Prince Dallin

I am proud of myself! I was almost the coolest mom in the neighborhood today. Dallin was invited to a "Tangled" birthday party. His friend, Bailee, who lives in the cul-de-sac behind us, turned 5. The invitation said to dress as a prince or princess. I wasn't quite sure how that was going to happen, but we got the costume box out and it came together.

The shirt is from a pirate costume that is at least two sizes too big for him. I pinned the sleeves up though, and managed to make it work. He was definitely the cutest prince at the party. The moms gushed over him, and all the kids thought he looked just like Flynn Rider from the movie. But Bailee's mom was the coolest mom in the neighborhood. She went all out with the Rapunzel theme, making a super cute cupcake tower, a 20-foot-long braid out of yellow yarn, fun Tangled party favors, and games and activities to match. I'm not sure how impressed Dallin was, but Bailee was in heaven. I couldn't help but think again that it's a good thing I have boys!

Busiest. Summer. Ever. Part 3.

And finally, swim lessons. We just finished the our first session today. Our second session starts after the 4th of July holiday. I considered not doing two sessions this year, but all the boys are doing well and progressing, so we're pushing on and trying to take advantage of that.

Dallin is finally old enough to enjoy the water and not freak out. Last year he lasted less than two days of the Preschool class. Thank goodness he doesn't remember that. He even loves the water slides. He can't do them on his own, but I think he went down 9 or 10 times today with help.

Jared was the best swimmer in his Level 2 class, according to his teacher, our good friend Rachel. Watching him catch on to swimming and become more independent in the water is almost as much fun as seeing him learn to read this past school year. He's moving on to Level 3 next week.

Ryan passed a major milestone in the pool. For a couple years he's struggled to pass his swimming classes because he was afraid to go in the deep end. This year the fear is gone. And he even jumped off the diving board for the first time this week. Now we can hardly get him off it. :-)

Out of the mouths of babes...

I walked into my three-year-old's bedroom a few minutes ago to find that he had taken all of the books off his bookshelves and strewn them around the floor.

I said, "Oh no, did you make a big mess with the books?"

His reply: "I didn't want it to make a house anymore. I wanted to make it BOOKLAND!"

Can't get angry with that. :-) Here are three of his favorites:

My Saturday Project

I haven't been very motivated to blog lately. Sorry about that. Today though, I started--and finished!--a project that I am pretty proud of, so I thought I'd brag a little bit. By way of explanation, my little Dallin loves to be outside. Even more, he loves to "work in the dirt." I think he saw his daddy digging holes last summer and decided that was a cool thing to do. So Dallin digs in my front flower bed. This has not been a huge problem, since there are no flowers in it at the moment. However, it gets Dallin very dirty and tends to get dirt and sometimes mud tracked in my house. It's also in the front yard where I have a hard time keeping an eye on him unless I am outside with him, which I just can't be as much as he wants to be out there. Last Saturday he rode his big wheel all the way down our street and into the busier cross street. A neighbor's daughter-in-law stopped her car and, not knowing who he belonged to, brought him back to the neighbor's house. In the meantime, I had gone looking for him up at the park east of our house--the opposite direction from where he had gone. Not finding him there, I started to panic. I was very relieved to find him in my neighbor's arms in my front yard when I got back. I wasn't so relieved to hear he'd been found in the middle of the street, but my prayers for his safety were answered, and I didn't have to panic for too long.

Okay, so that was the long explanation for why I spent most of today building a sandbox. I'm hoping to trade dirt for sand, and to entice him to stay in the backyard where I can fence him in and keep an eye on him out the kitchen windows.


I bought the sand at a local landscaping company--six 5 gallon buckets full for $5. Then we trekked to Home Depot where I actually had an employee ask if I needed help. Then he actually helped me--unusually good customer service for that store, in my experience. I got treated 2x6 boards, cut into four foot lengths, and weed-blocker fabric. Then we went home and got to work. Adam sanded the ends of the boards. Then we all got our painting clothes on and painted them the same color as the trim on our house. While the paint was drying, we dug out some sod by the back fence under the maple tree and covered the area with the weed-blocker fabric. Then I screwed the boards together and put them in place. My only regret is that I got 2x6 boards instead of 2x8's. It would have been better if it was a little deeper. Except for the painting, Dallin was not excited about this whole process. But when we started dumping the sand in, he was all over it. I think he played out there for close to two hours--until I carried him kicking and screaming into the house for dinner. Success! We'll see if it keeps him out of my flower bed though.

Here are a few more pictures of my project and my boys:








And, just for fun, a picture of Jared in the middle of his haircut tonight. If his hair weren't so curly he would have wanted to keep the mohawk. Glad I didn't have to fight that fight!

A Science Experiment

What do you get when you combine a two-year-old (temporarily unsupervised), a microwave, and a homemade chocolate chip cookie? Carbon.

I was downstairs on the computer and started to smell something burning. I RAN upstairs and found the whole kitchen billowing in smoke, Dallin standing on a chair in front of the microwave, and 1:29 left to cook on the timer. I stopped the microwave, got Dallin down from the chair, and somehow had the forethought to use a hot pot holder to take the microwave dish out the back door and set it on top of the outside garbage can. Good thing for my hand that I did, as the garbage can lid now has a melted spot on it. I don't know how long this poor chocolate chip cookie cooked. Here is a picture of the culprit and his handiwork. Yes, he's cute. No, he did not get a replacement cookie!

Cute kid

A few recent pics of my youngest. He's definitely the most photogenic member of the family at the moment. I still can't figure out how to format photos on this blog thing. Oh well. He's still cute.

Are you ready to ramble?!

Have you ever sat down to blog and found yourself reading everyone else's blogs and never getting around to posting your own? Happens to me on almost a daily basis.

When we moved here, I consciously gave myself six months to get settled, get involved, start making friends, etc. Well, my six months were up in February, and I was still feeling lonely and isolated. I figured that had to be at least partially my fault, so I started taking some extra steps--inviting people over for dinner, applying for the public library board, organizing a playgroup, etc. And now all of a sudden it seems like life is busy again. (Not that I was ever bored--there are always chores to do.) The playgroup is happening one morning a week (although the weather hasn't been cooperative so we haven't had great participation). I was selected to be on the library board and attended my first board meeting this month. I was released as a Primary teacher and called as the Primary secretary and as a Cub Scout Wolf Den Leader with Jeff. Adam's baseball season started--two practices or games each week. (Ahh, you probably didn't even realize you were missing out on baseball posts, did you? :-) Being busy and involved is good for me. I'm getting to know people and I don't have much time to mope around (or to blog). But I have to admit, there have been moments lately when I've missed those empty days on the calendar.

Mother's Day came and went. I had a good one. Jeff and the boys gave me a bicycle trailer and five bars of German chocolate. Adam and Ryan also gave me the requisite homemade gifts they made at school--poems, cards, coupon books--good stuff. Jeff made a yummy dinner and Adam and Ryan helped him clean up. I played games with the kids and did some thinking about how grateful I am to be a mom and how grateful I am for the moms in my life--my mother and my mother-in-law in particular. Motherhood has been on my mind lately anyway. The other day it occurred to me that I do so much for my kids that no else would ever do. And it's not so important what those things are as it is that they have someone who loves them that much. I am not a perfect mother, but I do love my boys and I consider it a privilege to be able to use my time and energy to take care of them. I pray every day for help to be a better mother and to raise them well.

When I thought of how much I do for my kids, that led to new thoughts and realizations about how much my mother has done for me. Having kids has helped me better understand the love and sacrifice she gave me and my brothers and sisters. Adam is in his first baseball league where the kids pitch to each other. He hasn't pitched in a game yet, but I don't know how I'll handle it if he does. It is painful to watch the pitchers try their hardest just to get the ball across the plate. Sometimes they succeed, but most of the time they don't. My emotions fluctuate with every pitch, good and bad. And they aren't even my kid! My mom was the pitcher's mom for two of the seasons I played Little League. In some ways I'm sorry I put her through that. I don't know how she did it.

In other news, Dallin turned 18 months old this week. Sometimes I find myself wishing my life away. For the most part I think that is a bad habit and a foolish (albeit easy) thing to do. However, I think it is perfectly acceptable to count down and wish away the months and days until a toddler gets to go to nursery for two of the three hours of church every Sunday. Nursery makes moms and dads and toddlers so much happier on the Sabbath. Well, my toddlers at least. I know some have separation anxiety and don't do so well in nursery. I count it as a huge blessing that I am four for four on having my kids easily and happily go to nursery. Yay!

School is out in two weeks. That means I have two weeks to find a way to keep everyone from driving each other crazy all summer. I have these grand ideas of a Summer Plan, with a capital "P," that involves reading, practicing math and spelling, chores, setting and reaching goals, minimal TV, fun family activities, spending time together in the great outdoors, etc., etc. The motto of this wonderful plan will be: "Work hard, play hard." In that order. I am, however, trying to be realistic about my chances of getting anyone else to actually buy into my Summer Plan. I'm am fairly certain that I am going to have to settle for a summer plan, with a small "p." And I have two weeks to figure it out. Wish me luck. :-)

The Kind of Post Charlotte Can Look Forward To :-)

I need to write down a couple cute things my little boys have been saying lately, before I forget them. Dallin is just learning to talk. He can say maybe six or eight words so far. His latest are "ball" and "yes." This is the first kid I've known who has learned the word "yes" before the word "no." I think it is because I don't say no to him. I shake my head and say "uh-uh-uh" instead, and he definitely knows what that means. Anyway, the other night I was putting his pajamas on and Jeff came upstairs to tell me that the Utah Jazz had just beaten the league-leading New Orleans Hornets by 11 points. I responded with an emphatic "Yes!" Then Dallin looked right at me with a smile on his face and loudly said, "Yes!" It was very cute.

Four afternoons a week I put Dallin and Jared in the double jogging stroller and go up to the elementary school to walk the neighborhood kids home--our turn in the neighborhood "carpool." (We drive when the weather is bad.) One day last week we were about halfway to the school. Out of the blue, from the stroller below me, Jared said, "Mom, you totally rock." Ah, the small precious rewards of motherhood! It really did make me feel good, knowing that he meant it--four-year-olds are mostly without guile and not capable of much insincerity. I can only hope he'll feel the same way about me when he is fourteen. :-)

Blue Yogurt

Dallin's First Birthday

It's not hard to see why one of Dallin's nicknames is Baby Blue Eyes.

We celebrated Dallin's first birthday Monday night. He thoroughly enjoyed his chocolate cake. I think he actually ate quite a bit of it, although there was plenty all over him and his chair and the floor as well. It was bad enough that at his twelve-month checkup yesterday I felt like I had to explain to the doctor why there was chocolate up his nose! (He now weighs 18 lbs. 2 oz. and is 28 1/2 inches long.) Dallin is enjoying the new toys he received from us and Grandma Grape (Jeff's Grandma). Both sets of grandparents provided cute new outfits, and Grandma Marilyn and Poppa Scott gave him a HUGE container of animal crackers. It's a little hard to believe that it's been a year since he was born. So much has changed for our family in that time and it seems to have gone by particularly quickly.

Dallin is a good-natured baby-turning-toddler. He's got eight teeth now, and he's getting a lot more confident with the walking thing. He loves his brothers and he loves getting into things things he shouldn't. One of his favorite toys right now is our stainless steel teapot that he finds in the corner cupboard and drags and bangs all over the kitchen. He has a ready smile and delightful personality. We love him so much and we are glad he is part of our family.

Five small steps

Dallin took his first steps yesterday, two weeks short of his 1st birthday. He had a lot of encouragement from his dad and brothers and Grandma Marilyn and Papa Scott. He's not very steady on his feet though, so I think it will be several more weeks before he's taking off of his own volition. I think that makes him my earliest walker except Adam, who was walking at nine months (before he even cut any teeth!). It's both sad and fun to see my baby growing up. I know they have to grow, but I miss the little baby stage when it's gone.

Grandma and Grandpa came down to see Adam and Ryan in the annual Primary program in sacrament meeting yesterday, then stayed for Sunday dinner. Ryan did very well with his speaking part, and Adam impressed everyone with his solo of "Listen, Listen." He has a good ear and a good voice, but I really don't know where he gets the guts to sing a solo in front of the whole ward! We were proud of both of them.

Tooth #3

Dallin cut his third tooth yesterday, this time on top. Here's a cute picture of him showing a bit of the toothies on the bottom. (Click to enlarge if you really want to see them. :-)

Family Notes

Dallin turned eight-months-old on the road between Texas and Utah. He started crawling for real on July 18th, now sits himself up and is starting to pull up on furniture. He is becoming very curious and starting to get into things. He has the cutest smile that he shares with everybody.

I expected Jared would have the hardest time with the move since he doesn't quite comprehend what is going on. Actually, he's doing really well as long as he still gets his nap each day. With all the commotion lately he has missed a few, especially while we were packing. Lately he's been saying things like, "Look Mom, we have one of those at home." Interesting how he still has a picture in his mind of what home is, even though he saw the house in Texas all packed up and empty before we moved.

Ryan's eyes have been looking a little square lately. If I'd let him, he'd watch TV or play computer games all day. He also enjoys reading and sports, but will choose an entertainment screen first if he has the choice. I took him miniature golfing yesterday for a little one-on-one "Mommy time." As we were driving home, I asked him how he felt about moving to Utah, going to a new school, making new friends, etc. He seemed okay with all of that, but then asked me, "Mom, do first-graders have to get any shots to go to school?" Good to know his fears are completely normal.

Adam also seems to be dealing well with all the changes so far. He's especially enjoying spending time with grandmas and grandpas and cousins. He's a social kid, always has been, so I really hope he'll find some good friends in our new ward and school. I figure there's always going to be negative influences, so I've been praying for a place to live where there will be good influences on my boys--friends, teachers, Scout leaders, etc.

Jeff and I are hanging in there. We've had plenty of physical and mental stress--lots to do and lots of decisions to make, but so far we're holding up. Jeff is probably holding up better, just because he's been biking and swimming lately and is in better shape than I am. We've both been really tired, but I seem to get there a lot quicker than he does. My lack of stamina is pitiful. Regular exercise will be high on my to do list as soon as we get settled, among other things. As always.

Next, stayed tuned for details of the house hunt.

Baby Dallin

My mom says I've written about the other boys, but haven't said anything about Dallin lately. Maybe that's because he's such a good baby and just seems to go with the flow of whatever the rest of the family is doing. Not that he has much choice--seems like younger siblings just have to be more flexible. I haven't even tried to put him on a nap schedule yet. He sleeps when he's tired, whether it's in the swing, the carseat, the cradle, or even on the floor. He's a good sleeper and he does sleep through the night, for which I am extremely grateful. He's almost eight months old now. He sits on his own for a few seconds at a time, he babbles a little bit, he eats baby cereal and fruit or veggies two meals a day, and he rolls and wiggles himself all over the floor chasing after toys and other things to chew on. He's also up on his hands and knees rocking back and forth. I'm sure it's a matter of days before he'll be crawling--just in time for Grandma's staircase. Get that jerry-rigged gate ready Grandma!

Kids' Photos

You may remember my Photographer Frustration post from a few weeks ago about getting Dallin's and Jared's pictures taken. Well, I finally succeeded in getting them done at Wal-Mart with my coupon. The photographer had to trick Jared into smiling and it only happened once. Luckily I got a decent picture out of it. Unfortunately, his Lightning McQueen car was lost, so it didn't get in the picture with the other Cars figures, but this is still pretty representative of him and what he likes at three years old. Dallin's pictures are just cute because he is so cute and he was very cooperative with the smiles. He was five months old in these photos.

Photographer Frustration

Grrrr. Does anyone else get frustrated when trying to get pictures taken professionally? I won't even start on the unpleasantness of taking family pictures or how they get more complicated the more kids you have. I pick the time and the frequency of our family photos very carefully to minimize the stress and grief as much as possible. Kids' photos though, I try to make happen more often, usually at least once a year. It's slightly easier once they get in school, unless their school pictures turn out lousy, like Ryan's did this year.

So I've been trying for over two months to get Dallin in for a photo while he's still a little baby. And Jared hasn't had a successful photo since he was 18 months old. We tried last summer, but the photographer at Wal-Mart literally scared him so much that all we got was tantrums and tears. So this time I've been debating between Sears and Wal-Mart, both of which are relatively convenient for us without being ridiculously exorbitant in price. The last time we tried Sears, the pictures turned out okay, but weren't really worth the price we ended up paying for the package, and the customer service was poor. I hadn't seen the guy who scared Jared at Wal-Mart for awhile, so I went ahead and made an appointment there for this morning, reasoning that even if the pictures didn't turn out perfect, at least I didn't have to invest $60 or more to keep them. I got the boys dressed in their respective outfits and got over there on time, a feat in and of itself. Dallin was fed and rested and happy, and Jared was even acting like he was going to cooperate. The photographer seemed a little harried, but was nice enough. And then she started snapping pictures of Dallin's cute little smile and realized the camera wasn't working properly. Arrgh!!! We hung out for a little while and even did some shopping while she tried to get it working, but no luck.

I did get a coupon out of Wal-Mart for a free advertised package, but I'm back to the same dilemma. Do I reschedule and go for inexpensive because the kids are so unpredictable at any given time that the photos might not turn out that great anyway? Or do I go with Sears again, pay more, and still not have any guarantee that the kids will cooperate. Or do I try an independent photo studio here in town that will cost me an arm and a leg, but probably give me much better service (and I still risk the kids not cooperating).

I honestly think with a few photography lessons and the right equipment, I could do the pictures myself as well or better than most photographers we've tried over the years. Maybe someday. In the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions for resolving my dilemma? I'll probably go back to Wal-mart and use my coupon this time, but I'd like a better solution for the future.

A Squeaker

Adam's game last night was a close one, but they pulled it out, 9-8. He got one double and two singles and scored twice. He also got to play catcher for two innings, which he was excited about--I'm not sure why. But he did a good job of it. Here are a couple pictures.

Dallin also enjoyed the baseball game. Well, he fell asleep in his carseat, which I assume means he was enjoying himself. Before he fell asleep we got this picture. By the time Jared and Dallin are old enough to play baseball themselves, they are either going to be really good, or really sick of it. If you're reading this blog, you might be sick of it too. Please forgive the game-by-game description and just be grateful it's not play-by-play. :-)