Sunday, February 16, 2014

Valentine's Day

LOVE. LOVE. LOVER.
Sometimes for Valentine's day Naomi and I take pictures for Devin for his gift.  This pictures below I just love of Naomi. Mostly because she wasn't giving me very good smiles and I told her "Naomi think of Daddy and how much you love him." And this is the face she made:


Here is our card from a few years back. Naomi has grown up so much.

This one was Nay's idea and Devin's favorite:
  

  • We had a fun pink breakfast with strawberry crepes and strawberry milk all by Devin. He even decorated the table for the kids. ( I helped a little.)
  • Went to Cache's school party.
  • At the gym the kids got to color and do Valentine crafts.
  • Heart shaped homemade pizza for Dinner.  
  • My friend Darla was in town staying with us, (wedding dress shopping!) so she offered to  babysit for us.  Devin and I went for a late night date to Jakers for some virgin daiquiris and appetizers and best of all adults only conversation. It is funny, we can always tell when it has been too long since we've had a date alone, because we have "cobwebs" of tense moments between us, like we've forgotten how to be "just us." Luckily this night it only lasted the first 5 minutes and then we found our groove, and had the best time. Then we came home to Darla's attack dog who while we were gone decided that our kids belonged to him and we were intruders! It was a bit scary but funny, sorta. 
 The day was full of sweet & simple gestures of love. Exactly how I think Valentines day should be.
-Happy-
V.A.L.E.N.T.I.N.E.S
*Just FYI for a few people that have emailed me lately, I edited these pictures on ribbit.com and on photoshop. 

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Fall phone dump.

Fall 2013.  Aka a bum load of pictures. No particular order. 
All occured in the Autumn of  2013.
We figured out a remedy to Cache's disdain for 3 hour church meetings in an uncomfortable shirt and tie...
Let the boy ride his bike!  
 I hope all his problems in life are linked with a solution as easy as this. 
 * * *

 Devin just ordering a "hagabur." That's all Gage's restaurant makes.

 Naomi, ah this amazing girl. I just admire her strengths so much.
She schedules daddy daughter dates and always picks Kneaders where she orders a chocolate tart.

 Twilight Sparkle had to be taken to the pony doctor to be restitched several times this fall. I kept leaving her in stores and really started to resent this pony intruding on my rare alone time.
 School pictures. 
I love my freckled faced, toothless, dimpled boy.
Dream come true. :)

We are a family of bikers now.
(Devin's dream come true)
 Someday I'll actually get to ride my bike instead of push him and adjust his helmet every two point five seconds, then carry his bike and him the 4 blocks back to our house.
 He is my baby. I baby him. 
You just can't say no to this chubby face squished in his helmet.
 Notes I find in Cache's back pack:
Still continues to be the silliest kid in class. Luckily his teacher is silly too and really appreciates him.
Such a relief. He has soared from being the bottom of the class to grade levels ahead in reading. She has nothing but good to say about him and our Cache is back to his happy happy self at home. 
Prayers answered.
One day we found the wiener mobile and checked that off our bucket list.
This is me "directing" Devin to take a picture of the Wiener mobile and not just us. 
For some reason Devin loves it when I scold him for silly things. I think he does it on purpose just so he can get me mad and laugh at me.
When I pay bills, these two have to pop in and hang for awhile.
 Homemade pizza, movie and popcorn. Every Friday night here at the Orton house hold.

Lesson learned. If you don't decorate for holidays and seasons in a timely manner, Naomi will. In a matter of minutes, she hauled the decoration bin up stairs, unloaded it, built this contraption/tower and declared it:
"The most beautiful thing she has ever made."

She is known in this house for her busy body gene. She can have an entire floor torn to pieces or "decorated" in the time it takes me to brush my teeth. It's truly exhausting but astounding. Orton through and through.
* * *
 General Conference came and went. What a wonderful weekend that always is.
 Breakfast burritos in mass production.
Friends, coloring, naps and soul filling teachings that I look forward to every 6 months!!!


 Getting energy out at the park in between sessions.
Fall means footsie jammies.
Freshly bathed and jammied up. Not much I love more than that combo.
Especially on a chubby baby boy who likes to kiss his mama.
A lot.
 Devin's sister Julie taught me to make apple sauce! Major step for this girl, who pretty much detests food making. (Love food eating.) Mostly because I totally, totally stink and am cursed in the kitchen. I'm sure I hold some kind of record for kitchen fires. 
Apple sauce was a success and the cousins ran wild on Julie's "farm."
The cousins eating apple strings for their snack.


Cache and Kyle were missing most of the afternoon, which was kinda okay, you know, as long as they weren't bugging anyone. After awhile I went to find them. 

ME: "Hey Cache and Kyle what are you guys up to?"
Them: "Just digging our own grave."
Me: "I can't think of a more fitting activity for you two boys." 
Them: "What?"

 Princesses don't bed down to pick up apples! Thats what brothers are for. He loves to follow all her "plans." How many years will this last?

I hear the ice cream truck and roll my eyes and groan, simultaneously Devin goes tearing through the house yelling "Iiiiiiicreaam!" and looking for spare cash..
I am married to a forever child. Lucky kids.
More fallness.


 Nay: "Daddy's stuck in the tree."
Cache: "Oh brother not again."
 Can't pick my favorite.

The Greenbelt. One of our regular destinations.
 To practice our pirate skills. 
Above: Devin the awesome pirate.
Below: Amie, the awkward pirate.


Woody found Woody at Wal-mart, and was a bit happy about that.
Sometimes I don't burn things.
Baby Lily came to visit! I love this baby. (Sarah's baby)
And finally after waiting "all his life" to be a scout, it finally happened.

Never have you seen such excitement. This boy got a hold of a scout pamphlet when he was 3 years old and lived in St. Louis. He kept that thing for years, looking it every night after I put him to bed and asking me daily when he would get to go to scouts. It seemed like a lifetime away then.

 He and his friend Bryson will pour over their scout books after I've picked them up from Scouts, and he is ON me to figure out how to sew on these patches.  I have no clue what half the words he is even talking about.  A whole new world. Oh boy.

  Before I forget this story. Cache and I were up late watching the Olympic opening ceremonies. When they announced that they would be doing the National Anthem, Cache who I thought was asleep next to me, jumped up and bolted for his room. Half a second later he was back next to me frantically buttoning up his scout shirt! Then he stood and saluted while started playing a song he didn't recognize.. the RUSSIAN national anthem.  He sulked back to his room, while I cried tears of laughter. Such a funny boy. Man I love this kid.