Cousin Owen is ONE!

YAY! Owen turned one, he is the youngest of our clan. Between us and Kent's brother and sister we have seven kids who are four and under, with Hunter being the king of the hill at age six. There are a TON of pics. because they are all so cute, I can't ever choose what to cut out. This one cracks me up, because Owen was sitting there like this for quite some time before someone helped him out! He is such and easy going, mellow guy, he just waited!

Ellie is ready to party!

Auntie Sarah giving Owen his yummy cake!

Owen seemed to love it!

So did all the other kids.

Dani was too busy to stop and eat cake.

Ellie ate hers for her.

Ally had her fair share too. Doesn't she look just like Elizabeth in this pic.? You know our kids and their kids share half of the same genes. So they are kind of like half-siblings, but that's too weird to think about.

Owen and Uncle Kelly getting ready to open presents!

Grandma Phillips and Auntie Helen enjoying the chaos from afar.

Dani thinking she's helping Owen.

Joey Seaboldt, he is too adorable.

And last but not least, Ellie pooped on the potty again! (I won't post a pic. every time this happens, but it's exciting)!

Dani brushed while Ellie sat on the pot.

We FINALLY figured it out!

Life has been a little frantic lately! The girls are almost two and busier than ever. I am only allowed two second showers, and they still have time to destroy half the house. Even with their big brother keeping an eye on them and running into the bathroom screaming, "My sisters are being naughty!" I am hoping all of my neighbors work and are gone by the time I am running through the house with a towel wrapped around me halfway. It's not pretty. I don't have the nerve to look out the window to see who is peering in at me with a bewildered look on their face.

Just last week I came out to find Danielle behind the couch (yet again), with a marker in her hand and ink all over the blinds and windows. I really was quite proud of myself, I have really been working on more patience, I just looked at her and said, "Not ok, go to your room." The girl was smart enough to know at that point, to get her little bum out of my line of sight. Luckily the ink was crayola and washed right off. Then I turned around and saw Ellie on top of the counter going through our junk basket, a bunch of random stuff, paperwork, mail, choking hazards. I hauled her into time out and decided things need to change!

This was about the time I took the high chairs out of the kitchen (they pushed them over to the counter, then crawled up). This solved the counter situation (our stools are too heavy for them to lift and are all lying on the floor in the dining room). Next I needed to childproof the doors.

HOORAY! The best invention ever! I didn't need these with Brayden, but they have made my life so much easier in the last week. I hope they don't figure them out anytime soon! Now there is no way they can get the markers out of Brayden's art supplies in the hall closet, no dipping hands, feet, or faces into the toilet and B has his own stuff in his room safe and sound! Life is good!