It Stinks When It Happens To You

I feel that Utah County and the Fowler Family have weathered the financial crisis pretty well. It's been a bit like living in a bubble. We have known a few people who have been hit by it, but for the most part life went on as normal. Our bubble burst on Thursday when we were told that the product Greg develops and maintains was being eliminated and his team was being laid off.
It came as a shock. Everyone at work was surprised that it happened. Greg's product and team were highly productive and were making good money in a stinky economy. Greg works for a national company; therefore, they weren't as protected as a Utah County based company. We are now definitely feeling the effects of the national economy.
Please don't worry about us. You take the good and the bad when you work in the computer industry. We will never get rich, but Greg's salary makes it possible for me to stay home and for our family to have a comfortable life. However, we also know that layoffs are a part of this industry. This is not the first time and we know it will not be the last. We are prepared. Of course, we wouldn't turn down a few extra prayers thrown our way!

Fowler Fathers & Sons

Greg and the boys attended the first annual Fowler Fathers & Sons at the family cabin this weekend. I can't get a lot of information out of them, but I'm sure they had fun. They came home very stinky, dirty and exhausted! (doesn't that mean that boys had fun?). On Saturday, everyone helped clear out dead brush and trees from around the cabin to help with fire hazards this year.
Enoch did not want to get in the shower when he came home. As you can see, he is filthy. We finally dragged him in the shower and scrubbed. Everyone had a great time and can't wait until next year.

Scratch & Sniff

I so wish this picture was scratch & sniff. My lilacs are blooming and they look fantastic. But, more than that, they smell amazingly heavenly. Every morning, I've been getting up early and sitting on my rocker on the porch, drinking my herbal tea and just smelling. I know that sounds crazy, but I love the smell of lilacs. I only get the scent for a few weeks of the year, and I intend to enjoy it. It's a great way to start the day.

The End of Fifth Grade

School is over. Am I happy or sad? I'm not sure yet - give me a few days.
Gavin had a great year. He transferred schools from Eaglecrest to Sego Lily Elementary to attend the Accelerated Learning Lab. The transition went very smoothly and he is so glad he made the choice to go. His teacher this year was Mrs. Magnum. Gavin really liked her and is sad to be leaving her class. A few of Gavin's favorites from fifth grade:
1. Mrs. Magnum - she gave out thousands of Frooties throughout the year to the kids and never assigned homework over the weekend.
2. Field Trip - Space Center (what else?)
3. Books - Pillage, Pendragon series
4. Recess game - Flag Revenge (a twist on Flag Football and British Bulldog)
5. Subject - Reading
6. School lunch - Baked Potato Bar
7. Project - Dissecting Frogs and Wax Museum (Gavin picked an American hero to do a written and oral report on. He had to dress up like him and write a rhyming poem to present to the class. He chose to depict Wernher von Braun. I know, I didn't know who that was either. When I asked Gavin, he gave me a duh look and in a voice meant for speaking to a 2-year-old told me he founded NASA. I get it now.)
8. Carpooling with his friend Cayden and being dropped off every morning by Dad.
What a great and busy year. It will be nice to have a break from homework (Gavin averaged about 1 1/2 hours a night). Gavin is looking forward to summer, but will miss his friends and, dare I say, maybe even school!

Wipeout!

Right now, I'm watching the funniest show ever on TV - Wipeout (ABC at 7pm). I'm laughing so hard, I can't catch my breath and tears are running down my face. Kate is worried; she is giving me hugs and rubbing my back. If you haven't watched this show, you are missing out. It is a giant obstacle course for adults. So funny! Check it out!

Kate at 15 months

It seems to me that Kate's development has exploded lately. She is so quick and sure on her feet. She runs everywhere and hardly ever walks anymore. She climbs the ladder to the play tower and goes down the slide by herself. (Not with my permission; she did this while I was screaming from my bedroom window.) She is so agile and obviously not afraid of much.
She is communicating well with us. She is by far my most obedient child. You ask her to do something and she does it (we will see how long that lasts). She understands everything I tell her - even things that I don't expect her to understand. Her little mind is like a sponge. She says the words mama, uh-oh, yes, up, tickle and shoes. She signs the words all done, more, bye, milk, poopy and please. She is so much fun! Her favorites include: reading books, playing outside (in the sand and jumping on the tramp), dogs, chocolate, strawberries, taking baths, playing with her kitchen and food, climbing and Grandpa Dee.
I was convinced Kate was growing and gaining lots of weight. Not so, she still is about where she was last time in percents. Length: 30 3/4 inches (50%), weight: 21 lbs. 4 ozs. (25%), head cirm. 46.2 cm (50%).

Enoch's Stitiches Part II

Today Enoch got his stitches out. He was a bit nervous about getting them taken out, but we kept telling him that it wouldn't hurt and it wasn't a big deal. Okay, it was a bigger deal than I thought. Dr. Johnson had to tug and pull harder than I thought to get them out. Enoch was very brave, but he kept flinching. After stitch #3, Dr. Johnson told Enoch that if he held still for the last two stitches, he would give him a dollar. Enoch held as still as a statue. When he was finished, Dr. Johnson pulled a dollar from his wallet and gave it to a beaming Enoch. He was so excited.
Dr. Johnson has been our family's pediatrician for 11 years now. Gavin was one of his first patients when he established his new practice in American Fork. He is an amazing doctor; my kids love going to see him.

Boochie Ball

We had a very busy Memorial Day. We ate breakfast with the Fowlers at 8:30. After breakfast, Greg and the boys went to Home Depot and and Kate and I went to Kohler's. After running errands, Uncle Jarom came and we got ready to leave. We picked up Aunt Cleone at the airport, drove to North Ogden, ate lunch at Subway, visited the cementary and then took Aunt Cleone home. It was a busy afternoon. We had a great time.
For dinner, Greg grilled hamburgers and after dinner the real fun began. Michelle, Dave and Jarom gave Greg the game, Boochie, for his birthday a few weeks ago. This is the first time we had a chance to play. It is so much fun. Every player wears a wrist band that keeps track of his score and also tells him how to throw his hoop and ball toward the Boochie ball (that has been previously thrown). Our favorites were throwing while lying down, kneeing the hoop and ball, with your eyes closed and backward behind your back. You are awarded points based on what side lands up on the boochie ball (you don't get to look until after every player has thrown their objects). I know I'm not explaining it well. Just believe me when I say it is a very fun, fast-moving game. The only place I've seen it for sale is on Amazon.com. Gavin won our first game. After Boochie Ball, we came in and had Creamies for dessert.

Kate's Bedtime B's

While getting Kate ready for bed tonight, I realized our bedtime schedule revolves around 'B' words.
1. Bath - Now that summer is here, she is quite a stinky girl every night with who knows what in her hair. She loves to play in the tub with Enoch. Her favorite tub toys are a bathtub fishing pole and a plastic carrot that Aunt Valerie gave her for Easter.
2. Books - Kate is a little bookworm. She loves to look at books and have people read to her. I'm not kidding when I say I read to her dozens of times of day. She will bring me a book, sign the work please, grab my hand and lead me to the couch. Her favorite books are I See A Monster and The Hungry Caterpillar.
3. Bottle - I realize she is too old for a bottle, but she still has one before bed. It is the only time she will sit and cuddle with me, so I'm being a selfish Mom and still giving it to her. She knows that when is Mom feeding her, we sit on the big chair in the family room and if Dad feeds her they get to watch TV in Mom and Dad's room while eating.
4. Binky - I'm trying very desperately to only give Kate her binky when she is in her crib. So far, we are doing pretty good. She loves to play the binky game with Dad every night. Greg holds her binky up high and airplanes it down to her mouth and then snatches it away at the last minute. A basic game that I think every parent plays with their child. They play forever. Kate loves it and giggles and giggles. We know when she is finally done when she starts to whine or grabs it away from Greg, sticks it in her mouth and clamps down so tight he can't get it back out of her mouth.
5. Bunny - I've never seen a child who loves stuffed animals as much as Kate. She loves to cuddle with them and rub their backs. Her special favorite stuffed animal is a little white bunny that we have named 'Bunny' (imagine that!). She will not go to sleep without Bunny. Usually I find her snuggled with up Bunny in the morning.
6. Blankie - Kate's Blankie is a extra soft green, tan and cream knit blanket. I feel bad that it isn't pink or the handmade quilt I made for her, but what can I do. From the time she was an infant, that has been her Blankie. Like Bunny, she will not sleep without Blankie. She doesn't like to be wrapped up or even have Blankie covering her, but she grabs a fistfull and hangs on until morning.
Mixed in with the 'B's are hugs, kisses and prayers. Kate is usually in bed by 8:15 pm. If we stick to the schedule, she is a happy camper.

Arrow of Light

Gavin has been out of Cub Scouts for almost a month, but he put on his Cub Scout shirt one more time (with much whining) and attended his last Pack Meeting for his Arrow of Light Ceremony. It was a great moment - at least for me. Grandma & Grandpa Fowler, Aunt Michelle, and our family attended and we are all so proud of him. All the work of Cub Scouts paid off. Now he has an arrow (which is already broken compliments of Enoch). Just kidding, but his arrow really is snapped.


Getting his Arrow of Light represents three years of hard work. Gavin always went the extra mile in Cubs. He earned many arrow points, extra badges, his Religious Square Knot and his belt is overflowing with belt loops. He also earned all 20 Webelos activity pins. What an amazing Cub Scout!
His favorite memories are
1. The Mother's Day party when he was a Wolf. We played games, ate treats and each mother received a handmade gift.
2. Earning the Engineer pin in Webelos.
3. Treats at Pack Meeting. I'm not sure why, but cookies always taste better at Pack Meeting.
4. The Raingutter Regatta, Space Derby and Pinewood Derby; a rite of passage for any Cub Scout.
5. Going to Classic Waterslides last summer. Hot dogs, chips, soda, awards, and waterslides - it was the best pack meeting ever!
6. Day Camp (I never had to go, but Gavin always came home exhausted from fun and very sunburned!).
I am so proud of Gavin and his great accomplishments in Cub Scouts. He enjoyed learning new things, setting goals and reaching them, and being with his friends. Many thanks to all his incredible Cub Scout leaders through the years - you guys are amazing! Gavin is lucky to be a part of Troop 1040.

Cap, Gown & Crocs

Enoch's preschool graduation was today. I put him in a cute (okay, handsome) shirt, shorts and of course, crocs (he won't wear anything else). I didn't realize that his teacher had adorable caps and gowns for all the kids. When I saw him, I flashed forward 14 years. He'll probably be the kid wearing shorts and crocs with his gown when he graduates from high school. Again, Enochworld. (That is what we say at our house when Enoch insists on doing his own thing, which is all the time. He really does just live around us, not really with us).
Enoch has had such an amazing year at preschool. I am so thankful everyday that we found Miss Dawn. She is everything a preschool teacher should be. Enoch loves her. It is that simple. If something exciting happens in his life, he wants to tell Miss Dawn, then Mom and Dad, then Grandpa and Grandma, etc. Miss Dawn is great. Enoch always gives her hugs and is holding her hand. Miss Dawn has made Enoch's year. I think he will always remember her.
He has learned so much this year. Enoch is terribly disinterested in learning his letters or numbers (I'm hoping that will change soon!), but Miss Dawn has taught him so many social skills. It is amazing to me to watch him during Primary. He sits still, listens, participates when most of his class is running wild. I asked him why he does that and he told me because Miss Dawn said he had to. Not that he is perfect at preschool or Primary, but he understands there are times and places to be rowdy and times and places to be good. That alone is worth it.
Enoch's favorite field trip this year was to the Aquarium. He talks and talks about the electric eel, jellyfish, touching the stingrays and playing on the boat. He had so much fun there. He also enjoyed the Pumpkin Patch, the grocery store and visiting the farm at Thanksgiving Point.
Enoch loved going to preschool, he was always sad on the days he didn't go. He loved playing with his friends, seeing Miss Dawn, playing toys (his favorites were the blocks, kitchen and books) and doing the great art projects.
It is so sad to see this chapter of Enoch's life over. I know, I know - it's only his first year of preschool. But, it was a great year, an awesome introduction to the rest of his school years. Thank you, Miss Dawn. You are the best.

The first video is of Enoch singing his favorite song he learned at preschool. I missed the first few lines trying to get into video mode. The song is Mr. Peanut. "Mr. Peanut sitting on a track, his heart was all a flutter. Along came a choo-choo train, uh-oh, peanut butter!"
The second video is of Enoch getting his diploma. Not much, but a memory.

Enoch's Stitches

No joke, Enoch now is sporting 5 blue stitches. I'm actually surprised that he has gone this long without being stitched up.
Part of our typical dinnertime routine usually involves Gavin and Enoch fighting and wrestling, Kate screaming and me trying to finish dinner. I remember telling Gavin and Enoch to knock it off, but of course, they continued. As far as I can tell, Gavin was holding Enoch around the waist with his arms pinned to his sides, and Enoch was fighting to get away by swinging his head forward and back. Enoch swung forward and Gavin lost his grip. Enoch's chin hit the hardwood floor and split open. There was blood everywhere. I grabbed a cloth and held it to his chin. I didn't realize how bad it was until a few minutes later when I took the cloth away. I knew right away he would need stitches. He was so brave. He sat on my lap and was just whimpering. He only said, "Mommy, it hurts really bad." I think my eyes were watering more than his.
We hurriedly dropped off Gavin and Kate at Grandpa and Grandma Fowler's house and headed to the after-hours clinic at the pediatrician's office. They were great! I will never go to the ER for stitches again. When the nurse asked Enoch what happened he said, "Gavin was holding me and then I bonked my chin on the hardwood floor." Of course, Enoch had the nurse wrapped around his finger.
They took us back to the sterile room, laid Enoch down, covered him with a large towel and turned on Toy Story. They put some 'numbing goob' on his chin and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Enoch was great at this point. He was just enjoying Toy Story. Greg was watching with him and I was looking at a magazine. The doctor came in, joked around with us, checked Enoch's chin and stitched him up. It was quick and painless. They didn't even have to give him a shot. Enoch watched the movie the entire time and only commented that it tickled.
When the doctor was done with Enoch, he told Enoch that he now had kitty whiskers. Enoch absolutely loved that. Now he tells everyone that he has five kitty whiskers. I think that made it worth it for Enoch.

I know his chin looks very dirty. It is the residue from the band-aid adhesive. Enoch won't let us near his chin to clean him up, but we do keep his stitches clean. He will get them out in one week.
PS - Happy 14th Anniversary to me and Greg. Typical that we would spend it in an emergency situation involving our kids.

The Awesome Blog of Gavin

Part of Gavin's summer jobs is to write a blog post once a week to improve his writing skills. I thought it would be fun for him to have his own blog and therefore more of a motivation to do his post. Gavin's blog, of course, will be private. If you would like to be invited, please leave your email address in the comment box. I'm hoping this is a good idea!

We will delete your emails to prevent too much spam.

4-Wheeling at Lake Powell

Hello from Greg,

My wife has been bugging me to do a post about our 4-wheeling trip. Gavin, Grandpa and I went down to Lake Powell to do the Hole-in-the-Rock trail. It starts off near Hite marina. We left Thursday afternoon and traveled all day to get to the campground at about 8:00 at night. We had dinner in Hanksville. This is where Larry and Sheryl caught up with us. We camped out that night. We were expecting it to be a little cold at night. Boy, were we wrong. It was too hot for sleeping bags. I still can't believe how warm it was. After a good breakfast of pancakes and eggs, we took off. We got started on the trail about 8:30 a.m. This trail is a Jeep trail that is rated 4+, which means that it is extremly difficult for a Jeep. We were on the trail for about an hour when we got to a very difficult climb. Larry went up first and then walked down and drove Sheryls machine up the hill. I then drove my Hawkeye, the machine that Gavin was riding, up the hill. I walked down and started driving my machine up the hill. About half way up the machine started to tip over backwards. I jumped off and let it roll. It landed flat on its back. Larry and I rolled it over. It started back up and it drove fine. So I drove it up the hill again and then my Dad drove his up. The handlebars are a bit bent and it totally destroyed the instument panel. But it still drove fine so we kept going. We stopped for lunch at about noon in the only shade that we could find. At 1:00 we turned around and started back for camp. It was a very long day. We got back and had dinner of hambergurgs and gatorade. We drank a lot of water and gatorade that day. It was very hot and dry. I am glad that we didn't try to do this trail any later in the summer.

It cost about $400 to fix the damage to my machine. Other than that it was a fun trip.

Here is a picture of what happens to peanut butter cookies after a hard day on the trail.

Star Trek

Hello from Greg,

For Gavin and my birthdays party we went to the space center. If you don't know about the space center you are definitely missing out. http://www.spacecamputah.org
We took the Voyage out for a spin. It was a three hour mission.
I got to be the captain and Gavin was the first officer. Dave was communications, Jarom was navigation, Jayden was sensors, Kaden was tacticle, Heidi was operations, and John was the engineer. We had to get the cybernetic brains from the Orion Pirates. Needless to say we successfully got the brains from the pirates after a brief but intense battle. We had a great time. We had a great crew that worked hard.

It was great fun. I plan to do this again next year.

After the space center, Dave, Jarom and I went to see the new Star Trek movie. That should be enough Star Trek for anybody.

Where, oh where has my Enoch Jon gone?

Yesterday, I lost Enoch. I realized that this is not newsworthy enough to blog about (considering I lose him almost daily during the summer months), however, he really gave me a scare this time. Usually I walk the neighborhood for a few minutes, yell his name, and he answers from a backyard a few houses away. It is not always the same house, just wherever the kids are.
Yesterday, I truly could not find him. I walked the neighborhood for 20 minutes, yelling and screaming. By this time I had passed the butterflies in my stomach and was approaching full-blown panic. I was ready to call Greg, call the police. I had a thought that he might be at Ellis' house playing with Jaycee. I walked over there and noticed that their front door was open. I rang to doorbell and nobody answered. I started to walk away, but again had the feeling that I should go back. Luckily, the Ellis family are good friends and I felt comfortable just letting myself into their house. At this point, it wouldn't have mattered if they were strangers, I was going in. I walked into the living room and yelled for Enoch. He walked down the stairs and said, "What?" I was so relieved and so irritated with him. I asked him what he was doing. He said he was looking for Jaycee to give her some rocks and then he found some pink lipstick and put it on. Great! After marching him home and grounding him to the house for the rest of the day, I calmed down enough to say a prayer of thanks.
A note to the Ellis family - I hope nothing is missing, my apologies to whoever the pink lipstick belongs to, lock your doors - you never know about those neighbors!

Greg and Gavin's Birthday Bash

Greg and Gavin's birthdays are one day apart (Gavin's is May 1 and Greg's is May 2). Because of this, we always celebrate their birthdays together. It has worked out well and Greg is a great sport about it. On Gavin's birthday, we measured him on our family growth chart. He has grown quite a bit, but the winner of the most grown in one year goes to Kate. Gavin is only about four inches behind me now, but his feet are bigger than mine and he is proud of that!
We let him open his present from the family that morning. As you can see, he is beyond excited. He received the entire series of Star Trek: The Next Generation. That is a lot of Star Trek. Greg also opened his present. He got a Garmin Rino GPS Radio. It is very fancy and he can't stop playing with it. I'm glad they both liked their gifts.


That afternoon, Gavin invited over 8 friends to have a 'space mission' in our basement. He, Jon and Heidi have been planning it for weeks. They transformed the basement to look like a space ship complete with sick bay, a live TV feed from the cargo bay, alien invaders and a transporter. Everyone had an assignment and the mission was a great success. I wish I had some pictures, but Enoch, Kate and I were banned from the basement because we would get in the way! The mission went a bit longer than planned, so Greg picked up some pizzas on the way home from work to feed the hungry crew.
Grandpa and Grandma Fowler stopped by after dinner to wish Greg and Gavin happy birthday and have some brownies. Fowler's gave Gavin his new eleven-year-old Scout stuff. We used Greg's old Scout shirt and I sewed on new patches and picked up a new book for him. He looks so handsome in his khaki shirt. He also got a Scout belt and a Scout hat. We will add pants, shorts and socks later (Scout clothes are terribly expensive). After Grandma and Grandpa left, Gavin had a sleep-over with Jon and Heidi. It was a great day.
The next day on Greg's birthday, he helped his home teaching family move, worked in the yard and attended the adult session of Stake Conference. Birthdays aren't quite the same when you're a grown-up.

Gavin's First Decade Down

There is something about turning eleven. You have made it though a decade of life with all it's ups and downs, joys and disappoints, mistakes and lessons. It is a big accomplishment. To celebrate this great occasion, I'm making a list of my eleven favorite things about Gavin.
1. What an old soul! Gavin has always been an old soul trapped in a little body. You can imagine how fun he was as a newborn. Constant screaming doesn't even begin to describe it. When he was two weeks old, I told Greg to send him back, that I couldn't to this and I had no idea what Heavenly Father was doing sending such a child to me. Now, I appreciate the fact that Gavin is wiser and smarter than all of us! He is mature beyond his years.
2. Gavin is very spiritually grounded. He is a constant example of kindness and integrity. Everything is black and white with Gavin; there is no middle ground. He makes good choices for the right reasons. It is so amazing to watch his testimony grow.
3. I love his blue eyes. Sometimes they are so blue, it hurts to look at them!
4. He loves to learn. Gavin completely enjoys watching NOVA, reading National Geographic, asking intelligent questions and exploring new environments.
5. He is an amazing brother. He has an immense amount of love for Enoch and Kate. He is irreplaceable in their lives. Gavin is the best kind of brother. He loves his family and we are not complete when he is away from us.
6. Gavin plays a game with himself every day - What big, new word can I sneak into a conversation and not have Mom or Dad catch on. He loves to read and discover new words. It is great fun to talk to him. Conversations with Gavin are never dull. I usually feel like I'm talking to a 35 year old who can outwit and outsmart me. He loves to argue and beat his point to death. He would make a very good lawyer.
7. He loves to play games. Gavin lives for Settlers of Catan and is very good at it. He can beat me or Greg legitimately. He loves to have fun, especially with his friends.
8. Gavin has a very type A personality. He is bossy and opinionated with an I'm-in-charge attitude. Sometimes as a mother this is quite difficult, but I'm counting on this wonderfully strong personality to take him to incredible places. Gavin's future is bright - I'm convinced he can accomplish anything he wants.
9. He is very friendly and accepting. When he was little he would call everyone, "friend". He can make friends so quickly and easily. Gavin is a devoted friend. His friends are lucky to have him on their side.
10. He loves to serve. He is my little helper (okay, not so little anymore!) He has always had an innate ability to know when people need help. He serves without asking and usually is embarrassed when people catch him and thank him. He is organizing a food and blanket drive for the homeless shelter right now. Not for Scouts or school, but just because they need it. He wants to help people. It is an incredible gift he has been given by his Heavenly Father and I know that he will do great things with it in the future.
11. He is my son. What would I do without my Gavin?