Sunday Photo:8

Check this out Grandma and Grandpa Bullard....

Your oldest and youngest grandchildren.  

Just a few (22) years apart!

(Looks like our nieces and nephews are taking over our Sunday Photo.)  

This week my oldest nephew Tyler is visiting.  He is an airplane mechanic for U.S. Airways and lives in Pennsylvania   Since he can fly free and had a couple days off, he came to stay for a few days.  The kids like having someone else around to wrestle.  We aren't sure what he thinks of us and our crazies, but since he came in December and decided to come back, then he must not mind us.  Crazies and all.

{2.5}

Eli had his half birthday this week!

He is now 2 and half!

Mr. Eli is such a good kid!

He loves to play trains, legos, angry birds and cars.  He also says he likes to play zombies !!?? He is influenced so much by his older brothers.  But when I play with him alone in the play room, he always goes for the trains.  He hardly ever gets a chance to pick a show on his own when it comes to the tv, but he does love to watch Thomas, and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.

Eli can say almost anything.  I thought he might not talk as much because he always has his fingers in his mouth, but that is not the case.  He can talk up a storm.  I've been trying to teach him to say that he is 2 and half, or two point five (just to be funny) but he usually just says he is 3, or 5, when you ask how old he is.

Most of the time I can understand what he is saying, but sometimes he just throws things out there to stump me.  When he says Lucy's name it sounds like "sissy" but if I ask him if he is saying Lucy or Sissy, he just nodes his head and says, "YEAH"  He can call her either.  She is Lucy, or a sister, so whatever:)

He loves the color blue.  For the longest time every single thing was blue.  We have finally branched out and he has been learning his other colors.  He knows orange (because that is Noah's color) and he knows pink (because that is Avery's color) but this morning he told me all kinds of colors and got most right.  I'm not sure where he even picks this stuff up sometimes.

Eli loves his little toddler bed and loves being out of his crib.  He was a little sad to give it to Lucy at first, but now he likes to talk about how at Christmas he got a big bed and gave his crib to "sissy"  He is pretty good at staying in his bed and going to sleep when he is supposed to, but sometimes he falls out at night.  We go in to find him sitting in his bed crying.  He is so easy though, all we do is give him a hug and he goes right back to sleep!

Eli loves to eat just about anything at 2 and a half.  I don't think he has many favorites at this point - but candy.  And juice.  I think he can smell candy from a mile away.  If we are upstairs playing and he goes missing I can bet money that he is downstairs, pushing the bar stools around, looking through my cupboards for candy!  Just this week I found him, with chocolate on his breath, sitting on a bar stool, next to the counter and an empty box of valentine candy I got from Wade.  It was good stuff, and Wade had told the kids that I didn't have to share.  I was saving the last one...but Eli had a different idea.  He looked at me with his big eyes and said, "not me mom!"

Really, he is so independent, and I marvel and what he tries to do.  I am not sure if it is because he is a fourth kid, or just who he is, maybe it is a little of both.

Sometimes though...

He will go in the pantry, or fridge and find himself a snack anytime he wants.  He will try to get himself drinks.  And he knows how to start the washing machine!  Sometimes I hear the washing machine start and I go up to find one lonely little blanket rolling around in there.  He can't reach the soap, but he thinks he is so cleaver to wash his own blanket.

(if I could teach him how to fold and put away - I could have it made!)

Speaking of blankets, he loves his "ankies"  He has two, and they both have to go with him everywhere.  And his fingers.  We are going to be in big trouble when it comes time to take his fingers away.  He is such a tough kid though, he can take the biggest fall or hit and just run up, get a hug and love from his blanket and he is good to go.

He has finally, FINALLY, decided to like his nursery class at church.  He got the hang of it around the time Lucy was born.  He loves to go to class and play with trains and toys.

He loves to sing Ittsy Bittsy Spider and Popcorn Popping.

He loves Darth Vader, Batman and Spiderman. He loves to dress up and play swords.  He is better at Angry Bird Star Wars than me (which doesn't take much) and he loves to play games on my kindle or phone.

Sad, but true....He says his best friend is "slow guy."  (The plastic stand shaped like a kid that we put out in the street when the kids are playing outside.)  The kids nicknamed the stand, slow guy.  Eli LOVES this thing and if I try to take him back to the garage and put him away, Eli brings him back in.  It's pretty funny.  But they are the same size??!!

He is such a good kid.  

He is easy and good natured, and a pretty happy boy.

We are so glad he is in our family.  

{2 and a half!}

Sunday Photo: 7

This morning bright and early we made our way down to Utah County to hear Wade's nephew Josh speak at his mission farewell. He did a fantastic job. Tuesday he reports to the MTC (missionary training center) and then off to Houston, Texas!

Our first nephew to serve a mission!

My nephew Josh reports for his mission to Brazil in April.

And did I mention one of our nieces got married back in December? I have to say, her and her hubby look a little too cute holding my little Lucy.

Didn't we just change these kids diapers? When did they get so old and become adults?

It's amazing to see our nieces and nephews growing up and making great choices. We are so proud of them!

Wade and I are beginning to realize that our parents are as young as they used to be (sorry guys). (But either are we!) We are the younger ones in both our families, and honestly, our kids might not get the experiences with their grandparents the other grandkids got. This makes me a little sad. but it also makes me want to treasure what time we can have now. Sometimes I see cute older couples at Costco and I help them get things from the shelves. They probably think I am a little nuts, me and my five crazy kids trying to help them. But I look at them and see my mom and dad, or Wade's parents, and I just can't help it.

And despite the fact it's so hard to realize that our parents are indeed getting older, it's fun to see them sit back at a family party and just enjoy all the chaos and chatter surrounding them. What a great feeling that must be!

I am so grateful for the knowledge I have that our families are eternal. Young, old or in-between, that we can be together, with them, forever.

{0, 2, 4, 6, 8}

For the next 16 days we have the perfectly spaced family.

Baby, 2, 4, 6, 8

Realistically, number 1 & 2 are more like 3 years apart, and numbers 3 & 4 are 18 months apart.

But who's keeping track anyway:)

I guess I am the only one who thinks this is fun.

They were all just wondering why I was making them take a picture and it wasn't Sunday!

{Four!}

Avery Ann is 4 Today!

It seems like yesterday Wade and I were heading to the hospital to have our first little girl!  

What a ride the past 4 years have been!

Miss Independent Avery Ann!  She loves all things girly, dressing up, pink and purple and taking care of Lucy.  Her laundry pile is always double the size of everyone else's because she changes her outfits so many times a day!

She loves her brothers.  She does anything that they do.  When I asked her what her favorites were for her birthday interview she mentioned Legos, Minecraft and chicken legs!  She totally gets that from them.  What normal 4 year old girl knows about minecraft?  Geez!

Avery loves being in charge and being a mommy.  She loves to help Lucy - to pick her up and try to calm her down.  She gets so upset when Lucy is crying, and says that Lucy doesn't like her.  She loves to help me in the kitchen, very rarely does a meal go by and Avery hasn't helped me cook something in it.  She loves to set the table and adores her Dad.  She always has to set his plate next to hers.

Now that we've got the sleeping issues figured out she is a great sleeper at night!  She loves her big girl twin bed and has so many animals, blankets and babies in it with her it's hard to find her sometimes at night. 

Avery loves to play school, to read and to be a teacher.  She loves to go to school now and asks me every single morning if it is a preschool day.  She loves primary and her sunbeam class.

She is such a spunky little girl and we are so glad she is in our family!

Happy Birthday Avery!

Sunday Photo: 6

Our Sunday Photo - of attempting a family photo.

Wade's nephew leaves on his mission for our church in just a few weeks.  So today Wade's sister hosted family pictures at her house.  The last time we had family pictures together with the whole crew it was 2008 and Noah was a roly poly baby.  Getting 28 of us together and getting decent picture is no small task.  But we had a fun evening together regardless the outcome of the pictures.

~

Wade celebrated his birthday last week.  Avery celebrates her birthday this week.  And you can't forget Valentine's Day.  We're eating lots of cake and goodies around here.  And nobody seems to mind the least.

{First Day of School}

Thursday Avery had her first day of school! 

We've been doing preschool at home off and on all year together in the morning.  

She loves to color, cut, paste, create.  She loves to practice letters on a wipe board and keep worksheets in her special "homework" binder that we made together at the beginning of the school year.  She is working on her letters and writing her name.  She loves it all!

I've been looking around at dance or gymnastic classes for Avery to have something of her own this spring, but then, I heard that there was going to be an opening in a fantastic co-op group in our neighborhood, I thought it would be perfect!  She would be doing the same type stuff, but with other kids her age.  The mom's take turns teaching and hosting the kids for the week.  There are just a handful of kids and although Avery is the youngest, they will all be in the same grade in school.  It's really low key.  Which is perfect - since I've kinda liked keeping my kids at home with me:)

Last Saturday we had a girl date, Avery, Lucy and I, and we went to the store so she could pick out her backpack.  She has been wearing it around the house ever since.  She was just so excited to finally start school like Noah and Gage!  (and a little bit disappointing when I told her that she wouldn't be going to the exact same school as Noah)

Thursday was the big day and we dropped her off.  When I came back to pick her up she was so excited!  She told me school was great.  They learned about teeth.  She is brushing her teeth all the time now.  She says her favorite part of going to school was:

-getting a new tooth brush

(I hope she doesn't expect one every week!)

-seeing her friends

Eli, Lucy and I came home and played trains in a quiet empty house.  It might be kinda quiet around here a few hours every week.  I'm not exactly sure what to do with myself!

{3 Months}

Little Lu turned 3 months old this week!

I can't believe 3 months have already gone by!

I don't have a newborn anymore.  

To me, 3 months is always the mark where newborns become babies.

Lucy has become so much more awake, alert and active the past month.  She loves to sit up and look around.  She is not happy with tummy time or if I lay her down with nothing to look at.  She is my first baby to absolutely love looking at a mobile or baby toy that has lights and sounds.  She can be crying and crying and we get out her special car seat toy that plays music and she will calm down and smile and talk to the toy!     

Lucy is still a tiny little thing.  According to my totally accurate super duper scale at home, I think she is around 11 pounds.  Yeah, about the weight Wade was when he was BORN.  She is growing though, her clothes are getting a little snug in the tummy and we love the tiny little chub rolls she's got on her legs.

She's becoming a great sleeper! This past week I've got her to go to sleep around the same time as the other kids, around 8.  She usually then sleeps until 4am!  She is sleeping in the crib in our room. She is the only baby who has slept in our bedroom this long, I usually kick them out by now.  I have usually started putting them down at our normal little kid bedtime (7) by now too.  We're making progress.  Our master bedroom is pretty big so we're making it work.  We do actually have an extra room in this house, so I could move her if I really wanted...but we use it as a toy room, and I don't want to sacrifice the toy room just yet.  

Lucy is pretty serious.  She doesn't laugh or smile too much, but she does surprise us occasionally.  She is getting less fussy at night. 

She seems to make up for any thing with her crazy hair.  

It's always the center of attention.

She's growing up too fast. 

Our little Lucy May!

Sunday Photo: 5

Super Bowl Sunday.
Half time show.
Family upstairs,
Downstairs,
And
So
much
Food.

Sugar daddy Wade made cotton candy. I don't care too much about the game, it's all about the party. And the commercials.

There can never be too much food, family and fun.