Christie's life with her 6 boys

Time to blog again!

2011-08-15T17:37:00.000-06:00

Wow, time flies when you're really busy! In honor of the 1 year anniversary since my last blog, I am posting an update! With milestones flying past in the lives of my boys, I guess it's time. The boys start school this week, so I guess it's a good time to re-dedicate myself to keeping our family's story up to date. We'll start off with a few pictures that my sweet sister took of my boys while we vacationed in Texas. (Thanks Julie!)

Jordan, age 14, is getting ready to start 9th grade. He is also doing everyone's chores to earn as much money as possible so he can by a 3DS. (That's the DS that's in 3-D. Pretty cool, and pretty expensive.) And he is now the proud owner of a cell phone. I told my boys a long time ago that they could have a cell phone when they got their eagle scout award (which he did), and with him in 9th grade, it will be nice to be able to communicate with him when there are school activities and such. Jordan hosted a pokemon DS tournament for his friends last weekend. He got trophies, prizes, and served lunch and treats. I'm happy he's willing to invite friends over. Could it be? Maybe we don't embarrass him too much.

Zachary, age 11, goes into 7th grade on Wednesday. He's getting excited to be in the band! Zach got his trumpet this week. Go Zach! He has it out every few hours sounding like a honking goose downstairs, but I'm happy he's excited to play in the band. He's also doing well in soccer. I watched practice last week and he was 3rd or 4th in the ladder sprints, which was great considering he was slowing down for the turns. He's a lot better than what he thinks he is. We got his schedule last week for school. He got into all the classes that he wanted to, and because they do an a/b schedule (4 classes a day on alternating days), he is so excited for his "B" day - it's band, language arts, art class, and math. Basically half the day will be play for him. I'm happy that he's happy to go back to school.

Caeden is 9 now, and will start 4th grade on Wednesday. Caeden is busy being the loving, teasing boy he is. Just loves to play with brothers, and does good things to be happy. Love it. He starts soccer in a few weeks, and is excited for 4th grade because his favorite friends are in his class.

Jacob is 6 and starts 1st grade this week. Jacob has been growing like a weed. Which is surprising considering how little he eats. (SO PICKY!!!) I hope his teacher is ready for him. He is worried that he won't be smart enough (he is), and is super-worried about what will happen if he doesn't follow directions. Should I be thankful that he's at least thinking about that, or worried...? He will also start soccer next week.

Levi, my 4 year old (and always my baby!) starts preschool this month. sniff sniff. Levi is super excited about school. He remembers dropping Jacob off at the same school, and he thinks it's "so awesome" to be going to a big kid school. Everything good is "super awesome" to him. It makes me smile. I'm going to miss having him by my side all day. Except when I want to nap. Then maybe not so much. He will be soccer player #4 this season. Let's just say that my life will be over-run by soccer this fall.

Aaron is staying busy with his job. The new project that is just beginning is keeping him busy. I was hoping that he would have been able to get ahead while we were in Texas, but alas, no luck. His day consists of leaving for work just as I get back from the gym, then he gets home just in time for dinner, we read scriptures, say prayers, he helps tuck the boys into bed, then I go to bed while he works from home for another 3-4 hours. The beginning of a project is always so busy!

I'm staying busy keeping track of my boys. Got a lot to do to get them ready for school. I swear, Jacob has grown 6 inches this past year. He shot out of his size 5 pants, through the 6's and we're going to try on the 7's today to see if I can just pass down Caeden's uniforms or if we need to go buy some more. Maybe we'll have a tall boy yet! We're also working on painting our living room (again.) I want to lighten it up with a different green, but Aaron doesn't want it to be too bright (Light green reminds him of the walls of the mental hospital down in Provo. And no, he has never been a resident.) I think we've decided on a taupe-ish green. We'll try it and let you know what we think. I also delved into the world of canning this week. We picked a basket of apricots from my mother-in-law's tree last Monday, and on Wednesday I spent 5 hours or so peeling, halving, pitting, and canning apricots. We haven't tried the plain apricots yet, but the jam is yummy. This week, we will tackle green beans out of Dave and Wendy's garden. We are grateful for all the yummy vegetables that they are willing to share! So here we come to harvest and bottle... It will be good. And it is pretty easy. And my boys love home-grown beans. So it's a win-win all around.

Well, that's our life in a nutshell. Or in a nuthouse. You choose.

Oh, how I love my boys!

Another big milestone (by accident...)

2010-08-13T12:09:00.003-06:00

Ok, so last Sunday Zachary came home from church with a big, huge, powdery lollipop thing. And being the kind brother that he is, he decided to share it. (Alright, I know some of you are disgusted by our family lollipop sharing practices, but if no one's sick, I just let it go. Honestly, I'm more grateful that they're sharing than worried about the transfer of germs! But, back to the story...) Jacob had been sucking on this thing for a long time, and his brothers were starting to get a little grumpy, so I imposed a time limit to sucking. Jacob's time was up, and so I went to get it from him. He ran away from me, with the sucker in his mouth - which, unlike brotherly germ sharing, kind of freaked me out (due to an incident that happened when I was young - a friend ran down the hall with a toothbrush in her mouth, fell, and the toothbrush became imbedded in the back of her throat. Thankfully her father was a pediatrician and she survived, but now the sight of kids running with things in their mouths really scare me. And, again, back to the story...) So, when I cornered him in the laundry room, I told him that his turn was OVER and it was time to give up the lollipop. I told him that I would count to three, then it would come out of his mouth, like it or not. "One..." "Two..." (do you see where this is going?) "Three..." And I (being a mom of my word) pulled the lollipop out of his mouth. At the same time, Jacob decided that his teeth would be stronger than mom's fingers, and he clenched down. Jacob was wrong. Next thing I know, he's on the floor yelling at me that I had pulled all his teeth out. I panicked, then checked his mouth. There was one bottom tooth that was a little loose, and I told him that if he would leave it alone then it would tighten back up and be fine. Meanwhile, his brothers filled him in on the tooth fairy. Jacob decided that it was in his best financial interest to work that loose tooth out. And so 2 days later, I had a sweet 5 year old who was $1.00 richer. Is this all my fault? Maybe not entirely, but kind of. I'm going to try to place some blame on his brothers to help alleviate my guilt of how this mom invited the tooth fairy to meet Jacob...

Another practical use for pokemon

2010-08-03T08:59:00.006-06:00

Anyone who really knows my sons will recognize the "Pokemon" overload we have going on over here. I mean, these guys love pokemon. Like, they watch the shows, collect the cards, play the games, talk the talk... I even overheard Jordan and Levi talking the other day:
Levi, the 3 year old: "I battle you!" (as he throws something imaginary at Jordan)
Jordan, the 13 year old: "Levi, I am not going to battle you until you get some new pokemon!"
And I think "Wait, the 3 year old is battling the 13 year old, and the 13 year old is taking it seriously enough to be concerned about the 3 year old's collection of pokemon?!?!"
OK, so maybe you had to be there, but I had to shake my head and laugh.

Another case in point: Here's Jordan's birthday cake. Yes, it's a Pok-e-ball.Do you notice what Zach is doing in the background? Yup, playing a pokemon game on his DS.

Anyway, in order to save some money, I am now trying to teach my boys piano (yeh, I know what you're thinking, and I'm thinking it too, but we'll see how it goes...). So I sit down with Jordan for his lesson and introduce his newest song. It has triplets and 16th notes, and I'm trying to get Jordan to count them out loud. To get the rhythm right, I count "trip-o-let, trip-o-let..." on the beat. Jordan decides to customize it. He starts counting "pok-e-mon, pok-e-mon..." on the beat. Then we get to the 16th notes. I, being the boring old mom that I am, start counting "one-ta-tee-ta, two-ta-tee-ta..." as I was taught to count them in music theory class. But, hey , what do I know? Jordan thinks and asks "Do I have to count them like that?"
"Well, I guess not. How do you want to count them?"
Of course, out of the hundreds of pokemon out there, there would be a 4 syllable pokemon creature name. So now from this day forth, it is no longer a 16th note, but a "Rat-a-tat-a."

Hey, whatever works, right?

Artwork

2010-07-31T09:08:00.008-06:00

Sometimes I just like looking at what my boys are drawing. I smile the biggest at the simple "MYMOMMYLOVESME" written at the top of a page by a precious 5 year old who's just learning to write:

Or the first "smiley face" of a 3 year old:

But sometimes they get a little more creative. Take, for example, Zachary's interpretation of swinging on a rope swing into a mountain lake fed by snow: The water really was close to 35 degrees, but I'm pretty sure there were no sharks. The fear, however, was most likely as real as it can get.(here's the real thing!)
But sometimes their drawings are just an indication of how they are feeling. Here is one of Jacob's on a day where he's feeling particularly happy. Notice the boots. Yes, he wears them in the summer for real, too.
These are just a few of my favorite things about being a mommy. It just makes my heart happy!

"I'm a robot"

2010-07-30T10:19:00.005-06:00

Levi, for some reason, has been loving his inner robot. He is often caught walking around our house with stiff legs and straight arms, and when asked "Whatcha doin'?", he'll reply in a monotone voice "I'm a robot." For Levi's 3rd birthday, Zachary was especially tuned in to this and got him a stuffed robot. Levi loves to play with him! Gave him a name and everything. We call him "Robot." I guess this morning, Robot was hungry. Such sweet boys! I'm not exactly sure where this phase came from, but it makes me smile none-the-less.

Duh, mom, don't you know???

2010-07-29T10:03:00.002-06:00

A "New" Tradition

2010-07-28T15:16:00.004-06:00

In honor of Pioneer Day, we decided to start a new tradition. You see, a long time ago, in 1856, we had some ancestors who crossed the plains in the Martin Handcart company. Just when my great(x3) grandmother Mary Ann Mellor was about to give up, her daughter found a pie in the snow. It reminded Mary Ann of her blessing that she received as her journey began on the boat "Horizon," that she would see her children safely to Zion. Here is an exerpt from a speech that Louisa (the daughter that found the pie in the road) gave on March 26, 1881:

We witnessed some heart-rending scenes on our journey to Utah. Sometimes, I saw as many as thirteen bodies being buried in the morning before we started on our way.

The outlook was very discouraging. The captain called a meeting and told us there was only enough food for one more day and asked us if we would rather have it all or divide it into three days. We all agreed to divide it. And despite our desperate situation we sang the handcart songs. One was, "If we should die before our journey's through, Happy day! All is well!" The camp gave up to die, if need be, and scarcely a dry eye was left to see the dying.

My mother, being still weak, finally gave up and said she could go no further. The company could not wait for her, so she bade my father goodbye and kissed each one of the children Godspeed. Then my mother sat down on a boulder and wept. I told my sister, Elizabeth, to take good care of the twins and the rest of the family, and that I would stay with Mother. I went a few yards away and prayed with faith that God would help us, that He would protect us from devouring wolves, and asked that He would let us reach camp. As I was going back to where my mother was sitting, I found a pie in the road. I picked it up and gave it to my mother to eat, and after resting awhile we started on our journey, thanking God for the blessings. A few miles before we reached camp we met my father coming out to meet us. What a joyful meeting that was! We arrived in camp at 10:00 p.m. o'clock. Many times after that Mother felt like giving up and quitting; but then would remember how wonderful the Lord had been to spare her so many times, and offered a prayer of gratitude instead. So she went on her way rejoicing while walking the blood-stained path of snow.

So, to honor the our pioneer heritage, we have decided to make a pie on pioneer day. I just didn't want this great story and example of our ancestors forgotten!

We don't know what kind of pie Louisa found, so we just made our favorite, blueberry! We had a fun night talking about all our pioneer ancestors and eating pie. It was a great "Pioneer Day Pie" family home evening, and we will be doing it every year!

Happy Pioneer Day!

2010-07-26T08:38:00.007-06:00

One wonderful thing about living in Utah is the extra holiday. July 24th is Pioneer Day, when we celebrate the day that the pioneers, along with Brigham Young, entered Salt Lake valley. I couldn't stand the thought of spending the day just cleaning and doing laundry, so we decided to get out and play! We found that Cottonwood Heights was celebrating "Butlerville Days," so we went over there to see what was happening. Sadly, we forgot our camera, but Aaron managed to capture this on his cell phone: (Get out your magnifying glass!)

(of course, need I say that Aaron's phone really stinks as a camera? I tried to resize, but I couldn't blow it up at all without it looking all blurry. Sorry!)

Here's another picture of Caeden going down just after Zach hit the target:

Both Caeden and Zachary got to sit in the dunk tank. We threw the balls and if we didn't hit the target, we just ran up and dunked them ourselves. We enjoyed free concerts (the best was Eclipse, a male a capella group, who are just awesome! - and we're not just saying that because we know one of the singers...), really expensive greasy fair food, bounce houses, a hilarious juggler, and fun fireworks. All in all, it was a great day!

Did you all do anything fun to celebrate?

I know that I will want to remember this!

2010-07-20T07:33:00.004-06:00

One of my reasons for keeping a blog is so that I can remember all those wonderful things that my boys said and did when they were young, (and so I can possibly use it for bribery and/or blackmail purposes when they get older). But sometimes the things that make me laugh hardest are those cute one liners or the simple contemplations of a young boy. Not quite enough to make a whole blog entry, I used to think... Until Now! Hey, this is my blog, after all. So every now and then, I'm going to post a "post it" of the little things that my kids do that make me laugh. Here's the latest:

Trying again!

2010-07-19T11:06:00.006-06:00

Oh no! I've become that blogger who lets her blog go for months at a time! But, thank goodness, I can just try again. After all, you haven't failed until you've stopped trying. (which, ironically, is also my dieting motto. whole different story there...)

Quick update on all that has been going on here the past few months:

Our big project has been our basement. Yes, I know, we finished it 4 years ago. But Aaron had a bad case of basement envy (so many people have done such cute things with their basements, and every time we went to visit someone else, you could see it in his eyes: "Look, they have an exercise room..." or "Wow, a theater room" or "what a fun game room" or "wouldn't a second kitchen be awesome???"), and so he decided to redo our basement. Luckily, the bedroom/bathroom area has remained untouched. And by untouched, I mean at least the rooms weren't demolished. But they were filled with drywall dust. We've got them mostly cleaned and now they're ready to paint... again... (Jordan wants brown walls and Zach and Caeden want a blue room. We'll see what we get done in the next few weeks.)But the paint project is separate from the whole "remodel" project, which consisted of ripping out our big rectangular family room and making it into 3 separate areas using arches, cabinets, and flooring changes. So of course we had to change around all the electrical wiring and plumbing, too. Anyway, we now have a basement kitchen, a game room, and a tv room with surround sound. I think I may miss my big play room, but it does look pretty good. And Aaron is very happy ~ and because he did the lion's share of the work, that's what is most important. For the past 2 months, he has been working his 10 hour days and then coming home and putting 4-5 hours in on the basement. We are so glad that this project is finished! Now I just need to finish deep cleaning all of the construction dust which has imbedded itself into every corner of the house... Aside from our house projects, life has been going on and the boys continue to grow. (I guess that's what I get from feeding them.)

Let's go through life boy by boy...

Jordan: Just turned 13! Finished first year of middle school. Survived. Ran a 5K with me last month. Smoked his mom by 3 minutes. Got braces.(I think he looks more like a teen, which makes sense because he is!) Has been invited to join the "pre-competition" swim team at the rec center. Thinking he will do it. Did great in the school play, but decided to take ceramics next year instead of theater. Theater teacher was bummed, but she'll get over it. Has decided he wants to be a computer graphics designer - that's why I want him to swim, too. A kid has got to have balance in his life! He was so excited when his piano teacher decided to take June and July off to care for her mother, because it means he's done with piano - although his mean mother is making him learn a hymn a week. He is almost done with eagle required merit badges, and is starting to look for a project. We're thinking he may finish by the end of the year.

Zach: He has decided that he is "Zach," not "Zachary," which I can handle, but I still get to call him Zachary at home. He finished 5th grade. Zach has had a few run ins with regard to bullies (just one example - he kicked a bully who had his friend in a headlock in order to save his friend, and then he and the bully had to sit side by side in the principal's office and received the same punishment! which I thought was terribly unfair. We had the whole "we don't fight at school" and "what to do when a bully is attacking" talk, but Aaron took him out for ice cream afterward for having the guts to stand up for his friend), and a few other issues this past year, and so I have switched him to a charter school, Hawthorne Academy. It will mean he'll be on a traditional schedule like Jordan, and the curriculum is an IB curriculum, which means that they study subjects more deeply and broadly, instead of pushing them up a level when they get bored. It is exactly what he needs. He is smart enough to be in ALPS (Advanced Learning Program for Students - the same program Jordan is in), but he doesn't want to be one of the "nerds", and I am thinking (hoping) a change of pace will do him good. He also has passed off the swim skills to join the pre-comp swim team, and is still in piano lessons - which he enjoys, as long as he doesn't have to admit it. Still doing scouting, and will be playing soccer in the USA league this year. Still has that tender heart, loves the color red, and anything sweet.

Caeden: Turned 8 in March, got baptized, and his mom finally got his baptism blanket finished 2 months after his birthday. (yes, I'm a slacker. deal with it.) He finished 2nd grade, and is doing well, except for his handwriting. What is it with boys and handwriting??!? He is keeping busy with scouting, bike riding, and friends. He is my most social boy. He is taking a lot of teasing because he was caught holding hands with a sweet girl during track. And to be honest, it serves him right. Geesh. But he's not letting the teasing bug him. Is that a good or a bad thing? Caeden is on the waiting list for Hawthorne for next year. I'm not sure how this will pan out, but he likes his class at the neighborhood school and doesn't want to leave, so maybe it won't be such a tragedy if he doesn't get in. Although, he'd be the only boy in our family on year round school. Ugh. He is such a strong kid, and his soccer coach invited him to play goalie on his winter team team, so Caeden played indoor soccer this winter. This fall, he'll play in the USA league, like Zach. The USA league has more structure and learning than the rec league they've been playing on the past few years so we're thinking maybe it will help them step up their skills. He's a sweet little bugger, and still has that teasing streak. Dude, a serious teasing streak. Like, if a child is screaming, it's probably because Caeden is in the same room with him. I love my Caeden.

Jacob is still Jacob. We are discovering he is a brilliant kid. He starts kindergarten in the fall at the charter school with Zach, and is reading almost as well as Caeden. It took about 2 days for him to figure out how to blend the letters' sounds, and then he was off and reading. We've been trying to figure out if Jacob is just Jacob or if there was something a little different that needs a some attention. And after observing him at pre-school and being his primary teacher, we have had some behavioral evaluations done. Officially, they're thinking it's ADHD, with an emphasis on impulse control issues. We tried some medication, but it just brought out obsessive compulsive behavior, so I took him off of it before we even went back to the doctor. We have worked with a behavioral psychologist, but she wanted to pull him out of his academic preschool program and put him into a behavioral therapy program, but Jacob is smart enough to know that he was being "demoted." And besides, his preschool was working so well with him, providing positive reinforcement, and he was academically soaring. And he was surrounded by kids who didn't have problems. The behavioral preschool would have been with half the kids, and twice the teachers, but it just didn't feel right, so I decided to not do what they suggested. So now we're working with a psychologist who is helping us make sure that we have the right diagnosis, and decide what we can do to help. I still have panic attacks now and then about Jacob. My biggest fear is that we will lose him one day. I think it's just residual fear from his (literal) death-defying leap from the window, but I still don't feel fully comfortable leaving him with others watching him. (I still do it, fighting my fear, but can't fully relax until I am almost home and can see that there's no ambulance or police car in my driveway.) He is always on the move, and not always aware of his surroundings. I still don't let him play in the front yard unattended, because he just doesn't get the whole "look before crossing the street" thing. What I love the most about Jacob is how loving he is. I love how he comes up to me and gives me huge full body hugs and tells me how much he loves me. In fact, his biggest complaint about his mom at one of his behavioral therapy sessions was "She just loves me too much." I guess I can live with that.

Levi is 3 now! And for the first time in 13 years, I don't have anyone in diapers. Amazing, isn't it! Levi loves me, and I love him. He usually wants me and only me, and sometimes it gets tiring, but since he's my baby, I put up with it. He is talking and being understood, can tattle on his brothers, and loves to jump and play right along with them. There is definitely a difference between the things that a first child says and a 5th child. Levi makes me laugh with his "Will you just stop talking to me!" or "What the crap?" (yeh, he gets that second one from his dad.) He can identify pokemon, and his favorite show is "Go Diego Go!" He is coming out of the "do everything for me" stage and now it's all about "let me do it!!!" and "My turn!!!" We have to have 2 family prayers every night. One where the person whose turn it is says the prayers, and a second one for Levi to say the prayer. What are we going to do? Tell him "No, you can't pray."? He has to have 3 books read to him every night. Thankfully, Jacob (yes, Jacob) will read at least one of them, then we read the rest. And we can't forget the drink. If he falls asleep before he gets it, he will wake up in the middle of the night and ask for a drink. His schedule is very important to him! Oh, he's a sweet guy! And he makes me laugh!

As for Aaron and I, we are just plugging along. Aaron is busy with work and scouting, and we're still waiting to see if we are going to be transferred to Washington DC. Stupid government. It's ok for them to take 3 months to make a decision, but will only give us 2 weeks to move a whole staff there and start the job. Although, at this point, we're thinking we didn't get the job. If we had, we probably would have some feedback on the bid by now. So we're just moving on as if we're staying, and unless we hear something, I'm just not going to worry about it. As for me, I am tired. I finally decided to get a few tests done to check thyroid and hormone levels. Normally, I get a small measure on energy back after having a baby, but it's been three years since I had Levi and I'm still dog tired half the time. I'm trying to lose weight - in fact, I've been running 3-5 days a week for almost 2 years now, and yet have gained another 20 lbs! So I'm now officially as heavy as what I was 9 months pregnant with Jacob and Levi. So sad! Am I tired because I am fat, or am I fat and tired because of low thyroid? Turns out it's a combination of things, and I'm trying a few medications. So far, I'm feeling a little better, and getting more done. Also started weight watchers again, and I'm hoping the combination of the two will make me feel normal again!

And around us, life is going well. My brother is finally back from Afghanistan! YAY! He had 2 coworkers and friends killed a not too long ago, and one of the reasons it wasn't my brother was because it wasn't his day to travel. He was on the ground and encountered dangerous situations every day. He joked about it (Like when he told us about rocket that flew over the building where he worked, and why we shouldn't worry about it: "You can't expect to get an accurate trajectory when firing from the back of a donkey." Or his theory of why so many terrorists come from Afghanistan: "It's the plumbing. It backs up so often that it makes you want to kill someone."), but I was so stressed about it. It was different having him on the ground working for the "lethal targeting unit," compared to the other times he had been deployed and was mostly in the air. So glad he's home!

So there's the update! I'm going to try to get pictures up and catch up on things that have been going on. I still want to put our pictures up from Nauvoo (last summer's vacation!) plus since then we have had family reunions, camping trips, and generally fun things happening. Life is good, and I want to remember that. Especially when I am swamped with crying boys who are mad because their brothers aren't doing what they want them to do... like right now... guess I need to go and get back to mothering...

I love my boys!

The costume -

2010-05-03T12:43:00.005-06:00

I have always loved how Jordan likes to get involved in school activities. This year, he decided to be in the school play. He tried out and made it. The director wanted to give the students an opportunity to experience many different aspects of the play, so the students and teacher chose a theme (King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table), wrote about 8 different sketches, practiced, memorized, designed sets, etc, all under the watchful eye of "Queen V," their theater teacher (that's Ms. VanDerloh to us non-drama folk.) It took about 3 months, but finally they were ready to perform. The night before dress rehearsal, Jordan told me he needed a costume. Actually, he didn't exactly tell us, he just proceeded to have a meltdown when we asked him to practice the piano. When we finally got him to tell us what was wrong, the story came out:
"What is the matter?" I asked in that ever (ok, it was not so very) patient voice of mine.
"I need a costume for the play."
"By when?"
"Dress rehearsal is tomorrow."
"So you need this by tomorrow. When tomorrow?"
"3pm."
"What exactly do you need?"
"I'm a knight."
"So, a suit of armour?" (Already I'm trying to figure out where in the world I will be able to find SOMETHING... ANYTHING...)
"No, I'm not fighting, so I don't need the armour, but I'm still a knight."
"But isn't there a fight scene?"
"Yes, but we're in the woods hunting, not jousting. So I need whatever a knight wears when he's hunting."
"And, what does a knight wear when he's hunting?"
"I dunno."
"What are the other knights wearing?"
So Jordan tells me of one guy who has actually brought his costume to school before the dress rehearsal (his mom is obviously trying to show all of us loser moms up), but he is a frivolous knight with sparklies on his helmet and a feather boa. But Jordan is not a frivolous knight, so that wouldn't work for him. And that brings us back to the question: "So what do you really want me to gather together for you?"
"I have no idea."
"And you need this by 3pm tomorrow?"
"Yes."

I love my boys.

So in desparation, I go to the dollar store (nothing), Target (nothing), and call the neighborhood (where I get a few ideas and a helmet). Meanwhile, Jordan tries to talk his dad into taking a milk gallon, cutting away half of it, painting it silver, and using it for a helmet. To which Aaron replies "Let's look online and see what we can find."

Finally we find a pair of faux leather pants at Walmart, but because they were 1)on clearance and 2) by Miley Cyrus, Jordan refused to wear them. Come on, kid! Throw me a bone! Knights would have worn leather pants while hunting, right? And the next morning I find on a piece of scrap paper the name of a costume shop in Salt Lake. Aaron had found the shop online, but decided that maybe it wasn't significant enough to tell me about it, I guess. (Really? What were they thinking? Don't they know I'm grasping at straws at this point??? But this is another story...) So I ran all over town looking for boots and a cape while Jordan was in school . At the costume shop I finally found an old halloween costume that had a tunic and a chainmail-looking hood and sleeves, along with black boot-like covers. Yay! Success! I got it to the school with 10 minutes to spare. Jordan, luckily, was thankful. Otherwise I might have had to thump his skull.

Jordan never did wear the leather pants. But we did get Aaron to try them on:
It was worth the $3. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time! Thanks Miley.

Again, if you ever wonder why sometimes I don't post very often...

2010-04-20T10:29:00.011-06:00

This is what Levi was doing while I felt guilty about Caeden's bad hair day...

I guess he was feeling a little "artistic" with watercolors being the medium. And this is why we have only washable paints in our home.

Oh, what I wouldn't do for a clean house and a mess free day!

(Or, on second thought - how grateful I am for these little men and their messes that make my life so interesting. Now I'm off to get Levi out of the tub before he floods the bathroom...)

Confessions

2010-04-20T09:15:00.002-06:00

of a mom who's trying hard, and thinks she's doing the right thing, but still feels guilty...
Today I sent Caeden out the door with uncombed hair (believe me, it wasn't pretty) and no breakfast. I'm trying to let the boys experience some of the consequences of standing around staring at me with those "deer in the headlights" eyes for half the morning instead of getting ready for school. Caeden actually sat on a chair for 5 or 10 minutes this morning in his pajamas holding a lunchbox. And, even though I knew it meant "Ok, mom, I'm up and ready for breakfast, will you please fix me a bowl of instant oatmeal - 2 packets consisting of one strawberry flavor and one banana flavor - with a cup of milk, and maybe a piece of toast - I'd like both honey and cinnamon/sugar, but I know that you won't let me have both, so maybe just honey - and while you're at it, I'd really appreciate if you could fix a cold lunch for me because Zach has one and I love my brother Zach and want to be just like him, but I don't want ham and cheese like Zach, I want pb&j (actually 2 of them) and a soda, but I'm afraid to ask for that because I know how you feel about soda for lunch, but I'd really like it, too, and a granola bar, and by the way I have no idea where my shoes are...," I am trying to get him to vocalize it. Because some mornings I don't always know, and I'm getting tired of my sons getting mad at me because I haven't read their minds. So I ask, "Caeden, do you want some help?" And he answers with a grunt and tosses the lunchbox my way. I remind him of what needs to be done, and even send reminders down the stairs to hurry him along the way. But he still just couldn't get his body moving. By the time he got dressed and found his shoes, I had his lunch ready. And I looked at the clock, and it was time to run. We heard the bus pulling away, and if he ran, he could just make it. No breakfast, no combed hair, but he made the bus. I love my kids, but I hate being an "on-demand" taxi driver, and when you're out of bed an 45 minutes before the bus comes, there's really no excuse. But maybe I should have pinned a note to his shirt saying "Please excuse my appearance, but my mom is trying to teach me a lesson today."

Caeden is Eight!

2010-04-19T11:04:00.006-06:00

Wow, this little man is growing up so fast! I have heard so much about the middle child syndrome, and I sometimes worry about my Caeden. (I worry about all my kids on a daily basis, not because there's something to worry about, but because I am the mom. It's what we do.) After all, no one wants to be the one that everyone forgot... But I think Caeden has the problem solved. The boy makes sure that we know he's here. From the very beginning, he has been the tease of the family. (I tell him he gets it from his grandma rigtrup.) He was teasing his older brothers from the time he started to walk, and any time we hear Jacob crying/yelling/generally being annoyed, we know Caeden is within arm's length. He plays so very well with his big brothers, knows all the pokemon lingo and such, and can probably "out-goalie" them easily. And yet, he is perfectly comfortable spending time with his younger brothers, too. The thing I love the most about Caeden is the way he loves. He genuinely hugs and loves and belongs. He will be the first to rub feet (of course, we pay him for it...) or get a drink for mom. He is such a good helper and I can trust him to do what I ask him to. And when he doesn't, he's honest about it. Love that! Loving, honest, hard-working... What more could a mom ask for?

For his birthday, we did his favorite meal (spaghetti and meatballs) for dinner and let him open his presents:

(These are the only pictures with Caeden actually in them - it's what happens when you let the boys be in charge of the camera :-0.)
He got a scooter, some "moon sand" (I've decided that this is in the same league as Play-doh, only worse...), and some games for the playstation. It was a very happy night, spent playing "Crash Tag Team Racing" or something like that.
For his birthday party, we invited friends to a skating rink/play jungle/bounce house place and just let them run wild for almost 5 hours. Oh, they slept well that night.
And the highlight was his baptism at the end of the month:

We were so thankful for all the family that made it! He was able to share the day with grandma and grandpas, lots of aunts and uncles and cousins, and then afterwards we came back to our house and had chicken tacos for everyone! What a fun day, and hopefully one he'll remember forever.
I sure do love my Caeden, and I am so glad that he is a part of our crazy family!

Chef Zach

2010-04-10T11:01:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Zachary decided to make breakfast. Blueberry muffins to be exact. I was getting out of the shower when he knocked on the door. "Mom? I made breakfast."
"Really? What did you make?"
"Blueberry muffins."
"Do you need some help?"
"Nope."
"Do you need me to turn the oven on for you?"
"Nope, they're all done."
"Well good for you! I'll be out in a second and we'll eat!"
"Guess what, mom..."
"What...?"
"I found some mint extract in the cabinet and put in the muffins. That's why it smells minty in the kitchen."
"Uhhh, really?"
"Yup, I think you'll like 'em."
"Oooooh, 'K, bud. I'll be right there..."
Long story short, everyone had some, (although some ate a little more tentatively than others) and at the end of the day, the general consensus was that they were ok, and the best part of eating blueberry mint muffins is that the minty feeling made their burps feel clean. Leave it to my boys to point that out.

ps - Don't tell Zach, but I don't recommend the mint flavoring...

Levi's so proud of himself!

2010-04-10T10:13:00.003-06:00

Yes, I know it's snowing outside and he's wearing shorts. Yes, I know that the boots are 5 sizes too big. But let's look at the positive. The blue and yellow in the shirt match the blue and yellow bugs in the shorts(yes, bugs - it's a boy thing, and being the mother of 5 boys has taught me to get over the squeamishness of letting my boys wear them all over their bodies). Everything is facing the right way, and is the right side out. And best of all, he did it himself! Wow, this little man is getting so big!

Today I started thinking

2010-04-09T16:12:00.003-06:00

about how fast my kids are growing up. This morning Levi started to ask for his blanket, which usually echos around the house as "I wann my bankeeeeeee!!!" But today as he looked around for it, he said "I wan my ban-KET." NOOOOOO!!! I'm not ready for my baby to stop his baby-talk!

Jacob has decided to become a force for bullies to reckon with. As we spoke with the kids about bullies at school and how to deal with them, Jacob said, "Mom, I want to be an evil cat and eat up all those bullies." Yes, an evil cat. That will scare them.

Caeden needs to stop growing for a minute. Seeing him hold hands with a girl kind of freaks me out. (Nothing against the girl. She's a wonderful girl. And in 15 years or so, it will be a beautiful thing. But I'm not ready to see my boy hold hands with a girl.)

Zachary is using deoderant because HE NEEDS IT.

Jordan is in middle school. WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!?!? He is in a school play. He has 8 classes. (He got a 4.0 last term.) He cries for no reason. His voice cracks when he sings the "Dora the Explorer" theme song. (If that doesn't show true straddling of the child/adolesence line, I don't know what does.)

Aaron is a big wig at work and has a belly. (But don't tell him that. He just thinks that maybe he should start running again.)

I AM 40 YEARS OLD!

Didn't I just get married yesterday? Wow. Time really moves on.

Too often I think that I need to update my blog, then I sit down to the computer and think of everything that has happened and tell myself that I'll catch everything up when I have a huge block of time. Then I proceed to play computer games for an hour. (Don't judge. I bet you've done it too.) Meanwhile, my kids grow, do fun things that I want to remember, and time keeps going. So I'm resolving to do better. I'm changing my background so that it's no longer valentine's-ish, and one day I'll figure out how to fix this banner thing, (yes I see that big white gap and I know the picture is fuzzy...) and I'll start recording those things I want to remember. Because my kids are pretty awesome, and I want to remember that these busy, sleep deprived days are really some of the happiest times in my life.

Life is good. I need to take a minute or so every now and then to remember that!

Basketball season ends...

2010-02-18T09:09:00.005-07:00

I love it when my boys play on teams. I love it when they learn new skills. I love it when they get their hands on the ball and shoot and feel happy and we get to take them out for a treat. I love that there's something to do on cold wintery January days when no one wants to leave the house. I actually like the smell of gymnasiums. Guess it brings back good memories of the old gymnastics days. But most of all, I love it when it's OVER! YAY! I HAVE MY SATURDAYS BACK! (another reason that I'm a bad mom...)

Speaking of basketball, once in a while Aaron will score a few Jazz tickets from subcontractors. Of course, it is intended to "express appreciation to the Okland management staff" or something like that, but let's get real. It's big time "schmoozing." These are good seats. Last time Aaron got tickets, he took Zach with him to the game. Zach was duly impressed with the concierge service. Nothing like lobster legs and free refills of sprite brought to you by a kind and personal attendant. The view was pretty good, too. I hope they enjoyed it, because I don't think I could ever bring myself to pay what these tickets were worth:
Do you see that? That's $1200 PER TICKET! $2400!!! Oh, the silly things men do to impress each other. On the plus side, Zach and Aaron really did enjoy themselves. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, we love the perks!

Am I a bad mom...

2010-02-11T09:45:00.002-07:00

because I let my Levi have mac n cheese for breakfast?

Don't you love it when brothers love each other?

2010-02-10T17:19:00.003-07:00

Levi has decided (now that he has a "big boy bed" that is easy to get in and out of) that he loves to sleep with his brother. More often than not, when I go in their bedroom to check on them, Levi has climbed in with his brother Jacob. The practical side of me thinks "Pick Levi up and put him back in his bed, they will both sleep better..." But the tender heart side of me is just so happy that they are happy to be close to each other. And when they share a bed, no one comes in to get me up in the middle of the night because they've had a bad dream.

Oh, by the way, ignore their red faces... Levi had a fight with his dump truck (he face-planted into the metal truck while pushing it at high speeds down the hallway) and Jacob has a dry-skin rash. He won't stop licking his lips!!! Just feel the love!

Christie vs. the smoke detector

2010-02-09T12:46:00.003-07:00

I know it's been a while since I last posted anything here on my blog. It is so discouraging when I know there is so much that I want to document and I start feeling like there is too much and I don't have enough time, so then I just get further behind, and it becomes a vicious cycle... I have decided to just get back on the wagon, and start posting again... And eventually I will post about last summer in Nauvoo, or our camping trip to Goblin Valley, and maybe even Christmas! But as a warm up, here's my story about our smoke detector adventure...

The smoke detector and I had somewhat of a disagreement last night. You see, I went to bed, really tired and ready for a good night's sleep, but my feet were cold. Being tired, I thought "I'll just lay here, surely I'll warm up..." Of course, that didn't happen, and I lay there cold wishing my feet would get warm for about an hour. It is a good lesson as to why one should never make important decisions when they're tired. I think of it this morning, and go "Duh, stupid, get up and put some warm socks on..." But when I'm tired, all rational thinking goes out the window. Finally, I go to sleep, and have happy dreams about baking bread in the crock pot (it was a dream, it doesn't have to make sense.) In my dream, the timer to the crock pot goes off. "Chirp Chirp." I get open the crock pot and start spooning out the bread (once again, it's a dream...) and the timer goes off again. "Chirp Chirp." I start to get mad at my crock pot, when the timer goes off again. "Chirp Chirp." I open my eyes, and the timer goes off again. "Chirp Chirp." I realize that it's the low battery warning in our smoke detector, so I nudge Aaron and ask, "Do you hear that?" "Chirp Chirp." He mumbles yes, and I assume that means "Never fear, love of my life. I will save the day and stop the chirping." I was obviously mistaken in my assumption, for mere moments later, my sweet bedmate is snoring. "Chirp Chirp." "Chirp Chirp." "Chirp Chirp." "Chirp Chirp." The same rationale that made me lay in bed for over an hour with cold feet took over. "If I face away from the sound, it will go away." "Chirp Chirp." "If I pull the blankets over my ears, I will be able to go back to sleep." "Chirp Chirp." "If I just think happy thoughts, all will be well." "Chirp Chirp." "If I wait long enough, Aaron will fix this..." "Chirp Chirp." Finally at 3:30 am, I jump out of bed growling at the stupid "Chirp Chirp." I go to the laundry room, find a new battery, start a new batch of laundry (after all, it wouldn't be mothering if I weren't multitasking), grab the step stool, and go stand under the smoke detector to listen for the "Chirp Chirp." The offending detector is located in the hallway. "Chirp Chirp." I climb up the stool and remove the old battery. "Chirp Chirp." I try to install the new battery and realize that I am blind, so I go back to find my glasses. "Chirp Chirp." I can now see where the positive and negative go an click the battery in. "Chirp Chirp." What the Crap!?!? I push the reset button. "Chirp Chirp." I push the "hush" button. "Chirp Chirp." I push the test button. "Chirp Chirp." I yell at the detector. Aaron, now roused by my cursing at the detector, asks if I need help. "Seriously? I needed help 3 hours ago when this all started!!!!" "Chirp Chirp." Aaron comes out in his underwear and asks me if I have the battery in correctly. "Chirp Chirp." "Yes, do you think I'm stupid?" (I'll admit, patience was gone at this point.) "Chirp Chirp." Aaron takes the battery out, re-installs it, and is rewarded by a "Chirp Chirp." He pushes all the buttons I have pushed, only to hear "Chirp Chirp" coming in 10 second increments, instead of the 30 second "Chirp Chirps" we've been hearing all night. So he takes it off the ceiling to look at the hard-wiring. "Chirp Chirp." Yup, still connected. "Chirp Chirp." Sadly, the connecting plate has also come off of the ceiling, so I go out into the garage to get screwdrivers to reconnect the thing to the ceiling. "Chirp Chirp." We get it all put back together, reinstalled, and it won't stop chirping!!! So finally Aaron decides to disconnect the whole thing. He takes it off of the ceiling again, and uses the screwdriver to disconnect the wiring. "Chirp Chirp." Thoroughly annoyed, he turns it over and takes the battery out and hands it to me, smiling because that should solve the problem. "Chirp Chirp." "Chirp Chirp." REALLY??? THE THING HAS NO POWER SOURCE!!!! "Chirp Chirp." At this point I don't know whether to laugh or cry, so I do a little of both. We decide that it is possessed, toss it into the garage, and go back to bed. For all I know, it's still chirping happily out there.

So there. That's the most interesting that's happened to me recently. How about you all?

Snowball fight!

2009-11-30T16:39:00.002-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Gotta do at least one jibjab at Christmas time!
Besides, can't you see my boys doing this in real life?

Jacob tries his hand at hairstyling

2009-11-24T09:23:00.005-07:00

Sweet Jacob must have been duly impressed with his last haircutting experience, because he decided to try his hand at the haircutting profession. Thankfully (this is the month to be thankful, right?), he practiced his skills on himself. I'm also thankful to have a boy, because what would I do if a daughter did this to herself???

Jacob's handiwork:

Mom trying to "even it out":

Jacob was actually happy with the end result:

Levi wanted to shave his head, too, at first:

But then decided that he was happy with having hair after all:

Halloween pictures

2009-11-01T09:11:00.005-07:00

I just thought I'd post these while the sugar rush keeps me going...
We had a fun Halloween! We waited until Halloween to carve the pumpkins (yeh, we meant to do that... it was the plan all along...) Jordan used the natural scarring on his pumpkin to make it look as though his pumpkin had a scar through his eye. Zachary made his pumpkin's eyes a little lopsided to make it look as though it was a little "mentally unstable." And, yes, the pumpkin is intentionally "drooling." Caeden wanted to be a little creative, so he tried to follow a pattern of a skull. It turned out really neat - especially with the light on inside!
Aaron took the kids out trick or treating while I stuck around here and handed out candy.
Jordan was a body builder,
Zach a zombie surgeon,
Caeden was a dark ghoul (sorry, you've got to look up top to see him - he was too fast getting out the door for his individual portrait),
Jacob a dinosaur,
and Levi an elephant.
Aaron commented that Levi got his mom's sugar loving genes...
We picked up lollipop sticks all night long!

After all was said and done, everyone brought in a pretty good haul of candy; and after such a busy day, ending with a good tooth brushing, the boys slept really well last night! Hope you had a great day, too!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T16:22:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone is having a great day! We started out the day with pumpkin pancakes. They were so yummy, I wanted to post the recipe online ~ just in case I lost my copy, and also to share it with everyone who likes us enough to check out our blog every now and then...
Our (new) traditional Halloween breakfast
Pumpkin Pancakes
2 cups all purpose flour
3 TB brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
2 TB vegetable oil
2 TB vinegar
Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl; all the wet ingredients in a second bowl. (Use a blender to mix the wet ingredients.) Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and cook on a medium hot griddle. The batter is a little thick, but the recipe cautioned against trying to thin it out using extra milk, saying that it would dilute the pumpkin flavor. Just spread it around a little on the griddle. Another hint given in the recipe was to let the batter set for about 5 minutes before cooking in order to let the vinegar fully react with the baking soda so that the pancakes would be nice and fluffy. I did, and they were! I like them better than IHOP's pumpkin pancakes.
Hope you try these out! If you do, let me know what you think!
Now I'm off to prepare for the sugar rush...

Is it really that time of the year?

2009-10-28T12:15:00.002-06:00

This is what we discovered when it was time to send the boys out the door to school Tuesday morning:

We knew it was coming. Even mowed the lawn on Monday for the last time. Picked up the soccer cones and sand toys, pulled the last surviving plants from the garden. But it still throws me a little to look out and see this.
Jacob, however, couldn't be more excited!He got all his winter gear on and ran in circles for 20 minutes, just loving "my new season!" He gets a little frustrated with me when I try to explain that it is still fall, so now I just concede that this is "winter weather."

After the boys all were home from school, the snowman building began.We didn't get a ton of snow, but just enough to make a few of these frosty fellows for our yard. I love that they love to play in the snow. I just hope it lasts...

Levi's idea of entertaining himself

2009-10-28T08:28:00.004-06:00

Guess he was hungry for some oatmeal...

I followed the sounds of a giggling boy, knowing that sounds like that coming from the kitchen wouldn't be good. He was throwing oatmeal up into the air and laughing as it hit his head. As soon as I said his name, he knew he was in trouble. Smile was gone, and he sat still as if thinking "maybe she won't see me if I don't move."

Do you know how hard it is to take a picture of something like this without laughing at your child?

I guess the swine flu has everyone scared...

2009-10-23T19:07:00.000-06:00

Why haven't I posted for a month?

2009-10-14T14:39:00.007-06:00

disclaimer: Please know that I love my boys... I'm just doing some theraputic venting, because I know one day I will be able to look back and laugh... but right now, it's just not funny!

Today I decided I wanted to catch some news before lunch. I go downstairs to the basement family room and watch the weather, and soon Jacob comes down to hit a ball around with this plastic hockey stick thingy. After 10 or 15 minutes, I think out loud, "I wonder what Levi is doing?" I could hear his little feet pitter-patter across the floor above me, so I wasn't too worried about him. Jake casually mentions "He is feeding our Thunder-fish."
"HE'S WHAT????!!!!!!"
Now, you have to know, our fish, named Thunder (don't ask me why he's named Thunder ~ the boys named him) was a door prize that the boys got to bring home from a pack meeting back in February 2007. I was told by a scout leader, "Don't worry, it'll only live a few days...", so we took him home, named him, fed him (I'm told this was my mistake), and loved him. That was over 2 1/2 years ago. He gets excited at his mealtime, and even comes to the glass and wags his tail-fin whenever we go look at him. Ask my dad - this fish has personality! And we've grown somewhat attached to him.
So I run upstairs, and discover the whole bottle of fish food has been dumped in the tank. Thunder is barely visable in all the disgusting gooey mess, and I start racing to get the punch bowl filled with clean water and treated so I can get Thunder into a place where he can breathe, and where he can chill out while I scrub out his tank. (yes, he's grown big enough to need the punch bowl as his temporary home.) Meanwhile, I go ballistic on my boys and put them in their room while I scrub plastic plants and castles. About an hour later, after the filter is de-gunked and finally reassembled, I go to the boys' room to check on them. They've taken all the folded, sorted, clean laundry out of the room next to theirs, dumped it on their bedroom floor,

emptied out their dresser, and every thing off the top of it, un-made Jacob's bed,

and to top it all off, they've gotten a little neck-pillow-thingy that has all of those itsy-bitsy-teeny-tiny foam beads in it out of my "to be repaired" pile (of course, it needed to be repaired because there's a HOLE IN IT that causes those afformentioned beads to fly all over whatever room they may be in and stick to everything with that lovely static cling that they have)... Ugh!!! So then I put Jacob and Levi in corners where I can keep an eye on them, and try to do some damage control. I find the neck pillow stuffed in the vent in their room (I guess Jacob started to realize that he might be in deep doo doo when those beads started flowing out of the pillow), so I pull it out and mention that "WE DON'T EVER TAKE THE COVERS OFF OF OUR VENTS!!!! STOP DOING THIS!!!"

"But mom," he says, "my little ball went down there and I needed to get it."

"IT WOULDN'T HAVE GONE DOWN THERE IF YOU WOULD HAVE KEPT THE COVER ON!!!" Yeh, I've kind of lost it at that point.

Now here we are, 3 hours later, it's time to pick Jordan up from the bus stop, my kitchen is a mess, I need to vacuum out the vents - the same vents where Jacob said his ball is, but I've found no ball, just kleenexes and granola bar wrappers -the few batches of laundry that have been done have now been voided out, since I have to shake the foam beads out of them and re-fold them, Levi has another poopy diaper (we can get him to pee in the toilet, but not poop), and they have the gall to ask me when they get lunch!!! Really? Are you Serious? Did I mention I just went to the bathroom and sat down on a seat covered with PEE?!!

So if you ever wonder what Christie is up to and why she hasn't posted recently, just remember, I'm the mother of 5 boys. Let your imagination run wild.

Jacob made it one more year!

2009-09-08T16:01:00.006-06:00

Oh how I love my Jacob! He's a beautiful, active, wonderful child, and the only one that causes me to wake in the middle of the night terrified that he might do something to really hurt himself... He's a cuddler, and will tell me how much he loves me, and that I'm his most favorite mom ever. Good to know... He loves to have me near, and will meet me at the door when I run errands with a big, "Oh mom, I'm so glad you're home! I missed you!" - even if I've only been gone 15 minutes. This year, we only had one broken bone, and even though we lost him hourly while we were on vacation, we always found him (usually in the bathroom... long story...).

For his birthday, Jacob got to take treats to his preschool class. Oh that made him so happy! After school, we made his cake, and when his brothers got home, we went to "Jumpin' Jacks" to play.
Here's Jake with his new dragon castle - with his imagination, this thing can keep him busy for quite a while.
Then we came home, opened presents, had dinner, and played.
Wishing for another great year!
I think he had a happy day!

Jacob's first day of school

2009-08-21T09:30:00.007-06:00

Is he really big enough to do this??? He's been talking about wanting to go to school like his brothers, and Aaron and I have realized that a year of preschool would be essential in his "social conditioning" so that he survives kindergarten, but sending the little man off for the first time just seems like such a big step. He is so excited, though! I couldn't find him for a few minutes this morning... He was in the van, impatiently waiting to go. We've been practicing "following directions" and coloring and tracing.

I hope he likes his teacher. I hope she's a patient woman who won't get too frustrated with Jacob's activity level. I hope they don't lose him. I hope he will stay out of the bathroom.

I hope he will want to go back for his second day on Monday. I hope he is just as excited after school as he was before. I hope he doesn't get frustrated and call everyone in his class a "stupid head." (We've been working on eliminating that from his vocabulary - but haven't been fully successful.) I hope he follows directions. I hope he makes friends. I hope he blends in. I hope he loves it.
I love my Jacob!

Minnetonka Caves

2009-08-13T07:20:00.008-06:00

Before we left Bear Lake, we traveled up St. Charles Canyon (northwest of Bear Lake) to visit the Minnetonka Caves. It was fun to go through the caves - even if we did have to traverse something like 780 stairs (I'm not exaggerating!) I considered it my workout for the day...
We bought the boys head lamps for the camping trip (it's easier to find the bathroom and "do your business" in the middle of the night if your hands are free...don't ask, I guess it's a boy thing) and when they heard they were going to some caves they all decided they needed to wear them. My boys make me smile. Here's Caeden with his head lamp:
Zach thought this formation was pretty cool. (I think it's called the 3 sisters, but don't quote me on it!)
Here's Jordan. The caves were cool (about 40 degrees), but all the stair climbing kept me warm. Jordan, however, got a little cool. But it was all fun, none the less!
Here are my young explorers:
After the cave trip we headed on home to unpack, wash, pack back up, and head to Nauvoo, Illinios for our Rigtrup family reunion. More on the reunion later!

Paris Tabernacle

2009-08-10T09:35:00.005-06:00

Bear Lake weekend, part 2: On Sunday, we attended church at the local wardhouse, and found it to be absolutely packed. On holiday weekends, this small ward holds three sacrament meetings to accomodate all of the lake loving mormons on vacation. We were 10 minutes early and still had to sit on the stage in the cultural hall. It was actually quite fun to know we were a part of hundreds of vacationing mormons who still believe in keeping the Sabbath day holy. After church, we went to Paris, Idaho to tour the Paris tabernacle - a fun building over 100 years old, still standing as a testament to hard working saints settling the area.
Zach hanging out before the tour started
Noelle and Caeden playing "peek-a-boo" in front of the tabernacle
Cute boys hanging out on the steps

I am so blessed to have these sweet boys in my life

More July Fun!

2009-08-07T09:44:00.015-06:00

So the last day of school was July 2nd. My boys are getting so big! Caeden completed 1st grade, Zachary (above) completed 4th grade (both earning their Mustang Pride and Reading Awards - go boys!), and Jordan is moving on to middle school- 7th grade! I was surprised that there was no "6th grade graduation," - it seems that so many schools do that these days! - but he moves on nonetheless! After the obligatory last day of school ice cream, Aaron and I both did a shift at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house, then we hurriedly packed up and headed to Bear Lake for the 4th of July weekend. So Much Fun! We went with the Wilkins family, and had a blast. The first night it rained - poured, actually - and we discovered that our new (used) tent was a great buy! We all emerged the next morning nice and dry, and enjoyed another day on the beach. The boys worked on sand castles a huge part of the day! (Jacob corrects me "They're not sand castles, mom, they're mud castles!")
The water was a little chilly, so we spent a lot of time in the sand:
Working on the castles:

Jacob helped too!
Final Products:

While the older boys built "mud castles," Levi loved being pulled around in the boat. (This is a raft that Aaron and I bought for our first anniversary... It's had a good life!)
Break Time!
Jacob got worn out (maybe it was from his constant wandering up and down the shore...)
Cute Sam (the Wilkins newest family member!)
Levi enjoying the lake:
Jordan leaves his mark:

We'll continue with our fun weekend later - I've got to go clean peanut butter out of the carpet... But I still love my boys!

We're back!

2009-08-05T10:36:00.007-06:00

Well, we've been busy (I know, who hasn't?!) but I think it's time to get back to documenting my sweet family's fun life. We are on a year round school schedule, so we got out the first week of July, then went back July 27th. It was a crazy short summer, so over the next few days, I'll post the highlights!

Of course, no summer would be complete without a lemonade stand!
Zachary and Caeden joined forces with Jonathan and Aaron, some of our friends and neighbors, to create a lemonade stand.
"Buy Lemonade Today!
10 cents
We may have the worst stand, but we have the best Lemonade."

After a few days of this, they were up about $30.00, but I was out about that much in Crystal Light (the closest thing we had to lemonade), not to mention what Jonathan and Aaron's mom was out in Tang and cups, so we decided it was time for a distraction. We did the splash park one day,

set up a play date - away from the lemonade stand - the next day, and then went to the movies another afternoon. Thankfully school started the next week, and I'm hoping the lemonade stand will become a treasured childhood memory...

For your viewing enjoyment...

2009-06-30T17:24:00.006-06:00

Quick update:
We have been so busy the last few weeks! We are rounding up the school year, and have been busy finishing projects, reports, and more projects. Caeden and Zach have both had field trips, Jordan went on his first mountain biking adventure, and I (Christie) ran my first 5K. (I set a goal last summer to do this, and it seemed unachievable at first - I could only run about 3 houses distance before I would have to stop and gasp for air - but I finished -- and ran the whole way! I came in 48th out of 88 women. I know, it's not really anything to brag about, but for me, I was so excited to be able to do this. Yay me!) Aaron just returned from a business trip to Spain and France - he went to choose stone to be quarried for the downtown projects; and to celebrate my brother-in-law's achievement of completing his 2nd year of medical school and finishing his board exams, we went "boarding" on the flowrider. (Click on the word flowrider and it will take you to a youtube video of a guy riding on the flowrider.) It was way fun! I'll post video or pictures as soon as I get them from my sister...
Anyway, sometimes when life gets busy, some things have to give. I'm afraid blogging is one of them... We've got some fun things coming up - Aaron and I get to serve at the Oquirrh temple open house this week, then we're going to Bear Lake for the 4th of July weekend. Afterwards, we'll unpack, wash, and re-pack, and head off to a family reunion in Illinois. Then we'll return home, send Jordan off to a week long scout camp, and then it's back to school. I'll try to post pictures as I get them, but just know that it will be sporadic at best the next month or so...
Meanwhile, for your viewing enjoyment, we'll present:

Warning - this will stick in your head for the next 30 years, just as it has in mine! Consider it as a gift that keeps on giving...

Phew, glad that's over with!

2009-06-10T09:06:00.004-06:00

Every Spring, the boys' piano teacher has a recital at the "Piano Gallery." The boys have been working hard on their songs and were feeling prepared for their recital on Monday evening.Zach went first, and he played two songs: "In The Doghouse" (an arrangement of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" that his teacher arranged for her students) and "Indian Boy." He also had a classical piece by Mouret prepared, but he decided he liked the Indian sounding song better! He had it all memorized and did great!
Jordan played a song called "Take Five," which is a popular jazz-ish sounding number that Dave Brubeck made popular back in the 1960's-ish. He's been working on it for a while, and had a great performance, too!
Now we can sit back and take a break - for a few days until next week's lessons...

Fun weekend!

2009-06-10T08:56:00.006-06:00

This past weekend we needed to get out of the house, so we decided to go up little cottonwood canyon and check out a camp site that Aaron had reserved for a scout camp out later this month. He had also chosen a trail up above the camp to hike and he wanted to find the trail head, so off we went. The campsite looked good, but the trail was still covered under snow (it was up above the Alta ski resort...). So we let the boys play on some logs in the Alta parking lot while Aaron tried to come up with a plan B.
Eventually we found another trail. The boys were itching to hike, so we had to find something short and easy - it was looking like rain. Lisa Falls was a short trail (less than a quarter mile round trip) with a waterfall at the top and rappelling lines coming down the face of the falls. I would have taken more pictures, but this is where my camera died. Bummer... Anyway, we made it back in just enough time to drive down in the rain! Perfect timing! Hope you had fun this weekend, too!

Happy Birthday Levi!!

2009-06-05T07:27:00.011-06:00

Wow, can you believe our little Levi is 2!?! We love this little guy for all he brings to our family. He loves to love us, and gives the sweetest kisses. He loves to tease us (a genetic trait inherited from his Grandma Rigtrup). He has the greatest belly laugh and it usually takes just a silly face to get him from pouty to giggling. He loves to say goodnight to everyone before going to bed (I think it's his way to make sure that everyone is going to bed too, so he knows he's not missing out on any brotherly fun!), and is always eager to grab our hands - whether it's to show us something or just to walk beside us. Love this little guy! And we're so glad he was willing to join our crazy family! Here's a few of our favorites of Levi:

First week at home

First Parade (just under 2 months old)

He has always loved hanging with his brothers!

Hanging out in the grass (he loved it as long as his foot didn't touch the grass!)

He loves to be involved in whatever mom is doing... even if she's trying to get some stuff done on the computer...

Snack before church

"Don't worry, mom, I'll drive!"

Blow out the candles!
We love Levi and are so glad he is a part of our family!

I'm not going to take a nap!!!

2009-05-26T10:09:00.005-06:00

Poor Jacob sometimes just refuses to take a nap, even when he is so stinkin' tired. Saturday the sweet boy pulled the "I'm not gonna" stunt, so we let it go (you gotta pick your battles sometimes) and went about our day. When it came time to get ready to go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple tour (we got to go through early because Aaron works for the company that built it, and they let all the people who had a part in the building of the temple go through last Saturday. It was very awesome, and we got to go through with the group that included the architects, stone masons, and one of the muralists. But I digress...), Jacob got dressed, then promptly lay down in the hallway, pulled his blanket over his head, and fell asleep. It just made me laugh, I had to take a picture.

Macbeth #1

2009-05-26T09:51:00.007-06:00

This year the 6th graders performed the play "MacBeth" for their end of the year production, and Jordan got one of the Macbeth roles. In order for everyone to have a part, they split up the roles - meaning there were 3 Macbeths, 3 sets of witches, 3 Lady Macbeths, 3 Banquos, 3 King Duncans... you get the idea. Jordan was Macbeth #1. He really enjoys being in front of people and had fun with the part. Now if I could only get him to tell me that he needs a costume sooner than the night before the dress rehearsal.
Jordan enters the stage, a worn and weary Macbeth back from battle, unaware of the 3 witches brewing up ahead...

King Duncan returns from the dead and gets revenge for Macbeth's murderous plot (OK, so this was after the play, but it was still pretty funny. ok, maybe you had to be there...)

After the play, we went out to eat - partly to celebrate Jordan's first starring role, and partly because his mom was late to the performance and she felt really bad about missing Jordan's entrance. (In my defense, if Jordan would have told me when the play was supposed to have begun, I wouldn't have been late!)
He did great, and didn't even have to "break a leg" to do it!

Let's hear it for warm weather!

2009-05-21T10:01:00.002-06:00

And nights out in the backyard running around with nothing but shorts (or a diaper, depending on your age), and lunch in the back yard, and playing in the park, and turning on the hose and getting wet, and picnics with ice cream for dessert!

Summer... Bring it on!

Dear Tech Support,

2009-05-19T09:27:00.004-06:00

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NASCAR 6.0, NFL 5.1 and Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.

Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,

Desperate.

DEAR DESPERATE,

First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.HTML and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1.

Please note that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!

Tech Support

(Disclaimer: I love my husband, and am so grateful I get to be his and all, but I thought this was pretty funny...)

Wait, when did he grow up???

2009-05-15T11:20:00.009-06:00

OK, when did this happen??? He's not supposed to grow up this fast! Last week, my little boy turned 12. Do you realize I only have 6, maybe 7 years left of him being home??? I thought, this is not that big of a deal. Another birthday, another pokemon cake... But as he graduated from Primary, and received the Priesthood, I realized that he's really growing up. dude, where does the time go...?
age 5

starting 1st grade

Baptism day with his dad

With his buddy, Alexander (2007)

Hiking the "Y"

first day of 6th grade!

So here's to Jordan, my first little man... Blow out those candles and wish that these next (too-few) years are as great as the last 12 have been! Oh, how we love you!

The Apron

2009-05-06T09:44:00.007-06:00

Last week I got a call to see if I could go into Zachary's classroom the next day and help the kids decorate an apron for their teacher for teacher appreciation week. Surely I can come up with something, I thought... Problem is, I'm just not a creative kind of a chick. I thought I could have them put handprints on it. But there wasn't enough room for 30 handprints, and it would have been oh so very messy. So then I thought, they could just sign their names. But where's the creativity in that? Remember, this is Utah, the mecca for creative women. The pressure is intense! I only had 25 minutes and really didn't want to make a mess. Finally, an idea: I could have the kids do thumbprint insects. You know, where you stick your thumb in ink, press it onto the fabric, and then draw the eyes/wings/legs/etc. I found a few instructions online, then had the kids do butterflies, ladybugs, spiders, caterpillars, frogs, bumblebees, and even had 2 dinosaurs and a mutant (there are a few free-thinking creative kids in the class!) It took a little longer to do it than I thought, but we finished before the bell rang. Here's the finished project:

Not too bad, and I think she liked it. Zachary said that she wore it all day yesterday!

It's that time of year!

2009-04-30T09:51:00.013-06:00

Time for the Pinewood Derby!
Zachary and his dad have been working hard on his car the past few weeks. They've carved, sanded, drilled, glued (then had to saw and drill again because the glue got on a wheel!), and lubed and weighed in. We were really close to the 5 oz limit, so we glued 2 dimes onto the bottom to bring it up to 5 oz. It was so much fun to watch Zachary as his car raced. He was so excited - he really hoped his car would do well.
Here's his car on the track - ready to go!

The race begins...watching the boys was so much fun!

Here come the cars... GO! GO! GO!

So, how did we do? Really, do the results actually matter? Uh, to Zach, the answer would be YES!

He got 2nd place! (Pretty awesome, especially when you consider there were about 24 cars entered - give or take a few!)

Zach with his trophy.

And how does Zach feel about it?

Really, do we need to ask?!

The secret weapon...

2009-04-28T10:14:00.004-06:00

We have a secret weapon in our house. It is strong enough to get the boys out of bed at 6:42 am. It causes them to get dressed, make their beds, and even brush their teeth. They find themselves powerless against the morning grumpies, and even can be found cracking a smile now and then. They are drawn to even to do a chore or two. What is this weapon?

Ahh, the power of the donut.

(sorry for the swedish chef clip, I was feeling nostalgic... :-))

Something to think about

2009-04-23T16:13:00.004-06:00

I came across this quote last week. Maybe it's something I need to consider a little more often:

"My sink of dirty dishes means we have plenty of food. This pile of dirty laundry? Nice clothes. Those unmade beds sure were warm and comfortable last night. This finger smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting so badly? Enough leftovers for several meals. Even that slamming screen door means my kids are healthy, able to run and play. Chores? I do 'em gratefully."

A "Fort"-ifying Sunday

2009-04-20T11:13:00.004-06:00

OK, Jordan came up with the title for this post...

Yup, it was another Sunday filled with fort building, which means another Monday of demolition! The boys love to build them, and, hey, what can I say? They worked together to make an "apartment fort" with 5 different rooms to accomodate all of them.
It did make me laugh, however, when they came up with a plan to keep Levi out of their way...

They put him in his wagon and buried him with dinosaurs.

Hey, whatever makes him happy...

Don't judge a book by its cover...

2009-04-15T16:10:00.003-06:00

My sister Kelly introduced this video to me. You can't help but smile through tears at this Susan Boyle.

Click here to see the video from Britian's Got Talent from Saturday (April 11th).

(I tried to embed this, but the code has been disabled... bummer!)

Our Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T09:18:00.012-06:00

A pretty good load of sugar!

Happy Easter y'all! I hope everyone had a great weekend! We sure did. We were able to go on 2 Easter egg hunts. One was at my cousin Wendy's home. She hosts one every year and my boys always walk away with a big basket full of candy!
Levi was a little clueless this year, but soon got pretty excited once he realized that there was candy in them there eggs...

After the hunt, we were treated to lunch, then a pinata! The pinata started out as a flamingo, but the head and legs were the first to go...

Zach takes a pretty good swing.

Jordan tried to power through a swing. He later got frustrated and started a swordfight, and pretty much speared the flamingo.

Caeden was so intent on getting candy out of the bird that he actually went airborne... Brady was making it tricky to hit the pinata!

After a good sugar rush, we headed home to prepare for Sunday. I had a talk and a lesson to prepare, and a few other things to do to get ready for Sunday!

Sunday morning the boys all got their baskets. The Easter bunny didn't leave eggs in the yard this year, and my boys were bummed. I figured that with the egg hunt at Wendy's home and another at Grandma and Grandpa Gilbert's home after church, we didn't need to make the bunny work harder than necessary... (besides, I'm trying to steer towards a more Christ-centered Easter, less toward a bunny and plastic egg Easter). I tried to reason with them, "You don't need 3 Easter egg hunts, do you?" I heard Caeden stomp off, muttering under his breath "Yes, we do." Yeh, I think I have a little work to do regarding our efforts towards a less sugary holiday...

After church, we headed up to Grandma and Grandpa Gilbert's home (that's Aaron's mom and stepdad) and had fun searching for eggs. Grandma and Grandpa worked really hard to hide - and I mean HIDE - eggs in their backyard. They live up on the side of the mountain, and have great pathways and bushes and trees for egg hiding.

Jordan found an egg!

Zach checks out the water wheel for eggs.

Levi and Aaron on the path.

The kids had a great time looking for eggs with their cousins, then we all enjoyed a barbeque. It was a fun weekend spent with family and friends and we hope everyone had a great Easter, too!

Happy Palm Sunday

2009-04-05T21:12:00.004-06:00

Today at dinner time, we were talking about what we had heard during conference. One subject that came up was that it was Palm Sunday. What is Palm Sunday, the boys wanted to know. So I explained the Triumphant Entry of Christ, and how the people layed palms down in the street as Christ entered on His donkey. Zachary thought about that for a minute and asked, "So did the donkey walk on their hands?"

What?

I had to think about that one for a minute...

Then explain the difference between the palm leaves and the palms on our hands.

I love my Zachary!

Happy April Fools Day!

2009-04-01T16:09:00.003-06:00

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!
Oh wait, that was fun to sing back in NOVEMBER, but it's APRIL now!!! And it's not fun anymore!!! And we've got places to go, people to see, things to do!!! I think Jordan had a point this morning when he said, as we were driving to school in the blowing snow, "I guess Mother Nature pulled an April Fool's prank on us, mom."

Zach and Caeden make their way to the bus stop this morning.

Is this an appropriate Sunday activity?

2009-03-29T10:36:00.004-06:00

Ok, so on Sundays, we want to set it apart from every other day of the week. One of the ways that we do that is we refrain from what we call "screen time," that is we don't sit in front of a screen to entertain ourselves. Basic rules: No TV, no computer games, no playstation, no DS. We try to encourage the boys to find something to do to play together. Usually that means board games, building with legos or lincoln logs, and sometimes that means building tents. So I really didn't think about it when they started carrying cushions downstairs. After a few minutes, they came up and told me about their new game, "Avalanche." They bury a brother inside a mountain of blankets, pillows, and cushions. Then the buried brother triggers the avalanche to fall on the next boy to walk by the mountain. I obviously didn't move fast enough to go look at their mountain (I suspect they were looking for an innocent avalanche victim), so they took pictures.

Got to love the creativity of our boys.

Hello, Does a scout leader live here?

2009-03-28T09:51:00.004-06:00

Aaron is the 11 year old scout leader in our neighborhood, and this past month he has been working on lashing (that's tying things with ropes, for those unfamiliar...) Anyway, to reinforce those skills, he decided to teach the boys how to build a tower, using only lashing to hold it together, in our backyard. Yesterday, they finished their masterpiece:

And, just as beautiful plants signify a gardener lives in a specific home, or grease stains in the driveway points towards a motor enthusiast's home, the lashed tower in our backyard says "Scouts at work here."

Brothers together!

2009-03-24T16:59:00.003-06:00

I've been wanting to put Jacob and Levi in the same room together for a while. They're just too little to be in their very own rooms! Besides, I think it's good for them to learn how to share their space with others - after all, after home there's college roommates, then mission companions, then eventually marriage. It's a good skill to acquire while they're young. Anyway, we finally did it. I've been putting it off because I knew I would have to take apart the crib and put it together again in order to move it from room to room - no small feat. I got curtains for them (I am thinking ahead to when the sun doesn't set until 9:30pm, but bedtime is still at 8:30pm) and I also got a new "car" carpet with a map on it. It's a nice cozy room now, and the boys are really happy about it. Jacob loves his "new car room" and Levi loves going to bed, as long as his brother is right there across from him. It actually makes life just a little bit easier!

And now Levi's room is my "laundry, ironing, sewing, miscellaneous project" room. It's a bonus for all of us!

Here's to moms everywhere

2009-03-19T21:32:00.002-06:00

who just want to take a bath by themselves...
Have you ever had one of those mornings, you know, where you just wake up feeling a little achy, didn't sleep well the night before, and you feel a head cold coming on?
The thought pops into your head, "If I could just soak in the tub, just long enough to relax my muscles, and maybe loosen the concrete block behind my eyes, maybe I'll be able to make it through the day and get something done." Those are the days when, as much as you love your children, you wish you could be left alone for just a FEW MINUTES!!!! I just had one of those mornings.
The exchange goes something like this:
me: "Jordan, watch your brothers for a minute. Levi's (here), Jacob's (here), and Zachary and Caeden are in front of the TV in the basement (no worries about them disturbing me - some Pokemon show is on)."
Jordan: "OK, mom, I'll watch them."
At which point, I turn to go down the hall to start the tub. Also at which point I hear Jordan run downstairs to watch aforementioned Pokemon show.
Cut to a few minutes later... I'm in the tub, head under the water. I come up, and there's Jacob, "Mom, whatcha doin'?"
me: "I'm taking a bath." (I start to feel my inner teenager come out, and I almost say "Duh, isn't it obvious?!?")
Jacob: "Can I get in?"
Mom: "No, bud. I just want to wash my body by myself."
Jacob pulls up his pants and leaves the room.
10 seconds later, I lather up my hair and open my eyes to Jacob standing there again. "Mom, I think you need some bubbles." He reaches for the button to turn on the jets.
me: "Noooo! Mom doesn't want to get her hair caught in the jets. Let me wash my hair by myself, please..." and Jacob leaves.
As I come out of the water again, trying to rinse my hair out, there's Jacob again. "Mom, I got you some soap." He hands me the baby wash from the other bathroom.
me: "Thanks, bud. Could you go out now?"
Jacob: "Of course." (He's into saying "Of course" for every affirmative answer - I don't know why.)
15 seconds later, Jacob brings in the yellow rubber duckie. "Here, mom, now you can play. You need the duck to play. Can I get in now?"
me: "No, Jake. Please go out and close the door. Where's Jordan? Go find Jordan."
Jacob: "OK."
About 20 seconds later, there's a knock on my door. Inner teenager creeps to the surface and I yell "Whaaaaaaaaaat?" with that really whiny up and down inflection in the middle of the word. Jacob wants to know if I want the shark and pirannah. "Noooo (imagine the whine here, too.) Please go away."
Jacob: "I want to take a bath. Can I take a bath with you now?"
me: "No, sometimes moms just like to get cleaned up by themselves. Hey, why don't you go watch TV with your brothers?"
Jacob: "No thank you."
me: "Go get a book."
Jacob: "No, I don't want a book."
me: "Why don't you play with your cars in your cool car room with your car mat?"
Jacob, opening the door: "Can I come in now?"
By this time, I realize that there's no chance of getting a relaxing bath until everyone is in bed. I pull my sad, achy body out of the tub and tell Jacob that if he wants to get in, he can. I dry off and get dressed and sit on my bed as I hear "mom, come look... I'm making bubbles come out of my bum!" And he wonders why mom doesn't want to bathe with him.
I love my boys.

My basketball boys

2009-03-16T10:37:00.007-06:00

Yay, it's Monday and my boys are still off track! I actually love it when they're off track. I get to sleep in, and we can do something fun. We are going to go to temple square today. Last time we went was at Christmas time, and it was so crowded that the boys didn't get to get close to the Christus statue. Zachary, especially, was bummed. So I figure we'll go today. Hopefully it won't be too crowded (knock on wood...)

On another note, yesterday we got Zachary's basketball pictures. Instead of doing the usual team photos, the team elected to have their pictures taken by the coach's sweet, patient, and extremely talented personal photographer and wife. (Thanks, Jeni! They are awesome!) Here they are:

Stud man Zach

What talent!

Go Team!

(If you want to see some more of Jeni's photographic prowess, go to her website: www.4getmenotphotography.blogspot.com. She is awesome!)

Ever have one of these mornings?

2009-03-11T08:53:00.002-06:00

Every morning I greet my children as they get up with an enthusiastic "Good Morning, (insert name here)! How are you this morning?" How they respond is usually a good barometer of their grumpiness or happiness for the morning. Sometimes I'll get a "pretty good" response, or a "grrrrrr" as they swat at me. This morning, every time I asked Levi how he was doing, I got this:

I wonder how today's going to be?

Caeden is Seven!

2009-03-09T09:50:00.014-06:00

Oh my, what's going on here? When do these boys find the time to grow up?
Saturday was Caeden's birthday. We love the little man - and although his teasing is paramount to his life, our family wouldn't be the same without him. He is our "vocally expressive" child - in fact, his dad used to call him the "Scarlet Demon" when he was a newborn! He would put his whole body into his cry and turn a deep scarlet color as he expressed his displeasure. It's a trait that still continues today. But he loves and squeezes and is always so eager to be a helper. He loves back scratches and hugs and to be told that he is, and always will be, "My most favorite Caeden in the whole world!"

Meeting Caeden

My 4 boys (in 2002)

At FairyTale Land, age 1 (and, no, this is NOT Levi.)

Caeden showed a passion for candy at a very early age! He is absolutely his mother's son.

Caeden loved this bear (he named him Rhett - we don't know why!)

Caeden has always been a fan of soft squishy things, especially dinosaurs!

Checking out dino bones at the museum is great fun for Caeden!

Caeden goes to great lengths to keep up with his brothers and friends!

So, here's to you, Caeden! Know that we love you dearly and we're so glad you're part of our family!

Jordan's stitches

2009-03-02T12:21:00.003-07:00

Be careful of what you say...
Just a few weeks ago I was talking to someone about their daughter getting stitches, and I made the casual comment, "We haven't had to do stitches - yea!" I should have knocked on wood.
Jordan went to the winter camp with the scouts and at about 8:30 pm Friday night Aaron calls me and says something like, "Now, it's really not serious, but could you find me the nearest Urgent Care center to the camp?"
"What!?!"
"Well, Jordan was working on his wood carving merit badge..." Do I really need to go on?
So now he has a sweet little finger splint and a few stitches. On the plus side, he ended up going back to camp that night and finishing the wood carving badge the next day, as well as his fingerprinting badge. (They let him get it even though he was only able to take impressions of 9 fingers.) And he came home with a great story of his first winter campout!

It's a hard life for the 1 year old...

2009-02-23T09:52:00.002-07:00

Poor Levi... He saw me put his favorite blanket in the washer last week, and he was really troubled about it. For the next few hours, if I couldn't find the sweet boy, I'd look in the laundry room where he was checking on his blanket. Boy, was he happy when it came out sweet and clean!

Cute, academic man!

2009-02-23T09:43:00.003-07:00

Oh, what a week we've had... Right now 4 of us have colds, and the last time I tried to post while on cold medication, I ended up rambling on about the similarities between water boarding, torture, and using a nasal aspirator on a baby. So to avoid another such entry, I'll just post the pictures of Zachary and his glasses!
Zach has an awesome teacher this year, and she wanted all of her "glasses-wearing" students to know how great they are, so she wore her glasses for a while and took this picture so that they would know they're a part of a great group...
Gotta love the glasses!

Sweet Jacob...

2009-02-18T10:56:00.004-07:00

I Love This Boy!
There are times where I think that the reason Heavenly Father has blessed him with those trips to the emergency room is to remind me how much I love him... because there are times that I am ready to give him away! He's a busy, curious, talkative, loving, sweet little man, whos curiosity and busy-ness and affinity for the sweet things in life and talkative-ness (and willingness to repeat way more than he should!) gets him into trouble. Oh, but how we love our little men!

As for the story behind this latest accident...
The last Sunday in January, I was released as our ward's Relief Society president. (In my own warped way of thinking this really has something to do with it, I promise!) I remember when I was set apart for this calling almost 2 1/2 years ago, I was blessed that my family would be kept safe while I served in this capacity. Yes, I know, Jacob fell from the bonus room while I was president, but the fact that he even survived makes me feel that the blessing still was in effect! Anyway, after church, I had one last appointment that I had set up before my release. So I return home from that visit at 5:00 pm, thinking, "Well, I'm done. Time for a break." My boys were obviously thinking something else, because at 5:25 pm, they came sliding down the stairs on and in their sleeping bags, the 4 oldest all together (in my defense, that is definately against the rules!), and Jacob got rolled over on the way down. Pop goes the collarbone. I guess I no longer qualify for that blessing of protection anymore... But did it have happen so soon afterwards???

I know I shouldn't let him do this, but...

2009-02-13T09:48:00.002-07:00

the kid is so skinny, and the doctor always gives me a hard time about how he's in the 10th (or lower) percentile, and if he's still hungry, then let him eat...
I come in the kitchen after chasing the boys around trying to get stuff organized for tomorrow's school day, and I was just hoping that Levi wasn't up on the counter trying to pet the fish again (that's why he's all wet!). Well, he wasn't playing with the fish, he was finishing off dinner out of the skillet. The kid just can't stop climbing, and nothing left out is safe!

Star Wars a cappella...

2009-02-10T10:05:00.002-07:00

For everyone who loved Star Wars like me... Here's something my sister-in-law found on YouTube. All the music is from John Williams (he's an awesome composer!). This just made me laugh this morning.

25 Random Things

2009-02-10T09:58:00.001-07:00

OK, I've been tagged to post 25 random thoughts about myself on facebook, and since I spent way too much time doing this, I'm going to post it here, too! Enjoy...

1. Ok, the only reason I'm doing this is because I've been tagged about 4 times, so I figure it's about time I responded.
2. I have been worrying for days about not being able to come up with 25 things to say.
3. I really have no idea how facebook works. I just like reading about what's going on in other people's lives. If you want to find out about mine, you have to go to my blog.
4. I like to run, but I really don't think I'm much of an athlete. In fact, I'm the antithesis of an athlete. I have no coordination, and I'm pretty weak. But it feels good to sweat, and sometimes, when I run longer than the guy next to me (I've been on the treadmill at the gym since January), I like to pretend I'm better than he is. Of course, I'm usually humbled when, as I'm leaving the gym, I look over and see him benching 500 lbs.
5. My ankle hurts. As much as I like to run, it also makes me feel like I'm getting older - it seems I'm always pulling a muscle, twisting an ankle, or just being more sore than a 20 year old would be.
6. I should be paying the bills right now, but I don't want to, and so I'm also feeling guilty about not paying the bills.
7. I need to lose weight, but I know that means I need to give up baking treats for a while, and I think I have a true addiction to cookie dough.
8. Along those "losing weight" lines, I'm really tempted to try the "Acai Berry Diet" that is constantly being advertised online, and even though I know it's all a bunch of advertising bull and is seriously not a healthy way to lose weight, wouldn't it be nice if you really could lose 23 lbs a month?
9. I love to read. I want to be well versed and knowledgable in all types of literature, but a good mystery, or exciting action story, or sappy love story can pull me in at the drop of a hat. Or should I say a turn of a page. Anyway, when I get pulled in to a good book, I have a really hard time putting it down. I mean, really, really hard. Like, kids, how about a bowl of cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? And, if you're not bleeding, you're fine. And, the baby can nap just as well on the floor as he can in his bed, right? I'm truly a loser mom when I get pulled into a good book.
10. I'm afraid of drunk people. Because even happy drunks can turn mean and evil for no rational reason, and drunks behind the wheel are lethal. Which is why I don't like to travel on holidays.
11. I'm thinking that I'm going to post this on my blog, because if I'm going to spend this much time at the computer, I might as well multi-task!
12. I like to pray in my closet. Honestly, if I'm really going to pour out my heart, I just can't do it knowing that someone is going to be walking around me, or is watching me, or is waiting for me to finish. It just makes me too self conscious, so I hide in my closet to pray.
13. One thing that I'm really going to miss about being Relief Society president is the excuse I had to be involved in, or at least aware of, what's going on in everyone's lives.
14. The thing that I will not miss about being RS president is the constant guilt of not doing enough, being spiritual enough, or just not being enough.
15. I really hope I don't embarrass my family too much.
16. I'm afraid of ghosts. So if you die, don't come back to visit me. Just leave a note.
17. I love music. I can be really touched by a good song, or an inspired performance of a beautiful piece of music. Sometimes I can feel the spirit of a song when I play my flute, and even though no one else may hear it, it is just beautiful to me.
18. I like to leave a good impression, and I probably worry too much about it.
19. I hate those days where I don't make the time to shower and get and dressed. I just feel so grungy, and even if no one sees me, I feel gross.
20. I feel better in a clean room. I have a hard time starting a new project in a dirty room. I have to clean it first! I think I even sleep better when my house is clean.
21. I think I may have been a gymnast in a previous life (just kidding!). I actually get emotional when I watch those talented athletes perform, and I wish I could have been like that.
22. I love my boys, and if we could have one more, I'd actually want another boy.
23. Even though the previous comment is pure truth, sometimes I wish I had an excuse to be more "girly."
24. Making treats is one way I show my boys I love them. Does that make me disfunctional?
25. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't finish college. I really hope to get a degree before I die!

Whew! What a month!

2009-01-26T11:12:00.006-07:00

Goodness! Where have we been all month? It'll take me days to update you... but for anyone who's interested:
Some of us sprained our backs while snowblowing the blizzard off our driveway (thankfully, it was minor - the doc prescribed ibuprofin and rest. I at least got some ibuprofin!), Some of us got new glasses (and he looks very handsome, by the way!),

some of us ate way too much homemade caramel popcorn,

some of us flooded our bathroom with bubbles,

some of us were released from our calling as Relief Society president, and she was oh so very excited at the prospect of having a little extra time when someone decided to break their collarbone... Oh, life never stops! I love life.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-28T18:31:00.012-07:00

We hope everyone had as great of Christmas as we did!

On Christmas Eve, we played secret Santa where our boys (in dark of night and heavily disguised) anonymously delivered a gifts to a needy family.

Christmas morning was all about the fun presents!

Everyone got a fun gift from Santa, plus a fun gift from the family, and also some clothes and books.

Levi wasn't quite ready to wake up as early as his brothers, so he opened his first few gifts while lying on the couch in his dad's arms.

We got pounded with snow - which made for an awesome white Christmas!

Luckily, Santa had the foresight to leave some sleds around the tree, too, which we readily used on a slope near home.

We have had a great week and hope you did too!

ps - our Christmas letters are stuffed and ready to go. Hey, it's before New Years! Last year we didn't even get this far!

This is what I get for taking my eyes of them!

2008-12-20T14:06:00.003-07:00

Ok, so I take a break for a few minutes to watch some cheesey girly show that isn't animated, so my boys take off for the upstairs bonus/play room. When the show ended, I went upstairs to check on the guys, and lo and behold, they had decided to make their own snack... chocolate pudding... Levi was on the floor, sound asleep, and covered in it! At first, I was just really relieved that it wasn't blood. Then the reality of the mess set in, and we got to work cleaning up the couch, chair, and Levi.

For the strength of youth...

2008-12-17T12:03:00.003-07:00

When we lived in CA, there were just some amazing youth in our ward. Now they're growing up (which is amazing, since I don't seem to get any older...) and going to college and getting married. Amazing! Anyway, here are two young women from Sacramento who are singing in BYU's women's a cappela group Noteworthy. They are awesome, and I just thought y'all might enjoy listening to them sing. Courtney Jensen is singing the lead and her sister Katie is in the group. It made me smile, hope you enjoy!

Here's the Good Morning America Link:

2008-12-16T22:41:00.002-07:00

If you missed the Larsons on GMA this morning, here's their story. I visited with Heather for a few minutes today. I think she looked great, considering that GMA arrived at their home this morning at 2:30 am. Some reassuring news: After seeing the story, a woman who has fostered Talon's siblings previously called Heather to let her know that she knew where Talon was, and that he was with a good family. At least that's something...

maybe there's hope...

2008-12-15T15:22:00.002-07:00

As I sit here letting tears run down my face, I get a call from my husband telling me to check our email, and this is what I found...
The Larson's were contacted by Good Morning America today with interest in telling their story and will be at the Larson's home tomorrow morning (Tuesday) at 2:30 a.m. to film. The Larsons wanted to thank everyone for their continued support as well as let you know that this film session will air tomorrow on GMA. Heather did not know exactly what time it will be on, but the story will air tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 16th on GMA.
I just can't help but think that a little national attention might help this case. Maybe there's reason to hope. So if you're interested, tune in...

he's gone...

2008-12-15T14:42:00.007-07:00

I wish we could have done something to make a difference, but last night the tribal council came and took Talon away. It makes no sense - there is nothing right about this (he is more hispanic, caucasion and Irish, for crying out loud, than native american!). He goes into foster care on the reservation now. So many tears have been shed. Heather and Clint are devastated. Probably about 200 of us stood on their front lawn and cried as Heather carried Talon out to be taken away from them forever. We tried to sing, to do something that might show our love and support, but the sounds of sobbing were just as loud as the music. I am still a weepy mess today, I can't imagine how Heather's heart is breaking. It is awful. Please remember the Larson family in your prayers, and when you hold your children, be grateful that they are yours...
Goodbye, beautiful brown eyes. We will miss you.

for KSL's story, go here.

Heartbreaker in our neighborhood...

2008-12-12T09:58:00.002-07:00

We have a beautiful baby in our neighborhood (ok, they're all beautiful!), who is being taken away from his family on Sunday. Our neighbors, the Larson family, have been working on adopting a sweet young boy. He was born here in Utah, matched through an adoption agency, and the mother signed all necessary papers for the adoption to go through. But the native american tribe from the birth mother's state (minnesota) have discovered that this baby has a small bit of indian blood in him (he's 3/16ths indian, which is less than the 1/4 required by the tribal constitution for them to have any say where he goes, but because enrollment is "low," they still feel they have the right to him), and they are coming to take him away at 6 pm Sunday evening. No judge will rule against the tribe, because the tribe is a "soveriegn nation" so no one will claim jurisdiction, and our judicial system is letting this happen. We are heartbroken, for this beautiful child will be stuck in the foster system on the reservation. We are trying to get the word out as much as possible, grasping at straws, and hoping to show support for this loving family. If you can come and support this family on Sunday night, please come and join us at their home. The Larson's address is 3376 W Bear River Rd. Thank you so much for any support you can give and please continue to pray for a miracle to allow Talon to stay with his 'Real' mom and dad, Heather and Clint. If you'd like to have a little better perspective on what their family has gone through, please take a look at their blog www.talonsadoption.blogspot.com.

Christmas at temple square!

2008-12-12T09:42:00.006-07:00

Of course, if you live in Utah, every now and then you have to visit temple square in Salt Lake City at Christmas time. What a beautiful display of lights! The night that we were there, there were choirs singing in every building, so we stopped in the assembly hall to listen to a children's choir from Riverton sing. We took lots of pictures, saw the nativity display, and showed the boys the Christus stature in the north visitor's center. It was a fun night, and I think the boys even had a great time! It's beginning to feel a little like Christmas...
Love that temple!
The boys in front of the temple.
Zach by the water

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-12-03T08:08:00.001-07:00

We hope everyone had just as much food, just as much fun, and just as much whipped topping as your mom would allow on this blessed Thanksgiving day!

What happened to all the food?

2008-11-25T13:41:00.004-07:00

There are times where I wonder "Where have all the snacks gone?" I mean, I usually try to control snack time to a very short period of time right after school, then I start fixing dinner. But any time I try to do something where I can't keep an eye on the kitchen, it seems that I eventually open the pantry door to this:
At least it was just the craisins this time. The cookies are safe (for the moment, anyway... I haven't checked on the pantry in the last 4 minutes or so...)

Bath time!

2008-11-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

Happy boys who like to take baths just make me happy!

All I want for Chrithmath ith my two front teeth...

2008-11-25T13:23:00.002-07:00

About 2 weeks ago, my boys all had dental appointments. Caeden was told that he needed to start wiggling his two front teeth. Apparently, the teeth were loose a little while ago, but had begun to tighten up again when the permanent front teeth started moving in. Caeden overheard the dentist say that "We may need to pull them for him if they don't fall out before the others come in," so he has been diligently wiggling for about 10 days. Finally, this Sunday, one fell out while he was snacking on popcorn, and he let dad pull the second one (it was so loose, it was just hanging there!) We were so happy - it took a lot of courage to let dad pull it out! Yay for Caeden!

My little Einstein!

2008-11-25T12:54:00.002-07:00

Jordan had a school project that he worked on for 3 months. It was a history of Einstein. Needless to say, I learned a lot about the guy during this time. It all culminated in a class presentation where each student presented a bio-riddle about their subject, displayed their project boards, and dressed up like their character. It was fun to see them all and best of all... we're done!!!

Our new bed!

2008-11-16T18:05:00.005-07:00

Ok, jules, this is for you!
About 2 years ago Aaron and I bought a new mattress, but it didn't fit our old bed frame. Then a few months ago, we found a killer deal on a bed (it was 70% off, plus no tax added or delivery charges!) so we bought it. Julie has been asking for a picture, so here we go:

Isn't it pretty?
Now we just need to get the matching nightstands and dresser... One thing at a time...

Happy Halloween (a few weeks late...)

2008-11-15T07:29:00.005-07:00

One of these days, I'll get on the ball and blog every other day and keep everyone up to date... maybe when we get a new computer that doesn't take 20 minutes to start up, or whose monitor won't go out (I think we have a short in the cord... ugh...) Anyway, I promised mom Halloween pictures, and even though we're half way to Thanksgiving, here they are!

Jordan was "The Unknown Ghost," he had glasses under the mask that lit up so it looked like he had floating, glowing eyes. Zachary was a Ninja warrior. This is actually the 3rd year he's been a Ninja, but I guess it works for him. Caeden was the Red Power Ranger. I found that funny, since he doesn't watch "Power Rangers," but he thought the muscles on the costume were cool. Jacob changed his costume a number of times. Actually, he didn't want to wear a costume at all, until he realized that if you wear a costume and say "Trick or Treat," you get candy! So, begrudgingly, he wore a Tigger coat and went trick or treating. He loved the candy, hated the costume, but now he won't stay out of the costume box... And our little Levi stayed home with me to pass out candy. He did enjoy the softness of Tigger after Jacob abandoned him, so here's Levi's after a hard night of candy-passing-out-ing.
Hope everyone had a happy Halloween, and no one's teeth are any worse for the sugar overdose!

Are you as tired of politics as I am?

2008-10-22T16:47:00.002-06:00

Thanks, Julie, for inspiring me to add a little "Jib Jab" to my blog! This made me smile, I hope you enjoy!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Where have we been the past month???

2008-10-20T17:15:00.003-06:00

Yee haw and Hallelujah!!! Sports season is over with!!! Sorry for the lack of updates on our part over here this past month, but jeez, we've been busy! Monday has been piano lessons and FHE, Tuesday was Zach's scouts, Zach's soccer practice and game, then Jordan's scouts. Wednesday consisted of Caeden's soccer games and Jordan's flag football practice, then Thursday was Jordan's games. Friday was Zach's piano lessons, then I'd usually drop because I (hopefully) had the rest of the night free, with no homework or piano practicing to be "encouraged." Saturday is that special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday, as well as the between the 3 games we have that day, and then Sunday is the beautiful, "rest-from-your-weekly-labors, but not necessarily a day-of-rest-day," and you'll understand why blogging has taken a back seat. As far as sports go, the boys won some games, they lost some games, and we all had a great time, especially when you consider that the weather wasn't all that bad and I never lost Levi or Jacob for an extended period of time on the field.

Why can't I ever get anything done?

2008-09-18T09:43:00.005-06:00

Recently, I have gone from checking email and blogs daily to maybe once or twice a week. Why? you may ask. It is because everytime I walk into the office, there is "someone" (a someone who loves to climb up on chairs and tables) up there occupying the desk. So, if I don't update here very often, or respond to email for days, please know I'm just trying to reclaim my computer!

I wonder when the novelty of trashing the office will wear off for this boy? (If I don't catch him in time, then he will push everything off of the desk and start emptying drawers. Oh, I am so grateful that the file drawers have locks!)

Jacob's birthday!

2008-09-15T12:42:00.014-06:00

Jacob's birthday was very low key! We got him a truck that hauls cars, a maze book,and a box of mac 'n' cheese. And what was he most excited about? The mac 'n' cheese... What a fun guy he is!
I can always count on Jacob to be the most exciting man on the block! He tells me he loves me, and then licks me to prove his point (he is into the "be a dog" thing!) He loves to cuddle (even at 2 am), and he loves to read his monster books. He has been the source of my greatest stress so far (throwing himself from the 2nd story window was one of my greatest nightmares!), and the source of my greatest mess (let's just say it had something to do with 75 lbs of sugar and 1 1/2 gallons of honey... if you lived within the continental US at the time, you probably heard me scream...). But he is tender and sweet, curious and full of energy, and he has taught us to love differently than any other. So, here's to you, Jake, and the hope that we keep you alive long enough to serve your mission!

Jacob chillin on the beanbag

Jake's first trip to Disneyland!

first steps

He loves brownies - just like his mom!

first buzz cut

Riding the pony

Hiking the Y with dad and brothers

Jacob "I guess I can't fly" Hall with his skull in pieces...

At the pond with his brothers

Playing in the snow

SeaWorld in 2008

Yay! We made it to 4!!! (he wanted a pudding cake, so that's what he got!)

We love you Jacob, and we're so glad you're part of our family!

Weekend of Fun, Continued

2008-09-09T07:14:00.007-06:00

Caeden and Noelle Wilkins enjoying Oktoberfest at Snowird!

Ok, back to Labor Day weekend... (Week of busy-ness got in the way this last week!) After spending an evening at Swiss Days, we (meaning the Wilkins family and ours) went up to Snowbird to play.
We jumped on the bungee-trampoline,

rode the Alpine Slide,

did the zip-line (sorry, no picture - I was afraid I'd drop the camera and never find it again!),

rode on the mechanical bull,

went up to the top of the mountain on the tram,

then hiked down and rode the Peruvian chair lift down,
climbed the rock wall (Jordan actually made it to the top and Zachary came within a foot! - bummer that my camera battery was dead by then...), and then we took the kids home to collapse.
Sunday was spent attending church, eating scones and playing games, then Monday, the rainy labor day, we slept in, cleaned house, ate chicken tacos and watched "Bill Cosby - Himself." Ahh, it was a very good weekend!

Our fun weekend

2008-09-05T12:10:00.002-06:00

Labor Day weekend was going to be a camping trip up to Bear Lake, but when we found out that there were Sunday conflicts that we needed to be back for, and plus there was a forcast that included rain (and SNOW at the higher elevations!!), we decided we would make it our "Weekend O' Fun" at home. We started off by doing a barbecue with the Wilkins family (the family with whom we would have been camping) - Actually, Aaron and the boys barbecued with Dave and their kids while Kristie Wilkins and I went to Swiss Days, the mecca for mormon women. There had to be at least 200 craft booths! So much fun to just get out and look around and get some ideas of things I want to do for our home. I bought one thing - a 16" tile that has a great family mission statement. It says:

In this home
WE BELIEVE
in living deeply, laughing often,
and loving always.
WE BELIEVE
we were brought together
to support and care for each other.
WE BELIEVE
in celebrating together...
our faith, our heritage, our traditions.
WE BELIEVE
that everyone's feelings count, and that
the uniqueness of each strengthens all of us.
WE BELIEVE
in the power of forgiveness to heal
and the power of love to carry us through.
WE BELIEVE
in one another; In this family;
IN THIS HOME.

I know we're not perfect, but this is the kind of home that I want my boys to live in - where we love each other, celebrate each other, and believe in each other.

Do you see all the teeth?

2008-09-04T14:59:00.002-06:00

This boy is the toothy-est boy I have ever had!!! He now has 16 teeth!!! His molars are in, the ones next to them are almost in, and then he has the 8 that he sprouted when he was 5-8 months old. Compare that to Jordan, whose teeth didn't even break the gums until after his first birthday... He's taking it really well, though. We have grumpy days, but really, considering that he's got teeth erupting out of his mouth like lava from a volcano, he's being a champ. Gotta love this boy!

Caeden's haircut

2008-08-23T14:34:00.003-06:00

Before

This past week Caeden decided to experiment with cutting his own hair. He cut a huge chunk out of his bangs. It didn't look too bad as long as we combed it to the side, but by the end of the week, I couldn't stand it any more. This morning I "evened it out..." At least he'll have a cool head for the rest of the summer.
After

Little muncher...

2008-08-22T11:14:00.003-06:00

Guess who's discovered the apple basket? He loves the apples, just not the peels. Those he just spits out... where ever he may be standing... But it's funny to watch him finish a whole apple. He's getting so big so fast!

Another reader in the family!

2008-08-21T16:50:00.003-06:00

Levi makes me smile!
He's really getting into books recently. He has decided that Jacob's "Blue's Clues Thinking Chair" is one of his favorite spots to sit in when we're in Jacob's room. He'll grab a book or two off of the bookshelf and sit himself down and "read." I love my smart boys!

Aaron's adventure

2008-08-18T10:35:00.006-06:00

Aaron and some of his co workers went mountain biking this weekend. It had been a while since Aaron last went biking, but he was excited to go. They biked the trail called the "Wasatch Ridge." Aaron had quite the adventure. He puked on his shoes, which was only appropriate since he had just finished a big climb called "Puke Hill." He wiped out about 4 times, bent his rear tire, and discovered that his 11 year old bike isn't quite as cool as what we thought it was when we first bought it. He also learned that if you are going to go mountain biking along the Wasatch crest, you need to change out the road tires!!! At the end of the day, after a long bath, lots of ibuprofin, 4 stitches in his elbow, and a good scrubbing of his shoes, he was glad he went.

Meet Senator Hall!

2008-08-09T11:20:00.002-06:00

These first few weeks of school have been busy! We do so much homework!!! We have to track reading minutes, physical activity minutes, music practice, and homework, then send the logs in to the teachers to get credit. On top of all the fun learning we are doing, Jordan decided to run for "B-Track President!" He made it past the primaries, and came in second in the run-off on Friday, which means he is the b track senator. He was a little bummed not to have won, but is excited to be a part of the student council. I'm thinking, it's not bad for a first run at office. And I'm really happy to not have to make any more posters or help him with his speeches... Now he gets to go to meetings and feel important... I'm glad that my kids want to be involved. I surely wasn't that kind of kid!

July fun!

2008-07-28T14:05:00.007-06:00

July is our month o' fun! It starts with the fireworks, then we have Aaron's birthday!
Aaron has never been a big cake fan, so we made him a birthday pie.
Since it has been so hot recently, the boys feel that if they "have" to be outside, the hose has to be on. I didn't want to put the pool out this year because I was a little worried about Levi going over the edge, (he sneaks outside with his brothers so often!), so the boys made their own swimming hole with our ball bucket.

Of course, Jacob always seems to find a new way of doing things...

This morning it was back to work, though. School started and our noses are back to the grindstone!
Aren't my young scholars handsome?

Our 4th of July!

2008-07-22T10:41:00.008-06:00

Caeden watches our "big show!"

For our Fourth of July celebration, we really didn't do too much. It was a lazy day where we caught up on some housework, then barbecued and then did our own fireworks out on the street. South Jordan has its own "Country Fest" at the end of June, complete with greasy fair food and carnival rides and a free concert in the park (this year they had country singer Darryl Worley - he sings "Have You Forgotten?", "Awful, Beautiful Life," "I Miss My Friend," and "I Just Came Back From a War" to name a few songs) and they have a great fireworks show where we can sit close (and by close, I mean there's ashes in your hair when you leave!) and there's very little traffic. So we get our fill of big fireworks and fair at the Country Fest every year then spend the 4th at home doing our own thing. It's been quite fun, really. Anyway, here's a few pictures of our "fireworks show."
Zach and the sparkler
Pyromaniacs in training

Zachary's not a huge fan of noise...Jordan climbs the street sign post

Our Trip to Zions National Park

2008-07-19T15:10:00.010-06:00

At the end of June, we went to Zions National Park for the Hall Family Reunion. Aaron and his siblings and all the spouses and kids and parents all attend, and we had a great time. We rented the "Moose Lodge" (which sleeps 34 people) at a resort just outside Zions and spent time hiking in the park, swimming at the resort's pool, and just enjoying each other's company. We took all of the kids on the Emerald Pool hike, which was a perfect hike for all the kids. Jacob didn't think he could make it, but up at the 3rd pool, all the kids took a dip in the pool... I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to swim up there, but you try to stop 30 overheated kids on a 100 degree day from getting in the water...!
Zachary on the hike

Jordan under the waterfall at the first pool

Catching tadpoles at the second pool

Aaron and the boys cooling off at the 3rd pool

Levi playing in the cool dirt on a hot day!

Twins born in different years?

2008-07-17T14:12:00.004-06:00

I've always thought that Levi and Caeden look a lot alike. Some people humor me and say they do, and others disagree. I think I've got a little evidence that supports my side. I've got a few pictures of my boys taken at the same age (13 1/2 months old). What do you think?

Am I just seeing things, or are our cloning exercises approaching success?

We were there!

2008-07-14T08:47:00.008-06:00

On Friday, July 11th, we noticed that the steeple had been put up on the temple just west of our home. We decided to go up and check it out, and when we got there, they were preparing to put the Moroni statue up on the steeple. We immediately parked the van and jumped out to watch them put him up. I was so glad to have had my boys all with me so that they could watch it too. It was so very cool! What awesome timing we had that day! It is so fun having a temple being built so close to our home.

Here's the view of the temple from our backyard. Neat, huh!