Here are some adorable photos of my kids.

Ethan, Taylie, Brenna, and Blake.

Ethan is Blake's best friend. Blake will smile at me every now and then, smile at James and the girls about once a day, and smile at Ethan all day long. Until I get the camera out and then suddenly the smile mysteriously disappears. What a stinker. I can't be too mad at Blake though, because for the past 3 nights he's only woken up once per night. So he's on my good side. I've recently talked to a few people who say things like "I can finally get my baby to fall asleep in his / her own bed!" (These people don't actually say his / her. They know the genders of their babies.) Blake has slept in his own crib every night since birth. What a good little guy.

Brenna is keeping me on my toes. She cut her own bangs again! Right before school pictures, too. They let siblings come in the afternoon, so I've done that with Brenna every year. This year, however, I'll have to wait until the bangs grow out (again) and go to a portrait studio. Or hire a photographer. Or something. Brenna sleeps pretty well at night too right now. My sleep situation is pretty good.

Speaking of sleeping, I'd have to say that my least favorite part of the school year is waking up to an alarm clock. It's never been a problem before because I usually just wake up at the same time every morning automatically. But my sleep schedule has been a bit wacky lately, so I have to use an alarm clock. I'm not a fan. I feel like it's yelling at me, and I hate it when people yell at me. My favorite part of the school year is that the kids' friends are in school too. I do love their friends. And I'm glad that my house is a popular hangout. I don't even mind feeding them all. But after the whole summer of having tons of kids over all the time, the peace and quiet is a nice change.

My birthday was great! I went shopping all morning, then met James in Provo for lunch. While I was there I went to D.I. (thrift store) and bought a bunch of books. For anyone who is unaware, buying books at thrift stores is my favorite hobby. I don't actually have that much time to read the books, but that doesn't stop me from buying them. And I read every chance I get. Anyway, that night we went to the Cracker Barrel for dinner. The kids were well-behaved (it happens sometimes) and I got to eat Bluebell Ice Cream for free! James bought me flowers and also a KitchenAid mixer, which I've wanted for a long time. I've already baked bread and homemade croissants using the KitchenAid. I love it!

Speaking of books and cooking, people ask me for book recommendations and recipes all the time. So if I come across a really great one (book or recipe) I'll put it here. In September my book groups read:

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn (I really really liked this one)

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (probably R-rated, but the setting was amazing and I liked the general plot line.)

In October we are reading:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (This is a classic! I like it a lot, but James would hate it because it is not plot-driven at all. It's just about a girl growing up in Brooklyn.)

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (I didn't get into it until about 1/2 way through the book. Maybe I should have used Cliff's Notes or something. But the second half moved a lot faster and I'm glad I read it. Again. I know I read it in High School but I didn't remember much about it. Just Madame DeFarge and her knitting. To be honest, I probably remember that part because it was mentioned in "The Boys Next Door". Anyway, enough about that.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (4th in the Twilight series. I didn't love it, but then again I read it while I was in labor so my opinion was perhaps a bit warped. I was a bit cranky at the time.)

I promised Brenna I'd take her to the Library, so I gotta go. More later.