She just kept talking...

If I had known that these videos of B would be a hit, I would have put them all up.

Here are the other three videos we took of that conversation... (She was on one that night!)

Love her facial expression... the girl is a facial actor. :)

Enjoy...

this is really for you Jessica!

Ok, after we ask her about Buzz and Woody, she said, "McQueen, and Mac, and Mater" (sounds like May-er), and then she gets all crazy again. :) Watch for her facial expression on second 22) Hilarious!

She uses her hands... I love it! She gets sidetracked... I love it! and again the facial expressions are amazing!!! (Around second...29


I love her "ho hos".

FYI

You could get a triple scoop for a DOLLAR! That is my kind of ice cream!

Mi Madre

My mom came for a week... here is our week in pictures.

Santa Ana Zoo




Rainbow Outlet... making my mom a true Southern Californian!


Disneyland... perfect day, not crowded... nice breeze... beautiful!

I could put up lots of pictures from Disneyland, but Berkleigh wants to tell you about it. As hard as it is to understand her when she is talking really fast... I can understand about 80% of this.. .maybe cause I was there. :)

My favorite part is her facial expression starting at second 3.



Crafternoons during naptime...
Birthday Calendar... made out of envelopes to put the bday cards for that month! 


and remember these...

Now they are crackle painted...


Games every night...



Thanks for coming mom! It was fun to have you and we miss you already!

At our House...

you can be Buzz Lightyear


eat an Octopus for lunch


and have whisk duels...


Wanna come and play?

BM Doesn't Stand for Bowel Movement...

it stands for Berkleigh and Merrick and these were made by me at a crafternoon with my friend Lisa. 

(The frames will be painted a different color.)

They will hang above the kid's toddler beds once they are painted.

Idea found here.

Crazy Week!!!

Saturday:

General Conference

Laying out at the beach

(So relaxing without running after your kids running into the ocean.)

Girls Bonfire

(Merrick kept poking the fire with the weenie roaster yelling "fiya, fiya"!)

Sunday:

Conference

Monday:

Sea World

(Love this picture.. Nataleigh, Merrick, Berkleigh, and Ethan staring at the Manatees)

Tuesday:

Cooking Day and Beach Day with Rasmussens

(The cousins came to our neck of the woods for a beach day.)

(We were super tourists and rented one of those covered 4 person bikes! Not as fun as they look... except when you are going down hills, and your kids aren't screaming)

Thursday:

Shopping the second hand stores....

so we can afford... 

Friday:

Shopping and Guitar Hero World Tour... I am getting good!

Watched 7 Pounds. ... um... thought provoking... but I would not watch it again.

Saturday:

Egg Hunt

Merrick found so many eggs! Berkleigh saw the lady with the dog and wanted the dog not the shiny things all over the ground!

Egg Decorating

Egg Roll

Egg Toss

Egg Fight

Come on, we shoot guns on Thanksgiving, of course we throw eggs at each other on Easter.

Sunday:

Baskets:

Merrick: new hooded bath towel, sidewalk chalk, and some eggs, and Pinocchio
Berkleigh: a pettiskirt, eggs, sidewalk chalk, and a hooded bath towel.
Tyson: Marley and Me and candy
Jen: two shirts and two headbands.

Children's' Books

Ok, ok... i had some comments for our top children's books I have at home... here are my top toddler faves.

Well, I actually don't have 10 favorites... because I feel like my kids are at different stages of reading all the time, so this is how I go about it....

Our Favorite right now...

Duck on a Bike, David Shannon 

(so cute... has animals and is a cute story)

There are the classics... you know the books I would feel bad if my kids never read:

Where the Wild Things Are 

(which the movie hits theater Oct 09)

There's a Nightmare in my Closet,

Mercer Mayer

Swimmy, Leo Lionni 

(Bishies... bishies! what my kids ask for when they see this book)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle 

(We are on our 4th board book... we love 

this book so much!)

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?, Bill Martin Jr. 

(The twins can almost read this to me.)

There are the Cliff Note classics... these are the books that are too long for my little attention span chillins', so I totally cliff note it.... :)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 

(this movie comes out Sept 09)

The Little House, Virgina Lee Burton

Blueberries for Sal, Robert McCloskey

The Little Engine that Could, Watty Piper

(I ti a tan I ti a tan.. That is what Merrick says when we read this.)

There are the rhyming books with a good rhythm that most little kids love...

Is Your Mama a Llama, Deborah Guarino (they can read part of this book to me!)

The Ugly Pumpkin, Dave Horowitz (my kids ask for this book every night since October when I bought it!)

There are the fad books...

Knuffle Bunny, Mo Willems ... (I read this when I have to wash their blankets. :)  They love it when I act out the little girl talking)

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! 

(Merrick LOVES buses right now.)

How I Became a Pirate, David Shannon

 (lovin' pirates. When they see this book they put their hands

 up like they are on the ride at Disneyland. )

No, David, David Gets in Trouble, and David Goes to School, David Shannon (They laugh so hard at these books.)

There are the learning books... colors, counting etc.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Chicka Chicka 123, Bill Martin Jr. (this is where Merrick's classic one liner comes in handy, "Oh no, oh no, oh no.")

Mouse Paint, and Mouse Count, Ellen Stoll Walsh,  (counting and colors)

Anno's Counting Book, Mitsumasa Anno (This book is SO cool, and I have a really fun activity to do with it if you want it.)

There are the ones we dance too...

Silly Sally, Audrey Wood 

(We try to walk upside down and backwards... it is really funny.)

There are the girlie girl books...

Fancy Nancy, Jane O'Conner 

(for the hardcore girlie girl. :)

Twelve Dancing Princesses, Marianna Mayer 

(a favorite growing up)

Olivia Books, Ian Falconer

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, John Steptoe 

(Cinderella story with a twist)

The Rough Faced Girl, Rafe Martin 

(my favorite Cinderella Story)

There are the Animal Books...

The Very Busy Spider, Eric Carle

Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type, Doreen Cronin (My kids love this book right now because of the animals, but I think it gets funnier when you are older.)

Oh, and here are some of our favorite authors.

Our favorite authors: Bill Peet (a little old for them right now), David Shannon (so colorful and cool stories), Patricia Polacco (a teacher's dream author, she has good morals to her books), Kevin Henkes (a good toddler writer, but not super creative books), Eric Carle, Lois Ehlert, Ian Falconer.