Lily wondering why all the hoopla over Mother's Day: Mom, is there a "Kid's Day?"
Me: Yeah, every day of your life!
From April:
Brigham: Dad. did you say that the wind closed the chicken coop door?
Stanton: Yeah.
Brigham: Actually, that was me.
Completely out of the blue.....
Brigham: Mom, can we go to a skyscraper one day?
Stanton: Brigham, it's so awesome that you're so cute.
Brigham: I'm not cute, Dad, I'm awesome.
Chloe praying at breakfast: Please bless Mom that she can not be so grouchy today as she has been this morning....
From May:
Cannon: When I grow up I'm gonna be a daddy farmer and I'm gonna wear a hat and get the cows in the trailer on my brown horse.
I went to the van. Cannon was already out there with a suspicious brown something in his mouth.
Me: What did you eat?
Cannon: I found something to eat!
Me: What was it? Was it chocolate?
Cannon: Yep! It's dewishus!
Cannon when he wants to say something naughty: Bum Bum Head (giggle)
While I was getting ready, Cannon came into my bathroom....
Cannon: Mom, will you put your arms out and we'll play Ring Around the Rosy?
Me: Sure!
We played, then fell down....
Cannon: Let's do it again!
We did it again. I was down on my knees...
Cannon, putting his arm around me: Mom, I wike you.
Driving in the car we saw a guy in our neighborhood with a low-rider car. He was hydraulically lifting it so it wouldn't scratch as he pulled into his driveway/garage. Cannon didn't recognize the sound it was making...
Cannon: Wha's that sound?
Me: I don't know buddy?
Cannon: It sounds like an ewphant!
Brigham singing "Puff the Magic Dragon":
Puff the Magic Dragon, lived by the sea,
And in the audience in a land called Hollanee....
When we saw the St. George temple, Chloe noticed that it looked very similar to the Logan temple except that Logan's is grey and St. George's is white...
Chloe: Look their temple is white instead of grey. They keep theirs a lot cleaner than we do...
We took the kids to get ice cream while in St. George...
Brigham: Mom, this is an ice cream shop in the desert!
Cannon while I was changing his diaper on our bathroom counter - he noticed we had the spiral, energy efficient bulbs in the light fixture...: Mom! Dey're light noodles!
Brigham: Is Holly a girl name?
Me: Yes.
Brigham: If my name was Holly, I would not be my friend.
Chloe: Nothing's impossible to eat....except for bathtubs....
Lily in a totally surprised voice: This girls' night is actually turning out to be pretty good.
Lily trying to quote Lizzy from Cars: I wanna get a look at that "taxi" hot rod.... (Lizzy says "sexy" hot rod)
Brigham seeing a shape in the clouds in the sky: Mom, look! It's from our favorite restaurant that has bad food!
Upon further questioning, I found out he was seeing the armadillo from Texas Roadhouse...
From July:
Me after Chloe finished her Tooth Fairy duties: Do you want to go to bed by yourself or would you like me to tuck you in?
Chloe: Tuck me in because even big kids who stay up and babysit for their moms and dads like to be tucked in and even when I'm 14, I'll still want you to tuck me in.
(LOVE)
Lily while eating dinner at Mandarin Garden on the 4th of July: Mom! I'm so excited! This is my first time drinking Chinese water!
Lily to me at breakfast: Mom, you need to start doing Weight Watchers again because you're being kind of junky in the way you eat.
(OUCH)
29 August 2011
25 August 2011
First Day of School!
Well, our Not Bummer Summer was a success and now we're off to a new school year! I have really been mourning the fact that summer is coming to an end, but now that school is back in session, I'm excited to see what adventures this year will bring.
We had back to school night last night and, despite lugging my camera around the whole time, I didn't take a single picture with the kids' teachers. It was too crazy trying to hit all three teachers in a half hour's time.
Chloe's new teacher, Mrs. Phillips, seems so great. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better.
Lily's teacher, Ms. Follett, is wonderful. Chloe had her for first grade last year, so we know exactly what we're getting and that is a GOOD thing. She's great.
Brigham's teacher is Mrs. Ashcroft, whom the girls have both had. She's had 3 straight years now of A kids and she still seems to be happy about it! :) We absolutely love Mrs. Ashcroft and look forward to Brigham's year with her.
After BTS night, we got the boys to bed and then Stanton gave the girls blessings. They were wonderful and included counsel to seek out those children who may not make friends as easily and show kindness to them. These two little girls are so sweet and inclusive. They do not, by nature, see the negative in others. I'm so thankful for that. They are treasures.
The girls happily went to bed and I stayed up filling out all the paperwork that came home with us. After a quick trip to the store to pick up the one or two things the teachers requested, I crashed, too. Stanton & I were awoken bright and early (5:30) by Brigham, who had a bad dream. It really must have shaken him, because he cried for a good half hour in our bed and then said he was itchy. Stanton was so tender (I was grumpy) and gave him 2 showers and helped him get comfortable. We finally got back to sleep about 6:30, only to realized that we needed to be getting everyone up for scriptures and school. Everyone was up by 6:50 and we had a quick scripture study because Stanton had to be out the door at 7:00. The girls did really well getting ready. If every morning is this efficient, we'll have a great school year. *snort
Anyway, they had beds made, teeth brushed, prayers said, piano practiced, breakfast eaten, and hair done by 8:45. We said a prayer and I walked them out to take pictures. Chloe was really not excited for school to start even up till last night. This morning, though, well, she was super excited. She didn't want to be wasting time taking pictures whilst watching all the other neighborhood kids walking to the school. She humored me, though, and after pictures, they ran all the way to the school. It was so fun to watch them run off together. I love those two!
Lily the 1st grader and Chloe the 2nd grader.
(Lily looks taller in this picture, but she's just standing up higher on the incline driveway...)
Chloe looking longingly at the other kids heading to school...
The girls are on the far right there. They were booking it across the playground to the school!
Here's to a great school year!! (Brigham starts next Thursday!)
We had back to school night last night and, despite lugging my camera around the whole time, I didn't take a single picture with the kids' teachers. It was too crazy trying to hit all three teachers in a half hour's time.
Chloe's new teacher, Mrs. Phillips, seems so great. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better.
Lily's teacher, Ms. Follett, is wonderful. Chloe had her for first grade last year, so we know exactly what we're getting and that is a GOOD thing. She's great.
Brigham's teacher is Mrs. Ashcroft, whom the girls have both had. She's had 3 straight years now of A kids and she still seems to be happy about it! :) We absolutely love Mrs. Ashcroft and look forward to Brigham's year with her.
After BTS night, we got the boys to bed and then Stanton gave the girls blessings. They were wonderful and included counsel to seek out those children who may not make friends as easily and show kindness to them. These two little girls are so sweet and inclusive. They do not, by nature, see the negative in others. I'm so thankful for that. They are treasures.
The girls happily went to bed and I stayed up filling out all the paperwork that came home with us. After a quick trip to the store to pick up the one or two things the teachers requested, I crashed, too. Stanton & I were awoken bright and early (5:30) by Brigham, who had a bad dream. It really must have shaken him, because he cried for a good half hour in our bed and then said he was itchy. Stanton was so tender (I was grumpy) and gave him 2 showers and helped him get comfortable. We finally got back to sleep about 6:30, only to realized that we needed to be getting everyone up for scriptures and school. Everyone was up by 6:50 and we had a quick scripture study because Stanton had to be out the door at 7:00. The girls did really well getting ready. If every morning is this efficient, we'll have a great school year. *snort
Anyway, they had beds made, teeth brushed, prayers said, piano practiced, breakfast eaten, and hair done by 8:45. We said a prayer and I walked them out to take pictures. Chloe was really not excited for school to start even up till last night. This morning, though, well, she was super excited. She didn't want to be wasting time taking pictures whilst watching all the other neighborhood kids walking to the school. She humored me, though, and after pictures, they ran all the way to the school. It was so fun to watch them run off together. I love those two!
(Lily looks taller in this picture, but she's just standing up higher on the incline driveway...)
Here's to a great school year!! (Brigham starts next Thursday!)
Moving Grandma & Carnival
Dave & Judy decided it was best to move Grandma Allen into an assisted living facility this week -- she has had 3 falls recently and they felt that they weren't able to give her the medical care & supervision she needed. They have been amazing with Grandma. She has lived with either them or Dave's sister Sharron for the last year. They have made sure she's never alone - even for a few minutes. They are so tender and sweet with her - I can only hope to be the kind of daughter that my parents and Stanton's parents have set the example for. I am really moved by the love my & Stanton's parents have for their aging parents.
So, we moved Grandma to the assisted living center on Monday. They took her to the doctor, then drove her over and introduced her to her new home. She had a really difficult time dealing with it -- it was really heartbreaking to see. We all rallied around her, though, and tried to give her comfort while she dealt with the new circumstances. We are committed to visiting her and Grandma Barbara (who has been living in the same home for about a month now) regularly and showing them our love. We certainly feel great love for them.
They happened to be having a carnival at the home that same day, so the kids took advantage of the popcorn, cotton candy, face painting, and bounce houses.
We sure love our grandparents. It's been really sad to see their health deteriorate so rapidly over the last year and to realize that they won't be with us forever...and that while they are here, they aren't really themselves anymore. It's really caused me to ponder this life, the plan of happiness, and God's all-reaching knowledge of His children. I have shed a few tears in the process, too. I really wish I was closer to my grandmothers and my living grandfather. It makes my heart ache that I can't see them often. I do feel like I can visit Stanton's grandmothers, though, and sort of 'make up' for the fact that I can't get to mine as often. We lift where we stand, I suppose, and hope that others do the same where they are.
So, we moved Grandma to the assisted living center on Monday. They took her to the doctor, then drove her over and introduced her to her new home. She had a really difficult time dealing with it -- it was really heartbreaking to see. We all rallied around her, though, and tried to give her comfort while she dealt with the new circumstances. We are committed to visiting her and Grandma Barbara (who has been living in the same home for about a month now) regularly and showing them our love. We certainly feel great love for them.
They happened to be having a carnival at the home that same day, so the kids took advantage of the popcorn, cotton candy, face painting, and bounce houses.
We sure love our grandparents. It's been really sad to see their health deteriorate so rapidly over the last year and to realize that they won't be with us forever...and that while they are here, they aren't really themselves anymore. It's really caused me to ponder this life, the plan of happiness, and God's all-reaching knowledge of His children. I have shed a few tears in the process, too. I really wish I was closer to my grandmothers and my living grandfather. It makes my heart ache that I can't see them often. I do feel like I can visit Stanton's grandmothers, though, and sort of 'make up' for the fact that I can't get to mine as often. We lift where we stand, I suppose, and hope that others do the same where they are.
23 August 2011
Toothless!!
The long awaited event finally arrived! Miss Chloe's permanent tooth was pretty much entirely grown in and her baby tooth was still not going anywhere. She ate an apple, the tooth got sore, and she decided she was not going to wait for it to fall out on its own - she was ready to be done with that darn tooth!
Stanton got the trusty old needle-nose pliers and before we knew it, she was toothless (well, as toothless as you can be when the permanent one is already grown in)! Chloe was pretty elated and we were all excited for her to finally reach this milestone.
Way to go, Chloe!
Would you say she looks pretty happy?!
I love that little tongue sticking through that gap, hiding the permanent tooth. Ooh, what a sweetheart.
Somehow, the Tooth Fairy made it to Chloe, too. She was pretty happy about that one. Don't mind the Tooth Fairy's fingers. She was eager to get a picture taken so she could add that letter to the pile of papers going to the recycling.....
What a wonderful night. I'm really proud of Chloe for how mature she has been about this whole tooth business. Ever since Lily's tooth, she has really not complained or even talked about losing a tooth anymore. She has patiently waited and I'm so happy that her patience has finally payed off....right in time for 2nd grade. :)
Stanton got the trusty old needle-nose pliers and before we knew it, she was toothless (well, as toothless as you can be when the permanent one is already grown in)! Chloe was pretty elated and we were all excited for her to finally reach this milestone.
Way to go, Chloe!
What a wonderful night. I'm really proud of Chloe for how mature she has been about this whole tooth business. Ever since Lily's tooth, she has really not complained or even talked about losing a tooth anymore. She has patiently waited and I'm so happy that her patience has finally payed off....right in time for 2nd grade. :)
Best. Summer. Ever.
Oh, how I have loved this summer. I have loved it with all my heart. We opted to keep the kids out of all lessons except swim for 2 weeks and piano for the girls. They each participated in a few small (2-3 day, couple of hours each day) camps, but for the most part, we were free. It was so fun. I tried to keep the kids on a schedule - we had chores to do each day, etc, and when were done, we played. Many days, the playing happened right at home -- the kids really got along well all summer (no, not rainbows and unicorns getting along, there was the normal bickering and tattle-telling, etc., but they actually enjoyed playing with each other for the most part...) and imagined and played together. We also did our fair share of playing outside the house. The park, the zoo, the splash pad, snow cones, slushies, ice cream, slurpees, bike rides, movies, birthday parties, weddings, parades, family reunions, road trips, vacations, etc. We really had a great summer. I'm excited for school to start -- I love the change of routine and the newness of each school year -- but this summer has been a wonderful one.
At Willow Park.
Easy livin' in the backyard.
Nate (my cousin) & Shelby's wedding. I wish I had remembered my good camera -- I love these two so much! Of course, I also forgot my temple recommend, so you can guess how with it I was that morning!
Tennis camp with Kiki! Brigham was so excited because he actually got to go to tennis camp this year! And Cannon was, well, ticked that he didn't. BUT, he did get to wear one of the girls' shirts from last year, so that helped. :)
Playing, fully clothed, in the sprinklers.
More Willow Park.
Dirty faces, bug catching, (very little) hair-doing, dressing up as Jaunito Bandito, and building huts...
Grandpa David's birthday party -- aren't those grandkids lucky that he chose Spiderman and Princess cupcakes for his cake?!
More magic at Willow Park.
The last blanket fort of the summer. :(
I caught a glimpse of Chloe filling up Charlie's water bowl. She was quite the problem-solver!
Summer is never without its moments of aggravation, times of yelling, and wishes that the kids would all go back to school, but hey, the school year is never without it moments of aggravation, times of yelling, and wishing we could just be done with school! I'm just thankful for these wonderful years with my children...they are an incredible blessing and I love them.
Here's to a school year as great as this summer has been!
Summer is never without its moments of aggravation, times of yelling, and wishes that the kids would all go back to school, but hey, the school year is never without it moments of aggravation, times of yelling, and wishing we could just be done with school! I'm just thankful for these wonderful years with my children...they are an incredible blessing and I love them.
Here's to a school year as great as this summer has been!
22 August 2011
Grandma Sleepover
The girls got to go to Grandma Rose's house last Wednesday and Thursday for a sleepover with all their girl cousins who live close by (they missed Miss China-Emma!).
The morning was crazy - piano lessons from 8-9, tennis camp from 9-12, and straight to McCammon to make the switch to Grandma's truck! It was a hectic morning, but they were super excited to go have a fun girls' night.
Grandma had picked up Kate just a few minutes before, so they had a fun drive to Blackfoot together...where Morgan and Jordyn were waiting for them.
From the sounds of it, they had a wonderful time...played games, had a "manners breakfast," watched Tangled, played outside, and ate at Rupe's (LUCKY!).
*** Just stole some pictures from my mom's blog***
Chloe, Morgan, Lily, Kate, & Jordyn.
After finishing their "Daughter of a King" game.
Eating dinner at Rupe's.
I sure appreciate my mom for doing these fun things with her grandchildren. They love it!
While the girls were gone, I took Brigham and Cannon to the park and A&W. We had a great time. The boys played for a good long while and when I gave them a spin on the tire swing to end the day, well, Cannon didn't do so well. Haha! He got off to go to another swing, looked around for a second, and fell flat on his face. That's EXACTLY how I feel when I watch or ride on spinning rides! I had to chuckle before picking him up...but I didn't take a picture...not this time.
He was happy to head to Sonic for a slushie drink after that one.
It was fun to have a day with just the boys. They are so imaginative. I sure love them!
The morning was crazy - piano lessons from 8-9, tennis camp from 9-12, and straight to McCammon to make the switch to Grandma's truck! It was a hectic morning, but they were super excited to go have a fun girls' night.
From the sounds of it, they had a wonderful time...played games, had a "manners breakfast," watched Tangled, played outside, and ate at Rupe's (LUCKY!).
*** Just stole some pictures from my mom's blog***
I sure appreciate my mom for doing these fun things with her grandchildren. They love it!
While the girls were gone, I took Brigham and Cannon to the park and A&W. We had a great time. The boys played for a good long while and when I gave them a spin on the tire swing to end the day, well, Cannon didn't do so well. Haha! He got off to go to another swing, looked around for a second, and fell flat on his face. That's EXACTLY how I feel when I watch or ride on spinning rides! I had to chuckle before picking him up...but I didn't take a picture...not this time.
He was happy to head to Sonic for a slushie drink after that one.
In My Mom's Words
I just copied and pasted my mom's post about the last part of their sleepover. She's awesome!
After the movie we came upstairs and watched videos from China because the girls were missing their Rose cousins who live in Shenzen, China right now! Their favorite is of Luke, Emma, and Gavin riding these motorized animals around a big plaza area! I am not kidding, we all laughed so hard we about fell on the floor! Grandpa had returned about then and had to come and see what all the commotion was about! And he, too, joined in the raucousness! Want to join in the laughter...see the following link: You'll wonder for awhile what is so funny, but don't give up! Keep watching! Listening to Matt and Sara is half the fun but then watch Gavin as he really gets confident! Yes, yes, you have to watch to the end! http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_view_player?p=ed0d98044a5952a03121e9. The girls wanted to watch it over and over...I am serious! Then they requested to watch all of the Allen Family Christmas Videos of the last three years which we also LOVED and watched twice each! Here is the link to those: http://allenfamilyupdate.blogspot.com/search/label/Christmas%20Movie. I predict all of the Allen kids will have many acting opportunities in this life...what do you think? Anyway, just a fun and laughter-filled time with our little girls staying up waaaayyyyyyy late! However, once it was time for bed, we read scriptures with Grandpa and had family prayer and hit the hay! All were asleep within about 1/2 hour which I thought was pretty miraculous!
The next morning we awakened and while I fixed breakfast Kate and Morgan played Legos completing their work of art shown below, while Jordyn, Chloe, and Lily danced and played the piano. Chloe turned on the Demo on my electronic piano and proceeded to look like she was playing every note while the other two showed their stuff! Then they all helped to set the table for our traditional manners breakfast at which time we use the chargers, china, cloth napkins, napkin rings, etc. and TRY to use our best table manners. It doesn't always work, (you know, the occasional toots and burps followed by laughter and then, the "okay, that wasn't mannerly...excuse me!") but we have a good time trying! We had crepes this year with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, syrup, jam, powdered sugar, etc. as well as sausage, bacon, juice and chocolate milk. Yum, yum!!!!
Later that morning after cleaning up and getting ready for the day, they all wanted to play outside! They asked me for rakes and told me not to look outside while they did something! Jordyn wanted her own separate projects to do as there were not enough rakes and she proceeded to clean out our outdoor toybox (no minor feat!), clean up the sandpile and sweep the porch. I was in the house doing a few things when I heard singing from the back yard and just couldn't help myself! I had to videotape out the window of my bedroom and out the backdoor. I'll include a video if I can make One True Media work. It was too cute not to share, so wish me luck! They all "surprised" me with raking and filling two boxes which they decorated themselves with raked-up blossoms that have fallen from our Little Leaf Linden tree...the favorite climbing tree in the back-yard! Such sweet little people...they never cease to amaze me with their goodness! Thanks girls for doing such sweet and helpful things for Grandma! We then had lunch and took the finished quilt down to the women's shelter where they welcomed us with open arms and thanked the girls for all their hard work! You will make a sad child's day much happier through your unselfishness! Thanks, Julie, for driving all the way to Blackfoot to pick up your girls, and to Cindy and Lori for the driving they did as well to allow this to happen. You are all great parents and can know that you are raising very find young ladies! Thanks again for sharing them with us!
Tangled Sleepover Part Deux
After returning from Rupes, we set up sleeping bags in the family room downstairs and prepared to watch my personal favorite animated movie of all time ("Tangled", of course) from start to finish! Grandpa and I laughed so hard at Rupe's because the girls were quoting lines from it with accents and all, especially Chloe, who brought back memories of her Mom doing the same! I'm sure all that knew her in high school and beyond remember that she was a master at popping off movie lines one after another and with the most perfect accents and inflections! Anyway, it was hilarious listening to Chloe do it with the same polish! It was a fun moment with the girls which made it obvious that this movie holds a special place in all of their hearts! Grandpa had meetings so the girls and I enjoyed every minute of the movie with only 1 break in the middle to put together our traditional "fruit kabobs" for snack time! We also finished tying the quilt we started last Thanksgiving to take to the Bingham Crisis Center (Women's Shelter in Blackfoot) See pics below! All five girls were amazing little square knot tie-ers and all stuck with it until it was finished!After the movie we came upstairs and watched videos from China because the girls were missing their Rose cousins who live in Shenzen, China right now! Their favorite is of Luke, Emma, and Gavin riding these motorized animals around a big plaza area! I am not kidding, we all laughed so hard we about fell on the floor! Grandpa had returned about then and had to come and see what all the commotion was about! And he, too, joined in the raucousness! Want to join in the laughter...see the following link: You'll wonder for awhile what is so funny, but don't give up! Keep watching! Listening to Matt and Sara is half the fun but then watch Gavin as he really gets confident! Yes, yes, you have to watch to the end! http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_view_player?p=ed0d98044a5952a03121e9. The girls wanted to watch it over and over...I am serious! Then they requested to watch all of the Allen Family Christmas Videos of the last three years which we also LOVED and watched twice each! Here is the link to those: http://allenfamilyupdate.blogspot.com/search/label/Christmas%20Movie. I predict all of the Allen kids will have many acting opportunities in this life...what do you think? Anyway, just a fun and laughter-filled time with our little girls staying up waaaayyyyyyy late! However, once it was time for bed, we read scriptures with Grandpa and had family prayer and hit the hay! All were asleep within about 1/2 hour which I thought was pretty miraculous!
The next morning we awakened and while I fixed breakfast Kate and Morgan played Legos completing their work of art shown below, while Jordyn, Chloe, and Lily danced and played the piano. Chloe turned on the Demo on my electronic piano and proceeded to look like she was playing every note while the other two showed their stuff! Then they all helped to set the table for our traditional manners breakfast at which time we use the chargers, china, cloth napkins, napkin rings, etc. and TRY to use our best table manners. It doesn't always work, (you know, the occasional toots and burps followed by laughter and then, the "okay, that wasn't mannerly...excuse me!") but we have a good time trying! We had crepes this year with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, syrup, jam, powdered sugar, etc. as well as sausage, bacon, juice and chocolate milk. Yum, yum!!!!
Later that morning after cleaning up and getting ready for the day, they all wanted to play outside! They asked me for rakes and told me not to look outside while they did something! Jordyn wanted her own separate projects to do as there were not enough rakes and she proceeded to clean out our outdoor toybox (no minor feat!), clean up the sandpile and sweep the porch. I was in the house doing a few things when I heard singing from the back yard and just couldn't help myself! I had to videotape out the window of my bedroom and out the backdoor. I'll include a video if I can make One True Media work. It was too cute not to share, so wish me luck! They all "surprised" me with raking and filling two boxes which they decorated themselves with raked-up blossoms that have fallen from our Little Leaf Linden tree...the favorite climbing tree in the back-yard! Such sweet little people...they never cease to amaze me with their goodness! Thanks girls for doing such sweet and helpful things for Grandma! We then had lunch and took the finished quilt down to the women's shelter where they welcomed us with open arms and thanked the girls for all their hard work! You will make a sad child's day much happier through your unselfishness! Thanks, Julie, for driving all the way to Blackfoot to pick up your girls, and to Cindy and Lori for the driving they did as well to allow this to happen. You are all great parents and can know that you are raising very find young ladies! Thanks again for sharing them with us!
Forgot to mention a little "makeover" party...just these two!
Lovin' the movie!
Use your creativity!
Yummy fruit kabobs!
You can't not dance to the music at the end of Tangled!
boogyin' to the music!
My princesses at our manners breakfast!
A lego house with huge add-on garage, etc.! This photo does not do justice!
It will never look this neat again! Thanks, Jords
Love you, Grandma! Love you, too, girls!
Picking vegetables from the garden
A little swim fun
With the staff at the Women's Shelter who were so thrilled with their sweet donation!
21 August 2011
Whew!
I'm not done yet -- I still have the Allen family reunion and the bits and pieces of posts and pictures from my phone camera -- but still! What a relief to have this much done! Oh, and I need to get a conversations post together, too. My phone's voice recorder is full, so I'm missing a million funny things the kids are saying because I can't record them. Got to make that happen soon!
For tonight, though, good night!
For tonight, though, good night!
Farley Family Fun
We hopped in the motor home last weekend and spent the night in Orem with our dear friends, Kyle & Angie Farley and their children Gabe, Sammie, and Christian. It was so much fun. Seriously, how did we get so blessed in the friends department???!!!!
We started the afternoon with a delicious lunch of sandwiches and pasta salad and watermelon in 7-up. The kids played in the water in the backyard while Angie & I visited with each other and Kyle & Stanton visited Kyle's dental office. After the guys got home, we got the kids dressed again and headed to Farr's Fresh for ice cream. Oooohhhh!!!! They had the exact same Dole Whip ice cream you get at the Dole Plantation in Hawaii. It was amazing and so unexpected to find such a treat on the mainland. I enjoyed every spoonful and was seriously tempted to get more. I'm hoping for a Farr's Fresh here in Cache Valley one of these days.
After ice cream, we drove over then walked to Bridal Veil Falls. It has been a really wet year in Utah and the falls were gorgeous! Everybody got their toes wet and Brigham dropped his hat in. Stanton had to climb over a railing on the other side of the walkway to get it, but he got it! Brigham was really relieved, but still put out because now his hat was soaking wet! Once he realized it would keep his head cooler that way, though, he was a happy guy again.
After the Falls, we went back to Kyle and Angie's home, hung out and got dinner ready for the kids. Then we got all dressed up and went out to dinner at Gloria's Little Italy. YUM! That is a great restaurant. And the gelato for dessert? Heaven. In fact, having ice cream two different times in one day is surely what heaven is all about, right? I think so.
After dinner, we ran over to the Marriott where the LDS Academy of Dentists was having their convention. Neither Stanton nor Kyle has become a member of this particular academy because, well, pretty much every dentist in Utah is LDS, so there's not really a need for the official association...BUT, we were so happy that the convention brought several of our dental friends who are outside of Utah to one location. We visited for a good hour with Drew & Wendy Kelson (Drew was Stanton's roommate in dental school) and Tim & Caroline Owens (Tim & Caroline were some of our first and dearest friends from Buffalo - they were in school while Stanton was in his residency). I know Kyle, Angie, and Stanton visited with some other friends, but I don't know who they were. Anyway, that was a fun stop over and a treat to see some old friends.
We got home, found the babysitters (mostly) unscathed, and got the kids all to bed. After a great night's sleep, we got up, had a delicious breakfast of French Toast and strawberries and then headed home. What a great trip. We love you, Farleys! Let's do this again soon.
We started the afternoon with a delicious lunch of sandwiches and pasta salad and watermelon in 7-up. The kids played in the water in the backyard while Angie & I visited with each other and Kyle & Stanton visited Kyle's dental office. After the guys got home, we got the kids dressed again and headed to Farr's Fresh for ice cream. Oooohhhh!!!! They had the exact same Dole Whip ice cream you get at the Dole Plantation in Hawaii. It was amazing and so unexpected to find such a treat on the mainland. I enjoyed every spoonful and was seriously tempted to get more. I'm hoping for a Farr's Fresh here in Cache Valley one of these days.
After ice cream, we drove over then walked to Bridal Veil Falls. It has been a really wet year in Utah and the falls were gorgeous! Everybody got their toes wet and Brigham dropped his hat in. Stanton had to climb over a railing on the other side of the walkway to get it, but he got it! Brigham was really relieved, but still put out because now his hat was soaking wet! Once he realized it would keep his head cooler that way, though, he was a happy guy again.
After the Falls, we went back to Kyle and Angie's home, hung out and got dinner ready for the kids. Then we got all dressed up and went out to dinner at Gloria's Little Italy. YUM! That is a great restaurant. And the gelato for dessert? Heaven. In fact, having ice cream two different times in one day is surely what heaven is all about, right? I think so.
After dinner, we ran over to the Marriott where the LDS Academy of Dentists was having their convention. Neither Stanton nor Kyle has become a member of this particular academy because, well, pretty much every dentist in Utah is LDS, so there's not really a need for the official association...BUT, we were so happy that the convention brought several of our dental friends who are outside of Utah to one location. We visited for a good hour with Drew & Wendy Kelson (Drew was Stanton's roommate in dental school) and Tim & Caroline Owens (Tim & Caroline were some of our first and dearest friends from Buffalo - they were in school while Stanton was in his residency). I know Kyle, Angie, and Stanton visited with some other friends, but I don't know who they were. Anyway, that was a fun stop over and a treat to see some old friends.
Happy Birthday, Dear Cannon!!!
I know we all say it, but HOW ON EARTH DID MY BABY GET TO BE 3?????!!!!!!
Cannon brings so much joy and laughter to our family.
We had a fun day celebrating this little man. Because I'm so on top of things, he got to spend an hour or two with Grandma Judy while I took the other 3 kids shopping for him. Not just for their presents to him, but for ours and Dave & Judy's too! Yeah, I'm prepared like that. Ha!
After our present shopping, we picked Cannon back up, grabbed a bucket of KFC, and headed to the splash pad here in town.
We met some friends, but ended up being there by ourselves most of the time since we were running so late after doing our shopping. It was still a lot of fun, though, and Cannon got his fill of playgrounds and water for the day.
We grabbed Gnomeo & Juliet on Redbox and the kids watched that all together at home while I got busy on Cannon's birthday cake. He asked for a Lightning McQueen & Finn McMissile cake, so that's what he got! I was proud of myself for getting it done in the afternoon. :) I can't remember what he asked for for his birthday dinner and that makes me sad!
Grandma and Grandpa Rose weren't able to make it down (which I know was KILLING my mom), but Grandma Judy & Grandpa David joined us for presents and cake & ice cream. Cannon got a giant coloring book and candy from Brigham, Cars Memory from Lily (which got destroyed two days later...ggrrrrrrr), and an Elmo Jack in the Box from Chloe. They each spent their own money on the gifts and were really generous! It was fun to see them so sweet and thoughtful toward their little brother. Dave & Judy got him the jet from Cars 2 (Siddely is his name, I think?) and some Cars guys. We got him a Lego Duplo set that's Cars themed. He was in Lightning McQueen heaven!
(We saw my mom a week later and she and Grandpa Rose got him a really cute bear chair and sleeping bag - he loves them!).
We ended the night with cake and ice cream, which was yummy. I love those puffy cheeks blowing out his candles!!!
Cannon's birthday present from G&G Rose
Cannon really does bring so much joy to our home. He is 100% confident in who he is and his standing as everyone's favorite. That confidence makes him funny, frustrating, and full of life. We love this guy!
A few favorites off the top of my head.
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Movie: Cars 2, anything the kids are watching, Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger, and all the Disney channel shows.
Favorite Food: He eats everything.
Favorite Song: Go Go Go Joseph
Cannon, you fill my heart with joy. We love you so much!
Cannon brings so much joy and laughter to our family.
We had a fun day celebrating this little man. Because I'm so on top of things, he got to spend an hour or two with Grandma Judy while I took the other 3 kids shopping for him. Not just for their presents to him, but for ours and Dave & Judy's too! Yeah, I'm prepared like that. Ha!
After our present shopping, we picked Cannon back up, grabbed a bucket of KFC, and headed to the splash pad here in town.
We grabbed Gnomeo & Juliet on Redbox and the kids watched that all together at home while I got busy on Cannon's birthday cake. He asked for a Lightning McQueen & Finn McMissile cake, so that's what he got! I was proud of myself for getting it done in the afternoon. :) I can't remember what he asked for for his birthday dinner and that makes me sad!
(We saw my mom a week later and she and Grandpa Rose got him a really cute bear chair and sleeping bag - he loves them!).
Cannon's birthday present from G&G Rose
Cannon really does bring so much joy to our home. He is 100% confident in who he is and his standing as everyone's favorite. That confidence makes him funny, frustrating, and full of life. We love this guy!
A few favorites off the top of my head.
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Movie: Cars 2, anything the kids are watching, Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger, and all the Disney channel shows.
Favorite Food: He eats everything.
Favorite Song: Go Go Go Joseph
Cannon, you fill my heart with joy. We love you so much!
Johnson Family Reunion
We had a wonderful family reunion with my Grandma J and all of her posterity at the beginning of August. It was such a treat to reconnect with so many of my cousins! Too many were unable to be there and I missed seeing them, but I'm sure glad I got to be with the ones who were there.
My folks and Grandma J arrived in Cache Valley early in the morning on the Saturday and we all headed down together in the motor home. That was a fun way to travel! Both grandmas gave the kids tons of attention, which they soaked up like sponges.
We arrived early and had some time to play on the playground and visit with Uncle Craig, who had also gotten there early.
My Grandma and her 3 sons - clockwise from top right: Mike, Deron, and Craig.
Uncle Mike had some really fun games for us all to play, including one where about 12 of us stood together on a 3'x3' wood platform and this crazy one with the stretchy sheet thing. That one required concentration or the participants would get whacked in the head.
My cousin Erika had fun games for the kids, too. One of my favorites was her lining them up by height, then age, then birth months, etc. It was fun to see the kids getting to know each other.
After games, we had a delicious lunch (they ordered it from a local grocery store and we just paid for our family -- such a convenient way to feed so many people!). During/after lunch, we had a little program. Uncle Mike gave a little tribute to Grandma (during this, it was discovered that I had a huge smear of brownie on my bum....Cindy had to take me off by the bathrooms and clean my bum...haha!). She got me cleaned up just in time for her, myself, and Lori to go up and sing "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "Sisters." We hadn't practiced a ton and that combined with the brownie fiasco had us giggling like we used to when we all lived at home together. It was a lot of fun, though, and I think we did at least a passable job. After our number, Uncle Craig and Aunt Lenora (and Troy for one number, too) sang and played guitar and violin. They have a real band and can I just say how enjoyable it was to listen to professionals?! They were awesome.
We had plenty of time to visit and reconnect with each other, which is the whole point of a reunion, right?! It was awesome. Top left: Craig & Lenora, top right: Quinn & Grandma (Quinn was one of my closest and fave cousins growing up), bottom right: Anna (Kyle's girlfriend), Kyle, and Chanin, bottom middle: Jordyn and my dad, bottom left: Kyle & Grandma (I spent SOOO much time with Kyle and Collin growing up. I love those boys! I missed Collin, who wasn't there, but it was great to see Kyle again).
Also, Brigham now pretty much thinks Quinn hung the moon because he has a t-shirt of Darth Vader pruning a Death Star bonsai tree and because he WRITES COMIC BOOKS...real ones. Yeah, he's a rock star at our house now. :)
And we took time for some official pictures, too.
Grandma in the middle with everyone in attendance. I won't name everyone, but just want to note how each of the children in represented.
*Mike was there.
*Mom was there.
*Craig was there.
*Jill (who passed away 20+ years ago from MS) was represented by the father of her children, Jay & his wife, Fran.
*Deron was there.
Mike, Meg and family. (My cousins Chanin, Derek, Korby, Erika, and Brandon were all there).
Wendy, Greg and family. (Lori, Cindy, and I were there - Matt & family are in China).
Craig, Lenora and family (Ben, Quinn, and Troy were there. We were missing Todd, Megan, and Kristen, as well as the Barlows: Jimmy, Faun, Michone, and Matthew).
____Here is where a picture of Jill with her children would be. I miss Jill so much! We missed having Ian, Mara, Michael, and Sean with us at the reunion. Thank you, Jay & Fran, for coming and being part of the day. And Lynn, Jill's husband when she passed away, I know you have no idea about this blog, but I missed you, too! I hope to see you and your new wife one of these days._____
Deron, Kim and family. (Kyle was there. We were missing Collin).
Grandma Virginia Johnson and her 4 living children: Deron, Mike, Wendy, & Craig. (Missing: Baby Girl Johnson and Jill and, of course, Grandpa J. How we love and miss him).
Grandma with living children and their spouses.
This was a truly wonderful day. Our summer has been full of family and friends and my heart is full to overflowing at the thought of how blessed we are.
Thank you, Grandma Johnson, for keeping us all together! We love you!
(And Johnson cousins, if you're reading this and I've left any cousins out...please help me! It's late and I might have made mistakes!).
My folks and Grandma J arrived in Cache Valley early in the morning on the Saturday and we all headed down together in the motor home. That was a fun way to travel! Both grandmas gave the kids tons of attention, which they soaked up like sponges.
My cousin Erika had fun games for the kids, too. One of my favorites was her lining them up by height, then age, then birth months, etc. It was fun to see the kids getting to know each other.
After games, we had a delicious lunch (they ordered it from a local grocery store and we just paid for our family -- such a convenient way to feed so many people!). During/after lunch, we had a little program. Uncle Mike gave a little tribute to Grandma (during this, it was discovered that I had a huge smear of brownie on my bum....Cindy had to take me off by the bathrooms and clean my bum...haha!). She got me cleaned up just in time for her, myself, and Lori to go up and sing "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "Sisters." We hadn't practiced a ton and that combined with the brownie fiasco had us giggling like we used to when we all lived at home together. It was a lot of fun, though, and I think we did at least a passable job. After our number, Uncle Craig and Aunt Lenora (and Troy for one number, too) sang and played guitar and violin. They have a real band and can I just say how enjoyable it was to listen to professionals?! They were awesome.
We had plenty of time to visit and reconnect with each other, which is the whole point of a reunion, right?! It was awesome. Top left: Craig & Lenora, top right: Quinn & Grandma (Quinn was one of my closest and fave cousins growing up), bottom right: Anna (Kyle's girlfriend), Kyle, and Chanin, bottom middle: Jordyn and my dad, bottom left: Kyle & Grandma (I spent SOOO much time with Kyle and Collin growing up. I love those boys! I missed Collin, who wasn't there, but it was great to see Kyle again).
Also, Brigham now pretty much thinks Quinn hung the moon because he has a t-shirt of Darth Vader pruning a Death Star bonsai tree and because he WRITES COMIC BOOKS...real ones. Yeah, he's a rock star at our house now. :)
And we took time for some official pictures, too.
*Mike was there.
*Mom was there.
*Craig was there.
*Jill (who passed away 20+ years ago from MS) was represented by the father of her children, Jay & his wife, Fran.
*Deron was there.
____Here is where a picture of Jill with her children would be. I miss Jill so much! We missed having Ian, Mara, Michael, and Sean with us at the reunion. Thank you, Jay & Fran, for coming and being part of the day. And Lynn, Jill's husband when she passed away, I know you have no idea about this blog, but I missed you, too! I hope to see you and your new wife one of these days._____
This was a truly wonderful day. Our summer has been full of family and friends and my heart is full to overflowing at the thought of how blessed we are.
Thank you, Grandma Johnson, for keeping us all together! We love you!
(And Johnson cousins, if you're reading this and I've left any cousins out...please help me! It's late and I might have made mistakes!).
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