Hold onto your hats....

So my Mom says that she's been checking our blog every day for new pictures so here you go Mom....get ready for picture/story overload!

This week has been really good. I'm finally not cringing EVERY TIME I have to nurse because of the pain and I feel like I'm able to enjoy my kids and family more fully! I tried to write down some of the things that Cory and I will want to remember and of course I took a lot of pictures along the way.

-Brooklyn noticing my newly painted finger nails the moment she walked through the door from church. The only one to notice mind you and she kept admiring them all week. (Here she is blowing her fingernails dry)

-Briggs painting Brooklyn's toe nails; which he loves to do.

-Brooklyn had some funny moments this week. One night while getting ready for dinner I walked around into the kitchen and she was laying on her back moving her arms and legs along the floor. I said, "what are you doing?" and she smiled and said, "making an no [snow] angel" It was sooooo cute!

-Also when asked how much she loves you she'll open her arms as wide as she can and with a BIG smile say, "I wa you dis much!" It is so cute!

-Briggs making a forest (palm tree) to block the sun from Sterling's eyes and setting up scenery (power ranger coloring book) for him to look at.

-Briggs reading him stories every day while he sleeps on the sofa; here Brooklyn is enjoying the story too.

-Brooklyn being fiercely independent in dressing and doing things for herself. Many times getting frustrated with her pants being put on backwards and shoes on the wrong feet.

-Brooklyn always so worried were going to "lee-boo eb-ry time" (leave her every time). She is our "go" girl and feels absolutely hurt if she is left behind.

-Brooklyn substituting the "ch" sound for the "s" sound. For example, she says "ching a chong" for sing a song; too cute! "I dur-got" for I forgot. And everything is "on purpose" if she gets annoyed with someone!

-Brooklyn walking downstairs and, throwing her arms out and announcing to Cory, "I'm beauti-bowl!"

-Briggs saying that Sterling doesn't look like a baby anymore when he smiles and that his smile is just soooo cute!

-Sterling smiling at 2 weeks (it's a dang cute smile too)

-The kids coming to cuddle with Sterling in bed in the morning and telling me about their dreams from the night.

-Brooklyn saying, "I'm not going to hit him" and her being super sweet with him.

-Savoring each moment with my little baby. Feeling his soft warm skin and cuddling and holding him whenever I get a chance.

-The kids always wanting to hold and kiss him.

-Brooklyn mothering her little baby while I was taking care of Sterling.

-Cory taking the kids in the hot tub one night and Brooklyn and I going out one morning after the boys went to school and it being so cold outside that the bubbles on top of the hot tub turned to ice.

-Briggs' drawing he did at church of Joseph Smith's visit from Heavenly Father and Jesus in the Sacred Grove. Notice Joseph's knees are kneeling....too cute!

-Briggs getting to go to the 2nd grade reading class each day this week and seeing how excited he was to be reading bigger and harder words, though he said it was a little intimidating. This is his first worksheet from the class.

-The kids wrestling with daddy. All I can say is Brooklyn is going to be a tough little girl with three brothers. She actually liked being the one that Daddy helped protect; she plays the little princess in distress roll really well.

-Please excuse my clean laundry draped all over the sofa and floor; which sat on my sofa for 2 days before I got to it.

-Brooklyn saying in the most appreciate and excited way when I gave her her clean laundry to put away, "THANK-YOU Mommy....Thank you!" It was so unexpected and so sincere!

-Walking in to check on the boys at night and they were sleeping in the same bed; they've never done that before. it was cute!

-The boys making a boys locker room under their trundle bed like the locker room at their swim lessons!

-Ethan always coming home from school with folded up drawings in his pockets. I especially liked the spiderman face and the different sun pictures. I definitely will be framing some of those.

Some other highlights....

-Grandma Hansen offering to come over and watch Sterling so I could go see Ethan's game.

-Ethan scoring 10+ baskets at his basketball game last night and seeing the pure joy on his face.

-Briggs and Daddy asking for me to make cookies again....every day!

-Sterling sleeping a 5-7 hour stretch during the night.

-Briggs being accused of getting into a big fight on the bus and hitting a girl in the nose (he's hit maybe 2-3 times his entire life; and it's been on Ethan) and the little girl coming over with her Dad to apologize to him for telling stories.

(Briggs came home today with this apology note)

-Talking to my grandparents and hearing the happiness in their voices and their love for me and our family.

-Making and ordering my baby announcements.

-Taking a TON of pictures with Sterling and the kids!

-I got to read 2 books while nursing; it's been a while since I've done that.

-Having our family Super bowl party with the boys on Monday....complete with pizza and homemade cookies! They even got to eat downstairs on a blanket!

-Briggs counting his burps, (I don't know where he learned this from) and each time adding to the last number. I think he was up to 80+ burps last week and he was mighty proud of them....that is until he went to time-out about 3 times last week for doing so at the dinner table.

-Ethan finally getting Sterling's name set in his memory.

-My kids coloring any free chance they get. I always tell them their coloring fools!!!

-Ethan so intrigued with me nursing and always asking why the baby is biting my tummy. This morning he asked why the baby bites on that dark part of my tummy? After stifling a little laugh and telling him that is where the baby eats he said, "how does he find the dark spot?" I told him that I help him. Oh, the little curiosity of children and especially Ethan (note, I do try to be modest around the boys but you can't hide everything I guess!)

-And one of my favorite "cute" moments of the week....On Monday Cory took the kids to the Aquatic Center to go swimming. Cory told me that on the way Ethan asked from the back seat. a little exasperated, "When is Jesus going to come again....I've just been waiting sooooo long." Briggs reply to him was, "nobody knows Ethan, not even the angels!" Too cute!