Zack has reached an exciting milestone. He can stand up while holding on to something. He is working hard to figure out how to get up there himself. He has made a few good attempts though.
He is also eating more and more. Of course, there are times that he needs to eat everything at once. It was so funny to watch him try to work that cracker into his mouth without letting go of the crackers in each hand.

And since he has sped up his scooting, this is what happens when I leave the room for mere minutes. I don't mind the movies as much as the books. I think he's caught on to that, because he hasn't touched the books for a few days.

But the most exciting thing about Zack this week is that he turned one! His birthday was Friday, but, since I wasn't looking at the calendar when doing some scheduling, the kids and I had plans that night. So Saturday afternoon, we fired up the webcam and enjoyed some cake and presents while Ben watched. That's why the candle shot is kind of weird. Trying to be photographer without letting the baby get burned was a tricky job.

He wasn't quite sure about this whole thing at first. He figured out the present thing and was having a lovely time with his new toys, when they were so rudely taken away from him. Distracted by the candle, he quickly calmed down, but then I blew the candle out. Then all he got was something squishy and sticky, and he was not impressed. He threw his cupcake twice before I was able to get it in to his mouth enough for him to get a taste. Then he was all business and so messy. It was a perfect first birthday fiasco!

Tansy has been working hard on her artistic skills. Since she's gotten in trouble for coloring on the walls, the couch, and the dining room table, she decided to try something else. This happened Wednesday and wasn't completely off until Saturday. At least it was gone in time for church. And speaking of church, she decided to try out something else and colored on the pew. Sigh.

We're also trying to work out naps. If Tansy naps, it is impossible to get her to stay in bed before 9:30 or 10:00 at night. If she doesn't nap, sometimes this happens. She had been crying because I wasn't cooking dinner as quickly as she thought I should and had suddenly stopped. I tried talking to her and got no response. I realized that she had fallen asleep at the kitchen table. It was less cute when she woke up.

And, of course, what does every 2-year-old want to do when they get up in the morning? Go back to bed! But there is nothing going on back there, so why not bring the bed into the kitchen?

And Sydney is just waiting. Waiting for dance class. Waiting for school to start. Waiting for the next play date. Waiting for it to get dry enough to go play at the park. Waiting for me to finish with the babies so I can play a game with her. Waiting for dinner so she can have dessert. Waiting for Dad to come home. That's a lot of waiting for a little kid. She's a good kid who has been a great help to me.

On Thursday, she came out of her room and said, "Mom, what a great surprise you gave me. You got me new sheets and made my bed. Thanks!"

On Friday, the bishop's wife told me that when she taught Sydney's primary class, the lesson was on Abinadi and Sydney insisted on telling the whole story. It made me feel so good to hear that my little girl is listening and learning.

However, I didn't learn my lesson at that point, because it was late when we got home, so I decided to just have the kids say Good Night to Ben and go to bed. When I told Sydney to come talk, she said, "Mom, we didn't read scriptures yet." I said, "I know, we'll make sure to read them tomorrow." She said, "Mom, Heavenly Father wants us to read them every day." Thanks for the reminder, Syd. What a sweet girl.