Grandpa feeding Siena a bottle while the kids play
Brighton and Bennett showing off their Happy Meal toys
One last hug
The Millers left to drive home early Sunday morning, so we all met together at the McDonald's in Bountiful on Saturday to have lunch and to let the kids play together for one last time. It was a sad goodbye, but we will hopefully see them again soon.
Yesterday we attempted getting a group picture of the cousins again. We went to the Target photo studio and it was actually a success!... sort of. It's always a challenge getting 6 kids to cooperate for one good picture, but at least this time everyone was in it, no one was crying, and everyone was looking at the camera, hooray! We will get the pictures back in a couple of weeks so stay tuned. We also tried to got some candid shots of the kids before we changed them out of their matching outfits (without much luck, as you can see).
Our little musician
Siena is petting the Cat Bus
Chelsea's favorite is taking care of the babies in the nursery
There were lots of exhibits that even Siena could enjoy
She really enjoyed herself!
The boys made knight masks at the craft corner
Waiting for the show to begin
The kids put on a cute theater production
Brighton was one of the "bad guys"
Chelsea couldn't help but run onto the stage to cheer Ellery on, who was a princess
Chelsea was so excited to see Mei and Satsuki in person
Siena is gnawing on a slipper at the Japanese exhibit
The kids are always fans of the aquarium
Even the little ones had plenty to see and do
It was such good timing for us to be there for the Japanese exhibits
Brighton was ecstatic to see the Cat Bus-- he actually got to ride it!
Although he was a little bit scared of the big Totoro
An exhibit of Japanese street shops
Of all of the children's museums we have been to, the Treehouse Museum in Ogden is our favorite. It is so big and open and they always have wonderful exhibits and activities. This afternoon Grandma Allen took all of her grandkids, and as usual they had a blast. We were especially excited to be there for their Japanese exhibit, which is there for just a few more days. What good timing! When Brighton first ran in he immediately saw the Cat Bus from one of his favorite movies, "Totoro", and he yelled out, "Look, it's the Cat Bus!". Not too many kids there are probably familiar with that character, which is a shame, it is a great movie. We were also there for Theater Time, and with the help of the staff the kids participated in a theater production. It was so fun and so cute.
Tuesday Night was a rough night for our little family. It started in the early evening with Siena throwing up-- we didn't know that so much stuff could come out of such a little body!-- and then after we got her all cleaned up and in bed Chelsea woke up at about 11:00pm, throwing up several times, and then Brighton joined her at about 2:00am. It is heartbreaking to see your children miserable and suffering, and sadly, it also means that Mom and Dad get no sleep the entire night. But as much as I hate it when they're sick, there is something to be said about the quiet moments in the middle of the night as I sat with Chelsea or Brighton on my lap while I rubbed their backs and comforted them. That is some quality bonding time! The next day they were all doing much better, albeit a little weak and tired, so we stayed in our pajamas and watched movies all day (except for poor sleep-deprived Dad who had to go to work). These are some pictures of the kids watching movies... Chelsea fell asleep during "Emperor's New Groove".
It is so fun to see these two little cousins who are only two months apart growing up, and it's cute that they are getting more interactive with each other. Before we know it they are going to be running around together along with their older siblings and cousins!
Translation: Keep room clean, soccer, learn to read books, Brighton
Chelsea's attempt to scratch out her goals
Our New Year's breakfast
Brighton had three servings! 
Last night we celebrated New Year's Eve with Grandma and Grandpa Allen. We ate sukiyaki at our house, had some delicious pie courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa, and spent the rest of the evening playing games and hanging out. Although Dad was the only one who was able to stay up until midnight, we sure had fun being together.
Yesterday we had a traditional "Ousouji"--spring cleaning-- to bring in the new year. Dad carried Siena on his back during most of it to keep her out of trouble. With three little ones to entertain and take care of we didn't get as much done as we would have liked, but it is still nice to start the new year with a clean house.
Yesterday we caught Siena taking a nap in this position. I guess Chelsea's not the only flexible little girl in this family...
Brighton and Chelsea were so excited to see their cousins again
The two little girls enjoying their breakfast
With Bennett's new haircut they look more like twins than ever!
Chelsea and Bennett pass the time until their food came
Coming out of the movie
Siena was such a good baby in the theater
The Millers arrived in Utah late Friday night, and we met up with them in Salt Lake on Saturday morning. We went and had breakfast at Market Street Grill (yum!) before heading to an early showing of "Enchanted". It was so fun to be together again!
