sunday best

Trying to get four kids to smile or at least hold still for a picture is pretty ridiculous these days. Avila doesn't want to hold still, Jacob just doesn't want to be dressed, Noah is getting better about smiling, and Macie feels overwhelmed with holding wiggly Avila. It's just an overall awful experience! If I catch them all on good days, I might be able to get individual pictures, but even those are far and in between these days! I tried before church...fail. I tried after church...another fail. Hmmm...

Macie and Avila got these dresses from my mom, which are too cute and coordinating. They got lots of compliments at church, and from me. They really can't wear the same clothes usually. Macie is too big for the little girls size that Avila is finally in. So, we kind of missed the boat on that, so we have to just settle for coordinating!

six

Six years ago, Macie Alida Christensen was born. The assumed 5 pound baby actually was 8 pounds 1 ounce...and already weighed in at 10 pounds 2 ounces at her ten day check up! Oh, Macie was huge. Over the past six years we have laughed so much. Macie is a crack up. Every day there is something new with her! She may have a temper of a lion, but it's not all of the time. Most of the time she's a good little girl with a gentle heart. I think she really believes she is about 16...if not older! Her birthday list this year consisted of make up and high heels. She decided that she would rather have high heels than a bike which she previously had requested. "Santa Claus would probably give a better bike, because high heels aren't toys," she said. 

Macie is a very well loved little girl, and such a happy girl, to boot. We love you, Miss Macie. Have a great year being SIX! Here's to many more laughs with you!

one.

Avila is one. Can you believe that Avila is one? My goodness, where did the year go?! Avila is seriously the happiest baby. She is always smiling and giggling. {Such a difference from her older sister who always glared at other people! Ha.} We have really loved playing with her this past year. I think I'm saying it every month, but I think this is my favorite stage! She is crawling around...almost walking. She climbs the stairs like a champ, and is learning to come down. She jabbers and laughs all of the time. She is pretty independent and likes to figure things out on her own. I can't feed her food, she has to do it all on her own. Thank goodness for the baby food/applesauce in a pouch! It seriously is our saving grace! :-) 

Avila is a girly girl for sure. She always has to be wearing a necklace. And...anything can be a necklace. Her favorites are Papa's dogtags or Macie's swimming suit. Although a girly girl, she absolutely HATES getting her hair done! I can't even touch it without a fuss. She rips out any bow, flower or headband...and usually ends up destroying it! You will usually see her with crazy curly hair, and depending on the time of day and humidity level, it could look pretty crazy! 

She is funny. And she knows it. Her favorite thing to do dance. She's got rhythm. If she hears music, she will start bouncing and dancing. She also loves to lead the music in church, she's pretty good! Whenever she hears laughter, she will follow. 

 We love this little Avila. She is such a fun happy girl! Here's to another fun year, Miss A! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

35.

Happy Birthday, Adam!
Thank you for always being older than me.
We love you so much.
You are the best daddy and husband ever.
Enjoy Dinosaur Jr.

target.

I love Target. I could go there everyday and just wander around and look at everything, probably a few times, and just wish to buy everything. And, walk around and find all the best deals. I've memorized the markdown schedules, so I know what days to go to get what I want. I have been lucky and got some pretty smokin deals many time. However, I have had some pretty crappy Target experiences. As much as I love it, I don't think it loves me.

When Macie burned her hand, it was a terrible blister. It was awful. We were in Target buying supplies to wrap it, when the giant blister popped and made a good puddle on the ground. A puddle of puss...it was great. Noah got lost and insisted his name was Wolverine, but finally told them my name to have me paged. Macie followed the wrong cart out at check out, causing a lockdown of the store. She was outside, all the way across the parking lot when a nice lady brought her back. Macie threw up all over the floor in the baby section...and my new phone, requiring a Code {something} call over the intercom. Macie decided once to tip over about 4 giant vases in the garden section, shattering all of them. Numerous times my kids have run like crazy people through the store, making me look like an awesome mom. I have been told to leave because of my kids behavior...on more than one occasion. I was escorted to the check out because of my screaming child. I walked around the entire store after nursing Avila, and not putting my shirt back down...no one told me. I have left my cart full of stuff because of tantrum...many times. I usually am carrying a baby, pushing the cart, and corralling the others. And today, my flip flop broke. To make it worse, they didn't even have any shoes on clearance for me to buy! 

Oh, Target, I love you. But, I think I should avoid you.

haircuts

I get a lot of e-mails everyday. Seriously, a lot. I have more messages in my inbox than I want to admit. And, most are crap. Most are just junk that I've subscribed to in hopes of winning a lame contest. However, my excessive e-mails did pay off today. I got an e-mail from JC Penney. They are offering free haircuts for kids in the month of August. I hate paying for haircuts for kids. Just like going in for a trim for me...it seems too easy to pay an arm and a leg for. I mean, really, it costs thirty bucks to cut my sons hair? Yeah, no thanks, I will butch...er...I mean I will cut it my self! But, Macie, I can't. I usually have found pretty good deasl, but this e-mail from JC Penney was wonderful! Free haircuts for all three of my kids. For once, my boys won't have long stragglers by their ears, and hopefully I won't be pulling hairs out that I missed during Sacrament meeting...since thats the only place they really hold still long enough! 

Jacob hasn't ever had a professional haircut. And, it was about time. {Technically he shouldn't have qualified, but they didn't say anything! ;-)} He has such thick hair. I wanted to watch someone who actually knew what they were doing do it. He insisted on a "haircut just like Superman". Nothing else would be acceptable. The girl asked if she could spike it. You should have seen the look on his face...he looked at her and said, "Have you even seen Superman?" Crazy kid.

Macie's hair was getting long. It was fun to braid it and style it. However, she didn't let me do it often. In fact, it was a nightmare just combing through it. Everyday when they would come in from the pool, she would be screaming bloody murder as we combed through her hair. The comb would be filled with hair. It was time for something. She saw a picture in a magazine of a girl with a shorter hair style, and she said she wanted that kinds of hair. I asked her if she was serious about five hundred times this morning. She kept saying to me, "It's just hair, it will grow back, Mom." I was nervous. She does have beautiful blond locks. But, she insisted. When the lady made the first cut and about seven inches fell to the floor, I could tell she was worried. I was fighting back the tears watching it fall. It's cute though. Very cute. She rocks that a-line cut. Every one in the salon kept commenting on how adorable it was. We got to the car and I found out that she, too, was fighting the tears. She told me that she wanted to cry, but kept saying in her mind that it would grow back. She's right. It's just hair! It took me about 29 years to get that attitude! 

And then Noah. Noah has awful hair. It's crazy. Cowlicks everywhere. It doesn't lay flat. It doesn't hold gel. It's out of control. I didn't want a buzz cut, but I didn't want him looking like Wolverine {however, he loves it!} So, the girl scissor cut it, rather than using the clippers. She shaped it a little. And the kicker, she told Noah that he was old enough to do his own hair. {Yay!} So, she gave him some free paste to use on his hair. Which, was another score!

I loved JC Penney free hair cuts! What an awesome thing. You should take advantage. I think it worked for me, though. I would even go back to the girl who cut Macie's hair.

the 4th

We headed to Idaho for the 4th of July. It's been about six years since we have. The fireworks show in Idaho Falls is amazing. Who would have thought such a little town would have the best fireworks show? I had heard that the show in San Diego was one of the top in the nation. So, I was feeling a little bad to miss it, since I live there and all. But, did you hear that it malfunctioned? Yeah, they all went off at the same time. Glad I didn't stick around for it! It was so fun to be in Idaho with family to enjoy our countries freedom. And...to celebrate Cory's 22 birthday! Alison's girls, Rylee and Ashlyn got along so well with our kids! They really didn't even skip a beat when the saw each other, it was as if they saw each other all of the time. They all had to take turns holding Avila in the pictures. She was quite the hit!

We enjoyed Larry's famous chicken and Myrt's yummy rolls, and lots of other good eats as well, then headed to the fireworks. Macie hated every second of the fireworks, as did Jacob. But Avila, on the otherhand, loved every second! Hopefully we'll be back soon...

Jerry

My dad is a ventriloquist. He's pretty good at it. And, witty, too. He's perfect for the gig. He has a friend named Jerry.  Growing up, we were all a little scared of what we called "the dummy". He lived in a white suitcase, and was just a little scary. It could have been the Night of the Living Dummy that did it for me. I just seriously thought he was going to come to life in the middle of the night and I would wake up with him staring at me. 

Maybe I just didn't appreciate it. I asked my dad to bring out "the dummy" when we were in Idaho. The kids loved it. They weren't scared like we all were. They just laughed and laughed. The adults all laughed and laughed at Dad's good one liners. It was perfect. The first show, Jacob was asleep. So, Jerry came for another visit later one, and he didn't disappoint. Jacob loved loved loved him. He keeps asking if Jerry is coming to visit us when Momo and Pa come. He's a package deal, now, Dad! :-) 

catching up?

No, I'm not going to catch up. I got so far behind that it got too overwhelming. I was so good at blogging, and then life with three kids happened, then life with a kindergartner, then life pregnant with #4, then life with a kindergartner and a first grader, then life with FOUR kids, then a sick husband, then moving, then moving in, life was insane. But, now I feel a little more settled. Avila plays more by herself, life is easier. Not easy, but easier. I still don't have time to blog without feeling guilty looking at my laundry pile or my cluttery house, but we live so far away from family. It's not just my disappointment for not getting my blurb book done, but it's the disappointment of family who don't get to see my kids everyday...the ones who aren't on facebook or have instagram! So, I will post, but I'm not going to catch up, just going from here! 

Wish me luck.

the swing

Avila always loved her swing. From day one, she would sit in it and just love it. But, then the batteries died. What kind of person would design a swing that runs on batteries? I know, I know, there are probably ones that you can plug in, but those were not in clearance at Target! With Jacob, he was so huge and weighed so much, that by about 4 months we just stopped putting batteries in it, and putting him in it, because the batteries didn't last too long, the swing had to work harder to swing his chubby body! But, with Avila, she did stay in it longer. When we moved, the batteries died. Instead of buying new ones, I would just have the kids push her, just so I could get laundry done or whatever I needed to. And they loved it. 

One day, though, Avila started pushing herself. She was so proud! She just grinned and grinned with pure excitement! She was so tickled that she would do it herself. It's perfect. We don't have a yard anymore, sadly, so she gets her swing time in anytime she wants even without a trip to the park! {Yeah, I am a bad mom! :-)}