A Crazy Day

Yesterday was a very long and interesting day filled with all sorts of "out of the norm" things. First of all we had 4 sick kids. No fun. Seems like our crazy weather changes have brought out the bug again...hopefully for the last time! We've had our fair share this year. The crazy thing about this time is it seems like they all have something different. So I feel like I need to separate them from each other so they don't spread whatever each one has. Geesh!

I also signed Dallin up for Kindergarten yesterday morning! Yikes! He didn't get to go with me since he was sick. Austin wasn't even at school that day! Guess I was the only one who got to go to school. Ha. This was Part 1 of the long enrollment process. Part 2 is in May. Dallin will get to come to that one. It's the orientation meeting. Fun, fun! I have to say I feel much more "experienced" this time around! When I enrolled Austin two years ago I was seriously needing the manual for 'How to be a mom to a school-age child'! It was also kind of nice not having to hurry and get one of the first appointments to determine if you get your preference of AM or PM since we'll be all-day next year. However, I would have been OK since there were only maybe 5 people ahead of me! Go figure.

For a happy thing that happened yesterday-Tory cleaned our entire bedroom! Yeah! I love it when our room is all tidied up. It's my most favorite room in the house. I love the colors and everything about it. Did I mention he did our closet, too? Nice!

And for an exciting thing that happened...we got a Texas storm! I happened to have the news on and heard that a storm was heading our way in about 30 minutes. The thing that caught my attention was that hail the size of golf balls and baseballs was included in the storm. That's pretty big! And to top it off they kept saying the name of our city in the direct route. I told Tory that we might want to pull the van into the garage. What's that? I lost a couple of you off your chairs? Did I say "PARK the van in the GARAGE"? Some of you who have seen our garage might be laughing hysterically at the possibility of parking a bike let alone a car in the garage. Well, it is true. In Tory's cleaning spree he's been on, the garage was one of the first rooms hit. Clean enough to park a car in! I think this is the first time we've ever used it...for a car that is! So anyway...back to the story. So I backed the Camry out of the drive so Tory could pull in the van. Tory decided to park the Camry sideways in the driveway and up close to the house with the windshield away from the storm in case it really was as big as they said. That way hopefully the windshield wouldn't get broken and he'd at least be able to drive it. (Who thinks of all of these details?!) As he was ducking into the garage we heard this crazy loud sound! It was the sound of HAIL hitting the roofs, roads, and cars and coming right for us. Creepy really! We could HEAR how big the hail was. Tory quickly grabbed a huge thick piece of cardboard the size of a door and held it over the back window of the Camry. (It was parked REALLY close. His hands were in the garage as he held it. Ha.) HUGE hail people! The big ones were for sure almost the size of baseballs! We didn't think to take a picture until after it had settled down a bit so they had melted a bit in the rain. But we did get this big one. Luckily the storm was big but didn't last too long. There could have been a lot more damage I'm sure! This morning there were dents all over the Camry. Glad we had the van in!

Some Cuteness

I took these picture back on March 1 for Claire's 7-month photos (and because I wanted some black and white picture of Claire for her room.) I framed the two closeups for her room. I'm not going to lie...I think she's the cutest little girl in the whole wide world!

Sing a Song

Every mother needs a song to sing to her child. Whether it's a classic or something made up...it doesn't matter. Shortly after our first baby Austin was born I made up a little song for him. I still remember where I was when I started singing it to him. We were living in our little fixed up cottage behind my parent's house in Colorado. He was just weeks old and I had just given him a bath and was drying him off. This is the song I sang ("Are You Sleeping Brother John" tune):

Austin Gavin

Austin Gavin

You're so cute,

You're so cute.

Mama really loves you,

Dada really loves you.

Ding, dong, doo!

Ding, dong, doo!

OK. I admit. Tory had a little help in the creation. He added the "doo's" at the end. I originally sang it "Ding, dong, ding". Much better with the "doo". It's just a simple song but boy did he love it! It was the only song that would calm him down sometimes. It got us through long drives in the car, airports, and of course we had to sing it to him for bedtime and always just for fun.

Now here's where it gets crazy! With each child we have continued to sing "their" song and it has had the same exact effect on every single one of them! It works like magic! The second they hear it they settle down and get completely quiet. It's even better now because we can sing six verses of the song starting with Dada's first and middle names, then Mama, Austin, Dallin, Coen, and finally ending with Claire's. It's been a great way for the kids to learn Mama and Dada's "real" first and middle names along with the names of all of their siblings.

Well of course we've been singing it to Claire since she's joined the family. Coen loves to sing it and whenever he hears her crying he'll run and sing it to her. In fact if you just randomly ask him to sing a song he will sing "her" song. But his version is the CUTEST! He's never been able to say Claire. He pronounces it "Bear". Sometimes we call her Claire Bear and since Coen can't say Claire his interpretation is "Bear Bear". That's what he always calls her-even when he says his prayers. It's always Bear Bear. Well, he also has a hard time with her middle name Elise. One of Claire's many nicknames is "Claire Elise-ie" or "Leesie" or "Leesie-Mo". Coen's version: "Weesie". So when he sings her song it sounds like this:

Bear Bear Weesie

Bear Bear Weesie

You are tute

You are tute

Mama weawy wuvs you

Dada weawy wuvs you

Ding, dong, doo

Ding, dong, doo

So CUTE!

Here he is live! Make sure you pause the music at the very bottom of my blog. He got a little distracted first by wanting to see the camera and then by a sound he was making with the washer lid so we never got to hear the ending. Then he started singing his version-Coen Grant. But you get the idea. LOL Cute kid.

So Big

Claire thinks she's getting too big for puréed food. Spoons are way overrated. It's much more fun to use your own fingers to spread, smear, and pick up tiny pieces.

Don't worry...I'll think of something to do with all of the baby food cubes in my freezer. Actually she still eats them as long as there is at least something to pick up off the tray in between bites.


Who said she could grow up so fast? OK...I'll admit that self-feeding is actually the goal and I do like throwing her a handful of food...as long as she promises to stay tiny. That's probably not going to work either. Guess I'll just have to enjoy every moment while it's here!

An Owl in the Night

This morning I was walking by the laundry room and heard a little rustling coming from within. I peeked in and saw Dallin going through a laundry basket...in the dark. I asked him if he'd like me to turn on the light and without missing a beat he said, "No. I don't need a light. I have owl eyes." I said, "Oh, wow! Owls do have pretty good eyes." He then said, "Yep. They're like flashlights." I can just imagine what he was thinking as he was searching for his clean underwear. I'm sure he thought he was an owl in the night. How fun to be a little boy!

In Bloom

Any guesses what this little beauty will become?

I took this picture March 16.

Here is the same bud yesterday, March 22!

Wisteria!

I'm so excited! We planted two of them last summer but they were already past the blooming stage so this is our first season of blooms. I LOVE wisteria! I really fell in love with it on my mission. I was in Nancy, France during the spring and as we would walk around there was wisteria everywhere! I think that was the first time I ever really saw a wisteria plant. I guess it just didn't grow in Kansas or Colorado or maybe I just didn't notice it. I see it all the time here in Texas though. I am so happy to have some in my own back yard now! It's so pretty and smells so good! Next up to bloom...my jasmine on my front porch! I can't wait for that either!

Spring Break - Campfire & S'mores

One of the things Dallin picked to do during Spring Break was s'mores and a fire. That boy ALWAYS wants a fire. We had a lot of fun making the s'mores in our backyard. It was a perfect evening for enjoying a fire.

The boys gathered around the fire. (Thanks Claire for donating some of your many baby seats. Apparently we need to get some patio chairs or something! Ha!)

Austin enjoying some s'mores.

Dallin trying not to fall asleep on the job.

Coen roasting marshmallows.

And what's a campfire without a little harmonica music? Growing up we did a lot of camping and my dad ALWAYS played his harmonica. That was one of the best parts-sitting around the cozy fire listening to the songs and then falling asleep in the tent while he played. Tory knows quite a few songs but I still want him to learn "the classics" that my Dad used to play..."Little Joe the Wrangler", "Red River", "Cows Drink the Water"...OK that one is really "Streets of Laredo" but we always called it "Cows Drink the Water." Dad would always tell us the story for each song and then play the music. Loved it! So anyway...we had a fun evening eating s'mores and listening to Tory's fun songs.

Spring Break - Train Ride

At the beginning of Spring Break we sat down as a family during FHE and planned all of the fun things we wanted to do during the week. We tried to limit it to things that were:

1) Local

2) Free or Inexpensive

3) Fun for everyone

We came up with a pretty good list. Some of the things chosen were bike rides (which we did on the 17th), free petting zoo at the Stockyards, train ride, work on the yard, and a campfire with s'mores. We were able to accomplish everything but the petting zoo. Everyone was just too tuckered out and nobody complained when we suggested we skip that one. It was a fun week with lots of playing and to top it off we had the most beautiful weather the entire week!

Here are a few pictures from the train ride we took on the 19th. It was a pretty fun ride with lots of beautiful scenery. We picked a perfect day to go. It was a little overcast so we didn't have to worry about the hot sun. The ride took about 40 minutes which was just right.

The boys loved it and I think Claire did, too. She didn't complain anyway! She was pretty serious the entire time and just looked around.

Pretty scenery.

Lots of bridges to go over and tunnels to go through.

A few geese along the way.

So green! Spring is here!

A cool shot Tory took.

All aboard!

Back to the Real World

It seems like we haven't been living in the "real" world for the last 3 weeks or so. The first two weeks of March it seemed like we were back in the "school" mode. Tory's school that is. He had to travel to Irving every day after work for review sessions to get ready for his boards (which he took last Sunday.) Those were very long days. He was gone from 7:30 am until 8:00 pm every single day. He didn't even come home for lunch like he normally does. I felt like a single parent and I know that I do MUCH better with my other half around.

As soon as boards were over we jumped right to Spring Break! We've been having lots of fun and enjoying having Austin home with us every day this past week. But today he had to head back to school. I hate to see him go back. I'd much rather just have him home all day with us. (And there are a couple of brothers who would agree!) So here we are back to our normal schedule and routine days.

Butterfly Creations Jewelry

A blogging friend of mine just recently started a jewelry making business. She is a VERY talented stay at home mom living in France. Her jewelry is beautiful!

The good news is that she ships to the US, too! Check out her blog Butterfly Creations to see her entire selection. She also has an Etsy Shop that you can check out. Click on the links in this post or on the link in my sidebar for more information.

St. Patrick's Day

We had such a fun day yesterday! Of course we had to start the day by getting dressed in something green. The boys requested a "green" breakfast. I made baked oatmeal and since I didn't feel like having green oatmeal I just dyed their milk green to pour on top. As you can see by their teeth...it was very green!

Then we got all of the bikes out and aired up tires. When Dada came home for lunch we were all set for a family bike ride! We got to enjoy lots of "green" along the way. We biked for over 2 hours! It was a beautiful day in the 80s! Some of us got our first sunburns of the season since Mama wasn't in the sunscreen mode yet. Austin and Dallin each rode their bikes and I pulled the bike trailer with Coen and Claire in it.

Since Dallin is a recent training wheels graduate, he needed a little more help maneuvering some of the hills and stops so Tory was in charge of that. Poor little boy came home with a few scrapes and bruises and even a loose tooth but never complained! They really did great on their bikes! We stopped at the half way mark to play at the park for a bit before we had to turn around to go home. The boys had a blast (and I think Tory did, too).

We came home absolutely exhausted though. We finished the day off with some yard work and Tory and the boys played soccer in the backyard. For dinner I made a recipe I found on the Sister's Cafe called Colcannon. It's a cabbage and potato dish that was absolutely scrumptious! We had some fresh asparagus to go with it. Of course the boys wouldn't let me get away without making some green Nerdy Popcorn like we did last year. Finally it was time for some well-deserved sleep for a family that played hard all day!

Happy Birthday to Me

Sunday was my birthday! I am now 32 years old! Wow! The day started out pretty crazy. I woke up early with Tory to make him a good breakfast. He had to leave by 6:00 am to take part of his national boards. That left me alone with the four kiddos and church to get ready for. I also had to finish getting my lesson for primary together. I had stayed up helping Tory study so I didn't get my lesson prepared. To make a long story short...one thing after another happened and as I was FINALLY heading out the door I scraped my leg against an open drawer in the bathroom, ripped a hole in my hose (and my leg-OUCH), and since my skirt was short, had to find a different skirt to wear since I didn't have any more hose. Sounds simple enough but I couldn't find one! I barely made it in time for my class let alone anything else! Crazy. At church the primary sang Happy Birthday to me. That was nice.

When I got home Tory had the family room all cleaned and the dining room all decorated with streamers and the Happy Birthday banner. We had a delicious dinner of one of my most favorite things ever-Fiesta Pasta Salad and cornbread.

For dessert Tory made me a no-bake Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake. It was delicious! Look at all those candles and smoke! I got them all out with one breath!

Tory let me open his present Saturday night since he knew he'd be gone for boards the next day. I got one very long love letter! Lucky me! It was so nice!

Dallin drew a picture for me and Austin made a birthday/Texas collage tied with string.

I spent the rest of the evening talking on the phone with my Mom, Dad, sisters-Heather, Amy, and Kirsten, brothers-Ben and Levi, and my in-laws. It was great talking with everyone! I also got to read a nice list of birthday wishes on Facebook. It was a fun day!

A few days ago I was looking at a CD my Mom made for me for Christmas a couple years ago. It has pictures from my Gran Gran's photo album scanned on it. I ran across a few pictures of me from when I was a baby and thought I'd post them here 32 years later!

5 days old with my beautiful mother. She's only 22 years old!

1 week old

1 month old L-R: Mom, Aunt Connie, Me

3 1/2 months old

Enjoying a bath in the sink. I think I look like Claire here. My kids still play with that same orange funnel when they go to Mom's house!

Time to eat!

My Mom pregnant with me. In the picture she is helping my older sister, Heather, pick up cups it looks like. I just love her cute little 70's style. What a beautiful mom I have!

Joke

Austin got to do part of the school announcements today. He was in charge of the book selection. The book was "You Must Be Joking". He got to tell a joke along with the announcement. It was a good one. Are you ready?

How do you get a tissue to dance?

You put a little boogie in it!

I can't believe I've never heard that one before but I got a chuckle out of it. And I don't even think you need to have 3 little boys to appreciate it. Pretty funny!

Our Family Mission Statement

Tonight for Family Home Evening I thought we could write a family mission statement. I saw this idea while blog hopping. Sorry I don't remember where I saw it though. Oops! The person I stole it from had their mission statement printed out in large vinyl letters and put on a prominent wall in their home where the entire family could see it. How fun! Right now ours is just printed off and displayed in an 8x10 frame. This is a rough draft for now. After we go through it together tonight we might have some changes to make.

I just thought this was such a great idea! I am so excited about it! Wouldn’t this be great to read together each week at FHE or maybe even each night after family prayers? Eventually I suppose the family could memorize it! I just LOVE it!

A Healthy Snack

If you need a healthy snack for your kids here is a recipe for you! They are called Banana Oat Bars. We love them! They don't have any sugar in them and are super easy to make. They are naturally sweet and very moist. A great way to use up ripe bananas as well. Sometimes I like to add cinnamon to change them up a bit.We make these when we travel for a healthy snack for the kids (and us). Much better for them than sugar loaded cookies. They also make great breakfast bars. Pack them in a school lunch, bring along on a bike trip or hike, and feel good about what your kids are eating. Give them a try! You AND your kids will love them!

Banana Oat Bars

2 c. quick oats (not instant – I whirl old fashioned oats in my blender to break up)
¼ c. chopped walnuts (I usually end up adding 1/2 c.)
½ c. shredded coconut (try to use unsweetened)
½. c. raisins or chopped dates
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
¼ c. unsweetened applesauce
½ tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. cinnamon, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I put everything into a Kitchen-Aid bowl and stir ‘til blended and smooth. Press dough in a 9x9 baking pan. It works best if it’s been sprayed first or lightly oiled. Bake for 30 min. When cool, slice into squares or bars and serve. Great travel bars or to have handy for a quick meal or snack.


*Check out my food blog for more delicious recipes.
*What are your favorite healthy snacks for you and/or your kids?