Things I learned today...

1) When the fridge door is open, David's arm fits perfectly in the crack by the hinge.

2) When the fridge door is closed, David's arm doesn't bend with it.

3) It makes David sad to have his arm shut in the fridge.

4) Even though David's mom felt horrible for shutting his arm in the fridge door, it did not prevent her from doing it not once, but TWICE within the period of an hour.

5) I will not be nominated for Mother of the Year anytime soon.

A visit from Grandpa

Grandpa just left from a two week stay at our house. We LOVE it when he comes! The house seems a little empty (which should be difficult with a house full of little kids) with him gone. Here are some of my favorite things about my father-in-law:

-His moustache
-His white "Members Only" jacket. I'm sad we didn't get a picture of him wearing it. He upgraded to a sport coat for the journey home.
-His smile and his laugh
-He loves the sound of children. I kept apologizing for the noise in my home to which he would reply, "Oh, I love it. I miss it. My house is too quiet."
-He is willing to bend the truth a little bit about loving the noise of children.
-He is CONSTANTLY doing projects. Last time he was here he prepped and painted two rooms, helped me put together a dresser, helped install a microwave at Darin's brother's house (and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few). This time he got his sister's car working, helped his cousin with her computer, pulled weeds at his sister's house, hooked up a cable in our guest room, and almost fixed a broken chair (we didn't have the right supplies, and we ran out of time). He says that projects are what keep him going. He loves helping people.
-He is the Dance Club President in his retirement community. He sends us the e-mails (complete with clip art and music) of his jokes and speeches he gives at all the dances. He has the rest of the year planned out, and is constantly thinking of new ways to improve attendance at the dances.
-He loves buffets. His favorites are The Home Town Buffet and the Asian Buffet. I like to go with him. (We made it to Golden Corral this time)
-I love how he underlines (twice) and capitalizes important things that need emphasizing when he writes something down.
-He helps me be related to Wilford Woodruff (Wilford Woodruff is his great grandfather--only one great, which means that he is Darin's great great grandfater, and my kids' great great great grandfather).
-He is one of my very favorite people.

Here is Grandpa with Darin, Warren, and David (Olivia and Sean left for school before Grandpa woke up).

Darin with his dad

G.W., Me, and David

We love you, Grandpa, and we miss you already!

Church notebook

Yesterday at church I was looking through a little notebook that we keep in the church bag trying to find a blank page for Warren to write on. I finally found a clean page for him, but before I did I came across a couple of gems that made me giggle. I have no idea how old Olivia was when she wrote these particular entries, but here they are (I kept all the spelling and punctuation the way it is written in the notebook):

#1:
Dear journal,
my uhm...my brothers are not sick but my mom says they are so they can't come to church

(for the record, I've never read her journal. As stated above, this is a family notebook, not her journal.)

#2:
She was by the door she shut it on her Big toe on her Left Foot and she dosn't know if she can do cheerleading Practice for a week her name is Kersala

So there you have it. This is what she thinks about during church. Good to know.

Back to School!

Have a fun summer! check. Stay Cool! check. Call me! check. See you next year! check. Here we are. Back to school. It's hard to believe we're here, but ready or not, here it came. I loved summer, but to everything there is a season, and I was also ready to get back to the structure of a schedule. I think my kids were, too (even though they won't admit it). The night before school was full of butterflies (the nervous kind and the excited kind), labeling & organizing school supplies, packing backpacks, and little sleep. We all woke up early, and had a great start to the day. I think you morning people really have something going! (I'm not quite ready to call myself a morning person yet, since it has only been a week, but I have a feeling I'll join your ranks very soon!) Our morning routine has gone smoothly all week, and I have loved it! I'm hoping it doesn't fizzle out. Here's how it goes:

Step One: Mom and Dad awake and ready

Step Two: Kids awake

Step Three: Breakfast, scriptures, and prayer

Step Four: Kids make beds, brush teeth, get dressed, comb Sean's hair, lunches ready

Step Five: Sean to bus stop (usually accompanied by the entire family. When David hears the door open he yells, "ME, ME", and we all end up taking a little walk.)

Step Five: Olivia's hair, Olivia practice piano

Step Six: Olivia's carpool comes (She is participating in a pilot A.L.L. program in the district, and goes to a different school)

It really makes me look like a put-together mom, doesn't it? (Keeping my fingers crossed it lasts the whole year--don't hold your breath!)

Here are some pictures from the first day:

Sean at the bus stop

With his buddy, Ryan...

GOING...

GOING...

GONE.

Deep breath, big sigh. There he goes. It was harder than I thought. I put on my brave face, knowing that he was in good hands and that all would be well. I think it's our job as moms to worry a little bit. It just means we love our kids, right?
After the bus was gone, we headed home to get Liv ready. Here she is sporting her new camo outfit and backpack (apparently these bags you wear over your shoulder are all the rage, as I have seen a plethera of them this year. Is this a new fad, or have I just been out of it? Anyway, I like them, and think they're cool, too. Good choice, Liv).

David was sad his sister/second mom was leaving for school.

Her carpool came right on time. Another deep breath, another big sigh. I think the first day of school was the longest day of my life! I can't count how many times I looked at the clock, wondering when they would be back. They finally did, and they brought with them mostly happy reports of the day (except that Olivia spent recess alone- that broke my heart! She knows maybe 3 kids at the school, and I guess she was feeling pretty lonely. I assured her that it would be better the next day, and even better the next. I suggested that she called her friend, Brooklyn, from her old school. She did, and I cried while she was talking to her! I just want to know that I am doing what's best for my kids, and it's hard to know that all the time, especially when they struggle. I told her to keep trying, that she would make friends in no time, and gave her a hug--more for me than for her. The rest of the week has been fabulous, and we are both feeling a lot better. Sorry for the tangent.). Sean had zero complaints. He is loving every second of it. He is thrilled that he has TWO recesses, and loves his new lunch bag. He's feeling pretty big (and he is). It will be summer again before we know it. Until then, we'll enjoy the structure, and be ready for the summer when it comes. Happy back to school, everyone!

HAPPY FETE DAY!!!

How I love "first annuals"! This was our first time celebrating Fete Day! (For those of you who don't know what it is, look back a few posts to find the details.) My sister, Jodi, offered to host, and I was so glad! Not only was I able to attend the party stress-free, I was also able to meet some of her awesome neighbors. We had an absolute blast! She chose blue for the color this year. She had two ice cream cakes made--one was white cake with strawberry ice cream, and the other was chocolate cake with mint chocolate chip ice cream (with blue icing, of course!). Both were delicious. The activity she put together was a Photo Scavenger Hunt. We all separated into groups, and had to take pictures of our groups with our interpretation of the following:

1) Got Milk?

2) Bad Hair Day

3) On the edge

4) Hot dog

5) Play ball!

6) How'd you get back there?

7) Help!

8) Sound of music

9) That's entertainment!

10) Blue!

Here are some pictures of my group:

"How'd you get back there?" (Behind the cigarette counter of the grocery store--we got permission)
"HELP!" (In the cage of a McDonald's playland)

Play Ball! (This is my neice, Lexi. Nice dunk!)


While we waited for all the groups to return we partook of the lovely ice cream cakes.

After everyone was back, Darin copied the pictures to his laptop, and we had a slide show. Then it was time for presents! Jodi had everyone bring a blue gift for $3 or under, and we exchanged them white elephant style. We ended up with blue goggles, a blue yo-yo, a blue ball, a blue cleaning bucket with blue cleaner, a blue glow stick with a 6 pack of blue kool-aid, and a blue recorder (flute), which we "accidentally" left at Jodi's house. (Maybe she'll let us borrow it when we visit!) We were thrilled!
Here is a photo of the impressive blue table. (She even had blue tootsie rolls and little blue buckets filled with M&Ms.)

At this point it was dark, but we couldn't very well let people go home without getting a group photo. I pulled my car into the driveway to provide the lighting, Jeff set up his tripod, and we all said, "Cheese" (Blue cheese, that is!!)

This was the perfect way to round out our summer! Thanks to Jodi for her amazing party. Everyone who came had a great time, and I have a hunch they will all adopt Fete Day in their families!
Thanks, Maleen, for inventing such a fun way to celebrate!

Tag, You're it!

Last night we were trying to get the kids to bed, and it was a slow process, as we were all tired from a long day. David had fallen asleep in the car, so he was taken care of. Olivia and Sean finally headed up to start the bedtime routine, but Warren needed a little extra convincing. Darin decided to start a game of tag to make it a little more exciting. He touched Warren on the shoulder and said, "Tag, You're it!" and proceeded to run toward the stairs. Warren giggled and followed him, but about the time he got to the bottom of the stairs I heard him crying, "Ow, my foot! It hurts really bad." At this point Darin was almost to the top of the stairs, and he turned around to check on him. I heard Darin say, "What happened, bud?" Warren continued hobbling up the stairs, grabbing his ankle, continuing in his misery. Right as he reached Darin, he moved his hand from his ailing foot, touched Darin on the leg and I heard, "TAG, you're it!!!", followed by squeals of laughter from my supposedly injured son. He was pretty proud of himself as he ran the rest of the way upstairs, and I have to admit, he gave quite the performance! I would never have guessed he was faking! We all had a good laugh, but now I'm getting a little nervous. How many times has he pulled this on me without me knowing? And more importantly, how many more times will he attempt to use it on me? Do we have a future of heating pad fevers? Fake coughs? Warren shaped pillows saving his spot in bed? He probably falls asleep at night shaking his head saying to himself, "It's just too easy!" Oh well, for now we will just laugh, and hope that he uses his talent in a productive manner (like winning a game of tag).

Nice Work!

This past week we have been getting ready for Darin's dad to come visit. This process has included cleaning out closets and cupboards, rearranging, de-junking, and organizing. Part of the rearranging was moving a bookshelf from the guest room to the boys' room. It was a process in and of itself. It was not only time to move the books, but to sort through them, and organize them into categories (hard cover, board books, etc.). At one point the books were stacked in piles, and some of the piles covered the boys' drawers. As I sent the boys up to get dressed I had forgotten that the drawers were covered, and they couldn't get to their clothes. I finished sorting and carefully placing the books on the shelf, then sent the boys up again to get dressed. Sean said, "Mom, we can't get dressed. Remember the books are blocking the drawer?" I replied, "Just go take a peek in your bedroom." As he walked in his room he said, (quite enthusiastically) "Whoa! Nice work, Mom!!!" I had to chuckle, and I admit that I felt proud of myself for a job well done, and it gave me the boost I needed to keep going with the rest of my housework. It was like a pat on the back from my boss, if you will. Who says being a mom is a thankless job?

Treasure in the form of ziploc baggies...

A while back (obviously during birthday festivities: note Sean's spiderman suit and the birthday balloons), I sent the kids on a treasure hunt for family night. Since it was around Pioneer Day I looked online to see what fun ideas I could find. For the lesson, we went on the treasure hunt and briefly talked about the difference between pioneer times and now, and how blessed we are to have the things we have now. Imagine their delight when the treasure was a ziploc baggie filled with milk, sugar, and vanilla. HUH?? Their expressions turned from disappointment to mild excitement when I told them we would make ice cream out of it! They had fun making the ice cream. Olivia asked, "Is this how the pioneers made it?" I replied that they didn't have ziploc baggies, but they probably did the same thing in tin cans. It actually turned out great! It was delicious, and the kids were proud that they made it themselves!

Here they are making the ice cream...

And here they are showing off the finished product...



David didn't make any of his own, but the kids shared. This is the second picture I took of Darin and David. In the first one, Darin had his mouth open...you know the way parents open their mouths when the kids are supposed to open their mouths to help the food get in? So here is Darin smiling as he concentrates on keeping his lips closed.

Yummy! It was a fun and tasty way to celebrate Pioneer Day. We are so thankful for our pioneer heritage, and all they did to pave the way for us.
If you want to make your own ice cream, you can find the recipe here. The treasure hunt can be found here.

Fete Day's coming!

My friend, Maleen, invented a holdiay. She calls it Fete Day. (Fete means 'party' in french--pronounced 'fet') She decided that August needed a holiday, so she made one up! She told me about it a couple of years ago, and I thought it sounded so fun to take part in a made up holiday, but as of yet I have not. Now that I am part of the blogging world, I thought I would share the details of this holiday, and invite you to join in the fun! (I did get Maleen's permission, and hope that she will correct me if I lead any of you astray.) So...here's how you celebrate Fete Day:

• Every year there is a different Fete Day color. As of yet there is no set color (but I'm sure there will be one once it's a national holiday!). There are lots of ways to decide on a color. You can pick it out of a hat, have people vote, or just decide! (I've decided that in my neck of the woods we're following the rainbow colors, starting with red.) Everyone wears that color to your Fete Day festivities, and each person who is participating draws names, then buys a small gift (under $5) for their person in that color.
• The official dessert of Fete Day is ice cream cake.
• There should be an activity of some sort (in can be anything from miniature golf to horse shoes, bowling to water balloon toss--it can be ANYTHING, as long as you have fun while you do it...and it's legal and moral)
• The date of Fete Day is August 16th (ish). Since it's a made up holiday, you can be flexible!

I think that's it! I would love to spread the Fete Day cheer, so choose a color, draw names, make or buy your ice cream cake, and get your family and friends together! I would love to hear about your festivities, whether I know you or not. I will be posting soon after our celebration next week. Spread the word, and spread the cheer!

Birthday Boys

Happy Birthday to my birthday boys! Sean and Warren have birthdays just one day apart (one day and two years, that is!). Here are some pics from the celebrations!


Sean's birthday was first. He turned the big 06! He is so excited for school to start. He'll be in first grade. He loves Ben Ten, superheros, Star Wars figurines and light sabers (although he hasn't seen the movie), computer and video games, and Pokemon. I've been reassured by many parents that this is a phase he will outgrow. Everyone he talks to is asked, "What Pokemon are you?" or " Do you want to have a Pokemon battle?" Much to his delight he was given a whole box full of Pokemon movies from our neighbor, Jennie (Su I) a month or so ago. He was absolutely thrilled! When Darin got home that night Sean showed him his treasure, and Darin said, "That's awesome, bud!" Sean replied, "I know, I'm in heaven!" The Pokemon movies are kept in a safe place (up in his closet), and viewed on special occasions. As if this wasn't enough, our neighbor Abram came over last week with a ginormous stack of Pokemon cards that he doesn't want anymore...he's moved on to football cards. Sean is still in heaven, and I'm sure one day we can spread the joy to some other Pokemon obsessed kid after he's outgrown it. He is also becoming a great swimmer, and is a pro with no floaties! Anyway, back to the birthday celebration...

This year was a family party year (we trade off between family party and friend party). Sean said he wanted a pirate cake this year. Thank heaven for familyfun.com! Here he is licking the batter...




...and here are some pictures of the cake after it was done. I was so glad there was a good idea to copy! It was easier than I thought it would be, and I had WAY too much fun burning the edges of the sails.

I added the treasure chest with two Hershey nuggets and chopped up butterscotch candies. It was a lot of fun to make!
Here is Sean showing off his presents. He got cards and money from Grandpas and Grandmas and Aunt Laura and Uncle Bill, a spy watch from Warren, a VSmile game system from mom and dad, a VSmile game from David, and a black spiderman suit from Liv. For dinner he requested Reese's Puffs cereal and strawberries. (The menu that day consisted of crepes for breakfast, spaghetti for lunch, and the cereal with strawberries for dinner--carbs and sugar, anyone?)

After we sang "Happy Birthday" and ate the cake and ice cream, we headed out to the Bean Museum (Sean's request). We were very disappointed to learn that it had closed early, and would be closed the following day as well. Instead of the Bean Museum, we stopped at a McDonald's redbox and let Sean pick out a movie. He chose "The Wild". He had a great day, and fell asleep in his spiderman suit watching the movie.
The next day was Warren's birthday! He turned 4, and is very excited to start preschool. I will be his teacher, along with his friend, Joe's mom. He recently learned how to say his r's, and to be honest, it makes me a little sad (even though I'm proud of him). He learned to ride a bike with no training wheels a few months back, and is growing up way too fast! He loves everything Sean loves. He is Sean's little shadow, and Sean doesn't seem to mind (most of the time). They are cute little buddies. Warren has a new laugh that is so contagious! It is a cute little chortle/giggle combo that cracks us all up! He is a great big brother to David. He is always eager to make people laugh, and is usually willing to apologize quickly when a battle gets too rough. He loves to play with his friends, ride his scooter and his bike, jump on the trampoline, play with his motorcycle guys, and read (his favorite is Brown Bear, Brown Bear because he can read it all by himself). Warren requested a dragon cake (again, familyfun.com to the rescue!). Here HE is licking the batter...
And here are some pics of the cake...

I decided that the dragon looked more scared than ferocious, so my nephew, Brad, turned the eyebrows...
Here is Warren showing off his presents: He got money and cards (from Grandpas and Grandmas and Aunt Laura and Uncle Bill), a VSmile game (David), a red Spiderman suit (Liv), a set of Star Wars figurines to add to our collection (Sean), and a new bike (mom and dad). Warren has been riding a bike that started out with Olivia. It was a purple butterfly bike when she had it, then when Sean turned 4 we spray painted it red, added superhero stickers, and a black seat cover. It has definitely been well used! The black seat cover has now ripped open, exposing the gel that makes it comfy. It was time for a new bike!

We had to take the training wheels off before he could ride it. The training wheels were messing him up.
We had crepes for breakfast, macaroni and cheese for lunch, and a picnic at the park (by Grandma's house) for dinner. My parents and some of my siblings came to the park with us, and the boys got a couple more presents...another VSmile game (from Renae's family) and a set of motorcycle guys (from Jodi's family).
Here is Warren with his cousin and "best buddy" Coleman at the park.
We went back to my parents' house for the cake.
And this is my favorite picture from the birthday celebration. My two Spidermans.

Happy Birthday, my sweet guys! I love you.

Adventures in Boating

Our fabulous former neighbors (Chris, Christy, Katie, and Jacob) invited us to go with them to the lake last Saturday. We didn't realize how much we missed them until we saw them again. It's such a shame that life gets in the way of staying connected. It was SO FUN to spend the day with them!
The activity of choice for the kids was turning the boat off and jumping in the water. They LOVED it! After they found out it was legal to pee in the water, we had several requests for potty breaks.

"We are children holding hands around the boat..."

OK, we didn't really sing that, it just seemed like a fitting caption, because that's what they were doing...holding hands while they swam around the boat.

Eventually we did get the tube out. The younger kids liked sitting in it while the boat was stopped. This picture was taken shortly after we suggested that Katie go with Olivia on a slow ride behind the boat. She didn't like that idea.

We had a blast on the tube! Chris took us for some pretty wild rides, and we laughed so hard!

After Olivia saw me get up on the wakeboard (for about 10 seconds at a time) she decided it couldn't be that hard, and wanted to give it a try. I was so proud!!! Chris was her coach, and stayed in the water to give her some pointers. She did great! Go Liv!

Sean Boy

Warren and Katie

Skipper David

It was a day filled with perfect weather, lots of giggles, lots of snacks, and most importantly, good company. Thanks for the great day!