Down for the Count

It's amazing how much stops ... when one of the boys gets sick. T wasn't feeling well after we went out to dinner with Grandpa, and hasn't recovered yet. He missed the last day of Speech class, the last day of regular preschool at the park, and his last Speech session with Miss Erin. He was so determined to go to school Wednesday morning even though he could hardly sit up. He said he could just bring a towel with him (meaning, the towel would catch any throw-up!!) I didn't have the heart to tell him that school is over for the summer for him. He loves seeing his teachers and his friends. Many times when we are leaving preschool, he'd roll down his window, wave while shouting "Bye, friends!!!" So, I had to do a quick WalMart run last night when the kids were in bed. (Okay, little sidebar here: Why are there so many KIDS at WalMart close to 10pm? I just don't get it.) Today, I lucked out because I could leave T home with N, right after N got out of school so I could take the other two boys to the dentist. T has been sleepy and quite cuddly. Oh, and did I mention he's also a FURNACE!? I just pray and hope that whatever he has doesn't spread to the rest of the family. I'm leaving for a Girlfriends' Retreat for the weekend, and would hate to find out that everyone got sick. Heck, I don't want to get sick either!!

Our Family Visits

T was SO happy that Grandpa sat next to him in our van

Grandpa even came with us to the boys' elementary school Open House

N with Aunt JanEtta

Uncle Eric with nephew Simon

Simon, T & Daniel playing

We had a fun weekend visiting with family. Grandpa & G spent a lot of time together going to a Conference, their Home Ward 50th Reunion, and the Jazz Festival. We all got to visit with Eric, Vince & JanEtta, and their boys on Sunday night. We had a delicious dinner together and enjoyed visiting. The boys had a blast playing together. It was so nice to see everyone.

Wrappin' up T's Birthday Celebrations

We celebrated T's actual birthday @ Leatherby's. T made sure we got him a milkshake because he kept talking about ice cream with a straw.

T with his birthday presents
We actually sang to him the next day, too, because he was sad that he didn't get 4 candles while we were at Leatherby's. He's been talking about blowing out candles for so long. So, we put candles on a cake and then had strawberry shortcake. A win-win for all! I think his expression says it all.
T could hardly wait to be sung to during Primary on Sunday. He kept harassing the music leader until it was time to sing! Yes, he can be quite insistent!!! He loved every minute of it, too.

Bunko Babes

Doing what we do best: talking & laughing!!!

Tuesday night was my bi-monthly Bunko night. Everything is divided up among the group: 6 of us host once a year, and 6 of us bring small prizes once a year. Anyway, I look forward to it every time. I love these girls, and we enjoy visiting, catching up, and just being together. We had yummy salads, homemade dinner rolls, appetizers, and dessert. I ate way too much because it was so delicious. We share stories, updates, advice, recipes, and most of all ... friendship. I won one of the prizes for having the most mini-bunkos (3 of a kind). I rolled 20 of them! (possibly a group record) Amy brought these way cute huge clothespins for the prizes and I really needed something to hold my recipes when I'm cooking. It's SO cool. Several of us stayed for another hour to visit after the prizes were handed out. Thanks for hosting, Raimi!

Happy Birthday, T!!

2004
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Today is T's birthday. He was so sweet this morning: he crawled into bed with me around 6:45 and whispered, "It's my birthday!" He's been waiting for SO long for today. He then pretended to blow out candles and said, "presents!" We could not imagine our family without him. He adds laughter and spark! We just love our "Teeters!!" Happy Birthday!!!!

N's Open House

The boys at the back of campus, heading to Open House

Last night, we went over to N's Middle School for their Open House. N was excited to show us his classrooms, and some of the projects he's worked on during the trimester. He's really enjoyed Middle School this year. He wanted pictures with each of his teachers. He's taller than 2 of them! I think we were one of the few people with a camera! The boys were really excited to see the Middle School. J was fascinated with the idea of going to several classrooms during the school day.

Superman Returns!

T has really taken to this Superman costume. G literally wore it out as a kid. His mother made it for him, and apparently G practically lived in it. We watched "Superman Returns" (T's request) for our family movie night last Friday and ever since then T pretends to be Superman himself. It's fun to watch him "save" his brothers from this or that. G is elated that one of our boys actually likes the costume. He's tried to put it on the other boys when they were younger, but they all hated it and pulled it right off. Looks like T will inherit the beloved Superman costume. I just wish I had a picture of G wearing the costume when he was a kid!

It's HOT!

T anxious to get in the cool water



Ahhhh! The boys were SO happy to cool off
We've been enjoying our cherries while we swim

The last couple of days have been really hot! It's been about 100 degrees. I'm so glad that our pool has been set up and ready. Today, as soon as the boys got home from school, and after the Book Fair, we all jumped into the pool. We were so anxious to get in the water that we forgot towels! Anyway, it felt SO GOOD! Our cherry tree is loaded with fruit and it's really close to our pool. We've all been enjoying the cherries while we are swimming. For a while, we could reach some cherries from the pool. As soon as G got home from work, he got in the pool with us. It's been really fun. Well worth the small investment.

To the ZOO!

T & I went to the zoo with his preschool today. It was really fun, and we could go at our own pace. He seemed to attach himself to another family! Luckily, they were very nice about it. T was most happy to see the zebras and giraffes today. We spent about 2 hours at the zoo and really enjoyed ourselves. It was pretty hot today, but I'm still glad we went. T ran from one thing to the next. He just loved seeing the animals. He wanted to crawl in and touch the huge turtle. It was quite cute!! We'll definitely have to come back with all of the boys this summer.

N's 'Green' Poem

N has always loved the color GREEN. He wrote this poem for an assignment in his Language Arts class. He designed the letters and drew the green giraffe. He really likes to draw, and has become really good at drawing little people. He's also become very expressive with some of the poems he's written and we really enjoy reading them. Good job, N.

Yum!

Some of our abundance of strawberries

T is VERY happy with his pickin's

We LOVE our backyard because of all of the fruit trees and plants. Our cherries are turning red, and our peach tree is full of ripening peaches. We have plums, too. Our strawberries have done very well, but the snails like them, too. G had to get out the snail bait. Fortunately, we still had a lot of strawberries to enjoy. T was very happy to help pick the strawberries, and even more helpful in eating them!

The Best Mom Ever

This is a picture of Stephanie with N. She is the greatest Mom I know. I have watched her for over 12 years as she has given care and love to our children. I am proud she is my wife and even more proud that she is my kids mom.

I love you Stephanie -

G

Happy Mother's Day

Mom with the boys
J gave me a decorated container with 2 sunflower seedlings
T made some chocolate dipped treats at school for Mom. The part that "it's for Mom" escaped T because he started to scream when I ate a pretzel!

I am so thankful for my family. I had extra hugs today and it was wonderful. B made me a keychain that had his picture in it on one side and a little note saying "Happy Mother's Day" on the other. It's already on my key chain. G made gnocchi from scratch tonight for dinner, as well as some bread. It was SO good! And, I got a great nap today, too. I am also SO grateful for my own mother. So, Mom, if you're reading this, know that I love you very much!!!

I came across this tidbit about MOTHERS, and I wanted to share. It's kinda long ...

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying? The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation ... And mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without. This is for you all. This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's alright honey, Mommy's here."Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted. This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse. For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T. This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors. And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it. This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat. For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time." This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead. This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot. This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college. For all of us. Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them. And pray. "Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall."

Temple

I had a great morning today! Not only was it a gorgeous day, G held down the fort while I ventured off to the temple. I've let too much time go by since I went to the temple. Life is busy, but I need to make time to go. I feel rejuveninated, uplifted, and refocused. It was fun to see several brides today, too. They looked SO young!

Pennies from Heaven

As T & I were getting our receipt checked at the exit of Sam's Club today, we noticed a penny on the ground, under a shopping cart the worker was leaning on. I mentioned it, and T easily crawled under the cart and picked it up. Instead of immediately putting it into his pocket, he started to hand it to the Sam's Club worker. He was so surprised that a child would not claim it as his own, but rather give it to it's "rightful" owner. I was proud, too. The worker told T he could keep it and T just smiled and jumped in delight. Then he carefully slipped it into his pocket to bring home. I was reminded of T's sweet spirit and awareness of others, and I got a little taste of Heaven today with his act of kindness.

Share Bucket

T sporting his new haircut @ the park

Last night, when T & I were talking about preschool, I asked him what he wanted to bring for the "Share Bucket" (He gets to bring an item for a 'show-and-tell' every day). Without hesitation, he said, "B!", as in his big brother. He was serious. I gave him a few other suggestions and then we went onto doing other things. Then, this morning, I asked him again about what he wanted to bring for the Share Bucket, and he said, "B!" , as in "I ALREADY told you what I'm bringing!!" It was a good thing that B had already left for school by then. There might have been a fight on my hands!

Have You Ever ...

Have you ever looked in the mirror at the END of your day and wondered, "How long has THAT been in my teeth?" or "How long has my fly been open?!" "Why didn't anyone say something!!??" Well, as I was brushing my teeth and washing my face the other night, I noticed that I only had eye make-up on ONE eye! I kept doing a double-take in the mirror trying to figure out how I managed this one. How weird is that? I must have been very distracted that morning! I just have to laugh at myself. Anyone have a similar story to share???

Yummy FHE

Dad's helping T with his melting ice cream cone. What's funny is that T insisted on having a cone, so we ordered him one and asked for a cup to put it in. He immediately took out the cone and set it aside! Go figure!!

The boys!

We took the family over to Dairy Queen for Blizzards. Ohh, they were SO good! We sat outside & ate our Blizzards. It was such a beautiful evening. When we got back home, we finished off FHE with our scriptures, a song, and our family prayer. It was very simple, but yummy.

Explain This!

In case it's a little hard to tell, I'll clarify: that's a FOOTPRINT on the top of my piano! Definitely not a large one by any means. Probably from a small child ... say 3 or 4 years old. When questioned, it was denied. My mom used to always say: "When I find "Not Me", he's in DEEP trouble!!" Anyway, talk about some indisputable, hard evidence! What was he doing up there anyway??? ... oh, and the fact that there is a pile of dust on my piano hasn't slipped past me either!

Simple Pleasures

I went outside to find the boys to call them in for dinner. I found them just sitting on the banister, out on the porch, just chatting and playing with the leaves. I just stood there for a minute to observe. They were in their own little world, enjoying one another. This was one of the really great 'moment's in time', or as my Mom says, they were 'making memories.'

Up it goes!

N & J eager to help get the pool set up with Dad

One of the sides going up
Umm ... I need the ladder!

B & J checking the water level & having a little too much fun with the hose!

We've been talking for a while about when we would get our pool set up in the backyard. What got us moving quickly is the fact that our city will soon be imposing water limits. So, we'd have to pay more $$ to fill up our pool if we waited. This year, our pool is about 6 to 10 inches deeper. Though an in-ground pool would be very nice, we're grateful for a place to cool off in the hot summers. Well worth the $$.

We had SUCH a busy day. We worked a lot around the house and yard. Lots of check marks on the chore chart. Mom likes that!! G did lots of shopping. He took N out this morning, and then B out later in the day. T & I squeezed in a small nap together after reading a few books. Then we went on a short bike ride to the park. Didn't last too long because J developed a nasty blister, and he wanted to go back home. Can't say I blame him. The blister was pretty bad. He had been working SO hard to complete the 'monkey bars' and it just shredded his palms.

After showers and baths for the boys, we piled onto our blankets and pillows to watch a movie together. We enjoyed yummy brownies, too. We're worn out, but happy.