April 2012 Update

 I had thrown my back out like crazy bad this month.  My room became the dump all room when kids cleaned because i couldn't get up and do anything.  It was a mess.  I think it took me almost 4 days to go through it all when my back was better.  NEVER AGAIN!!!  I told brad i will pay someone to come tidy up each day because the kids just chucked everything in hear and it was miserable to go through!

 Baby girls hair was finally long enough to do two little piggy's!  It was so adorable!  Hard for mom to figure out how to do, boys are much easier in that department, but we got it done and loved the results!

School Talent show!  The boys both played the piano.

 D played "Scooby Scooby Doo Where are You?"

C played "The Happy Song"

 BIGGEST STRAWBERRY we have ever seen in our lives!!!

 C started T-ball this month.  He has no clue what's going on in this pictures...

 ...so i said, "Be Ready!  Watch the ball!"  And this is the stance he came up with!  Too funny!

 D had his first PineWoord Derby!  He desigend his car and everything.  Then he used stamps i had and paint to design the top...He loved his car!

 C wanted to participate soooooo bad.  But he wasn't old enough.  They were doing a combined scouts and elders quorum derby i guess.  So instead of brad making his own to race for EQ...he let C make one and race it on his behalf.  It was fun and he loved that he got to race his car.

D wanted to do the Science Fair...Mom....not so much.  But one night we were eating dinner...after i had just made cornbread muffins and they stuck so bad to the pan we couldn't eat them...and I used NO STICK spray.  So i was really mad that they stuck.  So, we were eating and he decided he wanted to test No-Stick sprays for me.  So i wouldn't get mad that my muffins stuck!  How could i say no?  He wanted to help me out and solve my problem.  ;-)  So we did it.  And from his experiment...the Western Family spray worked better then the PAM. 

She got to move up to a toddler bed and loved it!  She would run and play and giggle and then sit down and smile.  And then she didn't dare climb down...it is like 6 '' to the ground!  Very funny.  But she loves her bed!

D's Class learned about this boy that made Arcade games out of cardboard boxes...so his teacher challenged all the kids to make their own, using things from their house.  They couldn't go buy anything, except tape.    He came up with this pinball machine idea.  He used backugan cards taped down and then backugan's as the balls.  When they would roll through you had to miss the magnetic cards so they wouldn't open up!  It was very clever.  I wish i could take credit fo the idea!  All i did was give him the idea of putting the plastic over the top.  Dad helped him cut and tape pieces down, but D did most of the thinking on this one and was very proud.  It is still sitting in their room and they play it often. 

March 2012 Update

Seeing as how I have been a true slacker this year, I am trying to make up for lost time.  ;-)  Here are things that happened from March of 2012...

The school celebrates "Dr. Suess" day for drug free week and they are supposed to have "Crazy Day" where they can dress up crazy and have crazy hairdo's!  I always seem to cut my kids hair a couple weeks before this event and they can never do anything too crazy with their hair, so we had to do crazy clothes.  And boy, were they crazy.  I let the kids pick what they wanted to do and let me just say, It was not ANYTHING CLOSE to what I thought they would come up with.  The definately took the word "Crazy" to heart!!!  Then when i told them i want to take pics they come up with these total gangster poses...Brad and I were laughing so hard!  Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

C Started Soccer!  He was on the RAZORBACKS team and really enjoyed it.  A lot of the games got rained out so it was hard for him to get a good feel for the game.  It doesn't help when his mom has no idea what is going on with the game.  ;-)  I tend to be the mother that is cheering her kids on as he is about to make a goal....for the OTHER team.  Ya...that would be me!  I really wish Brad had saturday's off so I wouldn't be that dorky mom who obviously didn't grow up doing any kind of sport whatsoever!   Anyway, he enjoyed it and was a quick little runner.  When he was in the game a lot, he would always tell me that his heart was beating so hard and fast.  It was fun that he recognized that change in his body.  Their team won the last game of the season so his coaches promised the team an Ice Cream party.  The kids loved it and enjoy the yummy flavors and chocolate dipped cones. 

   We were having fun with her hair today, as it is getting longer...and she was totally cheesing it in the pic so i had to post it. 

 This is baby E...If I ever leave the room, I can almost guarantee that when I return, she will be doing this.  She loves to climb in the window and watch the dog.  She will sit there forever and giggle and watch and say "pupa, pupa, pupa" over and over again.  She loves our Dog!

 Just some extra cuteness of baby girl!

 J and his new toy.  We were at D.I. and he found this gem.  It just needed batteries.  He loves it cuz it looks like moms laptop and has the mouse and everything.  If I am on the computer, he runs and gets his and plays along.  He gets a little pad of paper, like me, when i am looking for ideas for Relief Society stuff, i take notes.  He will type letters, then reach over and scribble nonsense on his notepad and repeat.  It is so funny to watch.  He feels so big, pretending to be like Mom on the computer!

 J was in charge of FHE treat and he picked homemade oreo cookies.  He worked so hard with mom and everyone was thankful for his dedication.  They were delicious and I really shouldn't have doubled the recipe!

Miss E

 This cute little bug is such a joy.  I am starting to see the differences from boys to girls.   Boys are definately easier but so rowdy and full of energy.  Girls are so tender, precious, and danty but then so emotional too.  Boys get over things quickly, girls hold on to things longer than they should!  It has been fun to see these differences...i just don't know if i will survive through the teenage years...

 This is her new little fake pout face.  When she wants something, she does this cute little face and wimpers.  She doesn't do it as often now, maybe because it didn't get her what she wanted!  Now she is into this screaming....more like shreiking phase and brad and i both object!  Her screech is just so loud.  Even my deaf ears can't handle the high pitched LOUD noise.  So, we are working on putting her in her room when she keeps screaming and trying to teach her to ask for what she needs with a nice voice.  She does it a little here and there, but still shreiking alot...so hopefully soon, when she finds more words to use, she will stop.

 She loves to get her tiny baby doll (only about 5 in tall) and a pink washcloth and bring them to me for me to wrap the baby up in the blanket.  Then she holds it in the crook of her arm and sways back and forth.  Its amazing how it is just natural for her.  My boys, if handed a baby doll, would most likely chuck it across the room after a few seconds...but Baby E...she just wants to hold it and rock it.  It is so cute.  If i hand her this little picnic basket we have, she switches it to the other hand while she slips the handle up over her arm.  To carry it daintily over her arm instead of in her hand!  Where does she come up with this stuff!  It is just too cute.  Same with necklaces...as soon as we put one on, she starts prancing around and saying "pity"  "so pity"  translation = Pretty, so pretty!  She loves to go to her dad after her hair is done and show it off too.

 Now, on to teething.  She did fine with all of it until those molars started coming.  She was miserable, which means mommy was very tired!  She is finally in a happy place with teething and i hope it stays that way for a little bit longer.  She still has some holes to fill in her little mouth, but i hope it is done quietly and happily!

This is her ready and dolled up for the 24th of July.  Her dad just couldn't get enough of her cuteness!  And she knew she was cute too!  She has learned patty cake, and sings most of twinkle, twinkle little star.  She loves to wear her nightgowns and get her hair done.  When we open the door in the morning to get her, she always has a book ready to read and says "book?"  Her dad can't resist and sits and reads her the story.    She loves to dance to music and sit at the piano and play.  She loves to give her brothers good morning hugs.  And she is starting to protest to nap time already!  And she is most positively a "daddy's girl"!

Her favorite food:  bread and cheese

favorite drink: ice cold water

favorite indoor activity:  swinging from the bars of the top bunk in her room!  and play-doh

favorite outdoor:  riding four wheelers and swinging really high

favorite word:  Hello and pupu (puppy)  She loves to sit and the window and watch copper play

We love this little sweet pea of ours and love that we got a girl!

Mr. J

 My poser of all posers!!!  He loves the camera a little too much!  But he is a handsome devil isn't he?

 Mr. J loves to dance like crazy to music and sing songs with his "rock guitar"!  He often serenades me with his music while doing the dishes or laundry.  He loves to sneak up on me after i have changed baby sisters diaper and sneak the old diaper to throw away.  I try to surprise him and catch him too and he just laughs and loves it!  We call his the "Sneaky diaper snatcher" and the "wiper swiper".  He thinks he is so sneaking when doing it too and I love it because i don't have to run it to the garbage!

 His eczema has improved quite a bit but he still itches like crazy.  He seems to get sick pretty easy too.  But we try our hardest to keep him healthy and busy.  He must stay busy or he gets into trouble.  Not bad trouble...just messy trouble.  Like it takes me days to undo what he does kind of trouble!  ;-) 

So, in an effort to keep this little guy busy.  He loves "craft time".  So we do fingerpaints, play-doh, holiday crafts etc.  His favorite is play-doh.  He will play with it for hours.  He can write his letter J for his name, we are working on the rest.  He almost has the alphabet song down...he had so many letters mixed up that we are starting over on that one.  He is struggling with two letters in it, but almost has it down.  I feel bad... i have neglected him in his learning.  My other boys by this age his their names, age, and whole alphabet down.  But i just haven't spent the time with him that i should.  So we are trying to make up time.  

He wanted to go to school so bad this year.  I was actually thinking about it this time, because we were in a place we could pay for...but the only lady out here who did preschool ended up moving.  So, there is not one here and it's just too hard to drive into town that much.  So, we are trying to do our own "preschool" together when Baby Sis goes down for a nap.    

He loves to think he can play the piano.  He can play mary had a little lamb and knows where middle c is.  He loves singing too and is pretty good with his pitch.  He keeps asking me when he will be big enough to play sports and go to school and i keep telling him, one more year buddy...one more year.  ;-)

Favorite color:  black

favorite food: mashed potatoes

favorite drink:  lemonade

favorite book:  lightening mqueen

favorite song:  twinkle, twinkle little star

favorite treat:  vanilla cake

favorite movie:  Cars

favorite thing to do outside:  find lizards and snails

favorite thing to do inside:  play with play-doh

 

Mr. C

 So much to say about this kid in the middle!  What a joker!  Teaser!  Goofball!  Prankster!  He is also my most considerate, thoughtful peacemaker.  I know, how can those two things possibly go together?  I don't know, but they do with him.  Granted, he can over tease which may not be a "peacemaking" quality.  But he is quick to realize what he is doing and stops it.  Then tries to fix it immediately.  He is always willing to share with J to make him happy.  He is so willing to do everything.  He is my one that asks what he can do to help.  He is my one that asks if he can rub my feet or play with my hair when i am no feeling well.  He just looks for things that need to be done and does them!  It is an amazing quality.

 This poor little guy doesn't have room in his mouth for all of his teeth!  He has them coming in every which way in places they are not supposed to be!  He had had three emergency visits to the dentist this year with an absessed tooth.  They have to pull it cuz their just isn't room in there.  So, we will be visiting an orthadontist to try and figure out what we need to do to help his little mouth out.  He always asks if he is getting a tooth pulled because he has decided he loves getting them pulled because the tooth fairy pays more for a pulled tooth!!!  Silly kid!

He is very tender-hearted and thoughtful.  Just recently his primary teachers grand-daughter passed away.  She was only two years old and drowned in a stream.  He LOVES his primary teacher and was so sad for her.  He kept insisting that he had to go to the funeral.  It was the same days a cousin kelby's wedding.  But i felt it was important he went...he just wanted to go.  So, we went to the viewing right before and he had written her a card he had made on his own.  He waited in line and when he saw her he ran to her with a hug!  She just picked him up and held him for five minutes crying.  It meant so much to her that he came.  His card meant even more.  He hates to miss sunday ever because he wants to see his teacher! 

 This boy really loves to practice his piano.  He is progressing well, even if his mom only gives him a lesson once a month!  ;-(  I need to do better because he just loves it.  He also loves his green ukelele.  He can play "Three Blind Mice, He got the Whole World, and Twinkle" really well.  Now we just have to work on the singing in tune part.  He takes after his dad in the singing department.  ;-)  He too loves playing with legos and learning how to build things from D.  He really enjoys building with k'nex sets too. 

He is getting so much better with his reading and loves the fact that he can actually read "Chapter books" now.  He is my one that has his homework done by the time he gets home because he does it on the long bus ride home!  He really loved playing baseball this summer and is looking forward to giving basketball a try this December.  He loves art.  Drawing, coloring, journaling, playdough, etc.  Just loves it!  I can't keep enough paper in the house for this kid!  This boy also likes to dance but won't do it in front of everyone.  He feels silly.  So, he just sits and laughs at his brothers going to town on the dancing.  He also works so hard on his spelling words.  Last year he just really struggled with it.  Missing 6 to 7 words per test.  This year, he is dedicated each day to work on it and has not missed more than two words.  He has aced most of the tests!  I have been so proud of him.  He is also counting down the days to his baptism and being able to start scouts like D.  He loves to set out his school clothes the night before to be ready to go.  He is my plan ahead boy and I love that about him.  He is getting better and helping with the younger kiddos too.  He is a pleasure and a joy to have in our family!

Mr. D

I love this kids right here!  I can't believe that he is so big.  He is like a kid...a boy now.  Well, that being said... he is one fantastic boy!  Just look at that smile below!  He is very thoughtful, smart and kind.  He loves to dance to music when it comes on at the end of movies, loves to read...i can't get his nose out of a book and loves to shoot his bow and arrow in the yard.  His dad has been preparing for the archery hunt and so D wakes up bright and early so he can go target shooting with his dad before school.  He just loves his bow and arrow.  And his mother (he-hem) is finally okay with him having one!  He is very careful and safe with things.  He is also the Lego-king and loves playing with legos!  He is a little too much like me in the worrying department, which i hope i can change for him.  Because i don't want him to struggle with what i struggle with.  I want him to enjoy life and have fun, laugh lots and smile lots...that's what is important.  

The worrying is definately not worth the stress it causes that's for sure!

His favorite sports right now are basketball and baseball.  He really wanted to try football but we just couldn't do it this year, it's alot more than the other sports.  So, he is counting down the days for basketball to start.  He also wants to do the third grade chior they are offering, so we are trying to figure out schedules to see if he can do it.  I hope he can...i want them to be involved.  It is just so hard when we are so far away from the schools.   He really wants to take swimming lessons this next summer too, so we will see.

 He loves playing with his cousin J around the corner.  Their favorite things to do are play in their "fort" on the mountain, play army guys outside, build in the sandbox (as you can see) and have late overs at our house.  They also love to let copper, our dog, out and play football with him like "airbud"  .  It is pretty funny to watch!  D thinks it is crazy that his cousin J does not like milk!  And Cousin J thinks D is crazy for reading so much!  These boys are so different in their personalities but they sooooooo love hanging out together.  It has been a great thing!

This little guy also loves the scouting program.  He is constantly reminding me that i need to sign his book or he needs to pass something off before the next week so he can get his award.  He just got back from the annual scout day camp and couldn't stop talking.  They got to do archery, canoeing, built bird houses, and there was a petting zoo.  He was so excited to take his money he had been saving for the trading post.  Last year he got a hat kind of like an Indiana Jones hat and his brothers just love it.  So, when he got home the other night from his camp, he had a huge smile on his face and said, "somebody bought his brothers souvenirs!"  His brothers were of course so excited.  So, he made them sit down and close their eyes.  Lo and behold, he pulls out two hats just like his he had bought the year before...then he said, "don't worry mom, i got them different colors so we don't fight over which one is ours.  We all have our own color!"  Then he got them each a "sports clip"  A caribeaner clip with webbing then a key ring so you can clip things to it.  D has a football, C baseball, and J got basketball.  I was just so surprised the he spent most of his money on stuff for his brothers.  I had a proud "mom" moment and held back the tears.  ;-)  

I love this guy and am so proud of the young gentlemen he is becoming!

First Day of School

Well, here I am...Finally updating!  My Sister-in-law Keli is so awesome at updating her blog and using it as a family journal.  I love reading her updates and wish I were better at mine.  So what if blogs are like, so 2 years ago?!?!  They are still a fantastic way to keep a record for your family.  Especially if you use blurb or other programs to turn those entries into books.  It is fantastic and Keli has inspired me to be more consistent at it.  For record keeping purposes.  I am already mixing up stories and things that happen with the kids, so i need to document it when it happens so i don't forget!!!  

Thank you Keli for the much needed motivation!

Okay.  So the kids first day of school.  C was MORE than excited to be going this year because he had the same teacher D had last year!  D was very excited to be going because his teacher is also one of his scout leaders in the ward!  I didn't get individual pictures because my camera battery barely lasted long enough to get this shot of them together.  So, here they are, sporting their new shoes, clothes, and haircuts.  

 

C picked black and green SHAQ high top shoes, or i guess boys call them basketball shoes.  ;-)  

D picked blue and black sketchers that light up on the sole.  

 

I love boys.  I love THESE boys!  They are so happy and so content and easy to please.  I took them shopping and they got their new shoes, which really weren't all that expensive for shoes.  They about died at how much i spent.  So, then then the rest of the night they would say, "No, mom, we don't need new bookbags cuz you already spent so much on our shoes.  It's okay, well just use our bags from last year."  It made me giggle...I think i spent $50 total on their shoes combined and they thought it was "so much"!