Mark by the Numbers

A week in the life of Mark:
7 Number of Thomas trains Mark received for going poopy in the potty. (one a day is the limit)
2 Number of times Mark peeed on the carpet and mommy had to clean it up.
14 Number of times mommy swept the kitchen after Mark ate at the bar
3 Number of times mommy had to vacuum the rug under the kitchen table after Mark ate. (Actually I could have vacuumed it everytime after Mark ate).
6 Number of times mommy had to clean up some sort of liquid Mark spilled on the floor.
2 Number of times Mark gagged on a piece of plastic from a old candy cane he was eating, which resulted in an unmentionable substance on the kitchen floor mommy had to clean up.
23 Number of wipes used by mommy this week to clean Mark up after eating.
19 Number of wipes Mark tried to flush down the toilet after attempting to wipe himself, which of course resulted in a clogged toilet.
21 Number of hours Mark spent playing with his Thomas trains.
5 Number of times Mark watched Thomas' Halloween Adventure.
4 Number of arguments Mark had with Lauren, which resulted in one or both of them being separated from the group.
8 Number of times Mark asked, very loudly I might add, "Is Church over?" during Sacrament meeting.
Countless: Number of hugs, kisses and loves Mark gave his mommy this week.

Katie on the Move

Katie has the desire to crawl but is lacking in skill. This does not stop her from moving all over the house. Today I set her on the kitchen floor, (no more counter time for her, she likes to dive head first off the counter, the couch, the bed, her car seat, basically anything with height), and before I knew it she scooted herself over to the dishwasher and began pulling out dirty forks, knives and spoons, and promptly sucking on them. Changing her diaper is now officially a contact sport. What she really likes is after 9:00 p.m. when Mark and Lauren are in bed she gets to sit on the floor of the office and play with Mark's trains, something she can not do when he is awake. She has her two bottom teeth, but she does not care much for food. She will eat oatmeal cereal, (she got tired of rice and refused to eat it any longer), she will eat fruits, but no vegatables. She is not doing well with solid foods. If anything solid goes in her mouth, (things we have tried include, mashed potatoes, graham cracker, cheerios, ice cream) she promptly gags, and the said item comes out along with the contents of her stomach. Its delightful.

Mark, our never ending souce of entertainment.

Here is Mark and this is typically how he looks. We call him an accident looking for a place to happen. Yesterday I swept the kitchen floor four times in an effort to keep on top of his messes. Lately he has a comment for everything.

Last week Rick and I were driving around after doing some erands. Lauren was at school so it was just Mark and Katie with us. Rick and I were talking about the presidential race and Mitt Romney dropping out. I told Rick that I had not listend to any talk radio in the last few days so I did not know what the political pundants were saying. I said that I was curious what they were saying because the political pundants did not like McCain or Huckabee. Mark piped up from the back saying "They don't like McCain or Huckabee?" I said "Yes Mark they do not like McCain or Huckabee." He said again "They don't like McCain or Huckabee?" I said "No they don't." He then said "What about John Edwards?" Rick and I were dumbfounded. We had not been talking about John Edwards at all. Clearly this kid is watching too much television coverage of the election.

On Lauren's birthday Brian and Courtney were sucking helium out of a balloon. After they started talking Mark told them they sounded like Cindi Lauper. How this kid knows that Cindi Lauper's singing sounds like somebody who has been sucking helium is beyond me. Rick and I are very concerned about what life with him will be like when he is a teenager.

Lauren's Birthday

After Lauren's party with her friends, our family went out to dinner at California Pizza kitchen, which was the resturant that Lauren and Grandma decided on, since it was Grandma's birthday too. We came home after dinner and opened presents. Lauren wanted a "Webkinz" which is a stuffed animal that you bring to life on the Webkinz website. Lauren got a Webkinz kitty, and played on the internet until midnight.
Lauren with her Webkinz kitty.
Lauren opening a tent for her collection of American Girl dolls. Lauren also got several Littlest pet shop toys which is one of her new favorite toys.
Katie liked Lauren's birthday because wrapping paper and empty boxes were involved. Katie really wants to crawl but has not managed to figure it out yet. She gets up on all "fours" and when she realizes that she is up on all fours she immediately drops to the ground. She rolls all over the house and likes to explore new areas, but she never wants to be far from all the action, and if mommy walks by without picking her up, screaming ensues.

Lauren Has a Birthday Party

Lauren turned seven on February 15, 2008. In case you did not know it was a national holiday, just ask her she will tell you. It was a big day for her and for her mother. Lauren had to do a family presentation at school which involved bringing the entire family to school, introducing us, telling her class about our occupations, telling about a family vacation, with pictures of course, reading Lauren's favorite story, and of course passing out treats.

After school was over Lauren had a birthday party with her friends and her cousin Addy. The girls decorated bags with foam stickers, played "uno attack," opened presents, ate cake and had a treasure hunt. A good time was had by all! Lauren gets to have a party with friends every other year. The last party she had was when she turned five and I have to tell you a birthday party for seven year olds is soooo much better than a birthday party for five year olds. Their attention span is a lot longer and they play together better.

Katie Loves her Bath!

Katie loves taking a bath! Our sink is big and deep so it is the perfect size for my 22 pound baby, or a frozen turkey. She sits in the sink and splashes to her hearts content, while I clean my kitchen. Its productive time for both of us. She also likes to play with toys in the bath. She has a green plastic frog that she likes to stick in her mouth. She keeps hoping that it will turn into a hansome prince, but no such luck yet. For now she will continue to make out with her frog.

Lauren Lost her Front Tooth!

Lauren lost her front top tooth! She also lost another one on the bottom, bringing her total lost teeth to three. When her teeth get loose she lets mommy pull them. I have pulled all three, and I am getting really good and fast. Perhaps I missed my true calling in life?

Don't we look Cute!

Katie & Lauren got matching outfits for Christmas. They wore them to Church and got lots of attention, and looked really cute! When I was taking a picture of the two of them together, Mark had to join in, he does not want to be left out of anything.

New Years Eve

We had a "rockin" new years eve. We celebrated on New York City time. Mark and Lauren loved blowing their horns, Katie loved eating hers. The best part for Mark and Lauren was "tosting" to the new year with sparkling apple cider.