Christian is in Preschool!!

I can't believe it.  My baby.  Preschool.  But here he is.  Such the third child - I took him there without a single thought of taking a photo.  It wasn't until I got there and saw other moms taking pictures that it occurred to me that I should take a picture too!  So I pulled out my cheap-o flip phone and took a few.

 Sorry Christian, not the best for your special day.  I really was emotional about it, though.  He is my sweetheart and I can't believe how grown-up he looked that day with his new clothes and hair gelled for the special occasion.  And despite my certainty that he'd cry, he held it together and had a great day.  It helped that just as he was about to lose it, one of the teachers grabbed his hand and said, "Hi Christian!  It's so good to see you!  I love your hair!  Want to come play?" and pulled him away from me at top speed while waving me away from behind her back. He was so startled that he forgot all about crying.  Genius woman, I tell you.  I was the last one to pick up and so all the teachers were talking to him as I arrived.  When I got him and walked out, I heard them all swoon to one another, "He is so adorable!  What a darling boy!"  Made me proud.  That's my Christian. :)

Cider Mills and Samaritans

I love this time of year!  School, cool weather, soccer, cider mills, leaves.  Can wear jeans and finally stop shaving my legs every day. :)  It's the little things.  First order of business - visit my favorite cider mill on their opening day.  It was a perfect day and I was in such a good mood that I even promised the kids cider and donuts - something I've never done before because I'm a nazi like that.  They were flipping out with joy.  Then I saw the sign - Cash or Check Only.  I had neither.  "There's an ATM right over there," the lady informed me.  Did't have an ATM card either.  Just had my credit card.  Why are there still places that don't accept credit cards??  So I stood there with my change-for-parking-meters bag counting out nickels and dimes trying to scrape together the exorbitant price for a couple measly donuts and some juice while my kids looked on with tear-filled eyes at the thought that they weren't going to get their treat after all.  I ended up $1 short of the price to get them each something, so I started to negotiate, "Who wants to share a cup or who doesn't really need cider and just wants a donut?"  Just then a woman came over to me.  "I have three kids and they would flip out if they didn't get their cider and donuts when we come here.  Take this."  She handed me a five and 2 ones.  "O thank you!!," I said, "I actually even just need one dollar."  "Really!? That's all?" she said, "Then really, please take it," and she left me her dollar and walked away.  So nice!!  Everyone got their donut and cider and called it the highlight of their day.  May heaven smile upon that good Samaritan.

The corn box.  Since it was opening day, the corn was still all in the box, not scattered on the ground, and it was still fresh and sweet smelling.  So much fun.  Even I played in it for a while.  I couldn't resist.  How often do you get to be buried in corn?

The obligatory hay bale jumping photo.  See here and here for previous year's photos.   I take a picture of Benjamin jumping on these bales every year.  Fun to see the progression.

Even Christian wanted to get into the action.  It was at this age that Benjamin jumped from one to the other for the first time, but Christian is a very different boy and there is no way in the world he'd have made it, so I encouraged him to just try jumping to the ground by himself.  He thought he was hot stuff that he could do that.

With the beginning of a new school year, I encouraged the kids to set some goals.  I read "The Entitlement Trap" by the Eyres and they talk about this concept a lot in there.  Having kids set goals in various aspects of their lives at the beginning of the school year, even starting at a very young age.  Bella decided to set a goal to learn to ride her bike without training wheels.  Benjamin started riding without them at age 3 and was standing up on his seat and trick riding at 4, so when Bella hit 5 and still had no interest at all in learning how to ride without them, I was a bit discouraged.  I try not to compare, but I guess I was a little.  However, once she decided she was going to learn, she was gung-ho.  Not sure what changed, but she set that goal and she went out and practiced non-stop.  In one day she was doing it.  I was floored.  It just took her wanting to do it and she could.  She was able to ride past 2-3 houses before toppling.  On day two she rode from our house to the park two streets over and back without trouble.  On day three she did it again and on day four, to a different park, even farther away.  It's official, she rides without training wheels and she's good!  We are very proud of her.  Check out her grin in this video from the first day.  She is so happy!  I love that.  I love seeing my kids work hard and achieve something and find happiness in it.  Now we need to find a new goal!

Just had to post this.  Christian loves Mumbo ("I miss Mumbo whenever we are not home") but the feeling is not mutual.  Mumbo tolerates Christian.  Tolerates the screeching and the backwards brushing.  He tolerates the stuffed animals riding his back and the cars rolling over his head and the blankets being wrapped around him.  Chrisitan just can't get enough of Mumbo and bless Mumbo for being a good sport.

Last Week of Summer and a Special Dinner

The last week before school started we tried to do as much as possible - cider mill, parks, play dates, swimming, trip to the Imagination Station in Ohio, and huge Labor Day party with our church.  It was a busy, busy week, but tons of fun.  In addition to all these festivities, I stole an idea from a friend of mine and we had a back to school dinner for the kids.  I've read about her back to school dinners on her blog for years but never wanted to do my own because either only one of the kids was going to school or it just seemed like too much work.  However, this year I was super excited to do our own because it is the first year that all three kids are in some form of school and I wanted to make a big deal about it.  So I followed her theme idea and went with "Be your best self" and decorated with bees.  The kids and I made them together so they don't look half as beautiful and professional as hers, but I thought it was fun to do it all together for their special day.  Bella made crowns for herself and the boys.  But Benjamin refused to wear his saying it was too girly.  Then they picked the menu - spaghetti and garlic bread - and chose the table decorations (all their favorite toys).  They got shooed out while I set it all up to surprise them a bit.  I made place cards that say "Welcome back to school" and their name.  I also wrote the theme on the window along with some more bees done in my pitiful art work style. See, I do art with kids, not always because it's fun and I want to teach them, but often because my art looks like a kid did it, so if I do it with them, I have an excuse.  Anyway, I wrote " 'Bee' your best self - Bee Prayerful, Bee Kind, Bee Hardworking."

Benjamin's place setting, complete with legos.

Bella's place, with Hello Kitty and Ariel.

Christian's with cars and planes.

The theme written on the window.  The sun light behind it makes it hard to see in the picture.

The kids loved it.  They loved having toys at the table because that's normally against the rules.  They loved seeing the bees flying on the fan, and they loved the food.  Kelly and I talked briefly about the theme and being the best you can be in those areas and how God will help you if you seek Him.  How they are children of God and how they should reflect that and be an example to others.  Kelly also gave all 3 of  them father's priesthood blessings.  They were all excited about that and Christian was so sweet and still.  Benjamin seemed the most touched by it, though, and has mentioned what he said in his blessing many times since.

It was a very special and fun evening.  We don't get many dinners together since Kelly is almost always at work or church during dinner time, but he made a special effort to be home and it was a great experience.  Thanks to Andrea for the inspiration.

First Day of School!

Benjamin has returned to school and there's a mixture of emotions going on at our house.  I'm happy for him and worried about him.  I am glad to have one less person to deal with during the day and sad that I don't have my buddy around.  He's happy to be with friends his own age and learning new things.  He's frustrated that he's "always being rushed!"  He says that they have so much writing to do and it's such a rush to finish. (Writing is his least favorite subject.)  He says that lunch is a rush and recess wasn't long enough.  Ah, the carefree pace of home school is gone and he's feeling it. I'm sure he'll adjust soon, though.  In Kindergarten he was always left with too much time to complete the simple assignments, and then last year he was the only student at home, so everything was at his pace.  Now he's in an accelerated program full of very bright kids.  It's going to take time to get used to it.  He likes his teacher, though, and he likes the classroom, his new locker (about which he's very excited), and many of the other kids.  So over all, he's excited about school.

Bella is happy because in her words, "Now I have Christian all to myself."  If today was any indication that means, "I get to torment Christian without distractions and lead him into all sorts of mischief."  She was a menace!  She stole Christians toys more times than I can count.  She poured baking soda all over the laundry  room floor.  She emptied all my red and blue paint into a large cup and then mixed in all my craft glitter to make "sparkle purple paint" which he proceeded to paint all over herself and Christian and then the backyard toys as they went out and played dripping in paint.  She sharpened all her crayons and dumped the shavings into the bathroom sink, mixed them with hot soapy water to make a "soup," and then unstopped the sink and ran all the shavings down the drain, leaving a plugged drain and a sink full of melted crayon smears.  Hopefully she will also adjust to the new routine and things will settle down for all of us.

Benjamin said his favorite part of the classroom is a bed where the "student of the week" gets to sit and read and do their assignments, rather than at their desk.

My other kids were big fans of it too.

Christian starts preschool next week.  We'll see how that goes!  I have a feeling he'll love it, but not before he cries hysterically for a while.  My cute little mama's boy.

Another Reason to Have a Cat

I was brushing Mumbo today when Christian noticed the cat's hind claws.  (He's front paw declawed, but not hind paw).

Christian:  "Why does he have those sharp claws?"
Me: "Cats have those to defend themselves."
Christian:  "Against zombies?"

Cats - another good thing to have around in case of a zombie apocalypse.

My Present to Me

I have a hole in my heart where a little baby should be and since no baby seems to be coming, I decided I'd fill it with a cuddly creature of  different kind - a cat.  I asked the kids if they'd rather have a cat or a dog and they unanimously voted for a cat.  I have really missed having cats, so I scanned the shelter's website for weeks looking for a good one for our family and finally decided to check craigslist.  There I found the sweetest cat on earth.

 His name is Mumbo Jumbo - the previous owners' name for him, not mine - but the kids didn't want to change it (despite my pleas for "Jack").  He's truly Jumbo - about 20 lbs, but he's all love.  He's 7 years old, well behaved, patient, loving, declawed, microchipped, and oh so soft and cuddly.  I've fallen in love with this big guy. The kids have too.  They love to lay down on the floor with him and brush him.  Mumbo is very patient with Christian who loves to play with him by thrusting toys into his face and screeching, "Catty, want to play?"  We're so glad he's in our home.

Our Trip "Up North"

We had a week vacation and decided to spend it in our own lovely state of Michigan.  We rented two cabins in two different places - one on a lake and one on a river - and had a fantastic week only a few hours from home, but what felt like thousands of miles from civilization.  It was amazing.  We kayaked, hiked, swam, BBQed, and simply enjoyed nature and time with each other away from work, callings, and all the other distractions of life.

Our first cabin was on a lake.  We had our kayaks, the cabin owner's rowboat, and the slide out in the water which belonged to the neighbor, but which he said we could use.  We also had a section of beach where the kids and I spent half a day just leisurely making a sandcastle.  Oh, and let's not forget the hammock - wow - was that thing comfortable!  We all had a nap or two in that while we were there.

The back view of our cabin:

On the way to the second cabin, we went to Sleeping Bear Dunes and Traverse City and Torch Lake.  It was all very beautiful, but sorry to say I thought Sleeping Bear Dunes was overrated.  We must have missed the best parts because surely what we saw could not be what so many Michiganders rave about.  Just simply couldn't be.  But running up and down the dunes was fun for 45 minutes or so.

Then we went to our second cabin on a river.  Amazing.  Gurgling river day and night and not another person in sight the entire time we were there.  There we kayaked and tubed on the river.  One day just the kids and I kayaked down the river for 4 hours to a point where Kelly had gone fly fishing.  That was a fun adventure because we discovered that downstream from our cabin, the river mostly looks like this:

I told the kids to pretend we were Lewis and Clark and we were exploring where none had gone before and we had to use our wits and be brave.  It was awesome and a great bonding experience navigating that crazy section of river together for several hours without any way to contact Kelly or anyone else.

View of the dock and the back of our cabin:

Lunch in the cabin on our last day there.  First time I thought to take any pictures inside one of the cabins!

Benjamin caught a frog for the first time.  The highlight of that day for him.

It was a wonderful trip.  Hard to come home and leave such beauty and peace behind.  It's nice to know it's not far away.

Happy Birthday Christian!

My sweet little baby is 3 years old!  I can't believe it.  His birthday was about 10 days ago, but I'm behind in blogging.  We had a pretty low-key birthday. We had presents and singing in the morning for him and then I invited 3 of his friends over for a playdate-party with games, pizza, and cupcakes.  They played with bubbles, trains, dolls, and dress-up stuff.  They jumped on the trampoline for a long time. Everyone had a good time.  I had hoped to get some cute pictures of his friends gathered round singing happy birthday and blowing out candles, but I was the only adult among the kids and it was a bit like herding cats.  They never wanted to all eat together.  So everyone played and ate in stages and I got pictures where I could.  Even at the mention of cupcakes, some were unmoved.  So no great pictures, but I think Christian felt special.

What can I say about Christian?  I love him to pieces.  He is my precious little cuddler, my darling sweetheart.  Several times a day he asks me, "Can we cuddle?"  Christian exudes love.  He is kind, funny, imaginative and intelligent. He loves to be read to, especially if the book is about animals or trucks or Dora.  He is forever questioning and talking and making up stories and songs.  He loves to sing and be sung to.  The other day he rode his tricycle around in the driveway screaming/singing the song, "I belong to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I know who I am.  I know God's plan.  I'll follow him in faith!!!...." at the top of his lungs over and over again.  He will be a great missionary some day too. ;)  Although my favorite is when he sings "Baa Baa black sheep, have you any wool?  Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full!.... and one for the little boy who lives down the drain!" 

Of my three, he is the most obedient.  He is the quickest to recover from disappointment.  He is more often happy than the others.  He is the perfect playmate for my other two.  He loves wearing dresses, high heels, make-up and nail polish and playing "dance party" all day with Bella.  Yet if he's playing with Benjamin, he's just as happy putting on a ninja suit, grabbing a sword, and running around the back yard seeking out the pirates or riding bikes (aka "motorcycles") up and down the street as police officers on the beat.  

He never ceases to make me laugh.  The other night Christian wanted me to stay in his room because he was scared of monsters.  He put up quite a fuss and kept grabbing at my arm and begging me to stay.
Me:   "Benjamin is in here too.  He will keep you safe."
Christian:   "No, when he falls asleep, he won't be able to protect me anymore!"
Me:  "Oh, well, monsters are so scared of Benjamin that even if he's asleep, they won't dare come in."
Christian:   "How do you know that?"
I got frustrated at this point.  It was late and I wanted him to go to sleep.  I didn't think he'd question me and so I had no good answer ready.  Finally I answered, "I'm pretending!" Monsters are just pretend so let's pretend they are scared of Benjamin, awake or asleep, ok?"  He looked at me for a while, pondering.  Then he responded, "Ok. Good night. See you in the morning!" and quickly fell asleep.  I just love that kid.  Life would be so empty without him.

Utah Summer Vacation

We have spent the last three weeks in Utah and have had a wonderful time. It was about 100 degrees the entire time we were there, but coming from steamy Michigan, the dry desert heat was pleasant and not uncomfortable.  It made for a great trip not having to worry about our plans being rained out all the time, as I always worry here - of course except the one time it DID rain while we were out and left us all completely unprepared and soaked. ;)  But it all worked out.

The kids loved seeing their cousins, aunts, and uncles and being rough boys/girly girls together.  It was really cute and made me wish for the thousandth time that we lived closer.

A trip to southern Utah is also never complete without four wheelers and motorcycles, and this year - fireworks.  The kids were so excited that they got to stay up for fireworks for the first time.  Every other year they've fallen asleep before the show began (as did Christian still) but this year they were up until midnight nearly every night and got a great view of the show on the mountain from the back of the motorhome.

We also attended Richfield's 4th of July parade and festivities.  That was so much fun.  Parades are very much a part of Summer for me.  I have loved them ever since I was little.  I will never forget all the years my family set up their seats in front of ZCMI mall in Salt Lake to watch the Pioneer Day parade.  I'm glad my kids get at least a small taste of that too.

Richfield also has a summer tradition known as the "fish catch."  It's where bazillions of kids crowd into a tiny pool filled with trout and give all the trout heart attacks as they attempt to catch them with their bare hands. Benjamin had a blast AND actually caught one!  The animal lover in me was horrified, but I couldn't help but smile when I saw this face.  The family (not me) ate it that night for dinner, so at least it didn't go to waste.

We also celebrated Benjamin's 7th birthday in Utah with a big party in Liberty Park.  That was wonderful having so many friends and family members come for his big day.  It made it really special.

While we were in Utah, we also enjoyed local attractions like the zoo, the aquarium, city creek mall, temple square, the LDS church history museum, and all the beautiful canyons.  One particular day all the Utahns must have decided to hide out in their air-conditioned homes because we had the whole place to ourselves!  We saw only one other family the whole time we walked along the river up the canyon.  It was beautiful!

I also made sure I saw plenty of my friends while we were there.  On our last day, we all got together for a big potluck dinner along with all our kids.  This is just a handful of the 23 kids there that night (for example, of my kids, only Benjamin was willing to get in the picture).  We sure have expanded our little group of college friends!  Bella and Christian were too busy attacking my friends with pool noodle light sabers.  I'm glad that my friends are such good sports!

We also took family photos while we were out there and some of them didn't turn out half bad!  I was impressed.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip.  It's been a bit of an adjustment returning back to normal life and normal bedtimes, but we're doing okay.  We sure miss everyone, though!