Funny Faces

Funny Kids and funny faces! This is one of our favorite family activities while brushing teeth or now while we're in the elevator which has mirrored walls on 3 sides.
Although I think some of the other elevator riders find us all a little disturbing when they walk in and see the majority of my children like this.

I love these kids and I love these faces! These are my two favorite. Melodie looks like a little fairy grandma cartoon, Joe looks like some freaky old man, they had me laughing so hard I was crying. You got to see Mel's face in real time, I'll get a video of it later. Hilarious, the way she blinks when she does this face is so funny...
Hope you had a laugh! I just did, again. Oh, what a bunch of funny weirdos.

Bad Selfies

So, it was 10:30 at night. Kids were heading to bed. I was taking a picture of something and once again, when I turned on my phone's camera, it was in Selfie mode. It's usually in selfie mode because a kid took my phone without permission and was taking pictures or videos of stuff, such as was the case this time. Lily is the currently reigning selfie queen of our family.

...and her first attendant ~ Sophi

I usually try to hide myself from my eyes if I notice it is in selfie mode. I need to shield my self esteem from seeing myself in caught unawares, cause those images I see are never flattering. I'm usually looking at my phone with my rest face which is a preoccupied mother frown/scowl, and also usually at an angle that emphasizes things I don't want emphasized (like the chin and neck). So, as I turned on my camera tonight, I unintentionally caught a glance of my unflattering self in the screen. This time I decided to just go with it. Let's see if I can capture how hideous I feel in this unaware selfie images...

That one was pretty good. I went for another snapshot

Oh yeah, that is what I see. So that is me. I started laughing a little uncontrollably at how bad it was and Mel, who was doing homework in the front room, heard me laughing and came up to see what was so funny. I turned the screen to her... "MOM! That's horrible!!! Don't do that! You don't look like that!" But she couldn't resist and joined in the fun. Kinda hard for Mel to look bad...

Hmmm, pretty good "bad selfie" I guess for a pretty teenage girl, but you got nothin' on me. Soon all the kids that I had been telling to "go to bed!" were out of their rooms dinkin' around with me.

See kids, we gotta put time restrictions and other blocking software on your electronic devices or you'll just end up wasting time! Ha! Oh, yeah, it was me this time. Well, ok, now let's show the steps to a good selfie. Good side, turn your head to the side (all the Disney Princesses do side glances, never straight on), hold the camera at a high angle...

Abi, try to do a bad selfie!

She can't do it. Hyrum?

That one is weak too. Wes?

Wesley was tired and fumbled out of his bed... he couldn't resist the call of laughter from the hallway. He's trying to look like he's sick, but mostly you look like you should be back in bed. Who's idea was this goofing off at night anyway!? Back to bed kids! But it's fun to make funny faces and laugh and as I hear on PBS kids everyday during the Vroom commercial: making faces helps brain development as kids understand different feelings and emotions. Who knew that we've been having brain building moments sponsored by Vroom all this time! I'm a brain builder! Whatever Vroom is... we just did it cause it's fun and silly. It's kind of a family past time. From the mirrored elevators in Chile to eating grapes and playing with broken glass, it's fun to laugh at ourselves. A few more funny faces images from years past: Joseph as a Who character, Mel as Anton Ego's Sister... I need to stop looking at these or I'm going to laugh so hard that I'll wake up Daniel... Ok, goodnight for real this time!

Who Mayor

Our mornings start early and at different times for everyone. Joseph wakes up at 5:45 to leave at 6:15 for his before school band practice. I take him, and as soon as I get back home at 6:45 the jr. high kids are heading out with Corey for their before school jazz band practice. Then I get everyone else up and ready to head out the door at 8:30. So we have three school departure times, making for a 2.5 hour morning rush, if a rush can last 2.5 hours. So that is what our usual school mornings are like. And that is why we haven't figured out a way to do morning scripture time. So we read our scriptures at night. Night time isn't busy, but there are plenty of distractions. On Halloween night, with kids too high on sugar, we're trying to get a little spiritual but Joseph was causing a distraction as he was looking in the hall mirror and making faces... "Mom!!! Doesn't this look like a 'Who'?"

"Don't I look like the mayor from 'Horton Hears a Who?!?'" he asked again even more excitedly

which cause him to make himself laugh...

"Joseph! Pay attention to what we're reading!" ... "(wait, do it again...) Yeah, you look like a who! You're funny"

His siblings said they thought he looked a little bit like Steve Carell, WHO wouldn't you know is the voice for the mayor! Joseph channeling his inner Carell...

He had a hard time blowing out his upper lip without laughing and ruining the funny face.

..and then making the rest of us laugh...

And then everyone is making faces. All right, I guess we're done for tonight. What a goof. I'm glad we find such fun in something so simple as making faces. We've been doing it for years, might be a signature family trait/trademark. Here are some funny faces from years past~
While eating grapes.
In the elevator in Chile.
Melodie with broken glass
While rearranging furniture
Mel as a food critic
Good times, good times.

Rearranging

I had the kids work a lot on Saturday, and the house looked pretty good and we were able to sort through quite a bit and get things more organized so we can start the school year off right. I finally put away the snow pants and winter clothes... yeah, only took me til the end of summer. So after a good weekend of work, it only took one day of all of us home to make it look trashed again. It's all about habits, and apparently we need to make some better ones. I timed all the kids to see how long it takes them to put their shoes away vs. leaving them on the floor. Average time was 3 seconds. We just need to get in the habit of it. 

So, on Monday, since we had lots of work to do, I thought I'd give us even more by re-arranging their bedrooms, yee-haw! I re-arrange the furniture almost compulsively. Maybe I'm just always searching for the most efficient way for all of us to live, and that keeps changing with each kid and as they grow and change each year.

The boys and girls rooms are staying the same, but I'm switching the furniture around, I wanted the girls to have the white bed. A silly detail that bugged me enough that I made myself have to do a lot of work, but now it's Wednesday and we finally got it all together. Now to tackle my desk, which I'm going to give to the kids as their study/desk area, cause I'm going crazy from having them climb over me when I'm at the computer, getting into my permanent markers and using up all the paper and just making a big mess. I'm giving myself an area that's locked away in the laundry room and I'll not have a computer in there, that way they won't ask me if they can use if to play games or look up legos on and hopefully I can keep it kid free and organized. My computer died anyway, so now I'm using the computer the kids have their SmartMusic on, so we're all sharing that one. I think it will be good and will keep me focused in what I'm doing at the computer since we all have to share it. I came in to use it a few times today but kids were doing their music, so I went and kept cleaning.  

Anyway, something funny, as we moved the dresser into the girls room, Mel was excited to see that she could make the mirror faces like they do on Grandma's ipad - they get such a kick out of that app, they've made some pretty funny pictures on there. So here at home everyone wanted to get in on the fun.

Mel helped Lily make some funny faces ~

Mel's crazy kung foo guy

And Hyrum and Ethan looking a bit like Shrek ogres...

Funny kids, making faces in a mirror is one of our favorite bonding activities.  A good way to get a good laugh if you haven't laughed yet today.  :)

Orthodontist Appointment

Neither Corey nor I had braces growing up, so I have no personal experience with orthodontics. But that is about to change, cause I now know that I have kids that will need them. Today I took Wesley and Abi in for a consultation at McDonough Orthodonics. Their office came very highly praised via my facebook request for recommendations. My little sis' endorsement was the one that influenced me most, so she's the one I named and that I think they'll be sending the $20 thank you gift cards to in the mail. :) I have to say I was a little skeptical of all the enthusiasm and raving about them, I mean they can't be that amazing, it's just another dental office, right? But I'm happy to say after our appointment there, they delivered on all those high expectations I was trying not to have and I love them too. (I wish my maternity appointments could be as much, blah) Great office, great experience, even cookies as we left, and I'm super glad we're going there!

Abi is just 7, and Dr. David (such a nice guy!) said that orthodontics are most likely in her future, but not yet. So Abi just gets to come back every 6 months for a check up. Abi is glad she doesn't need them yet. She was pretty nervous, but then again, she is always been my sensitive little girl. When they were taking pictures of her teeth, Wesley and I were laughing so hard, I had to go get my phone to take some pictures. I hurried out to the lobby to grab it. And to check on my 3 little girls (still watching Monsters Inc, good baby sitter Lily!) We came back, and they had moved on from the clear plastic funny face maker and on to a metal one...

This was Abi's and mine and Wesley's favorite part of the consultation - making silly faces with their mouth opener thingy's while they took pictures of her teeth.

Wesley and I were laughing so hard at her, and I think she was laughing too, but you couldn't tell she was smiling cause her lips were already spread out all the way. When she was done, she was excited to see for herself what all the fun was about. I showed her a few of the pictures I took of her ~ "AHHH!"

...and then we said "Wes, you're next!!!" And we started laughing again

We'd never had so much fun at the doctors!

So funny!

For Wesley, the moment is upon him... Wes is getting braces next week!!! Are you excited?

C'mon, show me your most excited smile!

Hey, you can do better than that!!

Abi and Wes both want some of these mouth things for their birthday, cause just think of all the fun we could have making funny faces with these! Oh yeah, all the kids in our house of characters would love it.

So, Wesley is going back tomorrow to get models of his teeth made, and then next Wednesday he goes back for the braces. We'll post about that big day when it comes. Joseph and Hyrum have appointments next week, we'll see how many kids in braces we can have at the same time! Yeah, that sounds like fun! (Hope it doesn't break the bank!)

Funny Faces II

Wesley and Abi were playing with their friend McKinley and her mom sent me these funny pictures - Wesley loved it, thought it was super funny.



She looks like a Littlest Petshop Owner or something



MegaMind!



Wesley with McKinley's little sister, baby Addison.

Googly Eyes

So, just another Friday night... with my kids being funny weirdos. Melodie, as usual, was the creative mind behind this one. She somehow got a hold of the googly eyes that Sophi had given to Lily for Christmas. While most people would look at a package of googly eyes and think "craft", Melodie looks a things with a different perspective. She called her sister over to take a picture for her

Melodie apparenly is more of a Calvin creative type... Lol, that strip is a classis.

Perhaps she can keep a pair of eyes in her pocket to use at school so she can take a nap during class and not get caught! She was laughing pretty hard. "Abi! Come here! This is so funny!" And Abi joined in. They laughed and laughed

They thought they looked like the train faces from Thomas and friends - ha!

The kids all come running when they hear fun happening. Here's Lily's googly eye face

And Wes was up next - he struggled to get them to stay on.

Mel and Abi's eyeglasses held on the googly eyes on the face better for them, so they were able to look more rested. Wes's face was a bit strained as he tried to hold it with his eye lids

Still pretty funny. I like hearing the kids laugh and be goofy together.

Another funny face that Mel was responsible for recently - this was actually in November - she thought she'd try to give her little sisters nightmares by making these creepy faces - one on a closet sock drawer, the other on the bed post in the girls' room. In the closet... "Hello little girl..."

Mel! Your sisters can't get dressed in here with this face looking at them!!

"Hi, I'm a freaky closet face watching you change your clothes?" Yeah, he's gotta go.

Then there was this scary guy on the bed -

We all agree these guys are freaky.

Mel, you're a weird one. Creative, but weird. Did you know that WEIRD and WRIDE have the same letters, just rearranged? Perhaps the weird part comes with our name.