Rejoice in Every Good Thing.....

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Kid Interviews

What is your favorite color? Green
Favorite book: Thomas the Train that has buttons
What I like to do more than anything is: Go to Sanny Tonio
Favorite Game: Chutes and Yadders
Toy: my black football
Thing to watch: Dinosaur Train
Song: Temple Song
Church Song: Temple Song
Breakfast Food: Ceral
Favorite Dinner: Chicken
Other kids think I am: a clown
What do you like about your Mom? she's a clown
What do you like about your Dad? He's a clown
Waht do you like about Lizzy? He's a clown
What do you like about Andrew? a clown
What do you like about yourself? CLOWN
When I grow up I want to be: Superman
I like learning about: going to bed and having a nap without playing
Sometimes I dream about: Lizzy
My best friends are: Talmage, Morgan and Kaden
I want to go to: Sanny Tonio
If I had one wish it would be: a clown
One thing I wish the whole world could know is: How to go to bed.

What is your favorite color? Light Green

Favorite book: Samuel, Moroni's Young Warrior
What I like to do more than anything is: Spend time with my familyFavorite Game: "the god game" (not sacriligeous or anything... she is just into mythology lately)
Toy: the "Lizzy" set (all her toys)
Movie: The Little Mermaid
Song: The Hungarian Dances
Church Song: The Day Dawn is Breaking
Breakfast Food: Scrambled Eggs
Favorite Dinner: Cake
Other kids think I am: Funny and nice
What do you like about your Mom? Always ready to listen when something is going on.
What do you like about your Dad? He plays with us a lot.
What do you like about Sam? He is the cutest funniest ever.
What do you like about Andrew? Totally on my side in the family.
What do you like about yourself? That I'm me.
When I grow up I want to be: An author
I like learning about: Art (pointilism, history)
Sometimes I dream about: Wierd volcanoes.
My best friends are: My family, Ramsey, Madison, Dorothy, Adam, Ashlee
I want to go to: France, England and Hungary.
If I had one wish it would be: A million more wishes.
One thing I wish the whole world could know is: That I'm awesome.

What is your favorite color? Blue and black
Favorite book: All of them.
What I like to do more than anything is: Play with my remote control car.
Favorite Game: Jackpot, Bear Kill, Lion Kill, Tiger Kill (games he plays at recess.)
Toy: Remote Control Car
Show to watch: America's Funniest Home Videos.
Song: How many Toes Does a Fish Have?
Church Song: Praise to the Man.
Breakfast Food: Cereal
Favorite Dinner: Pizza
Other kids think I am: Silly.
What do you like about your Mom? She's my favorite person in the family.
What do you like about your Dad? HE plays sports with me.
What do you like about Lizzy? She plays with me a lot.
What do you like about Sam? He's cute.
What do you like about yourself? I'm silly.
When I grow up I want to be: A Wild Kratt or a scientist.
I like learning about: Animals.
Sometimes I dream about: Falling off a cliff.
My best friends are: Isaac, Travis, Roman, CJ, Mason, Erin and Eric.
I want to go to: Pitch, Putt and Play, Chuck E. Cheese and Utah.
If I had one wish it would be: Be able to eat candy all day except for the kind I don't like. Wait... first I would ask for 1000 more wishes.
One thing I wish the whole world could know is: How silly I am.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

9 Years Ago

It's hard to believe that it's been 9 years since I embarked on this motherhood journey. I can hardly remember life before that. 9 years since I woke up and didn't worry about some other little life. 9 years since I had the luxury of going where I want and doing what I want to do without planning around someone else. It's been 9 years since I learned that priceless lesson of how love can change your heart forever. 9 years since I held a little one in my arms so precious that I would do anything in the world to protect her. It's been 9 years since my heart somehow split in two and yet doubled in size at the same time. This is the girl to thank for starting it all off. She doesn't relish the role of being oldest. Lizzy thinks the pressure and extra responsibility is unbearable. However because we have been through so much and because she started me down this road... I think we will always have a special bond. No matter how much we bump heads... we always eventually remember that the day we met... life changed forever. How grateful I am everyday for that. Happy birthday baby girl.

Lizzy picked a few friends to celebrate with on her birthday. We all went to Cici's Pizza and ate until we were sick. We're glad Lizzy has such great friends.

Lizzy picked this cake recipe out of the Children's Friend magazine and requested it for her birthday. It was President Monsons mom's recipe.

Rodeo Art

This year Andrew's rodeo art was one of the winners for his school. We are so thrilled to see him succeed at something that he loves so much. He drew a cowboy and horse in an arena surrounded by people. He told me that he spent atleast 3 hours drawing all those people. LOL!! He even skipped recess one day to finish his work. Way to go buddy.

2013

We invited a few friends over to ring in the New Year with us. We started out with a bit of a tradition from Aaron's family. They actually do this at Christmas time... but we figured it was close enough. This "Christmas pie" has a string attached to a gift for each kid. Lots of fun! This year using a tarp, old plastic tablecloth and duct tape we rigged up an awesome balloon drop above our stairs. I wish I had taken a picture of it. Unfortunately our balloon drop decided to drop a little before 11. It was kind of sad, but atleast there was more time to play with the balloons.

Holly and Riley.

Lizzy and Ashlee

Cute Morgan.

Morgan and Sam were both really close to making it to midnight. Eventually though they both collapsed a little before the big celebration.

Apparently when Morgan falls asleep... she stays asleep. We put this theory to the test and it held up pretty well. Poor girl.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS YA'LL

Christmas Morning Memories

Christmas morning 2012

Christmas morning 2011 (I like that Sam is wearing the same pj's as Andrew did in 2007. He didn't want to wear the matching ones I made him that year.)

Christmas morning 2010 (squirmy kid)

Christmas morning 2009

Christmas morning 2008 (I like that Andrew has the same pj top as last year.)

Christmas morning 2007 (At the cabin in Virginia... we didn't have stairs this year.)

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is my favorite part of Christmas. Even more than Christmas day. We try to keep it more spiritual and it is the time that we really focus on what Christmas is about. Family love, togetherness and of course the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ. There is a candlelight glowing happiness that comes to me when I think about this celebration each year. I can't explain it. I can't really show it with pictures, but atleast this helps me to remember some of my favorite parts. We eat a collection of our favorite appetizers and treats for dinner. Stuffed mushrooms, fruit, spinach artichoke dip... that kind of stuff. We always eat by candlelight.

Christmas jammies.

The nativity.

Imperfectly... perfect.

Merry Christmas!

From the Mouth of Babes

"I'm thankful for brothers and sisters so we can still have fun in case no one else is 'vited over." Graysons prayers July 2018
"Yeah... but I thought the socks would finish them off." Graysons response when I told him his pants were getting too short. 2018
"Can we take a snuggle?" Grayson nearly everyday 2018
"Isn't meditating something they do in butt-ism?" Andrew 2018
Some of my favorite of Graysons mispronounced words are "Gankful" (Thankful) and "orjen" (orange).
"I had a bad dream. I'm afraid of the tomatoes. You know those things that spin around and around really fast?" - Grayson afraid of tornadoes January 2018
"Can you turn on the wind?" Grayson wanting me to roll down the window in the car. May 2017
""Wow, you gettin' to be better at prayin' than me." - Grayson after he asked me if I said my prayers that morning and exactly what I said.
"Mom will you come outside to play soccer with me?" - Sam "Sorry... buddy I'm painting right now." Mom "You really need to work on spending more time with your younger siblings." - Sam
"Green dictionary....blah blah blah." - Some song Sam was singing when he thought no one was listening Feb 2017
"I knew we'd be stopping to eat gas" Sam on our road trip to Utah Feb 2017
"Look at dat mountain. It says rein-deer." Grayson talking about Mt. Rainier
"Now the other side." Grayson helping me blow my nose
"Why dat guy don't have no hair?" Grayson December 2016 loudly asking during sacrament meeting about the high councilman who was speaking.
"Mom... if I haf to go back in your tummy... I be scared." Grayson 2016
"Mom, remember when I was a baby and you ate me?" Grayson after seeing a picture of me pregnant. I told him that he was a tiny baby in that picture and was still in my tummy.
"Can we take a snuggle?" Grayson 2016
"I don't like dat guy." Grayson talking about the Ronal McDonal character that tried to talk to him at the parade. Sept 2016
"Banana!! Applesauce..." Grayson answering every question asked of him
"Happy to you!!' Grayson on New Years Eve 2015
"It means he peed his pants." Sam answering when I asked him what it means in the scriptures when we read that Jesus wept. - March 2015
"It's anonymous. Everyone wants to do it." Andrew Oct 2014
"There's a boy in my class with a crunchy voice." Sam
"Remember that girl who died and then came undead real fastly?" Sam May 2014
"Wait guys, I'm distracted. Am I 'posed to sleep here or here?" Sam at the hotel in Austin 2014
"We're making these bracelets to give to the kids in Guacamole" Sam Nov 2013
"I don't want to live in Skirtland cause I don't want to wear skirts" Andrew (he was talking about Scotland
"Do Lamanites wear cow watches? Sam Sept 2013
"Because there's a fourth of it" Andrew telling my why July is his 2nd favorite month
Mom: Please tell me that you are not licking the floor. Sam: (in an angry voice) I'm not licking the floor (in a quiet voice) anymore.
"When does work get out?" Sam after hearing me talking with a friend about when school gets out for the summer.
"Can I leave cause I don't like the crying part?" Sam at Graysons Dr. appointment right before the nurse came in to give him his shots.
"Mom I'll bet that I could just rip out a paper and scribble on it and give it to you for Mother's Day and you would still say you loved it." Andrew May 2013
"Remember our grandpa with no hair?" Sam
"Don't touch that. I'm entering it in a contest." Andrew talking in his sleep as I was rubbing his back to wake him up.
"I'm so proud of myself. Am I four now?" Sam when he learned to ride his bike without training wheels
"Did baby Grayson have a hat on in your tummy" - Sam April 2013
"Should we sing the part about my feet are great?" - Sam asking if we should sing the 2nd verse of "I am a Child of God" (and so my needs are great...)
Andrew recently went into the bathroom and nearby Lizzy and I listened to him start emphatically making bird calls and hooting like an owl. When he came out we were giggling and ask him what was going on in there. He explained that he saw an earwig and his birdcalls were to scare it away.
The Best of Sam 2012: "Rice Sifries" (Rice Krispy's) "Should I..." (when he wants to say can I or mayI) "Sanny Tonio" (San Antonio)
"Mom is the baby coming out of your shirt today?" - Sam Sept 2012
Sam likes to talk about times of the day. A few of his favorites are "today" "tomorrow" and "to-later".
"I thankful a Brett." Sam's prayers every night
"What 'excuse me' mean?" - Sam's response when his polite friend said "excuse me" when she wanted to talk
"I wanna be sweaty like Dad" - Sam Summer 2012
"Is it like against the rules for Ninja's to be in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?' "Cause I'm kind of starting to like Ninja's." - Andrew April 2012
Mom: "Andrew why are you still awake at 10:00?" Andrew: " Well... I was asleep for a LLLOOONNGG time but then this guy woke me up (showing the toy he was sleeping with). He thought he was just whispering but he was yelling in my ear."
"Hmmmm... looks like it's fixin' to rain." - Andrew December 2010
"I'm sorry you felt distressed about getting the house clean" - Lizzy Nov 2010
"Let's just put that in the colder." - Andrew (he was referring to the cooler)
"Andrew, I love how your foul little mind works. Mom, what does foul mean?" - Lizzy Sept 2010
Andrew: Look what I just wrote. Mom: Cool Andrew, you wrote USA. Do you like the USA? Andrew: Is that a football team?
"I'm afraid that sharks will jump out of the toilet." - Andrew when I asked him why he was so (sincerely) scared running out of the McDonalds bathroom.
"Well you don't punch him or kick him." Andrew after I asked him to show his friend how to play with Sam.
"Hey... these shoes don't have tops. They could be convertible shoes." Andrew after putting on flip flops. April 2010
"Your seizures are a tradition? Like you just have them in the winter time" - Lizzy after Brett told her that his seizures are a medical condition.
"The rules of my underwear are that the dinosaur goes in the back. What are the rules of your underwear?" Andrew having a discussion with his cousin
"Please help us to be nicer than we really are." - Lizzy's prayers 3/2010
"Ox, ox, ox. That's kind of funny." - Lizzy, who has yet to learn about the symbols often used on a valentine.
"I'll wear pants with no shirt. Like Nacho Libre'" - Andrew
"It's kind of confusing when it's called an earthquake because the whole earth doesn't quake. Maybe we should call it a country-quake" Lizzy
"I'm all calmed up now." - Andrew
"I think Andrew colors like a first grader!" - Lizzy
"I have good thinking" - Andrew
"I had to watch it so it wouldn't waste." Andrew explaining why he watched a cartoon that he didn't want to.
"Oh no. I think I threw away the constructions." - Andrew who couldn't find the instructions
"Please pass the tornado's" - Andrew wanting some tomato's
"That was a lot of talking without swallowing." - Andrew talking about an announcer on the radio
"I want girls to be mad at me, but I don't want boys to be mad at me." -Andrew
"This is a mean dinosaur, but he's nice to Nursery kids... He just eats Primary kids". Andrew
"Please bless those that are blind, or sick, or .... dead" Lizzy's prayers
"Look Mom, Look. It's Folly!!!" Lizzy referring to what looked to her like a "Hall Decked with Boughs of Folly."
"This is like in the scriptures. The sun went down but it's still light outside." Lizzy in a well-lit parking lot late at night.
"Bless the bad guys to go to jail." Andrew praying
When Aaron asked Lizzy why the Pilgrims came to America? She responded, "For Thanksgiving of course."
"Mom - you get the cheese and I'll rub it." --Andrew (wanting to grate the cheese)
"Hey anybody come look." Andrew when he really wants everybody to come look.
"Can you buckle me down?" Andrew wanting unbuckled
"Mom - Uhh you come tie my blankets up?" Andrew requesting to be tucked in.
"How many birthdays will it be before I'm old?" Lizzy
"It was Father's Day and now it's Father's Night." Lizzy
"Hip Hip Ooray...Andrew found is uder shoe." - Andrew (after he found his other shoe obviously)
"Squishy cars scared." Andrew protecting his favorite cars during a scary thunderstorm
"Mom go cooking" Andrew trying to get me to leave while he did something naughty.
"It's Jesus Christ Amen" - Andrew referring to a picture of Jesus
"Mom, what was he spelling?" - Lizzy whispering to me during a movie where the character said he needed to do something A.S.A.P.
"Andrew - I'm going to be Cinderella, and you can be my dog." Lizzy
"I have a splendid idea" --Lizzy
"Anrew scared." - Andrews response when I asked him to go wake up Lizzy
"I need a fresh brother" Lizzy
"Spideran, Spideran" A song Andrew wrote about his spider ring
"Grandma thinks I live in a pumpkin patch." Lizzy talking about how Grandma often calls her 'pumpkin'
"I DID IT" Andrew
"Jesus is proud of me... and Santa... and Heavenly Father." Lizzy after leaving a friends house WITHOUT a temper tantrum
"But I want to be by myself WITH you." Lizzy after I told her that I needed to be by myself for a few minutes
"Missmus tee, Missmuss tee, Missmuss tee. . . " Andrew pointing out every single tree at the Washington DC temple
"Mom, do you have your Mexico card?" Lizzy just before we went into Costco
"That man looked like a raisin." Lizzy
"Dasa!!!" Andrew spotting Santa at the mall
"Mom are we out of gas or in gas?" Lizzy wondering why I was idling the car for a few minutes before we left
"Ballerina's don't wear diapers." Lizzy
"Mom, your tongue is soaking green" -- Lizzy talking to me after I'd eaten a green candy
"No no doggie" -- Andrew talking to a dog that stole a PB sandwich right from his hands
"Mom can you pause yourself?" -- Lizzy not wanting to miss any of the story