Friday, December 30, 2011
Jr. Mustang Basketball
I'm trying to quickly cover the rest of December so I can slurp this thing into a 2011 blog book. It's actually 2012 already, but I'm fudging the dates a bit. Luke had a fun season with his team the Heat. Jer coached, and they had a great time with two wins, two ties, and two losses. I was a very sad photographer. Gyms are awful for pictures, and I slacked in general!
On the way home from the last game we saw this chicken standing on a goat's back and it cracked us all up. I've since seen it doing this more times I've passed this same little farm. Random I know.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Seth's Preschool Party
Seth had a cute preschool pajama party for Christmas. Ian and I went and watched him sing his heart out on all of the songs. I only had my phone camera! Bad. He also got to sit on Santa's knee and decorate a sugar cookie.
I promise he really did smile and sing!
Seth with Jeff in the background.
Later that day I helped Luke and his school class wrap the presents they made for their parents. Fun, fun.
Later that day I helped Luke and his school class wrap the presents they made for their parents. Fun, fun.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
December Happenings
I post in spurts so here we go. We've had lots of fun this month decorating, making Snoopy gingerbread houses, going to see the lights with friends, touring our neighborhood lights with hot chocolate, looking for our elf, shopping, our annual trip to SLC, and caroling with neighbors. I've only taken pictures of a few of them! The boys were all so excited to decorate and get ready for the holidays this year. We started while Ian was napping and when he got up he was so amazed and asked, "Is this Christmas?" Cute! The boys have their own tree which is decorated with old ornaments from my childhood and a few of Jer's as well as the new ornaments they get each year from grandparents. It is getting quite full. This year Luke and Seth did the whole thing by themselves, and I could hear them in there almost every time they opened a box saying "look at this one" or something like that. They were at it for over an hour, and it looks great. No pictures though. Oops. They have also had fun looking for their "elf on the shelf" each day.
After a great Thanksgiving with my family this year I braved the Black Friday shopping with my mom again. It has become a fun tradition. The only time I really enjoy shopping is at Christmas. I don't like big crowds or pushy people, but I do like to people watch and be entertained. We decided on a whim to go check out Walmart at 10 pm. I thought I might buy a Wii game that was on a good sale. Fat chance! I had no clue what I was getting into. It was pandemonium at the games. People were yelling, including the F word from the teenagers I might add, and shoving! Some people walked away with like 15 games and guess how many I got--big fat zero. That's right I had nothing to show for that experience except major violations of my personal space. I will not be hitting the game section again.
At the beginning of December we headed down to SLC with the Liechtys. We drove to Ogden and then rode the Front Runner train down. The kids thought it was awesome. I have to admit it was a pretty smooth, nice ride. We ate at the Gateway and rode Trax to Temple Square to see the lights. Seth was Steve's little buddy all night and did not want anything to do with holding our hands. Steve ended up with the job of keeping track of him in the crowd which is no small feat. It was a great night with good friends and really got me excited about the holidays.
We teased Seth about being "Elmer Fudd" quite a bit in this hat.
This past weekend we headed back down to SLC for our annual shopping trip with my family. Luke had a basketball game at 8 am and then we hit the road. After a stop at Einsteins in Ogden where Ian drank tons of chocolate milk but would not eat a thing we headed on again. As we were cruising down the freeway, with Jer on his cell phone trying to work out a sale of a KSL item we had, I hear Ian whining that he's messy. I looked back to find the understatement of the year. He had puked big time and there was curdled milk everywhere. I was telling Jer he threw up only to see him upchuck about a gallon of fresh chocolate milk that seriously filled up his car seat. At this point, while Jer is still trying to have a phone conversation, he told me to "clean it up." Um, with what? The inside of our car needed a car wash. It was a rocky start to the weekend, but we were able to check in early and send the laundry out. Jer also gave the car seat a thorough hosing down in the hotel shower. Poor Ian had the runs so bad the whole weekend, but he was a good sport and no more puking.
We shopped, ate out, the kids and guys swam, we went to the Little America brunch with Santa, and went to Sacrament at my parent's ward on the way home. It was a great weekend. One of the boy's favorite parts was shopping for the person they drew in our little family. We draw names and do $5 gifts just with the five of us, and the kids have so much fun shopping and spending their own money on a little present. I was once again slacking with the pictures, but I did take a few at the brunch.
Seth was singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and sang the whole thing for Santa while sitting on his lap. He then gave Santa a five and "pounded" Mrs. Claus.
After a great Thanksgiving with my family this year I braved the Black Friday shopping with my mom again. It has become a fun tradition. The only time I really enjoy shopping is at Christmas. I don't like big crowds or pushy people, but I do like to people watch and be entertained. We decided on a whim to go check out Walmart at 10 pm. I thought I might buy a Wii game that was on a good sale. Fat chance! I had no clue what I was getting into. It was pandemonium at the games. People were yelling, including the F word from the teenagers I might add, and shoving! Some people walked away with like 15 games and guess how many I got--big fat zero. That's right I had nothing to show for that experience except major violations of my personal space. I will not be hitting the game section again.
At the beginning of December we headed down to SLC with the Liechtys. We drove to Ogden and then rode the Front Runner train down. The kids thought it was awesome. I have to admit it was a pretty smooth, nice ride. We ate at the Gateway and rode Trax to Temple Square to see the lights. Seth was Steve's little buddy all night and did not want anything to do with holding our hands. Steve ended up with the job of keeping track of him in the crowd which is no small feat. It was a great night with good friends and really got me excited about the holidays.
This past weekend we headed back down to SLC for our annual shopping trip with my family. Luke had a basketball game at 8 am and then we hit the road. After a stop at Einsteins in Ogden where Ian drank tons of chocolate milk but would not eat a thing we headed on again. As we were cruising down the freeway, with Jer on his cell phone trying to work out a sale of a KSL item we had, I hear Ian whining that he's messy. I looked back to find the understatement of the year. He had puked big time and there was curdled milk everywhere. I was telling Jer he threw up only to see him upchuck about a gallon of fresh chocolate milk that seriously filled up his car seat. At this point, while Jer is still trying to have a phone conversation, he told me to "clean it up." Um, with what? The inside of our car needed a car wash. It was a rocky start to the weekend, but we were able to check in early and send the laundry out. Jer also gave the car seat a thorough hosing down in the hotel shower. Poor Ian had the runs so bad the whole weekend, but he was a good sport and no more puking.
We shopped, ate out, the kids and guys swam, we went to the Little America brunch with Santa, and went to Sacrament at my parent's ward on the way home. It was a great weekend. One of the boy's favorite parts was shopping for the person they drew in our little family. We draw names and do $5 gifts just with the five of us, and the kids have so much fun shopping and spending their own money on a little present. I was once again slacking with the pictures, but I did take a few at the brunch.
Giving Thanks a Lot Late
Wow, where did the last month go? I am way behind, but I do have so much to be grateful for I really need to do a quick post and give thanks for my blessings! I do feel so blessed to live in the USA, have the gospel in my life, be in good health, and of course have my family. So here's a quick note about some of my best blessings.
Jer is first even though he doesn't get much face time on the blog! He is the one that works his guts out to take care of our family while still being a great dad, fulfilling his church calling, being our handyman, etc. etc...the list goes on! I am so thankful to be married for 13 years now to my best friend who continues to crack me up and make me happy. He has a lot on his plate right now because all fall we did major yard projects and then we moved right into finishing our basement...that's a whole other post.
Alright, here goes everyone else in no particular order. Seth has got to be the sweetest (and just about the tallest) four-year-old out there. He is smart, funny, and kind. He loves preschool and is learning a ton. We are working on "reading lessons" together, and he has a great attitude and is picking it right up. He loves junk food although not ice cream or fries, but he will eat just about any fruit or veggie out there too. Whenever anyone talks about anything big right now he will ask if it's "from the sky to the ground." I'm not sure where he got that, but it's really cute when he says it. We are still working on his articulation, and he's improving a lot. He finally mastered the "th" at the end of his name, so he's no longer Seff! We are still working on it in the middle of a word like brother is still "brudder," but we're making progress. He sounds out everything he sees, and it has helped his speech a lot. He can be entertained for quite a while with some paper and a pencil just writing letters...so unlike his older brother who about had to be hog tied to get a pencil in his hand! He currently loves finding our elf daily and is always the first one to spot it.
Luke has been an amazing kid the last few months. It seems like he and Seth go in cycles in terms of fighting like crazy and then getting along great. We've been in a great cycle of brotherly love since about the beginning of November. There have been so few fights, and they play great together. Luke continues to do really well in school--his test scores are amazing, he can read so well, and his teacher loves him. He is having a great year. I can't keep this kid in books. He currently loves The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and every time I get him one he has it read in a day. He is such a witty kid that really gets stuff, and he keeps us entertained. There's no putting one over on him. He started piano lessons in September and although he grumbles a bit he's really picking it up. He wants to eventually play something "cool" like the guitar, but I told him he needs to get the basics from piano first. He had his first recital the other night and played The Snowman like a champ. He also signed up to play Jingle Bells at his school music party. I'm proud of him for being willing to go out on a limb a little...that's new for him. He was really nervous beforehand but so proud after! He also bore his testimony for the first time in November. He talked about it for at least a week before, then all morning, and then went right up there on his own. That is very unlike his personality, so I was so proud of him for choosing to do that and going for it. He still loves sports and playing with friends and just being a kid! He still plays outside almost everyday even though it's freezing and there's no new snow.
And then there's Ian. His personality is larger than life, and he keeps us all busy and happy. He really is irresistible despite the fact that he can be quite naughty at times. He's super loving and often tells us we're "so very nice." He went through an Irish phase where he was going to do everything "meself" but now he's moved on to talking about himself in the third person. He is a chatterbox with a lispy way of talking that's so cute (Jer likes to remind me it won't be so cute if it's still that way in 1st grade)! He has Jer hook, line, and sinker though. He knows all the words he shouldn't say...so he will tell you "we don't say stupid, dumb, or hate." If he gets really mad he will just proceed to say, "mom yours stupid." (You're is always yours.) That sends him straight to a timeout after which he is so loving and remorseful. He really is a good kid, but he has not a shy bone in his body and a will of iron. He will make crazy faces and perform on command and could probably be earning us some money if we wanted to market him! We're also pretty sure he's got braces is his future. His brothers compare his front teeth to Tow Maters. He's also a little smarty and already knows most of his letters and sounds and is into Cars everything right now. He loves "Yuke" and "Seffy" even when trashing their lego guys and eating their gum stash....again.
I'm lucky to share my life with these four crazy boys!
Jer is first even though he doesn't get much face time on the blog! He is the one that works his guts out to take care of our family while still being a great dad, fulfilling his church calling, being our handyman, etc. etc...the list goes on! I am so thankful to be married for 13 years now to my best friend who continues to crack me up and make me happy. He has a lot on his plate right now because all fall we did major yard projects and then we moved right into finishing our basement...that's a whole other post.
Alright, here goes everyone else in no particular order. Seth has got to be the sweetest (and just about the tallest) four-year-old out there. He is smart, funny, and kind. He loves preschool and is learning a ton. We are working on "reading lessons" together, and he has a great attitude and is picking it right up. He loves junk food although not ice cream or fries, but he will eat just about any fruit or veggie out there too. Whenever anyone talks about anything big right now he will ask if it's "from the sky to the ground." I'm not sure where he got that, but it's really cute when he says it. We are still working on his articulation, and he's improving a lot. He finally mastered the "th" at the end of his name, so he's no longer Seff! We are still working on it in the middle of a word like brother is still "brudder," but we're making progress. He sounds out everything he sees, and it has helped his speech a lot. He can be entertained for quite a while with some paper and a pencil just writing letters...so unlike his older brother who about had to be hog tied to get a pencil in his hand! He currently loves finding our elf daily and is always the first one to spot it.
Luke has been an amazing kid the last few months. It seems like he and Seth go in cycles in terms of fighting like crazy and then getting along great. We've been in a great cycle of brotherly love since about the beginning of November. There have been so few fights, and they play great together. Luke continues to do really well in school--his test scores are amazing, he can read so well, and his teacher loves him. He is having a great year. I can't keep this kid in books. He currently loves The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and every time I get him one he has it read in a day. He is such a witty kid that really gets stuff, and he keeps us entertained. There's no putting one over on him. He started piano lessons in September and although he grumbles a bit he's really picking it up. He wants to eventually play something "cool" like the guitar, but I told him he needs to get the basics from piano first. He had his first recital the other night and played The Snowman like a champ. He also signed up to play Jingle Bells at his school music party. I'm proud of him for being willing to go out on a limb a little...that's new for him. He was really nervous beforehand but so proud after! He also bore his testimony for the first time in November. He talked about it for at least a week before, then all morning, and then went right up there on his own. That is very unlike his personality, so I was so proud of him for choosing to do that and going for it. He still loves sports and playing with friends and just being a kid! He still plays outside almost everyday even though it's freezing and there's no new snow.
And then there's Ian. His personality is larger than life, and he keeps us all busy and happy. He really is irresistible despite the fact that he can be quite naughty at times. He's super loving and often tells us we're "so very nice." He went through an Irish phase where he was going to do everything "meself" but now he's moved on to talking about himself in the third person. He is a chatterbox with a lispy way of talking that's so cute (Jer likes to remind me it won't be so cute if it's still that way in 1st grade)! He has Jer hook, line, and sinker though. He knows all the words he shouldn't say...so he will tell you "we don't say stupid, dumb, or hate." If he gets really mad he will just proceed to say, "mom yours stupid." (You're is always yours.) That sends him straight to a timeout after which he is so loving and remorseful. He really is a good kid, but he has not a shy bone in his body and a will of iron. He will make crazy faces and perform on command and could probably be earning us some money if we wanted to market him! We're also pretty sure he's got braces is his future. His brothers compare his front teeth to Tow Maters. He's also a little smarty and already knows most of his letters and sounds and is into Cars everything right now. He loves "Yuke" and "Seffy" even when trashing their lego guys and eating their gum stash....again.
I'm lucky to share my life with these four crazy boys!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Belated Halloween
I guess it's better late than never to post some Halloween pics. The kids were so excited this year, and we are still eating the candy. I'm pretty sure I haven't moved a muscle without some sort of mini candy bar to power me for weeks. Ugh. We started with Trunk or Treat on Friday at the church, a very fun Halloween party at my mom's house on Sunday, and followed it up with school parties and trick or treating on Halloween night.
My mom went all out with her annual Halloween party for the kids. She puts lots of effort into this complete with cute games and a treasure hunt. They had so much fun!
Ian was a "scary shark" for Halloween. He was so stinkin cute!
The kids and their cute neighbor friends. Earlier in the day Seth had black makeup to complete his skeleton look, but he wanted to wash it off after preschool. When it was time to put it back on he didn't want anything beyond the white so his face reminded me of a mime or something! He also didn't want to wear the mask or gloves that came with his costume. Oh well, he chose skeleton and loved it.
Farms and Football
We headed out with Mandy and her boys to the fall farm festival at the Heritage Center. I think this is our third or fourth year in a row, and it's really fun. The big slide was back, but it wasn't nearly as fast as two years ago.
The boys had quite a bit of fun and were doing more rolling and wrestling than sliding anyway.
They were all filthy and covered in hay by the time we were done.
They also shot gourds from a catapult thing, climbed and jumped on hay, did a small maze, and we all got lost in the big corn maze.
This fall Luke also played flag football. His team was the Cardinals, and he had a really fun time. He was so excited to score a touchdown at his very first game. By the last game it was freezing. We missed watching Mountain Crest football this year with Troy graduated. Now Luke is busy cheering for his Steelers although Tebow may lure him back to being a Broncos fan like dad.
I swear it was like 20 degrees the night this was taken. We all had to defrost our feet for like 30 minutes when we got home!
This fall Luke also played flag football. His team was the Cardinals, and he had a really fun time. He was so excited to score a touchdown at his very first game. By the last game it was freezing. We missed watching Mountain Crest football this year with Troy graduated. Now Luke is busy cheering for his Steelers although Tebow may lure him back to being a Broncos fan like dad.
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