Every day life ....

Brotherly love.  Jace is the best big brother to Ty.  They have so much fun together.

I asked them to smile and this is what I get.  

Sweet kids playing together in the back yard.

Look who has bangs ...  and a sprinkling of angel kisses too (courtesy of the AZ sunshine)

Doing tricks on Jace's scooter.  Hers got stolen.  She's saving money to replace it.

Ty really likes coloring on everything lately.  Thank goodness for magic sponges.

Ty loves it when daddy comes home on his lunch break.  He always runs up to him and gives him a big luv.  Then he snuggles him on the couch while he watches the news.  Such a sweet little bug.

My little girly girl.  She always wants to me to try new things in her hair, paint nails, and borrow my accessories. She sneaks my make up and spritzes of perfume all the time.  I don't mind much.

Although I am a little worried that she's already asked Eli in her class to marry her.  He said no.  She said not to worry because she has lots of others options ... Isaac Y., Eric, Blaine, and Isaac M.  What a stinker.  She loves drawing pictures of mermaids and wants to catch one.  Grandma Johnson gave her a mermaid barbie when we went on our trip to Utah.  It is her FAVORITE toy. The mermaid tale changes from light pink to dark purple in the cold so I frequently find it in the freezer next to the ice cream .. . with a blanket and pillow of course.  She named it Lily.  She loves the name Lily.

Mess maker, mess maker, make me a mess.  Someone found some blue M&Ms.

Snuggles for daddy.  Ty gives luvs to someone about every 30 seconds.
It's awesome.  We love it!

Picked up some goggles for the kids since they started swimming lessons this week.  Brooke was so excited that she wanted to wear them home from the store, then she fell asleep.  She's been taking a lot of naps lately.  Must be going through a growth spurt.

Jace thinks his swim teacher is hot stuff.  He told me he was making her laugh and singing her songs.  I questioningly asked what song and he sang " I'm gonna pop some tags, I got $20 dollars in my pocket.  I am SO dang awesome."  by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Nice. I guess we have a ladies man on our hands. He cracks me up sometimes.  Besides having to sit on the edge of the pool at least one time per class for letting go of the side he is really excelling in swim lessons.  He does the best dolphin kick even he thinks it's dumb and it feels weird. He's been doing great getting his homework done and cleaning his room before swim lessons every day AND he's been behaving better in class too. Yay! He earns extra tally marks on his responsibility chart by playing with Ty while I get the dishes done as well.  He's so excited to share a room with him.  Hmm... what else about Jace.  He loves science experiments and making baking soda volcanoes.  He makes crafts by himself all the time.  He's super creative.  Today he made himself a bow and arrow.  He's trying to prepare to be baptized and trying to be more obedient.  It's hard for him.  He naturally want's to resist authority and be in charge of himself and do whatever he wants to do.  He's trying though.  He tells me all about how there is a war going on at recess and he's the number one warrior on his team.  His best friend is Miles and his friend Ammon from church is the chief.  They negotiate with the girls on safe zones and play tag.  He gives me updates frequently about how "their war" is developing.  I love that he tells me about school now.  He better watch himself.  He's so cute the girls are going to be chasing him.  When he was star of the week, all his classmates wrote him a letter.  Lots of the girls said he was handsome and asked in their letter if he liked them.  He's excited to show me the pinch pot he made in art class and he loves doing tricks on his scooter.  He's a good kid.  We love him.

Jace reading a book on Ancient History and working on homework while eating spaghetti as an after school snack.  He comes home starved.  He too is growing like crazy and eating tons.  Hungry little cutie.

I've been caught sneaking a picture.  The signature stink face appears. lol.
 Right after followed by a smile and a "I love you mom, but you take too many pictures." :)

 Rough school morning the other day:
"Jace, go comb your hair."  He gets distracted and eats a nutella toasty.  "Jace, go comb your hair."  He runs down the hall but gets distracted by Ty and plays with him.  I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to make sure everything is in order: kids are fed, kids are dressed, they have the right kind of shoes on for P.E. day, they have their library books in their backpacks, folders signed, teeth brushed, all while answering a million questions from my Brookster bean.  She is very curious about the world lately.  "Jace, PLEASE!! Go comb your rooster hair!!"  He either blatantly disobeys or gets distracted again.  Not sure which.  We search the house frantically for both kid's backpacks which I had seen earlier that morning.  They have disappeared.  AAAAHHH!!  We're late.  Brooke refuses to get in the car because if she doesn't have her folder today she doesn't get treasure box.  Her folder is in the missing backpack.  I drag her to the car.  I'm upset.  Brooke is upset.  Jace is mad that "I" lost the backpacks.  Oh yes,  it's my fault again.  We pull into the drop off zone at school.  Jace all the sudden gets a panicked look on his face.  "Mom!, does my hair look crazy?"  Yes. You never actually combed it, even though I reminded you five times.  "I CAN'T go to class with crazy hair."  Well, your going to have to.  Hurry and get out.  There is a line of cars behind me. "NO!!" "I WON'T!!"  He's almost in tears.  I feel bad.  Just go to the bathroom first and wet it down.  "I can't!  We're late and everyone's going to class already."  By this time cars behind me are honking.  JACE, you HAVE to get out!! People are waiting.  "This is all your fault mom.  Why did you let me go to school without combing my hair."  SERIOUSLY!!  If you were more obedient and combed your hair one of the 5 times I asked you to then it would have gotten done.  Your acting like Laman.  (We were just reading about the differences between Laman& Lemuel, and Nephi & Sam from scripture study.)  " THAT'S IT!!  MOM!!  YOU ARE SO MEAN!  YOU'RE the WORST mom EVER!!  You little LEMUEL!!" Then he hopped out of the car and scowled at me.  I drove home mentally exhausted.  I looked for the backpacks again.  They were hanging up exactly where they were suppose to be.  Nobody thought to look there of course.  I head back to the school and drop off the backpacks at the front office.  She calls Jace there to pick his up.  I wait for him.  He sees me in the office and runs to give me a hug.  He gives the best hugs. :)  We walk outside and stop to fix his hair.  "I love you, Mom!"  I love you too, kiddo.  Have a fantastic day.  Try not to be silly in class.  I drive home feeling better.  As I walk in the front door Craig says, "You know, Jace's folder and homework packet are sitting on the kitchen counter."  I think I may be losing my marbles...

We tried mixing brownies and vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting.  SO RICH and SO DELICIOUS!

Ty enjoyed them immensely. 

Brookster bean has turned into a bit of a DRAMA QUEEN.  She has been very emotional lately...

The smallest of things can set her off into a crying fit.  We are hoping this is just a phase. 

Brooke sleeps with a bed full of stuffed animals. 2 green sharks from Aunt Becky, Birdwatcher the Elephant and her 2 teddy bears, Teddy and Lily. Teddy is most important though.  She CANNOT sleep without Teddy.  We learned that the hard way.  We accidentally left Teddy at G&G Johnson's house on our way to Nani & Grandpas ... nobody slept.  She's a night owl anyways but if Teddy is gone - forget about it.  Teddy is important to all of us for that reason.  Lily, the white bear, was an attempt at replacing Teddy while we were on vacation.  Teddy is NOT replaceable ... although, now she just sleeps with both of them.  We were happy to pick up Teddy at G&G Johnsons on the way back home.

Jace peeling potatoes for clam chowder.

Brooke setting the table.

Apparently Clam Chowder is a special dish to Jace.  He told me that he loves helping me make it because it brings back memories of when he helped me make it before.  He hated it before that time but now that it's "special"and comes with good memories he gobbles it right up.  He loves to be my helper in the kitchen and when I make clam chowder he told me he always wants to be my helper and not have anyone else help because it's too special to him.  I love this kid.  He can be tough cookie sometimes ... but that makes the sweets that much sweeter!

Brooke snoozing AGAIN.  This time Ty thought he should try and feed her some pretend food.
 Don't mind the messy toy room.  They will eventually clean it up.

Just playing with a ball under his high chair.  His favorite toys are:  my phone, my wallet, my sunglasses, the laptop, my keys, and the remote control ... but he also loves throwing balls and chasing them, zooming trucks around on the floor, and feeding the baby dolls.

Daddy worked form home this afternoon.  Ty helped him.
 Daddy said it was worth having to type one handed to have a sleep snuggle for an hour from Ty.
Seriously, SUCH a sweet kid.

Awake and ready to play.  He loves his daddy.  He loves mommy equally as much ... I just don't have the pictures to prove it since I'm the photographer in the family.  He says "Mom" and "Maa Maa" in the cutest way.  It melts my heart.