Father's Day

I am beginning to catch up!  Woohoo!

We had a lovely Father's Day.  Joel is a constant, loyal presence in our lives and I think sometimes we take that for granted.  What I remember of the morning is a peaceful, relaxed feeling as the kids  helped make him the breakfast they were so excited for and the presents they eagerly anticipated giving.  Then Joel spent time with them sorting through DVDs to put in his new case, and to my recollection, they read a few stories.  The kids also remembered their grandpas that day by taking special photos for them.

It was a happy day to remember the very wonderful men in our lives.  I am grateful I can write that word in plural--to have not only one good man in our lives, but multiple.

First is Joel.  Joel is a great father, and all who know him agree.  He is kind and patient and I know the kids are not scared to make mistakes in front of him.  They are totally comfortable being themselves because they know Joel accepts them and loves them 100%

Everett made this gift at school and saved it for Father's Day.  I love this picture because it looks like Joel is just lounging in bed.  (Those of you who know Joel well know that he does love his naps.)  But Everett really tried to illustrate Joel reading stories.  They love listening to Joel read to them at night.  They've had many adventures together via the talents of Roald Dahl, J.K. Rowling, and other remarkable authors.

In case you can't read that (Everett is far too important to worry about spelling), this says:

1) To make you a present

2) Not sleep in your bed

3)  To listen to you.

This was the morning after Joel arrived to join us in Utah.  The kids had not seen him in over two weeks and were thrilled to see that he appeared overnight!  How did they show their excitement?  By jumping on him, of course.

And despite his late night of flight delays, they didn't let him sleep in.  Joel is such a good sport that he didn't even mind.

James especially missed Joel.  He latched onto him and hardly wanted to let him out of his sight.  Joel took it all in and really loved on James.  Sometimes it is nice to feel appreciated.  I think they both felt appreciated by each other.

The kids think Joel can do anything.  They know if they ask him to help them with any sort of problem, he will have a solution.  

They also love that Joel is not afraid to be silly with them.  I cannot count how many times I have gone to tuck the kids in bed and they ask me to sing a song, "like Papa does."  

What this means is that the lyrics to an already-familiar tune are made up on the spot and are very entertaining.  

I can never perform as well as Joel can, much to the kids' disappointment.

Joel is fun-loving and teases the kids often.  Sometimes they complain but then grins creep onto their faces and betray their real feelings of delight.  

Joel likes to tease me, too.  But I like to tease him right back.  It is a part of our relationship that I think we both enjoy almost more than anything else.  Joel is my constant companion and best friend.  I don't know what I would do without his love and positivity. He is always boosting me with heartfelt comments about how he loves me and why, or why he thinks I'm neat.  

I try to do the same for him but I am afraid that I am not as good at it as he is.

Joel is certainly one-of-a-kind.  I love being with him.  I would be happy doing anything with him--I would enjoy sorting trash with this man!

The kids are lucky to have great Grandpas as well.  

(My Dad and Ashley hiking together this past summer)

My dad is wonderful in so many ways.  I treasure many memories of him that are unforgettable in the best way.  I was just reading the journal I kept as a young teenager and I write constantly about things Dad did that made a difference in my life.  One was a family home evening lesson he gave on the Atonement.  I went downstairs to my basement bedroom after that and had one of the most powerful, personal, spiritual experiences of my life.  I always knew that if everything else in my life fell away from me, my Dad would still be there for me.  He always knows how much counsel to give and when to give it.  My ears always perked up when I heard him give advice.  I still love to hear what he has to say.  One of my favorite things about my Dad is that he has a great sense of humor.  Teasing is a little bit like the icing on the cake layers of our family--it holds us all together and sweetens the deal.  My dad is my champion and I love him dearly.  My kids feel the same way about him as I do.

I count my blessings daily that I married into such a great family and have a wonderful Father-in-Law as well.

He is laid-back and always easy to be with.  The kids had fun climbing on him last time we visited.  One of the first indications I had that I would appreciate my father-in-law was when Joel and I got engaged.  He joked about not wanting to stand in the wedding line and I told him we'd get a life-size cardboard cut out of him so he wouldn't have to.  I enjoyed having this joke with him.  Joel and I appreciate his constant, reassuring presence in our lives.  Whenever we have a question, we think of calling my father-in-law.  We love to hear his trademark chuckle when we tease him.  I also enjoy reading the scriptures with him and Joel's family when we visit.  My Father-in-law carries with him a soothing spiritual presence without being ostentatious.  He constantly does what is right without asking for recognition.  He is loyal and unpretentious.  Joel inherited many wonderful qualities from him and I am grateful for that every day.

In short (too late--hah!) we had a great Father's Day because we have great Fathers.  I hope my sons will one day be great like the fathers they know.

Neighborhood Friends

William, Ashley, and Everett hit the friend jackpot this past year: they each have a best friend who lives on our street.

I think I hit the jackpot, too.  I rarely hear that anyone is bored, and I don't have to drive anyone to their best friend's houses!

William is best friends with the five-year-old girl next door.  She started kindergarten (full day) this school year and they miss each other during the day.  William can't wait for her to get home in the afternoons and she has talked about going back to preschool so they can play more often.

He even got her interested in dinosaurs, and so they play some sort of game revolving around dinos often.

William always likes to walk her home when they are done playing.  Even though she lives right next door,  they like to go all the way down the driveways and use the sidewalks.

Ashley's best friend just so happens to be William's friend's sister.  Ashley and her best friend Maia are together so much that Maia's mom and I were joking about building a walkway connecting the second stories of our houses.

They have a lot of fun together.  I think Ashley loves how smart and exciting Maia is.  They also like doing many of the same things, such as wearing each other's clothes, running around outside and playing elaborate make-believe games.  In this picture they are dressed as Ninjas, which I think just proves my point about all three of those things.

Everett's big love right now is Pokemon.  I had no idea how many books and shows have been made and how much merchandise there is.  Crazy stuff.  Everett's best friend is not interested in Pokemon, but happened to have a lot of pokemon stuff.  This worked out well for Everett because his friend just gave it to him!

Everett and his friend love to build with legos together.  That is what they spend most of their time doing.  There have been a few fights about how to finish a lego creation (high stakes stuff, man), but they always resolve it in no time.

Mother's Day

 I know, I know.  Mother's Day was four months ago.  I am way behind on posting.

We had a nice Mother's Day celebration.  I made myself my favorite pie (raspberry cream) and spent the day doing what I love, which is snuggling with my kids and wonderful husband.  I told Joel that I wanted him to take pictures of me with each of my kids.

 Of course, I had to get a picture with my favorite man in the whole world as well, who just happens to be the one who made me a mother.

We like to be cheesy.  We don't even have to try.  It just comes naturally.

Last night, Joel and I went out on a date.  Ashley wanted to help me get ready, so she was up in the bathroom with me while I primped.  Suddenly she sighed happily.  "Oh, I just LOVE all this romantic stuff!" 

It is no secret that Joel and I love each other.  The kids know we like to hold hands and kiss when they are not around, and when they are.  They can walk into the room when Joel and I are kissing and not even bat an eye--they'll just go right into what they were going to ask and then go out like nothing strange was going on.

Everett and I have a lot of fun.  He still asks me nearly every day if we can build with legos together.  I don't know how many robots I have made in the last year, but it is certainly more than I thought I had in me.

Everett needs a lot of attention from me to be happy.  He started going to a friend's house after school two days a week and after about a week or so of this, Everett decided he needed to come home and see me after school before he went to his friend's house.  One night, Everett collapsed in tears after a long day because couldn't sit by me at dinner. "But I haven't even seen Mommy at all today!" he insisted.

It is good for Everett to have some separation from me.  But I can never decide exactly how much is good and how much is pushing his limits too much.

But Everett is hilarious and always keeps us laughing.  He is very excitable and he is extremely loving.  He gives amazing hugs.

Ashley is a dreamer, just like me.  We have a lot of fun being creative together.  Ashley is dependably happy and fun-loving.  She is always coming up with fun ideas.  Today she made a butterfly kite out of leaves, twigs, and string.  

Ashley doesn't love reading yet but we work hard on it together.  I love to cuddle her while she sounds out difficult words.  Sometimes she gets tearful but we push through it together and she is usually triumphant (and always relieved) when we are done.  But she loves listening to books.  I started reading Lassie to her a few months ago and the story had her in tears.  She just couldn't believe that a family had to give their beloved dog away because they had no money for food.  The injustice of it was too much for her to bear.

If you were to define how Ashley sees herself in a few words, they'd be: tough, artistic, strong, an animal lover (especially cats, small and big) and a veterinarian.  She has big hopes and dreams and she believes fiercely in herself.

Ashley is a great companion to her brothers and a great companion to me.  In fact, two summers ago when we left Joel behind to travel to Utah, I commented one day that I missed Joel because he is my best friend.  Ashley, who was barely four, looked at me in shock.  "I thought I was your best friend!"

I don't know what I would do without her!

William loves to laugh, same as he always has.  Sometimes I think he laughs more than all the rest of us put together!   William's latest favorite thing to do is tell me that he wants to give me a big kiss, and then blow on my cheek instead.

But the funny thing is that it cracks him up so much that he can't get to my cheek without bursting into laughter.  After quieting himself, he'll say, "That wasn't it!" and then try again.  But the giggles pop right out of his little mouth before he can pucker.  

And that is when he covers his mouth like this.  When he finally does land the perfect, slobbery, blowing kiss, he throws his head back in utter delight.

William is still into dinosaurs.  He saw an "I love Dinos" illustrated on a shirt in a book, and he has decided he really needs one of those.

Sometimes I think James would be perfectly happy--maybe even happier than he is now--as an only child.  He loves being spoken to as an equal and he always wants to feel respected.  He is very well-behaved when he has both of those things.  When he feels his needs are being ignored, we see what Joel lovingly terms as "bipolar James."  

James is not huge on snuggling.  Often he wants the whole couch to himself, so he'll ask that I sit in a different place.  But James will snuggle up for a long time if we are reading stories.  He loves books on any topic and of any length.  He has a good attention span for listening.  

James also loves to be silly.  One of his favorite games is when I put him up in a tree, pick him, and eat him like an apple.  But he also enjoys games like Candyland that aren't too serious.  He also loves to help me cook and he loves to help me go grocery shopping.  He does a great job in any store these days, especially when William is not with us.

I made bookmarks for a Mother's Day gift for the Grandmas by snapping some funny pictures of the kids, laminating their cut-out shapes, and attaching tassels.  They actually turned out pretty cute.  I don't have a bookmark but I do have the pictures I used, except for the one of Charlie.

My kids are lucky to have amazing grandmothers.  I am lucky to have an amazing Mother and Mother-in-Law.

My Mom is the ultimate champion of her kids.  She always believes we can achieve and she dwells on the positive aspects of our character.  Sometimes we really need that in our lives.  When it seems that everything is going wrong, I always know my Mom believes in me and that is enough to carry me through whatever I'm struggling with.  My mom loves purely, without blame, and with all her heart.  Everyone should have someone in their life who has that kind of unbreakable faith in them.  But I know that not many do, and that is why I feel blessed every time I think of my Mom.

My Mother-in-Law welcomed me into the family, no questions asked, and loved me from the beginning, like she has done with all the in-laws.  She respects all of us whether we are similar to her or not.  Joel has a quality I really love, and that is that he is totally comfortable with himself.  He inherited that quality from his Mother and I appreciate that about him every day.  I appreciate that about her when we visit with her.  She has given me books on education and other things I am interested in, and she always makes sure to keep the kids interests in mind.  I think I hit the Mother-in-Law jackpot!

Mother's Day was a wonderful day for me and that has a lot to do with the women in my life.

Charlie's Changes

Charlie has changed a lot in the last few months (as all babies do).  He still loves life as much as he always has!

This was at four months old.  His hair was just barely coming back in!  He was sleeping through the night and loving the attention from everyone.

This was around five months old.  He still looks pretty much the same.  Blue eyes, fuzzy head, squishable, kissable, mooshable cheeks.

At six months old, Charlie started thinning out.  He actually lost weight between four and six months, even though he grew taller.  The doctors aren't too concerned but we are keeping an eye on him.  

This is Charlie these days at almost eight months.  He is a bundle of fun!

Charlie laughs at everything.  He loves cooing at everyone and is always happy, although he has a suspicious instinct for when I am unavailable and he is left with Joel.  I am serving in young women's now and Charlie is almost unfailingly fussy on the nights I am gone.  He is really never fussy otherwise.  Coincidence?

Charlie laughs when he sees me.  It is so adorable and makes me want to come grab him for more kisses every time he does it.  He just looks so genuinely thrilled that I have come into his sight.  I can't help but lather attention on him for it and of course that perpetuates the delightful cycle.

He loves to lift his torso off the ground.  When he lays on his back and sees me coming, he arches his back so much that only his heels and head are touching the ground.  Then he flaps his arms like mad while he giggles for me.

Charlie started scooting last week.  He dug his toes in the ground and moved forward, inch by excruciating inch.  It almost made me tired just watching him.  

The balancing act he'd go through to get to what he wanted was hysterical.

And the concentration on his face. . .priceless.

Such determination.  It has to be so frustrating.

Charlie would take a small break here and there to express that frustration.

And with renewed effort, 

And more leg acrobatics, 

He'd finally get it!

Now, only a week after I took those pictures, Charlie is a champion scooter and even gets up on all fours.  When he does, he pushes himself forward enough to face plant into the ground and gets up to do it all again.  He loves being able to explore on his own, I think.  This has made for some interesting surprises in his diapers.

Charlie also has discovered table food.  He whines and shrieks at dinner until we bring him onto our laps.  Then he whines and shrieks until we give him a bite.  The second he swallows, he whines and shrieks for more!  We cannot feed him fast enough.  I don't think the doctors will be concerned about his weight for long.

I love this little guy.  I love when he grabs me tight around the neck and slobbers on my cheek.  

I think everyone else loves him too--he is hardly left alone all day!

School Has Started

Everett and Ashley started school almost a month ago, in mid-August.  After a fun, relaxing summer in which they forgot too many sight words and other important things, I think they felt ready.

Everett and Ashley are good buddies at school.  They often played together during recess last year.  This year, though, Everett and Ashley do not share recess times and rarely see each other, but that doesn't stop Everett from helping Ashley with her scooter on the way into school or walking her to her classroom area (whether she needs him to or not).

Everett is a big old second grader this year!  His teacher is really, really fantastic.  On the first day she whispered in each of her student's ears their Very Important Class Secret:  That they were the most awesome second grade class.  Everett carried this secret proudly for days.

Everett loves school.  He would almost rather die than break a rule.  He loves to win the admiration of his teacher with his good behavior.  (This may slightly overshadow his tendency to rush through his schoolwork.)  Everett also genuinely likes everyone in his class and tries to befriend them all-- troublemakers or the well-behaved, girls or boys.  So far his teachers have been good about appreciating Everett for who he is, quirks and all.  I think Everett's teacher this year even actually enjoys spending her day with seven and eight year olds.  Sometimes I think she must be crazy!

Everett is always happy to see me when he gets home from school.  He gives me a big hug, tells me he missed me, and then proceeds to tip the entire contents of the refrigerator into his mouth.  To his great dismay, I have had to close the kitchen after snack time and before dinner to save my sanity.  But it's really no wonder he is so starving, having to wait to eat four hours after his 11:20 lunch.

Ashley is a big old first grader!  She has a brand new, just-graduated teacher.  Ashley loves her.  This teacher happens to be the daughter of Ashley's kindergarten teacher, which is an interesting coincidence.  I keep asking Ashley how she likes her teacher this year and her answer is always, "I love her!"

Ashley likes school but doesn't love it.  She is very well-behaved but I think she feels she doesn't have enough time to do the things that interest her.  She is not in love with reading (yet--I'm still holding out hope).  Right now we are dragging ourselves through our daily reading practice until she gets on her feet with it.  She has a vivid imagination and dreams her way through her days, and I think her slow reading pace stunts her enjoyment of the stories.  She often gets lost in the illustrations mid-way through a sentence.

Ashley loves to veg out after school.  She would love to watch cartoons all afternoon until dinner if I let her.  But she has the neighbor girl to play with and plenty of other things to do.  By the time evening rolls around, she is totally exhausted and sleeps in as long as she can the next morning.  Ashley has very specific tastes in her clothes and so we have to lay them out the night before.  I bought her several things she refuses to wear.  I can't believe this is starting so soon.

Ashley is still her happy, delightful self.  All of her brothers adore her.  She loves to draw pictures for them and do other crafty things to show how she values them.

Ashley, William, and the neighbor girls before the first day of school.  William is best friends with the youngest and Ashley is best friends with the middle child.  It is fun to see them have fun together.

Everett and his best friend from our street had to step in the picture as well.  My kids are very lucky to all have best friends right on our street!  It makes walking to school more fun, too.

I got to walk Everett and Ashley into school on their first day.  It is always a bittersweet day for me.  I like our school schedule but I do miss them when they are gone.

A few weeks later, William had his first day of preschool.  He had been looking forward to that day for weeks and weeks.

I don't think William thought it was fair that Everett and Ashley got to start school before he did.  But the day finally came and William was thrilled beyond measure.  He didn't even care that he had to use Ashley and Everett's old preschool backpack.  He was finally headed off just like the big kids.  

William's school is great.  He loves everything they do.  I had been worried for a long time that William wouldn't be ready.  He had no desire to do any sort of craft, no patience for coloring or cutting or pasting (it was torture for both of us to attempt any of those things), and he didn't really like to hold a crayon the right way.  I wondered how he would do with preschool.

Then, just like a switch flipped, William took to all of those things.  It was almost like I had a different boy all of a sudden.  He now loves to color, loves to cut and paste, and loves to do any sort of craft.  All of this happened before school even started.  William spends time doing all of those things at school and still wants to do more when he gets home.  It just goes to show that I often worry needlessly.

William always sneaks a little stuffed animal buddy to school in his backpack.  Since he doesn't take it out while he's there, I let him.  Usually it is Pups, the beloved dog that gets to go.

William is happy and enthusiastic about everything.  He laughs all the time, about everything.  I think he will continue to appreciate everything about preschool.

And so James and I are left to our own devices (with Charlie, but he hardly counts) in the morning hours when William is gone.  I keep trying to convince James that it is so fun to be home with Mommy!  But he wants to be off doing important things just like his siblings.  He asks me all the time when he can go to school.  I don't have a satisfactory answer for him.  

I appreciate the quiet morning hours with him while Charlie is napping.  It is even fun to play Candy land with a two year old who is still excited about everything.

We also may or may not have fallen asleep on my bed together a handful of times.  Ah, bliss.

I, for one, am looking forward to a great school year.  I think my kids would agree!