Splash Happy

I sure get a kick out of Gracen lately.  She's a handful to say the least but she's a barrel of fun as well.  I snapped a few pictures of her splash-happy self in the bathtub tonight.  She was having soooo much fun.

And a quick video of some of the action that for some reason Blogger cut short:

Why I Never Make My Bed

Just one more piece of evidence for my case titled "Why I should never make my bed:"

Bustin' Out The Boat

The weather has turned be-a-utiful here lately and we are taking full advantage of the sunshine and warmth by spending most of our days outside.  Yesterday Jaron and his dad were inspired to open up the boat shed and put a little work into resurrecting Great-Grandpa Brunson's old boat.

 The boys had a blast "helping" Dad, Grandpa and Uncle Isaac fix it up.  Great-Grandpa Brunson passed away last fall but judging by the "jimmy-rigged-ness" of the boat, he was quite resourceful and handy.  The kids had a blast getting ready to explore while the real work was done in preparation of going fishing the next day. 

 The boys all got up early and spent the better part of the day fishing.  Alden caught one fish all by himself!  The boys had a blast as Grandpa drove "really fast" in the boat so that the front end would lift the boys up. 

It was fun to get to be just me and Gracen for most of the day - that's something that never happens.  Gracen is really coming into her own lately as both her speech and personality develops at a fast pace.  I cannot believe that so much personality can fit into such a small package.  Sometimes I'm greatful that such a willful person was sent to me during these days of moral uncertainty.  Other times I'm weary at how much determination is surfacing in such a little one (yes, that is her yelling at me in the second picture! :-D).  She's such a blast, though, and thinks she's as old as her big brothers - running, jumping on the trampline, and always in on the fun.

Today was warm and sunny enough that I got 5 loads of laundry washed and hung and dried out on the line!

A great day!

Does Anyone Else Have This Problem?

Before we went to Canada a few weeks ago, I got rid of some of the boys' jeans because the knees were worn out.  Look what I pulled out of the drawers tonight:

 The knees of the remaining pairs in the drawers look like they're going to give up any day now as well.

I have a memory of one of my neighbors once getting after her 5-year-old for wearing out his jeans yet again.  I remember thinking, "It can't be that bad, can it?!"  Well, let me tell you - it is!  My boys spend their days crawling around on the floor pushing cars, trains, and transformers.  I guess clothes just aren't made for that anymore!

After the kids got out of the bathtub tonight we took pictures of their "spiky hair."

Yes, I still bathe all three kids at once.  Is Alden too old for that?  Probably.  But it's just so...convenient.  And fun for them. 

Here's a little update on each of the kids:

Alden:

Alden loves transformers at the moment.  We scored a bag full of them at a garage sale a couple of weekends ago and it's pretty much all he plays with.  The way 5-year-old Alden views the world is so hilarious.  For example, today we had an appointment at the health department and on the way out we passed by a dozen or so photographs of the health board.  Alden asked if they were prophets. :-D  Alden asks a million questions about time, money, and why the world is the way it is.  Some of them are tough questions - you never know how much you don't know about something until your kid gets old enough to ask about it!  Frequent questions of Alden's include wondering how a van is made and questions about the earth and outerspace.  My most frequent response these days seems to be: "We're going to have to Google that."

Eli:

Eli is a laugh a minute.  He laughs so often and his laugh is the really giggly kind that makes everyone around him start laughing too.  He likes to follow Alden's lead a lot - especially in foods he refuses to eat.  Eli loves to swing and jump on the trampoline.  He has learned how to pedal a bike this year and loves that he can (almost) keep up with Alden now.  Trains are still Eli's most favorite toy.  Preschool in the spring was really good for Eli - he'll now go to primary no problem.  In fact, when we were in Canada we went to three new primaries in three weeks and he never hesitated to go even once.  Eli is my peacemaker.  Whenever there's a disagreement, he's always the one that ends up sharing or giving up his turn with something.  Eli is surprisingly sensitive to others' needs for a three-year-old.

Gracen:

Although Gracen is small for 18-months-old (she got measured today - 22lbs and 31 inches), Gracen has the energy of a dozen toddlers at least.  When she occasionally has a moment of quiet it usually means she's gotten into something she shouldn't have.  The rule in our house is that Gracen doesn't go upstairs or downstairs alone, especially if the bathroom door is open.  Gracen has a personality to match her energy.  She is downright hilarious and so fun to be around.  When I smile at her, she scrunches up her eyes and face (see the pic above) and grins at me.  She is such a girl - she has an opinion on everything and when she isn't happy, ain't nobody happy.  Gracen loves to sing and dance, even when there isn't music on.  Her language has been developing rapidly lately and her words now include: mom, dad, Alden, Eli, drink, NO-NO!, yeah, baby, cracker, treat, shoe, ball, hi!, bye-bye, and swing.

Jaron:

Jaron is currently looking for a job for the summer.  He took the USMLE this spring and his test went excellently.  He put a lot of effort into studying and was blessed with good results that will hopefully open some doors for us down the road.  Unfortunately we missed the financial aid date so Jaron will start rotations in Kansas City in September.  In the meantime, Jaron's having a good time being able to hunt and fish and relax for the first time in many years!  It's so nice (and strange) to have a husband around to help me do things like put the kids to bed.  We're enjoying this "laid back" summer before life picks up again in the fall.

Me:

The fun of starting my master's degree has worn off and it's turned into just plain old school now.  I absolutely love learning but the endless research papers are growing tiresome already and I'm finding it difficult to be motivated lately (I should be researching contemporary movements in psychology tonight instead of blogging :-D).  Overall, though, I'm grateful that I get to do something for myself that will have lasting benefit and meaning.  I'm also grateful that I'm able to be working on this degree and still be a full-time mom.  Being a mom means the world to me - I get so much out of my kids.  I am constantly learning from them and I genuinely have a good time going places and doing things with my kids.  Between my roles of student, wife, and mother, I'm also finding a little time to read and sew.

So that's us at the moment!  Sorry if it bored you - this blog is mostly for a family record anyway!

P.S.  If somebody out there has sons who never wear out their jeans, please tell me how this is possible!

Good Weather

It seems like the grass has turned green overnight here.  We can NOT get enough of good weather right now and spend a good chunk of our day outside everyday.

This afternoon we went for a bike ride in the church parking lot across the street.
 

Eli is so stinkin' cute on his tiny little bike.  He's new at the pedaling thing and gets stuck pretty often.  He gets really upset at himself but he has a good time.  Alden loves that his bike is bigger and faster than Eli's and would go biking multiple times a day if possible.  I love biking because it tuckers these kids right out.

 No bike for Gracen, though.  This is how she gets her exercise instead:

 Afterwards we decided to stop in impromtu at the neighbors house to cuddle their baby animals.

Gracen is near obsessed with cats.  These kittens are only a week old so they are the perfect size for Gracen.  The boys loved them too.  I think I have two of the most sensitive little boys ever - just look at Eli's face!

 Moments like this make me almost-wish I could get Gracen a little kitty.  However, then reality sets in and I realize that, number one, we move way too much and live in apartments and, number two, such a tiny little creature wouldn't stand a chance with this one's best intentions:

 These neighbors also have baby lambs that their 11-year-old daughter raises to earn her own money.  I thought the sheep were just downright adorable.  Gracen just cried to go back to the kitties the whole time.

Welcome spring, we are SO glad you're here!!

Canada trip, part IV

Sorry these pictures are old but I had to post them before I post anything else.  After a couple of good snow-falls on our trip, the weather finally turned good and we got to hit the park a few times.

 

We got to play at the Steeds a few times.  Brielle and Alden and Eli loved playing outside with Brielle's uncle Denver.  While they were outside one day, someone was nice enough to bring in a tiny kitten for Gracie and Eden to maul. 

 One of the things I love most about our trips to Canada is how much my family makes time to make memories with my kids.  My mom read the kids bedtime stories and even takes them outside to play.  On this night she taught the kids "kick the can."  I'm not sure they understood the game but they still had fun.

 These pictures are everybody hiding.  Unfortunately Alden was too busy kicking the can to come and find them. :-)

We survived the long trip back to Idaho and soon after found out that we'll be starting rotations in Kansas City in September.  Hooray for moving on to the next step!!