Surprising fact #278 from Henry's archive of knowledge: Today, when Archer spit up all over me, he said, "well, at least he's not a Northern Fulmar! They can shoot vomit up to 6 feet and it usually kills their enemies." #truths
Fun opportunity to direct this cute children's choir at the Interfaith Awards Ceremony at the Baha'i temple today (with Ben on the piano). These kids had so much energy and sang their hearts out!
Beautiful spring day in Chicago! We knew it would come! It was nice to have an excuse to spend time outside at the stunning Baha'i temple.
Proud winner of the cake-decorating contest at the Blue and Gold fiesta. I will admit to helping with this cake, but Henry honestly did 80% of the green frosting. I'm happy that he was legitimately excited about doing it and really got into it! You know, a hobby we both enjoy together. 😊 #cactuscake#cubscouts #blueandgoldbanquet
Spring flowers and the temple always remind me of my grandma. 💗 Felt her love and lots of peace today. Why do I not come here more often???#ldstemplechicago #innerpeace#innerstrength #mormontemple
Decisions, decisions.#samtheswordfighter
Very specific request to make his hair match the guy on "boy band break-up." How did I do? #studioc
This boy has decided that he is now officially a big kid. He wants to walk ALL the time (while holding our hands), and then this week he decided he is too big for puréed food. He wants (and demands) everything we are eating. Why should we deny him oranges, lasagna, and peanut butter sandwiches just because he only has two teeth?#growingwaytoofast
Note to self: always check the weather before signing up to bring snacks on the day @beniverson is out of town. When you have the snacks, you can't watch the (soaking wet and muddy) game from the car. 😬 Luckily, Ellis still had a great time winning 15-1!#lessonlearned #muddysoccergame#soakingwetfansection#fairweathersoccermom
Currently, his favorite thing ever is being the DJ. Using multiple sources on the iPad, he can find any song he wants, and then he loves to blast the music, jump around, dance, sing, pause for costume changes, etc. Sometimes I require headphones. 😊 #djsamo
Thanks to these monthly photos, my bedroom rug is getting vacuumed exactly once a month. ☺️ We are loving this boy who seems to be so excited about growing up: rolling, scooting, sitting, and eating anything that can be puréed! #lovehim#archerbythemonth #archergriffin#eightmonths
And this: so happy to have a fun way to play outside with the big boys. And Mom is happy to have her arms free for a few minutes! #swingtimespringtime
BONUS: This is what the spring blossoms looked like on my jogging/biking trail. The splendor only lasts for about a week, and then they turn to a dull reddish brown. It was perfect timing to seize the day and enjoy them for Mother's Day!
I got to open my Mother's Day present early so we could enjoy a date night on the trail with Archer as the third wheel! 😉 #babyseat#thuleridealongmini #springcolors💚💗
Caught Sam peeking over at me several times during Sacrament meeting to get the likeness just right. 😍#motherportrait #firstforsam#itreasurethis
When people find out that I have four boys, there are usually a lot of raised eyebrows, gasps, and laughter. My new response to "Four boys???" is, "Yep! I won the boy lottery!" which I think is absolutely true. I feel so lucky and blessed to have these four unique personalities and adorable little men in my life. #lovethem #fourboys#mothersday2016
Making the most of our mango. #bigboyfood #slipperyfingers
Thought I got unlucky and stepped on the pointiest Lego in the house. Then I realized this was embedded in my foot. Then we proceeded to have a conversation about the pros and cons of having our bedroom floors covered from wall to wall with debris. #momlife #ouch
Proud of my little actors in our "Juan who works at Cabo" reenactment.#wardvarietyshow #studioC #copycat#obsessed
And we thought Ellis was the only one with acting skills in this family! #henryisjuan#juanwhoworksatcabo#justafterremovingthemustache 😕
Grandpa is here!#bringonthelaughs
Grandparents in town means missing a few hours of school for some Lego time!#legolanddiscoverycenter
Master builder workshop.#legolanddiscoverycenter
Builder in training.#legofamily #fourthboy
Sorry for the #overgram, but Archer is in heaven and suspended in air over the Legos! #crawlingskills#corestrength
Bonus pictures of cute boys enjoying Legoland together!
Henry could have done this water area for a few more hours.
And Sam was super proud of his tower that kept getting taller and taller.
Picked up some extra bikes and had a fun afternoon ride through the forest preserve during preschool. #bikethepreserves#chicagosmoovebike
You're a wizard, Sam-o.
Happy that the soccer games were warm and dry enough for Archer to get his first taste of grass! He was wearing these jammies at the game, and some people we were talking to assumed he was a girl. 😉 #prettyboy #soccerbaby#grasspuller
I have about a million pictures of Henry doing this, but Ellis has never been a reading addict... Until now! He's determined to read all 26 of the A-Z Mysteries series! And so for the first time ever, we keep finding him curled up with a book. I'm so happy to see him get into reading! #bookworm
Henry, Ellis, Sam, Archer, each at 8 months. #myfoursons
"To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kind of scary. I've wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad." --Jack Handey. Thanks, @katij42 for the, uh, neat birthday present. 😳 #deepthoughtsbyjackhandey#happybirthdaytome
One of the things I like about Ellis is that he is the kind of kid who practices goal celebrations in the backyard. That came in handy today when he netted a hat trick.
Walking into a room and finding this. ❤️ #brotherlylove #bigbrother#somuchlove
Watching the big boys.#waterfight #memorialday
The weather was perfect, and we spent nearly the entire day in the back yard reconnecting, recollecting, theorizing, brainstorming, playing, eating, and especially laughing with friends. So glad @thejacobpriestexperience would make the drive from Iowa and@klgardiner and @jdgardiner came up from Peoria to make a fun birthday weekend for @beniverson !#memorialday #healthykidsunite
Can't believe a year ago Sam was my baby! #bigandlittle#firstgrocerycartride
Archie grew up SO much in the last month! Suddenly he is army crawling everywhere, trying to walk, and demanding every kind of table food he can attempt to mush in his little mouth! He is keeping me on my toes, and still keeping stars in my eyes. ✨🌟💫#archerbythemonth #ninemonths
Last day of 4th and 1st grade! Sam brought "the brothers" a last-day marshmallow, only to find out they had already eaten pizza, Popsicles, and ice cream at school. It was quite the celebration day! #lastdayofschool#bringonthesugar
Just calculated that I will be taking boys to Cub Scouts for at least the next ten years. 😳 It has taken me a while to get used to it, but I love that it gets my boys outside, stretches their comfort levels, builds friendships, and makes them happy. #futurecubscouts #fourboys
Two Cub Scout Twilight Campers this year! Ellis was so excited to join as an honorary Tiger. Rock climbing, science, rope bridge, archery, sling shots, etc. #boyheaven #cubscouts #twilightcamp
I can't believe my sweet little Sam (who was just born yesterday, right?) had his last day of preschool yesterday. As in, he is no longer a little kid and is ready to move on to the Big Kid world. He has grown so much and has been challenged, nurtured, and loved in Miss Nancy's classroom. It has been amazing to watch his development and growth over the last two years! Thank you @nwmyers for everything you have taught him!#montessoripreschool #readyforanything#mybaby #samo
Repost of Nancy's comments about Sam's Hundred Board. So proud of him!
Ice skating camp this week! I was so excited to find this camp that includes ages 5-12 and runs Monday through Friday from 8:30-12:00. Keeping them active, busy, and using muscles they didn't know they had!#summerskatingcamp #oneweek#iversonseversonboys#wecandohardthings
Future Olympians, to be sure.#summerskatingcamp @sarahseversonfam
Having a vanilla ice cream cone in honor of my Grandma June Allred who would have turned 100 today if she was still alive (she served these every time we visited her). The Hartigan's workers got a kick out of us ordering four vanilla cones in a row!#grandmajune
Celebrating the last soccer games of the season! I am proud of my boys for their hard work. #shakeshack#soccerboys
The future of fort-building (Henry is inside!). #crazyboys#summercreativity
Henry getting his geek on at this week-long Ultimate Apps and Coding class, which he loved!
These two headed out on a flight to SLC this morning. Ben has a finance conference in Park City, and he took Sam along to go to "Grandma Camp," which is a fancy name for getting passed around among relatives' homes. We will miss them like crazy but happy they get to have this adventure!
With Ben and Sam gone, we have been indulging in some big-kid game nights. Ellis is enjoying his trial run of getting to stay up until 9:00. We have played The Skull King (slightly more kid-friendly version of Wizard/Hearts) for three nights in a row because it is legitimately fun and addicting!#ilovebigkids #gamenight
I didn't understand it 14 years ago when my brother @friff14talked about it nonstop, and now that my boys are officially obsessed, it still doesn't make any sense to me. But it sure keeps them occupied! #pokemon
Must. Buy. More. Pokemon.#moneymoneymoney #lemonadestand
"I'm going to wear these sunglasses every time I take a drink so I look epic." #samquote #costumeman
Sam and Zach learning from Grandpa that even at the fish farm a fly rod works best. The trick was to not set the hook if a little one bit it, and to wait for the big ones instead. #itssunnyinutah
For Father's Day, I let my dad hold my fish for the picture. #ProvoRiver#econconference #weonlycaughtone
The end of "Grandma Camp" and Sam is all giggles. #oneononetime
