Can we talk about (a bunch of stuff only grandparents care about but I'm going to write down anyway so I can have it to keep)

Alice.  She is getting so fun now that she's older.  So old.  She still thinks she's 3-years-old just like Rex, but she's also learning how to get along with a very attention needy brother.  Actually she learned that a long time ago, it's just becoming more apparent now.  Alice is super good at playing by herself.  In fact, she almost always plays by herself because Rex is no good at playing by himself or at playing games that Alice likes.  He's very much the product of a mother with one child and nothing to do except worry about how much attention he's getting.  But this paragraph is not about him--it's about Alice.  See how he just sneaks right in there and steals her spotlight?  Alice is still in the habit of taking whatever toy she wants and leaving the room.  Seriously, if Rex and I are playing in the toy room, she'll come get her baby and then go play in the kitchen.  She's also very much so into hiding.  Like last week when she discovered juice boxes.  She drank hers and then found another one in the trash can so she took that one and hid behind the curtains.  So tricky. When I told her to come sit down for lunch, she ran into the bike room and tried to hide behind a pie chest, with empty, trashcan juice box in hand.  My brother in law Travis later cleaned out another trashcan juice box and filled it with water for her.  Thanks.  Her giggling gave her away.  When I tell her to come get dressed, she runs away.  She thinks she is hilarious.  She also has a little spot behind the clothes in our closet.  I found one of Rex's pillows back there today.  Not sure who put it there.  We got her a tent for Christmas.  We took it down when her older cousins came to play.  She got super mad and tried to crawl in without the poles.  We put it back up.  

She's also quite the mom.  Either I am super gendered in my parenting, or in my thinking or boys and girls are just different because Alice loves to be the mom.  She often picks out Rex's clothes and will try to get him dressed.  Seriously.  A few days ago she took his underwear out of my hand and tried to hold it out for him to step into.  She also has several babies that she likes to carry around.  She rubs their backs and gives them bottles (after taking a hit for herself of course).  Speaking of rubbing backs, pick her up, see what she does.  She rubs your back.  She think she's my mom.  

She's also started talking.  I know she's such a genius (or about average, but I'm going with genius).  She says milk (mi), Rex (x), Dad (dadadada), Mom (ma), and cracker (cr).  Of course these are all completely indistinguishable outside of the proper context.

She still just wants what she wants, though she's gotten better at getting it.  She is now in the habit of pulling me around the house by my sweats (what I wears sweats all day, every day, you would too if you had no neighbors...maybe you'd run around naked, at least I get dressed).  She pulled Greg out of Sacrament by his finger today and is now strong enough to push the doors at church open so she also got out of Sunday School.  She also knows where the nursery is and just waits outside, knocking on occasion, to be let in.

She's a hoot and I'm glad we have her.

Alice goes around the house putting anything she can around her neck, hence the play stethoscope as a necklace.

Check out those pigtails.  They lasted 2.5 seconds.

Alice got a bike just like Rex's only smaller for Christmas.  She rode it to the mailbox with me the other day.  We're still looking for a helmet in her size.  Yes, I make my kids wear helmets while riding their tricycles.  Rex has fallen off and hit his head before.

 Rex.  Rex is just about the silliest kid I know.  Like all the time.  When I asked him why he came into my bed last night he told me, and I quote, "Because you needed someone to cuddle you and Greg doesn't cuddle at night."  That's right, he calls his father Greg.  He thinks that's pretty funny.  He started Sunbeams today and was so excited to go to the big Primary.  He really wants to go up on the stand and sing.  He said he was good and learned about being reverent but that he was sad because he didn't get called on.  I asked him if he raised his hand and he said yes.  I asked him what he wanted to say and told him he could tell me, all whiling thinking to myself, "Look what a good mom I am.  He didn't get a chance to answer a question about being reverent today so I'll let him tell me and then we can talk about being reverent.  Man, I'm a good mom."  What did Rex say?  "I just wanted to tell them about my bow and arrow."  Awesome.  Well there went that teaching moment.

He's also very sweet.  His favorite thing to do: cuddle.  If we don't have any plans, Rex will sit in my lap like a baby for 45 minutes or more in the morning.  He just likes to be held.  And loved.

Speaking of love.  Rex is in love with his babysitter.  A few nights about I told him that Alyssa was going to watch him so Greg and I could go see Les Mis.  As I tucked him and said, "I love you."  He said, "I love Alyssa "  Awesome.  Alyssa later reported to me that he made her get in bed with him...I do worry about him and dating.

Rex, like Alice, is a hoot and we're glad we have him too.

Rex in heaven.  Unlike Alice, he is still a baby and likes to take baths in the sink.  He's in the goo Amber got him for Christmas.

Rex wants to be just like his daddy.  They got matching pocket knives for Christmas.  Don't worry, Rex's is wood.  Though Greg did sharpen it for him.  Thanks Babe.