Every morning we have a hearty oatmeal breakfast, and Will is no exception. If you click on this picture it will blow up big and you can see his eye color.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Baby Shower
On Saturday, I hosted my first baby shower. I am amazed at how good it turned out. Everything went smoothly and we have the perfect amount of food, space, and seating. We did have to scoot in close because a lot of people came, but it just turned out so wonderful. Part was due to the fact that the day before, our neigbor gave us his old couches. We had really ugly couches and his old ones looked almost brand new, or at least to our eyes they looked brand new. They are a nice medium shade of blue and look fabulous in our living room. Previously we had had a loveseat and couch. With our "new" couch set, he gave us a loveseat, couch and large recliner/chair. Our living room is now full of furniture, but its nice to have so much seating when guests come over. Our living room has laminate flooring, so if we need to re-arrange it's very simple.
I wanted to buy flowers and decorate our home nice for the baby shower. So I finally put up a few pictures above the piano, and a few on top of the piano. When the couches came, we quickly rearranged our living room. As for the flowers, I made some out of origami. I think they came out pretty good for a first try. Then again, I have amazing beginners luck. I can do anything one time... after that, who knows!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Survival of the Fittest Parent
We have been battling a cough/cold. Last week Sam's started coughing at night and lost his voice. Then Monday night Sam got worse and Tuesday we had our sick day. Then Wednesday Jen started getting it and then Saturday I (Chris) started getting it.
It hasn't been that bad of a cold just long lasting. So we haven't really managed to do much this week except the kids got to watch most of their favorite Christmas movies on TV.
I am also posting a little about each of the kids as an alternative to telling about our adventures each day.
Peter -
Peter really likes anything that is a robot. He is hooked on Transformers, Voltron, and Legos. Over the year he has told us a lot of things that he wants for Christmas but he narrowed it down to 4 things now and has been consistent with those things. Here is his list:
1. Indiana Jones Legos
2. Pet dog
3. Pet turtle
4. A bunch of transformer toys including Opltimus Prime, Megatron and Bumblebee each in various sizes
He is not so entusiastic about writing but normally does well if you can give him some motivation for writing. (like writting his list for Santa). He does like tellings stories though and he will invent small stories and tell them to either us or his brothers. He loves reading books, although he can't read yet he'll read from memery. Meaning, we'll read him a book and then later he'll read it again reciting roughly the same story we read to him. So he will memorize what books say and he gets better each time you read him the same book. Sometimes Jen will read new books to him and try to encourage him to read the words. Often he'll tell what the pictures are saying and expect the words to say what he expexts them to say. He'll get frustrated and want to make up his own words. Usually if he would just read a sentence then the following sentence will say what he is looking for based on the pictures. So anyway, he is creative and the reading will come eventually.
Peter has been watching scripture stories videos while Jen studies her scriptures and is really attentive to these stories and will tell them to us sometimes. He is also very patient with Will and if he is getting into the toys will take him away and move him someplace else (most of the time it is a good thing).
Sam-
Sam likes robots right along with his brother, although he doesn't quite like Legos as much as Peter. One thing he likes a lot more is drawing and writing. He loves to draw turtles and people. He is very careful now when he colors something and tries real hard to stay within the lines. Whereas Peter colors fast and furious caring little for staying in lines, Sam takes his time and is much neater. He also really likes music and for the last few weeks has continuously sung certain songs over and over. His favorite songs have been "When Jesus Christ Was Baptized" and "Picture A Christmas". He REALLY likes to help cook dinner and wash dishes. This is really nice most of the time and so far I expect him to be the most willing to help out in the kitchen. This will be needed as we keep having more kids down the road.
Joe-
Joe likes to follow his brothers and do anything they like to. Although he copies his brothers every move he particularly pays attention to his older brother Sam. I think this is because Sam was more patient with him initially. Joe says "yes" to everything unless it involves a toy in which case it is a "no" (something his brother's often tell him) but tries to keep up with his brothers. He really likes to sing his ABC's and also "When Jesus Christ was Baptized." We are amazed at some of the things he has picked up from his brothers such as counting to 10. He is continuously improving in his speaking and will read several words at a time from the scriptures with us. His favorite songs are the Superman theme song and the song "Upside Down" from the Curious George soundtrack.
Will-
Continues to grow like a weed and likes to eat solids more and more. Every meal when everyone eats he insists on having whatever we are eating. It makes it difficult though sometimes because he wants to feed himself which is even more messy than normal. He must be going through a growth spurt because he is eating more and more lately. He has only 6 teeth (4 on top and 2 on bottom) but he uses them for everything including biting Mom and Dad at times (he prefers Mom for this but we aren't sure why - maybe Dad doesn't taste so good). He is a skilled crawler although he still crawls on his belly and uses one foot to kick off with, we thought he would eventually get to crawling on his knees but perhaps with the hard floor and no carpeting he prefers it that way. Now he has started to climb up on things which means he is sometimes Godzilla to his brother's toys. He also likes to get to his feet and has begun to try and move around things like our coffee table. I think our laminate floors downstairs makes this difficult for him at times especially if he is pajamas. With the cold winter months we usually put him in head to toe pjs and the floor is slippery. You need to be barefooted to have traction.
Well that is all for now, hopefully we all are recovered Well soon. Here is some pictures from our Zoo Trip we took the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday the Zoo is free!!).
It hasn't been that bad of a cold just long lasting. So we haven't really managed to do much this week except the kids got to watch most of their favorite Christmas movies on TV.
I am also posting a little about each of the kids as an alternative to telling about our adventures each day.
Peter -
Peter really likes anything that is a robot. He is hooked on Transformers, Voltron, and Legos. Over the year he has told us a lot of things that he wants for Christmas but he narrowed it down to 4 things now and has been consistent with those things. Here is his list:
1. Indiana Jones Legos
2. Pet dog
3. Pet turtle
4. A bunch of transformer toys including Opltimus Prime, Megatron and Bumblebee each in various sizes
He is not so entusiastic about writing but normally does well if you can give him some motivation for writing. (like writting his list for Santa). He does like tellings stories though and he will invent small stories and tell them to either us or his brothers. He loves reading books, although he can't read yet he'll read from memery. Meaning, we'll read him a book and then later he'll read it again reciting roughly the same story we read to him. So he will memorize what books say and he gets better each time you read him the same book. Sometimes Jen will read new books to him and try to encourage him to read the words. Often he'll tell what the pictures are saying and expect the words to say what he expexts them to say. He'll get frustrated and want to make up his own words. Usually if he would just read a sentence then the following sentence will say what he is looking for based on the pictures. So anyway, he is creative and the reading will come eventually.
Peter has been watching scripture stories videos while Jen studies her scriptures and is really attentive to these stories and will tell them to us sometimes. He is also very patient with Will and if he is getting into the toys will take him away and move him someplace else (most of the time it is a good thing).
Sam-
Sam likes robots right along with his brother, although he doesn't quite like Legos as much as Peter. One thing he likes a lot more is drawing and writing. He loves to draw turtles and people. He is very careful now when he colors something and tries real hard to stay within the lines. Whereas Peter colors fast and furious caring little for staying in lines, Sam takes his time and is much neater. He also really likes music and for the last few weeks has continuously sung certain songs over and over. His favorite songs have been "When Jesus Christ Was Baptized" and "Picture A Christmas". He REALLY likes to help cook dinner and wash dishes. This is really nice most of the time and so far I expect him to be the most willing to help out in the kitchen. This will be needed as we keep having more kids down the road.
Joe-
Joe likes to follow his brothers and do anything they like to. Although he copies his brothers every move he particularly pays attention to his older brother Sam. I think this is because Sam was more patient with him initially. Joe says "yes" to everything unless it involves a toy in which case it is a "no" (something his brother's often tell him) but tries to keep up with his brothers. He really likes to sing his ABC's and also "When Jesus Christ was Baptized." We are amazed at some of the things he has picked up from his brothers such as counting to 10. He is continuously improving in his speaking and will read several words at a time from the scriptures with us. His favorite songs are the Superman theme song and the song "Upside Down" from the Curious George soundtrack.
Will-
Continues to grow like a weed and likes to eat solids more and more. Every meal when everyone eats he insists on having whatever we are eating. It makes it difficult though sometimes because he wants to feed himself which is even more messy than normal. He must be going through a growth spurt because he is eating more and more lately. He has only 6 teeth (4 on top and 2 on bottom) but he uses them for everything including biting Mom and Dad at times (he prefers Mom for this but we aren't sure why - maybe Dad doesn't taste so good). He is a skilled crawler although he still crawls on his belly and uses one foot to kick off with, we thought he would eventually get to crawling on his knees but perhaps with the hard floor and no carpeting he prefers it that way. Now he has started to climb up on things which means he is sometimes Godzilla to his brother's toys. He also likes to get to his feet and has begun to try and move around things like our coffee table. I think our laminate floors downstairs makes this difficult for him at times especially if he is pajamas. With the cold winter months we usually put him in head to toe pjs and the floor is slippery. You need to be barefooted to have traction.
Well that is all for now, hopefully we all are recovered Well soon. Here is some pictures from our Zoo Trip we took the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday the Zoo is free!!).
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Finally Caved In
I finally created a blog, I never really thought about it until I found out that you can now make these things private. I honestly don't want to whole world able to access this. I haven't written a weekly email letter in a month and before that it had been a while. We have been so busy. Now my goal is to write here a little bit every day and friends and family can read about our comings and goings here.
Yesterday:
I am a mother of 4 wonderful boys and we homeschool. Yesterday we went to our homeschool Co-op. Co-op is a group of homeschooling parents that get together and teach each others children. A local church has allowed us to use their building for our little “school” and we go once a week. I teach Spanish every other week and someone else teaches them Science, Show and Tell, and Art. Since I wasn’t teaching Spanish this week, I taught art instead. For the Art class, we did greeting cards with ink and stamps and also a “Thank You” card given to the church that is allowing us to use their building to hold our "school." The best part was that yesterday was the first time that my best friend Dawn got to take her kids to Co-op. She is new to homeschooling and I really hope she felt loved and included. I feel like a mother hen, I strongly desire for her and her children to feel loved and accepted. So I hope that is happening.
Then after the Co-op, the kids all fell asleep in the car and I went to pick up Chris. On the way home he revealed his plans to celebrate our 7 year anniversary! (We got married at 2:15 in the AZ temple on Nov. 30th) So yesterday afternoon we all went to the Dress Barn where the kids waited patiently taking turns telling stories with Dad while I tried on nearly 10 dresses. After having to use a camasole, which is against my moral compass just a bit, I mean why should I have to buy a dress and then after to alter it in order to wear it. But because of the special evening my husband had planned for me, I relented and got a dress with a camasole. I got a black and white dress because very nearly every dress they had was black and white (why? I don't know!!) But it all turned out great. The lady at the shop asked if I needed accessories and right then I realized that I could match the dress to the string of pearls my brother had given me a couple Christmas' ago. So all in all it turned out wonderful. Dawn was nice to take a photo when we dropped off the kids for her to babysit. So I will have to ask for the photo to show.
Well after Duffeyella got her dress and got herself all cutsified... Chris took me to Papadeux and we shared a nice seafood platter and then went to Dairy Queen for dessert. It was a nice evening. I am very thankful for my sweet husband and nice children. When we picked up the kids from Dawn's house after our date, we saw that Sam had gotten a lot worse. Dawn's daughter Hannah read Dr. Seus to him while he layed around at their house. He had had a cough and his voice had been squeeky but now he is quite sick. Fever. Cough. And the most sure sign that he is sick is the glazed over miserable look on his face. Our kids have to be pretty miserable to get that way. They could throw up and then go play! So the miserable glazed over look is a sure sign they feel rotten.
So today is a "sick day" which means that I get out the bed from our hide a bed couch and we make what Bill Cosby called the "Get Well Island". Basically they all lay on the bed all day watching PBS TV and trying to rest and recover. For me that means I get a day off to do what I want (like create this blog) and try and think of things to help them get better. I am going to make some juice and try and make some homemade soup. I have never been too successful at making soup unless I use canned broth of which I have none and have no desire to get any. I am going to try making 100% homemade. We'll see!
Yesterday:
I am a mother of 4 wonderful boys and we homeschool. Yesterday we went to our homeschool Co-op. Co-op is a group of homeschooling parents that get together and teach each others children. A local church has allowed us to use their building for our little “school” and we go once a week. I teach Spanish every other week and someone else teaches them Science, Show and Tell, and Art. Since I wasn’t teaching Spanish this week, I taught art instead. For the Art class, we did greeting cards with ink and stamps and also a “Thank You” card given to the church that is allowing us to use their building to hold our "school." The best part was that yesterday was the first time that my best friend Dawn got to take her kids to Co-op. She is new to homeschooling and I really hope she felt loved and included. I feel like a mother hen, I strongly desire for her and her children to feel loved and accepted. So I hope that is happening.
Then after the Co-op, the kids all fell asleep in the car and I went to pick up Chris. On the way home he revealed his plans to celebrate our 7 year anniversary! (We got married at 2:15 in the AZ temple on Nov. 30th) So yesterday afternoon we all went to the Dress Barn where the kids waited patiently taking turns telling stories with Dad while I tried on nearly 10 dresses. After having to use a camasole, which is against my moral compass just a bit, I mean why should I have to buy a dress and then after to alter it in order to wear it. But because of the special evening my husband had planned for me, I relented and got a dress with a camasole. I got a black and white dress because very nearly every dress they had was black and white (why? I don't know!!) But it all turned out great. The lady at the shop asked if I needed accessories and right then I realized that I could match the dress to the string of pearls my brother had given me a couple Christmas' ago. So all in all it turned out wonderful. Dawn was nice to take a photo when we dropped off the kids for her to babysit. So I will have to ask for the photo to show.
Well after Duffeyella got her dress and got herself all cutsified... Chris took me to Papadeux and we shared a nice seafood platter and then went to Dairy Queen for dessert. It was a nice evening. I am very thankful for my sweet husband and nice children. When we picked up the kids from Dawn's house after our date, we saw that Sam had gotten a lot worse. Dawn's daughter Hannah read Dr. Seus to him while he layed around at their house. He had had a cough and his voice had been squeeky but now he is quite sick. Fever. Cough. And the most sure sign that he is sick is the glazed over miserable look on his face. Our kids have to be pretty miserable to get that way. They could throw up and then go play! So the miserable glazed over look is a sure sign they feel rotten.
So today is a "sick day" which means that I get out the bed from our hide a bed couch and we make what Bill Cosby called the "Get Well Island". Basically they all lay on the bed all day watching PBS TV and trying to rest and recover. For me that means I get a day off to do what I want (like create this blog) and try and think of things to help them get better. I am going to make some juice and try and make some homemade soup. I have never been too successful at making soup unless I use canned broth of which I have none and have no desire to get any. I am going to try making 100% homemade. We'll see!
Jen
Friday, June 11, 2004
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Move to the music
Hey. I am doing well here. As long as I eat I do great. It's if I am late eating a meal that it gets bad. Peter is not quite walking yet. He can take about 7-10 steps though. I think he must just like crawling, it's not like he can't walk.
Yesterday we went to the college here and heard a violin duet and then a violin/piano duet. It was really nice to hear good music. I love the violin and then when they had the violin with the piano it was even better. Peter was with us and he is so silly. During the violin duet he started bopping, like he was dancing. He is so funny to take anywhere; Peter will dance to any music, even the violin! You should see him in the supermarket. He'll be bopping to the music over the speakers. So Peter taught me to dance while I shop! I love children, they are wonderful.
Yesterday we went to the college here and heard a violin duet and then a violin/piano duet. It was really nice to hear good music. I love the violin and then when they had the violin with the piano it was even better. Peter was with us and he is so silly. During the violin duet he started bopping, like he was dancing. He is so funny to take anywhere; Peter will dance to any music, even the violin! You should see him in the supermarket. He'll be bopping to the music over the speakers. So Peter taught me to dance while I shop! I love children, they are wonderful.
Jennifer
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