The Good News is It's Not Broken

While we were out at the park today Caleb somehow managed to hurt his arm. I noticed that he wasn't using left arm when he was playing and didn't even use it to catch himself when he fell. I took him in for x-rays and luckily it isn't broken. Unfortunately, he is still in a lot of pain. The doctor thinks his elbow or shoulder popped out of the socket. The doctor tried to pop it back in, but couldn't tell if it worked. (Ouch! Yikes! Sorry, Little Man!) We'll have to wait and see how he's doing tomorrow.

UPDATE: Caleb was not gripping anything by the next morning, so I had to take him in again. Fortunately, just before we went into the appointment he grabbed my arm and the doctor decided it was proof enough that he was on the mend. (No more tugging and pulling! Thank goodness, it looked like they were breaking his arm.) By the next morning he seemed to be back to his normal rough-housing and exploring. When I called my mom she said she wasn't at all surprised, after all he was MY son. I thought I'd only had my arm out once, but apparently it happened quite often. Why is it that we pass along so many of our greatest genes--too bad we can't pick just the best of each parent to create a new and improved model. Sorry Caleb.

Santa-the Genuine Article

Everyone child needs to see Santa. The one we visit each year is, I swear, the genuine article. He has a real beard and a great suit. Often times he brings Mrs. Claus with him. She is sweet and wrinkled and writes the names of all the kids on a long list for Santa. They aren't getting paid at a mall or business. They sit outside, in the cold, in a big Santa throne, at a house on 53rd and S Street. (The whole street puts up a huge light display including lights that go up over the street and lights that make tunnels around the sidewalks.) Kids line up for a chance to see Santa and get a candycane. Santa knows all of the tricks to get even the most scared or uncooperative child to sit on his lap for a picture. Santa really is magical! He even got Daniel to sit on his lap and smile (which was saying something this year). It is such a fun tradition. I think that this Santa embodies the true spirit of Christmas and giving of yourself. I'm so glad my kids got to meet the REAL Santa. We actually went two nights this year. So here's pictures from both visits.

Fire Safety for Moses

This morning we were reading the story of Moses. Liam was very interested in the burning bush concept. "Why did Heavenly Father speak from a burning bush? That isn't safe. I wouldn't go to a burning bush, I would go to a bush that wasn't burning." So I guess it's true, the Lord speaks to us all differently--some require a burning bush others the non-burning type.

Not Allergic to Girls--and Missionary Material

Last night at the grocery store Daniel told me, "I'm not allergic to girls, so we can get one." It was totally out of the blue and I just had to laugh. Today he brought home a stocking he'd made (sewn together out of yarn and construction paper). I asked him where we should hang it up and he said we could have a baby girl tonight and she could use the stocking. I told him he should talk to Nathan about it. He told me that he'd already talked me into it and so I should talk Daddy into it. So there you have it. We have a stocking all ready and Daniel is not allergic. The stars are all aligned.

Next door our neighbors are replacing the siding on their house. Daniel and Liam were both concerned that the workers were smoking and said so. It's a little embarrassing to hear them speak the truth a little too loudly in front of strangers. But how do you explain that to kids when you try to teach them what's right? Daniel was watching them out the back door when he told me "I really want to be a missionary right now! I can tell them what Jesus says so they won't smoke." Then he told me he was scared. Right off my heart melted because Daniel has told me he doesn't want to serve a mission because it's too scary. Then I wondered what to tell him. Of course I want him to share the gospel, but I'm not sure that it would be safe under these circumstances. I tried to explain to Daniel that the best way to be a missionary is to do what's right and others will see your example. Then I told him that it's usually best to first make someone your friend, then to share the Book of Mormon with them, and then, as they learn about Jesus and His church, they will learn what He says is good for our bodies. I hope I didn't impede a prompting he felt, but maybe it was a cast your pearls before swine?

Christmas Caroling

On Monday the boys helped me make cookies. Then for Family Home Evening we took them to our neighbors and Christmas caroled at each door. One of our neighbors gave the boys each a dollar (not exactly what you'd expect caroling--maybe we should do it more often). The boys loved it. Every night they ask if we can do it again.

Let it Snow--In Sacramento!

My boys have asked me when it would snow here in Sacramento, but I've always told them they'd have to wait until we visited Grandma and Grandpa for snow. Today I was proven wrong. Actually, there was only a tiny bit, but my boys were thrilled none the less. Liam tried to eat it off the grass--gross! Daniel wanted to try snow angels. He collected some snow on his mitten and carried it the whole way to school to show his class (in case it didn't snow at their house?). Caleb just walked around through it wondering why his brothers were so excited. So I had to take a picture of our first Sacramento snow day:). Notice the roses in bloom in the background!

Dirty Pictures and One Clean One Too!

Anyone who has read our blog knows a few things about Caleb: First of all he is great at making messes and Second he loves icecream. So here are a few messy icecream pics. The Caleb we know and love.

I don't know which was sweeter for him, making the mess or cleaning it up. He loves baths. He is such a little frog. Usually he shares the tub, crowded by two big brothers. While in the bath he loves to swim and he loves to SPLASH! He jumps up and splashes down on his bottom into the water over and over again. He also likes to jump onto his bottom in the living room. He thinks it is so fun and funny. He laugh and repeats. (I'm afraid he'll break his tailbone!) Nathan's mom once told me about Nathan and his brothers doing the exact same thing off the couch. I'll blame him for it and just hope the couch doesn't become the next step.

Lights! Camera!....Santa!

This weekend Nathan got all of the outside Christmas lights up and going. I love it! Lights around the fence, in the tree, around the house, and candy cane lights lining the path. The boys were so excited to see them.

We also attempted to take some pictures of the boys in the neighbors' leaves. I got some great pictures last year, so I had high hopes, but it was easier when Caleb was immobile. It didn't help that he's teething and has a cold either. Oh well. Not perfect but we tried.

Then we went to the park by our house for the annual Santa Train. The boys love riding the train and meeting Santa is a thrill. Caleb didn't even cry--the candy cane from Santa helped. It was chilly so the cookies and hot cocoa tasted even better.

That night we went to the ward Christmas party. It was a nice dinner and once again the boys got to spend a little more time with Santa! This time Caleb screamed. I think everyone needs a screaming picture with Santa. They really just make me laugh. Unfortunately the angle was bad and Nathan couldn't see much of his face--but I think his body language is pretty clear. I guess they cry until they realize that Santa brings presents. The other day I reminded Daniel that Santa was watching to get him to correct his behavior. He thought for a moment and said he wished that Santa couldn't see in every window all of the time. (It is tough to be good all the time!)

On Sunday we made our very own Santa gingerbread train. Which means that the kids ODed on candy that was intended as decoration--but it's tradition.

Tis the Season

I love decorating the house for Christmas. It always seems to help me get into the spirit of the season. This year we took it one step further and decided to get the kids decked out in the spirit as well! OK, so it wasn't really my idea. I got some train ornaments for the boys to paint. Caleb did pretty well right as first, but then he decided he needed a bigger subject so he started painting his tummy. (I do dress my boys sometimes, I promise, but I've learned it's much more fun for Mommy if they strip down before they paint. They don't seem to mind either.) I guess I'll enjoy it for now--at least this "bodyart" comes off in the bath.
The boys love decorating the Christmas tree. Their favorite ornaments are the ones with their picture in them. They love to show everyone "Baby Daniel, or Baby Liam". Caleb's favorites are the red balls (which we switched this year from glass to plastic--I'm slow but eventually I learn my lesson) and the big bells. Unfortunately, he thinks all balls are to throw. But he's actually done quite well considering the well-lit floor to ceiling temptation.

Speaking of lights, does anyone else love a tree full of little lights....that is until they're all done putting them on and mostly done with the other decorations when suddenly the top 3/4ths of the tree goes dark?!!! (Kind of snuffs all the Christmas spirit right out of me!) Luckily, my boys are good "fixers". I heard Daniel (on the couch behind me) say a little prayer for the lights to work. Then he crawled underneath the tree and started wacking the base. (It makes sense--faith without works is dead! Right?) Oh the faith of our little ones. The lights flickered back on. They did go out again a few more times, but each time Daniel and Liam went to work fixing (beating) them and they worked again. I finally decided I should find the source of the outage and found the plugs causing all of the problems. I've been thinking lately that sometimes those of us with kids don't get a lot out of church, but perhaps the kids make up for the lost lesson time during the week if we would just pay attention.
The day we got back from Thanksgiving there was a lot of wind. My boys jumped out of the car to find a huge pile of leaves blown up agaist our fence on the driveway. (Our little tree in the front yard isn't big enough to provide leaves for jumping in.) Immediately my boys got out their brooms and made sure all of the leaves were safely placed inside our fence on the lawn. My neighbors who all have huge trees laughed as they cleaned up their yards while my boys covered ours in a pile big enough for all of them to jump in at the same time. What a fun time of year!Here is Daniel making "leaf angels". Why not? Without the snow it's the next best thing!

Liam took the other extreme and buried himself with my help in the leaves. Afterall, it's a little cool at the beach this season.

Better Wear An Apron...I Think You've Got Something Brown On Your Nose!

This morning I made bread. Liam loves to cook and so he was helping. I insisted he wear his apron so he could keep his clothes clean, but he noticed that I had neglected to put one on myself. I explained that I needed to throw this shirt in the laundry anyway so it was ok if it got a little messy. (Actually, truth be told, I was still in my PJs.) Then Liam came back with, "But you still look beautiful, Mom!" What a good boy. Did anyone mention that Christmas is coming?

What next?

Every time we turn around Caleb is into something. This morning we were wrapping some sub-for-Santa gifts with the boys. Caleb got tired of us taking away scissors, tape, and wrapping paper so he went around the corner to the kitchen. It was much too quiet, so we should have known, but we didn't think about it until Daniel told us that Caleb was painting himself and the floor. (The watercolors were still wet from Daniel and Liam's art project last night). So here's to modern art! Luckily watercolors are easy to clean up and we hadn't dressed him for church yet. His brothers thought it was fun to see the bathwater turn colors when I put him in!
Last week we caught Caleb painting the kitchen wall with Daniel's yogurt (left unattended). I'm laughing because it seems like all of the pictures we take of Caleb lately are the messes he's made and covered himself in. Earlier this week he climbed up the toilet onto the bathroom counter, plugged the sink and turned on the water. Unfortunately, we didn't catch on until there was a waterfall. This morning I found pencil scribbled on the wall in the kitchen next to the back door. I wonder who did that??? What a cute little stinker.

Daniel is a Class Act

Yesterday we went to Daniel's first Parent Teacher Conference. He is doing such a great job. He is at or above where he should be in every area. We are so proud of all of his hard work. His teachers comments were: "Daniel is a role model to all students. He is an excellent citizen in the classroom. He is always helpful and a good friend to others. In all academic areas he's meeting expectations for this point in the year, but he's also meeting some grade level standards for the end of kindergarten! We are so proud of him. We love having Daniel in our class!" Daniel also received two awards from the school. The first was a citizenship award and the second was a Principal's Award for academics (in kindergarten that means he knows all of his sight words).

That's what we like to hear. Way to go. To celebrate we went out for chocolate milkshakes. (Any excuse right?!)

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Today it was raining cats and dogs, so naturally Liam insisted on walking to pick up Daniel from kindergarten. Actually, I have to admit that I love walking with my boys in the rain. They love it and I love watching them. They get drenched inside and out. All coats, boots, hoods and hats are merely to show other parents that I am a "responsible adult", they don't really keep my boys dry. They splash in every puddle, and follow the water to every drain. Daniel's teacher must have thought we were insane (and maybe she is right). She actually offered us a ride home, but Daniel wanted his turn at emptying all the puddles between the school and our house. Once we made it home the boys splashed in the gutter in front of our house for a little while. I lured them back inside with hot chocolate. So they dumped a puddle or two out of their boots, hung up drenched coats, and peeled off sopping socks, and pants. I hate laundry, but a walk in the rain is totally worth it! Today I also brought in some beautiful roses from the front yard. The rain tends to ruin the blooms so I figured I'd bring some in to enjoy for a while. They smell so great. I love living here where I can still cut fresh roses from our garden in November.