It's raining

Andrew and Caleb disappeared this morning as I was working hard to get ready for the end of the school year. When I found them, they were in the neighbor's yard playing.  I got after them for not telling me where they were, and got back to business.  As I got him dressed, Andrew kept telling me about their adventure collecting spider webs.  "And Mom, there is a tree where it looks like it's raining.  You need to come see it."
"Sure. We'll go in a little bit."

Finally, as he was leaving to go to a friend's house, he insisted that we see it before he get in the car.  We ran down to the neighbors' and through the gate.  Within a few feet, we entered a magical fairy land with tall trees and a locus tree high above us dropping tiny seeds.  Through the filtering light, it looked like a light rainfall that would stick to the spiderwebs hanging from the branches. Aside from the lone bird call, I could hear the seeds lightly hitting the ground like the softest rain.

The floor was scattered with tiny flowers.  "See?" he asked.  "Doesn't it look like it's raining?"

I'm so glad the Lord, in his mighty knowledge, paired the most busy people in the world with the most carefree.

Our busy beavers

We have all been very busy at our house over the last couple of months.

Elsie is growing up, up, up.  She loves to read big books and is very fast.  We took her to the library to ask a librarian for a recommendation of what books to read next she has an exciting mix.

She also just had a birthday (Birthday hugs from the brothers).  

Elsie just finished 3rd grade.  She has loved school and did very well.   She loves her teacher and will miss her.  Her teacher is so creative and gets the kids excited to learn.  We hope next year's teacher will be just as good.  

She joined a choir that practices before school one day each week she had 4 performances so far and gets to perform on the 4th of July.  My favorite was when they performed "Rockin' Robin."

Cy, just finished 1st grade.  Way to go smart-e-pants.  He did well and loved his teacher. 

He loves exploring the great outdoors and loves animals.  We just got chickens for the kids.  It is funny because Elsie's chicken acts like the Mom and Cy's chicken pecks the others, their personalities are matched.  Yesterday we caught a garter snake in a bucket and while I was afraid to pick it up.  Cy played with it, no sweat.

Happy Birthday Cy, what a haul $$$.

Andrew:

Andrew is always talking and always moving.  He has his share of mishaps too.  Here he got in to a tussel with Caleb's head, poor kid.

Andrew loved Pre-school.  He likes to make up stories but always starts or fnishes them by saying that Miss Alby (his teacher) says so, so it is a fact.  

He also learned to read this spring and got to go to raging waters to celebrate his literacy.  

Andrew likes bugs, one day in church I found that he had smuggled in a June Bug, that he played with all of the first hour.  

Caleb is our little angel, he is very polite and loves to copy anything he hears.  He loves Nursury and his friends.  Everybody is his friend.

 We also have a brand new family member, we will introduce her in our next blog post.

Solar Eclipse

On May 20th we had a great time watching the solar eclipse, playing soccer, and eating chocolate on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  We made a pin hole projector and thanks to Angie's preparation we had solar glasses to watch it with.

We were having so much fun we called our friends.  Crystal and Chad (not pictured) and Tim and Yelena joined us.

We noticed the temperature drop during the eclipse.

(You can see the eclipse reflected on the paper)

We got to go to Goblin Valley this year for Easter. Great fun. Except at night. At night the wind blew, the sand covered and the tents collapsed. We did get to go on a couple of great hikes. Wild Horse Canyon was beautiful and the kids hiked most of the way themselves.

On Friday we died Easter eggs to leave out for the Easter Bunny to hide. The plan was that in the morning we would hunt for the eggs and then make eggs golden rod. During the night a fox or a skunk or a something decided to start the hunt without us though and with the exception of a couple of eggs got them all.

The kids didn't think it was very funny when I suggested that maybe the fox ate the bunny.   

Go Utes

I took the kids to the University of Utah's Red & White Spring Football game.  I had a good time.  So did the kids apparently.  When we got home Heather asked Caleb what he did.  He said "umm sit in a chair," she asked him what else "umm eat candy."

Andrew didn't get to come.  He said he was too busy to do his chores.  He had to go to a funeral instead.

I had kids to make me laugh...and cry and scream

I was pushing Andrew in the stroller (for which he is getting too big,) and he was trying to get me to push really fast. "I'm lazy," I answered. To which he responded, "Lazy people are crazy. And crazy people go fast!" A=B=C. He's already full of logic.

We were in sacrament yesterday, and when the water tray came to us, there weren't enough cups for the last few kids, Caleb included. He was very disappointed, but I calmed him by telling him it would be coming. He waited patiently, but when it came, he surprised us all by yelling loudly, "WATER! I love it!" Then, he proceeded to spill it down his front in his excitement.

The brainy one in the family?

These glasses look like they belong on him, don't they?

Our Little Book Worm

We went to our cousin's wedding last night, and while Caleb was busy tossing table decorations into the stream, Elsie sat down to read.  They both make me laugh.

The Little Drunker Boy, Part I

I was at Scouts a few weeks ago and didn't have my cell phone with me. When I came home and saw Heather's car gone and Robin's truck in front of our house, I smelled trouble.

Turns out Caleb bit 3/4's of the way through his tongue vertically and about 1/3 of the way across his tongue horizontally.

I rushed off to be a part of the fun (thank you Robin), and boy o' boy did I have it. Lots of it. Caleb was actually very happy pre-surgery we played and laughed and had fun taking pictures.

He couldn't have surgery until the food he had eaten a few minutes before the accident was out of his system so we had time to play.

He didn't like the IV though and it took 5 tries and the special team to get one successfully in.

Anyway, the surgery went well, just before they started the Nurses brought us some slushies, I felt like I was at the movies, watching surgery while slurping a grape slushy.

After the surgery the doctor wouldn't release Caleb until he could show that he was off of the effects of Kedamine. The nurse suggested that we get him to play a game or move around. He was so funny. He acted just like he was drunk. He staggered, he swayed, he drooled.

For a while he played the game of repeatedly hitting me in the head with a stuffed dolphin. Each time he hit me I would cry out "ohhh." He would laugh in his adorable drunk way.

He reminded me so much of the boy on this short video (well worth the watch):

http://www.thedoorpost.com/sacrifice/theboywhostoldchristmas/

The Little Drunker Boy part 2

Here are some more hospital pictures from our wonderful "little drunker boy."

Is he blaming Heather?

Don't look at me, look at the baby.

“When life gives you lemons...

...make fruit cake, and then start a food fight. Because, that's the way I ride baby.”

-Written by the Joe, for the Joe

I don't know why it is, but for me one of the biggest frustrations of being a parent is brushing and flossing my kids teeth.

I recognize that the timing is wrong. Don't do anything stressful when tired. The kids are tired, I'm tired. Its amazing how tired I am at 7:30 at night.

The motivations are also wrong. I'm Speed Racer, I want those teeth flossed and brush. After the flossing comes the brushing, then the reading and praying and then? It's Joe-Time. The kids motivation to brush? Hey, never is too soon for them.

Then there's the minor pain of sensitivity. Over zealous floss that catches on teeth and then slams into the gum.

Some times there's major pain too when the tooth brush slips out of their mouth and into their eye. Mud in your eye nothing, try mint in your eye.

The squirming, the whining, the complaining, the crying really bug me. Really, really bug me. Neither I, nor the kids enjoy this part of the bedtime routine.

Because it has been so hard, I started to pray to know what to do to make it bearable. A few weeks ago I felt inspired that if I just smile and laugh while I brush their teeth things will work out.

The amazing this is that brushing their teeth isn't become just bearable, it is becoming pretty fun too.

Cy likes for me to tell him stories. Andrew likes to laugh and be silly. They both like me to make up songs. Even just laughing for no reason is fun (try it). It's amazing how happy I can feel when I just start laughing.

Anyway, the Lord says:

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”

I am impressed with how this “thing” that was such a weakness is becoming a strength. It was something I dreaded, now its getting fun.

I am impressed that in such a simple way the Lord has helped me become better, I am excited to work on my other big weaknesses, and I feel like they won't just get bearable or manageable, they will become strengths. Hopefully strengths that make me laugh too.

Ballet girls

Elsie and her friend take Ballet together and they recently were before their recital, their studio sponsored pictures. Neither her friends parents nor us wanted to buy these pictures. Then, just a week after the show, Elsie's friend offered to take pictures of the girls in the studio. I'm so glad that we didn't get the studio photos!

2011 Interview of Elsie

Elsie's birthday has come and gone, and I love to interview the kids and see what is important to them and what they are thinking. Now that Elsie is eight, I'd like to hear what she thinks about a number of "issues."

1. What are your favorite things to do? Do you do them alone or with others? I like to draw and read. I do them by myself. Sometimes, I make books with my friend.
   

2. What do you like to eat? What do you dislike eating? Pasta!! I don't like tomatoes, squash, and bananas.
   

3. What do you think you will do when you grow up? Be an artist.
   

4. How have you changed this year: I've gotten baptized.
   Have you learned anything new? That it feels good when you're baptized.

5. What did you do on your birthday? I watched General Conference. We went to Nana and Papa's house.
   

6. What is your favorite color? Why? Light blue. Because it is pretty.
   

7. Do you have things to do every day that you don’t like doing? What are they? Get teased by my brothers. Get dirty, cause it itches. Do my homework.
   

8. What is your favorite thing to wear? Why? My "I love Horsy" shirt. I like horses. It is blue and it has a letter I and then a heart, and then a horse.
   

9. Who is the most important person in your life? Why? Jesus and Heavenly Father. Because He helped us a lot and He died for us.
   

10. What would be the best thing someone could give you? A book. What kind of book? A mystery book.
    

11. What is your day like? I go to school and then I come home and do my chores and then I eat dinner and go to bed.

12. What does your room look like? It has pink curtains, and on the left side of my room, I have my bed. On the right side, I have a couch. Caleb sleeps in my room with me, and my dresser is right by my bed.
13. What is your happiest memory? When I get to go to California with my cousins.
    
14. Why do you like being a kid? Because you get to play outside instead of working very much.
    
15. One word to describe you would be __nice_____.
    
16. What advice would you give your parents? To take us to fun places (excited).
17. If you could be any animal, which one would you be and why? A horse. They are cute!
    
18. Tell about a funny time in your life. I tell funny jokes. What's one of your funniest jokes? What do you call a dog with a fever? A hot dog.
    
    
19. What's your favorite computer game? Poptropica
    
    
20. What is your favorite thing to do with your friends? Play. Play what? Play princess horsies.
    
    
21. What do you love most about your brothers? That they're cute. What about when they grow out of cute? That they are funny.
    
    
22. What was the nicest thing you did for someone? Drew them a picture.
    
    
23. What do you think you will be doing 10 years from now? I'll be getting ready to go on a mission. What will you be doing in school when you are 18? I don't know because I don't know what grade I'll be in.
    
    
24. What is your favorite thing to do in the summer? Take summer classes. If you could take any class you want, what would it be? Arts and crafts.
    
    
25. What would be the ideal allowance? Tell me how you would use it. $20. I would use it on books or on art supplies.
    
    
26. What do you think makes a person good-looking? I don't know. (She named someone she thinks is good looking- and I agree-) He has cute blonde hair. (She's embarrassed.) He has a crush on me, also.
    
    
27. Name two things we should do as a family on the weekend. Work on the basement, and get my room finished. That's what I want to do. And. . . play outside.
    
    
28. What is the grossest thing you can think of? Dead snails. What? There was a dead snail on the corner of the tramp at Grandma's and Cy didn't clean it up. He just dropped it in the corner, and I stepped on it, so I had to wipe it off on the grass when I was sleeping over.
    
29. What does Dad do for a living? Goes to work. He buys the things for his company.
    
30. How much time does it take to make dinner? 10 or 20 minutes.
    
31. If you made dinner every day, what would you make? Pasta.
    
32. What is your favorite book? Sheltie. It's a horse book. (I found the other day that she had used her own money to buy herself a Scholastic book order. She bought two horse books and lent them to all of her friends, and she got a book on rocks and mineral that came with a little rock collection- $14. Wow.

We love seeing Elsie grow. I am especially pleased with the way she is recognizing the Holy Ghost. Since she has received the gift of the Holy Ghost, she seems to be struggling within herself about all her different feelings. Sometimes she makes the wrong decision, but she often knows she has and tries to change it. She has also felt Heavenly Father's love strongly at least two times- one when she was reading the scriptures, and another when she was listening to music.
She is also making lots of new friends and gaining a lot of freedoms. That comes with it's own learning moments! We love having you in our family, Elsie!

Talking about nothing

Anyone who knows Andrew will be able to understand this.

I was taking a nap and the kids were having quiet time in the living room when Andrew came in to talk to me.

"Mom, Elsie says I'm annoying."

"What were you doing?"

"Talking to her."

"About what?"

"Um, nuffing."

I couldn't help but laugh. He defensively added,

"I was just talking to myself."

That made me laugh harder, which made him wonder.

"Is it okay to talk to yourself?"

"Yes, it is honey, as long as you don't MAKE everyone else listen to you talk to yourself."

He has so many thoughts, he just can't keep them all in!

Funny shots from trying out the new camera

We just got a new camera for our company, and well, okay, for taking pictures of kids. My old camera would just catch fuzz if the kids were moving. And if there was real dimension, it still looked flat. I have NO idea what I am doing, but my kids sure can make me smile!