Crazy Hair Day!

Today was Crazy Hair Day at school. My kids love this day. They have been talking about it for days. I have tried to talk them into a few of my ideas, but all they want are Mohawks. So Mohawks it is.

Even with their crazy hair, I think these are two cute little boys.

Joe's 7th Birthday

Joe's 7th birthday landed on a Sunday, so we started the celebrations by having Ryan's parents over for dinner. Grandma brought the cake!

A few months ago when I asked Joe what he wanted for his birthday there were two things on is list. Lego's and a video camera to make Lego videos. I am very interested to see what kind of videos we get. (I did set a few rules like no underwear and things like that.) He got filming right away.

The following Tuesday, Joe had a friend party. As I said in a previous post we spent a lot of time at Classic this summer, and all summer Joe asked if he could have his party there. The more I looked into it the better it sounded to me too. Having 6 and 7 year old boys running around the house with the Christmas decorations up is very exciting, but not having to worry about it was even better.

The kids had a blast running around with all of their friends.

The groups two favorite things to do were Laser tag,

and Blaster Ball.

Two games where you run around and shoot guns. It was a boys birthday party dream.

One thing that intrigued Joe about birthday parties this summer was when the birthday kid got to go in the money tube. They stick the kid in a tube with crumpled paper money. Then they blow air into it and the birthday child has to try to catch as much as he can.

Joe did really well. He caught 35. So he got 35 bonus tickets to spend at the prize counter.

The party was a great success and everyone had a fun time. It was a perfect way to celebrate Joe turning 7.

Happy Birthday Joe!



And now for what you have all been wondering........

Joe's first video.

Catching a Moment

Did you ever see the Movie "The Truman Show" starring Jim Carrey? A movie about a person who had cameras filming his entire life. They never missed anything. Everything he ever did or said was captured forever.

Sometimes I wish there was a camera following my kids around so I could capture and remember not just the big things, but sometimes the small things they do and say. I wouldn't want it broadcast to the entire world. I would just want it for my own viewing and enjoyment, and maybe to share some of the funny, cute or sweet things with friends and family. But because it would not be mentally healthy for my kids to be under constant video surveillance I just have to be grateful for the moments I do witness and write down a few so I can remember them a year from now.

Today I over heard a conversation where I wish the Camera or even the tape recorder was rolling. I over heard it happening from the other room and I couldn't help laugh a little.

This morning while the kids were getting ready for school Valerie found an unsharpened pencil from Joe's backpack. When Joe saw her with it the conversation between Joe and Josh went like this.....................

( all said very seriously and a little panicked.)

Joe : Oh no Josh! Hurry and get that from her.

Josh: No Val!

Joe: Josh did she bite it because if she eats it she will die. That is poison.

Josh: I don't think she bit it. It doesn't feel wet?

Joe: No Josh this is the poisonous part, but it is not wet so she didn't eat it. That is lucky.

Josh: Yeah, she won't die.

I am sure that there are many more things that happen, and conversations had, that I will never know about, but I am grateful for the ones I do see and hear.

What's So Important About The Middle?

At our counter we have three stools. For over a year now every time we have a meal where the kids sit at the counter there is a fight between the boys over who gets the middle seat. They start calling for it as they run to the kitchen. Then when one of them gets to it and sits on it the other one starts complaining and sometimes even crying.

There have been times when Josh has been so distraught about not getting the middle seat that he has not been able to eat his dinner. I think some of this is because if Josh gets hungry he becomes unreasonable until food touches his lips, but that is another post.

I keep hoping that they will outgrow this stage, but when summer started it seemed to get worse. So I started a system. Breakfast is Emily, Lunch is Josh and dinner is Joe. (Emily was included too because the boys wanted it to be fair.)

Things were going really well until one morning Emily wanted to make pancakes. Since she was busy cooking Josh saw an opportunity and hopped onto the middle stool when it was not his turn. This of course did not sit well with Joe, because it was Emily's turn!

After we got everyone calmed down and in their appropriate seats, we asked the boys WHY the middle was so important. They both said at the same time,

"IT'S FIRST PLACE!"

What do you say to that?

Maybe I should just go buy another stool. We will need one soon anyway.

But ......................

I am thinking I can use this to my advantage. Like, maybe we will start having cleaning contests to see who gets to be in first place from now on. I am up for suggestions.

Grandma Saves Spring Break

The first day of Spring break it looked and felt like the middle of January outside. When we watched the weather reports the outlook was not good. I was tempted to write a letter to the school board and demanding a redo, because all of the fun outside activities that are supposed to happen on spring break were suddenly not an option. Even the Easter Egg hunt that is planned for tomorrow will probably have to be done indoors.



At our house we are done being indoors. We want to go on bike rides, have picnics at the park, and just run around outside. We even tentatively planned a zoo trip for Spring Break.

Thursday the kids and I ended up going to see a movie (How to Train Your Dragon). The kids loved it, and it was nice to get out of the house. The kids built a fort in the playroom, and had a sleep over in it, but cabin fever was still running high in the house. We needed to GET OUT.


Friday the sun was kind of out....... at least there was no snow falling from the sky........... but it was still cold and very windy. (Not very fun for a baby) So it looked like another day of indoor activities. Then Grandma called and wanted to take the kids out for some fun. I knew she understood how desperate we were for real entertainment, because she even offered to go to Chuck-E-Cheese. We decided to go try Jungle Jims. I had never been there, but my friends had told me they like it.

The kids had tons of fun. Valerie just loved being there and watching the other kids run around and play. When they road the rides and screamed and laughed, she screamed and laughed.
I tried taking her on the Merry-Go-Round. She was not sure she wanted to sit on the horse, but once it started going she laughed and had fun. As soon as it stopped, she started crying again. After all of that excitement, she took a nap while the other kids continued playing.







The kids liked the rides. This was Emily's favorite one, because it went really fast. It was my favorite ride to watch because the look on Josh's face told you exactly what he thought. When the ride started his eyes got as big as quarters. Then he smiled a little. Then he got a look on his face that I couldn't tell if it meant he was scared, squished, board, or going to throw up. His eyes were still as big as quarters and his little chubby cheeks were shaking.

I also thought it was pretty funny when Emily tried to cram herself in the jeep ride. She was probably a little old for Jungle Jims, but she was a good sport and had fun.

We stayed for about 3 hours and the kids left happy. We even got a "This is the best day ever" out of Joe. Thanks Grandma for spicing up our snowy Spring Break!

Just Like Dad

The boys have been waiting all winter to use their yellow shovels. Unfortunately for them it has been a very mild winter and there has not been much snow to shovel. (Ryan has not been sad at all that he has only had to shovel snow a couple of times this year.)

Friday morning we woke up to several inches of snow on the ground. As soon as the boys noticed their dad outside shoveling, they grabbed their coats, and headed out to help.

The boys love doing things with their dad, and try to be just like him.
They said that they did not need gloves, because dad wasn't wearing any.

Ryan assigned them a section of the driveway and they went to work.

When Ryan started down the sidewalk they followed. Cleaning up the snow dad left behind. They had a good time, and Ryan was happy to have the help.

Christmas Train

It is starting to look and sound a lot like Christmas at our house.

We decorated for Christmas the day after Joseph's birthday.
The kids all have ornaments of their own and love finding the right spot for them. Josh has moved his quite a few times since and has even taken one or two off the tree to show people when they stop by.

Valerie did not really understand what was happening, so she just supervised. She did act a little worried when we moved the furniture around.

I love getting out all of the decorations and remembering where we got them. Many of our ornaments have some special memory that goes with them.

Three years ago Ryan went to Home Depot to buy Christmas lights, and came home with not only lights, but a Christmas train too. Josh was just under two and Joe had just turned four. When Ryan walked in with the train you could see the excitement in both of their faces. Suddenly Josh came running forward and yelled, "That's Mine." as he pushed Joseph out of the way.

Towards the end of October, Josh announced that he no longer liked trains. He said this because Joe told him he no longer liked trains. I knew this was not true, because when we get out the Geo-Trax Josh will play all day, and he about died with excitement when we got to ride on the Polar Express.

As we started getting out the decorations I was not surprised that even before he saw the train Josh started talking about it.

"When are we going to get out the train? I get to be the one who controls the train. When are we going to set up the train?"
For a little boy who does not like trains, he has sure spent a lot of time playing with our Christmas train. The first day he barley left the tree. Now he is busy with other things, but at least once a day I hear the train turn on and find Josh sitting right next to it. I even catch Joe playing with it every now and then.

I don't know if little boys ever really stop liking trains.

Fall Fun

Remember when you were young and the thought of raking leaves and jumping in them sounded like fun. You didn't think about what could be living in the leaves, or how dirty they might be. You just loved the feel of the leaves crunching as you landed in a big pile of them.

This is the one time of year I don't have to ask my kids to help. They love raking the leaves, jumping in them, throwing them up in the air around them, and even burying themselves in them.

When the playing is all done they even like helping to put them in the bags.

I am sure we will get to have a few more days of play, because while our trees have lost most of their leaves the neighbors big cottonwood trees are just starting to change color.

Once There Was A Snowman

We got our first real snow storm of the season, and it was perfect for snowman building. The boys worked hard rolling up the pieces. We raided my scrapbooking supplies to make a face and found a few sticks in the back yard for arms.



When we got him all put together, we found he was just the right size and looked like one of the gang. Unfortunately the weather warmed up fast, and by the time Emily got home from school our snowman had already fallen over. I am not sure if it did it on it's own or with some help from kids walking by.

Either way It was fun while it lasted.

New Shoes

When we took the boys shopping for new shoes it took them one second to find the shoes they liked. Grandma and I tried to talk them into "quieter shoes," but they would not even look at them.


They don't make noise but lights flash all over when they walk. Josh found some police car shoes, and Joe found some race car shoes. I think it is great the shoe company is getting a little more creative with the lights.

I have to admit that these shoes are pretty cool and I probably wouldn't have looked at any other shoes either. Pictures didn't do the lights justice so we had to take videos for the full effect.

Now the boys love to have races in the dark. Which usually end up with the police car chasing the race car.

An Imagination and a Box

Two imaginative boys

A peach box

A pair of scissors

a roll of Duct Tape

and a bag of markers

equals...........

A cool airplane and hours of fun.

(Walking together took a little bit of practice.)

Don't worry.........

The peaches were also put to good use.

FRESH PEACH PIE

16 small graham squares
1 tsp. flour
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix and line 10 in. pie plate with 3/4 of the mixture

FILLING:
2-3 c. fresh peaches
3/4 c. sugar
1 pkg. unflavored gelatin
1/4 c. cold water
1/2 c. hot water
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 pint whipping cream

Add sugar to peaches (set aside). Mix gelatin and cold water. Let stand until quite hard. Add hot water to gelatin. Add peaches, and lemon juice. Let stand until it begins to set. Whip cream and add to mixture. Pour into crust and sprinkle with remaining crust mixture. Refrigerate until set.

A short outing

Last spring when my parents were visiting we went to the aquarium by our house. When we got there we found out that a year pass was only $4 more than a single visit pass. So my dad bought the kids an I a year pass.


Yesterday Emily was playing with a friend and the boys were bored and needed some entertainment. So I put Valerie down for a nap and left her home with Ryan while the boys and I went for a quick visit to the aquarium.


The boys love the Jelly fish and the sharks, but their favorite area is the Journey to South America exhibit.

They love to see the crocodiles, frogs, snakes and spiders.

This time they had a few creatures from south America that the kids could touch. One was a Common Boa. Joe worked up the courage to touch it but.........

Josh preferred to look at it when it was safely in it's cage.

There was also a cockroach that Joe got to pet. Josh and I wanted nothing to do with that.
One thing I noticed on our little outing is how much Josh is like my dad when we go places like this. As soon as he sees what is in the cage he moves on to the next thing. There is no stopping and watching the creature. (My dad could do the whole zoo in 30 minutes when we were kids)

We only had a little bit of time because I had to be home when the baby woke up, but I didn't have to worry. Even when we stopped to pet the snake and watch a bird do tricks and talk, Josh was wanting to move. He even started saying to Joe and I "Let's move on!" It made me laugh.

It was a fun little outing with the boys.

Keeping Cool

The weather has heated up the last couple of weeks and we are starting to get days where the temperature hits triple digits. This is when I am glad we have a yard again and that I bought a pool last April, even though there was still snow on the ground. This way even with a new baby the kids are able to go outside, burn off some energy, and have fun, while cooling off.

Me and My Shadow

The boys and I took a trip to the Gateway yesterday. After a yummy lunch with dad and Grandpa, we walked up to the fountain. As the boys headed into the water, I noticed that Josh was not going to do anything without Joe and was happy to follow his lead.

Wherever Joe went Josh followed

When Joe turned Josh turned.

When Joe stopped to play in the water so did Josh.

Sometimes Josh wasn't quick enough and got left behind in the spray.

By the end Joe was brave enough to get in the spray himself, and Josh was right on his heals.

I love how Josh looks up to his older brother so much. I also love that Joseph is happy to have Josh follow him around. I couldn't help wonder yesterday, as I watched the two of them, how much longer the shadow will be tolerated. Will there come a time when Joe wont like having his little brother on his heals all the time? Will Josh's Independence take over one day and he will no longer want to be like Joe? Or will this friendship stay like this?........ Two little friends happy to be by each others side.