Coal's Graduation

The night we got Coal, we stopped by Petsmart to pick up food, a crate, etc.  We also signed up for puppy class that night.  We were fairly clueless about what to do with her.  We needed help.
We attended puppy class for six weeks; every Saturday at 11 am.  We learned about sit, down, potty training, feeding, stay, leash walking and a lot of other things.  Our trainer, Hanna, was great.  She answered all our questions and gave us some great advice.  It helped that she also has a sheep dog and knows the nuances of the breed.
Coal enjoyed going to puppy class, although she didn't seem too interested in playing with the other dogs.  She would occasionally join in play time, but often she would be more interested in the people.  We theorized that she knows who has the treats and who doesn't!  Saturday afternoons were always quiet with Coal because class would wear her out. She slept most of the afternoons.

Enoch and Kate loved attending class.  They had so much fun giving Coal commands and learning new ways to play with and train her.  They also liked looking at all the dog toys and picking out new ones for Coal.  They were always disappointed when we told them no toys for that day.

 Coal did very well in puppy class.  I wouldn't call her the most obedient dog (she is quite stubborn), but she understands a lot of what you tell her.  Although all dogs graduate, it was still an accomplishment for our family.

She loves to obey and please Greg, she gets so excited when Gavin comes home, she knows Enoch is there to play, and she will obey me and Kate when she knows we have treats (little stinker!).  Hmm - she really does fit into our family.

Hot dogs and K-9 dogs

After planning and attending this last Blue & Gold Banquet, I came to the realization that I'm going to be going to Pack Meetings for the rest of my life.  Okay, not quite.  But I seem to be spacing my boys far enough apart that none will overlap in the Cub Scout program.  Couple that with the fact that I am now serving in Cubs without a son in there yet, and I feel like Pack Meetings are going to be with me for a good long while.
Back to Blue & Gold.  For those who haven't been blessed with a Cub Scout, the Blue & Gold Banquet is celebrated every February to remember the birthday of Cub Scouting.  It is usually a dinner for the Cubs and their families.  As a committee, we try to make it a fun night and have it stand out from the other monthly Pack Meetings.
Our Pack is quite large, and when you add in their families, that is a lot of people to serve for dinner.  Our Bishopric has been extremely generous with our budget, but it still only goes so far when buying food.  So, every year we have our traditional hot dog dinner (with chips, drinks and dessert).  In years past, we have asked the Cubs to bring cubcakes, but I was so sick of cleaning up ground-in chocolate cake out of carpet scattered throughout the entire church, that I nixed that idea this year.  We went with donuts.  It was great!  A few sticky fingers, but nothing major.
Dinner was easy to plan since we have the same thing every year (and we eat picnic style with families bringing their own blankets to sit on).  The hard part is coming up with an idea for entertainment.  Maybe it's because I had dogs on my brain, but I thought it sounded like fun to have the Lehi Police Dept. K-9 unit do a demonstration for us.  I had a bit of a hard time getting hold of the right officer, but it worked out in the end.
We sent out an email earlier in the week saying that dinner would be served at 6:30 sharp and all food needed to be cleaned up by 6:55 so the dogs could come at 7.  Wow!  Everyone was on time.  I was worried that wouldn't be enough time to serve and eat, but we did it.  We placed a napkin, hot dog, donut and bag of chips on plates and had them ready to go on long tables.  People just had to choose their chips, pick up a plate, put their ketchup and mustard on their dog and go.  It worked out great.  We had everyone served in less than 5 minutes.  And all food was cleaned up by 6:55.
The boys anxiously awaited the dogs.  The officers arrived at 7 pm and set up their things.  We had Officer Smith, Officer Smith and Officer Larsen and their dogs come and talk to us.  It was so fascinating and fun.  I have never seen the boys so quiet and attentive in all my years in Primary and Cubs.  The dogs did some exercises for us (finding drugs, bombs and attacking).  Sorry the pictures are bad - gym picture never turn out well.  Also, the officers requested no video.

There were a lot of questions and the officers were so great with the boys.  Enoch asked if they took their dogs on walks (we are still having problems with Coal).  They said yes.  I asked if they would take my puppy and train her and give her back.  They laughed and said when they gave her back she would bite.  I replied that she already bites.

The dogs were very well behaved, but still large, loud and ferocious.  Most boys didn't seem scared or intimated, but a few made their way to the back of the room.

We were done and cleaned up by 8:30 pm.  The entire night was a success.  The only problem is how to top it next year!

Valentines

Our Valentine's Day was a bit overlooked this year.  Sandwiched between birthdays and Blue & Gold, it didn't get a lot of attention.  I did manage to have the kids write out their valentines and sent them to school on the right day.  This is the only time of the year I will buy Fun Dips for the kids since they are so messy.  Enoch and Kate were happy to have a few left for them.
They both came home from school with cute Valentine holders filled with candy.

I tried to fix a dinner that everyone would enjoy - roasted chicken, onion roasted potatoes, broccoli and applesauce.  I looked everywhere for strawberries, but they were sold out.  I'll do chocolate dipped strawberries for Gavin's birthday.
Mom and Dad did get an extra special Valentine in the mail. (Kate made it at preschool.)

When Kate picked out her bedtime book, I completely forgot about our Huggly's Valentine book.  We read it every year, and I forget.  Oh well.  Kate picked out Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree.  It's her favorite.  I guess there is nothing wrong with reading a Christmas book on Valentines Day, is there?  Not at our house this year.
I love all my Valentines!

Baby Names

I've only recently become serious about picking out a name for this baby.  I remember with Gavin, I was so excited to choose a name.  I read baby books, talked to other people, listened for names wherever I went.  With Enoch, it was harder to come up with a name.  Kate was easy, her name had been picked out for a decade before she was born (when I was pregnant with Gavin).  This baby - I'm struggling.
I was pretty set on a  few girl's names before we found out we were having a boy.  I really liked Paige or Claire.  I didn't have anything in mind for a boy.  And still don't.  The one name I really like I have taken off the list.  Kirt.  It's too close to Kate. 
So now I'm searching.  Enoch thinks we should name him Coal, yep, after the dog.  Gavin likes Halt, after a character in his favorite book.  Kate thinks we should name him Cheesy.  I asked her if that was a nice name for her brother.  She said, "It doesn't matter.  He's a boy baby."  Okay, I guess she is a bit put out she isn't getting a sister.
I'm taking suggestions.

Seven

Seven?  How did that happen?  Just the other day I was telling Enoch that it was rainy and cold on the day he was born; he has been my sunshine every since.  And it didn't seem like seven years ago!
My sweet Enoch.  What a blessing he has been to our family.  So full of laughter, love and happiness.  Enoch truly understands joy.

 He has become quite a perfectionist lately.  This seems to me to be such a switch in his personality, but maybe not.  He has always liked things a certain way and now he is independent enough to make it happen.  If things aren't working properly or the way he wants it to, he fixes it.  What a great talent to have.  He isn't intimidated by much and really does think that he can do anything.  He sounds quite a bit like his Grandpa Fowler.  Have you seen the BYU Independent Study commercials that say "It's not about who is going to let you, it's who is going to stop you."?  Words to live by according to Enoch and Grandpa Dee.  I'm good with that.
Having your birthday on Sunday isn't the best, but Enoch was a good sport.  He did get sung to in Primary on his birthday, so that was fun.  We rushed to church at 9am, came home, ate lunch, cleaned up and finally had time to open presents before Mom and Dad's Cub Committee Meeting and Gavin's two firesides.  Busy birthday.
Enoch has been so into Legos lately.  I'm a bit frustrated that I spend a ton of money on a huge Lego set and he has it together in a couple of hours, but he loves it.  We tried to get him an extra-big set and a few smaller sets to keep him busy.

Enoch also opened a giant Styrofoam airplane.  He has already put it together and can't wait for the weather to dry out so he can fly it outside.
For dinner, Enoch picked out one of his favorites - meat loaf and mashed potatoes.  Mom threw in some broccoli and jello with whipped cream (guess which one Enoch liked best?)

Since we didn't have time to measure Enoch in the morning, we did it before bed (hopefully that didn't skew the results).  Enoch has grown a little over two inches this past year (I could have guessed that in the way his jeans are fitting!).

Happy Birthday, Enoch.  We love you so much!

Star Wars Adventure Club Birthday Party

Do most of the posts lately seem to be about Enoch.  I thought so, too.  Well, there are a few more coming.
Enoch decided about a year ago that he wanted a Star Wars birthday party.  Since our turn for Adventure Club fell on the Friday before his birthday, we decided to combine the two.
I suggested to Gavin that a really fun present to Enoch from Gavin would be to plan and carry out his Star Wars Adventure Club (is that manipulative?).  I was right, of course.  Gavin did an incredible job of planning the entire party, gathering the supplies, giving me my assignments and making the party happen.  Truthfully, he rather enjoyed being in charge and telling Mom what to do.
My jobs were to find and purchase Star Wars cups, make 11 Jedi robes with belts and find and purchase 11 cheap light sabers.  Done.  I had my assignments finished at least 20 minutes before the party started.
We had 8 adventurers, 1 sister and 2 Jedi Masters attend our training camp (Gavin invited his best friend Cayden to help with the adventure).  They started the party by watching Star Wars while we waited for everyone to arrive.  Once the boys were here, we served cupcakes and milk.  I hate serving cupcakes indoors because of the mess, but that is what Enoch requested - chocolate cupcakes with blue frosting.

After snack, Gavin and Cayden divided the boys into two groups.  One group went downstairs to blow up the Death Star and the second group stayed upstairs and made potato droids.  I wasn't sure how well the droids would go over, but the boys had a great time thinking up ideas and putting their potato droids together.  We covered potatoes in tin foil and had a variety of craft supplies for the kids to use - stickers, pipe cleaners, glitter glue, googly eyes and markers.  Never underestimate the power of glitter glue and googly eyes.

While half of the kids were designing droids, the other half were downstairs with Gavin and Cayden blowing up the Death Star.  The older boys would push the Jedi trainees in their ships (laundry baskets) through the maze of the death star (Brik-a-Bloks) and then the trainees would shoot the target at 'just the right time' and BOOM! Blow up the Death Star (which was cued up on the TV).  The kids really thought this was fun.

The last Jedi training challenge was the obstacle course (you remember, when Luke was carrying Yoda in his backpack running around in the swamp).  Each boy took his turn and had a great time.

Now that the training was over and all the boys passed, they were awarded their light sabers.  So fun!  The boys had been looking forward to this the entire party.  They kept asking, "Do we get light sabers?"  They played Jedi freeze tag in the backyard (luckily it was warm) and then battled with their light sabers.

Some Jedi were chased by Darth Vadar.

Some were chased by a Storm Trooper.  Although the Storm Trooper was beat up quite a bit, too!

Everyone had a great time.  We are so lucky there are so many fun Jedi to play with in our neighborhood!

Thanks Gavin for making this happen.  It was amazing!

Scattered Thoughts on Me

1.  I think I'm going to go live at the farm.  It's either me, Kate or Coal and at this point, I choose me.

2.  Last night I answered the phone and it was an opinion poll.  Usually I try to avoid these, but this was the Gallup Poll.  Wow!  I'm famous - I took the Gallup Poll.

3.  It's snowing right now.  I'm not sure how I feel about it.  I know we need the water, but I've really been enjoying the warm weather.  The kids can play outside.  Coal can play outside.  I like the sun.  Coal has been outside and just came in (I leave the door propped open a bit when she is out).  Greg is teaching her how to wipe her paws when she comes in from playing.  She's not perfect, but better than the kids.

4.  Next week is the week I've been dreading for the last few months.  How awful is that that I'm dreading my kids birthdays.  I can't say I'm in love with my church calling right now.  When it takes away from my kids, I have a hard time with it.  I have Enoch's birthday on the 12, Valentine's on the 14, Cub Scout Blue & Gold on the 16 and Kate's birthday on the 19.  Wish me luck!