I'm Thankful for...

As a mom, I try to instill in sense of gratitude in my kids.  I'm not sure how well I'm doing...it's an ongoing project.  The month of November seems like a good time to ultra focus on gratitude. 
I came up with the plan to make a gratitude chain.  A paper chain with thoughts of gratitude written on each link.  We were to do it after scriptures.  I debated sharing this because then you will all realize how great we are at reading our scriptures based on how long our chain is (haha).  Again, another work in progress.

 We are thankful for...(in no particular order)

Greg
Brandon Sanderson
TV
family
General Conference
chocolate milk
smiles
car
light bulbs
home

Tresa
Guard's smile
a husband who works so hard
washing machine
warm blankets
dishwashers
Amazon.com
silence
sunshine
Costco
Gavin's helpfulness
Enoch's curiosity
Kate's determination

Gavin
shoes
Guard's love
Teacher's quorum
Coal
phone
Enoch
Kate
chicken
books
Teacher's quorum advisors
saxophone
beef

Enoch
quarks
atoms and neutrons
chemicals
books
Discoverer (his reading light.  Yes, it has a name.)
Mom & Dad
pizza
bed
books
room
bike

Kate
brothers
motorhome
family
I Love Gavin
Mom & Dad
gymnastics
room
dog
Mom
I love my family
learning how to read


Guard
Gavin
binky
strawberry yogurt
crib
books
baths
playing outside

A New Car Seat

Long ago when Gavin was a baby, the rules for car seats were different.  I am having to relearn them.
I was getting excited for Guard to turn one so I could get him a new car seat and turn it around.  He was getting a bit long for his and was getting quite a bit cranky facing backward. 
Not so fast.
Apparently your baby must now be 2 years old and 30 pounds to turn around.  Thirty pounds!?  Kate just hit 30 pounds earlier this year!  Who knows how old my skinny Guard would be when he reached 30 lbs?
I told my doctor we were shooting for 20 pounds and then turning him around.  He really didn't fit anymore.

Well Finally!  Twenty pounds!  At age 18 months.  Yes, he's a thin one.  We were taking a road trip to St. George and decided it would be a good time to switch car seats.  I did extensive research online and we found a really great seat made by Recaro (a European company that make seats for racing cars).

He is enjoying riding in the car a lot more now.  So are the rest of us!

Coal is Two

Our sweet puppy is two.  Okay.  No more puppy.  I'm ready for a calm, mature dog.  I'm thinking that might never happen with Coal!
Ohhh - as much as I whine about her, I do love her.  Who couldn't love this beautiful dog?

I know the kids love her!

She is such a part of our family.  Of course, we will celebrate her birthday!  We invited the Steenecks and their dogs, Cocoa and Gent, over for treats.  Coal wasn't sure about the birthday crown, but she was a good sport.

Chocolate ice cream, brownies and hot fudge sauce for a dog's birthday?!  Don't worry, the pups got their own treats!
It was a fun night and we are so happy to celebrate Coal.

Scattered Thoughts

1.  Greg was telling silly jokes at breakfast this morning.  Enoch said, "Dad, you're not very funny, but I laugh anyway so you don't feel bad."

2.  Kate told me the other day she was a gymnasticer.  Not a gymnast, a gymnasticer.  She's a very good gymnasticer.

3.  For FHE we were working on a requirement in Enoch's Faith in God book.  We were to pick someone who we admired and then pick a quality they have that we would like to work on in our lives.  Enoch picked me (such a sweet and smart boy!).  He said he wanted to work on being helpful.  I asked him what he would do if he came home from school and the house was a mess, Guard was crying and I was stressed.  Completely honest and with a straight face, he said, "Hide."
I told you he was smart.

Scattered Thoughts

1.  We were lucky enough to have Grandma and Grandpa Randall at our house the day before Grandpa's birthday.  We hung up the birthday banner, put a candle in a Costco muffin and sang Happy Birthday.  It was a fun way to start the day.

2.  We have pancakes every Tuesday morning.  Enoch is my pancake cooker.  He gets up early so he can help.  I mix up the batter and he cooks.  He loves being in charge of the pancakes and I love that he loves to help.  He is getting better and we all enjoy his pancakes.  Guard especially likes his whole wheat pancakes with loads of butter and homemade blackberry syrup.

3.  A cold Sunday morning in Mom's and Dad's bed.  And look - we aren't fighting!

The Nutcracker

 We were so lucky to attend the Nutcracker this year with Grandma Randall, Aunt Valerie, Aunt Michelle and Brynnley.  Kate was so excited to watch the ballet and see the ballerinas. 

 The dancing was great and Kate was completely enthralled during the first half.  She was leaning forward in her seat and didn't take her eyes off the stage.  After intermission, she got a bit bored (as did I), but she still said she loved it.
After the ballet, we went to dinner at Kneader's.  It was a great night with my girl.

Guard at 18 months

I haven't documented monthly birthdays for Guard since he turned one, but I thought I could do an update.
Guard is a happy boy, most of the time.  We don't see his temper often, but when he lets loose, we all take a step back.  He has been frustrated lately (probably wanting to talk) and has started crying and whining more, so we all appreciate his happy moods when they come.

He still is a complete binky boy, he loves his blanket, he is obsessed with all animals, but especially horses and Coal.  He loves trains, books, play-doh, baths, chocolate, Gavin, walks, rocks and sticks.  His favorite toys are his tractor, animals, poke-a-dots books, pick-up sticks, marbles, stacking pegs and cars.  His favorite is Dad and he screams for 20 minutes every morning when Greg leaves for work.

People always comment on his eyes - how blue and big they are.  He has the cutest smile with lots of teeth.

He loves the books The Hungry Caterpillar, Go, Trains,  I Love It When You Smile and all his touch and feel books.  He likes pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, french fries, ice cream, soda, raspberries, bananas, yogurt, club crackers, Nutella, fish and lasagna.  He's not a big fan of veggies.  We are still working on putting some weight on this kid.  He is currently in the 9th percentile for weight (up from the 8th).  His favorite snack is chocolate milk and mini powdered donuts.

He is very active and does this cute gallop instead of walking or running.  He will snuggle still, but only for brief moments.  He likes to climb, go down the slide, be thrown up in the air and ride the wiggle cars.  He loves going to nursery.  After a brief cry on his first day, he is now a pro.  He loves it and smiles every time I talk about it.

He isn't saying complete words yet, but will say the beginning or ending sound of about five words.  He has about 15 signs and will put two or three signs together to get what he wants.  He picks up on signs very quickly - only showing him two or three times.  His mind is very quick.

This kid is a teaser.  He loves to be teased and he will tease you.  It is quite funny.  His mannerisms really are that of an older child.  I can see his little personality developing and it is remarkable.

He's a great kid.  We love him so much!

Enoch Bears His Testimony

I've debated about putting up this post.  It is an experience that is quite special to me.
I do want to remember it and this is the best place to record it.
A few weeks ago Enoch sat down next to me and looked at me with worried eyes.  I gave him a squeeze around his shoulders and asked him what was going on.
"I'm not sure if I have a testimony," he admitted as he looked straight ahead.  When he did finally look at me, his eyes were shiny with tears.
Enoch has always understood spiritual matters with a mature heart.  He can be a typical, rambunctious boy and make mistakes with the best of them, but when it comes to the quiet times of spiritual reflection, he seems to just know things.  Things that he shouldn't know yet. 
Enoch has a very quiet side to him.  He likes silent and solitude.  He likes to be in his own head.  He likes to work things out with logic.  He also likes to think about hugely spiritual matters that can't be worked out with logic.
You can't work out a testimony with logic.
I told Enoch how proud I was of him for thinking about his testimony.  I asked him to tell me how he felt about Jesus and Heavenly Father, how he felt about the scriptures, how he felt about President Monson.  After talking for awhile, I slowly brought the conversation back to testimonies.  I explained to Enoch that he had just shared his testimony with me.
He understood.
He was amazed.
He was so happy.

A few weeks later, Enoch came home from Scouts with a big grin.  He said that they had bore their testimonies during den meeting and that he had shared his.  I was so proud of him!  Enoch hates to be the center of attention (really, really hates it), so I know that was difficult for him.  He didn't make a big deal about it, so neither did I.
I received a phone call a few days later from his den leader, Sister Larson.  She gave me more of the story:
She explained to the boys that they were working on the Faith in God that week and to pass off the requirement they needed to share a scripture story and bear their testimony.  They went around the circle and all the boys said their things.  Enoch was the last in the circle.  When it was his turn, he was looking very nervous.  Sister Larson wasn't sure if Enoch was going to do it.
He sat there, looking down at his hands for quite awhile.  Sister Larson asked him if he needed help.  Enoch held up one finger to indicate he needed just a minute.  A full minute.  He sat there for a full minute then he started to talk.  He told the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego (his favorite scripture story) and then he paused.  He took a deep breath and (according to Sister Larson) he bore the purest, sweetest testimony.  The entire room (full of 10 boys) was silent.  Silent.  Enoch finished his testimony and then looked up at Sister Larson with the biggest smile on his face.
One of the boys said, "I feel really good right now."  Sister Larson then pointed out that the Spirit was so strong, that they were all feeling good because the Spirit was in their hearts.
I love great Cub Scout leaders!
What a great experience for my Enoch.  His testimony is growing and he is learning to recognize the Spirit.  What a joyful time for him.  He is such a good example to me of truly wanting to do the right thing for the right reasons.  
Enoch is a blessing from heaven for our family.

Bedtime Battles

Getting ready for bed at our house seems to take forever - at least hours. Bathing, snacks, brushing teeth, etc, etc, etc, not too mention too much whining times three and I am exhausted after the whole thing.  I ignore Gavin and he seems to find his way to bed, which gives me hope for the other three.
In an effort to create a more child-responsible bedtime, I have bribed my kids.  At 7:45 pm, I am on the couch in the family room with a book in hand and if the kids are ready for bed, they are welcome to join me and listen to me read out loud.  So far it has been very successful.
We are currently reading Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King.  This is the first book in The Guardian series by William Joyce.  I am completely enjoying it and the kids are too.  It's a great book, so far (we are four chapters in).
Tonight we read:
"The children were wily, even brilliant, at avoiding that dreaded span of the day called 'bedtime.'  It was the one nearly impossible task the village faced each and every day.  One night the children disguised themselves as statues.  Another, they figured out how to hide inside the paintings on the walls.  Most often they'd simply duck into the forest, where even the bear would sometimes hide them.  And the herd of Great Reindeer was clearly in on the game, for many were the evenings when they would gallop between the trees with the laughing children on their backs, just ahead of their pursuing parents."
Sound familiar?  We don't have reindeer at our house, but if we did...
"Child traps were finally invented, intended to shorten the nightly ritual.  Gently but firmly, the traps would catch the children, wash them, brush their teeth, clothe them in the proper pajamas, and catapult them to their bedrooms."
I'll take three, please.

Budding Artist?

Guard loves to follow Kate around and copy her.  Most of the time, she is quite accommodating.  Last week, while she was coloring (Kate loves to color!), Guard climbed up next to her, sat down right next to her on her chair and demanded a crayon by grunting.  Kate picked out a color for Guard and put a white sheet of paper in front of him.

 She created a coloring monster!

 Guard is now obsessed with coloring.  He wants to color dozens of times a day.  He takes me by the hand and drags me over to the crayon box (which is out of his reach) and grunts until I get out the huge box of mismatched crayons and markers. 

He sits at the table and colors and colors and colors.  We've gone through a lot of paper.

And he is happy.

Really happy.

Really proud of himself.

So, his mom lets him color whenever he wants (because who could resist that smile?).

He's getting pretty good for an almost 18-month old.