The M-n-M Family

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Another Austin-ism

So today, after school I offered Austin a couple of snacks.

Austin: C'mon mom, you know what I want, and it's none of those!

Me: Ok, what is it?

Austin: It starts with a P and ends in a S.

Me: Um, peanuts, pretzels?

Austin: No!! Pskettios!! (spaghettio's)

I love it. Life with this kid is never dull.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Christmas 2009.peaceful.Slept in.jammies all day.yummy food.It's a Wonderful Life.Naps.McLaughlin family.iPhones and iTouches. pink and girlie toys for Rachael.Wii.Farming Game.DS(Austin).Sweet pork.cuddling.New jumbo stocking.Sugar cereal all day.Wonderful Neighbor gifts. Spencer anticipating Tyler coming.Christmas music.Carmel apples.Grateful.Love.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Christmas Eve

I LOVED our Christmas this year. It was nice and quiet which is always great for us because we are so SCHEDULED out here in Texas. From homework to sports to piano to everything else, it was nice to just hang out and be together. Christmas Eve started off with a trip to the Katy Mills Mall to see Santa. Once again, I couldn't believe that I was braving the crowds and traffic at the MALL on Christmas Eve, but it was worth it. I got all excited to have Rachael get a picture with Santa, and dressed her up in a cutie-pie Christmas Dress. On the way out the door, she found one of her brother's knit hats and wouldn't take it off for the remainder of the night. Hilarious. She did this, too, on the night of our ward Christmas Party. She wore this same dress too and on the way out of her room saw her Aerial costume and insisted on wearing that ALL NIGHT over her Christmas dress. She, of course, got her way and we all just can't get enough of this girl.

Here she is with Santa. It is nearly impossible to get her to smile for any picture and so this expression does not surprise me at all. I am laughing with how Santa is holding her hands down. She wanted to touch his beard. We are at the Sporting goods store and really like coming here. The crowds aren't nearly as bad as the lines out in the mall...and free to boot!! Love it.

Here is Rachael doing one of their crafts. She LOVED it. It was filling a jar up with sand. She would have stayed there all day.

So one of our neighbors gave us these root beer bottles dressed as reindeer. (sooo cute. I may have to copy!) The boys started to take the eyes off and...well....enough said. You can see the pictures your self. It looks kind of creepy, but these boys keep us laughing ALL the time!

I was even able to snap a smile from Rachael!!

My 3 sons. They are so funny.

They then started transferring the eyes to different places on their body and I had to call it a night. Let the Christmas Eve traditions begin!

Mark and I trying not to look tired. I think at this point we are ready to get the kids in bed!!

So this year I made a TON of carmel/chocolate apples for gifts and had a bunch of chocolate left over. So...we did chocolate covered strawberries, pretzles, etc. It was fun and the boys liked doing it.

Then, I gave all the kids their new jammies. I got all the boys matching ones, and then of course I got Aerial Jammies for Rachael. You can tell by the smile on her face that she LOVES them. She kept looking at Aerial on her shirt and saying "Pretty Aerial." So sweet. I didn't get pictures, but I also buy my kids an ornament every year and have them put it on the tree. Jonathan got a football ornament since he was voted the MVP for his flag football team. Spencer got a Nativity one (he picked this out himself), Austin got a baseball one (as usual) and Rachael got a big pink Disney Princess one. Mark got me an angel one. I was impressed because usually I have to buy my own (and in fact did, but I didn't tell him. It was already on the tree..haha).

Getting out the Santa Cookies. Santa Claus takes his cookies very seriously. Oreos, icing covered animal cookies and Nutter Butters. We usually put a big plate out for him. I am thinking this is the last year for Austin. He kept asking me if I ate the cookies. I would totally avoid the question by asking him, what he thought. Dang.....he is growing up! The kids went to bed shortly after this and so did mom and dad! I was so proud of the fact that we didn't have to stay up and wrap all our presents late into the evening this year.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Happy Birthday Austin!!!

Dear Austin,

You are 7 years old and I can't believe it. According to the doctor you have grown 3 inches this year and are going through shoes like I go through Diet Pepsi's. There is so much I love about you and I hope you know how special you are. Here are some of the things that I think are unique about you:

-you have been hitting a baseball since you were 2 years old and this year has been no different. Your coach is continually amazed at how calm you are up at the plate. You are a consistent hitter and were always the 4th to bat because you would hit everyone else in that were on the bases. I loved being your team mom and watch you progress in the game.

- You have finally begun piano lessons after a year of begging me. I am so pleased at your progress. Your teacher cannot believe how fast you are going through the book and I watch you practice and see that you are a natural.

-You are not afraid of anything. Give you a challenge and you will work at it until you have mastered it. For example, Ice Skating with you last week was so fun. You were scared and didn't know if you could do it. Not only did you stay out there longer than any of us, but you wanted to go back and did so with Dad later that night. You were determined to master it and would pick yourself right back up after falling. What a great example of determination.

-You have a strong will and when you believe in something, no one can make you change your mind. Sometimes this is a problem, but when I think about the kind of missionary you will be, I know that this talent just needs to be channelled in the right direction.

-You are hilarious and tell great jokes. I love to see you with your Tiger scout troop. You go and hug them all and they love to be around you.

-You are a great big brother to Rachael. She loves her "Austie" and you interact in a way with her that is special. You both have a unique bond.

Austin, we love you and are so proud of you. I know this move to Texas has been difficult for you and you have grown not only physically, but spiritually as well. Thank you for all you do and we are proud to call you our brother, son and friend. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Happy 10th Birthday Spencer!!!!

Dear Spencer,

I can't believe you are 10 years old today! (double digits!) You are such a unique addition to our family and feel so blessed to call you my son. Here are some things that I really love about you:

1. Your sense of humor is well beyond your age. Some of the things that come out of your mouth!!

2. You have a strong moral compass. There is usually no gray with you...you are always so black and white. And the thing is..you ALWAYS choose the right.

3. You are easy to love. Since you were born, all you had to do is look at me with those big, blue eyes and those long eye lashes and we would give you whatever you wanted. Ok, so you would probably argue that, but you have always been a very sweet, sensitive boy.

4. You have always been able to find joy and beauty in the most random moments. I remember asking you to weed a section of the lawn in Utah, and after 20 minutes you had only pulled ONE weed because you were fascinated by the fact that this one weed had 1 pair of roots, yet 2 different plants growing from it. You also have the most interesting rock collection I have ever seen.

5. You have always had many friends. You are kind, sensitive and FUNNY! And the thing is about you, that you don't even realize how everyone wants to be around you. Did you notice that all 16 boys at your birthday party were sort of fighting to see who got to sit by you at the table?

6. You LOVE mashed potatoes and gravy. I think if I fixed this for you everyday you would be in Heaven. You are also obsessed with chocolate anything.

7. You are very kind to your brothers and sister. I know how much your baby sister, Rachael means to you. And watching you play with your brothers is priceless.

8. You are extremely intelligent. Your understanding of certain concepts, especially spiritual ones, is quite profound.

9. You are FUN to go shopping with. I love how you never ask for anything, but instead are simply enjoying being together and admiring all the "things" you see.

10. You love to talk about anything and everything. You are never boring to be around and I love to hear all your stories.

I am so grateful that you are a part of this family. We are so blessed to have you in our lives. Happy Birthday Spencer. You are loved!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

The "I HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MUCH CANDY" Halloween

This picture does absolutely no justice to the real amount of candy that came into our home for Halloween. We participated in 2 church trunk-or-treats, and then the kids did the neighborhood(s). It was totally out of control. So much so, that I made them give me their candy from one church activity so I could use it to distribute at my door. See the orange bucket in the background of this picture. It was FULL of candy.

We decided to have some fun, so we outlined the kids with their candy. I think we only used 1/8th of the candy for this. Mark decided to weigh their candy bags, and on average, they weighed about 9 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So here is a great picture of my brother. Cute little Jane is looking guilty in the background. You can see the wet spot on his pants and can easily guess what happened.

Austin is Darth Vadar.

Spencer is a Man Eating Shark.

Jonathan is a BYU fan. (we are true-blue even though the Cougs have disappointed us this year)

And of course we all know who this is. I had to take a picture of her hair accessory that I made to go with her Aerial costume.

It was a great Halloween! After all the festivities it was fun to go out to eat with Audralyn and Mark (yummy mexican food!!) Ok dentist....here we come!!!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Rachael's Halloween costumes throughout the years

Cuddly little lamb (4 months in Utah)

BYU Cheerleader (16 months and JUST BARELY WALKING). We had just flown down to Houston to look for a house.

Aerial, 2009. What a cutie.