Things That Amuse Me

This December has been a little rough.  We have had a lot of fun things going on, but quite a few of those things are not kid-friendly.  Those that know me well know that asking people to watch my kids is a huge stress for me.  I HATE inconveniencing people, and I HATE needing things.  But sometimes it can't be helped.  We have had a lot of residency recruiting dinners and lunches that kids aren't invited to, a residency Christmas party that was a blast (but still no kids invited), and it seems like a million other things where I have to find a babysitter.  Our residency program really is kid friendly, and I totally understand it not being appropriate to have a million kids at dinner and lunch when you are trying to take time to answer applicants' questions (and there would be a million kids because there are 41 kids and counting in our residency), but it all just came at once and caused tremendous stress.  Add that to the fact that I don't know a ton of people in the ward because I am the Primary pianist, and I don't want to creep out the parents of the young women who have no clue who I am, and also that my husband is gone quite often, and it is bound to cause some stress.

So in light of all that, we have been trying to do things at home that include the kids.  Whether it is having dinner at the hospital with Daddy, doing gingerbread houses, finding that silly Elf on the Shelf (ours is named Josh...more on that later), having lots of movie nights, reading Christmas books, doing FHE by ourselves, playing princesses and robots, or going to the dang grocery store again, it has been fun.  My kids amuse me, and of course I think they are the greatest thing ever, most of the time.

I love when they wake up in the morning and greet each other very sweetly like they genuinely missed each other.
E: "Hi Sam! Did you have a goooood sleep?  Oh Mom, Sam's so cute!"  (While patting her back and giving her a hug)
S: "Yeah." (While rubbing her sleepy eyes and trying not to smile)

I like that Sammi calls her pigtails "piggybanks".

When she asks for a show, she calls it a "DV-DV"

Emerson made up his own goofy dance, which looks like goose-stepping, and he named it "The Up-Frog".  He does it whenever he is pleased with something while saying, "Do the Uuuuup-Frog".

Sammi's constant chatter makes me smile.  She talks an awful lot, and uses words like "aggravated".  Her favorite things right now is to come grab my hand and say, "I want a snack.  Will you open the pantry?"

The kids have figured out that if they move the kitchen chairs and bathroom stools (as in stepping stool) around, there is almost nothing they can't reach on the counters.  It does make me smile a little when I go upstairs for a second, and come back down to see a kitchen chair pushed up to the counter, and Sammi guiltily/happily eating a cookie on the floor.  Emerson is less penitent about his sneakiness, and usually proudly exclaims, "We are snitch-a-roos!"  I am a little sad that no treat is sacred anymore though.

The kids keep telling our elf that they are dying for a remote-control train and princess barbies.  I'll let you decipher which child wants which present.  I will have you know that I have mercilessly milked the whole you'd-better-behave-or-I-am-telling-the-elf-to-tell-Santa-he-doesn't-need-to-bring-you-presents thing.  When I was a kid, we would just hurl the word "SANTA!" at one another if someone wasn't sharing.  After Christmas, I may have to invent something else to instill fear in my children.  (Just kidding...but would Easter Bunny minions be so bad?)