Sticker Fun - 04/23/09

It's really sad when you have to date the titles of posts, so that you can remember when things happen.  I'm a little behind in posting, as usual, but I just had to post a few pics from the sticker craziness that was unleashed in our house.  The pics don't really look that unusual, but everyone & everything in the house was covered by the time they were finished.  Somehow, I never ended up with a picture of Makayla with stickers on her.  She did more decorating of others or things than she did herself.

After the kids were finished putting stickers on themselves & all of the toys & furniture in the house, they decided to move them all to me.  

Happy Easter

The kids had a really fun Easter.  We went down to Clarendon to see Mawmaw & Pawpaw.  We dyed eggs, had 2 Easter egg hunts, & had lots of fun.

Zach seeing how far his neck will stretch, I think...
Sean staring off into space...  There was nothing & no one on that side of the room?
Makayla thinking she's funny, as usual.
This was as good as the group shot got.  Only one looking at the camera, & no one smiling.  Oh well...

March Madness

March was a good month at the Howe household.  Alex has continued to plug away at work.  Considering current economic conditions, that is very near the top on our Big Blessing List!  Shana has started sign language classes again & is enjoying the one night a week it gives her to get out of the house.  Zach, Sean, & Makayla have enjoyed the occasional spring time weather that has begun to poke through the cold & gloom.  Here are a few random shots from the month...

Zach got a new Razorback outfit from one of our friends.  Thanks Kathi!  Touchdown!!
The kids have really enjoyed wearing the caps that they got from Grandma lately.  They've barely taken them off the last week or two.  Hopefully Grandma knows how much we've enjoyed them this winter.  Thank you!
We knock down the basketball goal, we pick up the basketball goal...  
Sean's sleeping habits are a little too much like Mommy's sometimes.  Here we are one day after our nap just wanting everyone to leave us alone!
I tried to explain to Kayla that the bubbles aren't food.  I'm not sure that I ever really convinced her...

Happy Birthday Zachary!!

In February, Zach turned four!!  It's still hard for me to believe that I've been a mommy for four years.  It's been an adventure, & I'm so grateful for the lessons that I've learned from Zach in the four years he's blessed our family.  Zach is polite, full of energy, & definitely in the "Why? How?" stage.  For the most part, he enjoys being the big brother.  He certainly enjoys telling Sean & Makayla what he wants them to do.  He's such a sweet little boy, & I love the times he still wants to spend cuddled up in my lap or at least next to me on the couch or bed.  I'm sure that time will end soon, so I have to enjoy it while I can!

Zach admiring his rocket...
Everyone got in on the candle blowing...
Don't bother me.  I'm busy...

Happy Birthday Sean & Makayla!!

In January the twins turned two!!!  It's hard to believe that we've actually made it through two years.  Who knows?  Maybe we really will survive!  It's amazing to watch your little ones grow.  It really shows that we are all individuals who need to find our own way through life.  The difference between Sean & Makayla is day & night at times, but I couldn't love either of them more.  Sean is usually more shy & keeps to himself much more.  Occasionally he & Zach will take off together, but it's usually Sean playing by himself while Zach & Kayla terrorize the house.  Sean's the sweetest little guy & loves to give hugs & kisses!  Makayla, more times than not, is anything but shy.  She is definitely our little diva!  Her heart gets dashed to a million pieces if she doesn't get her way, & she doesn't hesitate to let you know if things are not going according to her plan.  I can hear my mother now reminding me of someone else she knows who did (does) the same...  :-)  There are times when I'm pretty sure Kayla is going to be the one running the little crew we have, even if she is the youngest.  Happy Birthday Sean & Makayla!!!!!  We love you so much & are so grateful that you're a part of our family!!!!!

Randomness -- end of year

Okay, I'm a little behind in the whole blogging process.  I'm sure that comes as no surprise to most of you, so I'm not even going to bother apologizing at this point.  I will however devote a few posts to bringing everything up to date.  The end of the year, of course, involved lots of traveling, parties, & celebrating.  The kids really enjoyed Christmas this past year.  The twins were almost two & really got into the groove of things.  Zach, at almost four, was more than willing to show the twins the ropes.  I'm not sure that was always a good thing, but they had lots of fun at least...  One of the favorite activities around Christmas for us is decorating our Gingerbread House!  Here are a few pics to show our masterpiece...

Zach loved putting the candy on the house but didn't necessarily enjoy sharing with Sean & Makayla.
Sean was very precise in his decorating endeavor.
Makayla put a few candies on the house but mainly wanted to eat the candy...  surprise, surprise!
Group shots are never an easy feat -- & yes, Makayla is still eating!
Gotta get a cute booty shot from clean up duty...  :-)

Kayla needs to be good so the Holy Ghost can play with her!

Usually on our way home from church I try to get Zach to tell me what his lesson was about in Primary (like the kids' Sunday School class).  I usually hear "I don't know."  I'm sure his teachers work very hard to prepare lessons that will keep the attention of 4 year olds, but Zach just usually isn't a man of many words.  At least when it comes to Q & A sessions.  If he's unhappy about something or has a question, it's a totally different story!  Anyway, yesterday I forgot to ask what his lesson was about.  This morning I got an abbreviated version.  Makayla was throwing a hissy fit about something - I'm not even sure she knew why!  Zach came up to me & said "Makayla needs to be good so the Holy Ghost can be here."  I asked him if he talked about the Holy Ghost in Primary yesterday.  He said "Yep, we need to be good so the Holy Ghost can play with us!"  So I asked him if the Holy Ghost would be here if we were mean & did bad things.  "No!" was his reply.  I guess he is paying attention after all, even if he doesn't always want to tell me what his lessons are about.  Thanks Sister Bull & Sister Harris!!  I've now had about an hour or so of constant updates as to whether or not the Holy Ghost can be in our house, depending on the moods of Sean & Makayla, mostly Makayla.  According to Zach, he's been good all morning so the Holy Ghost can be here.  I'll have to agree, he's been a pretty good guy this morning!!!  I love you Zach!!!