Father's Day

We had a wonderful Father's Day today. It was a beautiful day and we walked to church. (We've been trying to get in that habit; thanks $4 gallon gas!) Church was great even though Greg didn't get a chance to attend much of his meetings because he was walking the hall with Kate. His highlight at church was the Father's Day Nursery Muffin Munch. Greg (and all the other dads) joined their kids in nursery for the first 15 minutes and ate muffins, fruit and juice with the kids. Greg and Enoch both had such a great time. Enoch though it was so neat to have Dad in his class. (I only took pictures for our Primary DVD; I'm really not so obsessed with my blog as to take my camera to church and take pictures of nursery!)

For dinner, we had grilled salmon, roasted red potatoes, peas and watermelon. It was very good; Greg did a great job with the salmon. We had chocolate chip cookies for dessert (Greg's favorite). After dinner we just hung out and talked, jumped on the trampoline and went for a walk. Greg already knew what his present was, so opening presents wasn't that exciting. He got the entire Stargate SG-1 series on DVD - 54 DVDs! Wow! I wonder how long it will take for him to watch the entire series? We spent the evening at the Fowlers, visiting and eating cake and ice cream. It was a great day and we are so lucky to have such a great dad in our family.Gavin's favorite thing to do with his Dad is building and launching rockets. One his favorite memories of his Dad is eating Oreos. When Gavin was about four, they both sat down for a bedtime snack. Gavin got the milk and Greg got the Oreos. They sat across from each other at the table and tried to stare the other one down before giving up their half of 'cookies and milk'. Honestly, to this day, I don't know how it ended. I went to bed. I know better than to get involved with stubborn Fowlers!
Enoch's favorite thing to do with his Dad is playing with his 'dangerous' toys. When I pressed him to name some toys, he said his Magtastiks and Marbleworks. He also likes playing outside with Dad and jumping on the trampoline.
Kate's favorite thing to do with her Dad is being held by him. Sometimes at night, Dad is the only one who can calm her down (or hold her calmly when she is screaming). Dad also makes sure that Kate's headbands aren't too tight, her skirts and shorts are modest and her fingernails are cut. Dad also makes sures to ooh and aah when Kate is wearing a new outfit (yes, I know Greg, boys wear clothes, but girls can wear outfits!)
We are so lucky to have such an amazing Dad in our family. We love him so much!

Celebrate Red, White & Blue

Okay, so now that I have figured out how to change the background on our blog, it has became a lot of fun. Thanks to all who took part in our poll. It seems that most people liked our new look. However, I'm a total sucker for everything red, white and blue. I'm changing to a patriotic theme for a few months to celebrate my favorite holiday, the 4th of July. I decided to change today, it being Flag Day. I love this time of year, seeing all the flags flying so often. I can't wait to get my bunting up on the porch. As I say to my kids about America, especially this time of year: LOVE YOUR LIBERTY, REMEMBER YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!

Thanksgiving Point Farm

It was a beautiful afternoon yesterday and I was sick of the kids watching TV, so we made a trip to the Farm at Thanksgiving Point (I had to bribe Gavin with ice cream afterward, but it worked). Once we got there, we had a terrific time. Gavin and Enoch love feeding corn kernels to the goats. It was especially fun this time because the baby goats were old enough to eat the kernels and would follow the boys around, bleat and eat the kernels out of their hands. Enoch was a bit apprehensive about having the goats lick his hands so he would just throw the kernels in the pen and giggle. Gavin liked having the big goats stand on their back hooves to eat out of his hands. Enoch got a huge kick out of the donkey who paced in front of his stall and brayed (did I spell that right?) over and over. That was the only time that Kate woke up; she even slept through the bumpy wagon ride.
We decided to put off ice cream until after dinner when Dad could go with us. We went to Arctic Circle and the all of the boys had ice cream. This morning Enoch told me how much fun it was to get an ice cream cone and he wanted to do it a hundred more times. It was a great reminder to me of how much fun we can have together without a bunch of planning (a huge hang-up of mine thinking that everything needs to be planned out). I'm glad my kids and Greg are spontaneous and I am trying to learn from their great examples!

Best Friends

This afternoon, Gavin, Enoch, Kate and I were sitting in the family room with me looking at the clock wondering how much longer until Greg would get home. (Gavin and Enoch had just finished a teasing/fighting session.) Enoch surprised me by looking up at me and saying, "Gavin is my best friend. I love him. I keep him." To hear Enoch say that about Gavin just melted my heart. It seems that Gavin is always teasing Enoch, and Enoch is always over-reacting to the teasing. I sometimes wonder if they even like being together. But in typical boy fashion, 30 seconds after fighting they are best buds again. There is nothing quite like having a brother to fight with, play with, share with and love. They have a tremendous amount of fun together. Their favorites are jumping on the trampoline, wrestling, riding scooters, watching MacGyver, playing with the wagon and drinking hot chocolate together. I am so thankful that my boys are unique in who they are, with their own talents and interests, but also best friends!
PS - When I asked Gavin and Enoch to sit for these pictures tonight, Gavin groaned, "Oh no, THE BLOG!" He has me all figured out.

Car Wash

I don't know if someone taught this game to my kids or if they made it up themselves, but their new favorite thing to do is to play "car wash" on the trampoline. The game goes like this: someone runs or jumps down the middle of the trampoline while two people stand on the sides and spray them with squirt bottles (I'm relieved they are using small squirt bottles and not a full-powered hose!). Both Gavin and Enoch like to be the 'car' and also the 'washers', so this game works out great for the two of them. The problem is that they have to recruit either Greg or me to be the other 'washer'. This would be great fun except for the fact that once Greg or I have a squirt bottle in our hands we become fair game for being squirted ourselves. It usually turns into a water fight, which is probably the entire point for the boys. Greg and I don't might getting wet if it means playing and having fun with the boys!

I Love Chicken!

Whenever Gavin is feeling excited, happy, sad or mad, he yells, "I love chicken!". We're not sure where this saying came from but it has become a common occurrence in our home. Gavin does like chicken, but he is not obsessed with eating it, just saying it. I appreciate the fact that he is saying something comical and not mean or inappropriate, but I still just don't get it. Nothing new there; if I understood Gavin my life would have been a lot easier for the last 10 years! However, it still makes me laugh every time Gavin yells, "I love chicken", over and over. I like it when he says it with a smile on his face, rather than growling it with a snarky smile or screaming it while stomping out of the room. I don't know how long this will last, but I'm enjoying his quirky sense of humor for now.

72-Hour Kits

Our ward is currently making a huge push for everyone to have an updated 72-hour kit. We put some together a few years ago, but the food was expired, clothes too small and nothing for Kate at all. So, that has been my project this week (even though the Priesthood in the home was supposed to head it up; ladies, we all know how that goes! I think I'll put Greg in charge of the camping things, while I handle the clothes, food, first-aid and hygiene). I can't complain too much, Greg is willing to help how he can. Enoch has been my best helper by unloading each backpack numerous times a day looking for the shaker flashlights, chapsticks, stuffed bunny and money; and not just from his backpack, but everyones. What a good helper! Gavin keeps eyeing his $20 cash and beef jerky and asking if his tin foil blanket really does work (I have no idea, I hope so!). After attending an Enrichment activity about 72-hour kits last night, I came home feeling ours were woefully inadequate. I think some people could live off of theirs for months! However, we do have them and we will be fine for a few days. I just have to get a few more food items, some camping gear and a first aid kit for Enoch. After that, I can put them back in the hall closet for one more year. I hope I'm not getting them out before that to use them in an emergency. But I do know they are there for us and that lets me sleep a little easier at night!