Snow Day!

Old Man Winter decided to pay us a visit the first week of February. A big artic front blasted its way through bringing ice and snow and freezing cold temperatures. I was a little worried how this would play out with Madeline's health and the freezing temperatures; but thanks to a little snow and ice school was canceled for four days. Grant still went to work during the ice storm, but would leave for work after the sun came up and try to get home before a lot cars would be on the road. The kids had fun playing in the backyard, while sensible Mommy watched from inside. Wanting Madeline to have fun and to enjoy being a kid, we bundled up enough that all you could see were eyes and she could barely move. Madeline had three shirts, two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, two jackets, two hats and a pair of gloves with a pair of socks over them. Out of the three kids she was the warmest, in fact she said she was a little hot. The kids played outside for an hour, which surprised me since cold weather is not something they enjoyed. Madeline was able to do her favorite snow activity and that was snow angels. When our second round of snow hit, Grant took off early from work and we went to a nearby park that has a nice sledding hill and spent an hour sledding. Spencer wasn't interested in sledding, but enjoyed giving everyone a push on their way. In breaks between sledding runs, we would throw a few snowballs, and then when we needed to warm up our heads we would do a few runs down the sled. After our sledding adventures, we headed off to rent a few movies. Apparently everyone else had the same idea because the selection of deceient movies were low.

The kids enjoyed the time off from school and I enjoyed the lazy mornings and the relaxed afternoons. Grant enjoyed not having to set the alarm clock and being able to sleep in. The snow was pretty to look at, but by day three it was getting old and walls in my house felt like they were caving in. Grant surprised me by taking me out of the house for a few hours, which was a nice welcomed treat. I was able to get a quilting frame which made the rest of the snowed in days easy to enjoy. It was a nice week off from school, it felt like a mini vacation, a nice break in our sometimes hectic life.

Madeline's Talent

The last week of January the first graders at Madeline's school were studying Cowboys and Cowgirls. To end the week, the first graders threw a talent show. Not only did it provide a fun time for the kids, but allowed the kids opportunities with speaking and performing in front of lots of people. Madeline had lots of fun dressing up as a cowgirl, and she wore her outfit to perfection. Thanks to a friend we were able to borrow the perfect pink cowgirl boots that just added the perfect touch to her costume. Madeline performed her old standby talent of singing "What a Wonderful World." Madeline totally rocked her performance, and never missed a beat. She did bring a few people to tears, and brought lots of smiles to peoples faces.

For having gone through so much, she exemplifies courage, spunk, and confidence. She knows who she is and is proud of who she is. What a blessing to our family. With Madeline around it is truly a Wonderful World.

Battle of the Books

For the second year in a row Anthony has participated in his school district's Battle of the Books competition. Anthony started over the summer by reading all 15 of the books. He continued reading them on a daily basis after school start, and then in November he took the test to see if he could make the team. Anthony aced the test with perfection and was one of the leaders on the team. Anthony didn't stop reading, instead he continued to read those same 15 books everyday until the competition in late January. Anthony had those books memorized forwards and backwards and didn't miss a beat. Anthony along with two other girls lead the six member team with only missing one question. There is another team, the secondary, and well they had a bit of trouble during their competition. Anthony's school didn't place this year, but Anthony is learning how to have fun even if you don't win. He did get a medal, but for him the best part was CiCi's pizza afterwards. Next year Anthony will be on the secondary team as he will be in fourth grade. So once again we will start reading the books this summer.

We are all amazed at the dedication and discipline Anthony shows, and all his hard work definitely shows. Who knows maybe next year he can help lead his team to victory.

Pinewood Derby 2011

Anthony participated in his second Pinewood Derby. Just like the year before he dragged himself out to the garage to build and design his car. Anthony likes the sanding part, but when it comes to the sawing he much rather do something else. So with a little encouragement and a timer he was able to cut out the shape of his car; but as soon as the timer went off he was back inside not a minute more or less. Anthony came down with a friendly stomach bug a few days before the race, so being the nice Daddy that Grant is he finished the car with direction from Anthony. Anthony wanted a fast car with flames, and he coined the name of his car "Fast Furry." This year he placed 5th in his den. Though we didn't get a medal, it was a good opportunity for Anthony to learn that you can still have fun and an enjoyable time even if you don't win. It was fun to watch Anthony as he raced his car and to see his excitement and enthusiasm, it is contagious and put a smile on our faces as well. Next year Anthony wants to build a lego car; so once again we will head out to the garage with lots of encouragement and a timer and with a little bit of a nudge he will take a block of wood and turn it into a lego car. Stay tune for Pinewood Derby 2012.

Five plus Two Equals Seven

Before

On Christmas Eve our family grew by two and no I didn't have twins. Grant's parents moved in for the Winter. Grant's parents were living in Florida taking care of Grandma Smith, after five years of taking such great care of her, Grandma Smith passed away a few weeks before Christmas. When we received word, we got ready for their arrival which included building a cement pad on the side of our house for the motor home and converting our garage into an office so his parents could have our fourth bedroom. For a few weeks our home was full of buzz as we worked on getting everything ready. The kids were excited for Grandma and Grandpa coming! We would not have been able to do all that we did without the help of my brother-in-law Richard who by himself took half of our garage and made it into an office. Everyday he would come over before work, on his days off, and on the weekends. It was a true testament of how when family comes together great things can happen. We were not quite finished when Grant's parents arrived, and we learned that the original length of the cement pad was not long enough. Luckily the cement company was available to come and fix that problem and Grant's parents were able to stay at a nearby campground.

After a month of working, the office and bedroom were finally complete and I don't think there was anyone more relieved than Grant and Richard. It was nice to be able to clean up from sheetrock and texture dust and to be able to put the house back together. The office looks amazing and you wouldn't even know that it was once a garage. It is weird to think that as I sit at the computer or watch TV, that not too long ago my car was park that very spot. The only downside was the we under estimated how much things would cost, but it looks amazing and very professionally done.

After

Christmas Day

The kids woke up shortly after 7:00 and immediately started playing with Santa's gifts. Grandma and Grandpa were still asleep out in the motor home and so as painful as it was the kids waited patiently for Grandma and Grandpa to wake up. After playing with their toys from Santa for a couple of hours it was time to finally play with the gifts under the tree. Now remember their Christmas gifts weren't wrapped and so they sat there staring at the gifts just waiting until they could pick them up and play with them. Now Spencer was content with what Santa brought and was not interested in what was under the tree. So for at least a couple of his gifts he would ignore us as we try to get his attention, and then after a bit he came around and realized that there were more toys. However, he got ahold of one of his gifts and was content the rest of the morning. I am sure someday he will understand the whole Christmas morning fun. The kids enjoyed their gifts and Mommy and Daddy had fun putting together and trying to get the endless amount of toys out of their carefully packaged boxes. Later that evening my family came over for more gift exchanges and Christmas dinner. I love when Christmas Day is simple, it helps to keep the spirit of Christmas a live in our hearts and home.

Christmas Eve

For Christmas Eve this year, Grant's parents were able to join us. A few days before Christmas Eve Anthony asked if he could do the lesson for our Christmas Eve celebration. With me recovering from being sick and busily trying to get the new office finished I thought it was a great idea. Madeline joined in and was given the charge of the nativity play. Madeline and Anthony did a fantastic job. Madeline had saying parts for all members of the family. Then Anthony told the story of the Savior's birth using the scriptures, afterwards Anthony put together a game for us all to play. We then ended the night with our tradition of making smores and hot chocolate. It is nights like this when you realize how blessed you are to be a mother and witness your children bear their testimony.

After the kids were snuggled in bed Mommy and Daddy were tired and decided that wrapping presents was highly over-rated. We gathered all the presents and after a few minutes trying to remember what Santa got the kids versus the parents. When everything was sorted out we just put the presents under the tree with no labels and no wrapping paper. It sure made clean up easy the next day, and the kids enjoyed their gifts just as much if they had been wrapped.

Madeline's Tree

Right before Christmas, Madeline had a Christmas tree project due for school. They were given a Christmas tree made out of poster board and asked to decorate it anyway they wanted to, the only rule was they could not just color it with markers or crayons. Madeline wanted to do fabric with ornaments and she wanted to put real Christmas tree lights. At first Grant and Madeline were going to make their own battery pack Christmas lights, but we found some when the craft store was beginning to clearance out their Christmas decor. We tried gluing the rick rack on, but that didn't work so the crazy mom that I am thought of sewing it. An hour later I was successful at sewing the tree and tree trunk on Madeline's poster board tree. Then Madeline went to work punching holes for the ornaments and lights to fit. She was so excited when it was done and more excited to show off to her class that her tree lights up.

Gaylord Ice

Every year one of the local fancy hotels has an ice exhibit. They bring in Chinese Ice Sculptures to create these fancy sculptures based on the theme for this year. This year it was Charlie Brown Christmas. My kids love anything to do with Charlie Brown so I knew they would like the exhibit. The catcher was the price of tickets is not cheep. I debated about it for a few weeks and decided it would be our big Christmas activity. When the kids found out they were excited and so were we! We ended up going the week of Christmas which I think was a mistake. The ice exhibit was neat, but we were not able to really enjoy it and take everything in. There were so many people (they didn't have it well organized) that we were just being shuffled along.

They provide you parkas because they keep the place -9 degrees. Spencer of course didn't want anything to do with the parka or any jacket of that matter. So we carried his thinking that when he got inside he would change his mind. Instead he just wanted his dad to carry him while he curled up in a ball. Grant finally was able to get Spencer in the parka but he refused to put his arms in the armholes. So here is Grant trying to hold Spencer in a slick parka who is curled up in a ball who also refuses to put his arms in the armholes. It was a definitely a challenge. Anthony and Madeline enjoyed it, but Anthony was ready to get out. He doesn't like it when it is too hot or too cold, he likes things just right. At the end of the exhibit they have an ice slide for the kids to go down, but our kids were more interested in getting out of the exhibit then going down the slide.

Did I think it was worth the price of tickets, no but the excitement on my kids faces made up for that. Will we be going again? No. Do I recommend people going? Yes if you can get the first showing otherwise save your money. Am I glad that we went? Yes, despite it being overly crowded and not being able to take in the ice sculptures our kids still like to talk about it and talk about how much fun it was.

O Christmas Tree

Christmas Countdown

It is already mid January and I am just now getting to Christmas. Hopefully by the end of January I will be caught up. Grant's parents moved in with us so I have been a little bit busy with getting things settled; but I will save that for another post. Every year for the month of December we countdown to Christmas with fun little activities each day. We didn't get to do 24 activities like we had wanted. I got sick with the flu around December 11 that took a couple of weeks to get through and then Grant's parent moved in and I lost my office for a bit until we finished the garage/office conversion. We did get a few activities in and the kids had fun. Also this year I finished all of my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving so it was nice not to have to worry about any shopping during December. I was just able to focus on the kids, the family, and enjoying the Christmas Season together.

1. Make and decorate Christmas cards.

2. Watch The Grinch Stole Christmas.

3. Decorate the Christmas tree.

4. Go see a nearby Nativity and go out for Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory.

5. Watch The First Presidency Christmas Devotional.

6. Read a Christmas story and decorate hot chocolate mugs.

7. Make ornaments.

8. Make smores.

9. Watch Charlie Brown Christmas.

10. Sleep under the Christmas tree.

11. Go to ICE exhibit.

12. Decorate Gingerbread Houses.

It was a fun countdown and can't wait for next year and hopefully I won't get sick so we can be able to enjoy more fun memories

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we didn't make any plans because Madeline was scheduled for a scope of her stomach the day before. Though this was an outpatient procedure, you never know with Madeline; so to be safe we just didn't make any plans. We are glad that we did because Madeline did have a hard time getting off the oxygen so she was admitted to the hospital for an overnight stay. We were able to get home early afternoon of Thanksgiving, but Madeline still wasn't feeling well. It was nice that Thanksgiving was a quiet day that allowed Madeline to rest and get to feeling better. Later that evening Grant nor I felt like cooking so we went to Golden Corral and they fed us a great dinner. The rest of the weekend was jam packed with project after project so we ended up having our Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday after church. It was a nice and simple Thanksgiving Dinner. Madeline helped me make the simple yummy feast and when the boys return home from an errand we were ready to dive in. Before we ate each one of us held up a piece of paper with what we were thankful for. There was no fanfare, no fancy menu options, and no fancy setup; but you could really feel the love and gratitude in our home as we gathered around the kitchen table. Thanksgiving was simply great!

Leaves are Falling all Around

Already?

One evening Spencer wanted some milk, but was too impatient to wait for Mommy or Daddy to assist him. Apparently he thought getting a cup was highly overrated and pointless. Spencer decided to skip the middle man which happen to be the cup and get right to the point, a drink of milk. I, of course, encouraged him on for pictures sake and after I got the pictures I needed I told him not to do it again. In case you were curious we do have a fridge lock, but it is no longer a "Spencer lock" he is getting to be too clever for those kind of things. At least he is nice when it comes to "locks." He humors us in thinking we have finally locked him out of something and then he goes in for the kill and shows us that he is too smart for the lock. However, we have found one lock that is Spencer proof, a key lock; too bad you can't use a key lock on the fridge. I guess Spencer is giving me a preview of the teenage years. Since no one in this family likes backwash, Spencer might just have to have his own milk jug.

I am sure the chocolate syrup is next, it is only a matter of time before I find him chugging away.

Alice in Wonderland

Madeline had her first grade musical performance. They did a musical titled "Lemonade" and cute little play filled nursery rhyme characters learning from Mother Goose on how to make Lemonade when life gives her lemons. Madeline dressed up as Alice in Wonderland mainly because it was a simple enough costume that her not so talented mother could manage on the sewing machine. Madeline made a perfect Alice in Wonderland, but I think her favorite part of the costume was her bling bling black shoes.

We had a conflict of schedule that day with Grant and Anthony having some where else to be at the same time. Early in the day the first graders performed their play for the Kindergarterns and Second grade. Grant left work early and went up to the school to see Madeline performance and Anthony's teacher allowed Anthony to step out of class and watch his sister's play. This allowed our whole family to watch Madeline shine as Alice in Wonderland.

Madeline was giddy with excitement over her performance and she did a beautiful job!

Running Bear

Madeline is now in first grade and is able to do all the things that she watched Anthony do in first grade, one of them being Running Bear. During the month of November they study about Indians and at the end of the week they perform a Indian Love Song for all the parents to see. Even though this is my second time to see the performance, I still do not know what the song really is about and the only lyrics I know is "Running Bear." That may have something to do with the fact that is the only line the kids know really well. However, it is neat to see Madeline get excited about participating in events with her class. Because of her up and down health a lot of times she misses out on the events. After the performance the kids enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast in their classroom. Because Madeline is still having stomach issues, she really wasn't up to eating so Mommy enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast first grade style.

Note: There is a benefit from saving older siblings school work and projects. Madeline was absent the day her class made their necklaces for the performance and was not able to make one in class. However, Mommy found Anthony's necklace that he made and bingo it worked perfectly for Madeline.

Anthony is 9

It is hard to believe that I have a nine year old.

Anthony loves: Math, Lego's, star wars,science, camping, hiking, and writing.

Anthony doesn't like: chores, vegetables, and most meat.

Anthony's talents: Piano, writing, math, memorization, and building anything and everything from scratch.

Mommy loves about Anthony: His strong testimony of the gospel, his desire to do what is right, complete obedience with no questions asked, his smile, compassionate love for all people, enthusiasm for life, positive attitude, family prayers he truly understands that he is talking to Heavenly Father, and the fact that no matter what he is my son for eternity.

Birthday celebration went as follows:

Thursday, November 4, started off with his favorite cereal, Lucky Charms. Serenaded him with a wonderful Happy Birthday rendition for a morning wake up call. Mommy meets Anthony for lunch with Daddy joining as a surprise, Mommy also brought Cookie Dough Pie from Burger King. Later that afternoon was able to enjoy homemade cream cheese brownies with classmates. For dinner Anthony chose to have a Pasta Bar, and then at Piano lessons his piano teacher surprised him with a rockin birthday song. While at piano lessons Daddy, Madeline, and Spencer decorate the house. Anthony comes home from piano lessons, Anthony was surprised with a little family celebration, complete with a Cookie Dough ice cream cake. Then we put Anthony to work by going on a treasure hunt to find his presents. After criss crossing the house, Anthony found his gifts hidden in the dryer.

Friday, November 5, was able to go to Grandma Gates house and play with Jonathan and make a giant chocolate chip cookie.

Saturday, November 6, got together with a couple of friends for an hour of bowling fun and a yummy pizza buffet.

Anthony is gift and joy to have. He is a gift that keeps on giving and it is a privilege to be his Mother and to partake of the joy he gives.

Lunch With Daddy

For Anthony's birthday, Grant surprised Anthony by coming to his school and eating lunch with him. Since Madeline eats lunch right before Anthony, Grant came early and surprised Madeline as well. The kids really enjoy having Daddy come to their school. We are so blessed to have such a good Daddy, who every year takes time out of work to come and eat lunch with them, and who is there for all of their school parties and functions.

Death to the Microwave

I can laugh now, but a few weeks ago there was NO laughing going on. Spencer sure keeps me on my toes and constantly looking over my shoulder, and this time was no exception. So without further delay here is the story on the death of the microwave.

Saturday, October 16, Grant's birthday started out as any ordinary Saturday full of lots of hard work and fun. BYU was in town that day and Grant was going to the game with his cousin to watch BYU get stomped on by TCU. Because Grant was going to be out enjoying the game, we celebrated his birthday on Friday. With the kids safely entertained and busily playing I thought it would be a good time to get the house cleaned and picked up, so when Grant returned home he would have a sparkling clean home to come home to. This plan was working and little bit by little bit I was making progress on our house. Until Spencer decided to help. I was finishing the shower in the Master Bedroom when I heard my bedroom door shut. This usually means Spencer is up to know good and doesn't want you to hear or see what trouble he is getting into. This particular time, Spencer was in and out of the bathroom talking to me and "trying" to be of help so when I heard the door shut I thought he had come back to "help" me in the bathroom. However, after cleaning the shower there was no Spencer and there was no Spencer in the bedroom either. The hunt begins. I opened the door and get knocked over the head with smoke, what on earth is going on. Obviously the smoke is coming from the kitchen. I see lying on the stove the oven mitts and I think to myself did I forget to turn off the stove and now the oven mitts are on fire. No, the stove was turned off and the oven mitts were just fine. Then I see huge flames coming from the microwave and see that the paper towel that was left in there from cooking lunch was on fire. Well there was no time to get to the bottom of it and panicking was not an option. I grab a near by container and fill it with water and slowly open the microwave and douse it with water. With the fire out, I escorted the kids outside to enjoy some nice clean fresh air, while I air out the house. With everything and everyone taken care of I began to put the pieces together. You see, Spencer closed the door to my room while I was busily cleaning the shower so he could "use" the microwave. Left at the crime scene was a stool, the culprit that allowed Spencer to reach the microwave. Upon further investigation I found a piece of plastic pretend bread which was now completely black but not melted ( now that is good quality plastic). So my conclusion is this: Spencer, knowing that he is not suppose to play with the microwave, closed my bedroom door so as to not get caught, retrieved the nearby stool in the kitchen, climbed upon the stool to use the microwave to "cook" his piece of bread. Now the mystery is how long he tried to cook the bread, but one thing was for sure Spencer didn't stay around the crime scene very long. Lucky for him, putting the fire out and every ones safety was more important than putting a clever and curious three year old in time out. However, Spencer is not the first child to blow up the microwave because at the store there were lots of nice microwaves to chose from with a child lock button for the keys. He may put whatever he wants in the microwave but with my best friend "child lock" he won't be able to "cook" anymore bread.

Oh by the way, Grant found Spencer's latest stunt entertaining when he returned home from the game. I on the other didn't find it so entertaining. With Spencer being only three, I dread knowing what my future holds. Hopefully he is alive to send off on his mission and hopefully by then his fascination with fire will be past and I won't get a phone call from the mission president of Spencer blowing something up.

Pumpkin Patch

What is October/Fall without going to a Pumpkin Patch. I decided it had been a few years before I braved the crowds and take the kids to the nearby Pumpkin Patch. However, our October calendar didn't look very promising for accomplishing such task. However, thanks to the school district and Mr. Columbus a day opened up. I knew with it being a holiday lots of people would probably have the same idea I had, and so to out smart them all we arrived right at opening. Well luck would have it, we were running a bit late that morning, but still made it in good time. Thank goodness for Madeline's little handicap sign, I didn't have to trench through the freshly new mud from the previous' day rainstorm. The kids enjoyed playing on the jump houses, and because the crowd wasn't too terribly bad, Madeline was able to climb around without being trampled on. The kids enjoyed the corn maze, and Spencer enjoyed it a little too much. It was quite the ordeal in getting Spencer to exit with the rest of the kids, he just wanted to turn around and run through the maze over and over. Thank goodness for a smart older brother who was able to chase after Spencer and bring him safely out of the maze. Anthony probably had that maze memorized after having to retrieve Spencer a few times. We were even able to tackle the hay ride, this particular hay ride didn't impress the kids much but sometimes that is okay. We ended the trip with a yummy snow cone treat and luckily for me Spencer was a clean snow cone eater, I dodge a bullet with that one but at times it is good to exercise bravery with the kids-especially Spencer.