Building Boys

For the past few weeks our boys have had lots of fun at Lowe's Build and Grow workshops. This Saturday the project was a bird feeder. They've also built planters and tic tac toe game boxes. They recommend the workshop for kids just a little bit older, but with three boys, no one wants to be left out, so we signed them all up. Kudos to Lowe's for coming up with so many fun projects for kids and letting us all participate (and for free too). Caleb was really excited the first week when we handed him a hammer. Actually, he was happy to stand and hammer the table, while I got his brothers started. (Noisy, but harmless, so why not?) Daniel and Liam are very proud of the projects that they've made. It is so cute to see them so focused with their little hammers, in their little red aprons, and totally awesome safety goggles. After each project they receive a patch of completion for their apron. So fun. Daniel and Liam even painted their bird feeders at home afterward.

Liam, My Sweet Sunbeam

Today, Liam had his first experience talking in Primary. It wasn't a full blown talk, just the 6th Article of Faith, but he did such a cute job. On Monday we tried to learn the song for our Family Home Evening. The boys did well, but Nathan and I wondered how much they'd remember the next day. The following evening we tried to sing it a few times with the boys and Liam said, "Just let me sing it!" We agreed and he sang it perfectly, except for leaving out the word "pastors". I guess he got his memory from Nathan's side (because I have none). By the 3rd day he had it nearly perfectly. Each day we sang it. Today he stood up and without anyone's prompting, he recited it perfectly. I honestly didn't know a Sunbeam was capable of it. There are a lot of big words in there: "We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, namely: apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth." He half sang it and it was really cute. I am so proud of him.

Obviously, this is not a picture of Liam in primary. Actually this was a week or two ago, after church. We decided to go to the park and Liam decided he was fishing for crocodiles. (He told me he caught one---then held up his stick with a bunch of grass stuck on the end.)

Obnoxious Chipmunks & Haircut Milestones

Daniel has always had issues with haircuts. His hypersensativity has made it a real struggle. At first it took three people: two to hold him down while the third did the cutting. (It was torture for everyone!) Finally, he relaxed enough for me to cut his hair myself, so long as I provided ample distractions and took time for breaks--to get him relaxed again. These haircuts could take 2-3 hours sometimes. It was not fun. Lately, he has done fairly well at sitting through the cut so long as he doesn't get too itchy. Unfortunately, he has been scared to death of using the electric clippers, so I've had to do it all by hand. It takes a long time to try to cut a boy's hair really short, and even. Although, my time has improved and so has Daniel, it has still been a long process.
This week Daniel and Liam were begging to get the new Chipmunk movie (The Squeakwal). I saw it once and that was plenty for me, so I was trying to avoid the subject. Finally, Daniel asked if he could earn the movie by filling up two job charts (usually when he fills up a job chart we go out for icecream as a family). I decided that would be OK. Then Daniel was worried that there wouldn't be any movies left to buy when he finally completed the jobs. On Friday afternoon, I noticed Daniel needed a trim around his ears. I told him that if he agreed to let me use the clippers on him, we could get the movie that night. He would still have to do the jobs, but he would be sure to get the movie. I guess it was the perfect distraction, because Daniel told me he thought he could be brave. I talked to him about the movie while I trimmed, and it was magical. The past, nearly 6, years of frustration and tears during haircuts, was swept up and thrown out. Daniel said the clippers were tickley (we've told him that for 6 years). And after the fastest haircut on record, he agreed to use them from now on...
As for the Chipmunks, they are obnoxious, but I would have gladly gotten them 6 years ago to remedy our haircutting situations. Who knew the Chipmunks would be the answer to such a difficult ordeal. Now my boys are walking around the house dancing and singing Chipmunk songs. Pretty funny.

I Can't Believe My Eyes!

Today, while I was fixing dinner, the onions were too much. My eyes totally teared over and I could hardly see what I was doing. I called for help from Nathan (my hero), who had been playing a Star Wars video game with the boys. All of my boys came running and I explained that I couldn't see because I had onion in my eyes. Daniel and Liam ran and got me towels from their bathroom so I could wipe out my eyes. (I guess that made sense because I get them a towel when they get soap from the bubbles in their eyes.) Caleb even saw what they did and came running out with another towel for me. So sweet. Nathan took over the rest of the potent onion. A short time later, all the boys were back to their game. Liam told Nathan, "I can't see, I have zucchini in my eye!" That darn zucchini. If onion hurts I can't imagine what a zucchini would do. Very cute.

Eggcellent Easter

Saturday was cold, but I didn't go outside in time to change my boys' clothes before we had to go to the park for the egg hunt. So they shivered in their shorts until the egg hunt began. Running for eggs warmed them up a little. Daniel really understands the strategy of egg hunting-run and grab. He had a basket filled with eggs to prove it. Liam had to hunt with Daniel's age group because I was with Caleb in the '2 and unders' and Daniel wasn't allowed in Liam's age group. He didn't quite have the grab and go strategy down. He got a little distracted and was a little disappointed when he only got a few eggs. Nathan, being the good dad that he is, congratulated both boys on their loot then emptied all of their eggs out so they could share all of the treats! Good thinkin' Daddy-o. Meanwhile, back in the 2 and unders...Caleb was a little confused by my coaching (mostly just, "See the eggs? Put them in your basket.--But not yet."). I mostly tried to tuck his bare legs into my coat to keep him warm. At one point he was playing with his basket and got it stuck on his head. He was fine with that until I moved back to take a picture of it--then he screamed! Mean Mommy! His egg hunt was funny. Some of the eggs were painted to look like baseballs and soccer balls, so what did Caleb do? He picked up the balls and threw them! What an arm--not too many baskets though (very punny!). One lady saw him throw yet another egg and put two in his basket. He got a little upset when he realized there were treats in the eggs, and he couldn't figure out how to open those darn things. We hung out at the park afterward, for a ride on the train and the petting zoo. Then all 4 of my boys (that's right-Nathan included) went fishing for pollywogs. We have seen thousands of them at the ponds in the park as we ride through. We always stop to see how big they are getting. In past years, we've seen frogs bigger than my fist, hiding in the muddy water. It's kind of fun. This year Nathan decided to catch some for the boys. While Nathan scooped them out of the pond the boys explored the area singing Polly wog in a Bog, by the group the Barenaked Ladies (one of my boys' favorite CDs--Snacktime). We now have an aquarium of pollywogs. I don't know how many we'll keep long enough to watch them complete their metamorphosis, but right now I've counted around 20! The boys love them. Can you imagine the day they get their legs and jump out of the aquarium. That will be a blog worth reading. (Hopefully not.) Nothing says Easter like pollywogs.

Later in the afternoon, two neighbors brought our boys Easter treats. We love our sweet neighbors. After some conference, working on rebuilding a portion of the fence, and riding bikes we went to a small Easter egg hunt with a group of friends. Everyone brought 12 filled eggs per child, so every child got a guaranteed dozen to find. It was really fun. I think it will be an on-going tradition from now on.

As for General Conference...Wow! Both the Saturday and Sunday sessions were so good. (Nathan said that the Priesthood session was one of the best he'd ever heard as well.) Does anyone else feel like parenting is the hot topic? The pressure is on. It is such a good reminder as to what is most important. My perspective seems so clear after conference. I look forward to the next Ensign. I really like having conference on Easter weekend. It seems to bring us back to what it's all about. Surrounded by loving family and thinking of the Savior and his atoning sacrifice. I feel so blessed to have been raised, by goodly parents, in the church. And I am so grateful for the direction I receive for my own family. I love hearing the statistics reports (nearly 14 million LDS now and 130 temples). And when I listen to the LDS world news reports, and hear about all the good that our church is able to accomplish world-wide, it feels so good to be a part of it.

After the Sunday sessions we enjoyed a nice Easter dinner with some friends. It was just right. I've never baked a ham myself, because it would mean that Nathan and I would be stuck eating ham for the next two months. So it was really nice to each bring two dishes, to make a feast for everyone. Easter was wonderful.

Give Me a Break!--Spring Break

Although the cold wet weather made us rethink our original plans of camping on the beach, we had lots of fun and kept very busy.

When we asked the boys what they wanted to over Spring Break, Liam immediately answered that he wanted to go to the train museum. They never get tired of it. Since we have annual passes, the price is right too. The boys had so much fun exploring the trains in the museum. They also get really exicited to play with the Thomas the train toys. (You'd think they didn't have their own table full of trains at home!) Daniel's favorite part was exploring the trains on the tracks outside the museum in Old Sac.

We had a great time at the 3D How To Train Your Dragon. It was one of the best kids' shows I've seen in a long time. My boys totally loved it. Caleb watched intently for the first third of the show and then fell asleep on my lap (so I got to enjoy the whole movie too)! Perfect. Now we're going to start reading the book together. We also went to McDonalds, as a special treat, and the boys got happy meals with dragons in them. Their Happy Meal Boxes folded into Viking Helmets!

We also spent a day at 6 Flags. (Nathan has a very swollen sprained ankle so it was not easy, but he is such a good daddy. He wanted the boys to have fun on their break.) The boys especially liked Shuka, the dolphins, and the tiger show. They always love the shark tunnel and Thomas too.

We spent time with some old friends that we've known since we moved to CA (living in Natomas, 8 years ago). We never turn down a dinner invitation from Rodney. This time he wowed us with a huge crab feast. It was amazing. In the past one bite of Nathan's crab was enough for me, but if Rodney is the chef, I'll take seconds or thirds! The kids played so well together (they'd had their dinner before we started) that we had lots of time to catch up and just savor the flavor. Afterward, the kids had fun dying Easter Eggs. Caleb did a great job of cracking the shells as he threw them into the color and drop them out on the table. --That's what it's all about when you're nearly two I suppose. Daniel and Liam loved it so much that they dyed and redyed their eggs. Great friends. Great food. Good times.

Despite the cold, the kids begged to ride bikes everyday. Daniel is amazing on his two wheels. He takes fast, sharp turns and is fearless on any hill, even grassy and bumpy at the park. Liam too is getting good on his "new" bike (a hand-me-down from a boy in Daniel's kindergarten class--actually it is the exact same bike frame as Daniel's, so Liam can keep up more easily. When we don't have time for the park or around the block, they race around on the driveway. Their knees are constantly skinned but all it takes is a bandaid or two and they're back up again. Now if only Caleb could reach the peddals on his trike. Mostly, I just put him in the seat on the back of my bike.

Now that Spring Break is over, I could really use a break!