What’s with all the blocks?

I love red, yellow, and blue. They are so bright and lovely and primaryish. So why do I have all these blocks? Well, our primary president, Kelly, had this adorable idea for our primary program. Since our theme song for this year is about building an eternal family, she thought it would be cute if the kids ‘built’ a home out of blocks during the program. So Mandy and her amazing husband Aaron, built a house with a plexiglass front and cut all these blocks for the kids to stack inside the house. Then I got the job of painting the blocks. Yay for spray paint! All painted and done within 1 hour. Awesome.

Then Kelly had another fantastic idea. To personalize each block for each child, we asked the parents for a family picture and put that on their block. So after each child said their part in the program, they walked over to the house and added their block. It was adorable. I wish I had a picture of the finished house, but the only place it was ever set up was in the chapel and I didn’t know if I should take a picture in there. The kids each got to take their blocks home with them as a keepsake of this year’s program.

I was so proud of Mandy and Dallin saying their parts. Dallin is an old hat at the whole program thing and didn’t have any trouble at all marching up there and saying, “I love reading the scriptures with my family.” Mandy on other hand was experiencing being in the primary program for the very first time. Not only that, she was also the very first child to a say a part in the program!!!! But she did amazing. She went right up there, spoke right into the microphone and said, “Pray always” nice and loud so that everyone could hear. Perfect!

All of the kids did a fantastic job. One of the most touching parts of the program was at the end when Kelly read off each child’s name and all of the people that were there to see that child in the program stood up. I was sitting on the front row helping our chorister so I could see all of the kids faces very clearly. They each looked so happy and proud to be recognized and to see their families standing up and beaming back at them. It was a program we will always remember!

A window into our home

This little quote that I am about to share from Mandy is not one for those squeamish about normal bodily functions. So if you are, just skip this post. I think her words will give you a pretty good idea of what goes on often at our house.

After a faint little passing of something of a gaseous nature, Mandy said, “Mom, I guess I am just a pooter like Daddy.” The sad thing is, she said this with pride.

How to jump out of a swing

First – swing really high and prepare to let go

Second – fly through the air with a goofy expression on your face

Third – allow gravity to take over and begin your descent

Fourth – land with finesse

Still not clear on how to do it, just ask Dallin. He’s an expert.

Zoo Day

One of our favorite times to go to the zoo is at the end of October. They fill the main walkway with hundreds of carved pumpkins. It is always so cool.

And luckily, this year we got to go see all the pumpkins with a few of our friends. Our playgroup went, so Dallin had to miss out, but that’s ok, he told me that he had a great time at school that day.

Layton and Mandy had a great day too. Full of time with friends

and wonder at all the things we saw.

Mandy even attempted to feed the giraffe. She didn’t actually do it though because she was afraid of his tongue. Looking at it in this picture, I can see why!

Layton spent most of the day in the stroller. But that’s ok because he had no shortage of friends who joined him.

When he did get out, he slid down the slide (honest he really is having fun in this picture despite the look of terror).

He crawled around in the spider web.

And he pretended to be a cute little monkey.

And Mandy found lots of things to enjoy as well. Flowers.

Slides.

And lots and lots of animals. She loved climbing on the edge of the fence to get a closer look.

Thanks to all our friends who joined us. We need to go again soon!

Chapter Books

Dallin has now graduated from picture books to chapter books. This is a momentous occasion in our household. For the first time he is actually showing some initiative in reading books. He has not exactly been the most excited reader. It has often involved a bit of complaining when I have made him read his assigned book for homework. I think a lot of that had to do with him struggling just a little with it. Schoolwork is not something that he gets with just the snap of a finger, he has to work at it. I don’t mean to give the impression that he is behind in any way, he’s not – he is just your normal average 6 year old with normal average scholastic abilities. In the last few weeks, I think something has really clicked for him. I don’t know if it is his new teacher, or that he has a friend at school that really likes to read, or if he has simply reached a point in his phonetics ability that sounding out words is becoming a little easier for him, but he is actually volunteering now to read and finding joy in it. Each time we pull out the easy reader scriptures (which admittedly is not as often as we should), he immediately asks to be the one to read. And now chapter books! Yay! You should have seen how proud he was to come home with it and show it off to me or how excited he is when he reaches each new chapter. I’ve had a complete running commentary of his progress. It makes me crazily happy.

I love to read. All kinds of book. Did you know that I have read every Louis L’amour book ever written? Yep its true. All one hundred and something of them. Why? Mainly because my dad loved them and I came to love them too. It is from him that I learned to love reading. He almost always has a book by his favorite seat in the living room. Not that my mom doesn’t read too, it is just that my dad ALWAYS seems to have a book at hand. And so now it is my hope that my kids will love reading just as much as me and my father before me. So now for the question of the day – do you have any easy chapter book suggestions for a six year old? Christmas is coming up and I’d love to buy him a few that he would enjoy.

Brotherly Love

Makes me want to kiss them both. I think I will! And Mandy too.

Happy Halloween - Early

Last Saturday we went to a Halloween party at our friends Mandi and Aaron’s house. We had more fun than I have had in quite a while. Everyone dressed-up, there were no kids, some very delicious food (Cassie you still need to tell me how to make those cookies!!!), and terrific company.

We talked, we laughed, and we played. One game that we played was the newly wed game. For the first round, the ladies left the room and the guys answered five questions. Us ladies came back in and it just so happened that Nathan and I had to go first. The very first question was “What did you do on your first date?” Should be easy, right? For the life of me, I could not remember. I could totally remember our second date, but not a detail about our first. With all eyes on me, I was feeling the pressure of everyone wanting to move on with the game and so I just had to go with the answer “I don’t remember.” Lo and behold, that is exactly what Nathan had written. Someone laughed and said, “You know Nathan said the same thing, he couldn’t remember your first, but he could remember your second.” How crazy is that??? When we got home, I actually had to go look up what we had done on our first date. Putt-Putt Golf. I still just barely remember it. But it must not have been too bad, because I asked him out for our next date. Yep, I asked him out the second time around. Which surprised even me! And why was our second date so special and memorable? We got all dressed up and went to see a symphony. It was also the first time that he held my hand. I’m sure I’ll never forget that.

For the party, Nathan did a trial run of his Tin-Man costume. Every year at his office, his little finance department does a ‘group’ costume. This year they went with a Wizard of Oz theme. I thought his costume looked awesome! Especially the shiny face paint.

I went dressed as a heart so that I could be the ‘heart’ the Tin-Man was searching for. Cheesy – I know, but it was all I could think of to match with him and still meet my tiny budget requirements!

Thanks again Mandi for a terrific party!!

Looks like someone found

the stickers!

This happened three days ago. I’m still finding stickers all over the place.

Soccer Season

Another soccer season has come and gone. I think Dallin’s team had some of the youngest and smallest players in the league.

Which means that they didn’t exactly have a winning season. In fact, they didn’t win a single game.

They did come close in one game. But they kind of beat themselves. They scored one goal and then helped the other team score a goal by kicking it in themselves.

So it was a tie.

But they had fun, and that is what matters most, right?

They moved up to a bigger field this year and Dallin found himself tiring very easily. He would start out strong, but about halfway through he would pretty much give up. He still claims that he still loves it though.

But, do you know what I think?

I think what he really loves is playing around with his friends and having a party at the end of the season.

I know for sure, that is what Mandy loves most about Dallin’s soccer season!

And Layton, well he is just dying to start his soccer career. Everyone who sees him out there at the soccer field is always amazed at his kicking ability and comments on it with awe.

I think it is mainly because he looks like he is only about 10 months old, but he runs and kicks the ball like a pro!

Might just be the worst one yet…

Maybe I’m a little forgetful, but seriously I think that Layton has made more messes in his short little 18 month lifetime than Dallin has made in all six of his or Mandy in all 4 of hers.  Literally, it is one mess after another.

And those cookies were so stinkin’ good too.  The destroyed cookies that had to be thrown away actually makes me more sad than having to clean up the mess. 

Child locks don’t work with him because he has figured out how to open them.  Putting things up high doesn’t work because he figures out a way to climb.

This is butter, just in case you can’t tell.  That was a fun mess to clean up.  Not.

It is not unusual for him to take two baths a day.  Sometimes even three.  And he loves it.  I have to wonder if on occasion he doesn’t make a mess just so that he can take a bath!

Rotten.  So stinkin’ rotten.

I WANT to sleep in the BIG bed!

I think Layton is trying to send me a message.  Every time we say prayers at night, he takes the opportunity while we all have our eyes closed to sneak into Mandy’s bed.  I guess he is trying to tell us he wants to hang with the big kids!

And truthfully they really want to hang with him too.  Since he has started this, they have been begging me to let him sleep in the room with them.  But unfortunately, he just can’t be trusted to stay in the bed yet, so I think we are going to have to wait a few more months for that.

He really is fixated on it though.  Every day when I announce it is nap time, he runs straight to Mandy’s bed and jumps right on in and pulls up the covers.

Sometimes he hides himself under the sheet.  Maybe he thinks if I can’t “see” him, I won’t make him take a nap :)