Friday, April 29, 2011

In Our Bed

Tiny traditions.  Every family has them.  One of ours (and I am sure it is probably common in many families) is when the kids wake up in the morning they all come and pile into the bed with us.  While lying in bed together, we almost always do the “I love you the _____-est” game and sing the “________ is the ______-est” song.  If you have ever watched the Noggin channel you’ll recognize the song.

The I love you game goes something like this: 

Layton:  I love you the Materest.

Me:  I love you the Lightningest.

Layton:  I love you the Mr. The Kingest.

Me:  I love you the Chick Hickest.

Mandy:  I love you the flowerest.

Me:  I love you the chocolatest.

You get the idea – it can go on forever!

The song usually goes something like this:

“Mandy is the fanciest, Dallin is the danciest, everywhere I go;

Layton is the bunniest, Daddy is the funniest, everywhere I go”

And so on.

Well this morning we were singing the song and I sang, “Daddy is the stinkiest (for obvious reasons if you know Nathan at all), Mommy is the sleepiest,”  and then out the of blue, Layton piped up with, “Layton is the waker-upest”   And we laughed and laughed.  Because it is so very true.  He is always the first one up and he always wakes everyone up!  I thought it was such a clever thing for a 3 year old to say.  And then Layton cried and cried – because he hates to have people laugh at him.  Children are so very funny!

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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Easter Sunday

Reading the story of the resurrection with Nana on Easter Sunday.  Doesn’t get much better than that!

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Well, unless you count the cheesecake cupcakes that we ate after dinner. 

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It’s the cupcake that makes even the best days better!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

A Container Garden

My kids are so funny.  When they get enthused about something – they really get enthused!  I’ve already talked a number of times about our little garden project which seems to be coming along well.  This past week Dallin and Mandy decided to plant a garden of their own.  But rather than a regular garden, they decided to go with the container method. 

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So they pulled up weeds out of the grass and planted them in paper cups.

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Although Mandy did get a little adventurous and threw in some rosemary for good measure.

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Do you know what I love most about this?  It was a project that they came up with completely unprompted by me.  I just let them roam in the backyard/woods and let their imaginations roam along with them.

Monday, April 25, 2011

A fun Easter Eve

The Easter bunny is a funny guy.  He always comes to our house a day early.  IMG_0710

He did a great job with presents this year!  A favorite movie, entertaining books, cool legos, more cars, and the ever popular Barbie.

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These books right here were a huge hit.  In only two days, Dallin has read 140 pages in one of the books.  I love books that get kids excited about reading!  He got the first book in this series for Christmas and adored it!

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After lots of movie watching, playing, and reading, Easter eve afternoon, we headed to their little cousin Kate’s birthday party for lots and lots of fun!  I mean you can’t go wrong with not Eating Pete,

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finding a prize egg,

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and eating candy to your heart’s content!

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It was a fantastic day!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter

For us our Heavenly Father gave His Son. For us our Elder Brother gave His life.

At the last moment the Master could have turned back. But He did not. He passed beneath all things that He might save all things: the human race, the earth, and all the life that ever inhabited it.

No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:5–6).

Of Him who delivered each of us from endless death, I testify He is a teacher of truth—but He is more than a teacher. He is the exemplar of the perfect life—but He is more than an exemplar. He is the great physician—but He is more than a physician. He is the literal Savior of the world, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Holy One of Israel, even the risen Lord, who declared, “I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110:4).

“Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives!’”

~~By President Thomas S. Monson~~

I hope everyone has a beautiful Easter and that the gift of the Savior’s sacrifice, death, and resurrection brings hope and happiness to your heart today.

Happy Easter 2011

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Thursday, April 21, 2011

What are the odds…

Seriously, what are the odds of having your parked vehicle hit in a pre-school parking lot?  Probably like 1 out of 10,000 right?  But of course, lucky me, I get to be that one.

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I spent all morning volunteering with Mandy’s class at her Easter party, only to get that lovely gift at the end of the day.  Yay me.  My sweet innocent little van was parked so inconspicuously right in the middle of a space in the parking lot.  Then poor thing got all banged up.  Layton’s face right here gives you a pretty good idea of how I’m feeling about now.

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Ugh.  At least the other person has insurance.  Now I just have to go through the whole long process to get it fixed.  Yuck.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Now that I’ve made

egg shaped sugar cookies – it finally feels like EASTER!

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I’m looking forward to this weekend.  It should be a wonderful holiday!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Field Day!

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Human battleship…

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Tug of war…it’s serious business

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Sunglasses relay…

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Fill the bucket relay…

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All and all…lots and lots of fun!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Friday, April 15, 2011

A little extra practice…

On Saturday afternoon after the exciting baseball game, the kids were over playing at Nana and Grandpa’s house.  Nathan and I were put up a new ceiling fan in our bedroom because out old one had started making some crazy noise.  In the midst of figuring out wiring, attaching fan blades, and doing all the other things that go along with putting up a fan, Nathan gets a phone call from his Dad.  Apparently Grandpa had Dallin in the backseat of his car and they were headed up Dick’s Sporting Goods store to buy a pitching machine.  I guess after Grandpa watched Dallin make those two very exciting hits, that he felt Dallin has some potential that needs developing :)

So after we were done with the ceiling fan, we headed over there to check out the new toy.  They boys figured it out and put it together,

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then set up a makeshift backdrop to catch the balls,

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decided where home plate should be,

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and then started pitching!

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Dallin was really into it.  I mean just look at that face!

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My little lean mean hitting machine!

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And he hit quite a few good ones that Grandpa had to go chase down!

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Oh, and the saga gets even better.  Nathan calls me today at lunch and tells me (I’m paraphrasing), “You know there’s a Sports Authority right next to where I was planning on eating lunch today, so I went in and bought some bases.  And while I was there they have this thing that has a target on it to use as a rebounder behind home plate for the balls to bounce off of, so I got that too.”

Next thing I know they’re going to be clearing out the trees on Nana and Grandpa’s land so they can make their own ball field.  Boys and their love of sports.  It’s a little crazy sometimes.  But I love them anyway!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Mr. MVP

Last Friday night – LATE Friday night (at least for kids – the game didn’t start until 8:00!) Dallin played a great game of baseball.  He has had a couple of hits before, but most of the time has gotten out at first – or if he made it to first, never got past it.  But not this time!  He made an awesome hit and made it all the way to third base!

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Here he is getting waved past first…

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If you look way out in the outfield you can see the other team trying to get his awesomely hit ball!

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Not only did he make it to third, but he helped someone else make it home! And then his teammate Seth got a hit and he made it home.  So in one night, he got his first triple, first RBI, and first run scored!  Love his little victory jump.

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And then to top off the evening, his coach game him the game ball – naming him the MVP for the game!

AND…the very next morning he hit his first home run.  Now how is that for an amazing weekend of baseball!

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