I never cry the day I take the tree down...

I was a little slow getting my tree down this year, but not because I didn't want to do it.

It seems like I'm a few weeks behind in almost everything.

I finally got the tree down about a week and a half ago, and I'm now I'm almost ready to make my new year's resolutions.

Sometimes I wish I could push "PAUSE" on the rest of the world while I hurry and catch up.

I wouldn't change anything, though.

I am loving this time I have with my kids.  I love having kids old enough to fix a sandwich, hold the baby, or play games for ages 8 and up.

I love singing to my baby and being rewarded with smiles and babbling.

I love having time alone with Dillon before kindergarten, while the baby takes his morning nap.

I love that we have opportunities like scouts, piano lessons, 4-H, and yes, I'm even grateful for basketball this year.

I love that my kids are not yet into MP3 players, cell phones, or gadgets that start with "i" or "e".  They're still perfectly happy to play with a cardboard box.

And even though I don't love the never-ending laundry, hours of homework, and the pee on the toilet seat, I know these days will pass too quickly...

So I'm gonna soak 'em up.

Even if it means that I don't get around to my new year's resolutions until February.

Dillon's book report

Brayden made a poster advertising one of the Harry Potter books for his latest book report.

Dillon was green with envy as he watched.

When I caught him counting on his fingers to see how long it would be until he was 10 and could do his own book report, I told him he could do a book report any time he wanted.

He chose "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom", and had a hard time going to sleep last night because he was so excited.  He got up and made his poster first thing this morning.

He wanted to print out a picture of a coconut tree on the computer, so we did.

He needed some letters, so I dug out my old scrapbook supplies and found some stickers.

He wanted his "i" to be lowercase, so he had to use an "espwuhnation point" (upside down, of course). He found a black pen to make the "black-eyed P".

He wanted to use the gold caligraphy pen, like Brayden, so he did.

He also wanted glitter, like Brayden, so we added some to the bottom of the page.

He carefully measured the sun in the book with his ruler, and then we used his compass to make a circle that was just the right size. After he cut it out, we checked the measurement...twice.

And when he had finished his magnum opus, he asked for breakfast.

Basketball

Here are some pics from this week's basketball games:

Caleb in green on the left

Brayden in red on the left

...and reading during his time out. 

That's my boy :o)

He wore an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow polka-dot...

...SACK??

What do you call this thing?

When I carried the baby into the living room this morning, Dillon exclaimed, "Justin's wearing a bag!"

Whatever it is, I offered to make one for Todd, but he quickly declined.

Ammon Delight

While shopping at Walmart last week, I ran into these sword cocktail picks.  Having just had a fondue party, and living in a household of boys, I knew we had to have these.  I even bought two packages in case I can't ever find them again.

Yesterday, I found myself crunched for time as I had a quilt that needed to be finished before bedtime (and I didn't have it in my hands until about 2 o'clock in the afternoon). 

I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner, when I remembered I had a package of cocktail sausages that I bought for New Year's and never made.  Then, I remembered the sword picks.  And then, my friends, I remembered the scripture story we're reading right now...the story of Ammon defending King Lamoni's sheep.  And it occurred to me...

What little boy wouldn't want to eat bloody arms with a sword?

And so we did.  And I made twice baked potatoes to go with them.  As I was stuffing the potato skins, I realized that if you use your imagination (and mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar), they kind of look like sheep.

And Ammon Delight was born.  The boys chose to place their sheep on the "grassy hill".

Unfortunately, a few of the "sheep" did not survive, as the boys discovered they could spoon red sauce over top, and stab them with a sword as well.  (okay, maybe their Mom discovered it first and showed them...)

You can also fit 8 or 9 pea's on a sword pick at the same time.

It's the little things in life...

Problem Solved

For the past few months we've had a homework problem at our house.

The boys would get out their books, do a few math problems, and then realize they needed a ruler so they'd get up and leave the table...

...and get distracted along the way.

Ten minutes later, I'd round them up, they'd start doing their homework again, and then they'd need a blue crayon, or a pair of scissors.

...And then they would need to sharpen their pencil. Or they'd use up their eraser and go searching for another one.

Every time they would leave the table, they'd get distracted along the way and end up wasting time. Homework was taking FOR.EV.ER.

So, for Christmas, I made these "homework buckets". I sewed "double decker" crayon rolls, and wrapped them around empty quart sized paint cans (purchased new at the hardware store for around $1). Then I filled each can with a pair of scissors, a ruler, a giant eraser, a compass, a glue stick, two mechanical pencils, extra lead, and a new set of 24 crayons for the outside pockets.

I purposely color-coded each child's bucket and supplies, so that if I see a ruler or pencil lying around on my kitchen counter, I know who left it there :o)

So far, it has worked great. The boys take their bucket to the table and have everything they need--so their bum's can stay glued to their seat 'til their homework is finished!

After three weeks of use, I'm calling this new "system" a raging success. Now if I could figure out how to get them to actually TURN THEIR HOMEWORK IN, we'd really be on to something.

5 months!

Just look at those cute little piggies!  Oh, how I love fat little baby feet...even on my dinner table.

At five months, Justin:

-loves playing with his toys
-can roll over from tummy to back, and back to tummy
-tries to taste anything he can get his hands on
-eats a few spoonfuls of rice cereal before bed
-wakes up happy in the morning and always gives us a big smile
-screams if he's tired (if you wrap him like a burrito, with his pacifier and his "flying bears" mobile going, he'll go right to sleep)
-wears 3-6 mos. clothes (some 6-9 mos.)
-loves attention from his brothers
-is the center of our little universe!

A big thanks to the person who bought us our new high chair.  It is a Fisher Price SpaceSaver, and we already like it better than any other high chair we've had.

(The high chair donor wishes to remain anonymous as he/she thinks the one we picked is super ugly)

Wouldn't YOU choose this high chair if YOU had "Brady Bunch orange" countertops??

 And besides, just look at that cute piping...

Throughout December, amidst the "Christmas crazy" I kept telling myself that as soon as Christmas was over, and the kids were back in school, things would calm down.

I was wrong.

I had a "date" with my calendar yesterday, and between basketball, scouts, piano, Dr. and dentist appts, and RS we have something (or 2 or 3 somethings) on every weekday night 'til March.

Since we have Kindergarten splitting up our days this year, I have I mean get to do my bi-weekly Walmart run on the weekends...with four kids in tow.

Sigh.

I guess this is my new normal.  I've become "Taxi Mom".

Thankfully, my "taxi" is equipped with a DVD player and bum-warmers in the seats.  I have no room to complain!

Every day I am in awe of the mother's who have 6 or 8 kids.  I don't know how they keep track of everything from schedules, to homework, to chores.

If anyone has any great crock-pot recipe's, or 10 minute dinner idea's I'd love to hear them.

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Speaking of calendars, I have to include this story about Caleb, our resident "hoarder":

Before Christmas, Todd had the boys do a deep clean of their room. He told Caleb to throw away his calendar because there was only one week left in the year, and we had already acquired a free 2011 calendar for him to use.

Caleb resisted, and exclaimed, "But Dad! We can re-use this calendar in seven years.  I want to keep it!"

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Instinct

Today I was pondering what a miracle it is that babies are born knowing how to suck and instinctively search for their food, when I remembered a poem from my 5th grade English textbook.  I liked it so much I memorized it, and it came back to me as if I'd read it yesterday.

(I had a pretty good memory before I delivered a portion of my brain with each baby...)

There were two skunks

Named Out and In.

When In was out,

Out was in.

One day their mother,

Who was in with Out,

Wanted In in.

"Bring In in," 

She said to Out.

So Out went Out

And brought In in.

"How did you find him so quickly," she asked?

"Instinct, he said."

~Author Unknown

Our Chapel

Our family has the opportunity to clean our church's chapel this month. While we were there, I took a few pictures because it is such a neat building...more like a tabernacle, really.  There is no air conditioning, so we try to avoid siting in the balcony in the summer.  And yes, I have seen kids throw toys "overboard" in the middle of sacrament meeting.

View of the podium and choir seats from the balcony

View of the balcony from the choir seats

View of the hand-painted ceiling. (The RS sisters painted the gold design!)

The pillars are beautiful.

New Year Bliss

Todd started his New Year with Nacho's Supreme...

And a football game on our new projector. He was literally jumping up and down when he realized that he would actually be able to see the ball!  (we do need to get a shade for the window, though...)

 I spent the day working on my new blog, while the kids entertained themselves.

When I went upstairs, I found this:

It made me smile.

New Year's Eve

We have never celebrated New Year's Eve with our kids before.  For some reason, this year I had a bug up my butt bee in my bonnet, and pulled together a last minute fondue party.

We had chocolate sauce, cheese sauce, and cilantro lime dressing.  Dippers included rolls, chicken taquitos, broccoli, cucumbers, olives, pretzels, pineapple, clementine orange slices, honeydew, marshmallows, and PB rice krispie treats.

It ended up being a lot of fun, and the kids have called it their new favorite meal...even the broccoli in chocolate sauce.

After dinner the boys played our new Monopoly City game (thanks Larry and Wendi!) complete with a bubble wrap collar (?) for Dillon's popping enjoyment.

At exactly midnight, our small town fire siren went off.  Everyone thought it was because of the new year, but there was actually a chimney fire at the home of one of Todd's home teaching families!  Luckily no one was hurt and the damage was minimal.