Enoch and Kate's birthdays are fast approaching and I'm panicking about presents. I really don't feel recovered from Christmas shopping and I'm having to think about two birthdays. I need some ideas - let me know what your kids like and what is fun out there. Please keep in mind that I abhor noisy toys (I really don't like flashing lights either).
Enoch is turning 4 and has a ginormous imagination. He loves building toys like Legos and 'thinking toys' where you must think and figure it out. He loves to play with his hands and has great fine motor skills. He also loves pretend play toys when he makes up stories. I have Lincoln Logs for him - good idea or not?
Kate is turning one and I'm completely lost on her. I'm getting her mostly spring and summer clothes, but I would like to get her at least one toy. She loves to put items into a container and then dump them. She also likes sitting in an under-the-bed Rubbermaid box and rock back and forth while putting items in there and them emptying it again. I still haven't figured out girl toys and could really use some ideas for her.
Thank you so much for you help. I'm usually not so needy, but I'm really desperate. Please send ideas.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Such a Big Girl!
My little baby isn't so little anymore! She is a big girl and she knows it. Kate started taking steps the second week in January and hasn't stopped since. Last week she started standing up by herself without help or support from anything. She is so proud of herself. She'll stand up, look at me and wait for me to say, "You're such a big girl!" She smiles hugely, claps and then will start walking. It is so fun to see her personality coming through with her new skill. She is very determined, loves attention and doesn't seem to get frustrated easily. She is able to take about 8-10 steps before she gets too excited and lunges forward. Or, she'll lunge if what she wants is close. She loves walking and will stand up and walk if what she wants is only a few steps away. She still crawls about 50% of the time, but her walking is improving everyday. It is so wonderful to see her growing up and learning new things every day. I love my Kate!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Science in the Sky
Gavin absolutely loves science; he has labeled himself a science geek. He loves all kinds of science, but his favorites are space and geology. He decided to combine a school project with his love of rockets and do his Science Fair project on "Science in the Sky". Gavin and his dad timed different sizes of rockets to see which ones would stay airborne the longest. They had a great time building and launching rockets. Gavin did his experiment on Jan 3 and had Uncle Jarom and Uncle Dave come and help him and his Dad launch rockets (okay, it was really just for fun!).On Jan 19 (when we had just gotten to bed after our St. George trip), Gavin panicked and told us that his project was due the next day and not on Friday as he had thought (good thing he looked through his papers before going to bed). Luckily, his experiment was done, so we spent the next few hours typing, cutting letters and gluing pictures, graphs, and text onto his board. I didn't get to sleep till about 2am. Needless to say, I'm relieved it is done. Gavin's board looked great and he earned 4 stars (the highest honor) on his project. I am so proud of him. Next year, we will have it done early!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sunny St. George
Every year about this time I feel like I'm going to explode if I don't see and feel the sun. I have a hard time during the winter months and the inevitable January inversion really pulls me down. Greg suggested we head to sunny St. George over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend and I whole-heartely agreed. It was the best idea and our family had an incredible weekend.
We drove down on Friday night after dinner. The drive down wasn't too bad; Kate slept and the boys watched a movie and listened to the Magyk CDs. We pulled into the condo about 10pm and went straight to bed.
January 17
Saturday morning, Greg and the boys went shopping for breakfast (sugared cereal and Sunny Delight; oh well, we're on vacation!). We then headed to the outlets for some shopping. We didn't find too much - Kate got a dress, Enoch picked out some pants and sunglasses and Gavin found some much needed jeans and a stripped sweater. We ate at Carl's Jr. for lunch and had a picnic outside; the weather was absolutely beautiful. After lunch, we went grocery shopping to get food for the rest of our stay. Kate was in need of a nap so we went back to the condo and let the boys watch a movie (we redboxed Prince Caspian) and Kate napped.
We heard about this great new Aquatic Center down the road in Ivins so we decided to try it out. It took us about 30 minutes to get everyone in their swimming suits and ready to go. It was only about 5 minutes from the condo and looked like a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we arrived at 5:45pm and it closed at 6pm. The kids were so disappointed. Enoch was so looking forward to swimming (that and drinking out of a drinking fountain were all he wanted to do in St. George!). Even though the sun was going down and it was about 45 degrees, we drove back to the condo and went swimming there - outside. It was chilly. The water was warm, but not warm enough. Greg and Kate played in the kiddie pool (Kate was not allowed in the big pool with her swim diaper), Gavin hopped between the kiddie pool and the hot tub, and Enoch stayed in the hot tub the entire time. It was against the rules for Gavin and Enoch to be in the hot tub, but we were the only ones there and it was so cold and the water wasn't really too hot. Enoch just sat on the top step and had a great time. It didn't take long for Kate's lips to turn blue, so we quickly dried off and drove to the condo.
We filled up the big tub with warm water and let the kids play, warm up and wash off. Enoch slipped when getting out and got a very nasty cut on the underside of his chin. I was worried he would need stitches, but Greg cleaned him up and put on a band-aid. Enoch was excited because Greg told him he would have a scar that matches his. Thankfully, the kids all slept well that night.
January 18
The next morning was Sunday. We got ready for church and at 8:45am we drove around looking for a church with cars in the parking lot. We found one quickly. As we sat down, Greg leaned over and mentioned that there were not any other kids there, or even people of our age. It turns out we picked a retirement branch to attend. After the opening song, the man conducting announced that there was no primary in their branch, but that the kids were welcome to attend Sunday School. Gavin was thrilled that he didn't have to go to a strange Primary. We left after Sacrament Meeting.
After church we drove over to the Temple. The St. George Temple is one of my favorites. It looks so white clean and striking in the midst of all the red rock. It is a beautiful temple. Enoch was fascinated by it and spent the first five minutes just looking up at it.
We walked around the temple for awhile, then browsed the Visitor Center. We watched the new movie about the stonecutter, John Moyle. It was amazing movie and if you have the opportunity to see it - do it. It was fantastic and very humbling.
It was now nap time, so back to the condo. We ate lunch and broke our hard-and-fast rule of no TV on Sunday. We let the boys watch Discovery channel (there was a Dirty Jobs marathon). Greg and I relaxed and read. When Kate woke up, we ate lunch, put on our sun screen and drove out to Snow Canyon. It was perfect - so beautiful with solid blue skies, warm weather and the kids were so entertained they forgot to be whiny and disagreeable!
We started with a hike at the Petrified Sand Dunes. It wasn't so much a hike, just free rein to roam the harden sand dunes. It was so much fun! We went where we wanted and the kids wandered and explored. The only grumpy one of us was Kate, who was stuck in her backpack - she wanted to go with her brothers. We did let her out for a bit and she loved it. Enoch loved digging in the sand and playing in the very teeny pond of water he found. Gavin wanted to climb as high as he could. Of course, fearless Enoch followed and I had to push down my panic as they went higher and higher. We all survived and had a wonderful time.
We thought the kids were worn out from the sand dunes, but they wanted to go on another hike. We picked the Jenny's Canyon hike and I'm so glad we did. The hike started out slow and boring, but when we reached the end, there was a small slot canyon and the kids had an incredible time exploring. They loved to climb and see all the little cracks and crevices. After, we hiked to the lookout and admired the view.
That night was a bit crazy. Dirty Jobs marathon was still on, so the boys watched a bit before bed. Once eveyone was in bed, the boys slept great. Kate did not. She woke up about 12 and was up and mad until about 3:30 am. Since we were sharing walls with neighbors, we didn't feel like we could let her scream. So, we held her, feed her, Greg took her for a drive and finally she fell asleep. Greg and I were very tired the next day, but ready for some more fun.
January 19
We took it easy the next morning. We started cleaning the condo and that always takes more time than you think it will. We wanted to squeeze in some more swimming so we went over to the pool. Thankfully, the sun was out this time. The kids had a great time and it was fun to see how much Kate enjoyed the water. Doesn't she look cute in her swimming suit!
After swimming, we ate lunch, finished cleaning the condo, packed up the car and went to play some more. We found this amazing park just a few miles from the condo. It was so much fun; very unique play equipment. It was crowded since it was the first weekend it was open and it was also a holiday. We didn't stay long, but know to go back next time we're in town.
The drive home was painfully difficult. Everyone was tired and cranky. We watched a movie, listened to Magyk, and stopped 3 times for potty breaks and french fries at Burger King. It was a super fun weekend and I'm so glad we did it; it's also nice to be home!
We drove down on Friday night after dinner. The drive down wasn't too bad; Kate slept and the boys watched a movie and listened to the Magyk CDs. We pulled into the condo about 10pm and went straight to bed.
January 17
Saturday morning, Greg and the boys went shopping for breakfast (sugared cereal and Sunny Delight; oh well, we're on vacation!). We then headed to the outlets for some shopping. We didn't find too much - Kate got a dress, Enoch picked out some pants and sunglasses and Gavin found some much needed jeans and a stripped sweater. We ate at Carl's Jr. for lunch and had a picnic outside; the weather was absolutely beautiful. After lunch, we went grocery shopping to get food for the rest of our stay. Kate was in need of a nap so we went back to the condo and let the boys watch a movie (we redboxed Prince Caspian) and Kate napped.
We heard about this great new Aquatic Center down the road in Ivins so we decided to try it out. It took us about 30 minutes to get everyone in their swimming suits and ready to go. It was only about 5 minutes from the condo and looked like a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we arrived at 5:45pm and it closed at 6pm. The kids were so disappointed. Enoch was so looking forward to swimming (that and drinking out of a drinking fountain were all he wanted to do in St. George!). Even though the sun was going down and it was about 45 degrees, we drove back to the condo and went swimming there - outside. It was chilly. The water was warm, but not warm enough. Greg and Kate played in the kiddie pool (Kate was not allowed in the big pool with her swim diaper), Gavin hopped between the kiddie pool and the hot tub, and Enoch stayed in the hot tub the entire time. It was against the rules for Gavin and Enoch to be in the hot tub, but we were the only ones there and it was so cold and the water wasn't really too hot. Enoch just sat on the top step and had a great time. It didn't take long for Kate's lips to turn blue, so we quickly dried off and drove to the condo.
We filled up the big tub with warm water and let the kids play, warm up and wash off. Enoch slipped when getting out and got a very nasty cut on the underside of his chin. I was worried he would need stitches, but Greg cleaned him up and put on a band-aid. Enoch was excited because Greg told him he would have a scar that matches his. Thankfully, the kids all slept well that night.January 18
The next morning was Sunday. We got ready for church and at 8:45am we drove around looking for a church with cars in the parking lot. We found one quickly. As we sat down, Greg leaned over and mentioned that there were not any other kids there, or even people of our age. It turns out we picked a retirement branch to attend. After the opening song, the man conducting announced that there was no primary in their branch, but that the kids were welcome to attend Sunday School. Gavin was thrilled that he didn't have to go to a strange Primary. We left after Sacrament Meeting.
After church we drove over to the Temple. The St. George Temple is one of my favorites. It looks so white clean and striking in the midst of all the red rock. It is a beautiful temple. Enoch was fascinated by it and spent the first five minutes just looking up at it.
We walked around the temple for awhile, then browsed the Visitor Center. We watched the new movie about the stonecutter, John Moyle. It was amazing movie and if you have the opportunity to see it - do it. It was fantastic and very humbling.It was now nap time, so back to the condo. We ate lunch and broke our hard-and-fast rule of no TV on Sunday. We let the boys watch Discovery channel (there was a Dirty Jobs marathon). Greg and I relaxed and read. When Kate woke up, we ate lunch, put on our sun screen and drove out to Snow Canyon. It was perfect - so beautiful with solid blue skies, warm weather and the kids were so entertained they forgot to be whiny and disagreeable!
We started with a hike at the Petrified Sand Dunes. It wasn't so much a hike, just free rein to roam the harden sand dunes. It was so much fun! We went where we wanted and the kids wandered and explored. The only grumpy one of us was Kate, who was stuck in her backpack - she wanted to go with her brothers. We did let her out for a bit and she loved it. Enoch loved digging in the sand and playing in the very teeny pond of water he found. Gavin wanted to climb as high as he could. Of course, fearless Enoch followed and I had to push down my panic as they went higher and higher. We all survived and had a wonderful time.
We thought the kids were worn out from the sand dunes, but they wanted to go on another hike. We picked the Jenny's Canyon hike and I'm so glad we did. The hike started out slow and boring, but when we reached the end, there was a small slot canyon and the kids had an incredible time exploring. They loved to climb and see all the little cracks and crevices. After, we hiked to the lookout and admired the view.
That night was a bit crazy. Dirty Jobs marathon was still on, so the boys watched a bit before bed. Once eveyone was in bed, the boys slept great. Kate did not. She woke up about 12 and was up and mad until about 3:30 am. Since we were sharing walls with neighbors, we didn't feel like we could let her scream. So, we held her, feed her, Greg took her for a drive and finally she fell asleep. Greg and I were very tired the next day, but ready for some more fun.January 19
We took it easy the next morning. We started cleaning the condo and that always takes more time than you think it will. We wanted to squeeze in some more swimming so we went over to the pool. Thankfully, the sun was out this time. The kids had a great time and it was fun to see how much Kate enjoyed the water. Doesn't she look cute in her swimming suit!
After swimming, we ate lunch, finished cleaning the condo, packed up the car and went to play some more. We found this amazing park just a few miles from the condo. It was so much fun; very unique play equipment. It was crowded since it was the first weekend it was open and it was also a holiday. We didn't stay long, but know to go back next time we're in town.
The drive home was painfully difficult. Everyone was tired and cranky. We watched a movie, listened to Magyk, and stopped 3 times for potty breaks and french fries at Burger King. It was a super fun weekend and I'm so glad we did it; it's also nice to be home!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Good Bye & Good Luck
Tonight we said good bye to Grandma and Grandpa Randall for another 18 months. They are leaving tomorrow morning for Nairobi, Kenya, their second mission. Their excitement is contagious and although we will miss them terribly, we are happy for them to have this opportunity. They will be working in the Employment Resource Center mainly with PEF students. They have told us more about the PEF program and they are so thrilled to be able to help the people in Kenya.
Last night we had a family dinner at Ford's with all the kids, grand kids, my grandparents and aunt and uncle. It was a tight fit, but I'm so glad we could all make it. We ate dinner and then Mom and Dad talked for a bit. They bore their testimonies and talked about their missionary experiences. After that, Dad gave all the children and Gavin Father's Blessings. It was so neat. My dad must have been very in tune that night because he said exactly what I needed to hear. I loved that Gavin also received a blessing. Grandma and Grandpa will be gone when Gavin gets the Priesthood and so he received a special blessing from Grandpa to help him prepare for his ordination.
I thought that saying good bye this time would be easier, but it wasn't. We all cried, hugged and said I love yous, but I couldn't bring myself to say the actual words: good bye. We will miss them, but we have done this before and know that the first couple months is the hardest and then is gradually gets easier. We are so thankful for their great examples of service and dedication to the Lord. We love you, Grandma & Grandpa!
Last night we had a family dinner at Ford's with all the kids, grand kids, my grandparents and aunt and uncle. It was a tight fit, but I'm so glad we could all make it. We ate dinner and then Mom and Dad talked for a bit. They bore their testimonies and talked about their missionary experiences. After that, Dad gave all the children and Gavin Father's Blessings. It was so neat. My dad must have been very in tune that night because he said exactly what I needed to hear. I loved that Gavin also received a blessing. Grandma and Grandpa will be gone when Gavin gets the Priesthood and so he received a special blessing from Grandpa to help him prepare for his ordination.
I thought that saying good bye this time would be easier, but it wasn't. We all cried, hugged and said I love yous, but I couldn't bring myself to say the actual words: good bye. We will miss them, but we have done this before and know that the first couple months is the hardest and then is gradually gets easier. We are so thankful for their great examples of service and dedication to the Lord. We love you, Grandma & Grandpa!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
This and That
Not much as been going on at our house, thankfully. I'm catching up on our early 2008 posts so if you want something new, look back between January and April.
For FHE this morning, we made a list of fun things we would like to do in 2009 (posted to the side). As you can see, it is quite random, but all things we would like to do. Maybe we will add to it later, maybe not. We include anything and everything and it gives us great ideas for fun things do to throughout the year. Happy 2009!
For FHE this morning, we made a list of fun things we would like to do in 2009 (posted to the side). As you can see, it is quite random, but all things we would like to do. Maybe we will add to it later, maybe not. We include anything and everything and it gives us great ideas for fun things do to throughout the year. Happy 2009!
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