I just got the news, after being one of the winners from his school science fair last month, Andrew got 3rd place at the District 3rd and 4th grade Science Fair in the life sciences category. Way to go Andrew!

At Christmas we got a pet rat that the kids named Isabella. So when it came time for Andrew to decide if he wanted to do a science project (in 3rd and 4th grade it is optional) one option we discussed was to use Isabella. We ended up deciding to run taste tests with Isabella to find out what her favorite food is among the different food groups. I know you can't read the board from the picture, so I will just tell you. It was peas. We had a lot of fun running the experiments and I'm sure Isabella enjoyed the extra treats and attention.

Cara loves this rat and if we aren't careful she will probably squish her to death.

In the pre-test waiting area. Isabella learned how to jump and climb on top of the sides though so she didn't wait here long. We designed the box with a divider that we could pull up to let Isabella through to the food.

One of our first tests. She wasn't as interested in the food at first as she was in exploring the box. Eventually though she learned that if she quickly picked a food we would let her eat it and then get out of the box to play on the table.

Andrew says that we would do a science project again next year. Good thing since he says he wants to be a scientist when he grows up.

The Christmas Post

We sure had a MERRY Christmas. The boys seemed to all get what they want. And they loved their new Nintendo DS's (Santa for sure got them used or didn't pay full price, he's smart like that)

We got a new family member.

The boys named her Isabella after the friend on Phineas and Ferb (not twilight).

Cara sure enjoyed her first Christmas that she wasn't napping through especially the candy. She didn't quite understand the whole unwrapping gifts thing, so her brothers were happy to help.

Sporting new pjs. 

I was testing out my new point and shoot camera and caught this picture of Cara, funny face.

Anyway, I hope you all had an awesome Christmas and if for some reason you didn't get a Christmas card or you don't know me on facebook here is the photo we sent along.

Halloween 2012

Yes, apparently I do have a blog and yes I sometimes remember to update it. Also I just realized I haven't posted about Cara's birthday that was over 1 month ago!  Well I'll do this out of order since I am already doing the Halloween post and hopefully remember to do Cara's birthday next week. Yeah, we'll see.

We didn't do the complete family theme this year. We sort of split up. KC and I were District 12's Katniss and Peeta (pre-hunger games). Andrew and Isaac were characters from their favorite video game Minecraft and Will and Cara were classic Halloween, a pumpkin and a ghost.

Getting ready to go trick or treating.

The boys couldn't wait to get out and get going.

Cara practices walking while she tries on her ghost tutu. 

Katniss, Peeta and a pumpkin?

See? I got candy.

Isaac as a skeleton archer from Minecraft. After a while he got tired of the box head and just went around in the sweats.

Andrew as "Steve" from Minecraft. After a while he got tired of falling down (the box was too long so he couldn't bend his legs well) so he finished trick or treating early and spent the rest of the evening giving out candy on the porch.

Cara enjoys the treat or treat walk. It was beautiful weather for a Halloween in Utah.

 Here are the reference photos we used for our costumes.

When I am Baptized

This last month our now 8 year old, Andrew was baptized. He was very excited and took it very seriously. Sometimes when he realizes he did something not nice I look over and see him with his arms folded and head bowed. "What are you doing?" I asked him once. "I'm saying sorry to Heavenly Father." he says. No big deal.

Some family and  friends were able to come to the baptism and we had everyone over to our house afterwards for lunch and cake. It was a good day.

It's Great To Be Eight

My little boy turns EIGHT! (insert obligatory sensitive mama line here) He's grown so tall, smart, and mature. I don't know what I am going to do when he turns 16. 

The week he turned eight he decided that I'm not Mommy anymore and KC isn't Daddy, we are Mom and Dad. And he is very good about only using those terms. 

We opened presents as a family the night before his birthday with Grandma and Grandpa. Then on his birthday he got to have a friend party. There was no theme. It was just meant to be "All About Andrew" and it was. The cake was plenty green (His favorite color since Isaac has picked blue.) and it wasn't too unsightly. I had issues with the frosting. Anyway he loved it all and had a great time.

I just realized why I seem to often have lousy cakes for Andrew's birthday. He is the beginning of the birthday season in the house and I'm a little out of practice.. that must be it.

Random Update

• Despite the glowing post about cloth diapers have yet to make the leap, the chasm looks so big from here...
• I made the Sweet Potato Curry with Tofu again. I suggested making it with light coconut milk to make it more healthy. It's more healthy, but like most health foods it loses a lot of the flavor. That darn fat in the coconut milk is just so yummy. We had to add a lot more salt to get some flavor. You've been warned.
• I was thinking of getting Will off the pacifier when he turned two, but today out of necessity (I couldn't find a single pacifier), I put him down for a nap without one. Did he care? No, as long has he had his special blanket.
• Andrew had his birthday last week. It was a small family thing with pizza of course. There is something about going from the age of 6 to 7 that makes a kid seem so much older.
• I'm very ready for spring to come, it's so close! I am thinking I need to hurry it along by growing wheatgrass again.

My Heroes

Is your land in danger from an evil king, sith lord, emperor, or magician? Never fear! Call 1-800-MY HEROES and we'll provide you with the right hero for the job.

The hero, Andrew Who Could Fight always has the right weapon for the job. With his magical sword, super hammer, bombs, and arrows, he is ready to fight both dungeon bosses and evil magicians.

 If a samurai ninja is more your style, we have Ninja Isaac to protect your people.

With Scottish heart and fighting skills, William Wallace is ready to free your people from the tyranny of kings.

Do you have a Sith Lord Emperor plaguing your galaxy? What your rebellion needs is a good Jedi Master.

Does organization, structure, and cleanliness bog you down? Pumpkin Boy with pumpkin power will fix that with his ability to empty cupboards and throw food. His signature mess of pumpkin innards lets organizers know who's in town.

Is your city overrun by mental crime bosses? We also have special relations with a bat obsessed group who can put those criminals behind bars. Sign up now and we'll include a free signal light.

Best Dinner Ever

Through a combination of a raffle and work incentive KC "won" a new BBQ grill and a gift card to Omaha Steaks. So the other night we decided to try the new grill out and grill up some filet mingnons. After using youtube.com to research grilling methods KC fired up the grill and turned out some good looking little steaks. KC made such a fuss over how good they tasted that the pickiest eater in the world (Andrew) wanted to try some. I quote,

" Daddy, I can't stop thinking about that meat, it tasted so good." 

I bet my mother just passed out, because no one who knows him would ever expect to hear that boy say anything like that about anything but pizza. Isaac then wanted to try some, and he said,

"That meat makes me feel so awesome." 

I also made some yummy baked potato wedges and a salad to go with the steak. Andrew eats the potatoes and says, I quote,

" I could eat these forever they are so good."

Isaac finishes his food and says, "Mommy, that was the best dinner ever you should make it again."

"What was your favorite part?" I asked.

He says, "The carrots." 

Make sense of that.

Disneyland and Cruise

After KC and I went on a little Mexican cruise early last spring he started talking with his friends about doing a cruise again but this time with friends and kids. So we ended up planning the same cruise for six months later, but this time we'd hit Disneyland before hand and be with a lot more kids and friends.

We dropped Will off at Grandma's house and our two families with 2 kids each squeezed into our van and drove down to California. We spent two fun but exhausting days touring Disneyland Park and Disney's California Adventure Park. Then we went to Newport beach and played in the surf. Then it was time for the cruise. We left Monday when we met up with another of KC's friends and his 5 kids and spent one day at Catalina Island and another day in Ensenada before the ship headed back. The boys loved being with the other kids and in the kids program on the ship. They of course LOVED Disneyland and want to go back next week. Andrew's favorite rides were, Soarin' California at DCA and Space Mountain. Isaac really liked Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. KC loved Indian Jones and Screamin' California. I liked Space Mountain and Screamin' California the best. We all love watching the boys and their friends participate in the Jedi Training Academy. (video to follow)

So after a ton of money spent and 5-10 pounds gained we are back and feeling the post-vacation blues. Here are some pictures to make you jealous and us more depressed.

The photo from the Tower of Terror, I don't know how KC convinced me that Isaac and Andrew should go on this ride.

We made the time to wait in line to see Mickey at his house.

The kids waiting to see Captain EO. Not sure what they thought of it.

Newport Beach. Not that warm of weather and the water was cold, but the boys still had fun.

The whole group outside the ship in Mexico.

We took the boys horseback riding in Mexico, at the same beach we went to before. They loved it. It was sorta windy and chilly.

We made signs ahead of time to help ensure that the boys got picked. Before fighting Darth Vader or Darth Maul they did some "training" learning the sequence of moves that they do to fight them. The costumes and "acting" were done really well. It was blast to watch.

Ships Ahoy!

This year it was Andrew's turn to have a friend birthday party. Thanks to some help from my mom with the pirate themed goodies and decorations it turned out great. Andrew invited a bunch of boys from his Kindergarten class and his cousin Matthew. A house full of 8 boys is a crazy house, let me tell you. I made a desert island cake complete with ocean. The kids each made an ocean in a bottle, they got a paper pirate hat if they didn't bring one, we fished over the side of the boat for fun surprises, played Cannon Ball Blast with black balloons, decorated cupcakes, and ate pizza.

One mishap was when I realized I didn't check to make sure I had candles, which I didn't. Some quick thinking and we ended up with 6 votive candles floating on the ocean.

For how fast this first 6 years went by, I won't be surprised when he turns 12 in a blink of an eye. One thing to look forward to when that happens - I'll have a free babysitter, YES!

Kindergarten Romance Update

Andrew is still developing his kindergarten crush. Despite not really wanting to make a special valentine for Purple Coat girl (I'll call her that because she wears a purple coat), he told KC the other day that he would like Purple Coat girl but KC couldn't have her because she was born at a different day. I think he means that she is too young for KC. KC pointed out to Andrew that he has already found a special girl so he didn't need to worry about daddy. Did Andrew just stake his claim? Is it like how male animals in the wild will say to all the other males.. hey this one is mine!?

The next day while driving to a family outing Andrew announces that he thinks he loves Purple Coat girl.

"Andrew, what do you like about her?" I asked.

"I like her hair," he sighs.

"What else to like about her?" I continued.

"I like her face. And her smile. I like it when she smiles. I think she likes it when I smile. I think she loves me too."

KC and I had to hold back the giggles and shock at the romancer we are raising. KC says his first crush wasn't until 2nd grade. I can't remember if I even had a crush in elementary school. All I can say is that we are going to need to watch this kid he is going to be a ladies man.

A Change of Heart

Andrew has a lot of simple child-like faith. Sometimes he adds odd requests to his prayers. He prays that no one he knows will ever die or that he will always live with his mommy and daddy. With his faith, the fact that he prayed for it, no question, it will happen. For the first request I told him how everyone dies eventually, so he amended his prayer to say only let the old people die. That's nice of him.

Regarding the second prayerful request I've told him that when he gets married he'll want to move out of the house, but he could stay with us forever if he wants. His response is that he'll never get married. No big deal, right? Of course we all know that when finds the right girl and wants some independence that would change, I just didn't think he'd change his mind so quickly.

Enter the new girl. Only a week after the new girl came to Andrew's kindergarten class he told us that he was going to marry her. He would talk about her sometimes and he made a Christmas card for her. I thought he might have forgotten about her since he has been on winter break and track break, but just last week after reading the scripture telling us to love one another he mentioned again that he was going to marry the new girl. KC didn't realize that he'd already need to be dishing out advice on girls, but here we were. KC advised Andrew not to mention marriage just yet, he didn't want to scare her off. He suggested that instead he be friends with her. Good advice Daddy. Andrew says he still likes boys better than girls, I mean he still 5 years old, but there is something about this girl than made Andrew peg her for his future wife. Go Andrew.

August Pictures

Apparently I haven't posted any new pictures of Will lately and my sister didn't let me forget it today. She made me promise to post something soon. So here are a few pictures I took of the boys with Will a couple of weeks ago.

First Day

It's hard to believe that it's been 5 1/2 years since I held this baby boy, small and helpless in my arms. I look at William who looks so much like Andrew did as a baby and wonder how we got here.

Andrew has been ready and waiting for this day for years. He learned to recognize all his letters by 2 1/2 and knew his numbers 1-10 before Isaac was born. He was ready, and today was finally the day.

I asked him how it went. "It was good." I had to probe a little more. "We read 3 stories." and finally his dissapointment, "I didn't get to play in the room yet or on the playground." We agreed to get there earlier tomorrow (we were almost late) so he could have time to play on the playground.

Today marks the beginning of a new phase for him and for me. I am now a mom of a school age kid. From now on I will be dealing with homework, projects, school bells, homework, teachers, PTA, and homework. And so will he. He will also be dealing with the new social experiences. I worry about that part. What will he learn from those other kids? Will he bring home garbage words to teach Isaac? Will he learn too early about things 5 year-olds have no business knowing about? I know it happens. I guess I will have to take the bad with the good.

I'm excited for him to learn. To learn to love learning. I hope that happens. I hope he learns to make new friends and learns what a best friend is. I hope he learns to try things even though they are hard. I hope he learns of the joy from accomplishing something even though it was difficult. Here's to hope, here's to our First Day.

Who's Who Answer and Stuff

Those who guessed were right. Picture A is Andrew, he tends to have the longer face. Picture B is William. Finally picture C is Isaac. I think William and Isaac look most alike although when William was first born I though the looked most like how Andrew did when he was born.

In other news we are making our way through more active little boy injuries. Andrew was at the doctor yesterday with some cuts on his eye lid and right below his eye. Isaac threw a play sword at him. The doctor glued them up since we couldn't put bandaids on them. Isaac was at the doctor a month ago when he took a head dive into a door frame at the bank. He got a gash on his forehead that was pretty deep. He almost needed stitches but we ended up only needing the derma glue stuff. That stuff is a miracle invention for moms of busy boys and girls. Last night I had to put 5 bandaids on Isaac's toes. I don't know how it happened, but he has cuts on the underside of his toes. I think he needs to wear socks and shoes outside for a while and stop running around without shoes on. We are still waiting for our first broken bone, which will now come soon since I mentioned it. I'll post photos of that one.

Who's Who?

These are pictures of Andrew, Isaac, and William all at about the same age. Can you tell who's who?