Last week Jonah's hair was driving me crazy! So in a moment of desperation I informed Brandon he was cutting Jonah's hair! What made me temporarily lose my mind? The heat? A lack of chocolate? Should I be taking a pregnancy test to see if it's an imbalance in my hormones? Now look at my beautiful boy WITHOUT his beautiful hair! AAHHHH!!! I feel like I'm holding somebody else's kid! He can't be my little Jonah! His hair is SO blond that it just blends in with his head! People ask me all the time, "Where did HE come from?" "Was he switched at the hospital?" Well, considering he was born in the CAR there weren't really any other babies around to switch him WITH! And, yes, my own father is blond-haired, blue-eyed, so it does run in the family. Anyway, back to my poor buzzed child, I keep telling myself that it'll grow back. His last haircut grew back REALLY fast, hence the desperate moment! And he STILL has such a darling little face. I'm just wondering how long it's going to take me to feel like he's my own kid again!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
What WAS I Thinking???
Last week Jonah's hair was driving me crazy! So in a moment of desperation I informed Brandon he was cutting Jonah's hair! What made me temporarily lose my mind? The heat? A lack of chocolate? Should I be taking a pregnancy test to see if it's an imbalance in my hormones? Now look at my beautiful boy WITHOUT his beautiful hair! AAHHHH!!! I feel like I'm holding somebody else's kid! He can't be my little Jonah! His hair is SO blond that it just blends in with his head! People ask me all the time, "Where did HE come from?" "Was he switched at the hospital?" Well, considering he was born in the CAR there weren't really any other babies around to switch him WITH! And, yes, my own father is blond-haired, blue-eyed, so it does run in the family. Anyway, back to my poor buzzed child, I keep telling myself that it'll grow back. His last haircut grew back REALLY fast, hence the desperate moment! And he STILL has such a darling little face. I'm just wondering how long it's going to take me to feel like he's my own kid again!
More Fun Friday's
Last week for "Fun Friday" we went miniature golfing! Boy, was it hot! I, for one, was certainly glad we went in the morning and that it only lasted 1 1/2 hours! Jonah was a good sport in the stroller . . . most of the time! The cousins all had fun being together and cheering on each other. About half way through Sarah became more interested in the castles she was hitting the balls into rather than the actual golfing, so she just walked up and dropped her ball in the castle, and then climbed all over the castles. That fine with me! It made things move faster! We sure LOVE "Fun Friday's!"
Sarah couldn't quite get the grip down. One of the struggles of being left-handed, I guess.
Jacob is ready to hit the ball!
Sarah couldn't quite get the grip down. One of the struggles of being left-handed, I guess.
Jacob is ready to hit the ball!Swimming Lessons
Jacob and Sarah both took swimming lessons this summer from Nanny's neighbor! Luckily some of their cousins signed up as well. It was so fun for them to have friends in their classes . . . and fun for their mommies to have opportunities for carpooling! Jacob is our "negotiator!" He lost no time that 1st lesson trying to negotiate and stall his way out of going under water! Luckily Whit, the swimming instructor, knows Jacob well enough after 2 previous years of lessons that he didn't hardly give Jacob the time of day. He just dunked him under the water mid-sentence and moved on to the next kid!
This was Sarah's 1st round of lessons. Even though she has her anxieties about the water, she's a little tougher than Jacob and didn't cry or complain nearly as much. They both had a great experience this year and made great strides in their swimming! Now if their mother would just swallow her pride, pull on her own swimsuit, and take her children swimming so they can get a little practice every now and then!
Sarah, Eli and Samuel were all happy to get suckers after their last lesson!
It's Sarah's turn to go under!
Jacob LOVED wearing goggles at play time. Too bad he doesn't stay under the water long enough to actually USE them for their intended purpose!
Jacob and Emma made great improvements this year in their swimming! Great job, kids!
This was Sarah's 1st round of lessons. Even though she has her anxieties about the water, she's a little tougher than Jacob and didn't cry or complain nearly as much. They both had a great experience this year and made great strides in their swimming! Now if their mother would just swallow her pride, pull on her own swimsuit, and take her children swimming so they can get a little practice every now and then!
Sarah, Eli and Samuel were all happy to get suckers after their last lesson!
It's Sarah's turn to go under!
Jacob LOVED wearing goggles at play time. Too bad he doesn't stay under the water long enough to actually USE them for their intended purpose!
Jacob and Emma made great improvements this year in their swimming! Great job, kids!Friday, July 17, 2009
Extended Family Reunion
Last weekend we drove up to Star Valley, WY for an extended family reunion with my mother's family. My parents flew out for the event, and it was great to spend some time with them! Star Valley was a new place for us to visit, and it was BEAUTIFUL! Rolling green hills and lush mountains surrounded us! The only Wyoming I've ever seen is on I-80 and it's depressing! As soon as we arrived we ate lunch. Then Brandon took Jacob and Sarah tubing down the Salt River! Jacob was thrilled when they saw a moose in the river (remember his obsession with antler-bearing animals? he couldn't stop talking about it). Friday night we had dinner and then headed to the community pool. The kids had a blast and were completely eaten by mosquitoes! I tried to put bug repellent on them, but didn't want to spray their little faces with deet. Poor Jacob got 4 HUGE bites on his forehead! The kids LOVED sleeping in the tent, and after roasting a few marshmallows fell asleep fast! Brandon and I aren't huge campers, but we had a great time and decided we should probably try to do a little more camping and hiking so our kids aren't wimps by the time they hit scouts and girls' camp!
Here's our family in front of our tent.
Brandon tried to get Jonah to help him get the air out of our air mattress, but Jonah didn't think it was too much fun!
We went on a beautiful hike to see a natural spring coming straight out of the rock. It was fascinating! The kids chased butterflies, saw a few chipmunks, and longed for sightings of deer (not this time . . . bummer)!
Uncle Berkeley and Aunt BethAnn made an amazing crepe breakfast! Uncle Berkeley even dressed the part of chef for their meal!
We had a wonderful time visiting and playing with more cousins! We sure felt the absence of Grandma this reunion! We miss her so much but know that her spirit is with us!
Here's our family in front of our tent.
Brandon tried to get Jonah to help him get the air out of our air mattress, but Jonah didn't think it was too much fun!
We went on a beautiful hike to see a natural spring coming straight out of the rock. It was fascinating! The kids chased butterflies, saw a few chipmunks, and longed for sightings of deer (not this time . . . bummer)!
Uncle Berkeley and Aunt BethAnn made an amazing crepe breakfast! Uncle Berkeley even dressed the part of chef for their meal!We had a wonderful time visiting and playing with more cousins! We sure felt the absence of Grandma this reunion! We miss her so much but know that her spirit is with us!
4th of July
We had a wonderful 4th of July with lots of traditional family activities. We started off the day early with my 10K race. I ran it with my friend Kyra! I was a little worried about the heat, but luckily it was THE most mild 4th of July EVER. The sky was overcast the whole morning. It was PERFECT for a race!
Amanda and Kyra sweaty after the race (and NO, I'm not as sweaty as I look, I dumped water on myself at one of the water stops!)
My wonderful, darling family came to cheer me on! Brandon got the "Daddy/Husband of the Year" award for getting all 3 children fed, dressed, and to the race early in the morning all by himself!
A favorite tradition is riding in Papa's restored Model A for our small town parade. They crammed a lot of kids in there this year! It was like a circus clown car watching them all get out with their matching flag shirts on! Nanny bought 16 LARGE bags of candy for the kids to throw to the spectators! I wonder how much of that candy actually made it out of the car! :)
Later that day we had a barbecue at Shauna's home. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins. Brandon and I got so exhausted chasing Jonah around we decided to just keep giving him food so we could relax and visit. One of my pet peeves is filthy children covered in food (I'm always wiping my kids off). But out of desperation we let Jonah have at it while we had a great time visiting. Here's Jonah starting off with Cheetos!
And he finished off with a Creamie (notice I chose banana flavor simply because of its color, chocolate and strawberry were not options). Boy, did Jonah think life was great! It was a fabulous day! We can't wait for the 24th of July next! In Utah it's like having 2 4th's of July! Yeah!!!
Amanda and Kyra sweaty after the race (and NO, I'm not as sweaty as I look, I dumped water on myself at one of the water stops!)
My wonderful, darling family came to cheer me on! Brandon got the "Daddy/Husband of the Year" award for getting all 3 children fed, dressed, and to the race early in the morning all by himself!
A favorite tradition is riding in Papa's restored Model A for our small town parade. They crammed a lot of kids in there this year! It was like a circus clown car watching them all get out with their matching flag shirts on! Nanny bought 16 LARGE bags of candy for the kids to throw to the spectators! I wonder how much of that candy actually made it out of the car! :)
Later that day we had a barbecue at Shauna's home. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins. Brandon and I got so exhausted chasing Jonah around we decided to just keep giving him food so we could relax and visit. One of my pet peeves is filthy children covered in food (I'm always wiping my kids off). But out of desperation we let Jonah have at it while we had a great time visiting. Here's Jonah starting off with Cheetos!
And he finished off with a Creamie (notice I chose banana flavor simply because of its color, chocolate and strawberry were not options). Boy, did Jonah think life was great! It was a fabulous day! We can't wait for the 24th of July next! In Utah it's like having 2 4th's of July! Yeah!!!Fish Farm
My wonderful sister-in-law, Shauna, has organized "Fun Friday's" for us this summer to do with the kids! Between the 5 of us mom's there are 18 children! The kids look forward to Friday's every week! We spent one morning on a great trail with a variety of strollers, scooters, bikes, and roller blades. The next week we visited a nearby park to feed the ducks, play on the playground, and have a picnic. We happened upon a big, nasty RAT at the duck pond which was the hit of the day (poor ducks)!
While the dad's were off work for the 4th of July weekend we went to a fish farm. The kids each get a stick with a string and hook on it, you sprinkle in a little fish food, and the trout practically jump onto your hook. We let the kids each catch 2 fish. Then after the poor girls in the shop (what an awful job) gut, clean, and fillet the fish you take them home to cook! While we were waiting for our fish to be cleaned, we ate a picnic lunch in the shade of some trees. It was so much fun! And the fish were yummy for dinner that night too!
Sarah and Mommy caught the biggest fish of the day!
Jacob is waiting for a fish to jump on his hook. Can you see how the water is bubbling with fish? It's amazing!
Daddy and Jacob making one of their catches!
While the dad's were off work for the 4th of July weekend we went to a fish farm. The kids each get a stick with a string and hook on it, you sprinkle in a little fish food, and the trout practically jump onto your hook. We let the kids each catch 2 fish. Then after the poor girls in the shop (what an awful job) gut, clean, and fillet the fish you take them home to cook! While we were waiting for our fish to be cleaned, we ate a picnic lunch in the shade of some trees. It was so much fun! And the fish were yummy for dinner that night too!
Sarah and Mommy caught the biggest fish of the day!
Jacob is waiting for a fish to jump on his hook. Can you see how the water is bubbling with fish? It's amazing!
Daddy and Jacob making one of their catches!Jacob's New Bike
As I mentioned earlier we gave Jacob an early birthday present this summer of a new bigger bike! He was thrilled, to say the least! It's always nice when the gift you give your kids is a big hit! We'll see if it's still a big hit when his birthday finally rolls around!
Jacob on his new bike!
Poor little Sarah gets Jacob's old bike which was already a hand-me-down from a cousin. She may be doomed for a life full of boy hand-me-down's. But for right now she's not complaining! She's ecstatic about her "new" bike!
Jacob on his new bike!
Poor little Sarah gets Jacob's old bike which was already a hand-me-down from a cousin. She may be doomed for a life full of boy hand-me-down's. But for right now she's not complaining! She's ecstatic about her "new" bike!Thursday, July 16, 2009
Family Reunion
Every June we spend 4 days and 3 nights in a fabulous cabin for Brandon's family's reunion! The cabin is 7000 square feet with a pool table, ping pong, Foosball, movie theater, swing set, basketball, hot tub, grill, and lots of rooms, beds, and space for everyone! We look forward to this every year! It's getting so fun with the kids because they're old enough now they just play with cousins all day long with very little adult supervision:). Brandon and I did, however, spend a lot of time chasing Jonah around this year trying to keep him from falling down the stairs, playing in toilets, and keeping chocking hazards out of his mouth! When Jonah was napping we got to play games, play with the kids, and do enough visiting to solve the worlds' problems. Each family is in charge of 2 meals, and all of the food was amazing! And Nanny and Papa provide enough yummy snacks to keep everyone sugared up the entire stay!
Sarah, Jonah and Jacob doing a little hot tubbing with Daddy and their cousins!
Brandon had the great idea (which I have to admit I was against at first, but am happy to be wrong) to make marshmallow guns with all the kids. He and Brett went to the local hardware store, bought lots of PVC pipe and marshmallows, and cut all the pipe up. I was expecting the worse as they instructed 11 young children how to assemble their own guns, but they actually did a wonderful job with all 11 guns getting assembled perfectly! Anyone who didn't have a gun grabbed scrap PVC pipe pieces to shoot marshmallows out of and we had a fantastic marshmallow war with "kids" of all ages! Disgustingly enough the marshmallows were used and reused many times. Little Jonah and Anne thought they'd hit the jack-pot with a plethora of treats all over the ground for their own consumption! Eww! Here's Nanny on the hunt!
All the cousins with their marshmallow guns!
Jacob aiming right for me! AAHHH!!!
Kimber and I (well, mostly Kimber) decided to expand the family's horizons beyond the realms of band and music by organizing a family track meet at the nearby high school in town. We organized the families into 2 teams and gave them a colored bandanna with which to designate themselves. We had 12 events planned, but ended the meet after 10. Everyone was great to participate. Here are the men attempting to stretch. You should have seen them trying to get their legs up on that bar! Let's just say we had some very sore adults the next day :)!
Papa killed everyone at push-ups since his daily morning ritual includes 50+ push-ups! Go Papa!!!
Naomi, Jonah and Anne were the participants for the 25 meter Toddler Dash. You don't see Naomi in this picture because she was at the finish line. Jonah and Anne didn't quite get the concept and got a little side-tracked. But with a little guidance they were able to finish the race!
Sarah doing the long jump!
Jacob doing the long jump!
Jonah had the time of his life with so much open space to just walk around on without always being told "NO!" Sarah had the time of her life pounding down the snacks with very little adult supervision!
Here's the whole group on the front steps of the cabin (next year we need a tripod)! It sure was fun! We can't wait for next year!!!
Sarah, Jonah and Jacob doing a little hot tubbing with Daddy and their cousins!
Brandon had the great idea (which I have to admit I was against at first, but am happy to be wrong) to make marshmallow guns with all the kids. He and Brett went to the local hardware store, bought lots of PVC pipe and marshmallows, and cut all the pipe up. I was expecting the worse as they instructed 11 young children how to assemble their own guns, but they actually did a wonderful job with all 11 guns getting assembled perfectly! Anyone who didn't have a gun grabbed scrap PVC pipe pieces to shoot marshmallows out of and we had a fantastic marshmallow war with "kids" of all ages! Disgustingly enough the marshmallows were used and reused many times. Little Jonah and Anne thought they'd hit the jack-pot with a plethora of treats all over the ground for their own consumption! Eww! Here's Nanny on the hunt!
All the cousins with their marshmallow guns!
Jacob aiming right for me! AAHHH!!!
Kimber and I (well, mostly Kimber) decided to expand the family's horizons beyond the realms of band and music by organizing a family track meet at the nearby high school in town. We organized the families into 2 teams and gave them a colored bandanna with which to designate themselves. We had 12 events planned, but ended the meet after 10. Everyone was great to participate. Here are the men attempting to stretch. You should have seen them trying to get their legs up on that bar! Let's just say we had some very sore adults the next day :)!
Papa killed everyone at push-ups since his daily morning ritual includes 50+ push-ups! Go Papa!!!
Naomi, Jonah and Anne were the participants for the 25 meter Toddler Dash. You don't see Naomi in this picture because she was at the finish line. Jonah and Anne didn't quite get the concept and got a little side-tracked. But with a little guidance they were able to finish the race!
Sarah doing the long jump!
Jacob doing the long jump!
Jonah had the time of his life with so much open space to just walk around on without always being told "NO!" Sarah had the time of her life pounding down the snacks with very little adult supervision!
Here's the whole group on the front steps of the cabin (next year we need a tripod)! It sure was fun! We can't wait for next year!!!Sunday, July 5, 2009
Lagoon Tradition
For the past 3 years we anxiously await Stake Lagoon Day where we get free passes and 2 free rides at Lagoon! Then Kimber and I pack up the kids, and beg our husbands to come along to help us! Brandon and Brett seem to have a difficult time tearing themselves away from the office, seeing as they are such important engineers and all. So this year after waiting unsuccessfully for our dads, Kimber and I set out in the rain with our fists full of free passes to tackle Lagoon on our own! We didn't get to go on quite as many rides or get quite as good pictures as we usually do, now that there are 6 kids between the 2 of us, but we had a great time. And our dads pulled through by having a pizza dinner all ready for us when we got back!
Samuel (on the edge), Jacob & Emma on the carousel!
Jonah wasn't such a huge fan of the carousel! But with only 1 parent there, he had no choice!
Emma, Jacob, Sarah & Samuel waiting for the train ride in the rain!
Jonah waiting for the train ride! It's hard being a little guy with so many things to touch and explore, and a mean ol' mom who keeps ruining your fun!
Jacob, Sarah, Mom & Jonah on the train ride to see the animals! The biggest hit was definitely seeing the elk family, as Jacob is still obsessed with deer and all other antler-bearing animals!
Samuel (on the edge), Jacob & Emma on the carousel!
Jonah wasn't such a huge fan of the carousel! But with only 1 parent there, he had no choice!
Emma, Jacob, Sarah & Samuel waiting for the train ride in the rain!
Jonah waiting for the train ride! It's hard being a little guy with so many things to touch and explore, and a mean ol' mom who keeps ruining your fun!
Jacob, Sarah, Mom & Jonah on the train ride to see the animals! The biggest hit was definitely seeing the elk family, as Jacob is still obsessed with deer and all other antler-bearing animals!No More Training Wheels!!!
One day in June Jacob was begging me to take off his training wheels. He'd been asking for several months, but Brandon had been pretty busy. So I just decided to take them off in the afternoon and let Brandon teach Jacob when he got home from work. I went inside to make lunch and not even 3 minutes later Jacob was out there riding around on his bike like he'd been riding for years! I was amazed, and worriedly called Brandon to see if I had ruined a father/son memory he had been anticipating! Luckily, Brandon was forgiving and laid-back enough that it wasn't big deal! I swear those 2-wheel scooters are the BEST training for bike riding! They already know how to balance before they even loose their training wheels!
And he's off!!!
Do you think he might need a bigger bike, and maybe a little more air in that back tire? Poor kid! We did end up getting him a bigger bike for an early birthday present which he loves and thanks us for almost daily.
And he's off!!!
Do you think he might need a bigger bike, and maybe a little more air in that back tire? Poor kid! We did end up getting him a bigger bike for an early birthday present which he loves and thanks us for almost daily.Preschool Graduation
At the end of May Jacob "graduated" from preschool. Honestly, it sounds a little ridiculous to me to GRADUATE from PRESCHOOL. I mean, come on, what have they REALLY accomplished at 4 and 5 years old? Being cute, I guess. But stick me in a munchkin size chair and give me a camera and I'm just as big a sucker as any other parent for my own kid's adorable performance! Jacob had a fabulous year with Ms. Jen. I had quite a few concerns about this new preschool, but have to say I was very pleasantly surprised with how much he learned.
Jacob on Graduation Day with his cap showing off some of his work!
THE Program! So cute! Jacob's big solo part was pretending to chop off a turkey's head who was 1 of his classmates. Nice . . .
Jacob on Graduation Day with his cap showing off some of his work!
THE Program! So cute! Jacob's big solo part was pretending to chop off a turkey's head who was 1 of his classmates. Nice . . .Fathers & Sons Campout
I have been completely neglectful of my blog lately! I guess I got into a reading streak that required less effort than journaling! And now I have my work cut out for me in order to catch up on 2 months worth of family events!
In May Brandon took Jacob to our ward's Fathers and Sons Campout. Jacob anxiously anticipated this for WEEKS! Brett and Samuel decided to join them for double the fun!
Sarah was, of course, heartbroken at not being allowed to go simply because of her gender. So we made a girls' night of it by going to the drug store to pick out her 1st nail polish: pink with sparkles! Then we made her favorite dinner of hot dogs, painted nails while watching the Tinkerbell movie, and ate treats! I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of polish on little girls. I blame my own mom, I guess, who wouldn't let my sisters and me use polish for years. But in order to give Sarah SOME reason to enjoy her young girlhood I had to "pull out the big guns!" She was so adorable and must have thanked me at least a hundred times for painting her nails! We had a great time as girls and I look forward to many years ahead of mother/daughter times similar to this one!
Jacob, Brandon, Samuel & Brett at the Fathers & Sons Campout
(I guess Brandon and Brett were going for the twiner look! And they wonder why people get them confused so easily . . . hmmm!)
Samuel is helping to set up the tent!
Hurray for camping with dads!!!
In May Brandon took Jacob to our ward's Fathers and Sons Campout. Jacob anxiously anticipated this for WEEKS! Brett and Samuel decided to join them for double the fun!
Sarah was, of course, heartbroken at not being allowed to go simply because of her gender. So we made a girls' night of it by going to the drug store to pick out her 1st nail polish: pink with sparkles! Then we made her favorite dinner of hot dogs, painted nails while watching the Tinkerbell movie, and ate treats! I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of polish on little girls. I blame my own mom, I guess, who wouldn't let my sisters and me use polish for years. But in order to give Sarah SOME reason to enjoy her young girlhood I had to "pull out the big guns!" She was so adorable and must have thanked me at least a hundred times for painting her nails! We had a great time as girls and I look forward to many years ahead of mother/daughter times similar to this one!
Jacob, Brandon, Samuel & Brett at the Fathers & Sons Campout(I guess Brandon and Brett were going for the twiner look! And they wonder why people get them confused so easily . . . hmmm!)
Samuel is helping to set up the tent!
Hurray for camping with dads!!!
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