Pieces of April

Sometimes when you're out running errands alone, you just have to stop for ice cream.

Or Dr. Pepper.

Or both. 

I don't know why it took me so long to think of getting this kid noise cancelling headphones.

Would have saved a lot of pain over the years for both of us. 

Of course, now Catherine is stealing them for her audiobooks all the time...

Ah, the epic battle of Athru, where the peasants with swords and sweet hats faced the evil invaders bearing the light bulbs of death. What a loss to humanity that the records of said battle have been lost forever. 

Covid numbers were going down and the temperature was going up!

We decided to reinstate our Fun Fridays with our homeschooling friends.

Terri did an awesome job teaching about weather. 

Also in April, we hosted Kaden's wedding reception in our backyard!

Bente does not skimp on the details, so we spent several weekends doing yardwork.

Thankfully the weather was lovely!

Until the day of the reception, when it was FREEZING and crazy windy.

Oh well! It was still a lovely evening with friends. 

Elise Navidad

Pink Elise in a pink shirt and pink mask in a pink Magnolia tree!

Living the dream.

Elise painted this for Grandpa Russell.

"It's us driving to Grandpa Russell's house in the rain.

And there's rain on the road.

And our van is getting flooded and almost our van is covered in rain."

Sounds like a very traumatic journey!

I believe this may the greatest work of Elise art ever created.

She actually drew this picture a year or two ago, but without the faces. 

It's me and her.

Apparently she found it in my drawer and decided to add faces.

I found it later and asked her about it and she was a bit deflated.

"I don't like it. It looks bad."

I, on the other hand, immediately fell in love with it.

It's now hanging by my bed in a place of honor.

And if I ever get a tattoo, it will be of this picture.

Elise is still our bundle of sunshine, always ready for hugs or games or Barbies or friends, or ALL OF THESE THINGS AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY ALL DAY! It can be exhausting for her introverted parents, but I love having an Elise bounce into my bed in the morning to give me hugs and demand breakfast, all with her first breath after waking up. 

Giant Seth

Seth is loving being in Young Men. He has really awesome leaders who plan great activities. I'm a bit jealous that I can't get my Young Women to do 30 mile bike rides and fun kayak trips!

I'm not exactly sure what's happening here, but it looks like fire.

Boys like fire. 

Playing gaga ball with Bro. Kraczek and Gabe.

Seth has been trying to be taller than me for probably a year now. It's been close, but never quite enough. When we were cleaning the church one day, I realized that he seemed to be taller than me all of a sudden. I had Jon measure us back to back (and pat down the giant hair) to be sure, and...my son is officially taller than me! I did not expect that to happen at age 12. I keep telling him he's going to be like his Grandpa Russell and stop growing in 8th grade, but for now he's greatly enjoying being taller than me and all of his friends. 

Seth is still just an easygoing, good-natured kid. As long as he has a computer and/or someone to hang out with, he's golden. He makes parenting really easy. 

Elijah at Two

Oh, two-year-old Elijah. You are SO two. All those stereotypical terrible two things? Yes. All the yes. Tantrums, stubbornness, whining, terrible English skills, answering 'NO!' to every question... Check, check, check. But thankfully it's not constant or overwhelming. Just enough to be kind of endearing (most of the time). And you make up for it with puppy snuggles. 

"Are you two?"

"NO!"

You are full into the cars, trucks, and trains stage now. You play with all the cars and line them up so carefully. I remember little Seth doing the exact same thing. 

Living room car lineup

Dinnertime placemat car lineup

Sometimes we still like to wake up super early, just for fun.

But we get to snuggle, so it's okay!

Some fun Elijah facts:

-No idea why, but for a long time you called Gabe "Big." You'd get so excited when we pulled up to the Knoxes. "Big! BIG! BIIIIGGG!" This was especially fun during sacrament meeting when you'd spot him passing the sacrament. 

-You pronounce candy as "khan-dee". Which is now how everyone in our family says candy because it's adorable. 

-Whenever we tell you to sit down so we can put on your shoes, you immediately lay down flat on the ground. Can't seem to get you to understand the difference between "sit down" and "lay down."

-Your speech is still a bit delayed. Your cousin Audrey and the neighbor girl 9 months younger are both talking circles around you. But you manage to get your point across with a word or two, some pointing and usually some whining. 

-Stats at age 2: 2 ft. 11 in. (54%), 26 lbs (22%)

-You are a mover. You never, never, NEVER hold still for a diaper change. We have to chase you down, then pin you while you roll around and try to escape. You'll usually hold still for books, sometimes for videos, but that's about it. 

-Now that you share a room with Aaron, you love having someone to play with. This was kind of an issue for a bit since you two would play instead of going to bed, plus you'd wake each other up in the mornings. To remedy this, we had Aaron sleep with Elise for a little while. You were not thrilled. If you woke up and found yourself alone, you'd sit there and yell, "Aaron! Bed!" Thankfully Aaron adores you and loves being your buddy. 

We sure love you, little puppy shark. You just add so much to our family (both sugar and spice, possibly more on the spicy end of the scale). Happy second birthday, Little Stinky!