being a parent, but I am no longer a referee!

Check my little man out!!!

I am so excited!

Today Henry stood up on his own!

Well, actually I stood him up, but he did the rest!
Just look at him. He is putting all of his weight on his legs.

And I mean all of his weight cause that kid weighs

23lbs according to the bathroom scale!

I decided to get a video of his crawling abilities for you too.

He wouldn't cooperate totally because he loves to army crawl,

but he is starting to actually crawl more and more.

His physical therapist will be so proud!

Isn't he adorable though I say it myself?

p.s. I hate my voice. I need to remember not to talk in these things!

p.p.s Sorry Henry, I know those p.j.'s do nothing for your figure, but that is what you were wearing when you decided to show us what you CAN do!

Just a crazy day at my house!

Tom and the boys truly are fun, but a little crazy!

I just had to post this.

LOVE THEM!

I know I already posted a pic of this, but I just love the contrast!

I promise we encourage her to go play with the boys, and sometimes she will, but most of the time she is really, truly, our lone little GIRL!

HAIR

Little Henry got another hair cut this week,

and Lays let me put curlers in her hair for the first time

since the dreaded "curler-pulled-right-out-with-hair-still-in-it"

episode! I think it was one of my first blog posts if

your interested in the specifics!

I had to take her to the store while she was wearing them and I always get every other person either staring and smiling, or coming right up and talking to us about how cute it is to see her with curlers in her hair! I agree with them, but one time my dad took Jacklyn and I to Church with them when my mom had a baby. I think I'll just draw the line at running her to the store.

This is Henry's cousin Ethan(Toms brother Kurt's kid). As you can see, he did not want Henry in that doll stroller at all, but I couldn't resist. The kid just loves to be in that thing. He also loves to suck on, and write with his Aqua Doodle. I love it too. This mat is one of my kids best toys. All you need is water. It is on my favourite things list. And so is Layla singing like, and pretending to be The Little Mermaid. That girl is always dressing up. Well, what girl isn't right?

I hear smash ups are all the rage!

Here is what I have let pile up!

Sorry, it is really a lot, but I want to blog about it

and I don't mind if you don't read it. I promise:)

My Kids are getting so OLD!
I just looked out the window and they had made this awesome snowman all by themselves! I felt like I missed out so I made them some "Hot coco"(as Lays calls it) and had them tell me everything!

We also had a great time sledding down the most
perfect hill over by our friends Marie and Todd's house.

Every year we act out the Christmas Nativity.
This year it was fun to have my chubby baby wrapped in swaddling towels!

On Christmas Eve we went to Toms parents house
for dinner, games and presents!!!!

Of course we always get the kids new P.J.'s

LOGAN

JAMESON

LAYLA

HENRY

On Christmas day we had to take down the tree, put everything away, and pack for our trip to Canada! Can you believe how dead our tree got? I hate taking the tree down. I always miss the twinkle lights!

It was so much fun having my DARLING sis fix my hair! Angela you are the best Canadian hairdresser ever! Don't worry Jack you are the best American one:)

We decided to take the kids to the gym one day and it went well! It was nice for the adults to be able to talk, and the kids to be able to RUN!

One night some of my "Hikeschool" friends took me out to eat. It was tonz of fun, but there was a slight incident with a drunk guy who hit on us, yelled at us, and made gross hand gestures in front of us! Don't worry, the bar tenders called the cops and we got to see him escorted out. All in all a very eventful evening wouldn't you say?

One day Tom took Logan, Jameson, and my bro Peter to a movie while my sister Sophie and I went with tonz of my family (all girls) to THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG! Hence the Tiara on Layla. It was good, but a little scary for Hazel and Layla. Henry wasn't afraid at all! That is my cousin Kassidi and her daughter Hazel in the pics. Hazel was the only other princess there!

We always go to OSHOS when we go up cause it rocks, and Tom actually went to an OSHOS on his mission so he loves it! This was the beginning of our New Years Eve night!

We threw a huge party for all the kids.

It really was a ton of fun!

Once the kids were in bed we went to My cousins Jessi and Tatums house. We played some fun games, and of course did "White Elephant" gifts! I Loved Daniels dress and Tom loved his hat!

I hated leaving, but enjoyed it while it lasted. And I really do love where I'm living, I promise!