Happy Birthday to Nancy!

Candy Trades were a huge part of my childhood Halloweens. Different pieces were valued differently and by 3 days after Halloween, I usually just had the stuff worth nothing left. You know the stuff, peanut butter nastiness wrapped in orange/black paper, the weird flavored tootsie rolls, little tasteless bubble gum, atomic fireballs, etc. Luckily my sisters and I came up with a brilliant thing to do with our leftover rejected Halloween candy. Three days after Halloween, we could wake our older sister up by chucking candy at her. Her bed was up high and it was so much fun to stand right out side her door and throw it at her while yelling "Happy Birthday". Weren't we the best little sisters ever!
One year I finally realized that giving her all my rejected candy was probably not as generous a gesture as I had tried to convince myself it was. So I saved up enough money to buy bubblegum at the high school candy store. I wasn't in high school, nor was I allowed to have bubble gum so I sent Nancy to buy the contraband. She asked what kind I wanted, and so as calmly and and casually as I could, I said I couldn't decide and so maybe she should just pick out her favorite kind. After school she brought me the bubble gum (I think it was pink lemonade), which I then wrapped and gave back. I think she was genuinely surprised that it was meant for her, after all everyone knows I am terrible with surprises, (just think of her pink elephant slippers).
So this year I have really good left over candy, as my kids don't even pick the snickers bars, and we have a huge bowl of all the best Halloween candy (except not a single butterfinger). This morning I would like nothing more than to dump the bowl right over Nancy's head to wake her up in a gesture of hoping she has a great birthday. However she lives to far away. But if it is the thought that counts ,then Happy Birthday Nancy, I hope you have a great birthday that is filled with your favorite treats, and not just peanut butter nastiness!

Candy and more Candy!

Oh what a veritable smorgasbord, after the end of day! Indiana Jones, Shirley Temple, Batman, a menacing Pirate, and Superman took home quite the haul of candy last night. Our first stop was to Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's. The kids were excited to begin, but Andrew did not quite grasp the concept. He even left his bucket with the candy sitting on the front step. We then headed to the church for games and trunk or treating. While the older kids played games, Andrew finally discovered the candy in his bucket, he was quite pleased with taking it out and dropping it back in over and over again. Then before we knew it, it was time to head out to the parking lot for the trunk or treat portion. The kids were thrilled to run from car to car. Honey was ahead of me with the older kids and I carried Andrew. I have never seen his eyes get so wide! He couldn't believe person after person dropping candy in his bucket. He began to hold very tightlty to the bucket. After that we stopped at two more houses, and each time we loaded and unloaded he clung to the bucket not wanting to let go to be buckled.

When we stopped at Papa and Grandma Nelson's Andrew would only allow candy into his bucket, not the boxes of cereal or the cheese and crackers, he wanted his bucket filled with only candy. Sam made the kids mission clear when Grandma Nelson opened the door, instead of "Trick or Treat" Sam declared "We are here for candy!"

When we arrived home the kids dumped all their candy on the table and went to town. At the time of the picture, Andrew has 3 whoppers, and a milky way bar in his mouth. They had such a blast!

Happy Halloween!

Can you think of anything better to do on Halloween in Northern MN? Note the pirate hat helps keep it in the right season.

Chivo!

So this picture is a prime example of the kind of mischief that Andrew likes to get into. He loves to climb on top of just about anything, but his number one favorite place is on top of the kitchen table. We call him "Chivo", which is spanish for the word goat. Jeff had a pet goat when he was little, named Mork. Mork would climb on top of things, like their truck and just stand there.

I will find Andrew stuck on top of things constantly. Then he just sits or stands there like he is king of the kitchen counter, or table, or computer desk, or window sill. This particular evening he was thrilled to discover a reward when he made it to the top of the table. It had been taco soup night and we had not cleared dinner yet. He passed his time by smearing himself in the sourcream. He must have done it in literally seconds because one minute he was with me in my room, and the next Jeff found him on the table.

Whenever we find him somewhere like this we exclaim "Chivo", to which he throws his arms up in victory, shouting "Chivo" as he grins.

Goodbye Fiji!

The only other thing my kids miss outside of the Phelps and Morgans, is their beloved fiji room. We had a room in the old house that was painted like fiji, and it was set up as a giant preschool/toy room. I personally had a love/hate relationship with the room. I loved having a place to banish all toys and noise, but I hated trying to keep it organized.

We have no such room here and the kids mention that all the time. Most of their toys are still in storage because I am just not ready to begin the constant organization which comes with that many toys. So I have narrowed it down to one insanley organized closet. I wonder how long it will look like this?.

Drew and Krew

These two have not had the chance to get to know each other like the others did. Andrew is small and Krew is chunky, so they almost seem to have reverse rolls of Hayden and Timmy. I am definietly holding out hope that they will end up college roommates, or missionary companions, just because the pattern has shown that Morgan kids make great friends for our kids.

Timmy and Hayden

The two were born just weeks a part. So they didn't have a choice but to be friends, not that they needed one. It was so fun to watch the two of them hit each milestone, learn to interact, and become bestfriends. Timmy was so big and Hayden so small, but Hayden could crawl circles around Timmy (literally he did). This has also been a huge struggle with the move. When we went to the new dance studio, Timmy expected Hayden to be there. Nursery at church has been difficult for the same reason. When we went to the doctor, Timmy completely lost it becuase we didn't see Hayden's daddy. He still dreams about adventures with Hayden, and when Timmy sometimes he starts pretending Andrew is Hayden and tries to play with Andrew like he would Hayden. He still talks about him and and asks to see him. It was fun to visit the Morgans and see the two of them greet each other and immediatley start babbling to each othere in a language few can interpret. They held hands and bounced down the stairs and went off to play as if they had just done the same thing the day before, even though it had been months since they last saw each other.

Sam and Ava

These two were made for each other. Their personalities were so similar it's scary. Sam's life pretty much centered around Ava. He went to dance to dance with Ava, he went to church to see Ava, he went to school to sit with Ava, I think you see the pattern. Ava was so sweet with the babies, and I loved having her come over. I got more done when she was around because when Ava was around Sam was happier and more reasonable. The two were inseperable. Wedding plans were often overheard being discussed, they played highschool musical constantly as Troy and Gabriella, and had each other laughing constantly. Never has the word "chicken" brought as much laughter than when spoken back and forth between those two.

Cori and Morrea

Morrea is actually the same age as Nathan, but the age difference didn't stop them from being friends. In most situations I would consider Cori a leader. Quick to speak up in class, and to decide what to play, she loves to be in charge. But for some reason things were different with Morrea. Cori practically idolized Morrea. Anything Morrea did was what Cori wanted to do. I took Cori to Morrea's dance recital, and that sealed Cori's love and interest in dance, Morrea could sing, so Cori wanted to sing, Morrea took figure skating, Cori is still begging me to teach her(like I know how). They played dolls, tea parties, dress up, and danced. They played house, with the younger kids. Being in a house of all boys there was nothing Cori loved more than spending girly time with the Morgan girls. Morrea was always so complimentary, she always had something nice to say about everyone and everything, it was refreshing. She was also in Nathan's second grade class, I was so glad to know she was in there looking out for Nathan.

Nathan and Cosmo

Never has there been better best friends than Nathan and Cosmo. They were so perfect for each other. Nathan just seemed more confident, talkative, and relaxed around Cosmo. They played t-ball together, had dance class together, went to church school together, and primary, and did all things starwars and legos when ever they had the chance. I loved having Cosmo over at our house because he was always so kind to everone, and polite, and it rubbed off on my kids. He was patient in allowing Sam to join in with the big kids, and would hold Andrew or Timmy for me. He and Nathan could play together for hours without an argument.

I have to say not having Cosmo around has been the hardest part of the move for Nathan. He misses having a best friend that loves exactly the same things. Nathan has confided in me how much he misses Cosmo and he is afraid he won't see him again. I have to say I know how he feels and that is why I can promise him we will make an effort to see him, because I feel the same way about his Mom.

The Morgan Family

These last few posts all about the Morgans. As mentioned before I am using this blog as a family journal, and I just think they have been an important thing for each of us so i want to do an entry for each child and their "Morgan Counterpart". I thought I would post about their parents as well. I hope these don't sound too much like eulogies, it is just that their family has just moved across the country, and I am having to come to grips that they will no longer be part of our daily lives, however I know we will continue to keep in touch. But I definitely needed them to be part of our family journal.

Leann was one of two to welcome me to Worthington. I remember how sweet she was at acknowledging the excitement of the purchase of our first home. She came with juice boxes and fruitsnacks for the kids. She apologized for not bringing a meal or being able to stay and help but her three children were in the van with the flu. I couldn't believe she had still managed to come say hello, with three sick kids. The juiceboxes and fruitsnacks were just what I needed to keep the kids happy while I finsihed putting the crib together. I honestly don't know how I would have survived Worthington without her. When we moved there I thought maybe we were there to be a support to them, but outside of helping her chase a bird out of their house, I fear the support was one sided in the opposite direction. She is an incredible mom, and I found myself watching how she handled her kids in order to become a better mother myself. She is literally Super mom if there ever was one. She was able to talk me through so many frustrations, I can't even list all the times she was there for me.



Christian is the dad of the family. He also happens to be the best doctor on the planet! The first Sunday there we were invited to dinner and making gingerbread houses at their house. Sam was crying constantly, Christian offered to look in his ears and sure enough he had nasty double ear infections. I was so embarassed to have been "neglecting" my son and let it get so far (nevermind we were trying to move that week). I felt bad that he had to be doctor during his time off. I did not want to take advantage of him. Well, little did I know that would be the first of many off the clock check ups. Astham attacks, ear infections, fifth disease, a television falling on Cori, and many other random ailments brought Christian to our house or us to his. He was also the Branch President of the branch we attended. He was such a great support while we were there. I think my favorite times spent with him though was when he had the chance to just be dad to his kids. He was always having to juggle so many roles, but when our families would get together for a family home evening is when he seems happiest and most relaxed. And it is easy to see that "Dad" is the most important title he holds. He is one of the most humble, kind men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. It is not a coincidence that Andrew's middle name is Christian. I take namesakes very seriously, and I could not wish anything better for Andrew then for him to grow up to be like Christian.

Speaking of Pirates

Almost a year late, but here are two random pictures from last Chrismas. Santa sent our family on a pirate vacation. We had so much fun. When we woke up Christmas morning there was a large treasure box fillled with snacks and food for a hotel feast and backpacks packed and a map sending us to a hotel with a pirate ship water park. He even arranged for Papa and Grandma Nelson to meet us there. They took the kids to Toys R US and let them pick out a toy. Timmy chose cookie monster.

Pirates:The Musical

As soon as we movied here we jumped into the production of Pirates:The Musical. We had so much fun. I realized how much I have missed being involved in theatre. We (the adults involved) have already begun meetings to prepare for next year. Andrew and Timmy even got into it, and can still be heard yelling "Avast" unaware that this is not something most people say. Timmy insists he is going to be a pirate for halloween. I have tried to talk him into the buzz light year costume that we have, but he just looks at me and says, "Pirates all are we". I have been trying to put viedo on from the actual performance, but haven't been able to figure out how to edit it to just a small part of the performance. But here is a part of the recording from when they performed at the county fair a few weeks before they performed. The recording got cut off half way through. The kids are all in the front row. This song begins and ends the play.

The Morgan Family

I really wanted to just add these pictures from their visit in June. As you can see when we get together there are a lot of kids(10), and also a lot of fun. We miss them tons!

Nathan's Baptism

Nathan was baptized one week after we moved here, on his 8th birthday. It was really a very special day. Honey, My parents, and Melissa and her kids came up from the cities. Papa and Grandma Nelson came as well. Our friends the Morgans came up from Worthington. Cosmo and Christian spoke, as well as my mom. Morrea and Cori sang, "If the Savior Stood Beside Me", at Nathan's request. I though it was beautiful. We also sang the Hymn "The Iron Rod" because that is Nathan's favorite hymn. We were going to go to a park afterwards but it was raining so we all headed back to our house. I still can't believe how quickly time flew from the time he was born to his baptism day. I have really seen a change in Nathan since his baptism. He tries to read his scriptures with out being asked, and during Sacrament meeting he uses the Hymn book the Morgan's gave him to sing every hymn. He is trying to be a good big brother and make the best choices.

Dance

My kids are still doing dance. The studio up here is a lot bigger than the one in Worthington, because of that they are able to offer a lot more classes. We are still trying to find the right fit for the kids and the schedule, so although Nathan and Cori were doing tap and ballet, today we are switching to tap and jazz. The instructor wants them to do both ballet and jazz, and has even trimmed costs in trying to make it work, but between time and money we have had to choose, hopefully it won't be long and they will both be in ballet again but for now this will have to do. Sam is in a multiple exposure class that is going well, but he still really misses his old class and teacher. I tried to get pictures of the kids but everything turned out blurry so all I got was this before class picture of Nathan and Cori. This is right before hip hop, the class that Nathan and Cori love, they do this class while Sam is in his so it works with the schedule fairly well.

Tuesdays with Timmy and Drew

My Tuesdays have become very busy. I do dance class with Timmy and Andrew, and then head straight to ECFE for a class with Timmy. After that we try to meet up with Jeff for lunch, then I head home in time to put the two younger done for nap, and next thing you know the older three are running off the bus.

The dance class is a mommy and me class. I was expecting it was just mommies helping their little one twirl in a circle and jump up and down. I was wrong. She is having the moms stretch and move in ways I am not sure I could do even in middle school gym class. TImmy loved it, and Drew was hit and miss depending on what she asked us to do. They loved the scarves and the balls and did not want to leave when calls was over. But they had to leave because we have to run to ECFE right after dance class.

Timmy is in an ECFE class and Drew goes to sibling care. We are having definite attachment issues with Andrew but each week it is getting a little easier. Timmy loves his class and especially making art work and drawing on the chalk board. Awhile ago in church we sang the song "You can make the Pathway Bright", and Timmy loved it, especially the part "if there' s sunshine in your heart" so now he wants me to draw a sunshine in a heart every chance he gets. So he stands at the chalkboard singing about "Sunshine in Timmy's heart", it is very cute.

The ECFE class is right next to the building where Jeff works. We try to make it work so that I can meet Jeff for lunch. It has been really nice. There are two pizza buffets where under three eat free. It's funny 6 years, ago going out with two under the age of three would have seemed like too much work, but now I enjoy the break. And since neither one talks very clearly, we can get away with it, and the older three are none the wiser.
I don't get much else done on Tuesdays, but it is a fun way to break up the housework for the rest of the week. It also gives my good time to focus on just the two little ones.

Our New House

This is our new house. The scaffolding is gone and we have grass and a flower garden as you walk up. We also have a sidewalk that was not done when this picture was taken. I could go out and take an updated picture, but it is cold out, and this one was aready online so I took the lazy approach, but at least you get the idea.

First Day of School

This picture is from the first day of school. I think their outfits say a lot about what they are liking this year.
Sam was so excited for school to start. Before he left the first morning he told me, "I know today is going to be great, because my teacher is going to love me, because I am that cool!". Sure enough when he came home he proudly announced, "Everyone in my class wants to be my friend because I am really cool!". Underneath his superman shirt is a star wars Lego shirt. Luckily he has two so we can rotate them, if he could he would wear these every day. Star Wars is his favorite thing right now.
I love how Cori posed for the picture. She really wanted to model her outfit. This is her favorite new school outfit because she thinks it looks like something Selena Gomez would wear. Selena Gomez is her all time favorite Disney star right now. Last night she even insisted that Jeff enter an online contest in hopes of having lunch with the cast of Wizards of Waverly Place. Out with baby dolls and in with tween pop stars with sassy attitudes, she has even requested a name change. At school, church, and dance she has requested to be called "Amy". I'm not sure I will get used to it, but that is all she is called at school so now everyonce in awhile I hear Nathan call her Amy.
Nathan is sporting a Batman Lego Shirt, which he loves as much as star wars(that is saying something). He was the most nervous for the first day of school, and although he has made some friends he still misses Cosmo, his best friend from Worthington, quite a bit.

The Salamander House

One of the things the kids love about living here is all of the animals they get to see. When going on a walk one day we saw a turtle, squirrel, and rabbit. They also found multiple sets of deer tracks. Seeing deer up here is almost a daily event, we have seen up to six in our yard, and there are usually a couple on the side of the road as we drive home. But the most exciting is what is found in our window wells. At first it completely grossed Cori out and she would pray that no salamanders would get stuck in her bedroom window. Eventually she began to like them and has even picked them up and held them. She has even been found digging for the salamanders. Of course the kids insit on wearing their gardening gloves when they pick them up. There are usually a couple toads found there as well. After it rains Jeff goes around and collects them out of all the window wells, one day he found 27 salamanders. I think the salamnders are now digging deep enough to hide out for the winter but the kids still check just in case.

Changes

I am overwhelmed at all the things that I wanted to blog about that have happened in the last months. So much has changed!
Jeff's job changed. He is really enjoying his new job and I think this is what he will be doing for a long time. It is strange to finally be in a place that is just where we are going to be. It has always been, "when we go to BYU, or when we finish BYU, or when we finish law school, or when we move from Worthington . . ., and here now we are. I have to tell you I really like it. It is nice to finally just be someplace with no plans of moving, and I suppose it helps that we like it here.
Jeff's job demands a lot more hours, and that is taking a lot of getting used to, for all of us.
We tried to live apart until the house sold but it was really hard on everyone, so after school was out we finally found a way to buy our house here, while the one in Worthington is for sale. We love our new house but I don't feel fully moved in yet, with boxes still to unpack, and the walls still lack paint and pictures, and the yard is far from being a kid friendly place to play. (although Jeff did manage to remove a wasp nest which will help). Right now we have 2.5 acres of mowed weeds which I hope will eventually have trees, plants, swing set, and Nathan and Sam are hoping for a basketball hoop.
Hopefully over the next few weeks I will be able to blog about random things that have happened but if not then just know this; We moved, and I am so much happier here. Although I do miss some very dear friends in Worthington, this move has been so good for our family.

I'm Back!

I know it's been ages but I finally managed to break back into my blog. Long Story short through the chaos that has been our lives I lost my log in info, I had to change my password and could only remember my old password. The email address that I created this blog no longer existed so I cold not send it to myself. Every once in awhile i would come on and try multiple combinations of things I might have used and tonight I finally cracked my own code. So hopefully that means I will begin posting more regularly again.

Long Random Family Update

Well, once again our computer is not working. It seems that whenever I have a moment to blog, I can’t get the computer to work. I am using the old laptop from law school. That means no pictures, and when I don’t have a picture to use I feel silly blogging. Pictures of my kids are way more interesting and cuter than just reading my random thoughts. But here is an update for the week.
Last weekend we decided to go up to the cities to visit family. Rachael was visiting her mom and it had been way to long since we had seen her. She had not met Andrew! Everyone had lots of fun. I think I needed the break more than I realized. We managed a trip to Kohl’s, Ikea,the book store, and my dad took Nathan and Cori sledding. Jeff and I were able to go out to dinner without the kids, with Dianne and Rachael, and that was nice.
Sunday we attended the Eagan Ward for church. We usually attend either the Farmington Ward or the Apple Valley ward, so it was nice to see people we haven’t seen in quite awhile.
Eagan Ward is the ward I attended in high school; it is also the ward that I attended the entire time I dated, and was engaged to Jeff. We lived there until we had been married for about 4 months. It was strange to see people from what seems like a different life time ago. I saw my Young Women’s leaders, and kids from when I taught the 6 year olds class. They have changed so much. I saw the mother of a friend of mine that died ten years ago this month. It brought back many memories. But I loved seeing all of these wonderful people from my past.
We came home to a cold house because our furnace died yet again. And then it died again. This morning they were here for what seemed like the millionth time, hopefully they will figure it out soon, because I am tired of being cold.
On Monday, I took Cori to dance and was greeted by all the other dance moms. They pointed out that some of them have not seen me since before Christmas because every week I have had sick kids at home. I was pleased to inform them that no one had thrown up in our house for at least a week and ½. Unfortunately, when Cori and I came home from dance, Nathan began throwing up. So now we have a new record to beat. Hopefully we can go two whole weeks with out the flu in our house.
We have decided to buy a new SUV this week. We are trying to figure out how exactly that is going to work, but we like the idea of having a vehicle that is under warranty and fits our family and luggage. Hopefully tomorrow we will get a good trade for the van and come home driving something that will work better.
Andrew’s eye seemed to clear up so we canceled the appointment with the specialist in Sioux Falls. Andrew has started saying a new word. It sounds like he is saying Na-Nan, or Nathan. But he says it to all of us, not just Nathan. But he does say Da.
Timmy is still getting into mischief and keeping on my toes. He is speaking much clearer. Today he keeps pointing to stars and saying star, it is quite clear.
Sam was able to get the apple bag this week. He brought a stuffed dog called man-man, or spider dog. He also is loving dance, they are doing the song “Who let the dogs out?” and he is doing really well.
Corinne’s dance is coming quite along. I was very impressed with her class this week they are really keeping together. Her reading is also doing well. We now have the kids each read a scripture as part of family scripture study, she is getting quite a few of the words right.
Nathan is wheeling all over the house in his heelies every chance he gets. He was just advanced in his AR reading level and he is now expected to read books between a 3.0-4.0, that means at a third grade level.
I am overwhelmed with the amount of laundry I should be doing, and find my self avoiding it while I play with the kids instead.
Jeff is attempting to fit work in between all he does for our family and church.
And there you have it a very long update, which I think would be much cuter if I had done it in individual blogs with pictures, but since I can’t at least I have something up there.

To Curl or not to curl

My mom, Corinne, and I spent Saturday morning getting our haircut and going clothes shopping. Cori's hair looks good. She just took the bangs that Cori has been growing out and layered the front of her hair, Cori likes it.
The hairdresser encouraged me to embrace my curls that have appeared after the last couple pregnancies. So I am attempting to work with curly hair, instead of just straigthening it. I am still undecided as to if I like it, but it seemed to work better today and it is only my second try. I have never been the greatest at hairstyling, but I would like to look less frumpy. So we shall see. Oh and by the way Emma I stole your diffuser from the downstairs bathroom at Mom & Dad's. I will give it back though.

So I was going to post the pictures for people to tell me if they like it or not. But the computer is not working. I am using the old laptop and cannot get pictures posted. GGGGRRRRR! That also means that I still am not posting the blog about our fabulous pirate vacation that we took for Christmas. Ah well

Random Survey

Random Survey
Name three things that are physically close to you:
Timmy, baseballs, and a half eaten banana (Timmy’s-it won’t be here for long)

Are you or were you a good student?
I was pretty good, when I wanted to be.

What's your favorite sport?
Baseball, I suppose since it is really the only one I watch

Do you enjoy sleeping late?
HMMMM, It’s been a long time. But even when given the option I cannot imagine sleeping past 9 am unless I have not had good sleep for awhile. So in general it depends on what you consider late. But in an ideal world, I would sleep all through the night and wake up around 8 am.

What's the weather like right now?
Very cold.

Who tells the best jokes?
I love when my kids tell jokes. Especially when Timmy tells his jokes; No one can understand a word he says, but his intonation is the exact same as one of the jokes an older sibling has just given, then he laughs hysterically. It is adorable.

What was the last thing you dreamed about?
I dreamed that all the kids had the flu, and I was trying to clean the house. Unfortunately, last night Nathan had the flu and I was trying to clean the house, so it was like my dream repeated my unpleasant evening.

Do you like your eggs scrambled or sunny side up?
Scrambled with a fresh baked blueberry muffin on the side.

Do you like the smell of gasoline?
What? no.

Do like to draw?
Not really, I might doodle but in general I prefer to use the computer and find a graphic for anything I might need. But I love to color!
Is your room messy?
It is pretty messy right now. Mostly with clothes, but the closets really need to be purged.

Do you give in easily?
I don’t think so, but I suppose it depends on who the giving in involves.

What time did you wake up this morning?
6:30 am

What did you eat for breakfast this morning?
A slice of my mom’s homemade bread toasted with butter and honey. (ok, it was more like 3 slices) I stole a loaf when we were visiting this past weekend, and I am enjoying it.

Do you have any nicknames?
Not really, sometimes someone might drop the y, so it sounds like Aim, I had nicknames in high school, but nothing but Amy for years.
What's your least favorite color?
hmmmm- I don’t know; probably the color of a poopy diaper when a kid has eaten too many fruit snacks or fruit loops. That is a gross color.

Is there someone you have been constantly thinking about?
something- we are focused on getting a new car

Who was the last person you spoke over the phone to?
My friend Lisa, she is going to watch Timmy so Jeff and I have lunch together while Sam is at dance class! Yay- A date!

What is your dream vacation?
Dream Family Vacation would be a trip to Disney world. I have never been, and I would love to take the kids there. I would want to bring other adults with to help with the kids though, so that would be really expensive. Dream vacation that would be relaxing would be a trip to a tropical island, Fiji or Hawaii, or anywhere I am not picky as long as was warm, with beaches, and a place to relax.

What color are your bed sheets?
Blue, eventually I would love to get a nice bedding set with nice sheets, but for now just blue.

Who was the last person to make you laugh?
Jeff

Do you have any obsessions right now?
Some people might think I am obsessed with my nursery calling, as I am trying to get everything set up and functioning smoothly. Other than that, I don’t think so.

Have you ever sat on a roof?
Of course! Best view of the fireworks at my parent’s house every 4th of July that I lived there

Have you ever been to a different country?
I feel very uncultured to admit that Canada and the Bahamas are the only countries I have visited. Hopefully someday my list will be a lot longer.

Name three things in the world you dislike:
Crazy mean people, anyone touching my feet, laundry

Do you believe in magic?
The tooth fairy just visited our house last night, Nathan lost his seventh tooth.

Firsts

I thought I would do this firsts list that my sisters did. I have other things I want to catch up and blog about like Christmas, but I don't have time and this seemed like it would be a quick little post. Here we go:
Firsts
First date? Well, it was with a guy named Greg, and anyone who knew my in middle school or high school knew him, too. We dated on and off (mostly on) for all but my Senior Year. I am not sure what you count as the first date though. Because between age 14 and 16 we tried to see each other every way possible without it technically being a date since I wasn't allowed to date until I was 16. I think he counted the time we went to see Toy Story with a group of friends and family, and some how ended up in a theatre row without the friends. But technically it would have been prom the week I turned 16. First date with my true love- Jeff and I went to the Spaghetti Factory on March 1, 1999.

First dance?I was in the 4th grade. I went to a Valentine's dance. Gerry and I were voted King and Queen. If that is too young to count than it would have been at a church dance at age 14. Nancy and Jessica were there. I had been watching from the sidelines when they ran over and told me to grab a shoe from the center of the dance floor. Each guy had thrown one of their shoes in the middle. I quickly did what my sisters told me to do, unaware that I was committing to dance with the owner of the shoe. When I realized what I had done, I was so nervous. I just kept telling myself as long as it is not Ben Slocombe I will be fine. Well, of course I beat the odds, and my first dance was with Ben Slocombe, the best 14 year old dancer I had ever seen. But the first dance with a guy I actually knew was at a dance in Chicago. It was with a guy named Troy, and it was to the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". First dance with Jeff. The New Year's Eve Dance , Dec 31 1998, Jeff asked me to dance for the first time.

First hand holding?Recess - 4th grade with Gerry, we promised to get married. He wanted 26 children, one for each letter of the alphabet. I told him I wasn't sure I could take care of more than 12, we settled on 18. If elementary school doesn't count, than it would be Greg when I was 15 at the movie theatre. First life-changing hand holding- With Jeff at the institute building in the library.

First kiss? On the cheek at the Valentine's Dance in 4th grade when Gerry and I were crowned king and queen. Otherwise, I was 16 and it was Greg. (see mom and dad I really tried to keep the 16 age rule) First Kiss with Jeff- I think it was in the entry way at his mom's house.

First time cutting someone else's hair?Nathan, I was so scared to mess up. I still prefer to bring the kids to the hairdresser.

First night at college?I lived at home for the first year of college, and I think I spent the first night after classes watching Star Trek. By the time I went away to college I was married, and when we arrived to BYU, the first night we went to my grandparents house for a game of scrabble and rootbeer floats.

First drinking party?I left every drinking party the second the alcohol came out until I was married. I have always avoided being around it. I missed a lot of cast parties that way. But now I have married someone who's family drinks. And the first time I met them we were at Jeff's Uncle Tom's house. Everyone but Jeff and I were drinking. It was a very strange experience for me. I don't know if family gatherings are technically drinking parties, but there is usually alcohol involved.

First experience with stuffed crust pizza?When working at Holiday Hot stuff Pizza, I made it many times before I actually ate it. Honestly, I don't care for it.

First time driving after getting your license?I actually don't remember. My brother made me get my driver's license when he came home from his mission and found out I had been avoiding taking the test. I tried to fail the test, but somehow passed it. And I avoided driving as much as I could. The only driving I did was to the gas station where I worked, and to Greg's house in Canada.First email address amosandgerg@hotmail.com (or something similar to that) I know it was a hotmail account andJessica set it up for me in the highschool computer lab.

First barbie? She was given to me in a doll cake. She had brown hair and a teal taffeta prom dress.

First name you picked out for your baby? Mark, unfortunately this name was quickly eliminated when I fell in love with Jeff. For a girl, Heather but that name was also elimainated when I fell in love with Jeff.

First pick in gym class? Actually once. I was shocked. It was for the game q-tips. I was really quite good at being aggressive and beating the popular mean girls with the giant gladiator sticks. I creamed a few mean boys that way too. Very Therapeutic. The new kid had noticed me over the first few days doing quite well and when he was team captain he picked me first. The entire 8th grade class was stunned. They all told him what a big mistake he made. But we won the entire tournament. I was usually the first pick in gym class in a different sense. I was the first pick in dodge ball, as in lets all cream Amy with the balls first. Sixpin was the same problem.

First in your class academically?Not over an entire school year, but in many classes I was usually top, until we moved. Then I discovered I wasn't as smart as I thought I was. It was just that I had gone to school with a lot of stupid people.

First on the scene of a crime?Only crimes of Timmy's making, not actual crimes

First on the scene of an accident? Only when I was in the car accident.

First day this week?Carbon Monoxide poisoning, see other post.

First thing this morning?I brought a bottle to Andrew

First thing this year?Fruit Smoothies and Cinnamon rolls with friends. Lots of fun.

First thing after graduating from high school- I went to hold my brand new nephew, Brandon born on my graduation day.

College?have not graduated

Who is the first person you will tag for this blog?Whomever wants to play.

Who is the first person who will actually do this?No pressure.

What is the first thing you will do when you are finished with this post? get my children dressed, try to get ready for a trip to the cities

My Jedi Warriors, and a Sith

One of the favorite Christmas presents of the boys were their new lightsabers. (They call them light-savers). All the siblings drew names so they could get one present for/from one other kid. Somehow in this gift exchange Timmy, Sam, and Nathan each ended up getting a new lightsaber. But than at Toys R Us, Nathan spent Papa and Grandma's gift money on yet another light saber, this time Count Dooku's. When they found out I was starting to blog again, they requested a picture with a few of their new weapons.

Stinkin' Fireplace!!!!!!!

Our furnace quit working Sat. Night. They came to fix it Sunday evening but did not have the part they needed so, they suggested we just run our gas fireplaces all night to stay warm. We let them run until about 2 in the morning. Then we went to bed. Jeff felt like he should close the doors to both the kids rooms, but we left our door open. That morning I woke up with a terrible headache, blurry vision and feeling slightly sick to my stomach. Just then Jeff, described how he was feeling and I realized we had a problem. I plugged in our carbon monoxide detector, and the alarm went off. After checking with my dad and confirming my fear, I called the gas company and we got everyone out of the house. I am so grateful Jeff had the prompting to close the kids doors, I fear we would have lost Andrew otherwise. Jeff took kids to school. I went to Leann's house with the younger kids until we got an all clear to go back home. It took many hours to feel better.

Star of the Week

Cori was star of the week last week. That means she got to be the special kindergarten helper. She brought Oreo cookies, pictures all about her, and made a robot poster. She was supposed to color it, but Cori the ever overachiever also insisted on writing the info herself instead of having me do it. (Of course I helped spell things)

Here is the information found on her special robot poster:

• I am special because I help with my little brothers.
• 
  
• I help others by being nice to everyone.
• My teacher is Mrs. Skog
• My birthday is (I am not sure I want to post this y'all should know that one anyway)


• Members of my family are Jeff, Amy, Nathan, Sam, Timmy, and Andrew


• When I grow up I want to be a dance teacher


• My favorite animal is a flamingo


• My favorite book is Fancy Nancy


• My favorite food is Chinese Food


• My favorite color is Pink


• Something I like to do at home is play with my family


• Something I like to do at school is choice time

New Church Calling

I was released from my calling at church. I was so sad. My calling had been teaching the primary children music. I love love loved it! It is the best calling in our whole entire church (in my not so humble opinion). You don't actually need to be able to conduct music (which I am horrible at), you get to do actions and visual aids. So you get to teach children while singing, and making cute fun things to do. My grandpa had a great love of music as well and I think that added to my sadness of being released. I am still sad that I am not in there with the primary kids. I love the songs that have been chosen for this years program, and had tons of ideas on how to teach them.

Luckily, the week after being released from my favorite calling, I did get another one. I am still the librarian, but now that everything is organized there is not as much to do there. And I do keep the main bulletin board updated. I have fun doing that, but it is only once a month. So my new calling is . . . .drum roll please . . . Nursery Leader. That means I still get to sing songs, now I do it with the toddlers. I am starting from scratch on a lot of things with it. The last lady was as sweet as can be with the kids. They definitely felt loved by her. However, for most of her time in there she did not have all the kids that will be there now. The church just came out with a new manual that is wonderful and will be so helpful. I have been busy creating a structured schedule with lessons, songs, games, crafts, visual aids for cute songs and my favorite - I found a parachute. Right now there are 6 kids in there (7 if you count Andrew and I do) plus another one that should be ready to go in by the end of summer. So 8 nursery kids. Timmy is the oldest, and the last one to join us in the summer is slightly younger than Andrew. This is a new thing for our little congregation, the most children there has ever been at one time was 4 and two were 4 year olds that shouldn't have been in there, but there was not a teacher for their age group. Our congregation is full of young families and we all have little ones so it is one of the larger groups. They are working on getting me an assistant, and a room big enough to contain them all. I am looking forward to making it a very structured, fun, safe place for the kids to be. I have now been in there for 2 weeks. The first week was nuts!! But they are already responding to having structure and the second week went much better. I am really excited to make this work. Timmy is a little hesitant at sharing me, but he is proud to have mom as his special teacher.

In the picture Timmy and Andrew are playing with a file folder game. I made a whole bunch of them. The games are slightly frustrating to me, as I cannot get the Velcro to stick to the back of the laminated pieces but I discovered if I sand paper the backs it helps. So now I need to find time to sandpaper the backs to a million little pieces. I already have plans to make more of these, because the kids love them. But before I make more of those I want to make flags for the primary colors song. I really think once an assistant is in place and we have a more permanent place to meet, things are going to go well. I love this kind of thing, and the kids are adorable, so it will be fun!

Timmy is 2!

Timmy turned 2. As my blog entries have shown Timmy loves to eat things when they are fresh baked and still found on the cooling rack. I decided that for his birthday I would give him what he wanted. So his cake finished baking minutes before the party and was placed in the center of the table still on a cooling rack. We served it that way, just cut into chunks, warm and unfrosted. But I couldn't bare to not have anything decorated, so he also enjoyed an Elmo ice cream cake. He blew the candles out all by himself. We had the Morgan's and Phelp's over (Bates couldn't make it). He loved it. We all had fun. When I was decorating he was upset that he could not get a good look at the banners. So I hung them at his eye level, so although the house to not look festive from my height, it was perfect for him. He loves every present he got and is now obsessed with Elmo. I hope to eventually get pictures onto the computer from the party.
Now that Timmy is two his daily mischief seems to be lessening. He still can find sweets wherever I hide them but other than kitchen mischief, he is staying out of trouble. (In the middle of typing this very entry Jeff called me upstairs to help clean up a mess. Timmy had tried to help himself to a tupperware of peaches. He spilled it and slurped all the peaches up off the floor, leaving a very sticky mess.
He loves his friend Hayden (Ava's little brother) and gets so excited when he can play with Raegan(a little girl that is 1). His best buddy is still Andrew. Timmy's number one goal in life seems to be teaching Andrew everything he knows. So he insists on feeding him, bringing him toys, and even helping bathe him. Timmy is talking now, but it is still difficult for people outside of our family to understand him. He weighs the same as when he was 1, at 33 lbs, he is only 1/2 a pound less than Sam. But he has grown taller, and although he is still big for his age, his height and weight match well.
He is still so funny and sweet. He is my very own gentle giant.

Grandma and Grandpa

My grandpa passed away. This was really sad. I think it was mostly hard since my grandma passed away less than a year earlier. We all knew when Grandma died, that Grandpa would not be far behind, they loved each other so much and it was hard for everyone to see them apart. And yet having both gone, closes a huge door from my childhood, and we will all miss them. I struggle to write my thoughts and memories of them down. My sisters have done a beautiful job on their blogs, and tears fell as I read my Aunt Laura's blog while blog hopping one day. It seems strange to write about it on a blog and yet I cannot bear to not include it. This blog is going to be our family journal and I think I should say something.

It was a strange feeling to be in Utah and not play scrabble, I was only in their house for a moment but it was already not the same. I am not sure I will ever be able to play scrabble with out feeling a little teary. I am sad my children will grow up not knowing them. I will always be grateful for the time I spent at BYU, because it gave me a chance to know them not only when I was a child but to spend grown up time with them when I could more thoroughly appreciate their stories, their example, my grandfather's wit, the scrabble games, and whole wheat buttermilk hotcakes. I have great childhood memories from long walks and music, to walnut trees and fishing, but knowing them as an adult added so much more depth to the previous memories. I think the time spent with them also helped Jeff understand me and some of the more quirky sides to me. Because every once in a while I will eat something or say something and Jeff will make a reference to them.
I loved the way my grandma would say "HOO -ray" when she was really happy. I loved my grandpa's smile when he did something Grandma thought was clever. I was amazed at the way my grandma would save everything and yet give anything to help someone else.
But overall I am glad that I know my grandparents are together in heaven. They loved each other so much and the hardest part of my grandma's funeral was seeing the pain and loneliness in my grandpa's eyes. I look forward to spending eternity with my husband at my side, and hope that when the time comes for one of us to leave this life that the other will not be far behind.

Andrew, Teeth and Trouble

Andrew had his nine month appointment this week. He is just over 20 lbs and is doing everything he should developmentally. He does have a problem with one eye (well the tear duct actually) so next week I will be taking him to Sioux Falls to see a specialist. This appointment will most likely result in a simple procedure that he will have to be put under for, that will happen in the near future.

Andrew has two teeth. One broke through just the day before the other. This happened last week. And Sunday he started regular crawling instead of army crawling. He now loves to stand holding onto the couch. And he thinks just because he has two teeth that has given him permission to get into as much mischief as big brother Timmy.

Jeff snapped this picture of some of his mischief. Jeff and I were in the kitchen when Cori yelled that there was a hole in the wall and Andrew was trying to crawl down it. I must admit I wasn't concerned because I was sure she was misreading the situation. I mean really how could there possibly be a whole suddenly appearing in the wall big enough for Andrew to crawl through? But Jeff went to check and sure enough there was a hole and Cori had just saved Andrew from what could have been a terrifying experience for us all. Andrew had somehow pulled the vent cover off and was attempting to explore the furnace vents in the house. Jeff had Cori pull Andrew back to a safe distance while he snapped the picture.

That little adventure was only a glimpse of what was to come because yesterday, he really had me worried. He locked himself in the bathroom and I could not get him out. He crawled into the bathroom, pushed the door closed and opened the bathroom drawer, which blocked the door from opening. I tried everything I could think of to get him out. He was crying on one end of the door and I was panicking on the other. I tried a hanger, but it broke. I called my mom, she suggested a knife, but althought it scratched up the drawer, it did not close it. She suggested that I stick a feather under the door and slide it under the drawer so Andrew would close the drawer to get at the feather. Well, Andrew got the feather from under the drawer without closing the drawer. Now Andrew was eating a feather. I called Jeff. We discussed options, the hinges were on the other side, and he asked if I thought he would have to break the door down, but I pointed out Andrew was on the other side. Just then I got a call from Lisa. Lisa moved here this summer but I already consider her a close friend. The second I answered she recognized the panic in my voice she asked what was wrong and what she could do to help. I asked her to send her husband over. Richard is not only very level headed but he is a carpenter and is very good with figuring these kind of things out. So about 45 seconds later there was a knock on the door. (Seriously he got there fast) and he came to see what the trouble was. He asked me to get a hammer and a putty knife so he could get the floor board off. But while I was down stairs frantically looking, he got the drawer closed and door open. He had used the broken hanger. I had tried using it for like 20 minutes and couldn't get it to work but he just slid it under and voila, I had my baby and a half eaten feather back. Yay for Richard, what a smart guy! I guess all's well that ends well, but still, for 45 minutes I felt completely helpless while my baby was trapped and scared.

It's been too long.

I know I have not blogged in a very long time. Between the computer being very unstable, lots of sickness, a funeral, and the holidays; time has gotten away from me. I still hope to post pictures but I thought I would do at least get post some of the blogs now. Hopefully I will go back and edit them, add pictures and expound on at least some of the events. I also finally posted two blog posts I started in December.

Awkward

So Sam and Ava's friendship is still going strong. I am not sure what is going to happen next year. Sam is just older than Ava, so it is a guarantee that whether or not we move they will no longer go to school together. Sam will continue on to kindergarten, while Ava gets another year of preschool. But for right now they want to spend every second together, and they continue to make wedding plans. As I type this they are upstairs having a snack while they chat and sing.
There is a song in our church called "Called to Serve" anyone who is LDS knows it. Every missionary sings it in the MTC, it is a standard song. Last year, I taught it to the primary children. They loved it. We marched to it. I made sure that even the littlest knew the chorus. The chorus goes like this,

"Onward, ever onward as we glory in His name, Onward ever onward as we glory in
His name, forward pressing forward as a triumph song we sing, God our strength
will be; press forward ever called to serve our King."

Since Sam and Ava are the littlest they know it. Or at least I thought they did. But as I was sitting here typing up countless of backed up blogs (maybe I should call them "backblogs", I heard them sing.

"Awkward ever awkward as we color and we sing, awkward ever awkward as we color and we sing, Awkward yeeeessss Awkward", and then they start over again.

Ah well- at least they know the melody.