Bentley on the Potty

Ok, ok, I know this is probably super inappropriate to be posting online, but I can't help it. I want to remember this boy's sweet ingenuity.  Sitting down just wasn't working for him, it took too long and it was too hard to get his pants and underwear down low enough and then be able to climb up on the potty. However, he isn't tall enough to stand yet either. So this clever boy came up with this solution all on his own. I just walked by the bathroom one day and saw him going like this, and noticed this is how he does it all the time now.   Very clever, and I am one happy mommy because for the most part, I'm not finding pee sprayed all over my toilets and floors like before.   Win - win.  

Oh the joys of having a boy.....

My "blankie" bath robe...

Brad snapped this picture right as I started to walk away, so at the moment both children are detached - but something cute, that I want to remember about these two, is that this bath robe is irresistible to them.  The fluffy fabric is very similar to the way both of their special blankies feel so every time I wear this robe, I often have one (if not both of these two) hanging on to the back with one hand and sucking their fingers on the other hand. It's very cute when I think about it, but at the moment it can get very annoying because everywhere I go, I have at least one child pulling along behind me.  Ha ha   cute little babies.....

Cute boy and Bed Head!

Lantern Festival!

For the first time, the Latern Festival came to Albuquerque and Brad and I knew this was an experience we had to have! It was a long event, like 4pm to 8pm so we decided to leave Olivia home with a babysitter and just take the two older ones who wouldn't mind the cold and could appreciate it a little more. We missed her, but it was the right call for sure.  And it was definitely an experience I am so grateful I was able to share with Bentley and Eden. It was truly magical and we all loved it. We also shared our fire pit with a few of our friends and their kids (Jacksons and Suttons) so it was such a blast to hang out with them too.

When we first arrived, there was live music, dancing, food trucks, and people were setting up their "camps" around the different fire pits.

We also came upon this Unicorn Princess which was unique for sure. The kids thought she was pretty cool.

Our lantern kits came with sharpie markers so the kids had lots of fun decorating all of our lanterns.

Before long, they came around and lit all the fires and the s'mores fun began. Brad was multitasking well with the handful of children all trying to roast their marshmallows.

When I look at this picture, it's so sad that Olive is missing, but at the time I was definitely glad she wasn't there freezing and stirring up trouble!

Once our s'mores were done, we were starting to get really anxious to do our lanterns. It seemed like it took forever to get dark and to get the "OK" to start lighting them. The kids were having a blast playing with friends, and we were able to socialize too with our friends which was really fun. Once the countdown began though, little lanterns starting glowing everywhere and within a matter of minutes, the sky began to glow. The pictures just don't even do it justice. It was seriously, one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen!

Once they were lit, we had to hold on to them for a bit until they filled enough with hot air and then they would kind of tug and we could let go and they would float away.

The picture is dark, but I love Eden's expression. She was truly amazed and there's no way we could have wiped that grin off her face. And Bentley, we couldn't ever get a picture of him. He was spinning in circles, with his arms raised in the air saying, "Best Night Ever!"  We were all so amazed. It was gorgeous.

Now, with all those good things said, unfortunately the night was a little tainted when it was time to go and we were literally trapped in the parking lot for at least an hour. The logistics of the parking lots and the fact that there was only one road out was definitely a nightmare, but I would say it was still 100% worth it. The night was magical, and these are the types of experiences I love sharing with my family and hope they will remember them too.

Lunch at School with Eden

We were so excited for the Thanksgiving lunch at school so we could go and eat with Eden. It was a little crazy having the little ones there too, but we had such a fun time. Eden was the most excited about the Oreos and milk that we brought. And then secondly, she couldn't wait to show us the turkey she made that was the decoration on the table. It was lots of fun and so cute to see her in her routine there at school. I loved it.

Reading by the Night Light

Many nights before Bentley falls asleep he likes to "read" a couple books. Brad peeked his head in and took this picture of Bentley reading by the light of the nightlight. The flash on the camera lit the room up pretty good, but otherwise it's fairly dark in there so it looks like he found a pretty good spot.  :)

It's Good to Be Olivia

It's pretty cool to have an older sister and an older brother. Olivia is pretty darn lucky.

She gets snuggled, and pampered like a princess....

And then in a blink of an eye, she transforms into a superhero...

And she gets to wrestle the bad guys...

Yeah, it's official - she's got a pretty sweet place in this family. I love it, and they love her.