Space Explorers

Our Magic School Bus book for September was Space Explorers. Enoch was very excited about this book. He has a lot of his dad in him - they love space. This book also had a robot dog in it, so it was just about darn near perfection for Enoch.
We learned about all the planets (including Pluto, which was still a planet when this book was published), space travel, gravity and many other fun facts. Enoch just soaked it in. He asked so many questions that I had to have Greg read it to him before bed so he could answer all the hard stuff. At night he would look at the stars and tell me about them. He was particularly interested in Venus and would tell me about it's gas clouds and atmosphere. I love his joy and excitement when he discovers something new!
For our activity, we recruited Uncle Jarom to help us, which wasn't very hard since he is a huge space buff as well. While visiting my parents in Fairview over Labor Day, Uncle Jarom set up his super fancy telescope so we could look at the stars and planets. It is amazing how many more stars you can see in Fairview. You could clearly see the Milky Way - it was awesome! We looked at a few stars and also at the planet Saturn. Enoch was so excited that he could see the rings around Saturn and some of it's moons. It was very cool. Thanks, Uncle Jarom!


We had a great time reading this book. It was probably one of our favorites so far. I wonder what we will read next?

My Mom

I received a very special surprise today.
A week ago my mom called and asked me to go to lunch with her today. I checked my calendar, we made a date and then I started to worry. Was everyone okay? Was someone sick? Geesh! Only I could turn an innocent lunch into stress. My mom assured me that things were fine, just still plan on lunch.
I had no idea why we were going to lunch. Not that I wasn't happy to go to lunch with my mom, it was just an unusual Wednesday occurrence. It was even more puzzling when she brought a present.
After getting settled in our booth at Winger's, my mom handed me the gift and told me to read the card first. I was completely blown away. My mom had figured exactly, to the day, of how old I was when her and my dad married and then figured out, exactly to the day, of when Kate would be that age. How incredible is that! What a surprise. That date was September 29, 2010. So special. She gave me a double frame with a pictures of a toddler me and a picture of Kate.
For those who don't know - my mother was killed in a car accident when I was 18 months old. My dad married my mom when I was 2 1/2 years old. Sorry, I know it's confusing, but I really don't think of my mom as my step mom, so I won't call her that. She is the only mom I know. And think of how lucky I am - I'll have two moms for eternity!
Now that I am a mom, I appreciate so much more what my mom went through. Think of being a newlywed with a 2 year old. Yikes! What a fun age to be introduced to motherhood. Hopefully I wasn't too much of a stinkerbug. She told me a cute story. The first time she babysat me, she fixed dinner. She made sure all the food groups were there including some frozen mixed veggies. Apparently I ate all the veggies except the pile of lima beans I picked out and put on the side. I still hate lima beans. My mom never made me eat lima beans after that.
I wish I had something profound to say. I really don't know how to put into words what this entire journey has meant to me. I hope my mom knows how I feel. I appreciate her. I respect her. I follow her. I love her. It is simple. She is my mom and I love her.

Enoch Plays Soccer (kind of)

When I signed Enoch up for fall soccer, I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't have high expectations of him being the star player. I just wanted him to have a chance to play and discover if he liked it or not. We have our answer.
Enoch liked making new friends. Enoch liked getting a soccer ball, shin guards and soccer socks. Enoch liked soccer treats. Enoch liked flirting with his team mates sisters on the sidelines. Enoch liked collecting feathers from off the field. Enoch liked having Kate cheer him on. Enoch liked swinging from the goal posts. Enoch did not like soccer so much.
Enoch has never been a physically aggressive boy. He has never really been competitive. He is quite low key. When you play pack soccer (as 5 year olds) do, you have to get in there. Enoch just wasn't interested in doing that. He was more interested in doing pull-ups from the goal posts. Most of the time, he didn't even know where the ball was. I glanced toward him at one point and saw him kick the ball. When he came out I said, "Enoch, good job. I saw you kick the ball." "You did? I didn't kick the ball." Enoch said. "Yes, I saw it," I said. "Oh, I didn't kick it. Someone else kicked it and it bounced off my leg. I didn't even know the ball was there." HA!
Another mom asked me if Enoch was enjoying playing soccer. At that point, I looked at him. He was on the opposite side of the field as the other 11 players. He had pulled his jersey completely up over his head and was running in circles until he would fall down and burst into laughter. He was having his own fun.
What an entertaining boy. The whole team loved Enoch, even if he didn't contribute much to the soccer game. He is just so fun to be around.

How Enoch spent most of the games:



Poo kid! It didn't matter what shorts he wore, he spend the entire game trying to keep the up!

Canning 2010

I realize I don't can as much food as some people. I do what my family eats and how much we need. I really don't mind canning - except pears. I hate canning pears. I would have to get a box of beautiful, big pears for me to consider canning them. I haven't canned pears in years!
This year I learned something new - applesauce. It was very easy and so yummy! Now I have a pressure cooker and food mill on my Amazon list.

Tomatoes - 24 quarts

Bread and Butter Pickles - 13 pints

Applesauce - 13 quarts

Freezer Berry Jam - 8 batches

I also froze about 5 quarts of peaches from our tree and about 6 quarts of bell peppers from our garden. I would have liked to do some corn, but alas, the corn in our garden really struggled this year. However, we do have many onions and carrots that will eventually make it down to our storage room for future use.
It will be so nice to have this food in the winter!

Biker Boy

Maybe I shouldn't call Gavin a boy after today. He and his Scout troop completed their Cycling Merit Badge meaning they rode 50 miles today! Wow! I'm so proud of him. That is forever long. They took off at 9am, rode, ate lunch at Willow Park, rode, rode, rode and got home about 3:30pm. He said his behind hurt. No kidding?
The Cycling Merit Badge is quite intense. I'm not sure of the exact number of rides, but the boys have to complete at least two 10 mile rides, one 25 mile ride and one 50 mile ride. That's a lot. Gavin has had fun with it though. He rides Greg's road bike and takes his camelback full of Gatorade. Today was tough, but he came home with energy - almost hyper.



After the ride, the boys had a party (don't they have the best Scout leaders. Thanks, Brother Besaw and Brother Mortenson!). They watched the BYU game, ate pizza and snacks and I'm sure acted like tween boys.

Princess Party

A few weeks ago my sister, Valerie, invited me and Kate to a Fancy Nancy party at the Lehi Library. We have never read Fancy Nancy books, but it sounded like fun. I didn't tell Kate about it until this morning. I told her we were going to a princess party, since she doesn't know who Fancy Nancy is. She was thrilled. She kept telling me all day long that she was so excited.


We were quite surprised at how many people were in attendance at the party. We spotted Valerie and Brynnley right off. We grabbed some seats in the back. The librarian read a Fancy Nancy book and talked about constellations, but Kate and Brynnley had so much fun pulling dozens and dozens of books off the shelves and looking through them. They really weren't interested in what was going on up front, but still had a great time.


It was so fun to go with Kate. She was so cute. Girl's night out was just what we both needed. On the car ride over she kept talking about how it was just the girls going and not her brothers and dad because they are boys. "No boys," she told me! She is very aware that she is a girl. She makes me so thankful to be a mom.

Wacky Weather

It still feels like summer. It's warm, sometimes hot. The sun is out. It's dry. Except for today. This is crazy weather.
We woke up to an overcast, humid day. By lunchtime, it was hailing. A lot. Enoch and Kate found it fascinating. I was running outside diverting water from window wells and picking my peaches before they were battered. I was dripping wet when I finally got back inside. Like I said, crazy.



I'm starting to look forward to cooler temps, but definitely not shorter days. I hope we have a decent fall this year - none of this 2 weeks of fall before it snows. Fall is fabulous!

Not much going on

Life has been quiet lately (thankfully). I do have a post I need to get done about Labor Day, but I'm waiting on some pictures.
The kids are enjoying school. Gavin is just thriving in Junior High. Why did I ever doubt it? Enoch doesn't say much about Kindergarten, which means things are going well. If all the Kindergarten Moms could figure out the proper drop-off procedure, then Kindergarten would be going well for me too (don't park and leave your car in the drop-off zone!!!!!).
Kate misses Enoch. Everyday after we drop off the boys she asks, "Where are Enoch and Jimmy?" over and over and over. Then I drive the extra long way home, because she will fall asleep in the car. I carry her inside, lay her on the couch and she will sleep for 30 minutes. I can't put her in bed because she will wake up, but she does fine on the couch.
I'm trying to get back to a schedule. I posted a cleaning routine on my fridge. Too bad I've yet to have a week where it has been followed. Oh well. I spend all my cleaning time straightening up so I can eventually vacuum or mop. I figure my house will be clean in about 13 years (that's when Enoch moves out. He doesn't have a tidy bone in his whole body).
I've been able to get some sewing done. I've finished a dress, a shirt and a dress/jacket (I don't know what else to call it) all for Kate. Today I'm working on winter jammies. I'll try to post some picture soon.
Yesterday at Regional Conference, Sister Julie B. Beck spoke. You've got to love Sister Beck. She never finishes a talk without you knowing exactly what she is saying. She doesn't hold back. She reminds me a bit of Brigham Young that way. Anyway, she told us that we are doing better than we think we are, but we can still do better yet. I like that. Here's to doing better.

We Are Having Fun Together

We had a great Randall family reunion Labor Day weekend in Fairview. It was so much fun and relaxing. A few highlights:

*Everyone loved going out on the 4-wheelers. The resort is a perfect place to explore. The kids especially enjoyed riding around with Grandpa.
*Kate discovered Grandpa's singing fish. She danced and danced in the loft while we all had to listen to that fish sing. Can't say I missed that much when we came home.
*The girls and little kids watched the BYU gamed while all the men attended. It was a fun game to watch and a great way to start the season.
*The food was great - way too much of it. Snacks constantly. Everyone took turns cooking and it worked out great.
*Greg and Gavin went for a 15 mile bike ride, working towards Gavin's merit badge. They had fun, but were tired when arriving back at Grandma and Grandpa's.
*My kids surprised me and went to Primary. Enoch helped Grandma play the piano in Sharing Time and then went with his class. While sitting with Grandma at the piano, he asked, "We are having fun together, right Grandma?" Gavin went to Priesthood and Kate lasted about 10 minutes in Nursery before they brought her to me in Relief Society. She wasn't crying, but had the saddest look on her face. When I picked her up, she burst into tears. She did great in RS and Sunday School with her bag of trail mix.
*Enoch and Kate loved looking for deer. We saw quite a few. They just wander through Grandma and Grandpa's yard, especially in the morning and evening.
*Best of all, we were finally able to meet Amy, Jarom's girlfriend. She is amazing; we think the world of her. Enoch has a huge crush on her. Sad for us, Amy is leaving soon on her mission to Brazil. We are happy she is going, but we only we able to be with her for a short while. Good luck, Amy!
I didn't take any pictures. Can you believe that? I took my camera, but made the conscious decision not to have to attached to my face the entire trip like I usually do.
We had such a great weekend. It was wonderful being with family. What a great memory.

Insect Invaders

For our Magic School Bus book this week, we read about insects. I was a bit grossed out by insect's eating habits, but the kids loved it. For our activity, I let the kids take the camera into the backyard and take some pictures from a bug's perspective. They had such fun. When they were done with the pictures, Enoch told me a story. He narrated and I typed.

Spider Enoch lived on a spider web. Ladybug Kate saw Spider Enoch. Then they were friends. They showed each other their homes. Ladybug Kate lived in the air. From her home she could see clouds, butterflies and other insects, fields, people and spiders webs.



She saw Spider Enoch's web, but he was gone. He went to live in another spider web because there were no more bugs around his web.

Spider Enoch from his new house could see some rocks, grass, a house, flowers and he could see plants.


So Ladybug Kate zoomed and flied off to look for her friend, Spider Enoch. She finally found him. Then, Ladybug Kate saw some water to drink. She was very thirsty. After drinking, Ladybug Kate and Spider Enoch were friends again.

Spider Enoch pretended to fly and Ladybug Kate pretended to make spider webs. They had lots of fun. Then they were really tired. They found a place to take a rest. The Spider Enoch said, "Hey, look, it's the end of the day." Then they went right asleep. And that is all of it.

Kindergarten Birthday

Enoch started Kindergarten today. He kept calling it his Kindergarten birthday. How clever.
He woke up feeling a little nervous. Nothing major, just a few butterflies. He requested his favorite breakfast: strawberry cream of wheat (from Lehi Roller Mills) with fresh strawberries.

After lunch, we combed our hair, brushed our teeth and took some pictures in front of the 'picture bush'. What a cutie!



I was able to stay with Enoch for the first 45 minutes of class. We put together his binder, painted his hand for a hand print and listened to Mrs. Simpson read the story, The Kissing Hand. I was having a hard time believing that I was in Enoch's Kindergarten room. Enoch seemed right at home. It was great to see him adjusting so well. His best friend, Jimmy, is in his class. They are going to have so much fun together.



When it was time to say good-bye, I teared up some. Enoch took my hand, gave me a kiss, pressed my hand to my check and smiled. What a sweet boy. He said he was feeling a little sad too, so I gave him a kiss on his hand. He put that hand on his check and then held out his other hand for a kiss on that hand as well. He gave me a big hug, told me he loved me and then went and sat on the reading rug.
As I was thinking about Enoch when I got home I realized I missed him already. I put my hand on my cheek and smiled. Enoch makes me smile.


September 1, 2010

Enoch -
My little wild man. You always laugh when I call you that. You ask, "Was Enoch, the prophet, really wild? I'm going to be like him." You are like him already. You are so happy, faithful and good (and a bit wild!). Your spirit sometimes seems too big for your body. Happiness just explodes from you.
You are my constant joy. Tonight you snuggled on my lap as we sat in the porch rocker. You can make me happy by just being near. I love your voice - it sounds like laughter all the time. Your smile is so genuine. Your first thoughts are of kindness. You are a wonderful example for me. I crave your optimism.
I will miss you tremendously while you are at school. However, I am so happy for you. School is so exciting and you will love it. Kate and I will try to survive without you. Home is not the same without you here. I will miss your joyfulness. I will miss your curiosity. I will miss your craziness. I will miss you.
I love you, Enoch. What an amazing spirit Heavenly Father has sent to our home. You are everything that is good in this world. I sometimes wonder if you are living with one foot in heaven - you just instinctively know what it most important. Thank you for being in our family!
Love,
Mom