BAD Words

 

Recently we had a couple of friends over and one of the kids used the word "sucks".  Jed was here at the time and asked him politely not to say that word in our home.  It reminded me that I have wanted to note what my kids think of as "bad words".

The S Word=Stupid

The D Word=Dumb

The H Word=Hate

The B Word=Butt

The F Word=Fart

  Wish this list would never change!

 

Mama Bear

Last week the kids and I went to watch Jed play soccer.  I still love watching him play.  As my friend Heidi states, "Your husband has some mad skills".  It's true.  He is fun to watch.  By the end of this particular game I was getting fed up with the whining of the opposing team.  Seriously, they whined about any call that did not go their way.  I spend every day with a 3, 5, 6 and 8 year old.  I have no tolerance for whining from them and more especially from adult men and women.  In the last two minutes of the game Jed was going for the ball and another player full on pushed him (yes, thank you, finally he gets that much deserved yellow card).  He falls to the ground holding his knee in pain and I yell, "What the heck!"  My face is flushed and I am mad...really mad.  The mama bear has arrived at the field.  I didn't do or say any more than that, but I have to laugh that the same protective instincts kick in when I feel someone is doing something wrong by my 38 year old husband as with my 3 year old daughter.  The real irony here is that when he is gone (which he was last weekend) I feel so vulnerable and unprotected myself.  Seriously, I hardly sleep.  What can I say, I have both mother and wife instincts!?!

Idaho 2012

 On the way home from Utah we spent a few days in Idaho.  Matt and Ashley were blessing their new baby Lillian Grace.  Is there anything cuter than this baby?

 We also were able to celebrate my Mom's birthday, hang out at a rustic cabin near Henry's Lake, visit the airport there and of course be entertained by my adorable rock star nephew, David.  Love that kid.

 I love that my kids are growing up knowing their cousins.  This is something I didn't have and I am grateful that they do.

The last picture here is unbelievable to me.  On our way home from Idaho we stayed the night with our good friends from dental school.  We just love the Humphreys and I am still dying over how big our kids are.  Seriously!  Definitely have to convert to arranged marriages or something.  

Those kids were too stinkin' cute together. 

What do you do when you go to Utah?

 I know you are dying to know what we do when we go to Utah, so here you have it...We hike to doughnut Falls and have silly contests like who had hold a squat against the wall the longest (and you wonder where Owen gets making funny faces for the camera from?).

 We play dolls for hours and hours and get our hands dirty at the lake.

 We visit the Air Force Museum and go to church with Grandma Nila.

 We play in the sprinklers and network our computers so that all the uncles or cousins can play at the same time.

 We eat at only the finest restaurants with homemade menus and shoot bb guns.

 We have Easter Egg hunts to celebrate everyone's birthdays and my favorite...

We burn the WORLDS WORST PUZZLE and feel no remorse about it. 

Now do you see why we go to Utah?  So much fun.

cub scouts

This past school year Owen absolutely loved cub scouts.  Never once did he complain about going. In fact, he would celebrate every Wednesday.  Thank heaven for amazing scout leaders who make all this possible...

 He took 3rd place in the pinewood derby with his "taxi car"!  Check out that trophy!

 The bike rodeo

Day Camp...5 straight days of boy stuff...heaven for this kid.

Girls/Boys Night Out

 One benefit about having two of each gender is that it is so easy and fun to do Girl's and Boy's Nights out.  In June Jed took the two boys and a young man from our church to a Father and Sons camp out. They had a great time getting dirty, building fires, fishing, etc.  In the meantime the girls and I went to a "fancy" dinner at Elmers.  I wanted to take the girls somewhere where they could get waffles with whipped cream for dinner (although Gracie did choose to have a hamburger--she is a savory girl any day).  While I was helping the boys get out of the house the girls dressed up.  I loved listening to them talk and giggle.  Afterward we went and did a little bit of shopping, played duck duck goose and snuggled up with a few library books.  It was the perfect evening for everyone involved.   

Gracie's birthday

 

  Gracie is three!  I can hardly believe my baby is already THREE!  To celebrate we invited a few friends over for a My Little Pony party, complete with pony rides in the front pasture.  Thank you Mr. Mike!

 Of all of our kids this girl is by far the biggest animal lover.  She was much more timid than I anticipated about getting on the horses, but as long as one of her brothers or Daddy was there, she was good to go. 

Some of Gracie's favorite things are:

My Little Ponies

Strawberry Shortcake cartoons

dogs and cats

coloring, drawing and painting (this girl is the most detail oriented child I have ever seen at her age.  She will sit and color the same picture for the longest time)

purple

dancing

savory foods

Cinderella

laughing/joking

 Riding her bike (she LOVES her bike)

Some things Gracie doesn't like:

breakfast

things that are scary

cleaning up