Cornbellys

This week has been so busy with fun things I could post on here that I don't know where to start! You'd think it would be easy enough because I just start with the first thing. But then what fun would that be? Plus the pictures I wanted to post from last Saturday are on Steve's phone still...

So we'll start with Monday. We went to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point. The kids had fun. We started out at the jumping area.

Gavin enjoyed the little jumping tarp. He'd gone on the big one at first but decided that was just a little too bouncy for him! I thought it was cool I managed to snap him while he was up in the air!

They had fun little rocking, uh, donkeys to ride on. Gavin could get going pretty fast on his!

Next came the dune buggies. Man they had fun on those! And the fastest was - Ashley! You should have seen how fast her little legs were moving! Jakob was pretty close but I think Ashley was able to control it the most. Although I must say that Jakob probably should have been in the bigger ones - his legs were too long!

They had a princess land with this gorgeous carriage inside. I only wish it was a little lighter to see everyone in it!

And here's my little Princess Ashley. She can ride, wrestle and tackle with the best of the boys but there is a sweet little princess in there that likes to shine through - every once in a while! And no I didn't pose her like that. That's her "I'm being sweet" pose. I love my little girl!

Getting Beat Up By a Movie Theater

We went to St. George this weekend to visit Steve's family over UEA weekend. We had a nice time while we were there. We went to see Wall*e with his sister and her kids. It was fun but poor Gavin may never want to go into the theater again!!!


He actually sat pretty well for most of the movie. But he wanted to sit all by himself in one of the chairs... He was leaning on the seat to get in, and it swung (swinged?) up and made him lose his balance and he smacked his cheek on the armrest. Now he looks like a mini football player with the smudge under his eye!!

If that wasn't bad enough, once he calmed down from that, he tried a different seat and got his foot stuck down inside the chair... Poor kid. He managed to leave in one piece so we're happy!

Wonderful News!

I decided to call the company that was printed on the pen to see what they would suggest. The lady groaned when she heard the story - which generally isn't a good sign!!! She had to hang up and call back later and told me that NOTHING will take it off. Alcohol is what takes it off skin (So Stephanie wins there!!!) but she said I might not want to put that on walls.... After all the other stuff I tried I'm not sure I want to!!! Soooo, the best thing for us to do is get the primer that will not allow grease or pen or marker to bleed through it so we can paint over it. I had a few people suggest the painting over....

The most suggested thing however is the Magic Eraser. After obliterating one eraser on the wall it still looks about the same as when I started!!! It took off the brighter stuff but until I can repaint, we have a nice purple line on our walls. GOOD ONE GAVIN!!! And good one Mom for not noticing when he went running off with the pen!!!

Contest

Today I was typing away at my computer and had just started on my next project of fixing the sleeves for my Halloween costume, when Ashley came running in to tell me that Gavin had drawn all over the wall and the kitchen. As she was saying this I was praying she wouldn't say couch...

So I ran in there to find that he had used a purple skinmarker (don't ask) and it was on the wall and linoleum. NOTHING I've tried has worked!! SO I decided to have a little contest. I would like suggestions on how to get it off. Whoever's idea actually works will win a homemade cheesecake from me. Just so you know, I've tried Comet, a sponge, Orange Clean, and that Green Advanage stuff they sell door to door. So good luck and may the winner eat cheesecake!

ARGH!

So today I was giving my two year old a bath and happened to look in the mirror and found something that I dreaded.... Yes, it was a gray hair. I found it, cried, yelled, and pulled it out. And then kept it until I could show Steve. Now, that normally would be just a few minutes but first I had to redress Ashley(she was wearing a dress she would have frozen in), help Andy with his pants and suit collar and then make Ethan happy. Yes, while holding the hair. So then I finally got to show Steve and he waved it away and decided it was nothing. I told him of course he wouldn't care, as he's 4 years older than me. He corrected me that he's only 3 years older than me. Either way he didn't seem to find it anywhere near as traumatic as I did....

Now some may not think its a big deal getting older, but as the shirt I got my brother-in-law says, "growing old makes me sad." I still remember my uncle turning 30 and now all the sudden here I am at that age! It went fast but its been a fun ride. And I can't wait for each new adventure - even if it brings with another gray hair....

Children's Stories

When you're having a child tell you a story, you never know what to expect. There is a story about a pumpkin patch that both of my sons have had to do for a homework assignment. Its funny to go back and read Jakob's after Andy's. Here is Jakob's first:

Scary Pumpkin Patch

Once upon a time, a pumpkin named Jack went off to a camping trip. And he saw a bear. And it frightened him away.
He came back and he lived again in the pumpkin patch. All the pumpkins ran away in a storm that came. Then Jack was lonely. Then he found his friends.
When he found his friends, they went off on a bear trip. A storm came and they went on a boat. Then the storm got bigger and bigger and then their boat sunk. They found land and forever they went off looking for treasure.
They found lots of gold. They were filled with joy. And then they went off for another treasure hunt. And then they ended up in a forest. A bear found them. They ran away back into their patch.
The next day they explored again. They explored for giraffes. They found the biggest giraffe of them all.
The End.

____

So this year it was Andy's turn. As he doesn't like scary things(although 2 years ago he said he liked the "darkness" on Twitches...), he put a slightly different twist on the story. And here is his:

A Scary Pumpkin Patch

A scarecrow scares you away from the pumpkin patch. When you ask him to let you go, he lets you go. The patch is scary because there are scarecrows all around the patch. And the pumpkins are alive and they stare at you. But they are happy pumpkins because they like to be jack-o-lanterns. There are also happy flowers because they like to be flowers and like to be watered.

_____

I love to write stories and so its fun to see their imagination come to life!! Hopefully they can continue to tell and write stories in the future. :)

Ethan's Firsts

Ethan has had a few "first" experiences in the last couple days. They're not the hugest things but its sure fun to show some of the things he has done. :)

On Friday morning, Ethan had his very first babysitter. My sister, Charlotte, has been the first babysitter with I think every one of my kids so far. :) This time was no different. I went to help at the school for Reflections and sent my four younger ones to her house for the time I was gone. Ethan had a ball and played in the swing and then enjoyed time on the floor. I had debated leaving him but he was so happy that morning I decided it was time for him to get to know his aunt and cousins!

Saturday morning we decided it was time to try cereal for him. He doesn't turn 4 months until the 22nd(tomorrow) but he's been watching us eat closely the last week or so and has all the other signs that show he's ready. So I got the cereal ready and gave him a bite. He didn't spit it out but sure wasn't impressed with it!!! Guess we'll keep trying...


And last but not least, Ethan got to go to his first BYU Football game! The other children stayed at home with a babysitter and we took Ethan with us. It was toasty so we got him a cool hat and enjoyed the game. Ethan doesn't like loud noises so the loud cheering and being right behind the band made it an interesting experience for him. But he was happy and took a nice nap near the end. It was especially nice when BYU won 44-0!! :)

We have a fun, sweet little boy and its so fun to see him grow up so fast!!!

Need a Plumber?

When throwing a child up on your shoulders, its always wise to make sure their diaper isn't sagging first... Our poor neighbor! Needless to say, Gavin got changed right when he got home. :)

My Garden

Yeah, so this year the garden didn't work out quite as well in previous years. We did have great peas, a few tomatoes, some tiny potatoes and a few beans. We even had a zucchini plant grow that we didn't plan and have no idea where it came from! Besides the ground... :)

I must say though that out of all the vegetables and fruits we planted, our watermelon is my favorite. We tried to give it a lot of water, although if you notice in the picture, the ground looks a little dry at the time. :) I didn't know if anything would come of it until Steve pointed out the fruits of our labor (literally). So here's the picture of our most exciting of crops this year... won't win awards but it sure is cute. :)

There goes another one....

Andy started school today. As he is my second, I thought it might be easier. In fact, it was harder!!! Jakob has always been my little buddy. But I knew how excited he was for school and I knew he was ready to go so I was excited for him. Andy's always been my little Andy. Sensitive, inquisitive, silly and my little boy. He's ready for school to be like his brother but I'm not ready for him to go to school. :) But they all grow up so there's only one thing to do, and that's let him be a big boy! So, instead of bawling (like I wanted to), I took a few pictures.

Ashley, Gavin, Ethan and I laid down for naps (although I read while they slept...) and when they woke up it was time to get Andy again! They were so excited to go back and pick him up. Andy was walking out of the classroom as I pulled up. He saw me and showed Miss Lindberg where I was and he ran all the way around to hop in the car. And of course I got pictures of that too. :)

Yep, he's a big boy alright. He was excited for the friends he made, the fruit loops he ate the future homework that's coming!