Keeping Up With the Joneses

Family Fun Night

2012-02-05T19:42:00.002-07:00

We had a very busy week last week and by the time Friday rolled around we were itching for some fun family time. So, we herded the boys into the car and drove down the road to BYU's bowling alley. The kids love bowling and it was a great activity. They have the bumpers for the alley and these great things kids just position and roll the ball down. And. . .I beat Marshall! True, the bumpers helped me a lot while Marshall's ball never touched them, but it is still a win!

Marshall helping Mason

Myles bowling.

Max had a great time.

After bowling we wanted ice cream, but figured the creamery would be super busy on a Friday night. So instead we just went upstairs in the Wilkinson Center to the food court for our ice cream fix. Mason was hilarious watching a couple near us studying and kept saying that he hoped they would get married. We tried to get him to go tell them that, but he was too shy. But as soon as we got to the car he said a prayer that they would realize that they should marry each other. I wish that couple could know that there is a very sincere 6 year old out there praying for them.

Sledding

2012-02-05T19:35:00.002-07:00

Last weekend there was just barely enough snow to go sledding with our friends the Thompsons/Cattanis. I work with their mom and last summer we shared a nanny at our house. Our boys adore their girls and especially their son.

Marshall sledding

Myles wouldn't go at all for the first hour and then we finally bribed him to go by saying if he tried it once he could play his DS the rest of the day. He loved it and went about 5 more times before we made him go home. . .where he promptly forgot about the promise.

Max on the other hand, had no fear. I think this was partly due to his best buddy Summer being with him. He just adores Summer and she adores him.

Once There Was A Snowman. . .Finally!

2012-01-25T11:26:00.001-07:00

The kids have been waiting no-so-patiently for enough snow to build a snowman and go sledding. Finally last night Mason got out with some neighborhood friends and built a little snowman. Yay for great friends and neighbors!

Myles the Stinker

2012-01-23T11:23:00.003-07:00

Can I just say how much I love Myles? And how much he DRIVES ME NUTS sometimes? The kid has more energy than I can ever imagine having, and I don't think I've ever seen him sit completely still. Sunday Marshall was out of town and I was on my own for church. I was substituting doing the music in Primary, Mason was giving a talk, and Myles was saying the prayer. And the thing I was most worried about was Myles' prayer. I don't think I've ever heard him say a prayer that hasn't included something very unorthodox like "please bless that Mason's head with explode" or "please bless that Max's eyes will fall out." He adores his brothers, but knows just how to make them upset. So we survived getting everyone ready for church, getting the primary music set up, and we even (mostly) survived Sacrament meeting with just me and the three boys (though the people sitting in front and behind us might wonder). But then we walk into Primary and Myles walks right up to his Sunbeam teacher from last year and stomps on her foot and punches her and then just keeps going and sits in his chair! She ran right over to me and started lecturing me on how to discipline my child and how terrible he is, which irritated me, but I had to get going with the music as she stared me down the rest of Primary. NOT FUN! Then as I was doing singing time Myles got furious that I wasn't picking him and ran up and started taking his turn anyway. It is pretty hard to keep 50-plus 3-7 year olds calm and entertained while also trying to keep your own son from destroying your posters and game. Anyway, we barely survived church and when we got home I sat down with Myles to discuss his "bad choices". We talked about what he could do to make it right and on his own he came up with writing a note to his teacher. He told me to write "Today I hurt your feelings. I'm sorry. I will try harder to make good choices." Then on his own note to her, he wrote "I'm sorry. I secretly love you". When I asked him about the "secretly love you" part he said that he loves her but doesn't want her to know so he acts like he hates her. The kid can talk his way out of anything. Anyway, I love that the Primary theme this year is "Choose the Right" because that is going to become our family theme as well and I can tell I am going to need to drill it into Myles.

I think I liked his behavior in Primary better last week:

Myles sleeping in Primary

Having Fun

2012-01-13T13:23:00.001-07:00

I was just cleaning off the pictures on my phone and wanted to post these recent pics.

It took 2 weeks, but we finally got Myles to play with Christmas presents other than his DS. He loves the playdough grandma gave him!

But truthfully, this is what he would rather be doing. Just so you don't think I'm terrible, I definitely limit his time with video games. But I love these two playing together (but separately). They are so funny to listen to. They are polite to one another and then trade DSes when they get stuck.

I love this picture because Mason looks like he is concentrating really hard. We got him Battleship for Christmas and he loves playing with his daddy. They both take it pretty seriously.

On New Years Day we had a fun fondue and game night at Jessica's. We took this picture of us all together eating chocolates and playing games to make our brother Scott jealous that he couldn't be there.

Turns out Mason LOVES fondue. He briefly considered changing his Robot birthday party to a fondue birthday party but then reconsidered. I have to say I was relieved. Hot liquids and pointy sticks to not go well with 7 year old boys.

New Year's Eve we went to Kim's house for Katie's birthday dinner and games. I think this picture of the Jones boys is cute.

My parents gave Max this couch/sleeping bag for Christmas and he has slept in it for every night and nap since. I guess we are saying goodbye to the crib. I'm not sure he'll give it up for the toddler bed though. . .

Last weekend the younger two went to Delta overnight so that Marshall and I could shop for Granite for our kitchen. Mason stayed with us so he wouldn't miss school and he had a play date with a friend on Friday. Saturday we went to Kneaders for their French Toast and Mason loved it.

Here Mason is telling us how much french toast he could eat if his tummy was as big as mine. Aughh. And the irony is, he ate a ton of french toast while all I had was my stinking protein shake.

I Would Sleep Better Too

2012-01-07T20:29:00.001-07:00

Max has given up sleeping with stuffed animals and now sleeps with guns.

Christmas Performances

2011-12-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

The kids worked on some numbers for the program. Mason learned some french songs at school but said he couldn't sing them without his class, so he sang this terrible song instead. Myles memorized this Shel Silverstein poem in about 30 seconds, and Max loves the little Santa poem this year.

Christmas Morning

2011-12-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

Other years I've felt like I've gone over-board for Christmas and bought too many toys and stocking stuffers that they never look at, let alone play with. This year I tried to reign it in a little more and I'm glad I did. It felt like a great Christmas morning where the kids were thrilled with everything they received and I didn't regret any of the purchases.

Marshall's parents slept over Christmas eve, and Myles slept with grandma in the basement. But we had a rough night upstairs. At about 2 AM Mason came into our room and said "it is morning yet?" we said no and sent him back to bed, and this pattern repeated every 15 minutes until about 3:30 AM when I finally said "NO! Get into our bed and I'll tell you when it is morning." Every time I woke up in the night (to check the time--yes I was excited too), Mason was wide awake asking if it was morning yet. Finally at 6 AM we let him get up and wake up Max, while Marshall woke up the grandparents and Myles. We were videotaping the opening festivities so no pictures here, but we do have some pictures of the aftermath.

After Myles went to the bathroom he was too excited to put his pajamas back on, so I apologize for all the pics of him in his undies!

Mason had asked for a boxing bag for Christmas to "train his brothers" and he was thrilled with this robot boxing bag.

Max got a huge Mickey and a Mickey couch, and Myles got the DS game he asked for.

After spending the last 6 years trying not to let there be violence in the home, I finally gave in and got them Nerf guns for Christmas. I've learned that I can't take the boy out of them. Their grandma had the same idea and also got Mason Nerf guns for Christmas. Our rule is no shooting people. . . only imaginary enemies. That makes it okay, right?

Myles was thrilled to get a 3DS from his grandma and had to start playing right away. She bought it for his birthday last April but I wanted her to wait to give it to him until he had his Mario addiction a little more under control.

Max was thrilled and had no idea why all of a sudden he got all these presents and candy. Every time I turned around he would have his mouth full of chocolate. Even later after I put it all away, every time I saw him he had more candy. A little sneaking around following him revealed that he had hidden a secret stash under the couch in the living room!

Marshall's mom is amazing. In addition to making 5 dresses and 7 matching ties for all the kids for Christmas, she also made every single one of her 12 grandchildren quilts! This is Myles' saggy elephant quilt. She even made a matching quilt for his baby Dumbo.

This is Max's monkey quilt, which came with a Curious George toy in his pajamas. The back is minky fleece and it is oh-so comfortable.

And Mason got a huge Thomas quilt with cozy fleece on the back. He spent most of the day wrapped up in his Thomas quilt.

After we opened all the presents I thought we were doing great with time and we took our time eating cinnamon rolls and breakfast casserole for breakfast. I could have sworn that they announced that church was at 10 instead of at 9 on Christmas morning. So at about 9:40 we headed over, pretty proud of ourselves for being so early. And then we realized Sacrament meeting was half over and I had been mistaken. I still got to sing with the choir for 2 numbers, and church was just the right length for Christmas morning :) That afternoon Marshall's parents and grandparents came back and we had a Christmas turkey dinner. It was a fantastic day!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-29T15:30:00.001-07:00

Every year I swear that next year Christmas will be simple and I won't over-do it. But every year. . .I forget. This year was no different. I cooked and baked for days in advance, had the house looking more festive than ever, and had all 29 people over for Christmas Eve dinner and festivities (all of Marshall's family plus my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew). We had a fantastic time and all the work was worth it for the wonderful festive feeling in the house that night!

Myles woke up bright and early Christmas Eve morning, insisting that he had to get an early start on being good to make it to Santa's nice list. All morning he was very helpful, and by the time everyone else was out of bed we had made a 3 layer jello salad, a cake, spinach dip, and prepared all the treat trays!

Most of the cousins showed up around 3 and Aunt Kim brought all the trimmings for cookie trains! The kids loved making them, and Mason was especially creative.

Mason has some very creative cousins.

With 29 people, including 13 kids, we had to have three tables. I set the living room one for 8 with my wedding china, and the dessert table was in there as well.

I set the kitchen table for 8 with my Christmas china, and put the dinner buffet tables in the kitchen eating area as well. I didn't get a good picture of it, but I set the island table up for all the kids--we could fit 10 there, plus one in the high chair, and the other two little ones in there mom's laps. Yay for being able to host a sit-down dinner for 30!

One of the buffet tables. The other table had the punch and cheese and crackers tray.

Max with his corny "cheese" face.

Mason's favorite meal--ham and cheese ball!

Even Myles sat still long enough to eat!

Marshall's mom is incredible and made all the girls matching dresses and all the boys matching ties. She even ordered dark pants, dark socks, tie-tacks, and white shirts for the boys and necklaces and tights for the girls! But do you know how hard it is to get 12 kids to stay still for a picture! NOT EASY!

After pictures people changed into their costumes for the nativity. Here is Max as a shepherd.

Whose bright idea was it to give Myles a long stick?

Max was double-cast as baby Jesus when he was 2 and the wise men brought him gifts.

He thought Christmas morning had come early and started opening the presents!

After that we had our Christmas program where most of the kids performed something. I'm hoping to get some video on here of my kids performing their poems and songs. People stayed for quite a while and the kids played games while the adults watched "Red Green Christmas", a tradition I have learned to be tolerant of. The kids were so excited it was hard to get everyone to bed, so Santa had to wait quite a while to come!

Last Minute List Change

2011-12-29T15:29:00.001-07:00

Myles had tried really hard to stay on Santa's nice list until the night of the 22nd lost his temper and pushed Max into the wall, cracking the drywall. Max was actually fine--not even a bump, but we were pretty sure this moved Myles from the nice list to the naughty list. He was quite concerned about not getting toys for Christmas, and so the night of the 23rd he insisted on a visit to Santa to plead his case.

Max has no fear of Santa, who he calls "grandpa Claus"

Mason rattled off his list of requests and was reminded by Santa that Santa just chooses a few things to bring him.

And Myles was very penitent and said that he would try really hard to be good. Santa said that if he could be super good for one more day, he would see what he could do about getting him moved over to the nice list.

Dentist

2011-12-29T15:28:00.001-07:00

A few days before Christmas we took the boys to the dentist.

Mason was great--no caveties.

Myles was great--but has 2 caveties to be filled.

But little Max proved how stubborn he could be and refused to open his mouth even just a little for the whole hour and a half we were there. Little bum!

Christmas Prep

2011-12-22T10:48:00.001-07:00

Christmas is a pretty big deal in our family, and we have had a great time preparing. Here are some highlights:

Making chocolates with my sister and parents. It is a family tradition dating back to my great grandma Hall. Ever generation does a different task--my mom's generation makes the fondant and my sister and I dip it. My dad warms the chocolate and taste tests.

Maybe not a highlight, but all three kids and I have had a bout with the stomach flu this week. Poor little Max had no idea what was happening, but he did like keeping a bowl on his head. When we tried to take it from him he would cry "no, my hat!"

When my parents were here we had a dinner party with 26 people. This was the cute kid's table.

One of the adult tables. I love any chance I have to use my wedding china.

And the other adult table. Last Christmas my parents got me Christmas china and I loved the excuse to use them.

My little Max. His hair has been a constant source of frustration for me. He grows it on the sides and in the middle but has two huge bald spots. The day after this picture was taken I cut it all really short and it looks a lot better.

Ready to eat!

My kids love a party! Mason was the "kid host" and entertained the other kids.

We've also had a few movie nights. This night we ate caramel popcorn and Max loved it so much he was scooping it into his mouth with both hands.

This is a grainy picture, but we went to Mason's first grade Christmas concert and Mason did so well! He sang three Christmas songs and "All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth" Mason hasn't lost any teeth yet, but it was pretty appropriate for most of the kids in his class.

All in a Sunday Evening

2011-12-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

The kids spent the weekend in Delta and we were so excited to get them back! Despite their protests to the contrary, I think they were happy to be home too.

The first thing they did was eat the chocolate from their advent calendars and then run to the tree to open the presents they missed (for each day in December I have a wrapped present they get to take turns opening--they are just books, Christmas crafts, hot chocolate and a movie night, etc). They immediately all climbed on daddy's lap to read "The Gingerbread Baby."

Then we were lucky enough to have a webchat with Santa, along with their cousins in Georgia. Here Santa is checking his list twice. Myles insisted to Santa that his list isn't on the "naughty" or the "nice" list. He is on the "funny" list.

Then tonight they are watchingThe Polar Express and having popcorn.

And Mason and I worked on our Gingerbread House. The kit was from last year so it is definately a NO EAT activity.

Come on, we have more fun at home than at Grandma's house, right!?

My Max

2011-12-11T18:52:00.001-07:00

Max sometimes gets left out of the blog. I think that Max does the cutest things, and when Mason was little I would post every little thing he did, but somehow I don't do the same with Max. He is turning out to be such a little sweetheart. He loves his brothers, gets so excited when they get home from school, and doesn't hesitate to join in their wrestling matches.

Max has discovered Mason's legos and spends hours every day making guns out of them. Where did he learn that!?

But then at the gym daycare twice a week, the first toy he goes for are the dolls. Before we leave he makes sure the doll he is holding has a pacifier and gets a kiss and a hug before he chucks it across the room.

And here is Max playing outside last week in the same coat Mason used to wear (and before that cousin William). It is still in great shape!

Mason at Max's age. Other than eye color they really look so similar.

A Delta Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T17:19:00.003-07:00

I don't have many pictures of Thanksgiving, but Marshall's family decided it would work better to have Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday instead of Thursday. So we drove from St. George to Delta on Friday morning and arrived just in time for the boys to leave to camp overnight with their grandpa, uncles, and cousins. They had a great time but no pictures. Myles had a little episode where he fell and burned his fingers on the stove but they have recovered well and much to his relief his thumbs can still play DS. Max and I stayed home with Grandma, Aunt Kim, Aunt Candi, and Katie and had a good time relaxing and preaparig a Thanksgiving feast. The boys came home this afternoon just in time to eat. We are staying until tomorrow morning and then heading back to Provo to get ready for a busy week.

The Thanksgiving place setting. Deb makes this really cook "Harvest mix" that is in the pumpkins and each thing stands for something (i.e. Bugels--horns of plenty representing the bounty we have, Pretzels representing the pilgrim's arms in prayer). They were a big hit with the kids.

Friday night while the rest of the men were camping, the girls and Max went to eat at a restaurant in Delta that overlooks Main Street, the town park with all its Christmas lights, and right when we were eating, the Santa Claus parade went by. It worked out perfectly for Max as we didn't have to stand outside in the cold to watch it like we have other years.

Max also enjoyed having Grandma mostly to himself while the other kids were gone. He is so spoiled in Delta and shared a Barney obsession with his cousin Katie so they watched it for hours and hours.

St. George

2011-11-26T17:19:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday we drove down to St. George for a little family holiday before heading to Delta for Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. We were due for a family vacation and had a fabulous time.

On the way down we stopped at Cove Fort and did a tour. The kids liked the little gun look outs.

We also did a ton of hiking. We stopped at Red Cliffs Park on the way down and hiked for a few hours on Wednesday, and then we spent most of Thursday hiking around Snow Canyon. The kids are great little hikers. Mason especially enjoyed climbing rocks and posing for pictures.

Max thought it was the coolest thing in the world to get to share a bed with Mason. We stayed at a surprisingly awesome hotel in St George called Budget Inn and Suites. We had a suite with three queen beds, a kitchen, and jetted tub. The hotel has an indoor and outdoor pool, and indoor and outdoor playground, and great breakfast.

Myles was a trooper hiking. I can't believe how much these kids can climb and not get tired. And I decided that the reason they don't eat enough is because we don't work them hard enough! Because after hiking they ate like horses.

They liked eating in restaurants and got into a routine. Mason would always order pizza, Myles would always order pancakes, and Max would always order mac and cheese.

We hiked in Snow Canyon last summer too, and I must say I like it in the winter MUCH better. The temperature was 65 degrees instead of 120, and there were no rattlesnakes or lizards. MUCH BETTER!

Our picnic lunch in Snow Canyon. These kids would eat 10 apples a day if I let them. In fact, I think they would like to just live on apples and beef jerky.

Max was a good little hiker. The first day he refused to go in the backpack and we refused to carry him, so he walked almost the whole way until we finally gave in and carried him. He thinks he can do whatever his brothers do, including scaling cliffs and balancing on rocks to cross the creek. But the second day his little legs must have been tired because he gave in and let me carry him. Marshall was carrying all his camera equipment so I got stuck with Max in the backpack. I was a little grumpy until I realized that even carrying him and the backpack (about 40lbs) I still weighed a lot less than I did a year ago. Yay for me!

Little Max could not understand why he couldn't bring this wood "gun" the 2 miles back to our car. He thought of course I would carry him and a 10 lb log. He had a little stubborn episode and refused to let go of it for a while until his little legs got tired of walking and he finally let it go in order to be carried.

What We Have Been Up To

2011-11-26T17:17:00.001-07:00

We have had a fun few weeks. Here are some highlights:

Cousin sleepover and Grandma Delta's Birthday

Building picture frames at Home Depot's kids' day.

Every night Mason sets up Elliott to guard his room with a gun.

We decided that Myles had outgrown his afternoon naps when he would take a nap and then not go to sleep until midnight. It was leading to a very grumpy Myles in the morning. Since cutting the nap, about once a week he falls asleep in the afternoon on his own in the strangest places.

Photo Shoot

2011-11-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

On Saturday a co-worker of mine, Sejal Patel, came over to follow us around for a while and take some pictures. She is fine-tuning her photography talent and I think she did an excellent job. If anyone would like to have her take pictures of your family, her email is devibena@gmail.com. She only charges $50 and we got over 100 good shots!

Homework

2011-11-03T15:35:00.003-06:00

Every day Mason has some homework to do and Myles is always watching carefully. Well, a few days ago I came downstairs to find Myles with MASON'S math homework carefully completing it. When we talked about it he said "it's not fair that Mason gets to do math everyday and I don't." I hope he remembers this when he is in first grade!

Temple Square

2011-11-03T15:35:00.001-06:00

The kids have never been to Temple Square in Salt Lake so last Saturday we decided to go before it got too cold. We had a great time and we hope the kids learned a lot.

Halloween

2011-11-03T15:09:00.001-06:00

The Saturday before Halloween we took dinner up to the Ronald McDonald House in SLC. When Mason was in the hospital in Canada a few years ago, the Ronald McDonald house was so great to our family and we decided to bring dinner to the guests there once a year the week of Halloween. Jessica has joined in and we had a great time with our little helpers!

Mason has been looking forward to the Ronald McDonald House ever since last year I let him do this Halloween Fishing Pond. He was a little overly enthusiastic and we had to remind him to wait until people were done eating to ask them if they wanted to fish for Candy. But he was a good little host.

Myles changed his mind daily about what he would be for Halloween. He was Robin for the first party, then a pirate for his Preschool party. It must have been an exhausting party because he fells asleep as soon as he walked in the door. By the time we were ready to go Trick-Or-Treating he decided he wanted to be a Zombie. Luckily a few lines on his face and he was satisfied to be a Pirate Zombie.

Mason with his candy stash. Poor Mason and Max got about half as much candy as Myles once Marshall confiscated all the candy with peanuts (they are allergic). Myles was pretty smart and didn't engage in any trading. I think he knew he would get all the peanut candy he wanted from his dad anyway.

I think that Max thought he had to eat all his candy right away. After he ate about 5 candy bars we had to tear his candy out of his hands to put him to bed. The first thing he said when he woke up in the morning was "MY CANDY!"

A Few Funny Things Not to Be Forgotten

2011-10-25T00:26:00.000-06:00

Myles introducing himself to someone at the playground: "Hi! I'm Myles. People call me Myles."

Myles: "Heavenly Father wants you to go potty. Satan wants you to hold it."

Myles: I was trying to keep him quiet during Sacrament and whispered "when was Jesus born?" and he answered "Christmas." Then I asked "when did Jesus die?" and he answered "When someone pushed him off a cliff."

Mason missing his daddy: "I came up with a new word for how I feel when daddy is gone. Instead of homesick I feel daddysick."

Mason: "I wish I was fat because fat people get to exercise a lot."

Mason: "Merann says all the girls in our class have a crush on me but I don't understand why they would want to crush me."

Mason: "I like playing here instead of at Merann's house because they are all monkeys and I am a human."

Max: Constantly whining "Mickey Up" to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse upstairs and "Mickey Down" to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Downstairs".

Max: everytime Hannah (the babysitter) comes in he says "Hi Hannah. How you doin? Bye mommy. See you soon." Then when I walk in the door it is "Hi Mommy. How you doin? Bye Hannah. See you soon."

Work Halloween Party

2011-10-25T00:18:00.002-06:00

Tonight we had my annual work family Halloween Party. Marshall was still in Denver so it was me and the kids. I was looking forward to some good pictures but Marshall took the camera with him so I had to settle for iphone pictures. Mason is Batman, Myles is Robin, and Max is a Bat, all courtesy of a very generous Grandma Delta. They loved their costumes!

Vineyard Pumpkin Town

2011-10-22T14:05:00.002-06:00

Marshall is in Denver this weekend and this morning I was itching to get out of the house with the kids so we took William with us and went to the Vineyard Pumpkin Town in Orem.

The kids took turns making decisions in the corn maze. Max thought it was so fun to sing "following the leader" over and over and over and over.

They had bouncy houses and we were lucky to get there before the crowds and had them all to ourselves. Max just loves being one of the big kids.

Isn't he the cutest kid ever!

What a great group!

My three little pumpkins!

Max didn't quite get the hang of looking through the hole.

I told Max to let the goat kiss him and thought he understood I meant on the hand. NOT THE LIPS!

This was the best place for Myles. They had a three little pigs house made of straw with the wolf hanging over the pot. He was in heaven!

But it was not all fun. My heart stopped for about 10 minutes when I couldn't find Max. All four kids went around to the back of this pyramid thing that you slide down and I waited for Max to come down and he didn't come. I went looking everywhere for him and then got the people who work there to help me. Turns out he had gone through the fence on the other side and ran back to the other playground. When I finally found him he was sitting with a nice grandma-type and was happy as can be. She said he just followed her and her grandkids around and it took her a minute to realize that he wasn't one of hers. Phew!

Why do we bother?

2011-10-20T22:48:00.001-06:00

Why did we bother buying them beds when they haven't fallen asleep in them in months?

Aquarium

2011-10-20T15:41:00.003-06:00

Today the kids didn't have school and so we took the opportunity to meet Jessica and Logan at the Aquarium in Sandy. I thought Mason was going to burst with joy when he saw the penguins. We had a fantastic time. I really miss the days before the kids were in school and we had all day to do whatever we wanted. It is so hard to schedule all the fun things around school!

Mason insisted on bringing his toy penguin and it was actually quite funny. He would hold it up to the glass and the penguins would try to bite it. Here he is comparing his penguin to the size of real baby penguins.

My three goofy penguins.

Goofball

Baby Penguin

Max and his best friend (and cousin) Logan.

Zoo Day

2011-10-16T10:51:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we headed up to Salt Lake for our annual October Zoo day. We couldn't have picked a better day for this--the weather was in the mid-70s, everyone was happy, and we had a fantastic time.

This was the funniest/most annoying part of the whole day. Mason and Myles insisted on having their own maps and following along every step we went.

Waiting for the Elephant Show to Start.

Climbing on the Statues.

One of their favorite things is the carousel. Mason chose to ride a penguin. He was so excited to see the penguins at the zoo, but the exhibit was under construction. He was pretty good about handling the disappointment.

Myles took riding a wolf VERY seriously.

And Max didn't care what animal he rode, he just wanted to be like his brothers.

We were really lucky and were there on Wolf Day. They had activities about wolfs for the kids and so Myles was in heaven. He has been obsessed with wolves for years.

After the zoo we met up with Jessica, Daniel, and Logan at Hires Big H for lunch. What a great day!

Cousin Carl's Blog

2011-10-12T23:35:00.001-06:00

Hey--quick shout out to family members. Cousin Carl has a blog where he will record his acting gigs and experiences. I nagged and nagged him to do it and he agreed as long as I promised to spread the word. Here is the link:

http://homesweetholding.blogspot.com/

Day Trip to Park City

2011-09-25T17:23:00.004-06:00

After a busy few weeks with Marshall traveling a lot, we decided we needed a vacation but with limited time it needed to be a day trip. So on Saturday morning we headed up to Park City for a day of fun. First we went to Utah Olympic Park, which was so much fun! We watched the freestyle and Nordic ski jumpers practicing (and decided our kids will be Olympic ski jumpers), played at their playground, and then Mason and Marshall went down the alpine slide. We tried to get Myles to try it too, but for all of his tough talking and attitude, he sure is scared of somethings. After that we all rode the chair lift up and walked back to the car. We got a picnic lunch and headed to another playground, and then after lunch headed to yet another playground where the kids played while I shopped for a little bit. All in all a great day and just what we needed!

A Few September Pictures

2011-09-25T17:13:00.007-06:00

Every Thursday BYU has a farmer's market at the Stadium parking lot and last week we finally got around to going. I told the kids they could each pick out one thing to buy and when I saw the ice cream I assumed they would pick that. But they surprised me. Mason picked blackberries, Myles picked carrots, and Max picked popcorn. And then it was so hot I decided to buy them ice cream anyway :) We had a great time eating it in the shade and practicing rolling down the hill. I'm going to miss this great weather.

Excessive Homemaking!

2011-09-07T20:45:00.004-06:00

Ten years ago if you told me I would spend days canning produce from my own fruit trees while living in Utah and driving a minivan I would have laughed in your face. But here I am. What happened!? After canning 18 pints of Salsa last week, this last weekend I canned 48 jars of cranberry sauce (long story resulting from my mother-in-law accidentally buying a case of cranberries), and 2 dozen quarts of cherry pie and apple pie filling. And we still have bushels of pears and nectarines needing to be picked off the trees. But I'm done canning. I'm giving the rest away. I do find it all strangely relaxing and satisfying, but I think I'm done for a few years.

Myles' First Days of Preschool (Take 2)

2011-09-07T20:38:00.003-06:00

Myles started his second year of preschool today. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays he goes to Miss Julie's Learning Tree Preschool for two and a half hours. On Tuesdays and Thursdays he goes to Miss Michelle's Joyfully Read Preschool for an hour and a half. It is so good for him to have some structured learning time and he is really loving it. All morning yesterday before preschool started he was practicing writing his name and matching letters to sounds in a workbook so that he could show the teachers what he knows. I got good reports from the teachers about his behavior for the first few days, so let's hope it continues! Why are my kids always so much better behaved for others than they are for me? :)

A blurry picture of Myles and Miss Michelle on his first day.

Another nice think about preschool for Myles is that it gives Max and I a few hours every week alone together! Yesterday we went to story time at the library and shopping and Max just loved having mommy to himself and being my little helper.

Mary Poppins

2011-09-07T20:31:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago I came across a deal for tickets Mary Poppins in Salt Lake for half off ($40 instead of $80-150). I loved seeing it in New York and really wanted Mason to see it, but I went a little crazy and bought 5 tickets thinking that some of my neices and mother in law would love it . When I told Deb (Grandma Delta) about it she was excited and we headed up last weekend. The kids absolutely loved it and it was truly amazing. Mason has been singing "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" all week!

Megan, Liz, and Mason

Mason making a funny face.

He is always such a little ham!

We had a great rest of the Labor Day weekend. Saturday we practiced riding bikes, watching the BYU game (go cougars!), and played outside. Sunday night we had a cousins sleepover with Liz, Megan, and William. It is so great how much fun these kids have together. Monday Marshall took the older boys to the Payson parade while I shopped with my sister.

Logan's Pass

2011-08-28T20:55:00.009-06:00

On the way home from Waterton we decided to take 2 days and drive over Logan's Pass and explore a little. We had a great time and it was nice to extend our vacation a little bit.

Three boys hiking.

Do you know how hard it is to get these kids to pose?

Trail of the Cedars.

Little hiker.

My boys.

King of the Mountain.

The next generation of tree huggers.

We stayed in a hotel in Missoula on the way home and the boys had a blast in the pool.

I was a little worried about how Max would sleep in the hotel, but as long as he had Elmo and Mickey Mouse he was happy!

Marshall's Pictures

2011-08-28T20:51:00.003-06:00

Marshall spent most of his time in Waterton behind the camera. Here are a few of his favorites:

Pictures

Random Pictures from our Family Trip to Waterton

2011-08-28T19:48:00.014-06:00

On the one rainy morning in Waterton we headed out to a Blackfeet Indian craft activity. We sat in a tee-pee and beaded eagle feathers.

Hike to Blakiston Falls
Late night hike up Bear's Hump

Bear's Hump

Funny story. We were playing on this beach when all of a sudden Marshall says "bear! Get the kids in the car" and starts setting up his camera to take pictures. It was proof that the kids never listen to me. I was yelling at them to get in the car and they completely ignored me until I picked all three of them up and carried them to the car as fast as I could.

The beach so good they wouldn't leave even though there was a bear coming towards them!

A pretty spot on the way to Bertha Lake, where we hiked one day. 12 KM!

Marshall and my dad doing a little work on the cabin.

Removing the antenna.

Hiking to Bertha Lake.

Bertha Lake

Cameron Lake

Top of Prince of Wales Hotel hill.

On our bike ride to Wall Lake Marshall ran into an old mission companion, Elder Hornberger. They hadn't seen each other for 14 years!

Hot dog roast with my grandparents and cousin's family.

Yummy dinner with my grandparents.

The boys had a fun time with my cousin's boys.

The boys hiking with grandpa.

Playing in Crandall Lake.

Hike to Crandall Lake.

Tee-Pee Camping

2011-08-28T17:36:00.003-06:00

While we were in Waterton we got to camp overnight in a tee-pee in the mountains. The kids were entertained by grandpa's "Indian stories" and when they came home said to my mom and I "do you squaws have our breakfast ready?" Max proved he was not quite ready for camping and so I ended up bringing him back to the cabin for the night.

Mason Learning to Ride a Bike

2011-08-28T17:28:00.004-06:00

While we were in Waterton Mason learned how to ride his bike without training wheels! I think thousands of kids have learned to ride their bikes in this alley behind the cabin. Perfectly paved, straight, and flat with very few cars. My dad had a great handle thing for the back of his bike that we could hold onto until he got the hang of it. He was so very proud of himself when he figured it out!

Mason had a lot of supporters as he was practicing!

Max's Two-Year Check-Up

2011-08-28T17:21:00.002-06:00

My little Max had his 2 year check-up a few weeks ago and did great! He is 23 lbs (4th percentile) which is awesome because it is up from the .29th percentile 6 months ago! He is 33.5 inches (27th percentile) tall and his head is 18.5 inches (24th percentile). He is meeting or exceeding all of the developmental milestones and is doing great! We sure love this little boy!

While we were at Max's check up we also got a blood test for Mason because he had been low on energy and complaining of headaches and tummy aches. Turns out he is pretty anemic again so we are back on a lot of iron and already in 2 weeks it is making a ton of difference!

2011-08-28T16:56:00.000-06:00

DC Trip Part B

2011-08-22T09:35:00.002-06:00

On of the very best things about my trip to DC this summer was getting to see many of my friends and professors from graduate school. My graduate school years in Maryland were some of the most formative of my life and these people were with me through it all! I wish I had taken more pictures (I didn't get any with my advisor Clara), but here are a few.

Me, Wonjin, Heather, and Jess

Add in Penny--a good friend from my year in the program.

Late night Hagen Daz. Yum!

Mason's First Day of First Grade

2011-08-22T09:22:00.004-06:00

Mason with his new school clothes and Batman backpack ready for his first day.

So whenever anyone has asked Mason about going into first grade he has responded "yeah, my mom worries about it a lot but it will be just fine." It is true that I have been worrying constantly and excessively about this day all summer. The thought of him being gone from me all day, eating lunch without me, interacting with people I don't know, walking home from school, etc. scares me. But the kid is so happy about first grade that it makes me feel ridiculous about worrying.

Mason is in French dual immersion so he has Mme Villareal in the morning for french and math, and then Mrs. Garner in the afternoon for everything else. I'm planning on brushing up on my French and volunteering an hour or so a week in the morning to see how it goes. His French teacher is from France and ONLY speaks French so it should be interesting.

A very enthusiastic Mason at his desk. In the back corner of the room. You know, one more thing for me to worry about.

DC Part A

2011-08-08T15:02:00.003-06:00

So this is DC Part A because I want to post more pictures that my good friend Penny took of my friends but she forgot her camera in DC so it will have to wait. It was so wonderful to go back to DC and to remember all the great times I had during the 4 years I lived there. I was a little worried that I would be too nostalgic of the single days of feeling like a sophisticated city girl, independent from family, etc., but that wasn't the case at all. I loved visiting my old favorite neighborhood and hang-outs but was also very reminded that I am so happy with my life now and that I feel so much more whole and complete as part of my own happy family. I missed my kids terribly and as I was reminded of the "old days" I was just so grateful that they led to me to what I have and who I am now.

While I spent most of my days at the conference, I utilized every square moment to visit my favorite things in DC. I didn't quite make it to Silver Spring or my old apartment, but I did visit a few of my favorite neighborhoods that I frequents a lot for parties, dates, dinners with friends, bookstores, etc.

One of my favorite DC neighborhoods was Georgetown and I really think that if I lived anywhere in DC again I would want to live here (so I'd have to be rich of course). And since I moved 6 years ago the cupcake crazy hit DC and they opened Georgetown Cupcakes which is the subject of one of my favorite TLC shows DC Cupcakes. I started to stand in line but then realized I would be waiting for an hour in the rain for a cupcake. Then I found out that you couldn't just buy a single cupcake and decided it was even more ridiculous to stand in line to buy 6 cupcakes for just me so I just took pictures and left to wander Georgetown.

The Workshop

The Store

I also went to Dupont which was another one of my favorite neighborhoods with bookstores and coffee shops I loved to go to on weekends to hang out and study in. The escalator from the Metro to street level is one of the longest in the world and is quite a dizzy-ing experience. Especially coming down. Sunday the conference was over and my flight didn't leave until the evening and so I decided to visit the Newseum for the day since it was quite likely the only museum in DC I haven't been to (it opened after I moved). It was AMAZING! Definitely a place to visit.

View of Pennsylvania Avenue where various network news shows film.

To the left is the Canadian Embassy. When I lived in DC they would host cheese and wine tastings for Canadians living in DC.

After the Newseum I had a few hours to kill. Since teaching Women's Studies I realized I'm a little rusty on my knowledge of the women's suffragist movement in the United States, so I went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History to see what I could learn. When I asked at the visitor's desk if they had any exhibits on women getting the vote the old man looked confused and said "no, but we have some pretty dresses in the gallery to your left." Seriously! They didn't have an exhibit portraying half of the American population being granted a basic civil right in America. But they had a huge hall of the dresses worn by First Ladies at the Presidents' Inaugurations. Uh huh.

Michelle Obama's Dress.

Oh, and I did find an exhibit on how women did laundry over time.

New York

2011-08-08T11:00:00.012-06:00

So as a psychologist I have to get 24 hours of continuing education credit every 2 years and the best way to do that is to go to this MASSIVE convention held every year by the American Psychological Association for about 14,000 psychologists. This year it was held in Washington, DC and I decided to go to get the credits, because my work would pay for it, and because a lot of my old friends from graduate school would also be there. When I was starting to plan my trip I came across tickets from Salt Lake to New York for $59 ($83 with tax) and immediately jumped on it. I've really really really been wanting to see The Book of Mormon Musical and thought I could spend an evening in NY seeing it before taking a train to DC. That day I also convinced my mom and sister to come with me and so we all ended up spending Tuesday-Thursday in NYC together and then I went to DC while my mom and sister stayed in NYC until Sunday.

That same day I also found an amazing deal for the Yotel in Time Square for just $149 a nights (normally $400 a night) so that is where we stayed. It is this incredibly modern and hip brand spankin' new hotel just a few blocks from Times Square and the Broadway plays.

The lobby where you use computer kiosks to check in.

The Yobot. You put your luggage in a box and the Yobot puts it in another box and it goes right to your room. So cool! BTW--does anyone know why certain pictures cut off the bottom while loading?

While in New York I saw two musicals: The Book of Mormon Musical and Mary Poppins. I'll spare you my review of The Book of Mormon Musical because I know it is very controversial but will say the overall message was one of faith and tolerance and the power of belief in religion to transform people for the better. Loved it!

I took this picture of the stage before they made me put the camera away. It is a spinning Angel Moroni on top of the Salt Lake Temple.

Beautiful theater and set.

I put this picture on facebook and got so many pictures about my hair and bag. The bag is just a Tai Pan purchase a few months ago and my hair is straight out of a bottle :)

Mary Poppins. Practically perfect in every way. Really, absolutely incredible and it is coming to SLC--highly recommend you go!

We also saw a lot of other New York sights in my day and a half in the city. We visited Times Square, took the Staten Island Ferry, shopped at Macy's, walked through Central Park, and shopped on 5th Avenue.

Times Square

Jess and I on the Staten Island Ferry

Times Square

Statue of Liberty

Happy Birthday Max!

2011-08-01T08:11:00.003-06:00

Max's 2nd birthday is on Thursday, but because they will be in Delta for swimming lessons and I will be out of town, we decided to celebrate in Delta last weekend. Marshall and I drove down Friday night and as soon as we got there Myles ran out the door and said "you are only here for Max's birthday and then you have to go home!" Way to make his parents feel good. They just love being at grandma's and I think that having their parents there cramps their style!

Max was so excited when we carried his presents in that we decided to have his party that night instead of the next day. He loved his cake, and especially singing Happy Birthday TO YOU (he has been practicing for months). We had to light the candles a few times for him to blow out.

He loved the "Mo-mass" cake in theory, but in practice when he had a piece of it he was not that impressed with the messiness of the frosting. I don't think he ate a bite, but he enjoyed using the napkins to wipe it off his hands.

He loved his presents. I found him an Elmo (probably our 10th Elmo doll) that sings ABCs which is what he sings 24/7. He also got some Mickey Mouse books, a Thomas train set, and a back-pack filled with church books to keep him entertained on Sundays from his grandma and grandpa Delta.

We wore him out that night but he woke up at about 5 in the morning with a terrible nightmare. Marshall got up with him and couldn't get Max back to sleep so finally Marshall fell asleep on the couch while Max played in the living room. When we got up about 7 this is how we found them. Max had crawled onto the couch with Marshall and fallen asleep. They slept for about another hour and we kept saying how much they look alike!

I think Max really enjoyed his birthday party. Here is a video:

Sundance and Stewart Falls

2011-07-27T08:03:00.004-06:00

Since I was in Waterton for Marshall's birthday last week, when we got back and the kids were in Delta we decided to celebrate. We took the chair lift at Sundance up to the top, hiked to Stewart Falls, and then down to the lodge where we ate at the Foundry Grill. It was a beautiful hike, perfect day, and wonderful to spend time together.

At the place where you buy the chair lift tickets they said there was a "little stream" you had to cross on the trail to Stewart Falls. Um. . .not so little!

Pioneer Day

2011-07-27T07:53:00.002-06:00

As Pioneer Day in Utah came and went this year with minimal celebration (kids were in Delta, Marshall worked), this poem I LOVE kept coming to mind. It is by Carol Lynn Pearson, an amazing author and poet.

PIONEERS

My people were Mormon pioneers.
Is the blood still good?
They stood in awe as truth
Flew by like a dove
And dropped a feather in the West.
Where truth flies you follow
If you are a pioneer.

I have searched the skies
And now and then
Another feather has fallen.
I have packed the handcart again
Packed it with the precious things
And thrown away the rest.

I will sing by the fires at night
Out there on uncharted ground
Where I am my own captain of tens
Where I blow the bugle
Bring myself to morning prayer
Map out the miles
And never know when or where
Or if at all
I will finally say,
"This is the place."

I face the plains
On a good day for walking.
The sun rises
And the mist clears.
I will be all right:
My people were Mormon pioneers.
— Carol Lynn Pearson

Waterton 2011 Trip One or Longest Post Ever

2011-07-24T13:00:00.019-06:00

The kids and I left on July 14 for 10 days in Waterton. Prepare yourself for endless mediocre photos (Marshall wouldn't let me take his precious camera so they are iphone pics) in a random order with random descriptions.

We left at 5:30 in the morning and made good time to Canada in only about 13 hours with minimal stopping. The kids were perfect little travelers both ways. We had one car sickness episode with Max but fortunately it was towards the end of the trip. I've decided minivans with DVD players and Nintendo DS are the most wonderful thing ever invented for long road trips with kids. I just got their stuff going then plugged in my headphones and listened to podcasts the whole way.

Red Rock Canyon. This was Mason's favorite place this year. It was a hot day and so we headed up to the natural waterslides. Grandpa taught them how to slide down. Later we saw a picture of Red Rock Canyon in a gift shop and Mason said "can I buy that for my room? I love that place!"

We took another trip to Red Rock (about 20 mins from the cabin) when it was a little cooler to hike and I decided to save $180 on a picture for Mason's room and take one myself :)

Poutine. Perhaps Canada's most fattening and delicious food. It is just what it looks like. French fries, cheese curds, and gravy. Yummmm. Once in 10 years won't kill me, right?

One day we drove over Logan's Pass. At the top it was a blizzard! In July! It was the first week they had the road plowed too. But it was beautiful on the other (American) side.

Another day we were out playing, flying kites, etc. and all of a sudden had to run back to the cabin to get out of this crazy freak hail storm! Oh, July in Canada.

Top of Logan's Pass.

But we did have wonderful warm weather most days which meant lots of boat rides. Here is Max driving the boat with grandma. Our friends Glenda and Gail visited too and Max loved sitting on their laps in the boat.

The boys enjoying a traditional visit to the ice cream store in town.

Relaxing on the Hammock.

We didn't see any bears for the first week which was really surprising. Then Thursday night we went looking and found this beautiful 3 year old grizzly. Then the next day we had 6 more black bear sightings all in one day.

One day we went into Cardston to visit my grandma. She made delicious and beautiful cupcakes for the kids and the kids loved all the old toys in the playroom.

Mason enjoyed trapping the gophers that dig up grandpa's lawn. Since it is a national park you can't kill them so they would trap them and take them across the river to let them go. I, however, would love to see the nasty things die. I spent the whole time yelling at the kids to shut the cabin door because when they left it open once I saw a gopher run into the cabin and I made my dad chase it out. After that every night I swear I could feel gophers running around my bed. Yes, I'm a bit paranoid.

Cameron Falls with my goofball boys.

We went to the Farmer's Market in Cardston and Mason was in paradise buying fresh veggies. He and grandma cut them up and together made a delicious dinner.

Grandpa heading to the ice cream store with his little buddies.

Myles actually fell asleep on a boat ride! The kid can sleep anywhere except his own bed at night!

One morning my dad and I hiked to the top of Bear's Hump for the great view.

We did it! First time for me to the top since I climbed it with Marshall when we were engaged 8 years ago.

Another morning we biked into Wall Lake. It was a beautiful ride and an even more beautiful destination. We could even see mountain goats on the ridge.

Last year the park (at my dad's suggestion) built a path from the town to the park gate (18 km round trip) and my dad and I biked it. Most beautiful scenery around, but all the bears on the side of the trail scared me to death! I was especially freaked out when my dad made me stop to take this picture right where we had seen a bear about 20 minutes earlier.

My dad got this bike thing for Mason that attaches to his bike. Mason loved it!

Max and Myles loved bike rides in the stroller.

The kids loved throwing rocks in the lake right by the cabin. Everytime Max threw a rock we would all have to clap for him.

My dad, the kids, and I went on a little hike to Blackiston Falls the last day. I love my good little hikers.

Hiking around Linet Lake. Max wouldn't take a step on his own so I ended up carrying him on my shoulders.

Yet another hike. Yes, we kept the kids busy. Our hiking rule for Waterton is that there has to be an adult in front of and behind the kids at all times. Makes me feel a lot safer.

Throwing rocks in Crandell Lake with Uncle Daniel.

The whole hiking crew (plus Jessica behind the camera).

Mason thinks he is a hard core hiker. If he didn't pick up every rock and stick along the way we would be twice as fast!
My parents were troopers the whole trip. It is not easy entertaining and feeding 3 little boys in a little cabin for 10 days. But the boys just loved spending time with grandma and "gramps".
Me and Myles found some bear grass.
Such a sweet boy.

Probably Myles' favorite part of the trip. Finally he could pee outside without getting yelled at.

We got a surprise visit from my "Aunt Karen" and all of her family because one of her sons saw on facebook that I was in Canada! When I was growing up she babysat me everyday and is like a second mother to me. It was so great to see her and her kids that I grew up with.

Phew, you made it to the end. The next two weeks the kids will be in Delta for swimming lessons and next week Marshall is working in Denver and I am going to New York and DC. When we get back we are all heading up to Waterton for another 10 days of adventure.

This is why we eat ice cream outside!

2011-07-13T08:38:00.004-06:00

Where is the Summer Going?

2011-07-08T09:52:00.002-06:00

I just sat down and looked at the calendar for the rest of the summer and it is going by so fast. Next Thursday the kids and I go to Waterton for a week and a half. As soon as we get back the kids go to Delta for swimming lessons for 2 weeks (and I'm in NY and DC for one of those weeks). We all get back and have a week all together and then it is back up to Waterton until school starts. I'm having a hard time believing that the kids really just have a week and a half left of summer in Provo. I had so many fun ideas for this summer and I'm going to have to really try to cram them in!

July 4th 2011

2011-07-04T20:21:00.007-06:00

We had a fantastic long weekend. On Saturday Marshall's brother's family, parents, and nephew came and stayed until Monday. We just had one big party with other relatives and friends dropping in. Here are a few highlights:

The storm trooper at the balloon festival. Caught William in a sneeze.

The Darth Vader balloon.

Happy Cousins.

Myles just loves his grandpa.

And Mason loves his mom.

We dragged the kids out of bed at 5:30 AM to see the balloons and they were tired and hungry. Luckily the balloon field was right by a McDonald's.

The boys were pretty tired.

And hungry.

We left Katie and Myles home with grandma and just took the "big kids."

Waiting for the fun to start.

After the balloons we went to watch the parade.

We got a pretty good spot for not camping overnight.

After everyone left Monday night our little family went out front and did "snaps". Lots of fun!

Stadium of Fire

2011-07-04T20:09:00.005-06:00

On Saturday night Marshall and I went to Stadium of Fire. Jessica and Daniel got awesome tickets on the front row and we enjoyed the show!

David Archuleta

Marshall got a great shot of the paratrooper before AND right as he crashed into the fence.

Brad Paisley

Canada Day

2011-07-04T19:57:00.004-06:00

Our holiday weekend started out with Canada Day on Friday, July 1st. I really want my kids to love their Canadian heritage and what better way to do that than delivering treats! We decorated the kid's truck and took Canada cookies with flags to some of our neighbors.

We also made Canada Day jello jigglers for the weekend.

And my awesome mother-in-law made me these cute Canada Day towels.

On Saturday evening we had Marshall's family and Jessica and Daniel over for a Canada Day dinner. Yum!

A Busy Weekend and an even Busier Weekend to Come!

2011-06-27T08:24:00.002-06:00

Just a quick picture of some of our roses.

This weekend we got to meet some of Marshall's family for dinner in Spanish Fork and then see our new niece/cousin Rachel Jewell Jones. Such a beautiful little girl, but the kids were much more interested in meeting their new chickens than their new cousin!

Marshall's parents stayed overnight and on Saturday morning Marshall took Myles for some one-on-one time while Deb, Russ, Max, and I took Mason to his final T-Ball game of the season. Later Marshall's brother's family joined us for lunch and while the babies slept, the guys took the big kids for a hike.

Next weekend is going to be a busy one! We have some friends from Canada coming to stay Wednesday for a while (yay!) and then Saturday-Monday we will have a house full with Marshall's brother's family and parents (and whoever else wants to come) for a 3 day Canada Day/Independence Day party! It is so great living near family.

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-19T17:17:00.002-06:00

The boys are very lucky to have an awesome dad. Just an example--last weekend he helped Mason build, paint, and erupt a volcano in the back yard. He is the swing pusher, baby rocker, story reader, and all around #1 dad. Myles woke up at 6 AM this morning so excited for Father's Day. We made him cinnamon rolls and bacon, served with sour chocolate milk (oops, sorry Marshall) and finally at 7 when the other kids were awake brought him breakfast in bed.

Then Marshall got to open his presents. Mason got him a #1 Dad Trophy, Myles got him Super Mario pajama pants, and Max got daddy a "supmam" (Superman) shirt. The kids were pretty thrilled about the presents and promptly tore the tags off and made him put them on.

Happy Father's Day!

Father & Son's Camp Out

2011-06-19T17:07:00.003-06:00

Our ward's Father & Son camp out was this weekend and the boys were all pretty excited to go. All day Mason and Myles would get their hats, blankets, hiking boots, etc. and Max would be right behind them getting his too. So when he realized he wasn't going. . .we had one mad baby! He kept crying "I camp" and trying to move his car seat from the van to Marshall's car to go with the other boys. I finally buckled him in his car seat and took him to the park. Next year Max! The boys had a wonderful time camping. They were a little cold during the night which led to some tired boys in the morning. They were asleep before the car left the campground.

Max was so happy to see them when he came home, you would think I had beat him all weekend. We briefly considered having a babysitter come that afternoon while he was having his nap so we could take just the big boys to Seven Peaks but we thought waking up to everyone having gone somewhere without him again might be a little too much for his poor little heart.

Hiking

2011-06-11T20:59:00.003-06:00

I spent the afternoon at a conference in SLC and when I heard that Marshall took all three boys hiking this afternoon I was prepared for stories about them whining, complaining, refusing to walk, etc. But it seems they've grown up a lot since last year! When they got to the trail head the stroller tire was flat and so they all ended up walking. Marshall ended up carrying Max most of the way (he is still 1 after all), but the other boys just kept going and going and going. Marshall says they went well over 3 miles with no complaining. They called me when they got home and each bragged about how well they hiked and how they didn't even get tired. Even Max had to tell me "I hike mama!" I see some fun hiking trips ahead.

At one point Mason and Myles were bushwhacking up the side of a mountain beside the trail and all of a sudden Myles started screaming that he had to go potty, so Marshall told him to just pull down his pants and go. Well, you can't get anything past Max! He started screaming "potty, potty!" and wouldn't stop screaming until Marshall pulled down his pants, took off his diaper, and let him pee outside too. Little stinker! Yes, I know the grandparents reading this are taking it as proof that he is ready to potty-train, but NO WAY!

Holy Batman!

2011-06-09T19:20:00.005-06:00

In our home we practice a unique combination of Christianity and Marvel Comics-based religion. When Mason learned about the Holy Ghost last week in church he came home telling us that the Holy Ghost's job is to send out a Bat Signal so that Batman can come and rescue us when we are in trouble. Mason can't wait to get to heaven to meet Spider Man, and all of our family prayers include a blessing for Superman.

The best story is from last week when Mason was concerned about Batman and Robin's relationship. He said that he thinks that Batman and Robin are just very, very, very, very in love and decided to get married. But because it was illegal, they had to kill all of the police so they wouldn't go to jail for it. I asked him why it was illegal and he said that he knew that boys weren't allowed to marry boys but that it made him sad because he knew that Batman and Robin love each other very much, and "you should be allowed to marry who you love."

That's my boy. A mind of his own.

We Did It!

2011-06-09T19:14:00.002-06:00

This was the best pose they would do.

Last fall we bought season passes to Seven Peaks and I wondered how much we would use them. I've been worried about if I would be able to take all three kids by myself and if they would still have a good time if they couldn't go on the slides, get tubes, etc. (all requiring one adult per kid). But today we spontaneously decided to try it. I took all three kids in their swimsuits with built-it life jackets and we had a great (and safe) time! We spent most of the time in the lazy river and wave pool, stayed about an hour, and everyone had fun. Mason likes swimming on his own, but I had to hold onto both Max and Myles the whole time. I'm hoping that by the end of the summer Myles will feel better about letting go of me. I think it will be a great summer!

Busy Weekend

2011-06-06T09:36:00.005-06:00

We had a great and busy weekend. Saturday morning we woke up to a house full of guests (Marshall's aunt, three cousins, Marshall's mom, and Marshall's nephew). Then ALL of the Jones cousins and almost all the aunts and uncles came over for a massive bike ride along the Provo river train. Let me tell you, it takes about 2 hours to get 12 kids and 10 adults ready for a 45 minute bike ride. After the bike ride we went to a park near our house for a picnic. Quite a fun day for the kids! Thanks to Marshall's cousin Whitney for the pics of her facebook page!

Because I didn't get to go on the bikeride with everyone (I was helping get lunch ready), Saturday afternoon I decided to try out my new bike with a ride to BYU and back to see if I would start riding my bike to work and back. Well, riding to work is no problem. Riding home from work is another story. I thought it would be easier to take a longer route hoping it would be less steep but I think that was a mistake. It was just as steep and a lot longer. I'll try again. But I love my bike and I sure got my exercise for the day!

Then last night we had a little neighborhood get-together in our backyard to celebrate our neighbor's return from South Africa where they were doing a sabbatical for a year. They have 5 boys and the 4th is Mason's age and best friend. They have been back about 4 days and he and Mason have been playing constantly!

Late last night Grandma Goates arrived from Canada. This morning the kids actually slept in, but when they woke up they had a joyful reunion with grandma. So happy to have grandma here! And they were very excited to see that grandma brought them Bear Claw cookies (only available in Canada) for breakfast!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-06-03T22:44:00.002-06:00

Today was my birthday and it was a wonderful day. I woke up to breakfast (okay, a protein shake) in bed, homemade cards, and presents of bubble bath from the kids. After working for the morning, both Marshall and I took the afternoon off and left the kids with the babysitter and went to a movie and then shopping. I got a new bike (I've been riding the same bike since I was 12--that's 20 years!) that I'm hoping to start riding to work and back. When we got home our amazing babysitter had made this incredible cake for me. She is such a great cook and babysitter--I don't know what we would do without her.

We then met Marshall's mom, aunt, and three cousins at Olive Garden for dinner and then came back to our house for cake and ice cream and everyone is sleeping over. It was a great day and I am so very lucky to have so many loved ones in my life!

Thanksgiving Point Farm

2011-06-03T22:36:00.002-06:00

This was a trip I really wish I would have gotten more pictures of. About a month ago Mason went on a field trip with his kindergarten trip to the farm at Thanksgiving Point and had a great time. Ever since then he has been talking about it a lot and really wanted to take his brothers there to show them around. So Tuesday morning we headed up and had a great time. Max was so so so cute with the baby animals. He would crouch down to their eye level and talk to them in a high pitched voice and blow kisses at them. And then when it was time for a pony ride he was so scared until the horse started moving and then he laughed hysterically the whole time. He just couldn't believe he was riding a pony!

In true Myles style when I gave them corn to feed the animals, Mason wanted to feed the pretty ducks, Max wanted to feed the baby chicks, and Myles wanted to feed the "big mean ugly turkey." He loves a villian.

Mason loved being a tour guide and took it all very seriously. At one point he said "now I bet you are wondering how baby chicks breathe in their eggs. Well, let me tell you. In the eggs there are little holes that allow the chicks to breathe. Now, if you will follow me to our next stop. . ."

A Tired Decade

2011-06-03T22:31:00.003-06:00

If I ever wonder why I was so tired in my 30s, I want to remember days like Saturday. Last Saturday I got up with the kids at 6 AM and made the kids breakfast so Marshall could sleep in a little. At 8 we got all the kids on their bikes and went to a garage sale in our neighbrohood, came home, went to the library to sign up for the summer reading program, then went to Trafalga for a few hours of amusement park fun. And that was all before 11:30. Really, sometimes I miss my pre-children saturdays of sleeping in until noon. But then I see these sweet kids and it is all better.

Day Out With Thomas

2011-06-03T22:28:00.004-06:00

Last week we went with Aunt Jessica and cousin Logan to the Day Out with Thomas in Heber. We've been a number of times before and it is always a good time.

Myles and Logan hanging out watching Thomas before we left.

Kindergarten Graduation

2011-06-03T22:21:00.003-06:00

Last week Mason finished kindergarten and they had a cute little program. I am so proud of my little almost-first-grader. He has worked so hard and absolutely loves school Love this boy.

Moms Can't Get Sick!

2011-05-24T08:57:00.003-06:00

I've been feeling pretty miserable since Saturday morning and finally went to the doctor last night when I started having a hard time breathing. Turns out now I have pneumonia and boy do I feel a lot worse for what little Myles went through last week now that I've had the same experience. So I'm taking it easy, trying to make the antibiotics work and get rehydrated, so I can get back to my mom duties. Marshall is staying home today to take care of things and so far (it is only 9 AM) each kid has had at least 2 huge temper tantrums and it is hard to hear the screaming and not go intervene. I need to get better--Moms can't get sick!

A Crazy Week

2011-05-22T20:43:00.003-06:00

It has been a crazy week in the Jones house. Last weekend Max started getting sick and by Monday both Max and Myles were hacking up a lung and spiking a 103 degree fever. And of course Marshall also had an ear infection. So on Tuesday morning I took both kids to the doctor and when we got there--no fever, lungs and vitals were good, etc. She took a strep test which was negative and sent us home with me feeling really stupid for taking them in. But then that night Myles started throwing up from coughing so hard and had a 104 degree fever all night and Mason had an ear infection and had a terrible night. I gave it another day and Max and Mason started feeling better but by Thursday morning Myles was miserable with a 104 degree fever and still having a hard time breathing despite regular use of his inhalers. But he had preschool graduation that morning and was devastated at the thought of missing it. So I took him to the graduation for about 30 minutes and kept him away from the other kids and then took him to the doctor. This time I didn't feel so stupid. . .he had pneumonia, croup, and a double ear infection. So now he is on 4 different meds and feeling a lot better. But. . .then yesterday I came down with a flu and spent the night rocking a fever. It has been a long week. Just a few of the more positive pictures:

Myles at preschool graduation showing off his shapes.

The preschool graduate! Okay, actually he still has another year of preschool so it will all happen again next year.

We've had a hard time this year getting Mason interested in reading until I
bought him these superhero readers. Now he can't get enough of them. Yay!

Mason Passed Kindergarten!

2011-05-18T18:50:00.003-06:00

Mason and Mrs. Robertson

Mason had his final test on everything he learned in kindergarten yesterday and did so so so well. He has worked so hard this year and grown up so much. One of the other volunteers in his classroom mentioned to me that he is always happy and she has never seen him grumpy or upset. I think it is just because he loves school like his mama! For a while he has been upset about finishing kindergarten and having to go to first grade, but yesterday he told me he can't wait for first grade because they get THREE RECESSES! My little boy is growing up!

Weekend at the Spa

2011-05-10T12:53:00.005-06:00

A few months ago a great deal came across TravelZoo for the Green Valley Ranch and Spa near Las Vegas. I recognized the name and talked to Marshall and quickly booked for a random weekend. We thought we would take the kids down and let them swim in the pool and have fun. But as the weekend approached and we decided we would leave Max with Grandma Delta, the other boys started complaining that they would rather stay in Delta than come with us. So we ended up leave all three boys with their Grandma for the weekend and took off Friday morning for the Spa.

On the way we stopped at Snow Canyon near St. George and went hiking. It was beautiful hiking weather and we loved it.

When we made it to the resort we were blown away--even more beautiful than I imagined. And, might I add, getting a great deal always makes things better. We got our luxurious room for $85 a night and got a $25 resort credit for each night as well that was good for the spa and food. What a deal! We spent some time at the pool relaxing, and I got a massage and spent part of each day in the spa sauna and hot tub. We were amazed at how relaxing it all was.

The casino gave us $3 of free game play each and we tried our hand at the Poker slots. We did alright for a while (though never making more than $4) but after about 20 minutes we each lost it all. Lesson learned.

Me after losing it all.

Marshall when he was ahead.

We also went down to the Ceasar's Palace Forum shops and I was THRILLED to find a massave H&M store. I went to a number of these in Europe last summer but hadn't found one in the States yet. I spent over an hour in there and came away with some spectacular buys for me and the boys. Another side note--it is great to have lost some weight and be shopping in trendy stores.

On our way out of time we stopped at Marshall's dream store--a Costco sized computer electronics store. We spent over an hour in there and I've never seen Marshall so giddy. He said it was a good thing we didn't live in Vegas or he would quit his job and try to work at Fry's.

It was such a great vacation and we came back feeling utterly relaxed. We missed the kids but it didn't seem like they missed us too much.

Mason and Aunt Jessica

2011-04-30T20:16:00.003-06:00

On Easter Sunday Mason all of a sudden asked Aunt Jessica if she would like to come to his kindergarten class sometime. His teacher likes people to come in and teach the kids something special, and Jessica and I were at a loss for what she could teach and then Mason said "she could teach sign language of course!" Duh. He went on to say that he wanted his friends to learn sign language so that they could talk to Uncle Daniel. Jessica said "you know there are other people in the world who are deaf, right?" and Mason said "yeah, like composers a long time ago who wrote music. Like Beethoven." Jessica and I were amazed.

So on Friday Jessica came to Mason's kindergarten class and taught the kids a few signs. Mason was so proud of her and loved being in front of the class. Thanks Aunt Jessica!

Myles' 4 Year Check-Up

2011-04-30T20:10:00.003-06:00

On Thursday Myles had his 4-Year check up with our favorite Dr. Lauret. He weighed in at 31.08 lbs (10.46th percentile), was 40 inches tall (44.12nd percentile), and his BMI was 13.66 which was the 1.71st percentile. The doctor has seen all three kids for 5 years and now knows not to worry about their low weight. He didn't bother doing the blood count because even though he thought Myles looked pale, he remembered that all our kids are like this and it turns out fine. We talked about Myles' asthma and got a plan established for keeping it under control. It is the very worst when he gets excited and the night after his birthday he had the worst attack he has had.

Developmentally, Myles was right at or ahead of target and is doing great. I had told him he didn't have to get any shots but they had just come out with a new vaccine that the doctor wanted him to have so he ended up having one poke but was very brave about it. I love that kid.

Myles' Birthday #3

2011-04-24T21:53:00.005-06:00

Today we had my sister Jessica, Daniel, and Logan over for Easter dinner (and of course another party for Myles). We had a yummy ham dinner with TONS of leftovers. After dinner Mason and Myles wanted to hide some eggs for the babies to find and the kids had a lot of fun.
We tried to get a few good shots of the kids but they don't hold still for very long! Max thought it was pretty funny that everyone was looking at them.

Happy boy cousins!

And my sister's beautiful family.

Oh, and anyone who knows me well knows that I'm not a very creative cook. I make the basics alright, but I'm not very creative, so I don't often share recipes on here. But I have a really easy one that is great with that leftover ham and rolls from Easter. Put a dab of butter and mustard in the rolls, add a slice of cheese and a slice of ham and wrap in tin foil. Freeze or refridgerate and when you are ready to eat them throw them in the oven for a little while and then you have a really yummy ham and cheese melt sandwich. See: easy convienent, and yummy!

Easter Morning

2011-04-24T21:46:00.005-06:00

Myles woke up around 6 AM this morning and we had a great time chatting about his birthday and Easter. When he remembered it was his birthday he looked at his legs and said "but my legs aren't any longer. I thought my legs would be longer when I was 4!" After about 30 minutes he woke up his brothers and we headed downstairs to see what the Easter Bunny brought.

Max was especially excited about the chocolate. Whenever we tried to take it away he would say "no! Chocolate."

The kids had a fun morning and we high on sugar by the time we went to church at 9 AM. They were alright in church and Myles was thrilled that they sang happy birthday to him in Primary. But about 5 minutes after Primary started, he fell right asleep on his teacher's lap. There is just so much excitement when your birthday is on Easter!

And just a bonus pic of us decorating eggs a few weeks ago.

Mason's Soccer Game

2011-04-24T21:31:00.006-06:00

We signed Mason up for Spring soccer this year and the weather has been very uncooperative. There have been 6 games total, two were rained out, and 2 of them were played in the freezing hail and snow. TERRIBLE. The other two were still played with temperatures in the 40s. Despite the cold weather, Mason has been enjoying soccer. Marshall took his camera to the game on Saturday and captured Mason's full range of activity.

Myles' Birthday #2

2011-04-24T21:10:00.006-06:00

On Saturday morning we had a birthday party for Myles with most of his cousins from Marshall's side. My kids just adore their cousins and it was so fun to have them over. We started with an Easter Egg hunt. Here are all the kids getting ready to go out.

Max got the hang of it and did a great job finding eggs. The best thing about the whole day in my opinion was how great the older cousins were. Liz, Megan, and William were much more interested in helping the little kids find eggs then finding some themselves. I am just so impressed with these kids and their thoughtfulness and love for their cousins.

Max was so attached to his eggs he wouldn't even let go of them while swinging.

But he let Grandma hold them while he climbed the rock wall. He is a little monkey!

After the Easter Egg hunt we headed downstairs to decorate Easter Eggs. Fortunately it was a lot less messy than I was expecting and they seemed to have a lot of fun.

Then we had a family Easter dinner of Prime Rib and all the fixings. The kids have so much fun when they all get together.

I made Myles a "Peter Cottontail" cake. He loves singing the song and was so happy his birthday fell on Easter so he could have a "Peter Cottontail" party.

And finally, presents! He has such generous and thoughtful cousins and grandparents. And best of all his brother spent his own money on a present for Myles. They are such great friends.

After everyone left and we had naps, Marshall's aunt and cousin who are in our ward came over and gave Mason and Myles parrot and sword balloons and snaps. The kids had a fun time sword fighting before bed. What a great day!

Myles Birthday Party #1

2011-04-24T21:01:00.002-06:00

Myles is an amazing boy. And now he is 4! He believes that when you turn 4 you get 4 birthday parties, which really is what I planned anyway. His first was at Preschool. I came for his birthday time and brought cupcakes to share after. He was so excited for me to meet his friends, especially Holly who he says he is going to marry.

Yes, his toenails are painted pink. See this link.

At Preschool he got to wear the birthday hat while his friends sang to him.

Getting his Birthday Squeezes from Miss Julie.

The cupcakes he shared with his friends. He wanted green cupcakes and his
Grandma found these great Easter Egg Hunt sprinkles.

Myles was incredibly thrilled with his little preschool party.

Lemonade Sale

2011-04-24T20:28:00.003-06:00

On Friday after school Mason and his neighbor Merann were playing and asked if they could have a lemonade sale. I had some extra cupcakes from Myles preschool that morning and so we made lemonade and I gave them about 6 cupcakes. After about 5 minutes they were sold out of cupcakes and begged me to make some more, so I made 2 dozen more. About an hour later they had sold 4 batches of lemonade, 3 dozen cupcakes, and made $20! We have wonderful neighbors who stopped by and were wonderful customers. Mason was really funny and insisted on "one per customer" and was quite the salesman. They divided up the money and were very proud of themselves.

One really funny related story. We were shopping in Costco and Mason had a ziplock bag with his $10 in it and some random stranger came right up to him and said "I hope you are going to pay tithing on that." Only in Provo. . .

He did end up paying tithing and we were so proud of him. He spent the rest of the money on a birthday present for Myles. He is such a great kid!

Bed Time Troubles

2011-03-28T08:24:00.003-06:00

I got a rare peak into Mason and Myles' secret bedtime routine last night. After Marshall was done reading them stories I was resting on Myles' bed. Marshall tucked them in, turned off the light, and shut the door. A second later Myles says "Mason, are they gone?" and Mason answers "yep they are gone." They both jumped out of bed and started dancing and jumping around the room! I said "excuse me!" and they both jumped back to bed and exploded in giggles saying "we didn't know you were still here." I asked and they said they do this every night. About 20 minutes after I left Myles came downstairs crying and said that Mason told him there was a monster in their room and described it in vivid detail. It was pink with pointy teeth and long claws and crawled along the floor eating little boys. After questioning Myles a little more he said that every night Mason tells Myles about monsters and then Mason falls right asleep but Myles is up for hours worrying about it. This morning I warned Mason not to tell Myles anymore scary stories before bed.

Mason and Girl Problems

2011-03-23T09:28:00.002-06:00

Mason will probably kill me for writing this when he is older, but for now I think it is so cute and want to remember it so. . .

This morning Mason told me that he was really worried because a girl at school (O) is falling in love with him (as evidenced by a lot of things including that she always picks him for "heads down thumbs up" and she smiles at him a lot). I told him that it is nice to have lots of friends and lots of people who like you, and he said he was really worried because what if O wanted to marry him and he had to say no because he is already marrying M, and then O's feelings would be hurt. We talked about how he has a long time to think about who to marry and that for now it is just good to be friends with lots of girls. He said that he would tell O that he just wants to be friends because they are just 6 and he hasn't even gone on a mission yet. Oh the drama of Kindergarten. . .

In related news, Mason brought home this certificate and a treat from school yesterday! This is quite an accomplishment. For most of the year he has really struggled with memorizing sight words and paying attention, and this certificate means he has aced all sight words for the whole year! It is amazing how fast he has caught up. At the beginning of the year we were thinking there was a small possibility he might need to repeat kindergarten (slow processing speed from brain injury), and now he is already ready for first grade! The teacher told me that even if he didn't learn one more thing this year he would still be prepared for first grade. Yay Mason! No wonder all the girls are falling in love with him. . .

Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum

2011-03-21T14:18:00.003-06:00

On Saturday we went to the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur museum and the kids loved it. They had been there before about a year ago and so they knew what fun stuff to look for. Myles was great at telling us what the names of all the dinosaurs were, and Mason loved digging for dinosaur fossils. Max just loved running around. Mason got a membership to Thanksgiving Point (cost effective if we call go more than once a year because anyone with him gets in 1/2 price) and he was so proud of his membership card. So if anyone wants to take a trip to any of the sites up there with us let us know.

Max seeing if he weighed as much as a dinosaur. Um. . .no. A bird maybe.

Everyone thought this was pretty cool.
Max wanted to take a look inside.

Some Fun Pictures

2011-03-21T14:10:00.002-06:00

Max and I at Story Time. He was the only one whose name had the letter of the day (X) and so he got a kick out of everyone saying his name.

Mason is STILL sleeping in the hallway on the floor most of the time with his posse of monkeys (he has 4 now).

A typical Friday night movie night in our house. The rule is Max HAS TO hold the popcorn or he has the hugest fit you have ever seen.

He is good at letting the other boys have some though.

I'm loving the spring weather.

The kids have been able to play outside and spend more time with the neighbors.

Max can't get enough of being outside.

Loving his swing!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T21:24:00.004-06:00

I woke up to three very excited boys and a big pinch! I can't believe how even the smallest holidays are such fun with these little boys.

Myles made this mask at preschool.

Green pancakes for breakfast.
Max refused to touch them and so I made him a normal one and he gobbled it up.

We had cousin William and Aunt Nicole over for a green dinner.

The boys just adore their cousin William.

Green pasta, green alfredo sauce, green salad, and broccoli and cauliflower.

I didn't dare make the breadsticks green.

After dinner we went to the scout's pinewood derby. Mason and Myles loved it and loved cheering for their friend Cyler.

Myles watching the race.

Mason and his friend Merann were enthralled.

Stay-Cation!

2011-03-14T13:44:00.003-06:00

This weekend the kids went to their Grandma Delta's for a weekend of fun while Marshall and I had our own quiet weekend alone. We were tlaking about how the weekend seemed more relaxing and enjoyable than a lot of the vacations we have taken. We went out to eat, slept in, painted the playhouse, did our taxes, hung out with my sister and her husband, went to a movie, watched movies at home, shopped, and even went on a 4 hour hike! It was just so nice to have such a long time to just hang out together. Now Marshall is on his way to Teaxas for most of the week and the kids are waiting for me at home. I can't wait to give them some HUGE hugs!

Sunday Morning

2011-03-06T08:32:00.003-07:00

I thought the kids looked so cute this morning and we had some time before church (thanks to Myles waking everyone up at 5 AM) and so I grabbed Marshall's camera and took some pictures. The kids were so great and I got some amazing shots. Unfortunately the camera was on the wrong setting and the pictures were all really blurry! So I pulled them all outside for a second time and this time they were not nearly as cooperative. Bummer! I think this one is hilarious. Max is still pretty wary of Myles. For good reason.
Myles wouldn't stop talking for one second.

Cheese!

Satuday Morning

2011-03-06T08:25:00.004-07:00

Myles was in Delta yesterday and so Mason and his dad spent some quality time together. They got up early and went hiking and taking pictures. We gave Mason his own camera (our old one) and they had a contest of who could take the best pictures. I was the judge. They tied.

They then spent the rest of the day wrestling, playing computer games, and playing the wii. Sometimes a 6 year old needs a day like that.

Max's 18 Month Check-Up

2011-03-01T20:44:00.003-07:00

Max is 19 months old and had his 18 month well-child check today. He weighs 20.86 lbs (woohoo, over 20!) which brings him up from the .5 percentile to the 2.26th percentile. Yay Max! He is 31.75 inches long making him in the 34.55th percentile (but I know the nurse measured wrong and he should have another 1/2 inch added onto that). And his head circumference was 18.5 inches, in the 27.9th percentile.

He is right on with all his developmental milestones. We are pretty sure he is allergic to peanuts like me and Mason so the doctor referred us to an allergist for testing. He got 3 shots and did great. I love my baby!

IHOP Free Pancake Day

2011-03-01T20:00:00.003-07:00

Today we made our second annual trip to IHOP's Free Pancake Day. You get a free short stack per person and are asked for a donation to the Miracle Children's Hospital Network. When we got there the kids really wanted kid's meals (mac & cheese and funny face pancakes). But we explained to them that if we got pancakes we could give money to the hospital that saved Mason's life they were both really happy to get pancakes. When we were walking out and paying, Mason told the beauty queen woman filling in the little donation balloons (weird I know) that our whole family had pancakes because when he fell in the waterfall the hospital saved his life, so we were giving money to the hospital. She thought it was so cute and took him to the lobby to tape up the balloon while I was paying and when she came back she said that he told everyone in the lobby the same story and asked if he could stay for the evening to solicit donations. He is such an earnest little boy and so sincere--how could anyone say no to him!

Chef Mason

2011-02-28T21:54:00.004-07:00

Mason really believes he is a chef. He takes it very seriously. For his birthday his grandma gave him a whole bunch of Easy Bake Oven mixes and one was for cookie pizzas. At church on Sunday he took orders from people for pizza they wanted and then after church made them and delivered them in his chef costume along with a hand-written menu with his phone number in case they wanted to order more. I'm afraid to say the "pizzas" were the nastiest thing I've ever seen, so I'm hoping no one actually ate them.

But he does make a cute chef!

Mason's Birthday Celebration #2

2011-02-28T21:47:00.003-07:00

On Saturday we had a little informal family birthday party for Mason and his cousin Megan. We had most of the Jones cousins here and the kids had a blast playing. They all love each other so much! I love these pictures of Mason and Megan. They are such good friends. Megan is one of the sweetest girls I know. She is always being a little mother to the cousins and they all adore her.

Happy 6th Birthday Mason!

2011-02-25T17:05:00.009-07:00

Can you believe my baby is 6! It seems like yesterday he was 1 and had a Thomas party. And 2 and had a Thomas party. And 4 and had a Thomas Party. AND 6 AND HAD A THOMAS PARTY! That's right! He insisted on his 4th Thomas Party (and in there Myles has had one too!). The good thing was we had all the supplies. The hard thing was coming up with new ideas. But. . .we did.

For the invitations, Mason dressed up as Thomas and we printed invitations inviting 10 friends to the Island of Sodor for Thomas' Birthday Party. This was the picture from the invitation.

When the kids arrived at the party we sat down for an after-school snack of fruit, goldfish, and sandwiches cut up in train shapes.

Then for the party games we had a Thomas scavenger hunt. Everyone got assigned a train to be (and I had the train's pictures laminated to hang around them) and they moved from station to station in a train line with Thomas at the front. The clues instructions from Sir Toppam Hat on the back of pictures of Mason and Thomas in the room where the next clue was located.

The stations included Pin the One on Thomas, Bounce House, Story Station, Pinata, Choo-Choo-Caboose (think duck-duck-goose), the pinata, and finally back to Tidmouth Sheds for COAL (cupcakes). Doesn't it look like a chunk of coal?

After the party we sent everyone home with treat bags with a Mason's Thomas Party wordsearch, coloring pages, and a homemade Thomas shaped crayon (way more work than it was worth), plus their candy from the pinata.

Mason had a great time and couldn't be happier. Tomorrow we are having another little birthday party for Mason and his cousin Megan that should be a lot less work!

Smartest Boy Ever

2011-02-24T22:04:00.001-07:00

I can't get over Myles' memory. He learned this at preschool. Might I remind you that he is 3.

Delta and Detox

2011-02-21T09:19:00.003-07:00

On Friday we went to Marshall's parents in Delta for the weekend. We used to go down there quite a bit, but realized we haven't been since last summer! But I got released from the Primary Presidency last week and so we felt better about missing church in Provo and decided to head down.

As always, the kids had a BLAST! From the moment they got there until the moment they left, grandma and grandpa spoiled them rotten. Their cousin William was down there and their eyes rarely left the ds, wii, tv, or computer screen. Grandma bought little Max new "big boy shoes" and he loves them more than any toy he's had. He asks for them first thing upon waking from naps or bed and doesn't let us take them off for anything else.

Here is Max happy to be relaxing in the kid's recliner.

I always say that a Delta is the best vacation spot because a day in Delta feels like a week. It is just so different than Provo! I watched 3 movies, worked on a craft project (two certain little girls I love will be getting a present soon!) and bought fabric for my next quilt. I caught up on my last 3 weeks of grading, got stuff ready for Mason's birthday party, had naps both days, and still was looking for things to do.

Mason and Myles had a great time but I think were a little over-stimulated. At grandma's they are used to getting their way with everything. Whatever they want to eat, play, buy, do. In fact when grandma was running to the store Myles put in his order: "buy me two boxes of Lucky Charms and a bag of Swedish Fish for me to take home." I was so embarrased. But that is seriously their attitude after a few days in Delta. So today we are having:

DELTA DETOX DAY

(or as Mason calls it "change your attitude day")

So no DS, no Wii, no Computer games, no TV. No junk food. No candy. They think I'm the meanest mom in the world that I am MAKING them play Legos, paint, playdough, puzzles, board games.

Don't they look miserable?

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T13:38:00.002-07:00

Here are some pictures from our morning. When Max saw his V-Day Gorilla he laughed and started hugging and kissing it.
This started out as a semi-healthy breakfast of heart waffles and strawberries. However after the kids got done with the whipped cream and candy it wasn't so healthy.

Sorry it is rotated, but this is Mason's Valentine's Box for school that he made with Grandma Goates.

And finally the kids with their Valentine treats and new Chip-And -Dale presents. They were absolutely thrilled when they saw their presents and both said "mommy and daddy, thank you SO MUCH" and offered us chocolates and kisses. We have the best kids!

Sleeping

2011-02-13T21:05:00.003-07:00

Mason's room has 2 beds. There are 6 beds in our house. But he chooses to sleep on the floor outside of his room. He has been doing this for almost a week now and refuses to sleep in his bed. He says it is so we don't sneak downstairs and eat breakfast without him.

Babe the Sheep Pig

2011-02-13T20:57:00.003-07:00

Last weekend I took Mason and Myles to the BYU play "Babe the Sheep Pig". They enjoyed it but I was very glad I didn't take Myles to "Peter Pan" the week before because I don't think he could have sat through it.

Myles favorite part was seeing a life-size pig. He is still obsessed with pigs and wolves.

Wedding Dance

2011-02-13T20:49:00.003-07:00

On Friday night we went to my cousin Chris' wedding. We had a fun time spending time with grandma and grandpa and some cousins. The best part of the evening though was the dance. Who knew my kids were so into dancing. It was by far the funniest thing I've seen in years. They were so into it! Mason kept dancing with a girl and after the song was over he would pat her back and say thank you.

You have to check out these videos. Hilarious!

We are so happy for Chris and Kelci!

Target Outing

2011-02-07T14:38:00.002-07:00

Like most mothers, after the birth of each kid I go through a period of being worried about handling all the kids in a store, but I've adjusted pretty well. I like the chance to get out, and because I work 2-3 days a week, usually I end up having to take my kids shopping with me. We've developed a system for every store we go to. I know the stores with the car-carts, the ones with the big carts, the best toy sections, what snacks to bring, best times to go, etc. So last thursday I decided we needed to make a Target run after Mason got home from school.

My plan for Target is Mason and Myles sit in the cart part (letting them walk leads to disaster), Max sits in the top part, and they get the choice of either LOOKING at toys (usually no buying) or sharing a bag of popcorn. Thursday they chose popcorn so I got a medium popcorn split into three bags (to eliminate fighting over the bag) and I figured I had a good 30 minutes of peaceful shopping time.

Now, Max LOVES popcorn. He started hyperventalating the second he saw it and started cramming it in his mouth by the handful. We were doing well until about 20 minutes later, when I had the cart full (well around the kids) of stuff to buy I heard a terrible gagging sound and then GUSH. Popcorn vomit just pouring out of Max's mouth. It went down his front and then he turned his head and GUSH again. He threw up all over Mason and Myles' heads and shirts. They started screaming. GUSH GUSH GUSH all over the food I was going to buy. I had no idea his stomach could hold that much popcorn.

I didn't even have wipes or diapers with me since they were in the car and I froze. A nice lady near me ran to the bathroom and came back with armfuls of paper towels. I wiped Mason and Myles' heads, stripped Max down to his diaper, dumped all the stuff I was going to buy (moral dilemma--do I buy it anyway because we ruined or dump it and get my nasty, screaming kids out of the store?), took the kid's vomit-soaked jackets off, and raced them to the car. Now, it was about 10 degrees outside and I got some nasty looks for not having my kids appropriately dressed.

Anyway, it will be a very long time before I either look at popcorn or Target again. YUCK!

Neglecting the Blog

2011-01-31T09:54:00.003-07:00

I guess I haven't posted for a while. I think after Christmas it was just nice to have everything calmed down and we didn't do much exciting. Until this week. Last Monday-Thursday Marshall and I went to San Diego for a little vacation while the kids spent the week with grandma in Delta. Marshall had some free flights he had to use and so we decided to go to San Diego, relax, and enjoy the warm weather. We forgot the camera so no pics, but we had a great time sleeping in, eating out, watching movies.

On Saturday I took Mason to see the musical Peter Pan at BYU. He absolutely loved it and thought it was the coolest thing ever. I loved how excited he got. Myles was a little jealous but I think he would have been too scared of the pirates and I'm not sure he would have sat still for 2 and a half hours. But next Saturday I'm taking him to a little children's play called "Babe the Pig" and I think he will love it given his facination with pigs.

Christmas Morning

2011-01-05T22:22:00.003-07:00

I think the parents were more excited than the kids for Christmas morning. Well, maybe not more excited than Mason. He came into our room at 2:30 saying "it is morning, lets go see what Santa brought." I convinced him to go back to bed with instructions not to come back until the clock said 6:00. Well, he didn't quite get that the first number had to be a 6 and so every 10 minutes (2:36, 2:46, etc) he came in asking if we could get up. At 5 am finally we heard noises downstairs and found out Scott's family was awake and waiting and so we got organized and came downstairs.

We had to pause for a picture with all the grandkids. They really were excited, just not to happy to take a break from presents to take a picture.

One of Mason's favorite gifts was his easy bake oven from Grandma and Grandpa Delta, along with a chef's uniform. He knows he is going to be a chef when he grows up.

And the kids also got a bouncy house from Grandma and Grandpa Goates which was an absolute blast. It is a great way for the kids to get out some energy.