Field day times 3!

This was a busy week with 3 field days in a row. I enjoy field day with the kids. I get to see them having fun and they really look forward to field day. I also get to know some of their friends (and those not so friendly) a little better. I get a chance to talk to the teachers and other parents to get to know them better.

The twins come with me on field days and they have a blast. They like being a "Big Kid" and doing what the Big Kids do. I often let them try the activities after the big kids and sometimes with them depending on what it is. But it is a long time, 2.5 hours or more to hang out at school and that is going home at lunch time. The twins still nap so we do not stay to watch the tug of war and other fun games after lunch.

R developed a taste for my camera over the last 3 days. Thank goodness for digital. He probably took over 100 pics mostly of shoes and grass, but he had fun doing it. Here is a few pics of my kids from the last 3 days.

Sunday Forts

We try to keep the Sabbath Day holy and one way we do this is by not turning on the TV, computer or even the video games for most of the day. So our kids have to find other things to do. It is usually the best day of the week to see them interacting happily.

They put train tracks together, play games, and most Sundays they build forts. Here are some pictures of today's forts. Somedays they all work on one but today they split up and built a few. I remember building forts growing up with my brothers and sisters too.

We do spend other quality time together on Sundays. Big Breakfast is fun. Today, Daddy made pancakes. He doesn't just make them simple, He goes all out and they are full of surprises. Today we had lots of variety. We had chocolate chip, blue chocolate chip, butterscotch chip, banana, strawberry, and apple pancakes to choose from.

We also have some "Sweet Hour" time on Sundays where we focus on gospel topics. I would like to say it lasts an hour but usually not..hopefully it will grow as our kids do. Sometimes during this sweet hour we read The Friend magazine together and discuss things. Right now we are learning the Articles of Faith. Sometimes we have Family Home Evening on Sunday mornings since Dad works nights and the 2 nights he is home can get kind of busy.

It is nice to family time on Sundays! If only we could all go to church together every week. With Toby working Sundays that does not happen. I can't wait until we have church in the morning again and not at 1:30 in the afternoon. I hope those building our new chapel will hurry up!

PS...why will my paragraphs not have spaces between them??

Picture decisions

We took a family picture over Easter weekend and now I am deciding which is best. Do you want to help? I want to update the big 16x20 pic on our wall. We took close to 50 shots and I have narrowed it down to my two favorites.

The first has a great crop and background but the faces are not quite as nice as in the second one. Also in the picture they kids are all hiding the candy they just got. They had to sit still for a few more pictures before they could eat it.

The second one has better smiles and I like the faces better but I cannot crop it as I would like. It cuts rather close to Carissa and Steven and I cannot zoom out.

Which would you choose? The first or the second?

I'm sorry Mr Frogs

Dear Mr Frogs,

I am so sorry that my boys have fallen in love with you. You thought the black water meter box would make a lovely little home but unfortunately you were discovered. And little boys, that are learning to be gentle are learning on you!

Those little squeezes in their hands are really hugs. He doesn't mean to throw you or drop you so much, but my sons are merely curious and do not understand how what they do can harm you. I am trying to talk to them, to teach them. I'm sure you have heard me begging my child to be soft and kind to you. And every evening when we are done playing I do have them return you to your home. I do not let them keep you in a bucket in the back yard. Yes you have tried to move to a new home, but every black box is checked now. They have found you or your cousin every night.

I'm sorry you have to be a little abused by little boys who are learning to be boys. But thank you for enriching their lives and bringing them a little joy. They will yet learn how to treat kindly all of God's creatures.

Love,

A mom to 5 kids, including 3 boys who are learning to love softly!

NO MORE DIAPERS!!!

After changing 5 little bottoms over 10 years, I am now ready to leave the diaper stage! Really I have been ready for months but S was not ready yet. But he has finally gotten it! R was trained last July but S was not ready yet. For months we have been asking him, bribing him, even begging him to pee in the potty.

Well last Sunday after pee 90% on the floor, I rushed S to the potty and he got the last 10% in it. BOY did we celebrate! It is the moment I have been waiting for. He is 3 years old and never produced on the potty. He said "It is too Hard". I could detail our entire struggle but it does not matter now.

All my other kids trained by 2 1/2. Each was fairly easy to train WHEN THEY ARE READY! A actually trained himself. He would follow his big brother in and copy him then bring me his diaper to put back on. T trained in a weekend with Daddy using M&Ms a few weeks before A was born.

I knew that once S got the idea he would train quickly and he has. I have used 5 diapers/pull ups this whole week! The first few days we had a pair or two of wet underwear, but no accidents or diapers wet since Thursday!! Day and night, he has got it. R also is staying dry overnight. So I think it is safe to say I have purchased my last diapers. I bought 1 package of pull ups this week, but I doubt I will use them all. I did not use the whole package I bought for R until this week putting them on S.

I am so happy. I am done with diapers!!!!!!!!

RODEO

Well, unfortunately our camping plans for Spring Break did not work out. We cancelled them on Tuesday when the weather said it would be highs in the 40s and 70% chance of rain both Thur and Fri. That is not fun camping. So what to do....a fun family activity to substitute for missing camping

We decided on the rodeo. We go about every other year. Last time we went 2 years ago we just did the outside exhibits, AGventure and the carnival. When I know before hand we are going I can order the half price carnival tickets, but this time we had short notice. But I found out about the value Wed rodeo tickets and we gave it a try. We drove to Reliant park with no tickets hoping to get some....and no problems. We got cheap parking getting there before 3 pm and the value priced $10 tickets got us access to the exhibits, the rodeo action and the Reba McEntire concert. It was a good deal. The tickets plus cost of food at the rodeo cost about the same as going camping....except camping would have been 3 days of fun instead of one. WE are sad to miss camping.

But the Rodeo was fun. My favorite part for the kids was the new exhibit called Farm to market. The kids don aprons and then they have to feed fake chickens and collect an egg. The plant a wooden seed then pick a Vegetable, they milk a cow and get milk, they see a sheep and they person talks about getting wool, the kids are given some wool. There are also some cotton plants and corn plants and they pick corn. Then they take all they have been given to the market and sell it for a plastic dollar which they use to buy a treat. They also had a cute little tractor and back drop for pics as you see. I like that it was fun for the kids, educational, and it was great for pics.

R and S loved the petting zoo. One goat starting eating T's shirt. We watched GASCAR where a goat raced a pig and a duck. Just pig racing each other is better, there is no competition when the goat won every race! But it was cute....the twins did not care to sit for it.

We told the kids before going to the rodeo that we would not do alot of carnival rides. They may get to do one or 2. We were actually hoping for rain so we could nix doing any but it did not rain so the kids got a ride. In fact the twins rode the bumble bee all by themselves. A and the twins got to do the big slide. Toby had to go with S but R was brave and did it alone. That surprised me. C and T went on another flying on your tummy spin ride.

We made one poor choice, thinking we would eat inside Reliant Stadium instead in the food courts outside. We would have saved some money($2.50 hot dogs vs $4) and the food would have tasted better. Oh well. I tried to convince Toby to buy his turkey leg outside, but it was me who said having food to eat while we watched the rodeo inside would probably help the twins sit longer.

This was the kids first time (Except C) to watch the rodeo action inside. Roping calves, bucking broncos and bulls, barrel racing and stage coach races. It was fun to see. The kids enjoyed most of it but they felt it was going long...but we wanted them to see the concert. We had to keep R & S awake....even A was fighting sleep off. I have been to the Rodeo quite a few times and most of them I have seen Reba. I don't know how that happens. She is good but not a particular fave of mine. At least C knows one of her songs....Cowgirls don't cry. But she would have prefered to see Hannah, Jonas Bro or Taylor Swift.

It was a fun night, we left half way through the concert when the youngest 3 could not hold on any longer and need their beds.

Twins Birthday

I can't believe it has been 3 years that these boys have been part of our family! They bring us such great joy. So far in life we can feed ourselves, we know our colors and many shapes. We are just starting to count and learn letters. One of us is potty trained.....day and night but the other is not getting with the program. His words "Its too Hard, Mom!"

Each day they are learning new things. Age 3 is a great one...we learn to do more things ourselves and mom is looking forward to boys dressing themselves (They have the undressing down great!) and doing our own shoes. We love to color and soon those scribbles will actually form shapes and letters.

3 is a great blossoming age that I look forward to except for the power struggles. I have learned from past experience that it is not the terrible curious twos that are hard but the independent..."I want to do what I want to do" threes that can really push Mommy's buttons.

May we all work together and have a happy 3rd year!