My Three Sons

Mysteries of the Kingdom

2012-01-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

Tonight, in our scriptures we read about being children of God. Daniel said, "We are all sons of God." I added that I'm a daughter of God. Liam chimed in with, "Who's His uncle?" Leave it to Liam to ponder the deeper mysteries of the kingdom.

Home for the Holidays

2011-12-24T10:58:00.000-08:00

We've been promised 5 different times that the offer we made on a home in Layton would be approved (the first time clear back in October!). The 22nd of December was the most recent promise. Each time the day came and went with nothing happening. (The 22nd was Nathan's Dad's birthday, so we thought it would have been a great present to say we were moving out!) I felt a lot like I did when I was pregnant with Daniel. His due date came and went and still no baby. I felt wronged. How could they make me promises and not deliver? Well the 22nd, was a bit depressing. I resigned myself to the fact that we probably wouldn't hear until after the holidays. BUT....

Yesterday, I received a long awaited call that our offer has been ACCEPTED! We still need to do the inspection and paperwork for closing, but we couldn't ask for a better Christmas present! We will keep you posted on our status, but we will have a home of our own very soon. Merry Christmas!

Random Liam

2011-12-11T20:54:00.000-08:00

Liam is a great reader. I'm so proud of him...the only thing is it can take an hour to get a few little pages read. Not because he doesn't know the words or can't sound them out, but because he gets distracted. His mind is going a million miles a second. Often times we laugh about the crazy places his mind wanders. The other day he said, "Mom and Dad, if I woke up on Christmas before you, and Santa gave me a tuba (a tuba really?? where did that come from????), I would go in your room and play Christmas songs on it to wake you up!" Liam, you are totally crazy--and I totally love you.

Santa Knows His Stuff

2011-12-11T20:35:00.000-08:00

A week or so ago, we took the boys to see Santa, but, as we walked up, Caleb informed me that he was just a "fake Santa". I took it in stride and told him that this was one of Santa's helpers and that he still had to tell him what he wanted so he could pass it along to the real one. I have no idea where he got the idea that this wasn't the real one, after all, he's only three and his brothers weren't debating his authenticity. Oh well, we went up to take a picture and "Fake" Santa asked Caleb what he wanted. Caleb told Santa that he wants a Clone Trooper. Caleb can be a little tough to understand so I tried to clarify by saying, "You know a trooper from Star Wars." Santa turned back to Caleb and said, "Do you want a trooper from Tatooine or Hoth?" Caleb said,"Not Tatooine". Nathan and I looked at each other and grinned huge grins--Who knew that Santa was a Star Wars geek too? Liam requested a Star Wars transformer. Last of all Daniel talked to Santa. He told him he'd like a telescope. Santa asked him what he'd like to see with it. Daniel said he wanted to see the constellation Serius (we took the boys to the BYU astronomy star show when they did a Harry Potter version--very cool). So Santa says, "Oh you want to see the constellation of the dog..."and he went on about it! I don't know what the boys thought, but I'm a believer! I think it was something like the little girl in Miracle on 34th street who sees Santa sign to a deaf girl and speak in other languages to others--Wow!

Teaching Moments For Mom

2011-12-06T13:38:00.000-08:00

I am always amazed when kids teach and reteach me. A few weeks ago I was helping out in Liam's kindergarten class. We were talking about our senses. After we'd gone through all of them, one little boy said, "There's one more." So I asked him what I'd missed. He said, "Well, there's the one that makes us feel good inside and helps us. But really it's the Holy Ghost." I loved that it. It is so fun to be surrounded by kids in the gospel. They know more than any text book--and what they know is most important. So my new goal is to allow the Holy Ghost into my life in such a way that He can be as accessible as any of my other senses.

A few days ago I was signing some papers for the bank (a little progress toward getting our new house in Layton). As a result I was just a few minutes late in picking up Daniel from school. I apologized and explained what made me late. Daniel just looked up at me and said, "Mom, we've just got to have more faith, like the Nephites who were waiting for baby Jesus to be born." I could have cried! He went on, "We'll get the house or if we have faith Heavenly Father will show us another one." I so often become impatient with our housing situation and Daniel so sweetly reminded me that, "through Him all things are possible." I'm so blessed to have angels round about me (remind me that I called them that next time they start fighting).

The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways

2011-11-20T14:13:00.001-08:00

Our family thought that we'd be staying here with Nathan's parents in Orem for just a few weeks while we found a home. We thought we'd likely be in a home of our own before the school year started for the boys. We never dreamt we'd be here long enough to go trick-or-treating, let alone prepare thanksgiving dinner. Mom and Dad Brady have been very patient and made every effort to make us feel at home. That being said, we've still been very anxious to buy a home and move on.

About two weeks ago, I noticed that a new fish of Dad's looked sick. It was not moving and it looked like it might be stuck by the filter. I asked Dad to come up and check him out. As soon as he came upstairs, the fish decided he was fine and swam off. Dad started to talk to me about fish but in the middle of the sentence his words slowed down and he began to slur them. I asked a few times if he was OK without a response. I knew something was wrong. Then he slowly said the next word and sped up to normal conversation as if nothing had happened. I wondered if I'd just seen a stroke. I was really worried but I didn't think Dad would believe me if I told him he needed to go to the hospital. He obviously didn't remember anything strange happening. Mom was on her way home from work and I called Nathan who said I might be right about a mini stroke. When mom got home I told her about the episode. She said that a week before Dad had fallen at night and been strangely disoriented, but she'd brushed it off because it was night, and he'd been really sick with the flu the night before. I told her I didn't think Dad would believe me, but I was worried because Dad was now talking about driving off to go rock hunting. Mom called his doctor who told her that he needed to be taken to the ER immediately. That night we found out that the major artery in Dad's brain is completely blocked. The doctor told him, he didn't even know how he was still conscious. Dad had lots of tests done at the hospital. They found that other arteries are compensating for the blockage, but three others have some partial blocks. He is now on a very low cholesterol diet as well as medication, and exercise regimen to keep things flowing. It is too dangerous to try to remove the blockage.

Dad hasn't felt sick at all through all of this. He has no recollection of the episode. It is scary to think that if he'd stayed downstairs in front of the TV, we'd never have known about his serious condition. Being here right now was not our plan--but the Lord sees the bigger picture. I am so grateful that I could be here so that Dad could get help before it was too late. I am a little nervous right now. I get after Dad if he mumbles at all. He says I'm now the enunciation police. He also says he doesn't want to discuss fish with me anymore. It's amazing how all of the little things worked together so that I could be present for that little, very telling, conversation. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Hopefully, we've done what we need to do so now we're ready to move.

From the Mouths of Boys

2011-11-20T13:19:00.000-08:00

One night at dinner Nathan told the boys that if they didn't beat "Mommy" eating, they wouldn't get any dessert. A moment later Caleb asked if I would come help him on the potty. As I left the table, Daniel put his hands together (like in traditional prayer) and looked up at the ceiling and said very sincerely, "Thank you Heavenly Father". We are told to thank the Lord in all things right? Well, Daniel was thankful that I'd been called away from the table so he could finish in time to get dessert. I think we'd do well to follow suit. The Lord is in the details of our lives.

On Halloween day before trick or treating, Liam asked me what holiday came next I explained that next was Thanksgiving and then Christmas. He was thrilled. "Tomorrow we get turkey and then we get Christmas!" He didn't like hearing that there were a few weeks in between, but I assured him that he'd need the time to eat his Halloween candy. As a mom, I feel like from Halloween to Christmas seems to fly by in fast forward--almost as fast as Liam.

Today Liam told me that if I'd let him play his game he'd be "as quiet as a jelly bean". I've never heard that analogy, but it made me smile. Why not? Jelly beans, in my experience, are extremely quiet. I guess the Halloween candy is still on the brain.

Caleb told me that someday he wants to be human. I laughed and told him that he already is. He responded, "No I'm not human, I'm just a kid!" I believe there is some truth to that statement. Actually, I'm not sure which is better, to be "human" or to be a kid.

Caleb just came in and asked me to help him wash chocolate off his hands. ( That means that while I was typing, he was silently scooting a chair into the kitchen and climbing up to the treat cupboard.) I asked him where he got the chocolate and he responded, "I'm not going to tell you about that!" Actually, it was a dumb question. The chocolatey hands and smile say it all.

BYU Football Fans

2011-11-14T07:10:00.000-08:00

This is a rare post - written by Nathan. Michelle bought me season tickets to BYU football . . . she definitely knows how to score the points. I thought it would be really cool to go to the games with Daniel, Liam, and Caleb. Daniel and Liam attended the BYU/Utah rivalry game (not a good outcome for BYU) and I was worried that it would sour the boys on Cougar football. Daniel kept saying to me throughout the game "The Cougars HAVE to win, they just have to win!" That was a humbling game and a hard lesson to learn that your favorite team can't win all of the time, every year. The rest of the games, however, have been significantly better. Daniel has been to every game since and he's really catching on. He knows to yell loud when the Cougars are on defense and to be quiet when they're on offense - but to yell loud when they make a good play. His face lights up and he jumps around when the Cougars score points. He loves to take pictures of the players, look over the edge of the stadium to the people below, and get a souvenier at the game. But his favorite thing to do? It is lining up to high-five the football players as they leave the field after a win. I cannot do justice to the joy and elation that Daniel displays after each game when he gets to high-five the players. I thought he would never wash his hand again after the first time. Even if we don't get home until after 11:00 pm, Daniel won't go to bed until I've showed him on the computer the picture of each player he got to high-five.

Liam is Two-Wheeling!

2011-10-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

Last week we took the boys to the church parking lot to ride their bikes. We insisted that Liam bring the bike without training wheels. Nathan and I took turns supporting him and each of us tried letting go a few times, but as soon as Liam realized he stopped. He rode for a few seconds, but Holding onto the back of a bike seat + running = Backache! We didn't get far that night. The next night Nathan was working late so I took the boys myself. I tried to help Liam, but didn't last long before I needed a break. I told Liam to push off his pedal and keep trying while I went to help Caleb with his pedaling. Honestly, I didn't think he'd do much on his own, but as is so often the case--he surprised me! I hadn't been helping Caleb for more than a minute, when I looked up to see Liam riding away on his own. Within a few minutes he was riding over the curbs and bumpy gutters, racing around on his two wheels. This kid is fearless. It is so fun to see my boys learn new things. If only I learned as quickly as they do. Way to go Liam!

On My Honor...I Forget the Rest

2011-09-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me very well probably knows that I've been avoiding the scouting program since I got married. At one point, when I was called to be Primary President, I called a counselor just to handle 'all things scouts' so I wouldn't have to figure it all out. I actually told her that I didn't care if she didn't do anything else, so long as I didn't have to go there. It's not that I'm against scouting. Both of my brothers are Eagle Scouts and so is my husband. In high school I helped some of my friends with their scout projects. Scouting is great and I want my boys to participate in the program. I just don't get the program. Scouting is a language all of its own. I think it includes wolves, bears, eagles, and I want to say chipmunks, but that can't be right because all of the other creatures would eat them. I think scouts are supposed to learn to light fires and sing songs about peanut butter and jelly. I was always jealous of the food (especially the pudding snacks and trail mix) that my mom would buy for my brothers to take on their scouting campouts. I also wished that the young women would have a pine wood derby night and get to paint up blocks of wood into race cars. Who wouldn't like that?? And that nearly sums up my knowledge of scouting. I was planning on learning the rest of the stuff when my boys got to be older. So just imagine my surprise when, in this temporary ward, I was asked to be a leader of the "bears". Really?????? I thought I was off the hook until Daniel was 8. (That is less that a year away! Yikes.) So I'm not really sure what I'm doing. The book seems to be in code. Since I was never a scout myself, I could really use an interpretive manual. It skips all over the place and talks about someone called Akea or something. Why don't they just make scouting straight forward. Could someone just give me a list of requirements. What is all of this talk of belt loops and beads and arrows?? Maybe this will give me the chance to figure it all out, so I'll get it right when my own boys are involved. Oh well, here goes nothing...Now would be a great time for us to get that house we're waiting for.

Daniel and Liam are Cascade Cougars--for now!

2011-09-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

We were hoping we'd be in a home of our own by now so that we wouldn't have to uproot the boys from another school, but the school year is beginning, so Daniel and Liam are attending here in Orem. Actually, it is the same school that Nathan went to (just for Kindergarten and 1st grade).

The boys were really excited for school to start. Grandma bought the boys new backpacks and lunch bags since everything we own is somewhere, in some box, in storage.

It's hard to believe that Daniel is already in second grade. What a handsome kid. His teacher sat him next to a very difficult student in the class. Daniel can be such a perfectionist and a bit of a policeman, so I worried about how this might turn out. (Oh 'me' of little faith.) But his teacher has been very impressed at how Daniel does not allow himself to be distracted or off task through it all. Good job, Daniel. And what is Daniel's favorite part of the school day??--Recess of course. Specifically, tag. I worried a bit when Daniel couldn't tell me the names of any new friends he'd made, for a week or two into the year. Then he started pointing to kids and saying, "They're not in my class, but we play tag everyday at recess." I guess there's not a lot of time for formal introductions when playing tag. Now I think Daniel knows more kids than most in the school--although many are not in his class or even his age!

Liam is now officially school age too, making his debut in kindergarten. I worried that he would be the class clown a little too often but his teacher keeps telling me just how impressed she's been as Liam has been a peacemaker in class. (I know that he is both a clown and peacemaker... let's just hope that the peacemaker is a stronger trait than the clown.) Liam is already reading Daniel's first grade booklets. It is still hard to motivate him to do it, but I have to remind myself to be patient, Daniel has only now started understanding the concept of getting homework done fast so there's more time to play. He may not love it, but this kid's got skills!

I would normally be starting joy school or preschool with Caleb right now, but I think I'll just work with him at home for a while until we get our own place. Then when we're settled I can find somewhere that feels right. Caleb is a funny kid. He has gotten a little clingy through this move. He can tell you all of the sounds of the letters in the alphabet and even some words that start with a specific letter, but he can't remember all of the names of the letters. It's all a little backwards. I guess that shouldn't surprise me because Caleb loves to be upside down. He's always hanging off of his chair and loves for me to swing him upside down like a pendulum. I wondered if he was color blind for a while because he can't name all of his colors. (I'm pretty sure both my other boys had them down by this age.) But lately, I've discovered that although he doesn't get his color names right he know what they are. Instead of yellow he says banana. Red is stop and green is go...I guess the right label will come eventually.

When I found out that I was pregnant with Caleb, many people commented on how easy it would be because I had two other boys and I'd know exactly what to expect. WRONG! It doesn't work that way. Each of my boys is so different. I guess, in all fairness, I'm different with each of my boys. So I guess this education thing is not just for them but perhaps even more for me.

Loving Liam

2011-09-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Liam is my little peacemaker. He is always concerned for his brothers. When he was little and I'd take Caleb in for shots, Liam would come out crying. Caleb would have a dry face and so people in the waiting room would ask if Liam just got shots. I'd explain that he didn't, but he was crying for his brother. It was really sweet. Now, if I leave to go anywhere, Liam worries that Caleb will cry or be sad. If Caleb starts crying because he wants a toy that Liam has, Liam will almost always hand it over to make him happy. This week Liam built Caleb a few lego spaceships. After inspecting them Caleb was sad that his didn't have guns. Liam looked for some, but didn't find any so he took some off his own spaceship and gave them to Caleb. Liam shares his treats from Primary with his brothers, without being asked.

Now that Liam is in kindergarten others are starting to notice how sweet he is. His teacher told me that a few kids were fighting over jump ropes at recess that day. Liam said, "It's OK I can wait. It's just a jump rope!" She said he earned all of his gold stars that day. A day or two later she told me that when they visited the library, all of the kids were fighting to get Star Wars books. Liam said, "It's all right, we can take turns. There are lots of books." Wow! A golden child!

Yesterday, Nathan took Daniel and Liam to their first BYU football game. I think they had fun despite the miserable loss. Nathan told me that when everyone was very upset by the opposing teams' scoring, Liam turned to him with a quizzical look on his face and said, "It's just a game!" There's perspective. I was at home worrying that my boys' first introduction to BYU games with their dad was ruined, but I think Liam kept things real. (It might have helped that he fell asleep before it got even worse in the end.)

Liam is the sunshine in my soul today. He is doing very well in his kindergarten class. I am so proud of him. He doesn't like doing homework (one of the few things that makes him grumpy), but he loves playing Lego Star Wars, so he will do homework for the chance to play. Liam loves being here with Grandma and Grandpa. When we went to Nathan's office family picnic he was sad that Grandma wasn't there. He cried one morning when Grandma had to leave for work. He often tells me, "Mom, you're beautiful." He also says, "____(insert name ie. Grandma, Grandpa, Caleb, Daniel, Mom, or Dad), You're the best." After doing something he likes he often says, "This is the best day ever!" He also says, "This is not any fun!" when he has to go to bed, or stop playing Lego Star Wars.

Liam is also has a very clever sense of humor. He definitely adds a lot of laughter to our family. I don't know how to describe it, but a while back, I was talking with one of the boys (insert Daniel) about why it's important to do homework. Unbeknownst to me, Liam was standing behind me doing the "Snoopy". That sounds weird and if I attempted to describe it, I don't know that I could make it sound any better. For those of you who have seen Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, there is a point in which Lucy is scolding the cast about responsibility and doing a good job and how it all takes practice, work, and patience. Snoopy is standing behind Lucy, pretending to scold the cast by mimicking everything that Lucy does. Well, that's what Liam was doing and we all started laughing so hard. Just yesterday, we were all sitting at the dinner table when Nathan said to Liam, "Daniel is eating his all of his food and is about to win". Liam's response? He started to rub his eyes and pretended to cry. We all started to laugh hysterically. Liam makes me smile. I love him so much.

What Does Santa Do During the Summer?

2011-08-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

Caleb informed me and Grandma Brady this morning at breakfast that Santa cries every night. When I questioned why he said simply, "He misses me!" Caleb is so cute and so funny. I would cry too if I only got to see him once a year.

Caleb tells anyone who'll listen that he wants a house, a dog, and stairs. He also added a snake this past week. He tried adding a "kitty" to the list one day, until I reminded him that I am allergic. So, he changed it to a "cat". I told him that I was also allergic to cats. Now he has a revised list, "a house, a dog, stairs, a snake, but not a kitty or cat." He also asks if I could get him another birthday. It sounds like he thinks I could just run out and pick one up at the store.

Caleb still loves his puppies (both the stuffed animals and the make believe). The other day he got out bowls for dog food and insisted that Grandma (pretend) pour them some apple juice over and over again.

Leave it to Liam

2011-07-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

Today we read in the scriptures about wicked King Noah. After he killed the prophet Abinadi he too was burned at the stake. Liam's comment was great. "Ha Ha, he was burned like a steak! That is so silly." I guess it's true that you can read the scriptures over and over again and always get something new out of them.

Out of the blue, on our way up to Logan Liam asked, "Is God Spanish?" (I had no idea where that came from. It cracked me up a bit.) I tried to figure out what he was talking about. Did he mean what language does God speak or what His nationality is? I told him that God may have a perfect language, but he can understand everyone that talks to him in any language. I asked why he thought God might be Spanish. He said he was remembering the missionary movie that we've watched. I think he must mean The Other Side of Heaven--one of my favorites. It's actually not Spanish but Tongan that they're speaking. I think any language that is not English right now he calls Spanish. I guess the most important part of the answer to his question would be that we are made in God's likeness. We are his children and he know and understands us all. I love it when Liam lets me in on what he's pondering.

Fortune Cookies Never Lie

2011-07-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

The other night we had Chinese and gave the boys our fortune cookies. Caleb's was something generic like, "happiness can be found close". Liam opened his to read something like, "A romance will soon blossom". (We laughed, but then Kylee McDonald came to town from CA this week and it was really fun to watch the two together--who knows). We read Daniel his fortune which said, "You will succeed in the career path you have chosen." We explained to Daniel that it meant he would do well in the job he picks. (In this job market that is a great fortune to get!) His reply, "Yes! I'm going to be a Jedi!" I wonder what kind of pay a Jedi gets? Do they have good benefits? (They should, afterall, it wouldn't cost the Jedi Council much since they're not supposed to become emotionally or romantically attached--no family health care.) Could we be reimbursed for all of the Star Wars stuff we've bought--just call it job training?!

Dinosaur and Bean Museum

2011-07-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

In July John and Jamie came out with their three girls (actually due to a manditory evacuation for the big fires in Los Alamos--nothing was harmed). While they were here we had some fun at the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum.

Our paleontologists unearthed some great fossils. Caleb made a new friend.

They loved the sand and water station, where they built lots of dinosuar islands and created dams and waterfalls.

There wasn't any sign saying, "Please don't feed the dinosaurs!" Maybe our group needed one.

Dinosaurs can be dangerous--but so can we!The boys were fascinated to watch a paleontologist working on a fossil.

There was a part of the Science Discovery Museum (from San Diego) there on temporary display to play with.

Science is hard work.

We also went to the Bean Museum. The three bears are some of our favorites.

Daniel loved looking at the BYU cougar. It is so fun to explore with cousins.

A Dirty Rotten 13th Anniversary!

2011-07-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

Last week we celebrated our 13th anniversary! This one was different and different is good. It seems like most of our anniversaries over the past 9 years, we've spent driving to or from Utah to visit family. This time we were already here so we actually got to enjoy it. I haven't allowed Nathan to buy me roses over the past 7 years because in Sacramento we'd had an abundance in our front yard to pick from. So it was such a nice surprise to wake wake up to a vase of gorgeous pink roses on our anniversary. (I'm a spoiled girl--keep it coming Nathan!) Grandma volunteered to watch the boys so we could go out. (We loved our babysitters in Sacramento, but no one can compare to Grandma. The boys got in the pool and then soaked Grandma with their squirt guns as she ran around trying to get away--much to their delight. They found a roly poly bug and made a house for it in a jar. Then they went for a walk and met a neighbor with a talking parrot. Grandma also read lots of bedtime stories. I wouldn't be surprised if the boys start begging us to leave, so they can have more fun with Grandma! Thanks for being such a good sport Grandma.) I'm glad they were having so much fun because Nathan and I were too. We went out for dinner and then to a play at the Hale Center Theater. We saw the play Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and it was hilarious! That was one of the best plays we've ever been to. We've paid a whole lot more for other theater tickets, but we haven't enjoyed any production more than that. The theater is small and every seat is a good one. They amazed us with how well they used the small stage to create levels, and all kinds of new scenes. The actors were outstanding. We will definitely go back again soon. We ended our evening with ice cream. Shouldn't every great day include ice cream?? It was so nice to be out on a date with the love of my life. We met here in Utah and everywhere we go triggers memories, it all seems very sweet to be back here together making new memories.

Nathan, I am so lucky to be married to you. Last week when we were in the temple and you signed, "You're beautiful" to me, it melted me all over again, just like when we were dating. It was so nice to be back in the Logan temple together where this 13 years got started. I love holding your hand and going out on dates. You work so hard for our family, which I really appreciate, so I can be home with our boys. I love when you get home from work and the boys jump on you and you play, and play and play with them. Compliments from you mean more to me than from anyone else. I love when you explain the scriptures to me. You connect things in ways that my mind doesn't. You are the best. I love you MOST! Happy Anniversary! Love, Your Schelle

My Definition of Charity

2011-06-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Over and over again, Nathan and I have been struck by the overwhelming generosity and love of so many who've reached out to us during our move. More than once it has brought us to tears. The Lord does hear us but it is usually through another that he answers our prayers. Thank you all for your help.

Nathan and I were talking on the way home from church about all of the amazing people that have reached out to us. One guy that we hardly know volunteered himself to load the trailer. We have been so touched. Neither of us is very comfortable asking for help. We decided that service is when you help someone, as you're asked to do--pretty simple, but Charity is when you see or feel a need and take it upon yourself to fill it. So many of you have been that example of Charity to us. That is being truly Christlike. I have a learned a lot from you--especially in the past few weeks. Thanks for that love. You are the greatest. Love Michelle, Nathan, and The Boys

I know I won't remember everything that everyone has done for us, but I hope that by writing a few down, we'll recognize the Lord's hand more fully in our lives now and in the future.

Arnolds- As soon as we found out that we'd soon be moving, the Arnold's recognized that we needed some peace. They knew we would no long be able to participate in trading off babysitting but they asked when they could watch the boys so we could go to the temple temple. Boy did we need it. Nathan made the comment that he had never felt such a huge need to get to the temple. The next week they called to let us know that they were babysitting some other kids and expected us to drop the boys by so we could get more done on the move.

Karma-Just after we found out about the move Karma bought and brought over boxes, tape, and all kinds of good moving stuff. Then she connected us with a friend who had a connection to produce boxes. Sent me with lots of love and treats from the primary.

Richard-Came over to help deliver boxes with Karma and offered to drive to UT with Nathan

Larets-Came by to check up on us and brought boxes and bubble wrap

Judds-Saved boxes for us to use.

Clara-Called up insisting on taking the kids off my hands (more than once) so I could pack (when she brought them back she also dropped off a homemade dinner so I'd have less to do), bought me dinner as one last girls night out, organized, helped us sort out all of unknowns with renting out our house, helped us clean and pack up (and found others willing to help and sent them our way), and held a birthday party for Caleb! The night we were driving out of town, she brought over a home cooked dinner to share with us while we finalized things. She has continued to call and check up on us since the move.

Beth-Packed lots of boxes (on one of the days she was over helping, she insisted that I work on a cake and games for Daniel's birthday party while she did all of the packing up), bought me a farewell dinner, learned to use fondant (amazing) to make a "Nightmare" birthday cake for Caleb.

Will- He was the first to come help us pack up the truck (both times) and even came back after everyone left to make sure everything was taken care of. He is a total workhorse!

Nybergs-They sought us out at church, even though we didn't know them very well, and volunteered to load the trailer

Kristi and Fabio- Kristi offered me one of the books from her classroom set that I've borrowed in the past to take with me. Fabio arranged for a trailer and helped load it so that he and Nathan could take a load out early to UT. He also cleaned off old computer CPUs, and they both collected boxes for us.

Stephanie-Called another friend who'd just moved so that we could have their unpacked boxes.

Pres. Fisher--Called us to express his love and his knowledge of the Lord's love for us.

Bishop-Made time to give Nathan a blessing and talk when things were tough.

Smiths-Babysat the kids so we could pack with less stress.

Nathan's work-Stan, Sheryl, Steven Benson, CORGN unit, made activity bags for the boys on our trip out. Others contributed generously to gift cards (RECO), to make our move easier.

Jen MacDonald- Organized a night out with girls (and bought me the biggest dish of icecream I've ever seen), and helped with babysitting the kids while we packed, and then came over to help us pack all of the miscellaneous stuff that you find near the end of packing. She also made activity bags for the kids and brought over snacks for the drive out. She did all of that while still trying to recover from surgery!

Laura and Kevin Sims- Helped watch he kids, helped me make a 'Mission Impossible' birthday video for Daniel's birthday and did lots of packing up.

Alconcels-Acted on a prompting to drop by and visit us. f

Fitzhughs-Offered one of Rodney's famous dinners (we'll either come out and visit to take you up on that or have you out here!).

MaryAnn Perry-Made cute snowmen for boys with a card to get them excited for the move, brought over pizza and strawberries, and picked up bags of extra toys etc. that we didn't want to move.

Carel Yarwood- Arranged for Nathan's skype interview, called to tell me that I didn't need to arrange for music ahead of time for the weeks prior to leaving (she didn't know what she would be playing for primary until the day of), took time out from her son's wedding planning to come to our girls' night. Has called to check up on us here in UT.

Bro. Dillard-We didn't even know him until he showed up at our door asking if he could help. It was the wrong day, and we had car and dentist appointments so we sent him home--but he came back the next day and spent a big part of his day loading the small trailer for the first load out.

My mom and dad- Came out to help us with packing and loading, and driving. The first night my dad received a call informing him that his basement in Logan, UT had flooded. Instead of rushing back he just did what he could to help us--he even spent his birthday driving and unloading our things into a storage shed. Mom made arrangements for our freezer food to be stored, and rearranged her house to fit all of my photo albums etc.

Lynch family- Made snacks and fun stuff for our trip out, and arranged for final play dates with the boys. Stacy came for my girls' night out.

My mom says she's worried that we won't like it in Utah as much as we liked it in California because of all our amazing friends. We truly have felt so loved. Now we just need to remember all of that love and take it with us to others in our new ward and neighborhood. Thanks again for everything.

Does Santa go to Utah?

2011-06-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Last week Liam asked "Does Santa go to Utah?". I assured him that yes, Santa does visit Utah, so long as the kids are good. Liam is still young enough that he hasn't objected much to the move. He has worried a little about starting kindergarten in a new place. (If only I knew where that would be!) He is really excited to be close to cousins and grandparents. He also wants to go to the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum. He has been sad a few times about leaving his friends.

Daniel is (as you might imagine) a totally different story. The night we had our family meeting to tell him about our move he cried and cried. He kept saying, "I don't want to move. What about my friends?" We told him that we might have a big enough yard to get a dog in Utah. Daniel informed me that he no longer wanted a dog, he just wanted to stay where we were. (Daniel has wanted a dog for so long that those words just broke my heart! Of course he has gone back on that now and keeps trying to tell us which kind we'll get. Mostly he picks Dalmatian, or bulldogs. Neither are the type we want to get.) Next he gave us the silent treatment. We decided we needed ice cream to smooth things over, but we practically had to carry him out to the car. (Most of us in our family can be bought with ice cream.) He didn't speak on the way there. He finally started talking a few words when we dished up. We told him that Utah is the ice cream capitol of the world and he seemed to like that idea. We told him about all of the fun things to see and do in Utah. We reminded him that we would get to live closer to grandparents and cousins. Daniel suggested that we stay in our house and just let the extended family move closer to us. We promised Daniel that we'd get addresses from his friends to write letters to. Nathan and I told him that we'd both moved when we were his age and about all of the new friends we'd made. Daniel is still very worried about starting at a new school. He cried that he couldn't cut the trees out that I'd painted in his bedroom to bring with us. He also wanted to bring the plum, pear, and peach trees from the backyard. We tried to assure him that we'd let him pick out a tree to plant when we find a new house.

I don't know how much Caleb has understood about the move. Sometimes he got upset when we packed up boxes. He kept telling everyone he would find a new house in Utah. Mostly, I think Caleb was upset because all of this moving and packing stuff really messed up most of our routines. He's been very grumpy.

Caleb's Nightmare Birthday

2011-06-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

Back in March when it was Liam's birthday, Caleb started telling us that he wanted a "nightmare birthday". We were a little confused at first until I realized that Caleb was talking about one of his favorite books, There's a Nightmare in my Closet by Mercer Meyer. Caleb loves the book and he can basically 'read' it to us. Caleb wanted a 'Nightmare' birthday cake. (The Nightmare is very cute in the book.) I told some of my friends about it and planned on making it for him, but when we found out that we'd be moving, the plans were put on hold.

I am still amazed as I write this...My friends decided that it just would not due for us to put off Caleb's birthday, so they decided to throw him a party! They knew about the nightmare request and decided to make sure he got what he wanted. What a lucky 3-year-old. We read the kids the Nightmare book and then Clara had the kids decorate punch balloons to make their own nightmares. They were really cute. They had lots of fun playing in bubbles and running around the park.

Clara took charge of food for the whole group. A yummy feast.

Beth took on the whole "Nightmare cake". She had a friend who had planned to teach her how to work with fondant, but at the last minute had to cancel. Any sane person would have just bagged it and done the normal cake thing...but I did say any SANE person and it is Beth we are talking about. She decided she could figure it all out by herself and did a really cute job. Caleb was thrilled. (When he first got to the party, we showed him the cake and he wanted to skip everything else.)

Caleb had hugs for all of his sweet friends. He totally loves this air plane that Jennifer gave him.

His brothers picked out a present for him too. Hugs, hugs, hugs.

OK, not one of our more polite moments...Caleb opened a gift of clothes and instead saying thank you--first he stuck out his tongue. I guess we'll forgive the birthday boy.

I'm so glad we got to celebrate with our close friends. It meant a lot to the birthday boy, but maybe even more to the mom of the sweet 3-year-old. What an amazing group of friends we have. We love you guys.

Grandma was here to help with the move--but she also spoiled the birthday boy.

Home Sweet Home

2011-05-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

Lots of memories...We'll miss our home.

Joy School Graduation

2011-05-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

For over a month Liam kept asking me when he would get his own graduation hat like Daniel's. Who knew the hat is so important. I am so proud of Liam. It was so fun being one of his preschool teachers. He is going to do great in Kindergarten.

What a fun bunch of friends. They are all crazy together. But seriously...

So Liam isn't really the serious type much. But I sure do love his smile, his rootbeer eyes and his contagious laugh.

Reminds me of one of our favorite lines from How to Train Your Dragon..."You're crazy!--I like that."

Liam, I love you so much. I am so lucky to be your mom. You are so sweet to me and your brothers. You are a peacemaker in our home. You are also fun and very silly. I love cooking with you. I love tickeling you. I know that you'll do great in school next year.

Harry Potter

2011-05-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

Each night before scriptures and bed we read from books to the kids. We've read a few Rhold Dahl books (The Magic Finger, Esio Trot, The BFG) and also Flat Standley and a Magic Treehouse one. We just recently finished reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The boys loved it. Nathan likes to quiz them on what he reads to see how well they are listening. If he goes too long without a quiz the boys make him stop and do it so they can get "points". Now we are reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The boys really liked the De-Gnoming the garden that isn't on the movie. When they play I often hear them include Harry Potter. The other day Daniel and Liam set up blocks in rows on two sides of a big rubbermaid lid. They explained to me that they were playing 'Wizards Chess'. Today at the park Caleb and Liam were picking up dirt in their hands, and throwing it down while saying, "Diagon Alley". The dirt was flu powder of course! For a long time now they use all of the sticks as magic wands and cast spells at one another. Caleb likes to speak snake, "Hassssssauathsssssaaaaasssssssssssss". I love Harry Potter and can't wait for the last movie to come out! In the mean time I'll enjoy living it here.

Moving to Utah!

2011-05-22T23:23:00.001-07:00

Since we had Daniel seven years ago, we've talked about how nice it would be to one day live close to family. We would love for our boys to be closer to their grandparents and cousins. We would love to enjoy family year-round and go on a vacation somewhere other than Utah...

When Nathan heard there was an opening in the Office of Legislative Research and General Council in SLC, Utah, we knew the chances would be slim, but decided we had nothing to lose. If nothing else, it would be good for Nathan to brush up his resume and practice his interviewing skills. Well 238 people applied for that one job! Yikes. (We told the Lord that if this would be a good move for our family, then our answer would be to get a job offer.) Neither one of us dared seriously consider that Nathan would get the job. I should have known better. He has always been mindful of what he should do next to prepare himself if any opportunities should arise. He is a very hard worker. Nathan you are amazing! And yes, he got the job! I am so proud of him.

I think we're all in shock here. We thought that if the job was offered, we'd have at least a few months to prepare for a move, but they need Nathan to start June 14th! So Utah here we come!

With this move comes a roller coaster of emotions. We are so excited to be with family. We are so sad to leave the great people we've grown to love over the past 9 years in California. There will always be special place in our heart for Sacramento where we've made so many happy memories, bought a home, and even had three kids. We're excited to think of owning a house with a little more elbow room, but so sad to leave my new kitchen. (Actually, when it comes down to it, although it is small, I really love most of the house. We've worked so hard to make it our own. I'm proud of how far it has come--Unfortunately, the current market won't give us anything for our pains, but hopefully we'll be able to rent it out.) We'll really miss living near the ocean and I don't know what kids do for so long during the snowy winter. (Yes, I lived there as a kid, but I really don't remember! I'll also have to relearn how to drive in the white stuff.) I am excited to live in the gorgeous mountains again. They are not only beautiful, but functional as well--I always know which direction I'm going in Utah just by looking at the mountains. That is extremely handy because I've almost no sense of direction.

Many people we know are very opinionated about Utah, both for and against. Personally, having lived there and elsewhere, I feel that there are great people and not-so-great people anywhere you go. There are great experiences and not-so-great experiences anywhere you go. I guess it's not a matter of good or bad, just different. Hopefully, we'll add some good of our own to wherever we end up.

Secret Agent D Turns 007

2011-05-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

Daniel 007!

Daniel decided a year ago that he wanted his 7th birthday to be a Spy Birthday Party. We sent out "top secret" invitations that could only be read when held up to a mirror. Since we're just a few days away from our big move (from CA to UT), this birthday party was a big deal for Daniel to have one last get-together with his friends.My friend Laura helped me make a "mission impossible" type video to get the spies ready for advanced spy training and to alert them to a bomb that was hidden somewhere on the premises. It even had the "This video will self destruct in ten seconds..."

All of the agents were given spy gear (including sunglasses, a flashlight, notebook, pen, mirror, spy camera, magnifying glass, decoder, and [squirt] gun) to help them locate clues to lead them to the bomb. First they had to decipher a code to find clue. Next they made their way through a laser filled hallway (red yarn). Some of them even dove over or rolled like "real" spies on the movies.--Very impressive. They had to read a code in a mirror and use their spy flashlights to find a clue in a shed. They worked on the element of disguise and never looked better. A secret formula helped them uncover a message in invisible ink. They even located a hidden message by shooting at paint targets. After piecing together all of the clues they collected and deciphering their code, they found the bomb in the oven! The cake had a 'bomb' with a sparkler in it. It said, "Happy 7th Birthday Daniel. You're the Bomb!" The kids seemed to like the twist. We ended with cake and ice cream. It was fun. Daniel got lots of spy gear as birthday presents and he's been loving all of it.

I know this move is really hard on Daniel. He is really upset about leaving all of his friends. It makes me emotional to think of leaving this home because it's where we've made so many memories, since Daniel was just a month old. He looks so big now.

Eggcellent Easter

2011-05-01T22:31:00.001-07:00

Easter weekend we went to Hagan Park for the annual egg hunt. Daniel and Liam have it all figured out.
Caleb, on the other hand, wasn't really interested. Luckily, his brothers got plenty to share.President Diamond was there (from our Stake Presidency) with his police car. The boys also got to kayak in the pool. It was a little scary to Daniel, but we were really proud of him for conquering his fears. Liam was fearless. He got into the kayak and took off around the pool.

Liam didn't want to get out. He'd likely still be there except the line required a few others to take a turn.

The Easter bunny brought lots of fun new swimming toys, new suits, sunblock, boats, chalk, watering cans and of course treats. It was a fun Easter

Helping Hands Service Project

2011-04-30T23:08:00.000-07:00

This year the prophet has challenged each stake and ward in the church to participate in "helping hands"service projects. Last year our family helped out cleaning up a cemetary. It felt really good to work together where we could make a difference. On our way to this year's project Nathan shared with us something that really touched me. Earlier that week one of his good friends from work asked him about his weekend plans. He mentioned the service project and told him about the work we'd done in the cemetary last year. His friend got teary and thanked Nathan for the work. He explained that he has a baby buried in that cemetary and it meant so much that strangers would take the time to clean it up and honor his loved one. Wow! what a great experience. It feels so great to make a difference to someone. That is the gospel in action.
This year the service project was cleaning up a junior high.. Some people repainted lines, some had gum scrapers, others did general repairs, and we helped a huge group that trimmed back, cleaned out, remulched, and replanted some huge planter boxes.

It was a full long day but the boys worked the whole time. They really got into it.

Liam and Caleb loved planting flowers at the end.

Daniel loved shoveling the bark into the boxes.

The school looked so much better when we finished. I was so proud to be a part of it. Service is such a testimony builder. I hope the boys will always remember this experience. I will.

Caleb's Chinny Chin Chin

2011-04-29T14:12:00.001-07:00

Sends My 3 Little Boys to the ER

Yesterday, I told the boys to grab their helmets and scooters so I could video tape Daniel for a class talent show. Caleb came running up the steps from the back yard and THUD! He hit his chin on the top step. I saw his mouth full of blood and didn't know how serious it was so I picked him up and put him on the counter to get a better look. I tried to give him a popcicle, but he was too hurt to be interested. His head had been down, so I didn't see the big cut under his chin at first. When I did see it, I knew our evening would be rerouted to the ER. Yikes. The gash was over an inch wide. I tried to apply pressure which made Caleb totally freak out. I told Daniel and Liam that we needed to go to the hospital and they got really upset for Caleb. Liam started crying. He was so worried that Caleb would need stitches. Daniel kept saying that they needed to sew Caleb's chin back on. I had to mellow them out and told them that their job was to keep Caleb calm so he wouldn't be scared.
Caleb fell asleep in the car on the way to the hospital and I know that you're not supposed to let people with head injuries sleep (maybe that only applies to bigger injuries, but I worried a little, since I don't know how hard he hit the step). I had his brothers trying to talk to him and moving his legs around to try to keep him awake. It didn't really work. We drove to the ER and drove around and around and around, looking for a parking spot. Finally I flagged someone down who was leaving, and followed her out to get her parking spot. (I kept thinking, I know Caleb will be fine, but what if this was a much more urgent emergency?? I guess I'd just have parked next to the ambulance. It also reminded me of comedian, Brian Regan's skit! "No, no, after you!")

I stood in line with Caleb and sent the boys to some seats where they colored. (Good thing we always keep the bag of paper, crayons, and books in the car--Sunday entertainment.) As we stood in line and then waited for a few hours, a few things became very clear...First of all, I love my family. Secondly, I wouldn't trade our "owies" for anyone else's. The ER is quite a collection of crazy people. One guy tried to threaten the security guard if he didn't let him in immediately to see his sick sister. (He was escorted from the building along with about 30 others of his very vocal family.) The boys were a little scared by this. Daniel was our comic relief when he accidently leaned against the emeregency exit door too heavily and set off the alarm (he was watching crows out the window)! He was pretty embarrassed, but no one seemed to care.

Finally, we got in and Caleb was telling everyone he got a chin owie. He seemed totally fine, so I had to laugh when Daniel kept hovering, stroking his arm, telling him to, "Stay calm, you're doing great, stay calm." (I guess he took my lecture to heart.) I think Daniel was truly impressed by Caleb's bravery. Liam and Daniel couldn't get close enough. They were so curious about what the doctor would do. The doctor decided that Sure Close, a glue bandage would be enough. The nurse washed out the cut with cold water (Caleb didn't cry but he started shivering). Then to keep it clean they taped a gauze bandage on his chin. We told Caleb it looked like a Santa beard, but he didn't like that. That made him cry. The doctor glued him shut, but we are all wondering if it will last. Part of it was already peeling off that night. Today it looks like it is half off. It's not supposed to come off for 5 days. Hopefully, we won't have a return appointment anytime soon. Nathan and I were laughing that his chin cost us more than bringing him into this world!

More than once our pediatrician has told us how amazing it is that we hadn't had any ER visits with three boys. I guess it was inevitable.

P.S. Poor Daniel had to change his talent, because it was too dark to video tape. He decided to make cookies to bring as his talent instead. I think his class enjoyed it, but he was really disappointed. Poor Daniel.

Springbreak

2011-04-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Since Nathan didn't get work off, we spent Springbreak close to home...

The boys spent time at the park throwing rocks in the river.

We went up to the temple for a picnic and to climb in the trees.

We tried to go to Folsom Zoo, but it was closed so played at the park next door.

With the zoo closed, there was no train running, but the boys were just as happy exploring the tracks.

We threw pennies in the fountain at the mall.

I took the boys to their favorite...The Train Museum in Old Sacramento. We met Daddy downtown and went out for lunch together. We didn't travel far, but we wore ourselves out!

Chasing Butterflies

2011-04-19T23:30:00.001-07:00

Caleb became my running partner one day when Daniel and Liam were gone at school. I don't currently have a running stroller, so it wasn't exactly a smooth run. Caleb was excited to see all of the geese in the river and the squirrels and butterflies along the trail. There has been an explosion of black and blue winged butterflies. I took a rest and let him chase after them. He wanted to touch them, which I thought was impossible, but he really did touch two. He said they tickled his fingers. It was nice to have his company while running. When we went up a hill on the way back, he kept me going by saying, "Go Mom!" I can always use a bigger cheering section. (It might be worth investing in a running stroller.)

Dying Easter Eggs...Among Other Things

2011-04-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

Last night we dyed Easter eggs...among other things.

I decided to try something new that I'd seen online. First I dripped rubber cement in swirly designs over some of the hard boiled eggs (Very sticky, but not horrible). After they dried, the boys helped dip the eggs in lots of colors. I was really amazed when we only had two egg casualties. (Last year it felt like half the eggs were cracked before we were done.) Caleb did drop one too hard into the dye bowl (one's not bad).

The boys learned how to mix the colors to make stripes and plaid. The eggs were really pretty. After dipping, we peeled off the rubber cement to show a clean white design. We tried to redip some of the swirly ones, but I like the crisp white contrast the best.

Things were going smoothly until the last three eggs. Caleb was having a lot of fun, dying and redipping an egg. Then he accidentally stepped off the edge of his chair. He fell down and grabbed the papertowel that the bowls of dye were sitting on. The green bowl overturned, landing on Caleb's head, dripping down his face, filling his ear with green dye. It splashed everywhere. So much for the mess-saving papertowels! Needless to say, we had our second egg casualty (third, if you count Caleb). Caleb was upset. I decided that we had to pause for a picture of my green alien son. Followed by a good soaking in the bath. He's a good egg!

I didn't know if I'd get the egg dye out of Caleb's clothes-but I googled it and was amazed to have the answer pop right up. Very hot water in the sink with a cup of vinegar before the laundry. The marvel of the internet for moms! It's so great to have instant answers when you need them (before the stains dry in).

Despite the mishap, I think this was our best year of Easter eggs thus far!

Tennis=Love-Love

2011-04-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

Daniel and Liam have started tennis lessons. They are so young that it is really more just silly games to get them used to holding a racket. But it is really cute. They love it! I love that they love it. (I guess that since it was my sport, I'd love if they chose it too.) Their "coach" is really fun with the kids.

What is Art?

2011-04-19T22:28:00.002-07:00

Nathan and I decided to spend our date night at Crocker Art Museum. There was a neat display of African art and artifacts. We also really enjoyed artwork of California. We took a few pictures next to a few we liked best.

Art is supposed to evoke emotion right?? Well, it did. Unfortunately, only about a third to a half of the artwork brought emotions that were uplifting or inspiring. (That doesn't mean that everything depicted needed to be happy subject matter...) We were disappointed to find that much of the artwork was disturbing and gross. It seems like artists are trying to shock us into noticing them. We did notice--we didn't appreciate. We will try to forget. What a waste of talent. I think it was similar to watching "reality TV". There really is no reality in it, just a lot of people fighting for attention. I really felt bad for all of the artists who had something worth sharing, but might have been passed by for something so degrading.

The next weekend we went on another artistic venture. This time to a free play. Our stake put on The Savior of the World, a musical production about those surrounding the events of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The performers were not professional. They didn't hit every note perfectly, they weren't all trained in stage performance. But Nathan and I were totally moved by the humility of their performance (especially from Thomas). Their depictions seemed true to life. The disciples of Christ were imperfect men and women. The Spirit was there. It was like missionary work. The Lord sends out imperfect 19-year-olds. But through His Spirit people become converted to the message of Jesus Christ. We left feeling so uplifted. We were inspired and my tears came. The play was art on an entirely different level.

Potty "Train"ing

2011-04-19T22:28:00.001-07:00

Hooray! Caleb is doing really well with his potty training. He earned "Salty" (the red engine) for his track for staying dry and telling us when he needed to go. He has been my fastest learner (I'm sure his brothers' examples help). This past week he had to go while we were at a park but there was no restroom (apparently, there are no mothers of small children on the park planning commitees). Anyway, we made use of a tree (I feel lucky to have all boys at times like these). The next day I kept finding Caleb outside, naked from waist down. He decided there was something to this tree thing. I tried to explain the whole, toilets are our first choice idea but he wasn't having it. Four or 5 tries later I gave up for the day. I guess some of the novelty has worn off because he returned to the toilet the next day. Now he doesn't tell me most of the time when he needs to go, he just goes. After spending forever in the bathroom, waiting on kids to 'do their duty' this is a great place to be. I don't know about it until he comes to find me afterward with underwear and shorts in hand. (Once in a while he gets them back on himself--usually I find out about it when I realize that his shorts, and upon closer inspection his underwear is on backwards!) All in due time!

From Snaggletooth to Toothless

2011-04-19T22:22:00.001-07:00

Daniel has had two loose teeth for a long time. He finally wiggled one out last week (there was already another one broken through underneath). Since the one on the bottom had already fallen out, and the one left on top was so loose that it hung crooked, he looked a lot like a jack o' lantern. I kept calling him snaggletooth and I hoped that he'd get bumped again to knock it out. I tried scaring him while he was wiggling it. (What a mean mom!--Just wait till you hear what Dad did!) Nathan was rough-housing with the boys on Sunday. He was teasing them, stealing their blankets. I guess he whipped away the blanket, which somehow caught on the tooth and that was that!
This is a pretty funny picture, but I love Daniel's new toothless smile! He keeps sticking his tongue through the hole and can't resist showing his brothers the convenient space for a straw. Now he'll sing, "All I want for Spring Break is my Two Front Teeth".

Splish Splash

2011-04-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

With the temperatures rising outside, so does the boy stench! Good thing they love baths. Daniel started wearing his goggles in the bath so he can hold his breath and go underwater. Caleb saw this and started going underwater as well. He loves to see how many rolls he can do before he has to come up for air. The funny thing about Caleb is that he leaves his eyes open--neither of my other two like that. He also lies on his back and goes under with everything but his nose. It reminds me of a hippo with his nose sticking out of the muddy water. Good thing I got everyone signed up for summer swimming lessons this week! It's so close we can hardly wait.

This picture almost looks scary, but I assure you Caleb is having fun. His eyes were open here too-each time he saw the flash he got up and said "No pictures!" and pulled a face.

Mud Stew Anyone??

2011-04-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

Liam knocked at the back door the other day and when I answered it he gave a big grin and offered me some tastey mud stew. He made it fresh and before I could take a bite (pretend), he added a lovely clover garnish. This kid is so much fun!

General Conference

2011-04-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was General Conference, one of my favorite weekends of the year. I love listening to our Prophet Thomas S. Monson speak right from his heart, the things that the Lord would have him say to me. It amazes me that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is now 14 million strong and still we can all feel that the messages shared by apostles via satellite were meant just for us. I'm excited to replay all of the conference over again. (Hooray for DVR!)

I admit that conference at my house isn't totally reverent all of the time (big surprise), but we have our moments. As we listened to Pres. Monson talk about the contributions made in behalf of the Japanese people, Daniel turned to me and said, "I'm feeling really good inside." I made sure he knew that the Spirit was telling him that he did the right thing, when he fasted for and contributed his own money to the relief effort. Liam told me he felt good about it too.

Liam asked me during Saturday's session, "Is this real?" A few minutes later he asked, "Is this true?" I don't know what brought out the questions but I had a definite answer for him. "YES!" We are so blessed to belong to this church which is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It makes so much sense that it is organized as was the church during Christ's time on Earth. Later, Liam heard the choir sing, "I Know That My Savior Loves Me" and he said, "They're singing our song." I love his ownership of the music. I hope everyone in primary feels like that is their song. I was a happy primary chorister to see my boys singing along.

This year we tried to keep the boys excited for conference. A whole week before Liam kept asking me if it was the day we got to watch conference in our pajamas. (One of the things I love too.) We also printed out some fun activities to keep the boys' attention. On the sugardoodle web sight we found a first presidency that the kids could color and cut out. Each person was attached to a toilet paper roller and it also had a pulpit that they could stand behind. The boys worked on that for about 3 or 4 talks! They even seemed to be listening. (Daniel also made a cutout of himself to stand behind the pulpit! Dream big kid.) We also printed out some of the conference packet for primary kids. There are so many great ideas right at our fingertips. (My thanks to all of the creative people so willing to share.) Usually we try conference bingo, but this year I decided to change things up a bit (another idea I saw online). We picked out some of the boys' favorite treats and snacks. Each was in a different bowl with a different word on it. They had to listen for the words, when they heard them they got the snack from the correlating bowl. Sometimes the lunge for the bowls was a bit loud and distracting, but overall I think it was a success.

Between sessions we went on a bike ride by the river. This is the face I get when I tell Caleb to smile for pictures...

Saturday night I had another good laugh over Daniel's prayers. He thanked Heavenly Father that we got to skip church this week. I'm glad he enjoyed himself, so he thought he was getting out of something. Funny kiddo!

While Nathan was at the priesthood session, the boys and I picnicked and played at a park with friends. I was especially grateful for the sunshine after seeing snow on the trees at Temple Square.

So now that conference is over, I have my work cut out for myself, but I feel so blessed to have this gospel in my life and blessing my family.

A-Door-able Toothless

2011-03-27T23:13:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, while Nathan and I were out on a date, we received pictures, from our friends watching the boys, of Daniel with another tooth missing. He's had a few loose teeth for quite some time now, but none of them seemed ready to come out, so we were a little surprised. It's kind of funny because this time a sweet little girl knocked it out for him! I guess she opened a door right into his smile. I'm told it was pretty traumatic for everyone--especially Daniel (no surprise), but it worked out great for Nathan and me because by the time we made it back, Daniel was just excitedly anticipating a lucrative visit from the tooth fairy. The play dough lid was responsible for expediting the last removal. It just makes me wonder what will take care of those other 2 loose ones?

Forts

2011-03-26T15:45:00.002-07:00

Nathan got tired of the boys knocking the plug out in the living room (connected to the TV etc.)while playing their forts behind the couch so he helped them build a fort under the kitchen table. They draped blankets over the chairs surrounding it to make walls. They built it Wednesday and I think I should get gold stars for letting them keep it up, so they could sleep in it over the weekend. I am looking forward to taking my kitchen back tomorrow, but it was fun to see them playing.

Leprechaun Traps

2011-03-26T15:45:00.001-07:00

This year the boys got ready for St. Patrick's Day. They wanted to catch a leprechaun so they could ask him for a pot of gold. They tried to make boxes into traps. They decorated the traps with a leprechaun's favorite things....rainbows, 4-leaf clover, and green. They even baited their traps with Lucky Charm marshmallows.

They set their traps up underneath the kitchen table. The next morning they ran out to check their traps and found a note from the leprechaun. He said they'd have to try harder next year. He thanked them for the marshmallows and left them each a gold dollar for their trouble. Caleb helped me make leprechaun milk and green french toast. I guess it was a lucky day since I usually don't make big breakfasts unless it's on the weekend or for dinner.

Mommy, Are You Stinky??

2011-03-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

Usually, I am the one asking Caleb if he's stinky. So I guess it's only fair that he asked me today. Actually, I wasn't even offended. I had just gotten back from running. (Running may be a loose term for what I do, but I'm trying.) Yes, I'm sure I did stink. The last few weeks my friend Clara and I have been trading off kids so we can get our exercise in. What prompted this craziness you ask??? Well, I was reading an article about PCOS (which I have) and it talked about the increased risk for diabetes. That made me worry because I already have a family history of diabetes. So I decided to try to make exercise a bigger priority (again). I have been doing Jillian Michael's workout videos, but I am so tired of them that I actually wanted to run. (I think that qualifies me as clinically insane.) It has been so nice to run away from the noise and kids for a few minutes and enjoy the nature along the river. I have seen lots of falcons, rabbits, squirrels, wild turkeys, geese, and lot of other birds that I can't identify. One day I saw a squirrel hit a bike...I know you'd usually say that the bike hit the squirrel, but really it looked like the poor biker was caught totally off guard as the squirrel ran out across the bike trail and b-lined into his tire. (Don't worry, the squirrel then jumped up and ran off the other direction.) While I'm running I make up metaphors about life. A little strange, but without the kids' distractions or the house, my brain has a little longer range for thought... I've noticed that those who are the best runners aren't thunking their bodies around like I do. The best runners concentrate their energy on just their legs. It isn't a big motion. Most of their body is barely moving. It's small and focused. They expend their energy on the motion they need to go the distance (blowing right past me) without wasting it on unnecessary efforts. Their stride is consistent. I, on the other hand, (desperate to reach my goal and return alive) seem to flail my entire being around. (Actually I don't think I'm doing so poorly until another one passes me and I see, by contrast, all of my out of control movements.) So how is this life, you ask? Well, I think the ones who really have things figured out aren't the ones doing all of the big stuff. Sometimes we try to make things into too big a production. I think the ones who are possibly going the greatest distance aren't burning themselves out. They are conserving their energy for what is most important. I think they are consistent. The have set a nice pace for themselves. They aren't trying to impress anyone, but they seem to inspire us to lengthen our stride just a little. At times I wonder if my body/life is capable of such fluidity. I guess I'll never know if I don't get a little stinky.

Chef Liam is 5!

2011-03-20T22:01:00.001-07:00

Liam is my little chef. He loves to help me cook. So he decided that for his big number 5, he wanted a cooking birthday party. It was really fun. My mom helped me make chef hats for each of the kids. I love the way they make Liam's ears poke out. Like a little elf. Each chef got to make their own pizza, just the way they wanted it. They worked hard to flatten their dough. I put a little dish of flour on each table so they could add a pinch to prevent the dough from sticking to their little hands. A few ended up with a quarter inch of flour on top--yuck! Liam, Zak, and Daniel turned the flattening of the dough into a drumming session. It was pretty funny, but pretty dusty! It was fun to see what they each thought was a perfect pizza. Daniel and Liam went cheeseless (can they really be related to me?). Caleb put extra cheese on his, no meat (that's more like it). Liam insisted on olives and pepperoni. We also had mushrooms, pineapple, and canadian bacon. We had 2 kids choose to make pizza without sauce. In fact, one just had dough--I guess they just wanted bread. While the pizza cooked (in our oven as well as two great neighbors') we played some cooking games. First the kids had to carefully get ingredients (marshmellows) to the bowl without spilling them (if they fell off their spoon, they had to start again). We had a good laugh watching some kids totally competative, some who could care less, and lots cheat (mostly holding the marshmellow on with a finger). We also played a tossed salad game, where the kids had to throw food (Liam's play food) into salad bowls.

The kids all seemed happy with the way their pizzas turned out. When the meal was over we sent the kids on a treasure hunt. The treasure was a bag of treats that each of them used to decorate their own cakes.

Liam had a lot of fun with all of his friends. Since the kids all decorated their own cake, our traditional family birthday cake had to wait. Usually, we cut the cake into a shape of something that the kids especially like. This time when I asked Liam what he wanted he told me a 'chef cake'. I asked him to clarify for me (a cake in the shape of a chef??). He explained that he wanted a cake that was tall...the kind a chef makes. He also said it had to have strawberries on it and a dinosaur. What!?

We ended up having the missionaries over for his birthday dinner. He asked for mashed potatoes, salad and lemonade. He didn't want the chicken, but I told him it was mostly for the missionaries. What a crazy kid. We love you Liam.

That's My Daniel...And So Is That!

2011-03-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

Last night Daniel saw a news story about the children suffering in Japan after the earthquake and Tsunami. It really concerned him. He included those children in his prayers before bed. This morning he came to me and said he thought he needed to fast. (A six year old!!!!) I explained that we start and end a fast with prayer. Daniel again asked Heavenly Father to bless those children who don't have food or homes in Japan. Later, I reminded Daniel about fast offerings. I asked him if he'd like to contribute to the Humanitarian Aid so he could help the church get food and supplies for those people in need. Daniel was really excited to help out. He got out his bank and pulled out a handful of his coins. Liam and Caleb saw what Daniel was doing and wanted to contribute as well. Daniel's fast lasted only a few hours, but I was so impressed that he was willing to give up a meal as he considered the plight of those children clear across the world. All three boys proudly took their little coin-filled envelopes to the Bishop before church. In Primary we talked about the Holy Ghost. I was so proud of Daniel for being in tune to the Spirit this morning. I realized that often when we act on a prompting from the Holy Ghost, as Daniel did, we allow others an opportunity to feel the Spirit as well. I know I felt the Spirit and Liam and Caleb felt some measure also as they contributed.

What a proud mom I am of such a special 6 year old. But Daniel is also a normal, funny kid...

Just hours after the incident above, Daniel said to me completely out of the blue... "Mom what if you had boogers and they were in your mouth...And what if a stealer (thief) was in your house? Could you spit them at him??" Gross. I assured him that he could, but he'd better get away quick. I laughed pretty hard. Where does he come up with this stuff? Nathan, tells me that he asked him if he could spit them (the boogers) into the stealer's eyes. He told him that was the best place to spit them.

A Child's Prayer

2011-03-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Every night as I listen to my boys' prayers I think, "I should write that down." But it comes and goes and I forget. So here's a little insight into my boys' conversations with their Heavenly Father. Caleb nearly always tells the Lord about the time we saw a Diesel train and the man on the back dropped a flare on the road. We've all had friends that tell us the same story over and over again. I know there's the thing about vain repetitions...But shouldn't we all talk to God like we talk to our closest friend? We should strive to bring him closer and closer. I remember one prayer Caleb gave a few weeks ago and he said a knock knock joke. He even had a good laugh over it (as did I). The Lord must have a great sense of humor. That prayer must have been so refreshing. Tonight Caleb included, "No Dementors" in his list of things he's thankful for. (I had to giggle a little.) I do like Harry Potter. Today we were trying to do some potty training. Caleb hates wearing 'big boy underwear'. I tried to bribe him with treats, but he wouldn't be persuaded. I tried forcing them on, hoping I could distract him and he'd just forget he was wearing them--he pulled them off 3 or 4 times. Finally, I told him he could watch some Harry Potter if he'd wear them...BINGO! He put them on. (I might give thanks for Harry Potter in my prayers tonight--and you know what I'm asking for help with.) Caleb also talks to Heavenly Father about Jesus' owies and his own. I hope that he will continue that conversation and begin to realize that our Savior has felt all his pains and can heal them. Caleb remembers to bless Liver--Rubeus Hagrid (our beta fish--amazing that he can remember the whole name/nick name that his brothers gave it), the snail and Khuli loaches (in the tank with the beta). What 2 year old prays about Khuli loaches???--not just 'fish'. I guess that answer to that question is, Nathan's son. He gets that from his Daddy. Lately, Liam brown noses a lot in his prayers... "We're thankful we have the best mom and dad ever! I'm thankful that our family is so fun. Bless us to be obedient." I'm not complaining. Maybe if he says it a lot he'll believe it--or we will. Tonight Liam's prayers were all about Leprechauns. In December I remember a lot of prayers that included Santa. Kind of a funny mix. Actually, I was thinking today about a certain religious group that likes to knock on my door. I feel so bad for their kids, because they don't get to celebrate like we do (they seem to show up while I'm baking birthday cake or decorating for the holidays). We are told, "men are that they might have joy," right?? I believe that includes kids. --Besides there is no greater joy for a parent than seeing joy in their child. Liam and Daniel both like to tattle in their prayers... "Bless Daniel to stop eating in the prayer." "Bless Liam to close his eyes and fold arms." "Bless Caleb to stop making noises." Daniel and Liam have become more thoughtful in their prayers. They often remember those (especially the kids) who don't have houses or food to eat. In the last week or two Daniel asks Heavenly Father to bless Jesus. Tonight he also asked him to bless the Army of Helaman with the 2000 stripling warriors. I know those prayers have been answered! I think it's insightful that he asks the Lord to bless others. Sometimes as an adult I get too stuck on myself and everything that I need. He also asks that everyone will be righteous. (Sounds like missionary material to me!) They always pray for good dreams and a fun day. I keep saying it over and over, but I will say it again. I learn so much from my boys. I'll publish this now, but I may add to it as I remember more that's been said. Daniel: Bless that no one will get in car accidents, except stealers (robbers, thieves). A six-year-old's charity only goes so far. ;) April 1, 2011

Logan-Let it Snow!

2011-03-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

When we arrived in Logan, at Grandma and Grandpa Growly Bear's, the boys ran in the front door, gave everyone hugs, and ran out the back door to play in the snow. There wasn't a lot, but there was enough for Nathan to help them shovel into a wall of snow a few feet high. They made snowballs and then used this snow fort to hide behind. When grandpa came riding by on the snowmobile they jumped up and launched their snowballs at him. It was really fun to watch. Not to worry...there was lots more snow on the way. One afternoon we realized the kids had disappeared from our view (we were enjoying warm conversation inside, watching them through the window). Nathan ran out to investigate and found them. Daniel, Liam and their cousin Conner were busy at work, rolling a giant snowball for a snowman. Another cousin Mikayla, was pushing a middle section. It totally amazed us to see what they had done entirely on their own. Grandpa and Nathan helped stack the sections and a head was also rolled. Grandpa donated a hat and milk lids were scrounged together to make buttons and eyes. Grandma pulled out a carrot for the nose. The kids even found some tree branches for arms. Wow! I'm so glad my boys got to build their snowman. They did a better job than I would have done if they'd recruited my help. They all stood in front of their snowman and sang "Once there was a Snowman"--of course! It's funny how you can live somewhere and never visit the places near you, but when you move far away you come back and go those places. This time we decided to try out Hill Aerospace Museum. We were totally impressed. They had planes, jets, and helicopters to walk through outside (it was freezing, but we endured for a while). They also had two huge indoor areas. Nathan and the boys love to watch "Heavy Metal" on the History channel and learn all about the different jets and planes used on military missions. Nathan made a good tour guide, explaining what was neat about each one. I have to admit, I am hopeless when it comes to recognizing planes or jets flying overhead--but they are fun to watch. A shot of the girls. Heather we miss you!

One of the best parts of the museum turned out to be a hands on children's section. They had flight suits for the kids to try on, flight simulting programs, a cockpit where the kids could press all of the buttons. And lots of hands on fun. We'll be coming back here again. My little astronut Caleb. Surrounded by airplanes and fascinated by spinning pennies! The museum was free, but worth a good donation. We took this picture after a sleepover with Conner and Mikayla. Everyone was getting ready for church the next morning. Can't you just hear the hymns they playing and singing? Ok, ok--they were goofing off and having a great time! I love family dinner when we go home. My mom is the best cook. Besides, with my fun family you're sure to laugh a lot. I love swapping stories with my brothers and sisters. On Friday and Saturday Nathan went snowmobiling with my dad and brothers and brothers-in-law. Friday was a perfect day for riding. Saturday was a good one. Nathan was very sore when he returned. If I'd gone, we'd be riding slow enough to enjoy the gorgeous scenery. The guys on the other hand..... It wouldn't have been fair if only the big boys got in on the snowmobiling so they came back and gave lots of rides to all the little guys.

When they weren't riding snowmobiles, they found plenty to do in the outside. Did I mention they love the snow?!!! Grandma is the greatest. She called us months ago, when the snowclothes were all on sale, to check my kids' sizes. Since we don't have need to buy them out here, she makes sure she has boots, gloves, coats, snowpants--everything for everyone. Thanks Grandma. You made our visit so fun. The pictures of Caleb walking in the snow totally remind me of Ralphie in the Christmas Story. "I can't put my arms down!" Getting Grandpa Growly Bear is always fun. They like to shoot him and he does his dramatic death scene ("Oh, you got me!"--tongue hanging out the side of his mouth) and then they tell him to play again. He jumps back up and it begins again. What a good sport. One night my parents got us a babysitter and we all (my parents and all of my brothers and sisters and their spouses) went to a Brian Regan Comedy Show. He is definitely a family favorite. Nathan enjoyed the show, but tried not to laugh because he had a horrible cough. Talk about torture. It was hilarious. Brian Regan's brother opened for him. He had a similar sense of humor and so it was great all around. We ended our adventure with a trip to Ti Pan, a home decorating superstore. My mom and sisters and I could spend a long time and a lot of money there. It helped that Nathan was a really good sport about the whole thing. (He got to watch the boys for me while I played.) It was really fun. I was specifically looking for something to put over the couch in my living room. I found some really pretty red pots and some greenery to fill them with. I remembered some iron brackets that I had at home and decided to paint them and a board black to make a shelf. I'm pretty happy with how it all came out. (I may still change up the things on the shelf and I need to fill a lot of old nail holes, but it's an improvement. The couch looks a little strange, but considering it was Nathan's grandparents, then his parents and then ours-for the past 12 1/2 years, I think it's not too bad.) Every time I try to decorate my house, I wish my mom and sisters were able to come over and help me. They are really good.

We love our visits to Utah. We love being with family. If only we were closer and could do it more often.

I'm Dreaming of a White Utah

2011-03-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

So we were on our way to Utah...(We all had some terrible-sounding coughs and Caleb had been sick the night before--but we weren't too bad on the drive out.) The boys were so excited. (Nathan drove most of the way so I sat back and enjoyed a great book. I would definitely recommend Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It tells about a boys who is Chinese-American, with a Japanese-American friend. They live in WA during WWII when the Japanese families were sent to internment camps. It's totally clean, very informative, and moving.) As we drove through Kingvale Daniel saw the first of the snow and announced, "Look! Snow! Snow! We are almost at Grandma and Papa's!" 10 or 11 hours later we drove into Grandma and Grandpa Brady's in Orem. There wasn't much snow, but the boys were even excited to play on the icy patches on the lawn.

We played lots at Grandma and Grandpa's. They always have trucks and all of the trains out for the boys to play with (they know what my boys like). My boys really look forward to the special sleeping bags that they get there too. They have pockets in them with stuffed animals and slippers.

Grandpa was battling the flu and episodes of vertigo, but Grandma took us to the SLC Aquarium. We've been there before but it has grown. Now it even includes penguins. Daniel and Liam took pictures of everything. They especially loved the Cayman, sharks, turtles, and eels. There was a crazy sting ray who let everyone pet him--it looked like he was actually trying to go AWOL. Lion fish are so cool--very fitting for Daniel in the Lion's den--or shall I say aquarium. Lookin' good Nathan--but I think that was supposed to be for the kids!That's better.At the end Grandma let the boys each make their own souvenir pennies.

Late one evening it started snowing. The boys were thrilled. They all ran outside in their PJs. Daniel didn't even stop for shoes! Crazy. They wanted to make a big snowman, but settled for a few mini snowmen--with the understanding that they'd get a chance to build big later.

It was a lot fun. We'd planned on rejoining Grandma and Grandpa for a trip to visit Great Grandma and Grandpa Steed in St. George (after our visit to Logan). Unfortunately, we were all sick. We were all disappointed to cut our trip short without seeing Great Grandma and Grandpa Steed and the other Great Grandmas but we didn't want to share our germs.

All Part of Being a Mom

2011-03-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

I feel like throwing up as I write this--no I'm not pregnant (that is directed to you, Mom). Actually, I just brushed Caleb's teeth--after he had a little snack before bedtime...All I heard was Caleb saying, "Mmmm, yummy!" Then Nathan came over and asked, "Where is that blood worm?" Ok, Pause. Those two phrases do not belong together! Rewind...You see, Nathan had gotten out the frozen fish food to feed the betta. (It's called bloodworm --and it's exactly what it sounds like, little tiny frozen red worms). Nathan had cut off a small piece and turned around to put the rest back in the freezer. When he turned back around, the little red frozen square had vanished--that is until we checked Caleb's mouth. There wasn't much left, but his teeth had some red in them. I forced him to rinse and spit (in between my own gagging) and a little red something came out into the sink. Then we brushed very thoroughly! I have to admit I was a bit tentative to get his good night kiss. (Sidenote: Kids should not kiss parents on the lips--it totally creeps me out--for many reasons. Just add this to that list.) Our bedtime conversation ended up being all of gross things our boys tried eating when they were younger. The good news is we've survived.

So now you know that boys are gross, but in all fairness they are also really sweet. Who would guess that as a mom I get a fresh bouquet of flowers every day. My boys come in with their hands full of clover flowers and dandelions. Some may consider them weeds, but they really are beautiful. They are even more beautiful delivered by boys with such sweet grins in dirty little hands. Some time ago, I bought a three inch vase, from a dollar bin. Every mom should invest in one. I can't remember the last time it was empty. It is just the right size for 'flowers' they pick on our walk to and from school or in the back yard. The bright yellow bouquet is sunshine on my counter. Honestly, I don't know if any flowers will ever mean more to me. Being a mom of all boys has its perks.

Definitely a Happy Birthday!

2011-02-12T20:20:00.000-08:00

Last week I turned 33. Wow! Already?? Time flies when you're having fun. --Either that or my memory isn't what it used to be.

My boys and many others made sure it really was a Happy Birthday. Nathan had to leave early for work, but Liam had planned on making me breakfast in bed. It wasn't in bed, but Liam pulled out the eggo waffles and toaster and made me and his brothers each a waffle with syrup. He also got Caleb some yogurt and insisted on pouring me a bowl of cereal as well. Daniel woke up in time to make everyone hot cocoa, and made sure mine was in the 'mom mug' he gave me for Christmas. Boy, am I spoiled!

During breakfast we read the story of Ruth and Naomi. Daniel said that Heavenly Father blessed me for my birthday to read a girl scripture story.

On our way to school we found that someone (MaryAnn-the best visiting teacher ever) had left a birthday banner on the fence (she also offered to watch the boys for me so Nathan and I can go to the temple). After taking Daniel to school, Caleb and I went with Liam for his preschool Valentines party. The kids had fun making pizza and cupcakes. The preschool sang to me. Then they each passed out their Valentines. Liam and Caleb had fun. When we got home Liam asked, "Where are your presents, Mom? It's your birthday, you're supposed to get presents!" I assured him that making breakfast was a nice present and that Daddy would give me a present when he got home from work. But apparently Liam thought that wasn't enough. A minute later he collected his Valentines candy and brought it over to me and told me that the candy could be my present. How sweet! I told him he could keep his candy, but I would like a Liam hug.

Later that afternoon our bishop called to wish me a Happy Birthday. He calls everyone in our ward for their birthday. What an amazing guy. I know it was just a couple of minutes in conversation, but that is a huge commitment when you consider the time it takes on a daily basis. I guess it's the little things that really show you that someone cares.

I was totally surprised to receive a generous gift card to Chili's from a woman in my ward. She just said she wanted a young couple to have a chance to go out. I was so touched. I hope to one day pay it forward. So for my birthday dinner we went to Chili's! No cooking or cleaning up--that is a huge gift. Plus the food was really yummy.

For my birthday Nathan totally surprised me with a kindle. I love reading and with our trip to Utah around the corner it was very timely. He also included some great books. As if that wasn't enough, Nathan also got me the Mario Brothers game. Laugh if you must, but I always wanted it as a kid. It was the one thing that my parents told us they would never get us. (I've tried playing and I'm really terrible at it. But it is fun in a silly kind of way.)

With Nathan's late work nights, we didn't have time to make our traditional cutout cake before leaving for Utah (besides our neighbor Jean brought over cupcakes). Nathan might have thought he'd escaped, but I informed him that we would continue to celebrate my birthday until he made it.;) He did come through in the end with a Mario cake!

I am horrible at remembering other people's birthdays, so I felt a little embarrassed but blessed to have so many friends this year go out of their way to send cards etc. You are all so sweet. Thank you. My birthday was wonderful!

"And it came to pass!"

2011-02-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

About a year or so ago, Nathan and I decided to get the Living Scripture movies. They cost way too much, but I really felt like we needed to do something to better keep the Sabbath day holy. So now every Sunday the boys pick out their favorite scripture movies or movies done by the Church, to set the tone before we go to church. They have their favorites. Daniel loves Daniel in the Lions Den of course, also Elijah, Nephi, Jesus in America, and King Solomon. Liam also likes Elijah. Since his middle name is Joseph, he often picks Joseph in Egypt. He also like the parable about the lost sheep. Caleb seems to like most of them, but he actually picks the Christmas movie Joy to the World most of the time (the nativity with the Motabs plus the part that covers the signs of Christ's birth in America). Every time baby Jesus is shown Caleb says, "Oh, baby Jesus, so sweet."

I've always read scripture stories with my boys during breakfast, but I waited to require 'real' scripture reading, because I was worried that Daniel would decide that he didn't like the scriptures or reading. (I'm such a worry wart sometimes!) But just recently I decided it was time for the real thing. We still read scripture stories at breakfast, but now we take turns reading verses from the Book of Mormon at night. Almost immediately I noticed a big difference in Daniel's reading skills--I guess the Lord was blessing us for just trying. We don't read a lot. Usually just 10-12 verses. Daniel usually reads 2, then Liam and Caleb each get their turn. Since they don't read yet, they repeat the words that we tell them. Just a few weeks into this new routine, Caleb climbed up on my lap for his turn and announced, before I told him what it said, "Came to pass..." This kid already has some scripture memorized! Not bad for a 2-year-old! Now every time he starts his turn, he precursers it with, "came to pass". Often times that is exactly what it reads. Hopefully, this routine will stay with these boys forever.

With this exposure, I am amazed at how many scripture stories my boys know. The other night in family home evening we mentioned King Saul and Liam said, "Heavenly Father changed Saul's name to Paul". Now, I know that is a different Saul, but I'm pretty sure if you'd asked me who either Saul was when I was 4 or much older, that I wouldn't have had a clue. These boys amaze me. While watching the Elijah movie, Daniel told me that he'd been telling his school friends Nicolos and Nathan about Heavenly Father and Jesus because he wants them to know about the gospel. Obviously, the Lord sent these boys to me to teach me. Hopefully I'm not holding them back.

Stay for a Spell

2011-01-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I found a Harry Potter magic wand that I'd gotten in a book order when I taught school. I gave it to Caleb and he's been casting lots of spells ever since.

One night, I asked him to take out his dirty diaper (the garbage is just outside the back door in the garage). I didn't hear the door open so I came to see if I could help. Caleb was standing there with the diaper in one hand and his magic wand in the other. He was saying, "alowah homora" (who knows how to spell it?). That is the spell Hermione uses to open locked doors. The door was locked! So I unlocked it. Caleb ignored me and acted like his spell had done the trick! So funny.

One of Caleb's favorite favorite spells is "expecto patronum". Just lately he also likes Ron's "eat slugs" spell. (He especially likes it when we pretend to spit up slugs.) But the other night he really surprised us when he pointed his wand at Liam's nose and said, "Eww...Troll Boogies!" We all broke out laughing. I think his brothers are responsible for teaching him many of the spells, but it sure is cute coming out of a two-year-old's mouth!

Liam Laughs

2011-01-20T18:23:00.000-08:00

Daniel was talking to Liam and said, "My headache is driving me nuts!"
Liam's response, "It's driving me squirrels!"

Tonight Liam told me that he loves me more that his dinosaur shirt and his stuffed animals. That is pretty satisfying knowing Liam.

A Cough Named Steve...

2011-01-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

And then came Chuck (first name Up)

Last night Daniel had some asthma and started coughing. When Nathan got home he explained, "I got rid of my old cough, this one is new. It's name is Steve." Nathan and I exchanged a look and tried to muffle our laughs. Where does this crazy kid come up with this stuff?

His asthma kept him (and me) up most of the night and increased his cough. This morning he was still coughing. I emailed his Dr. and he ordered a new inhaler for him. When we went to pick it up this afternoon, all Daniel had stomached was lots of juice. Unfortunately, the coughing started up again. I asked for a bag, just in case, but before the lady could find one, Daniel coughed/threw up all of the liquids I'd had him downing.

That is when I did something that I really can't explain--it's a mom reflex. I cupped my hands and tried to catch all the said regurgitated liquids. Why do I do this? I've done it before. Gross. I would never have done this before I had children. Most people take a step back when such things happen. Has my mind really turned to mush? I guess at home it would make more sense because I am the haz mat crew in charge of the aftermath. Anyway, they did everything in their power to help us leave. (Apparently, we made our point and they didn't want it repeated.) Hopefully Steve is gone and doesn't come back.

Liam's Kindergarten Requirements

2011-01-19T12:49:00.000-08:00

This morning I went to register Liam for kindergarten. Wow! It's a little strange to think that Liam is old enough for school. Anyway, as I filled out the paperwork I found myself writing William over and over again. Liam's full name is William, but we've never called him that. (We don't even use it when we use his 'whole name' to 'add emphsis'.) At the doctor's office it always takes me a second when they call for William and I realize that that is Liam. I found myself wondering if Liam even remembered that his first name is William. So I asked him if he knew his first name. He said, "Liam", so I told him that he needs to learn his name before kindergarten so he'll know if the teacher calls William. The principal walked by at that moment and started laughing. I guess it is kind of funny to think that I'm worried about teaching my son his first name before he starts kindergarten--I mean most people worry about teaching letters and numbers! I guess knowing your first name should be a kindergarten requirement.

Liver (Rubeus Hagrid) the Fish Who Lived

2011-01-16T10:19:00.002-08:00

Daniel doesn't like change. When I started rearranging his room to fit Caleb's big bed he was a little worried. So we made a deal. We would rearrange and clean things out, but we would make room for a betta fish. I know what many of you are thinking...that's just what that house needs--another fish! But it's not a dog--not yet! Another great thing about betta is that they don't get along with other betta so it's just one fish!

Nathan takes hunting for the perfect fish very seriously. He called a big fish store to find out when they'd get a new shipment of betta in so there'd be lots of beautiful fish to pick from. That night we met Nathan at work downtown so the boys could have their pick.

They were so excited. Nathan picked out a bunch of really beautiful fish while the boys watched turtles swim and looked at other aquariums. Then the boys looked at the 10 or 12 that Nathan had narrowed it down to. They both liked one, but Liam wasn't sure it was his absolute favorite. We sealed the deal by letting Liam pick out a crocodile bubbler to put in the tank.

On the way home Daniel held the fish in the cup (Liam held the croc bubbler). It had a little air hole on top and a little water got out. Daniel was so worried that the fish wouldn't live through the car ride. He kept telling us to drive slowly. We talked about what they wanted to name their new fish. Liam said his nick name should be Rubeus Hagrid (quite a nick name!). Daniel decided when we got home that his name should be Liver. I thought that was a little strange until he explained that he was Liver because he had lived through the bumpy car ride. I can't imagine a better name for a fish.

Liver is a beautiful fish!

Three's a Crowd-ed Bedroom!

2011-01-16T10:19:00.001-08:00

BEFORE

I put off taking down the crib and setting up a 'big-boy-bed' for Caleb for lots of reasons. First of all, I knew it would be a squeeze to fit another big bed in that room. (All three of my boys share a room and yes, three's a crowd.) Secondly, I was comfortable with our routine and dreaded teaching Caleb to stay in bed at night. He is such a monkey, I was quite sure it would be harder than it was with his two big brothers. Also I knew that I would have to refinnish the bed that's been sitting in our garage for the past year and half. (We inherited it from our neighbors.) I've never done that so there was a little fear of the unknown.

But when I found that Caleb was crawling out of his crib and onto the dresser, I knew it was time. (Quick! Before he brakes a leg or arm!) So just after Christmas, I took it out and sanded it down. It is a captain's bed with drawers underneath. I'd never actually seen it put together, but it was the right price ($0) so I figured I'd like it well enough. I did want to change the color from the old oak stain (a little too orangey) to a dark chocolate. (Ok, I admit it I'm a little obsessed with dark chocolate, but it is my favorite treat as well as a great paint color.)

BEFORE (Unfortunately I didn't think to take a picture until I took down the crib which was in the corner in front of the tree.)

I took down the crib when I decided to jump into this project, which was likely a mistake because it was a multi-day project. I also removed most of the baby blankets (except the ones my boys are most attached to-that I made or Grandma made), some extra sheets, and lots of baby stuff. How strange--that's the first time the crib's been down since we moved here. We had to teach Caleb to stay in bed laying on a matress on his floor. Actually, that was the easiest part--I had dreaded it for so long, but Nathan only had to get after Caleb 2 or 3 times (about staying in bed at night), and we haven't had a problem since!

I think I chose the coldest days of the year to work out in the garage. It took me a day or so to get it all sanded. I caught a cold and it triggered my asthma, which still hasn't calmed down. I guess following up the cold and dust with a few coats of paint and then poly urethane (again in the cold) didn't help. Oh well.

AFTER

Once we got the 'new' bed reassembled we realized that the beds fit best in an L shape making the drawers inaccessible. I guess the drawer part will remain in the garage until we move (some day??). It's just as well because the drawers didn't go all the way back and we need to utilize all of the storage space we can. The bed is very high up off the ground. (About half way between the bottom bunk and the top bunk. Caleb climbs from Liam's bed onto his.)

I'm pretty content with the storage containers that we found to fit the space. The Star Wars and the Legos boxes are readily accessible and clean-up is pretty easy. The laundry hamper is no longer the dress-up (there was too much for a good fit), now it is the gun and lightsaber hamper (of course-what else would a hamper be used for in a boys' room!). Nathan is remaking a table top, to better fit the space, for the trains. He also replaced the broken fan-light in the room. Caleb's clothes are now under Liam's bed in containers like Daniel's. So now we use the plastic drawers in the closet for more toys. I was actually able to get the toy storage down to one box in the living room! I still need to reconfigure pictures on the wall, make Caleb a new quilt, and fix the bench drawer etc. But at least most of the sorting, and heavy lifting is done. I really like the feeling of having the room organized.

Caleb is thrilled to have a "big-boy-bed". He tells everyone who'll listen about it. Some days he says that Santa gave it to him.

Actually, I wish the bunk beds were the dark chocolate color as well, but I don't know if I'll feel up to more sanding, paint, and poly urethane for a while.

Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!

2011-01-10T22:27:00.001-08:00

One Christmas Eve tradition we have is giving the boys new PJs. This year Daniel's are Star Wars (no surprise--why is he straddling the Christmas tree??), Liam's are T-Rex (so, of course, he turned into one), and Caleb calls his stinky chippy (meaning squirrel). Actually, Caleb's are a skunk that is saying, "bedtime stinks". These boys are cute...and they were very excited for Christmas. They knew that Santa only comes when you are asleep, so they went to bed early!!!! They were in bed by 8:00. Santa is quite a motivator.

On Christmas Eve we finish reading our stories about Jesus' life. The boys were so proud of the wall of pictures that they put up. When I suggested that it was time to take it down, Caleb got upset and told me keep Jesus. (That is a golden mommy moment. He had me hold him up to look at and talk about each of the pictures. Wow. 2-year-olds do get something out of the stories we tell--even when they seem totally distracted. Caleb has started praying about Jesus' owes on his hands and "toes" (feet). We've prompted him to add that he has owies because he loves us.)

So the boys went to bed really early, which was great, but Daniel came in to our room at 11:30 PM and asked if it was time to get up yet. Luckily, we were done. We assured him that Santa hadn't come yet and couldn't if he was out of bed. Good thing he couldn't see down the hall!

Christmas morning may be the only morning that Daniel is the first up. He quickly woke up his brothers. They have to line up youngest to oldest to go out to the living room.

Look what Santa brought Caleb. Now he is a Jedi with his own light saber--not just one of his brothers'. His even lights up and does cool sounds! Initially, Caleb just wanted Santa to bring him a ball, so Santa brought a little nerf hoop and ball too. Really, Caleb would have been totally satisfied without the hassle of opening up any more presents. We were worried that we hadn't gotten him much, and bought a few last minute things to even it out. In the end, Caleb didn't want to open stuff, he just wanted to play with the couple of things he got right at first. In fact, he had a pile to open when everyone else was done. Daniel didn't understand why he was finished and Caleb still had things unopened.

Daniel asked Santa to leave him a picture of himself. Santa left him two pictures. Daniel knows that some Santas are just helpers, but now he can actually see that the Santa that comes to the capital is the genuine article! Daniel keeps Santa's pictures in his treasure box now. Santa brought Daniel a Razor scooter. He immediately started riding it around the kitchen. He can fly on that thing! So I made sure he knew it was an 'outside toy'--Moms are no fun! Daniel also asked Santa to fix up his green bike. Santa did a great job. The bike looks totally new!
Liam also got a scooter from Santa and a 'big boy' camera. I'm sure there will be many great pictures from him soon.

Each year my boys earn money around the house so they can buy each other presents at the dollar store. It is one of my favorite parts of Christmas, to see the boys so excited to watch their brothers open the gift they bought. There's always a big hug...

Some hugs are more appreciated than others. (Hee-hee!) Lots of love!

Daniel picked out a jet for Nathan because he knew he'd love it.

No more cold feet! I told Nathan I wanted some warm fuzzy socks to keep my feet warm around the house and he came through! Caleb helped him pick out the awesome pink-striped monkey-toe socks.)Grandma Bohman found some awesome puppets for the boys. Liam's crocodile went everywhere with him on Christmas and bit us all. Now it has a special place on Liam's pillow, when he's not being played with. This was a Star Wars Christmas. The boys were spoiled by Grandma and Papa Brady with some huge Star Wars lego sets. Caleb got a Star Wars lunch box and some Star Wars figures. They got me some Star Wars pancake molds and cookie cutters! A perfect gift for the mother of these Jedi.

Don't the boys look awesome in their new winter hats?!! They wanted hats like Ron (Weesley).

Daniel got me a Mommy Minnie Mouse Mug. It was a good thing, because all of the boys got Star Wars mugs. Daniel is always making sure I get something that is 'girlie'. We all used them for hot cocoa with our Christmas breakfast.

Liam hunted down a used copy of the Three Amigoes for Nathan. He knew it would be perfect because they'd watched a bit of it on TV and they had laughed and laughed.

Daniel looked out the back window while we were getting breakfast and asked what was sitting out the back door. Grandma and Grandpa Bohman helped us get this one. It took over a week to find a day with good enough weather and Daddy home to assemble the trampoline!

Daniel spent much of the day riding his scooter up and down the street and yelling Merry Christmas to the neighbors.

Caleb spent much of the day outside as well playing with his lightsaber, mostly. Lightsabers are versitile. I'm not sure there are many Jedi that can ride their lightsabers. (I asked him if it was his horsie, but he said he was Harry Potter--apparently it was a broom. My mistake.)

Caleb inherited the old starter scooter from his brothers. No more fighting over it.

Liam tried out his scooter too.

He also took pitures of lots of things. Mostly things that needed to be cleaned up. Thanks a lot for documenting that.

I laughed when I saw Daniel take a scooter break to pick grass and dirt out of the sidewalk cracks. Why do we try to buy entertainment?? All these boys want is a pile of dirt.

And where, you ask, was Nathan??? He had lots of lego assembly going on.

It's our family tradition to go to the temple on Christmas and see the Nativity. It is a good reminder of what this season is really all about. This year it was raining cats and dogs for most of the late afternoon/evening. We decided to go the next day before Church.

Daniel and Liam took a few pictures of us.

What a great Christmas.

Lights, Cameras, Santa!

2010-12-20T22:30:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus is coming to town. These boys visited him and Mrs. Claus at the capital. Caleb asked Santa for a ball and, on a later visit, a light saber. Daniel had a list which included Star Wars legos, a scooter, and fixing his green bike. Liam wanted a camera, scooter and legos.

When they got home, they all became Santa's elves...

At one point, Daniel decided to be one of Santa's elves and build toys when he grows up.

We all got a chance to visit with Santa on the annual Santa train at Hagan Park.

Better be good for goodness sake.

Leaves are Falling All Around

2010-12-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

This has been such a mild year that the leaves hung around a long time. Our tree doesn't have the great big leaves that are perfect for playing in, so we collected a bunch from our neighbors. They all laugh at us when we ask them for their leaves (they have a hard time trying to get rid of them all). My visiting teacher knew how much my boys loved the leaves and actually brought over two big bags for the boys to play in. (What a great visiting teacher! She is aware of me and my boys' needs.) I took a lot of pictures of the boys. I especially tried to get a good one of Caleb (I need to replace the ones in the living room.) I think I have a few good Caleb pics to choose from.

Liam insisted on shorts and it really wasn't that cold, but it is funny in a leaf picture. I tried to get a few close-up so we wouldn't see the shorts, but this funny one is my favorite. 100% Liam.

Daniel's were OK but not my favorite. I think I'll use one from earlier to replace his pic. Notice his barefeet.

The best picture I could get of the 3 rascals together...

Here's a few more fun ones...

Liam making 'leaf angels'.

Daniel 'supermanning' into the leaves. Crazy! They aren't that deep.

Nathan's Talk on Service

2010-12-13T10:02:00.000-08:00

This Sunday Nathan gave a talk on Christmas Service. The other speaker was really good, but took up nearly all of the time. There were also two musical numbers, which shortened things. Daniel kept saying, "Isn't it Daddy's turn yet?" The boys entertained themselves by making faces at Nathan up on the stand. I'm sure the bishopric and visiting member of the Stake Presidency enjoyed that. Nathan is a great speaker and I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to hear his whole talk. Nathan had just enough time to share a few short stories about Christmas service.

I was thinking about it this morning and the thought came to me that Nathan's example of Christmas service is more powerful than anything he could say over the pulpit. I am so thankful for his generosity to others. It is so great to marry someone who can help you make up for the areas that you fall short. I tend to be too judgemental of others that I see out begging for food etc. Nathan always gives a little and says, "I'll try to do my part, and leave the rest up to the Lord." I hope my boys remember that. It's just like in the scriptures when it talks about, "when saw ye me hungry and gave me food...." and "when ye have done it unto the least of these my bretheren...." Nathan is also always ready to offer priesthood blessings. Recently, one of my visiting teachees was going in for her final oral exam to become a US citizen. She was very nervous to say the least. Nathan gave her a blessing and I brought the boys with us so they could watch. I hope they see their daddy's example and do the same some day. (She passed the exam and said she felt the Lord prepared her way.) Anyway, I love you Nathan and I am so thankful for your selfless service.

Why I Don't Wear Nylons

2010-12-13T09:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I decided to wear nylons to church. I don't like them, so I rarely do. Usually I just go without and hope I remembered to shave my legs. (I did run home between meetings at church once to retrieve a pair when I noticed a heavily wooded area just below my knee-lenth skirt line, one Sunday! I remember wondering if it would be faster to shave the forest or find a pair of nylons with minimal runs and then proceed with the tug-o-war. On another occasion, I noticed on Monday that I'd only shaved one leg! Oops!) The only ones I found without runs were thigh highs. After sacrament meeting I went into primary. This week I was in charge of the full time for both Jr. and Sr. while the Presidency had a board meeting with all of our teachers. That isn't a big deal. We needed the time to work on our Christmas songs. I stood up in Jr. Primary and almost immediately I felt a shift in my nylons. They both started falling down. I tried to do a bit of discreet tugging (I thought the subs must have been wondering if I had ants in my pants. If it had been all women subs I would have been more likely to explain myself and go fix the problem, but there was a guy with sunbeams on the front row.) I tried to stand with my legs slightly crossed so my legs would hold them in one place. I couldn't move, and I must have looked ridiculous. It occurs to me now that the little dance I was doing, along with the crossed legs, probably gave the teachers a totally different idea of my problem! Well, they kept getting lower and I was afraid they'd end up pooled around my ankles at any moment. So I invited a sub to come up and help flip pictures for the kids. Then I told the kids that I was going to stand out in the hall to see if they could sing loud enough for me to hear all of the words. I ran for the bathroom and removed the nylons. I ran back in time to hear the last few lines of the song. Phew! I threw the nylons in back of the piano as I walked back into the room. And that's why I never wear nylons! Who was the idiot who came up with these things! I guess I'll go back to my bare leg standard. --And I'm retiring my thigh-highs forever. I may work on a thick German accent just in case I forget to shave. No picture with this post--use your imagination!

Christmas is Coming

2010-12-10T23:23:00.001-08:00

Christmas is on the way. Liam is full of questions...How big are elves? Who fills the stockings? Do you really call Santa? Why did I see you putting things under the tree last year? Caleb just says, "Ho Ho Ho! Santa." He wants Santa to bring him a ball and a lightsaber of his very own. Daniel on the other hand has made lists. He says that some of the local Santas are not the real one. We tell him they are Santa's helpers.

It's a busy season, but we are doing our best to get ready!

Liam's preschool group put on a little Christmas program. They had fun singing Christmas songs. Their favorite was Jingle Bells.Liam was Joseph (fitting since Joseph is his middle name) in their performance of the Nativity.
And of course there were Christmas treats. This is the Santa Train that Liam made.

Speaking of trains and treats...We made our traditional gingerbread train. That's a lot of candy!

Our boys' favorite part of decorating the Christmas tree, is always putting on the ornaments with their pictures. (We add a new one each year, which they love, but they get really excited to find their baby picture ornaments.)I refused to decorate outside until I finished inside, so the boys decided to help. I love how all of the ornaments in the tree are on the bottom. A few days later we used a ladder to cover the rest.

Daniel took part in his school's Winter Spectacular. He did a great job (the red and white striped sweater). His class sang Jingle Bells in Spanish and another Spanish song (something about colors and animals).

The boys worked hard to butter-up Santa with some very decorated cookies.

We visited Nathan downtown and he took us first to the huge kids' section in the downtown library (my boys' dream come true!). And then to the Christmas tree lighting at the capital.

Santa and Mrs. Claus were there! (So was David Archeletta. He sang a few songs and we wish we could have followed him back to Utah to hear him sing with the MoTabs.)

There is so much fun in this busy Christmas season. I love it. Christmas is for parents--it is so great to watch the kids having fun.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-10T23:21:00.001-08:00

Since the 'holiday season' is Nathan's busy season at work, we don't often get to spend it with family. This year my family decided to join us for Thanksgiving right here. Boy am I spoiled! I love you guys. My boys talked about Grandma and Grandpa and cousins coming for weeks. And they are already talking about a visit to Utah. The Brady Inn doesn't have a lot of room, so we felt so blessed to have our friends the Arnolds offer their home to my family (It worked out nicely, because they were out of town while my family was in). I told Daniel and Liam that Grandma and Grandpa would be staying at (their friend) Alaina's house. They didn't understand at first. They couldn't understand why their grandparents were going to their friends' house and not theirs. It cracked me up trying to explain it all.

They got in very late (or early, depending on how you look at it). So Thursday we spent talking and cooking, while the guys watched a game or two. We tried to watch the Macy's Parade, but were disappointed because they didn't spend any airtime on the cool balloons that we had told all of the kids about. They spend the whole parade trying to hype actors from new TV series--I don't follow actors/actresses and I was as bored as the kids--show us the giant balloons, cool floats, and the marching bands! It was nice to have the Arnold's oven in addition to ours. I love the turkey dinner. I never make gravy and that was a yummy treat. Of course my mom made delicious pies. She wasn't satisfied with them because the pumpkin was from a can, but they still beat everything else. During the cooking, the cousins ran in and out playing and getting treats. Emily and I started sending them out running laps for a chocolate chip. It was so nice to be together.

The next day we sent the guys to the zoo with the kids (which has always been free the day after Thanksgiving--but wasn't this year!). I think they had fun, but missed us girls a lot. Daniel got Grandpa to take lots of pictures of animals for him.

Meanwhile, we girls took advantage of our break and had a girls' day out. (Which for a mom of 3 boys was heaven sent.) I decided to take my mom and sisters to Old Folsom to peruse the shops. I tried on hats with my mom (one of our favorite things to do together--I have a bit of a hat fetish). My sisters and I had so much fun together. We went in some antique shops, boutiques, and a few other shops on the path. We were talking and laughing most of the way. We took some silly pictures, including Emily as Princess Leia, and a flower child. Saw books about real witches and the effects of fuzzy red slippers. Then my mom introduced me to one of the finer things in life...Gelato! Yummy. A little bit goes a long way. I love ice cream and frozen yogurt, but Gelato is in a league all its own. I had the dark chocolate. It was like eating frozen fudge brownie mix. I also had the pumpkin. Also yummy. (You can be sure, one of the next date nights we go on, will be for Gelato.) Then I took the girls to Old Fair Oaks to a few additional shops (that aren't much fun when you are worried about what 3 boys are touching-or breaking). Mom got us each a few Christmas decorations. We about doubled over reading some great cards. I don't like mushy cards--it doesn't seem heartfelt when a total stranger writes the message. Funny cards, on the other hand are an entirely different matter. I love them. (Nathan has been known to buy me a totally mushy card as a joke.) Honestly, the fun we had together that afternoon, made the whole trip worthwhile. I would love to live closer to my sisters and Mom. We would love to have one day a month to just relax and go out with the girls. I came home feeling totally rejuvenated. What a great day.

The guys were nearly exhausted, so we all went out for dinner at the Spaghetti Factory.

The next day we weren't sure if our company was staying or going. The Arnolds had to schedule an early return due to weather, so part of the day was spent packing and cleaning up (Mom got a little carried away cleaning-and left everything spotless). Once that was taken care of we decided to go to the Capital to take family pictures. Of course it was raining, so there were very few places dry enough for a picture outside. It is so difficult to get a happy family picture. My boys seem to think that family picture is synonymous with torture. Daniel started out really upset, then we went inside and unbeknownst to us, Liam was pulling faces in the pictures that the rest of us were smiling in. Then back outside and Caleb decided after just a couple of shots that he was done. After the torture session we tried to go see Tangled, but it was sold out. So we went back home and played Apples to Apples and ate pizza. What a great game. We had a lot of laughing. At the end of the game someone suggested that the cards we won described us. My sisters held cards like beautiful, charming, feminine, honest. I held the most cards but they were things like grumpy, miserable, boring, cold, difficult. Yikes! It was pretty funny.

By this time, the family decided to stay the night in hopes of avoiding the storm in Donner Pass. They got one hotel room and then Andrea and Paul stayed with us. Unfortunately, in all of the chaos, the Arnold's key disappeared and we were all stressed out looking for it. We had to tell the Arnolds that we weren't sure where it ended up, and were so relieved when they told us 'no biggie'. My family had left them lots of toilet paper and the new Thomas Monson book as a thank you. Their brother had lost 2 or 3 of their keys. What amazing friends. --It did turn up in a bag of stocking stuffers that Grandma left for the boys. (But not for a week.)

I tried calling my family as they traveled back to check on their progress and found out that my sister had hit a patch of black ice and slid off the road, hitting another car and rendering the truck undrivable. No one was hurt. The other driver was caravaning back to BYU and said that his car was old and falling apart anyway. (So nice.) They were delayed about 6 hours or so and made it back in a rental at 6 in the morning! Then they had to drive back to Elko to retrieve the truck a few days later after it had been worked on. Nathan and I felt so bad. Here our family had come so far out of their way to visit and it ended on a bad note again. (On previous visits, my dad cut his hand to the point of needing surgery, someone hit their car and ran, my dad got really sick and had to get a blessing...the list goes on and on.) I worry every time that my dad will decide he's had enough. No more visiting. My dad assured us that we're worth it, but I feel horrible. He said that it could have been much worse, which of course he was right--at least no one was hurt. I guess this is one time that we need to revisit our Thankful list and count our blessings. Hopefully, we haven't scared off visitors for next time.

The Santa Train

2010-12-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas we ride the Santa Train at Hagan Park. It is a fun tradition. This year it was the perfect weather. We didn't even need coats. I love that we can go to the park to play in the middle of the winter in CA. Daniel and Liam both asked Santa for Star Wars legos and a scooter or skateboard. Daniel also asked Santa to fix his green bike. Caleb just wanted a ball. (I love the simple wishes of a 2-year-old.)

I tried to get a good picture of a wiggley Caleb. You've heard the squeaky wheel gets the grease, well sometimes the wiggley one gets all the pictures.

If you want a smile from one of my boys, let them play with a big stick!

Danielisms

2010-12-09T22:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I asked Daniel about what the wisemen brought and he said, "They brought gifts and Frankenstein."

I guess he's on a Frankenstein streak because told me this morning that he was going to have three boys when he's grown up and he'd name them Frank, En, and Stein, so he could just call "Frank-En-Stein!" when he wanted them to come.

Daniel has had a few loose teeth and has been checking them constantly. (Anxious for the Tooth Fairy to visit.) He keeps asking Nathan to pull them-but they're not that loose......The other day, I got the playdough out for the boys to play with. I was surprised when I heard a little scream from Daniel a few minutes later. I came in and one of Daniel's "not so loose teeth" was bleeding and barely hanging on. I asked what happened and Daniel explained that he had tried to pry off the playdough lid with his teeth and instead of opening the container it had yanked his loose tooth. A few minutes later, the tooth popped out entirely. Who knew, playdough could be the answer to a loose tooth!

Drumsticks are Versitile

2010-12-09T21:36:00.000-08:00

Caleb is a funny kid. We often hear him drumming on the Wii Rock Band Drum Kit while making up words to his own songs. Since the drum kit is next to the aquarium, the songs are often about the fish. I did hear him sing, "Be nice brothers," a few weeks ago. (No telling what prompted that.)

But drumsticks are versitile. Often times the drumsticks are light sabers. And Caleb becomes Darth Vader, Anakin, or Luke. (No big surprise, right!?)

So I asked Caleb if he was holding a lightsaber when I saw him standing up on my rocking chair with the drumstick outstretched . "No! Harry Potter", Caleb insisited. Apparently, a drumstick is also a great magic wand. Ever since then my 2 1/2 year-old requests to watch Harry Potter. Look out, his brothers are teaching him some spells. (Hopefully, none of the unpardonable ones--mostly "eat slugs".) He did run outside yesterday, straddled a broom, and announced, "Harry Potter." I guess he was ready for quiddich.

Back to Being Boys!

2010-11-13T00:15:00.000-08:00

After weeks of off-and-on sick, I am declaring a state of good health, (at least at this moment) and hope that by so doing, the 24-hour recurring miserable pukey stuff we've been wading through around here will be gone forever!

Daniel has had the roughest time of it. I think he's had it 4 or 5 times off and on over the last month. Caleb and Liam have each gotten lesser versions of it twice. But we've all been suffering from Cabin Fever. So we took advantage of our first day back in the land of the living. We decided to have a picnic lunch at the park by our house. It was a perfect autumn day, warm enough for no coats, but cool enough to not get hot.

I guess this deer thought it was the perfect day as well. We saw him laying down in the shade under the trees. He let us get pretty close before he walked off. The boys had so much fun walking along the American river and playing in the dirt--of course. Back to business as usual I guess. I was so glad to see them all up and healthy that I didn't mind the dirt a bit.

I thought this tree, with half of it's long twisted roots half exposed, was so cool. I would love to go back there and take a family picture.

Daniel was so proud when he found these gross crab claws. Yuck. Hand sanitizer to the rescue.

The boys have tried to collect leaves from the neighbors this year, but haven't gotten enough to really play in. There was a huge pile at the park which was great entertainment.

Days like these are what makes being a mom of boys the best job ever!

Be Careful What You Ask For...

2010-10-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

It's my own fault! I asked Caleb to help me find where each puzzle piece fit, so we could clean up. I guess he was just following directions! I will now add Clorox Wipes to my thankful list!

Halloween Fun!

2010-10-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. It is so much fun.

Daniel celebrated dia de los muertos at school.

One of our friends had a family Halloween party. It was so fun. Liam respresented our family in the donut eating contest. He was great. He came in second place! Great job. That giraffe tongue came in handy.

We were a little hyper on the ride home!

We visited Brad and GG in costume.

Caleb had lots of fun at the school carnival. His brothers only cared about winning another gold fish. So, of course, we have 2 more. Just what this house needs.

Someone from our neighborhood "BOOed" us and we were so surprised with a huge basket of Halloween treats. We also had lots of fun putting together some fun surprises for a neighbor and some other friends to "BOO" them. Caleb was not only a dragon, but also an engineer and a spider. He looks cute in everything.

One of our favorite Halloween decorations is the huge Spiderweb we put on our garage door.

The boys were so excited to carve the pumpkins. Two were from Fog Willow field trips and the others from Bishop's Pumpkin Farm.

The slimier you get the more fun it is!

Song Lyrics

2010-10-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

Nathan is always laughing at me for my mistaken song lyrics, but this time I got a good laugh. After church we sat down to eat lunch and Liam decided he was going to conduct some music at the table. Daniel started singing I Am a Child of God. He did pretty well but one word can change the meaning quite a bit. He sang, "I am a child of God and He has sent me here. Has given me an earthly home with parents KIND OF DEAR." So many of you get the "kind and dear" version, but depending on the day "kind of dear" may be more accurate. Oh well.

Dragon Training

2010-10-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

Our family's new favorite movie is How to Train Your Dragon. It is so cute. We saw it in the theater and I loved it then, but I couldn't be sure if it was really that great or just the fact that Caleb fell asleep--so I got to enjoy it. Nathan picked it up for the boys when it came out last week and we've watched it nearly every day since (it has been good timing since the boys have all taken a turn or two with a 24 hour flu).

So last Sunday Nathan says, "I have a great idea for Halloween..." I thought we were just taking it easy this year. I'd planned on borrowing costumes for the annual Halloween party that Nathan and I always go to. Daniel was going to be a Star Wars trooper, which we borrowed from Grandma. Liam had picked out a dragon costume early on and we found it reasonably cheap (much cheaper than I could have made it). We already had a monkey and spider costume that fit Caleb. So it should have been a done deal...Until Nathan said, "I have a great idea for Halloween...We should all be characters from How to Train Your Dragon." It was just too good to ignore. I love Halloween and we've never done a whole family theme--although I've always thought it would be fun. The only trouble is we decided to go for it despite the fact that our Halloween party was on Friday and our ward's Trunk or Treat was yesterday (Saturday). That left me about 4 days to figure things out. Luckily, we could use Liam's dragon costume that he'd already picked out, and Caleb fit into Liam's dragon costume from a few years ago. I still had to figure out Daniel's costume--he was Hiccup, the Viking boy--that one wasn't too difficult. Nathan's Stoic the Vast, the Viking Chieftan costume was more challenging. I was Astrid the Viking girl which was tricky. I spent a long time walking around the Dollar Store, the fabric store, and the hardware store with pictures of the characters. In the end I was pretty happy with how they all turned out. Nathan and I even won the costume contest at the Halloween party! (2 Movie Tickets!) It was a fun Halloween.

Stoic the Vast
Astrid--my shoulder armor was made from bending disposable aluminum pans. I was really pleased with how they came out. Hiccup--Daniel was very proud of his dagger.

It wouldn't be complete without my dragons. The cutest dragons ever!Looks like another Viking village was raided!

Thanks Grandma for helping us find an "animal skin" for Stoic.

Preschool Halloween

2010-10-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

Liam and Caleb had lots of fun at the preschool Halloween party.... Food!

Games!

I was a little worried that the pumpkin they used for bowling over the ghosts, would be smashed all over the floor, but it held up.

They also trick or treated. Caleb wore the Spider costume instead of the dragon one he wore for our family of Vikings.

The preschool group also went to Fog Willow Pumpkin Farm.

It has a great hay pyramid.

The goats loved to be fed and petted. Watch where you step.

They carded and fed the sheep.

The hay ride was really fun. I was worried that the mud would flip up all over us (like when you ride through a puddle on a bike), but we were happily surprised to stay dry and clean. Fun memories. I'm so glad I can be a part of Liam's school group. Caleb wishes he could be go with Liam everytime.

Liam Laughs

2010-10-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

For FHE we watched a video about Thomas S. Monson (trying to prepare for Daniel's primary talk this week). One old lady came on and Liam said, "Look she's old and rusty!" I don't know if that means wrinkley or what--It does make me wonder what he'll say about me in a few years!

This afternoon Liam came in to show me the "butterfly" he had caught in his bucket. I told him to be careful or it would fly out inside the house. He told me it wouldn't fly out because it was his buddy and liked him--that might be one explanation. I looked inside his bucket and saw his 'butterfly' was actually a moth--a DEAD moth! Yuck.

Liam inherited a really nice suit from a friend in our ward and wore it for the first time this Sunday. He wasn't eager to put it on, so I tried to go overboard on the compliments. I told him that he and Daddy would be 'twinners', that he looked so grown up, he looked like a missionary. Liam asked if he looked like a Bishop. I told him that sure he did. He then asked when he would be a Bishop and if I would be really old and die. Yikes! You're still 4. Let's wait a couple of years on my funeral plans! A suit is a powerful thing.

Sunday Charade

2010-10-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

Daniel came home from school sick on Friday, so sick infact that after certain unfortunate events, I spent the rest of my Friday steam cleaning the carpet and rug in the front room. (Enough said??) He seemed ok after that, but he had some asthma at night which seemed to produce a bit of a cough. Sunday when he woke up he was coughing up a storm, so I told Nathan that he should stay home with Daniel. I left for church with the healthy kids...So you can imagine my surprise when I saw Nathan and Daniel an hour or so later at church. I told Nathan that I didn't think Daniel should be coughing around the other kids. He told me he wouldn't. In fact he said that Daniel had watched me leave through the window blinds. Then as soon as I had gotten down the street, he turned around and said, "I tricked her!" Nathan asked him what he was talking about and Daniel told him that he'd faked a cough to 'tease' us. Nathan asked why he wanted to stay home. Daniel said he wanted the family to stay home and watch "Sunday" movies instead of church today. (We watch the Living Scriptures movies on Sundays.) I guess he really liked General Conference last week. Nathan wanted to be sure that Daniel didn't have a cough so he kept him home for a 1/2 hour or so. There was no cough so he made him get ready and go to church anyway. I guess I should just be grateful that he wanted to watch scripture movies--but I can't help but wonder what he'll come up with when he's a teenager, if he's already faking sick at 6-years-old! Honestly, I think that Daniel didn't want to miss out on Primary, or he wouldn't have told us. What ever the case--I guess we're in for it with this one. Yikes!

Daniel's Field Trip

2010-10-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

Daniel and I had a lot of fun together on his field trip to Fog Willow Pumpkin Farms. We played the alphabet game on the bus on the way out. We got to about Q before we were too far out in the country to find many signs. We finished our game on the way back.

Daniel had fun climbing a pyramid of hay!

He got to groom a horse.

And play with the goats.

He got to card a sheep.

And make a mini bale of hay.

He had lots of fun on the hayride with his friends.

One of his favorite parts was picking out his own pumpkin.

Say cheese Daniel and lama--excuse me I mean alpaca. What a fun day. I love spending one on one time with each of my boys. Daniel is so fun. One of my favorite things about Daniel is that he still blows me kisses and waves me the I Love You sign when I drop him off in the morning. When his school day is over he runs out of his classroom right into my arms yelling, "Mom! Mom!" like I'm the best part of his day--it's definitely one of the best parts of mine. I'm so lucky being his mom.

Funny Stuff

2010-10-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight I gave the boys some cough medicine before bed. So Liam responds to me, "Mom, that medicine tastes like Caleb's boogers!" I don't want to know how he'd know that, and I don't know, so I can't tell him he's wrong...but after a long day and a big headache, he got me smiling and laughing! Only Liam. Gross.

Tonight in Caleb's prayers he said he was thankful for "no jellybeans...nose". Actually, it's not the first time he's included this in his prayers, but it always makes me smile. I too am thankful that he doesn't have a jellybean stuck up his nose--believe me, we've been there and done that and it is no good. I just don't always remember to include that on my thankful list. I think I may start our traditional Thanksgiving thankful list early tonight and start it out with, "no jellybeans up Caleb's nose"--Or anyone's for that matter.

We climbed into the car after a friend's birthday party and tried to get everyone buckled up. Liam couldn't buckle because he was holding the string of a balloon and he was afraid to let go. As I helped Liam, Daniel held the string of his balloon in his mouth while he buckled. Apparently, Daniel was quite proud of himself. "I'm a genius! I'm brilliant!" he exclaimed. "And humble too," I replied. "What's humble?" Daniel asked. "My point exactly," I said.

Between sessions of General Conference last week, the boys and I took some treats around to a few of our neighbors. While we were at Brad and GG's the boys also performed their primary program parts and sang the song, "I Know that My Savior Loves Me" for them. It was all very sweet. Brad then asked me if we'd already gotten home from church. I explained a little about General Conference, but I guess he didn't hear me very well. His response was, "Oh, so when you don't feel like going to church you can just watch it from home??!! That's great!" I reexplained the 'twice a year our prophet speaks to us' bit and he didn't seem as impressed. I have to admit I love having church from the comfort of my living room in my PJs.

At another one of our sweet neighbor's houses we started talking about church and they asked where we attended. I told them the street name but they asked if I'd been to the cathedral in Folsom. I was confused and said no, but it became apparent as we continued the conversation that they meant the Temple in Folsom. I knew that only one of them had gone to the open house a few years ago, so I attempted to explain that yes I've been, but that we don't go there for our weekly worship services. I tried to tell them that it is where we have weddings, and make and renew our covenants with God. Since I couldn't take them through and show them around the inside now that it is dedicated, I explained that we have to have an interview with our Bishop and get a recommend to go inside. My sweet neighbor turned to her husband and back to me and said, "We would be happy to give you a reference if you need one." --What a golden line. I was busting up inside. I explained that the interview is to ask if we are honestly striving to keep the commandments. I could hardly wait to get home to tell Nathan about it. Since then I've thought more about it. I wonder if all of my fellowmen would give me such a kind recommendation-not likely. I guess it's something to strive for. But of course in the end the only recommendation that matters is our Savior's.

Having A Blast at Bishop's

2010-10-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

Bishop's Pumpkin Farm has become a fun fall tradition for our family. Nate took a day off work and we even took Daniel out of school for a day so we could go without the weekend crowd. Of course, my boys love playing on the trains. I loved this picture. Caleb is doing exactly what it looks like, "ALL ABOARD!" It is so fun to watch them on the "real" trains... Also on the fun train that rides around the farm...And the playground train. But there are also tractors...Lots of tires to climb and jump on...Firetrucks to drive...Jail for those who misbehave...Or the stocks...Forts to explore...We always take a hayride to the pumpkin patch and the boys each hunt for the perfect pumpkin to carve. There are also the pig races, feeding the animals, lots of yummy food, (Mommy likes the craft boutique), and so much to see. It is a full and tiring day, and you can bet we'll be back again next year.

The Primary Program

2010-09-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone here seemed to think I was strange for requesting that we have the Primary Program Sept. 26. A few people said to me, "Isn't it supposed to be in the 4th quarter?" (I guess we're a week or two early. Come on folks, the spirit of the law--not the letter!) But as the primary choister, I have to say, the kids and I were getting tired of practicing the same songs over and over and I wanted some time to learn some fun primary songs with less pressure. Besides if we waited till the 4th quarter, the earliest we could schedule it would have been Oct. 31. Who wants to deal with a Halloween Primary Program!

We were a little stressed out when we found out the week before that in addition to the primary program, our ward would be getting a new bishopric, and we'd have a confirmation. Those of you who don't know, a new bishopric usually takes the entire sacrament meeting. Just how long could we expect our little ones to sit still on the stand? I also worried that calling a new bishop would take away from the attention the kids deserved for all of their hard work. I also worried that parents wouldn't be able to find a seat with all of the extra family there for the new bishopric. Well I didn't sleep much and I know that many of us were praying hard!

I love our stake president. He handled the change quickly, introduced the new Bishop, invited him to share a brief testamony, and refocused everyone on the Primary children with his own testamony. It was handled the best it could have been. Our program did go 1/2 hour over sacrament meeting time (but it's not like we were going to cut any child's part). The kids did such a great job. When it was their turn, they jumped right in like nothing had happened at all. I was thrilled for them. They sang very well and more kids memorized their parts than I remember from the past few years.

I was especially proud of my own boys. I worried that they'd get confused because they both knew eachothers' part, but they didn't. Liam had two parts. First he talked with his Sunbeams class about the prophets. His part was, "My middle name is Joseph for Joseph in the Bible and Joseph Smith. Our prophet President Monson liked to play trains when he was a little boy and I like to play trains too." His second part was his reciting the 6th article of faith. It's quite a mouthful for a sunbeam. "We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, namely apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists and so forth." Liam not only gave it perfectly, but he sang it into the microphone! We had taught it to him using the song to help him remember it and so he sang it that way for the meeting. He got the most Oos and Ahhs. --not that I'm biased at all (many people told me that it was the best part of the program)! Daniel also did a great job. He recited, "And by the power of the Holy Ghost, we may know the truth of all things. Moroni 10:5" He also shared an experience when he felt the Holy Ghost tell him to let his little brother Liam play a game first (it was a Star Wars game of course). He did and he felt good. The Holy Ghost was truly present in the meeting, in answer to my prayers as a mom and the Primary Chorister. I am one proud mama. Standing up there with their shirts and ties--these are our future missionaries!

The program was stressful, but I love being in primary with my boys and I love the music. I have to admit, I'm already a little worried about next year's program, now that I've looked at the music for 2011. I guess I'm a lost cause.

Cute Caleb

2010-09-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

When Grandma Bohman was out here visiting, Caleb loved playing lightsabers with her. He would hand her a lightsaber or Star Wars gun and say, "Come on, follow me". Then he would lead the way outside or to his room, where he thought it was a good place for an attack. He never got tired of it. Grandma was a very good sport. In his prayers one night Caleb blessed, "Grandma Ahsoka". We had to explain that Ahsoka is Caleb's favorite Star Wars character (The padowan learner of Anakin in the Clone Wars). Really it was a compliment coming from Caleb. She may be Grandma Growley Bear to my other boys, but she is Grandma Ahsoka to Caleb.

One night I cut up fresh pineapple to eat with our dinner. While his brothers were still outside playing, Caleb retrieved a straw from the drawer and went around to each serving of pineapple and sucked up all of the yummy pineapple juice. The boy has good taste. It made me laugh.

Sometimes I'm surprised by what our kids actually notice. A friend of mine (Laura) knew I was having a hard week, so she sent her oldest daughter over to babysit the boys and took me with her to get a pedicure. Actually, I'd never had one before, and it was really relaxing. Then in Caleb's prayers that night, when he blessed everyone in the family, he got to me and said, "bless Mommy pretty toes". He sure knows how to butter me up. The last time (years ago) I even tried painting my own toe nails, Daniel came to me asked why I had paint all over my toes? Apparently he didn't share Caleb's opinion that it was pretty.

Grandma's Visit

2010-09-26T14:18:00.003-07:00

Everytime Grandma comes to visit she knows she's in for a circus. This time we actually took her to the circus. All three of the boys entered a coloring contest in the newspaper and we won tickets! We couldn't pass it up, so we took Daniel out of school on Friday to go. Grandma had never been to the circus and aside from the deafening speakers, we had a wonderful time. Grandma got Daniel and Liam each a tiger stuffed animal and Caleb got an elephant.Before the real show started we watched the elephants and a few other animals outside. The boys were fascinated that the elephants were potty trained to unload into a huge bucket. Wow, I'm glad I don't have to clean up after that! A bathroom for 3 little boys is bad enough.

The show was amazing. Of course we loved the tiger tamer surrounded by about 10 tigers, and the elephants. The acrobats were incredible. But one of our favorite parts was a trampoline act. The brightly colored costumes and the perfectly orchestrated moves looked amazing almost like tropical fish on the coral reef.

It was a fun day. On the way home Daniel started asking when the Circus would be back in town again. Caleb and Liam didn't say so much....

Saturday we went to Daniel's soccer game. Before the game started Daniel's team did a team-building exercise where they had to run across the field all holding together. I got the picture while they still look like a team and before they started running over each other and tripping on those who were lagging behind. It was kind of funny. I wonder if 6-year-olds understood the message behind the task. It was entertaining to watch though. Daniel did a good job and it was fun to show Grandma how great he is. This is his first year playing in a bigger field with a whole team. It has been quite an adjustment to learn positions and the real rules to the game.

After soccer we headed to the park to watch the annual Air Show. This year didn't have as many of the big name flight teams, but it was still fun to watch. Inbetween the jets and planes, the boys had lots of fun cooling off in the water.

In the next picture Caleb was having fun in the sandbox. He reminds me of a bug stuck on its back.

When we got home we built an IKEA shelf for the living room. The boys were thrilled to get a new box that became their "boat".

On Sunday we went to church and my mom got to experience the chaos and disarray that come when you practice for the primary program for the first time. That afternoon we had the missionaries for dinner. We try to get them one Sunday each month so that hopefully our boys will see what good missionaries are grow up planning on serving their own missions. This time we were totally lucky. The dinner took a little longer than we'd hoped to cook so the missionaries pulled out an awesome object lesson for my boys to try out. It involved balancing nails in a house shape on one nail. Very impressive. It could be used to explain that all our teachings rest on the truthfulness of the Prophet Joseph Smith's experience, or to show the keystone of our religion. It was a good one. I hope my boys remember these experiences and bring great messages into others' homes (both member and nonmember).
As is tradition, the boys love cooking and especially making cookies with Grandma. This time the boys chose to make cyclops cookies (the peanut butter cookies with the hershey's kiss on top). It's amazing with so many little helpers that any of the cookies made it into the oven to be baked.

We all love our time with Grandma, but this time was especially fun for Caleb. He handed Grandma a light saber and said, "Follow me." Then he took off through the house and outside. Wherever he felt the force strong enough he paused to have a duel. Then he took off again, instructing Grandma to follow. He actually started calling Grandma "Grandma Asouka". Even in his prayers he blessed Grandma Asouka. That is quite an honor since Asouka is Caleb's favorite Star Wars character (from the Clone Wars--Anakin's padawan learner).

Grandma is such a great sport. The force was definitely strong with this one!

On Nathan's birthday we got up and made him pancakes. The boys couldn't wait to give him his presents (Star Wars legos and other legos). They also gave him the cards they made. (Daniel's said, "From the child who loves you most".) That night Grandma watched the boys so Nathan and I could have a night out.

While we were out Grandma made puppets with the boys. Daniel chose a penguin, Liam an alligator, and Caleb a puppy. They turned out really cute. Daniel has made a list (that fills every inch of a paper) of all of the puppets they still need to make. I guess Grandma will just have to move closer to us.
We had such a fun time with Grandma, but our time ran out before we fit in all of the things we'd hoped to do. We can't wait for Grandma to come visit again.

Nathan's Birthday

2010-09-26T14:18:00.001-07:00

This year I'd planned on going all-out like last year with a big rock band party for Nathan, but between scheduling the building, and finding a day people were in town, and getting the projector equipment--it didn't work out. Hopefully, we'll do that again soon but for now it's on hold. This year Nathan didn't get all of our attention at work because he had the day off. That morning the boys helped me make Nathan breakfast. They also gave him the cards they made him. (Daniel's said, "From the child who loves you most.") They also gave him Star Wars Legos. Grandma was here and volunteered to watch the boys for us so we could have an evening out. We went to a movie (a disappointment) and then an old fashioned milkshake place. Yummy! GG, our sweet neighbor brought over a cake. Later in the week, Fabio (another neighbor and friend) took Nathan to the RC raceway to drive fast and furious. He had a great time. Finally, I made Nathan his traditional cut-out cake yesterday. I decided on Dr. Doofenshmirz from the cartoon Phineus and Ferb. He held a sign that said, "No time for the back-story but my 'un-birthday-inator' backfired and now everyone in the tri-state area wishes you a Happy Birthday!" (This will only make sense to you if you watch Phineus and Ferb.) Jim and Melanie came over to eat cake and ice cream with us. It hasn't been a normal birthday, but hopefully still a good one. We are so lucky to have a dad/husband who is so much fun. Love you Nathan.

Potty Mouth Liam

2010-09-05T15:05:00.001-07:00

A few nights ago Liam was looking at a tooth pillow that Grandma made him (she made one for both Daniel and Liam, when Daniel got his first loose tooth at her house). Then he turned to me and said, "When are my guts (gums) going to poop my teeth out?" I never thought loosing a tooth could sound quite so gross. Leave it to Liam, my little potty mouth!