So the boys are going through their bedtime routine, which by the way lasts forever because they talk and talk and sing instead of brushing. It is such a bother, but so funny. I happen to walk by the bathroom and Caleb says, "mom, I made up a new song!"
Me: "oh really? Let's hear it."
Caleb: (sung to the woke up at a quarter to one gotta brush my teeth tune) "I really got to pee in the toilet. Oh no actually on the counter."
Then they burst into a fit of giggles especially when I tell them that is disgusting. I tell Tyson expecting him to be grossed out too. But he just laughs too and says that is hilarious.
This is my life. I have accepted it and I do find it funny. I am grateful he was just singing and didn't actually act it out. Like for real.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Friday, April 25, 2014
Picture Perfect
Yesterday evening we went to this gorgeous place about a 15 minute drive from our home to get our family pictures taken. We usually get our family pictures when we get a new kid and that kid is old enough to sit up. It is a pretty fun tradition. I don't know what we will do when we stop having kids. What will get me to get them taken?
The whole picture taking process is fun but frustrating to me. I am so not good at planning things and them turning out right. Usually things that happen spontaneously happen great, things that I work forever on and freak out about, usually only turn out okay, probably because I stress about it so much and my expectations are so high.
For the day or two before I kept wondering, "what should I have us all wear?" and the huge one "what should I do with my hair?" I have a mad ton of hair that I can never get to look just right. Grr. In my Pinterest world, I have mass amounts of things I can try. But the few I have, my hair is just too darn heavy to get anything to stay. Thus, my hair didn't work great and just kept getting stuck in the wee babes fingers.
I should have just sent us all in the clothes we normally wear, the ones that are stain covered and ripped holes in the knees. But oh well, I think we looked good, with blue tones because that is the most prevalent color in the home. They are all boys.
It was hilarious too, because while we were taking the pictures the children that I thought would be horrible and not look at the camera and throw a fit (Caleb and Andrew) were the REALLY good, cute, happy smiley ones. Josh was pretty good and his normal silly self. But Matthew, the ham of all hams, that is everywhere a camera is seriously his whole life. Nope. He was horrible. He kept wandering off, saying no, crying. Basically no fun at all. So, if we get any pictures that have all of us in it and smiling, it will be a miracle.
It reminded me of family pictures growing up. We would go to the studio and the photographer would set us all up just so, "tilt your head a little this way," "step just a little bit forward," "little brother look at me..no other brother," "let's change this lighting." And on and on and then finally one picture would get taken and you would hope beyond hope someone wasn't blinking. And there were NINE of us! How on Earth did my parents not lose their minds?
I am so thankful for technology. Our photographer, Jess, just had us pile together, and then she could take like hundreds of shots in seconds. And then look at them right there. How incredible. I am so thankful for the people that use their talents and learn and search for better ways to make our lives easier.
You should check out Jess's website http://jessdoesphotography.blogspot.com/ I will post some of our pictures here when she edits out the runny noses and makes us look stunning and happy. :) She really was awesome and so cute with the kids. They had zombie races and monster stomps and all kinds of other awesome things to get them to look at the camera. It takes talent to not loose your cool trying to get my four kids, and not to mention Tyson and I, to cooperate. She deserves a medal.
The whole picture taking process is fun but frustrating to me. I am so not good at planning things and them turning out right. Usually things that happen spontaneously happen great, things that I work forever on and freak out about, usually only turn out okay, probably because I stress about it so much and my expectations are so high.
For the day or two before I kept wondering, "what should I have us all wear?" and the huge one "what should I do with my hair?" I have a mad ton of hair that I can never get to look just right. Grr. In my Pinterest world, I have mass amounts of things I can try. But the few I have, my hair is just too darn heavy to get anything to stay. Thus, my hair didn't work great and just kept getting stuck in the wee babes fingers.
I should have just sent us all in the clothes we normally wear, the ones that are stain covered and ripped holes in the knees. But oh well, I think we looked good, with blue tones because that is the most prevalent color in the home. They are all boys.
It was hilarious too, because while we were taking the pictures the children that I thought would be horrible and not look at the camera and throw a fit (Caleb and Andrew) were the REALLY good, cute, happy smiley ones. Josh was pretty good and his normal silly self. But Matthew, the ham of all hams, that is everywhere a camera is seriously his whole life. Nope. He was horrible. He kept wandering off, saying no, crying. Basically no fun at all. So, if we get any pictures that have all of us in it and smiling, it will be a miracle.
It reminded me of family pictures growing up. We would go to the studio and the photographer would set us all up just so, "tilt your head a little this way," "step just a little bit forward," "little brother look at me..no other brother," "let's change this lighting." And on and on and then finally one picture would get taken and you would hope beyond hope someone wasn't blinking. And there were NINE of us! How on Earth did my parents not lose their minds?
I am so thankful for technology. Our photographer, Jess, just had us pile together, and then she could take like hundreds of shots in seconds. And then look at them right there. How incredible. I am so thankful for the people that use their talents and learn and search for better ways to make our lives easier.
You should check out Jess's website http://jessdoesphotography.blogspot.com/ I will post some of our pictures here when she edits out the runny noses and makes us look stunning and happy. :) She really was awesome and so cute with the kids. They had zombie races and monster stomps and all kinds of other awesome things to get them to look at the camera. It takes talent to not loose your cool trying to get my four kids, and not to mention Tyson and I, to cooperate. She deserves a medal.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Bums and Butts
It is crazy to think that I have gone through the potty training process with 3 little boys already (my 2 oldest and Logan). If I didn't have any more kids, I would be halfway done. However, I am sure we will have at least one more.
When Josh was potty training, we got these super cute sesame street underwear for him. One pair had a giant Elmo on the backside and so Josh called it his "Elmo Butt." It slowly digressed in Josh's language as all underwear being "butts." I'm not sure why it stuck, but I seriously have to remind myself often that is not what everyone calls them. It is funny too, because I don't even like the word "butt," I am cringing writing it. I always tell the boys to say "bum" instead, but in underwear terms, it just stuck and never really bothered me. Don't know why.
Matthew decided last week he didn't want to wear diapers, he wanted to wear "bums." I guess he doesn't like the word "butt" either. Lol. I really didn't want to potty train him, it is an exhausting process and I have a hard enough time dealing with all the boys and the chores that go along with being a mom in the first place. Not to mention, I (and of course Logan's parents) just potty trained Logan this past Fall. And it really hadn't been long enough for me to forget all the work involved.
But Matthew was insistent and when he makes up his mind, it is done, and he is not an easy one to be convinced otherwise. I caved, as I almost always do with that child. We began the potty training process full force on Monday officially. But of course, since I jumped on board, he decided he was no longer interested. But no way was I going to back down. I had committed and we were going to do this. I have learned, if you say something is going to happen and then you let it slide, the next time you really want it to happen, it will be a million times harder (that was my potty training process with Josh). I knew no matter how hard the fighting would be, it would only last a few days, and then it would be done for the most part and I would never have to fight the potty training process (with that child) again.
I stuck to my guns and for the past three days I have been cleaning up accident after accident. I would set him on the potty and he would just sit there with nothing happening. "Me all done."
"Um, no you are not, keep trying."
"Nope, me all done." And he would hop off.
Within five minutes there was a puddle somewhere. Luckily the weather has been nice, so most of those little puddles were outside and I am fine with that.
Let that be a caution to anyone visiting. The puddles in the yard or sidewalk...probably not from the rain. :) Kidding, kind of.
This morning, at last, there has been a ray of hope. I put Matthew on the toilet, totally set for frustration, and just left the bathroom. Matthew came walking out all smiles within 30 seconds. He is a very conniving child, so the all smiles can mean ANYTHING. I quickly turned him around and walked him and his naked little behind back to the bathroom.
me: "Buddy, you need to be on the potty."
Matthew: "Me did."
me: "Uh-huh, sure you did. Get back on there."
Matthew: "No, me did. Me pee out." He points to a little dribble on the toilet seat and on the floor.
me: (after proper inspecting. If you are a mom, you understand that you become like a detective. You know how to check if they actually peed or if they really brushed their teeth and other such things. It is an important skill in motherhood.) "Oh my gosh! You did!!! Way to go! You peed on the potty!"
Yup. Never in your wildest dreams did you ever think you would be cheering about urine on the bathroom floor, until you are a mother of a little guy. And yes, I understand that in a week I will be getting frustrated with him for "peeing out" of the toilet because I will expect him to have better aim by then. But for now, I am SUPER happy. I feel like I should put a sign on the door like they do at factories or trucking yards: "Days without accident: .25" What do you think?
When Josh was potty training, we got these super cute sesame street underwear for him. One pair had a giant Elmo on the backside and so Josh called it his "Elmo Butt." It slowly digressed in Josh's language as all underwear being "butts." I'm not sure why it stuck, but I seriously have to remind myself often that is not what everyone calls them. It is funny too, because I don't even like the word "butt," I am cringing writing it. I always tell the boys to say "bum" instead, but in underwear terms, it just stuck and never really bothered me. Don't know why.
Matthew decided last week he didn't want to wear diapers, he wanted to wear "bums." I guess he doesn't like the word "butt" either. Lol. I really didn't want to potty train him, it is an exhausting process and I have a hard enough time dealing with all the boys and the chores that go along with being a mom in the first place. Not to mention, I (and of course Logan's parents) just potty trained Logan this past Fall. And it really hadn't been long enough for me to forget all the work involved.
But Matthew was insistent and when he makes up his mind, it is done, and he is not an easy one to be convinced otherwise. I caved, as I almost always do with that child. We began the potty training process full force on Monday officially. But of course, since I jumped on board, he decided he was no longer interested. But no way was I going to back down. I had committed and we were going to do this. I have learned, if you say something is going to happen and then you let it slide, the next time you really want it to happen, it will be a million times harder (that was my potty training process with Josh). I knew no matter how hard the fighting would be, it would only last a few days, and then it would be done for the most part and I would never have to fight the potty training process (with that child) again.
I stuck to my guns and for the past three days I have been cleaning up accident after accident. I would set him on the potty and he would just sit there with nothing happening. "Me all done."
"Um, no you are not, keep trying."
"Nope, me all done." And he would hop off.
Within five minutes there was a puddle somewhere. Luckily the weather has been nice, so most of those little puddles were outside and I am fine with that.
Let that be a caution to anyone visiting. The puddles in the yard or sidewalk...probably not from the rain. :) Kidding, kind of.
This morning, at last, there has been a ray of hope. I put Matthew on the toilet, totally set for frustration, and just left the bathroom. Matthew came walking out all smiles within 30 seconds. He is a very conniving child, so the all smiles can mean ANYTHING. I quickly turned him around and walked him and his naked little behind back to the bathroom.
me: "Buddy, you need to be on the potty."
Matthew: "Me did."
me: "Uh-huh, sure you did. Get back on there."
Matthew: "No, me did. Me pee out." He points to a little dribble on the toilet seat and on the floor.
me: (after proper inspecting. If you are a mom, you understand that you become like a detective. You know how to check if they actually peed or if they really brushed their teeth and other such things. It is an important skill in motherhood.) "Oh my gosh! You did!!! Way to go! You peed on the potty!"
Yup. Never in your wildest dreams did you ever think you would be cheering about urine on the bathroom floor, until you are a mother of a little guy. And yes, I understand that in a week I will be getting frustrated with him for "peeing out" of the toilet because I will expect him to have better aim by then. But for now, I am SUPER happy. I feel like I should put a sign on the door like they do at factories or trucking yards: "Days without accident: .25" What do you think?
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Off Balance
We have this washing machine that has been driving me crazy. I mean, it gets the clothes clean, so I really shouldn't ever complain...but I am. I will put in a load of laundry and it will go for awhile just fine, but then it gets to the spin cycle and next thing I know "thump, thump, thump" comes from the basement. If I am not home or not listening for it, it will march right across the floor, pulling out the tube from the wall where the water is being sucked out through and said water no longer goes through the pipe, it goes all over the floor.
That stinks to clean up, especially since we have a couple living in our basement and then not only do I have to invade them to switch every load, I have to come down almost every spin cycle to move the clothes around inside until it is at the perfect balance. And if I don't make it down in time, I have a huge mess to clean up.
Seriously, no fun.
So what used to be just laundry day where I have a few extra chores and some trips up and down the stairs, has kind of become my least favorite day.
However, I am a naturally optimistic person, thank heavens, so I usually talk to the washer, give it a piece of my mind, laugh at myself, take a deep breath and hope it teaches me to be more grateful. And it has taught me to be eternally grateful for each load that doesn't get off balance, and for the awesome tenants we have that are so nice about and laugh about it too, for the cute way little Matthew says "clofs go bump bump bump" as he totters like the washer does. It is very entertaining, believe me.
But the real thing I have gained from this silly washer of mine is a comparison to my life. Laugh at me if you want okay, but this is how my brain thinks. There are so many things we have to do to keep our life in balance. And when our life gets off balance, thump thump, things start going crazy and out of control and then way out of place until it is just a big mess that we have to clean up. It is much easier to fix it before it goes crazy out of control.
For instance, I have never been much of an athletic individual. Give me a book and a box of chocolates and I am a happy woman. Working out just holds no appeal for me. But since Valentine's and with Easter (I am a sucker for all things sugar), all the baby weight I had lost has been sneaking back at a rather steady pace. And my cravings for sugar have been only getting more intense. The last week especially I have been feeling myself getting out of control. And there were several moments where I was embarrassed and felt awkward and gross. I totally don't want to be that way. I don't want to be way over weight and I can't go on walks with my kids and fit in my clothes, that kind of thing. So I need to get in control now.
I feel like I do when I quickly open the washer lid and sift the clothes around to get it back in balance. I have been trying to be better about not eating as much today and I went on a run. It was a small run, don't get shocked, and I felt like I would nigh unto die by the end, but man it felt so good at the same time. Like my body was just longing for those muscles to move and for my lungs to fully expand and my heart to race.
I will probably for the rest of my life be stopping and starting over and over again, trying to do things more perfectly than the day before. Drinking more water, reading scriptures more, putting down the vacuum to hug a child instead of just rolling my eyes at them, getting dressed instead of staying in my pjs all day, doing something productive in the evenings, you know that kind of stuff. There is no way I can do better on everything tomorrow, but we work on things slowly but consistently, doing our best and things will get better and better. Not to mention, as we keep the Savior as our center, it won't ever be too difficult to fix the other things to get back in balance.
These are my contemplations for the day. :)
That stinks to clean up, especially since we have a couple living in our basement and then not only do I have to invade them to switch every load, I have to come down almost every spin cycle to move the clothes around inside until it is at the perfect balance. And if I don't make it down in time, I have a huge mess to clean up.
Seriously, no fun.
So what used to be just laundry day where I have a few extra chores and some trips up and down the stairs, has kind of become my least favorite day.
However, I am a naturally optimistic person, thank heavens, so I usually talk to the washer, give it a piece of my mind, laugh at myself, take a deep breath and hope it teaches me to be more grateful. And it has taught me to be eternally grateful for each load that doesn't get off balance, and for the awesome tenants we have that are so nice about and laugh about it too, for the cute way little Matthew says "clofs go bump bump bump" as he totters like the washer does. It is very entertaining, believe me.
But the real thing I have gained from this silly washer of mine is a comparison to my life. Laugh at me if you want okay, but this is how my brain thinks. There are so many things we have to do to keep our life in balance. And when our life gets off balance, thump thump, things start going crazy and out of control and then way out of place until it is just a big mess that we have to clean up. It is much easier to fix it before it goes crazy out of control.
For instance, I have never been much of an athletic individual. Give me a book and a box of chocolates and I am a happy woman. Working out just holds no appeal for me. But since Valentine's and with Easter (I am a sucker for all things sugar), all the baby weight I had lost has been sneaking back at a rather steady pace. And my cravings for sugar have been only getting more intense. The last week especially I have been feeling myself getting out of control. And there were several moments where I was embarrassed and felt awkward and gross. I totally don't want to be that way. I don't want to be way over weight and I can't go on walks with my kids and fit in my clothes, that kind of thing. So I need to get in control now.
I feel like I do when I quickly open the washer lid and sift the clothes around to get it back in balance. I have been trying to be better about not eating as much today and I went on a run. It was a small run, don't get shocked, and I felt like I would nigh unto die by the end, but man it felt so good at the same time. Like my body was just longing for those muscles to move and for my lungs to fully expand and my heart to race.
I will probably for the rest of my life be stopping and starting over and over again, trying to do things more perfectly than the day before. Drinking more water, reading scriptures more, putting down the vacuum to hug a child instead of just rolling my eyes at them, getting dressed instead of staying in my pjs all day, doing something productive in the evenings, you know that kind of stuff. There is no way I can do better on everything tomorrow, but we work on things slowly but consistently, doing our best and things will get better and better. Not to mention, as we keep the Savior as our center, it won't ever be too difficult to fix the other things to get back in balance.
These are my contemplations for the day. :)
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Walk on Water
Yesterday I got a few hours off from Mom-ness and went to a water workout with my mom. Let me just tell you that was intense, hilarious and fun. But that isn't what I am writing about.
My husband is awesome and got the kids all ready for bed and took care of little Andrew as he cried and tried to climb out the front door as I drove off (he is a little attached). So this story comes from Tyson's point of view:
Apparently all the boys (minus Andrew, who finally fell asleep) were outside playing, some game about light codes and people die if you get the code wrong, that kind of thing. We still aren't sure how this played into the game, but Tyson overheard Caleb chanting this:
"Don't mess with me, I can walk on water. Don't mess with me, I can walk on waaaater."
He was doing this walking a crazy saunter walk and I really LOVED Tyson's impression of it. Seriously, it was awesome. It makes me wonder, was Caleb pretending to be Jesus, or was he just walking on water? Whenever we ask him about it, he just giggles and walks away. And what does that mean: Don't mess with me? I mean, I guess it is true, if you have the power to walk on water, you really shouldn't be messed with. But still, where does he come up with these things?
I suppose this will just go down in unsolved mysteries.
But since then little Matthew walks around the house "walk a wader" and then giggles because he knows he is so cute. Gotta love these boys.
My husband is awesome and got the kids all ready for bed and took care of little Andrew as he cried and tried to climb out the front door as I drove off (he is a little attached). So this story comes from Tyson's point of view:
Apparently all the boys (minus Andrew, who finally fell asleep) were outside playing, some game about light codes and people die if you get the code wrong, that kind of thing. We still aren't sure how this played into the game, but Tyson overheard Caleb chanting this:
"Don't mess with me, I can walk on water. Don't mess with me, I can walk on waaaater."
He was doing this walking a crazy saunter walk and I really LOVED Tyson's impression of it. Seriously, it was awesome. It makes me wonder, was Caleb pretending to be Jesus, or was he just walking on water? Whenever we ask him about it, he just giggles and walks away. And what does that mean: Don't mess with me? I mean, I guess it is true, if you have the power to walk on water, you really shouldn't be messed with. But still, where does he come up with these things?
I suppose this will just go down in unsolved mysteries.
But since then little Matthew walks around the house "walk a wader" and then giggles because he knows he is so cute. Gotta love these boys.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
I Resolve to Be Better at Living My Resolutions...Again
So you know how you make all those resolutions at the beginning of the year and then right about now you find that piece of paper that you wrote everything down on and you want to incinerate it because, let's face it, you haven't done hardly any of those things? Either that, or you are like me and think (because I am ever the procrastinator), 8 months until I really need to accomplish these things? That is PLENTY of time! Haha. Well, Tyson had a goal to run a 5k this month and I wanted to run it with him, but well, just like every other year, I haven't gone running once. So I would be lucky if I could run a block, much less over three miles.
But at the same time, it is good to constantly remember all the good things I am doing and goals I am actually accomplishing. Caleb is learning to read (mostly that is due to his diligence rather than mine, but let's not talk about that), Matthew and Andrew are pretty much sleeping through the night, not sure if that is because I am so tired I don't wake up from them, but either way, they learn to stay asleep. :)
Goals are really awesome things. Even if they make me feel a little bummed about myself, it is still a really great tool to shake me awake and say "hey, Cami, DO something with your life besides just look busy!"
On that note, I saw something on Facebook that mentioned that yesterday was don't do any housework day. So I totally got on that ban wagon. It was quite refreshing. Especially since I ended up going outside with the boys and we played hide-and-seek with "treasure." (it was a bag of fake gems) It was SO much fun! I don't know why I don't go outside and play with them more often. I loved listening to Caleb go "Wormer-wormer-hodder-hodder-colder-colder" for like five minutes while Josh and Matthew would turn around in circles searching (Caleb is a master hider). And Matthew was SO excited to be included and allowed to hide the treasure occasionally. And Josh of course talked the whole time telling me everything he learned at school.
"Did you know the moon isn't a magnet?"
"Did you know a compass works in buildings, under water, in the basement, everywhere?"
"Did you know Pluto is the furthest thing from the sun? But it isn't a planet anymore."
"Did you know that my friend Bryce moved SO far away that I will never see him again. That makes me sad."
"Did you know I switched tables at school?"
Sometimes I wonder if his teacher taught him these things or if he is learning some things from other kids and taking it as truth, and since I know...let's just say, I don't know everything, I have no idea if it is factual. I start to believe everything he says and then I think, "what if I start telling people things like a compass works under water and it totally doesn't?"
Sometimes it is hard having a kid that is learning so much. I guess it is a good thing we have the internet, so I can check and see if he is right, because we KNOW everything on the internet is true. :)
So this morning I woke up and resolved to do more and be better. But then I saw the sink and remembered yesterday was don't do any housework day. And so as Tyson told me it would be, today is regret you didn't do any housework day. :) But not totally regret, because that half an hour of treasure hunting was totally worth it.
But at the same time, it is good to constantly remember all the good things I am doing and goals I am actually accomplishing. Caleb is learning to read (mostly that is due to his diligence rather than mine, but let's not talk about that), Matthew and Andrew are pretty much sleeping through the night, not sure if that is because I am so tired I don't wake up from them, but either way, they learn to stay asleep. :)
Goals are really awesome things. Even if they make me feel a little bummed about myself, it is still a really great tool to shake me awake and say "hey, Cami, DO something with your life besides just look busy!"
On that note, I saw something on Facebook that mentioned that yesterday was don't do any housework day. So I totally got on that ban wagon. It was quite refreshing. Especially since I ended up going outside with the boys and we played hide-and-seek with "treasure." (it was a bag of fake gems) It was SO much fun! I don't know why I don't go outside and play with them more often. I loved listening to Caleb go "Wormer-wormer-hodder-hodder-colder-colder" for like five minutes while Josh and Matthew would turn around in circles searching (Caleb is a master hider). And Matthew was SO excited to be included and allowed to hide the treasure occasionally. And Josh of course talked the whole time telling me everything he learned at school.
"Did you know the moon isn't a magnet?"
"Did you know a compass works in buildings, under water, in the basement, everywhere?"
"Did you know Pluto is the furthest thing from the sun? But it isn't a planet anymore."
"Did you know that my friend Bryce moved SO far away that I will never see him again. That makes me sad."
"Did you know I switched tables at school?"
Sometimes I wonder if his teacher taught him these things or if he is learning some things from other kids and taking it as truth, and since I know...let's just say, I don't know everything, I have no idea if it is factual. I start to believe everything he says and then I think, "what if I start telling people things like a compass works under water and it totally doesn't?"
Sometimes it is hard having a kid that is learning so much. I guess it is a good thing we have the internet, so I can check and see if he is right, because we KNOW everything on the internet is true. :)
So this morning I woke up and resolved to do more and be better. But then I saw the sink and remembered yesterday was don't do any housework day. And so as Tyson told me it would be, today is regret you didn't do any housework day. :) But not totally regret, because that half an hour of treasure hunting was totally worth it.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Weekend Recharge
I love General Conference weekend. I used to kind of dread it as a child, it was nice to not have to get dressed up and just watch "church" on TV, but it was kind of boring too. I obviously didn't grasp how amazing it is to listen to the Lord's true prophet and apostles. I am so thankful for my parents though, that no matter the fuss we kids threw, they watched or listened to Conference and they did their best to get all seven of us to at least listen to a few sessions without falling asleep. (listen or watch any of the sessions of Conference here)
By some miracle and I am not quite sure why, but my kids LOVE Conference. It is the same thing with vegetables, they love them. I don't know how we got so lucky, but I am thankful. We spent Saturday morning painting a fence in town (okay, I was in the car most of the time with Andrew, it was really cold, but Tyson was awesome and was serving), and we got home just before noon to quickly set up the projector, fix lunch and sit down as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was singing. Josh had his journal on his lap (his most recent grocery shopping trip request), ready to take notes. Matthew and Caleb were so ready to listen too.
It makes me so happy to have the word of the Lord in our home. I know I am not the best at living it, and so quickly I forget to be kind and loving, but I know all about starting over again and trying to be better than I was the day (or moment) before.
The Lord is so good to us, He truly does love us. He loves my little boys and I am so thankful He trusted me to take care of them, love them and teach them to be like Him and to share His gospel. I know with His help, I will be able to. I just need to keep doing all I can.
That is why my kids are watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates, so I can write this and take a few deep breaths before I have to take the ipad back and we go on our own adventure to get Josh from the bus stop. Every captain needs a few moments recharge before leading the troops, right?
By some miracle and I am not quite sure why, but my kids LOVE Conference. It is the same thing with vegetables, they love them. I don't know how we got so lucky, but I am thankful. We spent Saturday morning painting a fence in town (okay, I was in the car most of the time with Andrew, it was really cold, but Tyson was awesome and was serving), and we got home just before noon to quickly set up the projector, fix lunch and sit down as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was singing. Josh had his journal on his lap (his most recent grocery shopping trip request), ready to take notes. Matthew and Caleb were so ready to listen too.
It makes me so happy to have the word of the Lord in our home. I know I am not the best at living it, and so quickly I forget to be kind and loving, but I know all about starting over again and trying to be better than I was the day (or moment) before.
The Lord is so good to us, He truly does love us. He loves my little boys and I am so thankful He trusted me to take care of them, love them and teach them to be like Him and to share His gospel. I know with His help, I will be able to. I just need to keep doing all I can.
That is why my kids are watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates, so I can write this and take a few deep breaths before I have to take the ipad back and we go on our own adventure to get Josh from the bus stop. Every captain needs a few moments recharge before leading the troops, right?
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Oh Spring
Oh Spring
When after months of cold
the Earth shudders with feeling
bursting like a toddler
too long kept still.
The flowers shudder the soil aside and
slowly slip out of the ground,
blooms peeping out making
one wonder if they can remember
the vibrancy of the color they held
an entire year before.
The birds chirp chirp chirp the voice
that I know but the name I don't.
The night stays away and
the children linger outdoors
refusing
to give in to the parent's call
as they can't imagine being caged
as they were for days and days of winter.
Oh the warm sun and the budding trees,
the way it makes my heart sing
and burst and twirl and dance.
There is energy in Spring.
-Camden Cooper
When after months of cold
the Earth shudders with feeling
bursting like a toddler
too long kept still.
The flowers shudder the soil aside and
slowly slip out of the ground,
blooms peeping out making
one wonder if they can remember
the vibrancy of the color they held
an entire year before.
The birds chirp chirp chirp the voice
that I know but the name I don't.
The night stays away and
the children linger outdoors
refusing
to give in to the parent's call
as they can't imagine being caged
as they were for days and days of winter.
Oh the warm sun and the budding trees,
the way it makes my heart sing
and burst and twirl and dance.
There is energy in Spring.
-Camden Cooper
They Bought a Girl
We live in a really humid place and it rains quite a bit during certain parts of the year. So when you have something like a barbeque grill, you need a super thick cover for it or have a covered deck to keep it in or something to keep it from rusting. I know this because we didn't do that, and now are grill is well, totally unusable. The grill racks (I have some friends that might die reading this since I don't know the proper terms haha) are totally collapsed in from rust. It just isn't safe.
So Tyson went to the store with Caleb yesterday during lunch to get a new one. While he was gone, Logan, Matthew and me were hanging out, playing games and working on our lessons. Logan kept asking where Tyson and Caleb were and I kept telling him they went to the store and they would be back soon.
Logan: "Cami, where is Tyson and Caleb?"
Me: "They went to the store, they will be back soon."
Logan: "What are they doing? Are they getting food?"
Me: "No, they are getting a new grill."
Logan: "Ohhh okay."
A few minutes later, I over hear this:
Logan: "Matthew, your dad and Caleb are at the store buying a new girl. They will be back soon."
Me: "What did you just say Logan?"
Logan: "I was just telling Matthew that Tyson and Caleb went to go buy a girl."
Me: "No Logan, GRILL not girl."
Logan: "Yeah, I know. A girl."
So we worked on it for a few minutes to make sure he could pronounce grill accurately. Cuz, I could totally see him talking with his mom or dad and telling them that Tyson goes off and teaches his son how to buy girls. I didn't think most people would understand.
But since when Tyson was assembling this new (and beautiful) grill, he kept referring to it as a "she" and "her," (he is a little proud of his new purchase, it's kind of adorable), I guess Logan's description wasn't too far off.
So Tyson went to the store with Caleb yesterday during lunch to get a new one. While he was gone, Logan, Matthew and me were hanging out, playing games and working on our lessons. Logan kept asking where Tyson and Caleb were and I kept telling him they went to the store and they would be back soon.
Logan: "Cami, where is Tyson and Caleb?"
Me: "They went to the store, they will be back soon."
Logan: "What are they doing? Are they getting food?"
Me: "No, they are getting a new grill."
Logan: "Ohhh okay."
A few minutes later, I over hear this:
Logan: "Matthew, your dad and Caleb are at the store buying a new girl. They will be back soon."
Me: "What did you just say Logan?"
Logan: "I was just telling Matthew that Tyson and Caleb went to go buy a girl."
Me: "No Logan, GRILL not girl."
Logan: "Yeah, I know. A girl."
So we worked on it for a few minutes to make sure he could pronounce grill accurately. Cuz, I could totally see him talking with his mom or dad and telling them that Tyson goes off and teaches his son how to buy girls. I didn't think most people would understand.
But since when Tyson was assembling this new (and beautiful) grill, he kept referring to it as a "she" and "her," (he is a little proud of his new purchase, it's kind of adorable), I guess Logan's description wasn't too far off.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
What will they say next?
Latest funny moments of our household:
1. I am vacuuming yesterday and for some reason my kids think that when the vacuum is on, they need to compete with the noise. Seriously, they run around and yell and scream like crazy monkeys at the zoo being teased with bananas or something. But hey, I can vaguely remember in my childhood doing the same thing (it has been a long time). So yesterday I am trying to focus on the loud hum of the vacuum and not the cacouphony of noise coming from my monsters. There is some part of my brain that is registering Joshua standing on the coffee table and singing some kind of opera. Don't know how he knows how to sing like that, but it must be born in him because he loves to sing at the top of his lungs, or not to sing at all, like at church. So anyways, I turn off the vacuum for a moment and Josh is singing "La la la oh oh Fall E-quinox!!"
I start laughing and say "Fall equinox?"
Josh: "Mom, don't laugh at me. It is a real thing."
Me: "I know it is a real thing, but how do you know about it?"
Josh: "Mom, no, it really is a real thing. I learned about it at school, it happens twice a year. Don't laugh at me. And also do you know what is a fun word? Cockleshells."
Then he proceeds to sing the nursery rhyme about Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary...
Need I remind you this child is 6. I still don't really know what an equinox is. Don't worry, I looked it up though so I can at least kind of understand what my child is learning in Kindergarten. The word means "equal night" which means the day and night are the same length of time, it happens in March and September. Fascinating huh?
2. It is around 11:30 last night and Tyson and I are just falling asleep. Andrew had woken up, been fed, and back in bed, so I knew I had at least 2 hours of nice sleep. As the hazy world of dreamland fell upon me I started hearing noises, unusual nighttime noises. Maybe it is a weird protective mom thing, or maybe it is just me, but I have all the regular noises programmed into my head of what should be going on during certain times of the day. The people in the basement might be making noise, I know the sound of the cupboards and doors below us closing, I know the loud hum of the heater, I know the whistle of the train, sometimes the occasional police siren.
But the noise I heard was not one of those noises. It sounded like someone was in the house walking around. Usually when Josh wakes up at night, he turns on all the lights and makes lots of noise, so I knew it wasn't him. So I slink out of bed, ready to take on the intruder with my bare hands. I slowly walk down the hallway (the whole 3 steps) and hear the slam of Caleb turning off the water in the bathroom (he has a hard time turning the faucet off, so he hits it with all his force, it is a distinctive noise). So I instantly relax and try to see him in the dark, but I can't, so I turn on the light. Caleb shielding his eyes, is drying his hands.
Me: "Caleb, how on earth do you pee in the dark?"
Caleb: (totally half asleep and without hesitation) "I have eagle eyes."
Then he stumbles back to bed.
I keep laughing as I go back to bed and try to tell Tyson the funny news, but go figure, he is fast asleep. Lucky for me it was our son, and not an intruder. So I giggle myself to sleep about our eagle eyed child.
1. I am vacuuming yesterday and for some reason my kids think that when the vacuum is on, they need to compete with the noise. Seriously, they run around and yell and scream like crazy monkeys at the zoo being teased with bananas or something. But hey, I can vaguely remember in my childhood doing the same thing (it has been a long time). So yesterday I am trying to focus on the loud hum of the vacuum and not the cacouphony of noise coming from my monsters. There is some part of my brain that is registering Joshua standing on the coffee table and singing some kind of opera. Don't know how he knows how to sing like that, but it must be born in him because he loves to sing at the top of his lungs, or not to sing at all, like at church. So anyways, I turn off the vacuum for a moment and Josh is singing "La la la oh oh Fall E-quinox!!"
I start laughing and say "Fall equinox?"
Josh: "Mom, don't laugh at me. It is a real thing."
Me: "I know it is a real thing, but how do you know about it?"
Josh: "Mom, no, it really is a real thing. I learned about it at school, it happens twice a year. Don't laugh at me. And also do you know what is a fun word? Cockleshells."
Then he proceeds to sing the nursery rhyme about Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary...
Need I remind you this child is 6. I still don't really know what an equinox is. Don't worry, I looked it up though so I can at least kind of understand what my child is learning in Kindergarten. The word means "equal night" which means the day and night are the same length of time, it happens in March and September. Fascinating huh?
2. It is around 11:30 last night and Tyson and I are just falling asleep. Andrew had woken up, been fed, and back in bed, so I knew I had at least 2 hours of nice sleep. As the hazy world of dreamland fell upon me I started hearing noises, unusual nighttime noises. Maybe it is a weird protective mom thing, or maybe it is just me, but I have all the regular noises programmed into my head of what should be going on during certain times of the day. The people in the basement might be making noise, I know the sound of the cupboards and doors below us closing, I know the loud hum of the heater, I know the whistle of the train, sometimes the occasional police siren.
But the noise I heard was not one of those noises. It sounded like someone was in the house walking around. Usually when Josh wakes up at night, he turns on all the lights and makes lots of noise, so I knew it wasn't him. So I slink out of bed, ready to take on the intruder with my bare hands. I slowly walk down the hallway (the whole 3 steps) and hear the slam of Caleb turning off the water in the bathroom (he has a hard time turning the faucet off, so he hits it with all his force, it is a distinctive noise). So I instantly relax and try to see him in the dark, but I can't, so I turn on the light. Caleb shielding his eyes, is drying his hands.
Me: "Caleb, how on earth do you pee in the dark?"
Caleb: (totally half asleep and without hesitation) "I have eagle eyes."
Then he stumbles back to bed.
I keep laughing as I go back to bed and try to tell Tyson the funny news, but go figure, he is fast asleep. Lucky for me it was our son, and not an intruder. So I giggle myself to sleep about our eagle eyed child.
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