March

Who's the wing-nut that scheduled Easter in March this year?

You know the world is amiss when Daxton brings me to tears.  It seems as if all my little people are hell-bent on making their mom sad and crazy.  Sure, it might just happen to be that time of the month.......but that's beside the point. (not really, I am an emotional disaster.)
It seems the older my kids get, the harder my job is getting.  Funny, I thought the energy-depleting toddler years would be most difficult, but that's a cake walk compared to juggling the emotions of my 10 year old.......and he's not even a teenager yet! 
I've still got a lot to learn as a mom, but one thing I feel I'm pretty good at is cooking and baking for my family.  I enjoy spending time in the kitchen and making food-----real food.  And though I have yet to grind any wheat, I do want my food from scratch.  It just tastes better, and I figure if I'm going to ingest calories, might as well have them taste good.  So yes, I enjoy making people delicious food.  Yummy soups, and salads.  Savory meats and rolls.  Flaky pies and crunchy cookies.
So on Sunday, after a long week with the kids (and by long I mean REALLY LONG), I decided to make some chicken enchiladas for our dinner. 
Cue the whining,
"No mom!! Not Chicken Enchiladas! Please, make something good!"
At first I just joked with them, and in my best Mexican accent replied,
"But you will lub my Cheeken Encheeladas.  Dey are muy muy bueno."
"No mom, no!  I hate sour cream."

Time passed, I got over their crying and whining and started making some spanish rice.

Then Dax comes down the stairs, looks at me in the eyes and says,
"Mom, just so you know, you can't make me eat your enchiladas."

I'm thinking "Huh, Wha?!!"
Like I'm doing him some horrible disservice by making him delicious enchiladas?! Like I'm punishing them by making homemade goodness? You've been bad!  Choke down this home-made meal! Sigh.

So, acting more like a child than an adult, I replied,
"Dax, if you want to say words that hurt my feelings, go ahead.  But just so you know, you are being really mean right now."

Little Dax turned around, headed up the stairs, then got an earful from his dad while mom sat in the kitchen and cried. 

Were his words really that bad? No.
Was it that time of the month? Obviously.
But it kills me when I spend my afternoons cooking home-made meals, only to have the boys struggle to choke it down with a glass of milk.  I'm just banking on them one day appreciating it all. 

In addition to complaining about meals, the siblings have been acting like true siblings as of late, demonstrating their dislike for one another in words and deeds.  For example, Daxton, being upset with Ella, pasted this sign on his door:

 

So of course, to retaliate, Ella posted one of her own:

 

I keep trying to convince them that their brothers and sisters should be their best friends.  But somehow they don't buy it, and instead opt to punch each other and make one another cry.

Joshua

Josh has officially adopted the "older brother" title and is a non-stop tease to his younger siblings.  He even brought Amelie to tears the other day, and usually she pulls at his heart strings.  Any advice from you good parents out there? I'm pretty much at my whits end at this point.  

He also hates having his picture taken, so Josh, you win.  No pictures of you this month.

Daxton

March has been a rough month for us.  Lots of rain, cold weather, and sickness at our house.  I thought we had made it through the winter more or less unscathed, but unfortunately, spoke too soon and ended up with each of us taking our turn.  We've been rotating through the flu, coughs, runny noses, and such. 

I have finally found a flaw in Midway---March!  Just cold and wet up here, but it makes for lots of fun mud to run through!  I bought the kids some galoshes and here they are tromping around in the gooey black wonderland.

Amelie got stuck.

Ella

Because Ella is in half-day kindergarten, we three girly-girls get to enjoy several hours together before the boys come home from school.  Sometimes we have a special treat and go out to lunch together.

 

Other days they ask for a swim party.

 

 

And sometimes, even though it's frigid, we simply must bundle up and go out for a swing. (just make sure it's followed with some hot chocolate.)

Amelie

Amelie is my little buddy, my adorbale little shadow with dimples.  We have some good times with just the two of us.  She helps me cook, helps me clean, folds the laundry........she's a mini-mom.  We were both feeling pretty lousy this month, and nothing helps to cure sickness-blues better than snuggling with your youngest. 

 

Amelie took a bite of a powdered-sugar dessert, and no kidding, ended up with this sugary mustache and dimples.

 

Must have played too hard.  She fell asleep at the table while eating graham crackers and milk.

 

Amelie with her twin, and best friend, Joey. (his mom and I are collecting photos for their wedding video.  haha)

 

Making snow angels at the Canyons.

Cameron

Cam's a good dad, and Amelie loves her daddy.  She makes sure to give him hugs each morning before he goes to work, and welcomes him home each evening, running at him full speed with big open arms.  She also makes sure to sit by him at dinner, and fill his water glass.

 

One of the kids took this picture. This is what you may find him doing any or all of the time:

 

Cameron also purchased a juicer this month.  He and his good friend Rob decided to do a 10 day juice fast together, where they drink nothing but juice for the entire duration.  After whining for 2 days about how starved he was, his buddy texted that he was currently eating chinese food, so Cam threw in the towel as well and joined us for dinner.  Now I use the juicer each morning for my breakfast.  Yum!

Here Josh is trying it out:

Cindy

Another March, another birthday.  Turned 33 this year.  It seems the older I get the more I forget.  I made some throw pillows the other day for our rocking chairs on the porch. A few days later, one turned up missing.  I thought, "Someone stole one of my pillows," though Cam was convinced the wind blew it away.  The next day I found the pillow on our dining table along with some fabric I had purchased.  Turns out I had taken the pillow with me to the fabric store so I could find matching fabric and totally did not recall that I had taken it.  Sigh.  I'm losing it!

I had a nice birthday.  I woke up to this, from Josh:

Then went to Ikea for the afternoon with my little sister Kelli.  (Lisa, this dining set was created for you!  Lavender baby!)

Kendall and Kelli joined us for dinner and birthday cake.  Fun day!

My little family: