Mother's Day

For Mother's Day weekend, we packed as much fun in as we could. Grandpa Slade's work was having a Family Fitness Day up at Weber High, so we joined in the fun with the rest of the family.

Ethan just LOVES Brooklyn!Alex & Braxton are good buddies too! It was so funny to watch these two work their way through the blow-up tunnel of fun.I'm so glad I have a toddler that can't quite climb these steep slides without my help, yet. It's the perfect excuse to take some turns myself! I must admit, this one even tickled my tummy too!Jase was so brave to participate in the rock climbing. Sometimes he's not too fond of heights, but he didn't seem to have any trouble on this day. He made it all the way to the top to ring the bell! Yay Jase!Now, it's no surprise to any of us that Brooklyn would climb this wall. In fact, she climbed it many times, and even figured out that if she let go of the rocks "accidentally on purpose" *wink, wink*, her turn wouldn't be over so quickly. She is the strongest little girl I've ever seen!Of course, Mike took his turn. It's been a long time since he's been able to do some rock climbing, even if it was just on a climbing wall. I was glad he got the chance that day!Andrew was not so sure about this adventure. If Jase hadn't have done it first, I don't think there would've been any way to talk Andrew into it. I took this picture before he had his turn, and he did not want to smile because he wanted to make it clear that his finger was hurting him too much to smile. I can't remember why it hurt, but I was sure proud of him for overcoming his fears and his finger pain to make the climb.To keep himself entertained as he waited for everyone to finish climbing the wall, Alex poured water on Uncle Levi's head. What an awesome uncle to let him have his fun!That night, as a Mother's Day treat for her daughters-in-law, Janice took all the grown-ups, and Alex & Braxton, out to eat. Grandpa's gift to us was staying behind, at Will & Heidi's, to watch all the older kids himself. We had a delightful time! (Sitting across from me, Mike even had a good view of the Jazz Playoff game that was showing on the T.V. behind us. Score!)On Sunday, we went to Grandma & Grandpa Larsen's house. They had the Airplane Teeter-Totter all set up, and the grandkids got lots of use out of it. They were often running back & forth between it and the Bounce House.

Here's a big "Cheese" from Tyler: Alex, Jaden, & Tyler shared a turn.

Adorable Baby Landon slept through most of the festivities, waking only for a quick meal, then returning to his slumber. How precious!

Sammy loves the rough & tumble play of the Bounce House!

So do Logan, Ethan, and Andrew! Aw heck, they all love it. Until one of them gets hurt. Then, the injured is rescued, takes a break, and usually heads right back into the maylay. They're such boys!Alex was grateful for the chance to play the pilot for Andrew & Ethan.Uncle Ben took a turn being the "totter" to Tyler's "teeter," while Jaden & Alex were pilots.Grandma Larsen knows how to get Ethan to smile for a picture! Eyes open & everything! As always, we shared a delicious meal together!

Justin loves to pull a silly face for pictures! We love you Uncle Justin!

This was sort of a Mother's Day present to myself. I was teaching Ethan's Preschool that week, so I decided to have the kids make handprint stepping stones for their moms. Of course, if I was getting one made of Ethan, I wanted one made of each of my boys' hands. I think they turned out wonderfully! My mom made the comment, "Oh, you'll have those forever!" which would definitely be my desire, but somehow things - especially things that I get too emotionally attached to - have a way of becoming "less permanent" when my curious & energetic boys are around them. So, just in case these happen to get destroyed somehow, I'll always have this picture of the them! :-)

Mike also bought me a new cutting board, and an 11 disc set of Mary Ellen Edmunds talks on CD, including one DVD. (It was the same gift I talked everyone in his family into getting for Janice. I knew it would be something she would enjoy, but I did admit that I was hoping to borrow them also. I love that my husband listens so well to me and fulfills my hearts desires!) The boys helped him make me breakfast in bed that morning. They brought it to me on the cutting board, and each wished me a Happy Mother's Day (or, as Alex said it, "Happy Munner's Day!) I felt so loved!

Where Have All the Hours Gone?

So, while talking with my dear friend Kim today, I mentioned that I just don't feel like there's any room in my life for scrapbooking or home decorating right now - my top two favorite creative outlets. I also watch significantly less T.V. than I used to. Kim asked me what I do now with the time I used to spend on those two things. Lately I've been trying to catch up this blog, so that's what came to mind first. But it got me thinking - What do I do now?
I'm pleased to report that what I've discovered, after pondering on the matter for a while, delights me! I think my priorities are mostly in good order! Here are some of the things I do now that I either didn't do about 1 to 2 years ago (when my scrapbooking passion began to fall to the wayside), or at least didn't do as well as I do now:

1) Read books more often! I am currently in the middle of three different books, and have completed another one since I began these three. I've never been one to read more than one book at a time (for pleasure, anyway), but now I read whichever one for which I'm "in the mood." The current books are Freakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, W.O.R.K.: Wonderful Opportunities for Raising Responsible Kids, by Debbie Bowen, & Odds Are You're Going to be Exalted: Evidence the Plan of Salvation Works, by Alonzo L. Glaskill. The one I read all the way through already was Smiles to Go, by Jerry Spinelli. It was a good fiction choice for me! Reading was always something I didn't "get" to do enough of because if it was between that and scrapbooking, scrapbooking always won. Now, I choose reading because a book can go with me everywhere, and there's no mess involved! I'm also being more consistent in my Personal Scripture Study - I'm keeping up with the Gospel Doctrine Lessons in the Old Testament this year.

2) Keep up on the laundry better! Now, there are still days when I've got 3 or 4 loads waiting to be folded and put away; and there are still those days when I get all that laundry strung all over the living room, just to be pulled in another direction and end up with all of it loosely tossed back into the baskets and hidden away in the laundry room to await another chance at completion. BUT, it has been a long time since my family and I have truly suffered what my sweet husband calls "A Laundry Famine." There are nearly always clean clothes to wear (including pajamas and underwear), and they're more often folded, and probably even put away to boot! Some of what has made this possible is that I now do a load of laundry a day, instead of pushing through all of it in one day - which usually led to a few loads not getting done at all, until either we were desperate, or the next "Laundry Day" rolled around. Also, the kids put away their own laundry (except Alex) as part of their chores. If I don't have clothes folded for them, it's a Free Day, and if I do get them done later that day, Andrew usually chooses to put them in his drawers right away so he won't have to do them the next day. It's great!

3)Speaking of Chores, I help the kids follow through on their chores more. This has made a huge difference in the overall running of our family. Because I've made it a priority to take the time to make sure they do their chores BEFORE their computer time, or friend time, we have a lot less stress and bother over doing the chores! As I've mentioned before, Andrew typically does his chores without a word from us, since he knows that's the only way to be able to do what he wants to do. Ethan still has some hard days, and he needs me to be right there with him, even helping him with his bed, but he's improving. The days he throws a fit about them are usually because he's tired, or because he got to play with a friend before they were done because I was babysitting them (or I just plain forgot, which surprisingly still happens to me sometimes). Alex doesn't have chores yet, but he thinks he does. He asks to vacuum at least twice a week. He always wants to unload or load the dishwasher, no matter who is doing it already (the big boys love the extra help, while he tends to slow me down - but hey, I love his attitude!). When I'm doing laundry he shouts, "I want to help! It's my 'ToDo' Chore!" (The boys' chores consist of 1-Cleaning their room, including making their bed; 2-Putting away their clean clothes; and 3- Completing one drawn chore from the To Do bag, which they can pick from 3 options they draw.) I feel good knowing that I'm taking good steps toward raising responsible kids!

4) Play with my kids. Okay, I did this before too, but I think I'm improving. Since Ethan was born, meaning my time now had to be allocated between the house, Mike, and TWO kids, instead of just ONE, I've made a point of having "Andrew and Mommy Time," "Ethan and Mommy Time," and for the past two years, "Alex and Mommy Time." I'm not always consistent, and I don't always get everyone's time in everyday - currently Andrew gets the short end of the stick, but I figure he started off being a little ahead since he had me mostly to himself for the first 2 1/2 years of his life, and the others will all have their time at school in years to come too. I recently tried to plan a "Mommy's Play Time" hour, from 7 to 8, during which I was supposed to set everything else aside and play with my kids. I was very hit and miss, and eventually forgot about the program of it all. And yet, now I find it so much more natural to stop fussing over the housework, walk away from the computer or T.V., and play a game with them. (It helps that there are less shows I'm interested in, the ones I do like I tend to watch as I fold laundry, and Mike and I watch any we both like together at nights.) Just last night I played a full game of Life with Andrew. I also have my own penguin on Club Penguin, and my own toon on ToonTown.

5) Exercise! I have made the fitness of my body a priority for many reasons. A) I'm thirty! I've always known that I'd have to actually try to keep my body healthy and fit after I turned thirty - before then I just got lucky! B) I want to set a good example for my kids, so they'll take care of their bodies too. One of the times I exercise is during our Saturday Family Fitness time, when we all exercise together. C) I know Heavenly Father wants me to. D) I want to do all I can to avoid getting some of the health issues that exist in my family, or at least give my body the best fighting chance at not getting too run down by any of them. E) It's a social thing, too! I go to our churchouse two nights a week to workout with weights (something I don't do on my own). F) It gets me up before the kids, when I do my Dancing With the Stars workout DVD, which I try to do 2 or 3 mornings a week.


6) I'm actually cooking REAL meals for my family more often than not - less box meals, and more "real" cooking! It takes time, but it's worth it.

So, those are some of the major changes that have made scrapbooking and home-decorating projects take a back seat in my life right now. I also still prepare for my calling (Currently I'm serving as the Senior Primary Chorister), make time for friends, family, and serving others, and have my LAZY times, too. I'm happy with the way things are right now. I hope to continue improving my life, in a righteous way, as I grow older. I also hope that someday I will be able to find time once again for my love of scrapbooking/card-making, home-decorating, and maybe even quilting or sewing.

April Fool's Day

I was disappointed with myself as I began getting ready for the day on April Fools Day. I hadn't planned one trick to play on my kids. What fun is that?
Just then, lightning struck!
I ran down to the food storage and grabbed three packages of Fruit Snacks. Then I used Hershey's Syrup and Food Coloring to make Green Chocolate Milk. I set the places for breakfast and waited for the kids to come down. I greatly enjoyed their puzzled expressions as I responded to their queries about what was for breakfast, saying, "It's right there." "Fruit Snacks?" "Yeah, why not?" And then, once they looked further, "What is in our cups?"Even Alex was bemused!Of course, once I'd had my fun, and they'd finished their Fruit Snacks, I called "April Fools!" and made them a "real" breakfast. I was satisfied with the excitement for the day I had now given them.
Mike had planned, the night before, that he would wake Andrew up and play his trick on him. But, he forgot in the morning, and so decided to play it on him at bedtime. After Family Scripture Study, Prayer, the brushing of teeth, and stories, as Andrew was just climbing into his covers, Mike called to him, "Hey Andrew, Come here! I just found a secret passage on ToonTown that gives you ALL the gags of every level!" He couldn't wait to have Andrew run down the stairs in complete amazement, but Andrew just slowly climbed down the bunk bed ladder and commented to me, "It's probably just an April Fools joke." Sure enough, when Andrew reached the computer, Mike's toon's word bubble read, "April Fools!" Mike's bubble of excitement was burst as Andrew simply said, "Yeah, I knew it!" And headed back to bed. Poor guy. Next year I'll have to remind him first thing to play his tricks early, before Andrew gets wise from the whole day of tricks!
By the way, the weather played tricks on us that day too! Here was the view from my kitchen window that morning.A few nights later, as Mike and I were headed to bed, I saw snow on our deck and wanted to capture a picture of it. It was completely black outside, so I was SHOCKED when I took the picture and saw actual flakes coming down right then. I couldn't see them with my naked eyes; I almost didn't believe what I saw on the camera's screen. I had to stick my head out the sliding glass door to feel the flakes to really believe it. Mike chuckled to himself as he listened to me go on and on, in amazement, as we settled into bed. What can I say? - I'm easily amused!

Family Home Evening Fun

Last night, Alex had us all in stitches! It was Ethan's turn to teach our Book of Mormon lesson, This was how it went as Mike coached Alex in saying the opening prayer:
Mike: "Dear Heavenly Father. . ."
Alex: "Dear Heav'ny Fader. Nank You for dis day."
Mike: "Thank thee that we could have. . ."
Alex: "Bre'fast"
Mike: "And thank thee that we could have Family Home Evening."
Alex: "Nank you dat we tan have Fammy Home Nev'ning."
Mike: "Please bless Ethan. . ."
Alex: "Pease bess Andrew."
So Mike reiterated: "Please bless Ethan. . .,"
Alex: "And pease bess Daddy, and bess Mommy, and Alex, and Andrew, and Daddy, and . . ."
Mike: "And Ethan."
Alex: "And Mommy and Andrew, and Andrew, and Alex."
Mike (whispering, amidst giggles from the rest of the family): "Alex, say 'Bless Ethan'"
Alex: "And bess Etan."
Mike: "That his lesson will go well."
Alex: "His lesson go well"
Mike: "In the name. . ."
Alex: "Jesus Frist AMEN!"
At which point we all lost what little control we had left and laughed out loud! Alex didn't even seem to know what was so funny. It was great!
Ethan's lesson, on Compassion, went very well. He had Andrew read Moroni 7:47-48, then we acted out the Good Samaritan, during which a bunch of stuffed animal thieves beat up "Andrew the Traveler," "Alex the Levite" completely refused to walk past the wounded "Andrew the Traveler" at all, and "Ethan the Samaritan" left money with "Shovels the stuffed dog Hotel owner" to care for the victim. Finally, we gathered objects (some purchased earlier that day, and some from our own stores of toys) into a plastic shoebox to be donated to the Pediatrics Unit at McKay-Dee Hospital, as part of a Service Project in our area. I was once again impressed by the generosity of our boys. They kept coming up the stairs with more and more small cars to add to the box. I finally had to tell them we had enough; they had to stop. We topped off the night by finishing the ice cream left over from Andrew's birthday party. It was a wonderfully fun night!

Easter

Okay, I really thought I had posted about Easter, since I thought it all out in my head, and probably went to do it several times. Sadly, now I can't remember what I had planned to write. I'll just tell you what I know from the pictures I took (Lucky for me I take so many pictures that there's not much I won't remember):

It's tradition in our little family to have the Easter Bunny come to our house on Saturday, so Sunday can be all about the Savior. Some time around 7 am, the boys were awakened and we asked if they wanted to find their Easter Baskets. To which Ethan replied," Why don't we get dressed, eat breakfast, and then look for our baskets?" Oh, he is sooo Mike's son sometimes! And yet, even Mike said, "No way! We want to find our baskets first!"

This year the Easter Bunny brought very little candy (at least, compared to last year it was very little), but included a few gifts as well. Alex and Ethan got big bouncy balls, Ethan also got a Slinky, Andrew got Spokey Dokes for his bike & a journal (which he LOVED as much as receiving his own Book of Mormon), and they all got a small book. Mike got styrofoam gliders to play with with his boys, I got a Hula Hoop (I've always wanted one! - my current record is 40 minutes straight), and we got a Jumprope to share.

(I should just smile normally instead of trying to make my face say, "I'm so excited to get a hula hoop!")All Mike hoped to get was a hollow chocolate bunny. I'm glad the Easter bunny came through for him!All Alex liked of the Peeps were the heads and the tails. We'd find the poor decapitated, tail-less bodies lying discarded on the floor sometime after Alex was finished with them. For while, Alex had no idea that it was delicious Jelly Beans making the noise inside the eggs. He just thought they were great noisemakers. Now I wonder why Mike ever thought to show him otherwise. This year, we held an Easter Egg Treasure Hunt. Instead of getting loads more candy (we're really trying to be healthier with less treats overall), the eggs held clues to where the next egg could be found. Each boy was the leader for one Hunt, though the prizes were to be shared by the whole family. I loved how well our boys let each other be involved with the whole hunt - taking turns finding each egg! Andrew read all the clues, then they raced together to the spot it described.The prizes were the Bedknobs & Broomsticks DVD, Alma in King Noah's Court (a Liken scripture story DVD), and a duffel bag and LED Flashlights for our 72 hour kits. I was happy to find that the kids were pleased with all of the prizes. This may be the new way we do it every year!

Easter fell on Conference Weekend, so we were home, in front of the T.V., for most of the weekend. We were, however, able to have the Slades (and Longmores) over for Easter Egg dying, the last session of General Conference, and a simple Easter Dinner. Alex worked on hand painting this single egg for more than 20 minutes straight. Dipping and painting, dipping and painting. I don't think I've ever seen him do one thing for that long!I think this picture was taken during a song or something, judging by how many people are NOT paying rapt attention to the T.V. screen. :-) Legos during Conference are a Slade tradition. During the Saturday Sessions, we played Conference Bingo (a tradition from my childhood), and our new game of listening for key words or topics that determine which snack we could eat. This time, since I went way overboard on yummy candies last October, I kept the snacks more simple and healthy: Pretzels, Goldfish crackers, Raisins, and Assorted Mini-Candy Bars (you gotta have one candy option!) During Sunday's Morning Session, we worked a little on the Conference Booklets that the kids were given in Primary. During the Afternoon, in addition to playing with Legos and coloring, the kids listened for five key words. If they heard one of them, and told Grandma, they were given a ticket. At first the game was that if they heard all five words by the end of Conference, Grandma would give them a special gift at the end. When all the kids had heard all but one word by the end of the first talk, it quickly turned into a competition to see who could have the most tickets by the end of Conference. Some talks were so centered on the topics (i.e., Missionary Work) that we had to make a new rule that you could only claim a word three times in a single talk, so we could hear the words of the talk other than the key words.

I thought this would be a good time to capture some couples shots. I love the one of Will and Heidi! Heidi took the one of Mike and I for us. :-) Henry sacrificed the safety of his white shirt to allow Alex to come near it with a pen. I love what uncles will do for the sake of entertaining their nephews!This Jello-Lego Man was made from the mold that was my souvenier from Legoland. Andrew asked me to take this picture of the library book he was reading: Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School. His favorite problem from the book was "elf+ elf = fool." We also threw in a few extra "to-do's" in our day. Grandpa gave Levi and Braxton haircuts.

And afterward, Henry and Levi gave our boys flips - over, and over, and over, until I finally told the boys they'd worn out their uncles enough. (Oh they are so patient! We are so blessed!)