Sis in Sunbeams

Got a text from Sis's Sunbeam teacher after Church this week..

Sis. Harrison- "The ravens brought Elijah flesh and bread. Do you know what flesh is?"

Kirsi- "It's what the toilet does after you're done."




You can clearly see what our focus at home as been for the past week or two.

All done!

Sadly, the thing we are "all done with" is not potty training. However, she is doing quite well and it's been fairly stres-free.

No, the big boys are done with this years' derby car preparation. They finished the decals and assembling the wheels. There was an official weigh-in tonight at the Church and they finished all the little tweaks. Tomorrow is the big night!

Soccer chick

So today was the first official soccer game and she did great! She got a lot of good throw-ins and kicks and had a really good time. She didn't want to stop when the game was over and wanted to know right away when her next game was. Go Sis!!

Pinewood Derby 2013

We have our Derby coming up soon, so we are in full Derby mode at our house. Jackson chose to do an Army HumVee. This picture shows Jackson and Tim applying the green camo "skin" to the car. You cut it to shape and then wet it down to apply. I have to say that Tim is doing really well not taking over and letting Jackson do as much work as possible. Broder is just dying to do a car. Only two more years Bubba!!

P.S. Potty training update: Day 3- Great!!

Potty training

Day 1- Went great!! No accidents, everything went into the toilet. All was well, celebrations ensued....guards were let down.

Day 2- Not as good.

Cookie dough prizes

Dear Grandma, Grandpa, Grammy and Papa-
Today the prizes for the cookie dough goals were handed out and in all honesty Broder hasn't been this happy in days. He came out of school clutching them high above his head and smiling proudly.
So to each of you we say thanks a bunch for buying cookie dough. You made our little guys' day!

Soccer Chick

Diaper Leagues- very competitive.")

Vacation photo dump

Passover dinner

We had a very simple, although probably not super authentic Passover Seder tonight for FHE/dinner. I wanted to at least give the kiddos an opportunity to learn about Passover and the traditions associated with it. We had grape juice and parsley dipped in salt water and the "bitter herbs" and I made Matzah! It was pretty brief, but the kids seemed to enjoy it (Broder especially once he could start eating.) and asked if we are going to do this every year? I said hopefully we will.
Tim and I want to go to the BYU Passover Seder that is given every year and learn more. Happy Passover!

Happy Easter!...one week early

This years Easter finery. They are pretty much adorable.

Life according to Broder

After scoring a total of 600-plus points on the reading game for school-

"I love myself!!!!"

And then proceeded to give himself hugs for the next 10 minutes.

(His head and neck are doing fine. He stayed home from school yesterday, but mostly I think he was just stiff and sore.)

Trampoline mishap

Today Broder went over to the neighbors and did a flip on their tramp. Seemingly he didn't make the rotation and came down on the back of his head. I, of course, was on my way to the back yard and missed seeing what actually happened. He was lying on the tramp with his hands behind his head for awhile- I thought he was enjoying the sunshine, but after a few minutes he came over and told me his neck hurt. Awesome. So I immediately took him home and called the doctor and got ice on it. (And also did some Internet searching which usually says that your child is going to die.) Anyway, he didn't have any tingling sensations, headache or nausea. He could touch his chin to his chest without pain, it was when he looked up that he tensed up and hurt. He was happy though and was bouncing around the house (made me nervous) and was his normal chatty self. Only every once in awhile he stopped because something must have hurt. Anyway the nurse went over a pretty thorough list with me and after we talked through it all and asked him every question, she said that he's probably OK, but to watch for any nausea or tingling fingers or headaches and if that crops up to go to the ER.
I also happened to see our neighbor whose husband is a chiropractor and asked if it would be possible for me to bring Broder by their house for a quick look over. They were awesome and said yes. Bro. Moore is probably Broder's new hero because of the pop that he got out of his neck. Broder described it as the sound of a sword blocking a hit. (?) Bro. Moore prescribed more icing for a bit and pain meds if needed.
He seems to be doing fine. He had a greater range of motion when I checked him before he went to bed. We told him to try and take it easy on the soccer field or basketball court tomorrow at recess.
Also- strict and severe trampolining restrictions have been revisited.

Awesome big brother moment of the day

Jackson read Curious George to Sis during quiet time today. Awesome big brother!!

Awesome day in Park City

Today we took a quick trip to Park City to see an exhibit at the Kimball Art Center called "The Art of the Brick." Every sculpture was made entirely out of Legos and our kids were in hea-ven. Some of the faves were "Mountain Rushmore" and the story book castle and the giant pencil writing Aloha, but they were all very fantastic.
As part of our fun day out we also ate at a new restaurant for us- Davanza's. Tasty!

Little cowgirl

Today we went to the barnyard and one of the things she got to do was go on a pony ride. She l-o-v-e-d her pony which she immediately named Pinkie Pie and wants to go back as soon as possible.

Life according to Sis - part 2

"Daddy needs to vacuum the grass really a lot."

Life according to Sis

Me- "Sis, what are you getting into?"

Sis- "Bubble gum."

Me-  "Why?  Did you ask me?"

Sis- "Because bubblegum is healthy for us.  It's healthy all the times."

Project

One of the things that is fun about having a baby girl is the clothes and the dressing up. So, today I tried my hand at making her a little skirt for St. Patrick's Day. She had to have pink in it, so the material used is our compromise. I think it might be a tad bit too long, but it should last a little while through any major growth spurt.
She is very into posing so this is her ballet dancer pose with her PJ shirt and a scarf made out of a knit belt from an old sweater. (She put on the scarf so she would be "warm on the boat.")

Not trying to brag, but....

After a VERY long space of time (think before Sis was born long) I finally scored a goal tonight!!! And our team won!

 That's all.

Story

Once upon a time there was a little prince named Bubba. One night, Bubba watched his Daddy cut his own hair with the electric clippers. Bubba thought that was awesome and was very interested in the process. One morning, the little prince got curious and wondered what it would be like to cut his own hair. So while in the shower he got a razor and tried it out. He soon found that it didn't seem to work the same way as his Daddy's clippers did. When his Mommy asked him about it, he was sad, but admitted what he had done. He told his Mom that he would just wear his sweatshirt hood all the rest of his days. Mom said he would probably have to buzz the rest of his head and wait for it to grow out. Bubba was not too excited about this idea. He may decide to live with it, he may decide to let us buzz it, but I'm pretty sure he won't try it again.")

Lord of the Rings- complete!

Tim has been reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy to the boys.  The rule is that they can watch the movie after they have finished the book.  They are going to be able to watch "Return of the King" tomorrow night and they are more than thrilled.  Friday night can not come soon enough! Tim read The Hobbit to them before LOTR and I don't know what the next reading adventure will be.  These books are Tim's favorite and I know he loves that the boys love them too.  I wouldn't be surprised if they started the series all over again.

Hate it when that happens

Jackson's glasses have needed to be straightened/adjusted for awhile now. It just was another thing on the list that kept being pushed back because they were doing OK and all. But today was the last straw. I guess he leaned over to pick something up and because they were so loose they just fell off of his head. Of course, they were immediately stepped on. So frames were bent even more and lenses were scratched and chipped. Good news is the lenses are still under warranty and will be replaced for free. The nice lady at the eye doctor fixed the frames as best as she could, but we'll just keep praying that they make it for a few more months.

A boy reunited with his blanket

is a wonderful thing.

Apocalypse

Tim and I have done what we thought we'd never do. Facebook. That's right- the end of the world must be coming, so get your water and cans of dried beans.

Kitchen ceiling:finished!!

It looks great! Logan the handyman did an awesome job and Tim was able to get it all painted. Yay!

The things these little boys feet have done

I marvel at the wear and tear that Jackson and Broder's shoes go through over the course of a school year.  And then I think of all the things that they have done while they have been wearing these shoes and the places they've gone and the things they've seen and heard.  And I hope it's been good and I hope they've learned something and that they've done their best.

I've been slightly obsessed in the last couple of days watching missionary homecomings and videos of Mama's hugging their babies when they get off the airplane.  I think I am getting scared of my babies getting bigger and going out in the world and where their next pair of shoes will take them and what they'll see and hear and do.

But until they get to that shiny black shoe stage, I always try to remember that they're still little now and they're still here with me now and now is the time to love them no matter what and make sure that they know that no matter what shoes they're wearing, that I am always going to be here for them and I'll love them forever.

Kitchen ceiling:in progress

Day one of ceiling reconstruction went well. The handy man came and cut out all of the affected parts and pieced in a new section of Sheetrock. He'll be back tomorrow to tape and mud and maybe texture. So glad it wasn't any worse than this and so glad we're able to get it taken care of.

Kitchen ceiling:before

This is what the ceiling looks like today. No worries, the water didn't make the hole. That was Tim checking to see if there was insulation between the floors. No insulation, which is good in cases like this with water damage. Not so great for sound proofing, but that's a discussion for another time.")
Tomorrow we have handyman Brigham coming with his patch guy and they are going to cut out the bad drywall and replace and retexture. Hazaa!

Posting issues

So I tried two different times to post a pic of Tim fixing the carpet in our bedroom. He's so handy! We'll see if it works this time.

Little builders

My kiddos love to build things. Jackson started it off with his adventures and imagination and the other two look to him as an example.
Today they each showed me something they built out of their Legos. You'll notice that Sis has soft Legos.

Flood. Water. Kitchen. Basement.

Boo.

Sore

Reasons to be sore in our house today...

1. Broder has an ear infection. His ear is sore.
2. Tim slept in a tent on the snowy ground last night and is skiing right now. His back is sore.
3. I ran 3.6 miles in 40 minutes this morning!!!!!!!! My legs and knees are sore.

Jackson and Sis seem to have escaped the soreness. Good night.

My little Sleeping Beauty

Just when you thought you kept a pretty clean house...

....the Rainbow vacuum lady comes and shows you that no, you really don't.

But no, we didn't buy one.  We'll just have to suffer in our apparent state of nastiness.")

A girl and her Daddy

This is what we're reading tonight Papa!

Get those quarters ready!")

Sunday night at Grandma and Grandpa's

Since it is a holiday and there is no school tomorrow, the kids are sleeping over at Grandma's tonight. They have been looking forward to this since last month when the cousins got to sleep over the last Monday holiday. Grandma always plays super fun games like this one- plastic dinosaur air hockey. Thanks Grandma, Grandpa and Sarah!!

Hmmm...must be genetic.

I was flicking through some pictures and noticed a trend. Do you pick up on it too?")

Heart Attack!

My boys earned mega awesome points today. A couple of days ago they were down in the craft room "projecting" away. They left a few scraps of paper and other things out which told me that they had been making something, but I didn't see the final product and figured it went up to their room. Fast forward to this morning when I woke up to a heart attack in my bedroom door. They got up early and got their hearts from their secret hiding place and snuck up to my door and taped them up. Broder cut and Jackson glued. They did it all on their own with no suggestion or help from anyone. My sweet, sweet boys!!!

Valentine's Mantle

Just showing what I concocted out of raffia, lots of glittery card stock, the awesomeness that is the Cricut and my babes. I will probably change out Sis's picture for one of her gorgeous 1-year old shots since the boys' pictures are their 1-year old shots, but it's late and that's what I had on hand at midnight.
Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Overheard

Jackson: Hey Broder, what did you say you did this Fall?

Broder: I told you, I was with my Grandpa in South Dakota hunting pheasants!

Jackson: Did you shoot any?

Broder: Yes, like 50 of 'em. They were attacking my little sister. What in the heck would you do in a situation like that?!?

Jackson: What kind of gun did you use?

Broder: A frickin' 12 gauge, what do you think?!?

***See "Napoleon Dynamite Wolverine hunting scene" on YouTube for original.***

My kids are awesome.")

Woodland visitor?

On my way out to take the kids to school I noticed footprints in the snow on the driveway. I have not earned my Naturalist merit badge, but they look to me like deer prints of some sort. What do you think?

Sunday dinner

Tonight we went to our friend's Brigham and Krista's for a very yummy dinner. It was so good and it was so good to chat and catch up with them. Thanks for the great time!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Today is my Mama's birthday. I am a very lucky to have such a wonderful, kind, talented Mom. My kiddies are very lucky to have her for a Grammy.
For her birthday my Dad and I went in together and got some old family movies that were on 8 mm reels (I know!) and got them put onto DVD. We watched them tonight and they were awesome. I was 3-4 years old and my brother was a baby.
Happy Birthday Mom- love you so much!!

Running

After last years family Christmas letter where I wrote about all of Tim's running adventures, I decided this year I could run at least one 5K. Others I know have set much loftier marathon and half-marathon goals. I am not so lofty-at least all in one race. Four 5K races almost equal a half-marathon, right? If I do it, I am just choosing to break it up into more manageable chunks. That's what we're supposed to do with our goals, right?
Anyway, I am in training. Tim says one day I'll get to the point where I enjoy it. Not there yet.

Little sickie

Poor Sis is sick. She's coughing and runny nosing and weepy eye-ing. However, she is being very pleasant and nice through it all. We're doing lots of cuddling and movie watching. Hopefully we are on the end of it!

Parent Teacher Conferences

We got to go talk with the boys' teachers today. They are both doing great! I am so proud of them for their hard work, kindness, respectful attitudes and love of school. They both like math, LOVE to read, and enjoy being at school and learning. They each have a teacher who seems to be the perfect fit for each of their personalities and needs. I am thankful for all of the time and energy of our teachers!

Visit to the Doctor

Today included another family trip to the doctor. Sis started coughing yesterday morning and Jackson had some ear pain and Broder was mostly healthy, but got a check up just in case.

Final diagnoses:
Kirsi- Croup- gets to continue nebulizer breathing treatments
Broder- pretty healthy but got some nose spray medicine just in case
Jackson- border line ear infection and got Amoxicillin.  Hazaa!

**Kirsi got to wear the awesome "Mickey Ninja" mask to protect all of the babies in the waiting room from her cough.  She put up with it for a little while, but then the novelty wore right off.**

FHE

Family Home Evening- that glorious night where the gospel is taught, lessons are learned, testimonies are borne and songs are sung. Or in our case, the same song is sung. Every week we ask what should we sing and every week the answer is "Sunbeam!" So every week, the kids crouch down and jump their way through our favorite song. This picture captured one such "beam!" I love them- they're goofy, but they're my goofy's.

Gorilla Guerrilla's

While the semi-boring-until-the-lights-went-out Super Bowl was happening, Grandma was keeping all the grand-kiddos occupied playing the favorite game "Gorilla." This is when Grandma hides somewhere in the house and the kids go away and count to 20. Then they go and search for her like guerrilla spies. When they are close to her, she jumps out and starts chasing them while "ohh ohh ing" like a gorilla. There is lots of screaming and laughing and loud counting in unison. Grandma rules!!
P.S. #goravens

Happy 12th Engage-iversary!

Today for our engage-iversary we went and saw Les Mis. It was very good. We had a yummy lunch and ran a few errands and then went to pick up kids. They had a great time playing and working and reading and roasting marshmallows in the fireplace. Thanks Grammy and Papa!!

Sleepover at Grammy and Papa's

Equals Sushi and FroYo date night for us. Thanks Grammy and Papa!!

(Sushi and FroYo eaten at separate times. This was not some new culture-fusion restaurant."))

Time of their lives

Unfortunately this post doesn't have accompanying picture. Yesterday, the kids were able to participate in an epic fort building and snow ball fight. The way our driveway is situated makes the shoveled snow look like the Red Sea after parting so there were already walls on each side waiting to be tunneled and barricaded and supported by snow bricks. They went on for four hours! "We're having the time of our lives!" they said. I couldn't help but let them play and play and play....and then at bedtime they slept and slept and slept.")

Handy helpers

The boys were ready to go to school way on time today and were super ready and willing to help me shovel the driveway before we left for school. What studs!!

No Big Deal

It's just after 12:00 (noon) and I've shoveled our driveway 3.5 times. #snowyucky #jealous?

Dad's and doughnuts

Today at school was an event called Dad's and doughnuts. It's an annual thing where all the Dad's (or special someone's) come read to their kiddos and eat a doughnut or two.
Because of the craziness at Tim's work last week what with all the layoffs, he felt like he should be at today's staff meetings, so he asked the boys who they would like to have come instead. They chose me- which was super cool. Sis and I walked to school and read with each of them for a bit. It was fun!
Tonight, we had a second version at home where Daddy read "Two Towers" and we each got to choose our own doughnut. Great night!

Flute performance

Tim and I performed the special musical number in Sacrament meeting today. I played my flute and he sang"More Holiness Give Me." It actually started out that I was asked to be the special musical number and I volunteered Tim to sing with me. But, the way it was printed in the program and announced made it seem more like Tim was the "star" and I was just accompanying him. Which was awesome for me and made me only a millisecond less nervous. It was ward conference so many of the Stake leaders were there. When I was asked, they told me that several others had said no when they found out it was Ward Conference.i told them I wasn't afraid of Stake people since I used to be one and knew most of them- but that was big talk because I was really nervous. Thanks to the Harrison's for grabbing Sis when she got sad that both Tim and I were going up front.
I don't have a picture of us during the actual performance, but Kirsi has been dying to play my flute ever since I got it out to practice. Maybe someday we'll have a triple threat if talents with her: dancing, singing and "fluting."

Kirsi's sweet dance skills (in two parts)

P.S.  This is the very first time that she had ever done a somersault by herself.  It was big news.

P.P.S  The bottom video is the first segment.  Watch that first.

Sweet Moves

Tonight we watched "Napoleon Dynamite" as a family. Some reactions-
"That is the coolest motor home ever!"- Broder about Uncle Rico's van.
"This doesn't make any sense."-Jackson about the movie in general.
"He has plastic (Chapstick) too!"-Kirsi on Napoleon's scene about Chapstick.
And then we got to witness Kirsi's sweet dance skills.

Bear Scout!!

Tonight at Pack Meeting, Jackson was presented his Bear award. He worked really hard to get this done so early before his birthday. We also appreciate his awesome leaders who helped him out too. Good job buddy!! Keep working hard and earn lots of arrows!
Pictured is the magical moment when my buddy pinned me. I love that part.

Ancient Buffitt

Tonight we went out to dinner because we haven't gone grocery shopping since we've been home. (Big plans for tomorrow.")) We had a coupon for this place called Asian Buffet (food was OK, but not out of this world amazing.) Anyway as we pulled in, Broder read the sign as "Ancient Buffitt." It made me giggle a little. I love new readers!
These were our fortunes in order from Tim down to Sis...some of them kind of work actually.