Personality...

Getting Aubrey to show much affection while around others can sometimes be tricky. She does love to snuggle and be cuddled by anyone who is willing but she doesn't always like to show much emotion. Not because she does not love all the attention she is getting, but because she has to work so hard to think about everything she does. A smile for you and I, is very instinctive. For Aubrey, there is a little more involved. When Aubrey meets someone for the first time, she spends a good deal of time memorizing your face. She pays attention to every detail. I love watching her as her eyes move around your face, from your hair to your nose to your lips. She listens to you speak and soaks it all up, and then if you are lucky, she will give you one of her heart melting smiles. This does make it hard however, to really get to know our sweet little Aubrey. And so, I have decided to share a few pictures Brooklyn and I just caught of our little Aubrey to help you get to know her better. 

 Aubrey is the sweetest thing you will ever meet. Oh she is so precious. She very rarely cries, she sleeps like an angel (sleeping through the night since we brought her home from the hospital) and is very easy to please. She is so content to sit and do nothing, especially if you are cuddling her. She even lets her sisters smother her, without even putting up a fuss. She loves her sisters. She could watch them play all day long.

When Aubrey gets excited, her whole body shows it. 

For example... I promise Aubrey was in focus when I started to take this picture.

Aubrey is such a wonderful addition to our family. We are so glad she is ours.

Now since we are on the subject...

Personality is not something we lack in this household.

Conversation between Brooklyn and mom, just minutes ago.

Miss B: (standing up to the counter next to the leftover Christmas goodies) Mom, I dry! (we have been having some problems with making it to the potty in time lately... so we have been working really hard to motivate her to stay dry- usually with treats- :) I know that's terrible of me)

Mom: Yes you are, but that doesn't mean you get any candy right now.

(Brooklyn jumps off the chair and quickly runs to the bathroom)

Brookie: Mom I went potty in the toilet.

Mom: Yay Brookie, but you still don't need a treat right now!

(Brooklyn comes running back in to the kitchen and climbs back up the the counter)

Brookie: Mom I got this for you. (handing me a piece of a chocolate orange)

Mom: Thank you Brooklyn, that's so kind of you.

(moments later Brooklyn is found carrying around her own piece of chocolate orange- after all she did do a good deed by bringing her mommy some chocolate)

It wasn't long before Brooklyn had a box of cookies in her hand working up some new scheme to get me to let her eat those cookies... 

Have I told you lately that Miss Brooklyn has quite the sweet tooth? 

Longest play date ever...

Yesterday my friend Laura and I were able to get our kids together for a play date. A play date that was long over due, I might add...

But first some pictures of my little sweet pea.

I love that little face.

 ...Anyway, back to our play date. We were able to go to the Discovery Gateway children's museum.

To say the girls had fun would be an understatement.

Laura and I were able to grab a bench by the only door leading in or out of the room and then just sat back and watched our children run around.

FOR THREE AND A HALF HOURS! 

Seriously, it was like mommy heaven. :)

Thanks Laura for inviting us along.

We had a wonderful time! 

Note to any of our old 52nd ward friends who now live in the area... we would love to start a more regular play group for anyone interested...   Rebecca, Erin, Alyssa... let me know what you think.

I love this hair...

Hair has always been something foreign to our family, as far as babies go. 
Until Aubrey was born, that is.
Maddie around 8 months. You can see there is hair... just not a lot.

 Brooklyn around 8 months. There is a little more hair than Maddie had at this age, but not much.

I love Aubrey's hair. But it always makes me giggle.

No two hairs on her head are the same length and no two hairs on her head lay the same direction.

It all just adds to her cute little personality though.

I love it.

...
And just because I always love a good sleeping picture...

Especially on those, "I'm not going to take a nap, no matter what" kind of days.

Oddly Familiar...

Take a look at this key chain Karl's parents got from a neighbor for Christmas...

Tell me this doesn't look oddly familiar...

Kinda crazy, huh?
Oh and PS...
We think we are going to build a house.
We've already put money down to hold a lot, so hopefully everything will go as planned... We'll keep you posted.

House Hunters...

Karl and I are officially house hunting.

Again.

Remember we have moved 5 times in the last 2 years...

But this time we're looking for a home we can call our own.

Finally.

Oh how I long for stability.

Something a little more... permanent.

The process is so long and involved...

Especially when we have set high expectations for ourselves

(one of the many ?perks? of being raised by a contractor with a good eye for detail...)

We know what we want.

Now it's just a matter of finding it.

Thank goodness for a wonderful Realtor.

Toe...

"Mom, I found my toe!!!"

Funny how a tiny hole can turn in to this... in no time at all.

I guess it's a good thing leggings are in these days :)

Christmas Surprise...

So... I thought I had a bunch more pictures of our Christmas adventures, but... I guess I don't. :) These are about the only pictures I took at my parents house Christmas day.

 We spent the rest of the Christmas day at my parents house. We even spent the night so that the adults could stay up and watch movies and play with our new toys while the kiddies slept.

But I must say, one of the best Christmas surprises we got this year was from my dad...

Remember this sweet playhouse my dad is building for the grand-kids?

A few months ago my brother found this furniture on KSL.com. We bought it with the intention of sprucing it up with some bright colorful paint.

After many hours of decision making and hard work, we are left with these beauties.

He also painted the kiddie table (also found on KSL) and laid laminate flooring in the playhouse.

The girls were so excited about their new kitchen.

Dad, you are one incredibly talented man.

Thanks for spoiling your granddaughters. :)

Enjoying...

Today has been a lazy kind of day.

Lazy in a way, at least.

I did get a lot accomplished like 

*organizing our bills-  
filing away important documents and shredding those not worth keeping

*backing up all of our thousands of pictures from the last year- 
all 5,250 files and 49 folders worth

But most of all, we've just been enjoying our last day at home as a family before we head back to work and school.

In our pajama's.

All. Day. Long.

It has been wonderful.

Here's what the girls have been up to...

Going on adventures in their sailboat

 Cave spelunking for treasures in their closet

Sippin' something yummy

 And enjoying some much needed R and R in unusual places

 Oh and you can't forget this lovely conversation I had with Maddie today.

Maddie: Mom I really like my new primary teachers, Jesse and Katie but I told Jesse that his name is kind of a girls name.

Mom: Maddie, that's not a very nice thing to say. What did he say when you told him that?

Maddie: I don't know...

(this is how I found Maddie and Aubrey the other day. I know it looks super uncomfortable but Aubrey LOVED it- I love that my girls are so sweet with each other)

Question of the day. Did any of you ever go on some crazy adventures in your bathtub as a child?

Or was it just me? err and my children... Is it genetic?