Swings and Things

Spenc-man had a birthday not to long ago.... So I made the kids an indoor swing to celebrate it. They really love it! The only problem, they fight over who is on it, even though its big enough for both of them! Little stinkers.

In other news, Ashley is getting huge, and really wants to start eating real foods (even her dark leafy greens : ) just kidding, but the kid would not leave my radishes alone... And she really loves to suck on avocados.

Favorite Quote this month (coming from spencer) "ice cream is nice and comfortable to eat". You bet little man! I think so too.

Lyla is being wooed by a new little guy in our ward at church. He brings her flowers, and holds her hand. She is in HEAVEN! Needless to say marriage is all she talks about these days. If its this bad now, I don't even want to think about the teenage years!

Ashley has learned to giggle! It's so infectious it's ridiculous! When I am changing her diaper, I lean over her and say boo! And tickle her chubby neck, and she just laughs. So cute.

Spencer is potty training, with excellency might I add. This kid is motivated by m&ms like no kid I know! He started of his own interest, and with a little chocolate prompting, and lots of running around naked, he successfully goes pee and poo on the toilet, by himself, when he needs to. And it is only day 3! But put underwear on the kid and accidents are nonstop, what is it about nakedness that helps with bladder and bowel control? Lyla was the same way.

Oh and Jesse built me a goat pen. Is that true love or what? I can't believe that wonderful man puts up with me! So here is to new year, may it be abundant with fresh raw milk, and less diaper washing (now that it's only Ashley buns in cloth!)

The Age Old Question: "Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg?"

Nana and Papa Tucker have been incubating 24 eggs for a few weeks now.  So we dropped everything and ran over last week when we got the call that the eggs were peeping.  We showed up in time to watch what my kids coined "hatch day".  It was adorable.  So we thought we would share a picture story:

Sorry the quality is a bit fuzzy, but it's hard to take pictures through foggy glass!  Now Nana and Papa have 19 fuzzy, yellow peepers to care for.  And Lyla and Spencer have a new game:

I am glad my children got to experience this, and hopefully next spring 

we can have a "hatch day" of our own. But I think I prefer to do it the old fashioned way.  We will let the mama hens do all the work.  It was way too complicated to keep the temp and humidity just right through the entire hatching process.  I was so stressed they were all going to die because my kids kept lifting the lid!

A bit o' cauliflower

So.... my dad works for a seed company, and every once in a while he gives us something special for the garden!  Last year it was 5 acres of lettuce seed, this year it was 232 cauliflower seedlings.   Needless to say, we only  planted 45!  Our little garden just couldn't handle any more that that.

The kids were super helpful, they took little rakes and turned up the garden, while I filled the wheelbarrow with fresh compost from our tumbler.  We actually had quite a bit!  We added the compost to our garden, and the kids jumped on the shovel to to help turn it under.  They were super!  Then Lyla and Spencer would pluck the seedlings out of the tray, while I dug the hole.  They would place the seedlings in the hole and "tuck them in for the night".  It was sun down when we were finishing... so that was pretty cute!

I was surprised at how much the kiddos helped out.  They are getting bigger everyday.  Sometimes it surprises me how capable they are!  Well this is our little garden....

A Great Blessing

As many of you know, because we are Mormon, we bless our babies when they are newborns.  The blessing is given by a man who holds the priesthood (power to act in God's name, here on the earth).  My husband holds the priesthood, and therefore has the ability to bless our children.

Ashley's blessing day was Dec. 2nd.  It was a beautiful day.  And I made Ashley a little white dress.  Family came in to attend and help with the blessing and then stayed to visit us afterwards in our home.

The blessing was beautiful!  She was blessed to be a peace maker among her siblings.  And it was blessed that she would have multiple younger siblings (ahhhhhh! more children???? I guess so, that is what the Lord said : ) In the blessing, she was also given the ability to find worthy and uplifting friendships.

As I heard those words, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude for the uplifting friendships in my life!  It is one thing to have a friend, but a friend that leaves you feeling refreshed and ready to be a better person, now that is a true treasure!  So THANK YOU to all my uplifting friends... those of you who choose the right, and set good examples, and inspire me to be more than I am.  You are such a gem!  Jesse and I have been blessed to have many uplifting friendships, and they are so special to us.

But back to the bebe!  Ashley is such a sweet girl, and her smiles just melt us to pieces.  We are so happy to have her in our family.  It wouldn't be complete without her.  Just the other day I told Jesse as we went through last years pictures, that it felt so weird to see us with just two kids, because it feels like we have had Ashley in our lives forever!