Some V-day love

First off... some favorites from last week I forgot:

* Carter and Gavin got to meet their newest cousin Faith.  

Gavin rubbed Faith's hair but decided he liked his own better. 

 
 * We visited Carter's favorite store.  He loves this place because of its name.  It was just recently he stopped spelling his name with an 's even though his preschool teacher repeatedly told him that wasn't how his name was spelled. 






And on to this week.....






*Gavin loved his sunglasses and was so cute with them on.  He even decided they needed to be worn (with a hat) during dinnertime. 

*Valentines day boxes were stressed about and completed.  (Thanks for the idea Natalie!)

 

*Abbi had a fun Valentines day hairdo!

*Tom took me out to lunch at Johnny Carinos. (Yummy italian nachos!)  Both Carter and Gavin insisted on sitting by me.  I felt the love.  Tom not so much.  

 

*I helped at Abbi's class Valentine party.  She made a cute bookmark and I helped the kids frost cookies. 

 

 *Gavin enjoyed some Valentine chocolate.  

*We had our friends the Petersons over for dinner (a special treat since they live a state away) and everyone enjoyed some Ok Go.

*Ok Go was a common favorite for our week.  It was often playing or being sung.  The two little boys especially enjoy it.  

SNOW

We haven't had snow this winter.  Mostly just 40 or 50 degree weather which has been nice, I won't complain.  But the kids have missed the snow.  This week we went up to Beaver Mountain ski resort with Tom's brother Ben and his family.  We stayed in a yurt.  What's a yurt?  Well, I would explain it as a simple round cabin that's about 40 feet in diameter that is completely empty with the exception of some industrial carpet and wood pellet stove and a large space heater.  It also had a sky light at the top with some lights.  The bathroom was just outside with a small kitchen. And  within feet were sledding hills!  The kids were in heaven! They all loved it.

 
Once the ski resort closed we went up onto the ski runs and the kids went down those hills.  Most of the kids went up with their aunt.  Tom and I followed with Gavin and our nephew Andrew.  On our way up the groomer (the large machine that smooths out the snow) passed by and stopped and asked Tom if they wanted a ride.  

This was the best picture I could take before they were off.  Gavin (who loves big trucks) loved the groomer ride and afterwards would always ask where the groomer was.  

Abbi and Zac also had the opportunity to try out skiing. Ben and his family are huge skiiers and the kids were able to use their cousins skis and try out the hills with the skis.  I have never even been on skis before.  Zac and Abbi really enjoyed it and Abbi just asked me today how much skiis are.  They can't wait to go again.  (Who knows when that will be :/) Zac was very natural on the skiis and scared me quite a few times going down hills.  

When we weren't in the snow the kids had a great time with their cousins.  They played Harry Potter with their book lights as wands.  Zac and Andrew discovered some leftover paper and clipboards from a ski class that were in the yurt and spent time drawing in the dark with the book light.  And Carter discovered that cups can stack and make a great bowling pins.

Don't knock over the bowling pins

 *This picture is my favorite of the week.  Most of the fighting that occurs between Carter and Gavin is because Gavin has knocked down or messed with Carter's bowling pins.  Carter drew this picture this week and hung it up right above his bowling pins.  It's supposed to tell Gavin not to knock over his bowling pins.

*Speaking of bowling pins, as I mentioned before Carter will use anything for bowling pins.  He dreams of having 100 bowling pins just like on the wii game.  So he's tries to find anything he can to use as a bowling pin.  And he has to set them up right in the middle of where everyone walks.

*Abbi had to take a store bought item to school this week and create a store with some of the kids in her class.  She chose to take drinks and sell them.  Her group was all the kids selling drinks.  I had to laugh when she told me the name of their store-- "Jackson R.'s drinks".  One boy just decided he would like it named after him.

*This week we had a snow storm that brought probably more snow than we've seen all year.  It was gone by the afternoon but it snowed nonetheless.  (Obviously this picture was taken after it melted.)  One great thing about Zac is that he really enjoys shoveling the snow.  It's like a dream come true to have a kid old enough to help with such things.  And the fact that he likes it is a plus.

*Gavin has decided he likes to set the table.  I like that kind of help too.

*One morning this week Tom got called in early to work.  It was around 6:30 when he walked out of our bedroom to leave and his cellphone rang right as he walked out our bedroom door.  Not long after that I heard, "EIEI-O" and knew Gavin was awake.  A sweet way to wake up but we paid for it not even a few hours later when he was really grumpy from being woken up so early.

*Last but not least, another favorite and highlight of the week is my younger's brother's wife had a baby girl early this morning.  We haven't had a baby girl around in awhile so everyone is excited.  Carter is still hoping they name her Guymelissa.

Friday Favorites

*Tom and I went to Brian Regan (a comedian) on Saturday.  It was hilarious and very entertaining.  It wasn't our normal dinner and a movie date so it was nice to do something different.  Afterwards we went to a little Thai restaurant and it was delicious.  We love yellow curry and we tried massaman curry for the first time and it was pretty good too.

*One of my favorite things about Gavin lately is that he's started to sing.  Just at random moments during the day-- in the car, at the store, around the house, he'll start singing.  He usually sings "EIEI-O" but he'll also sing "I Love to See the Temple" and "I am a Child of God".  If you sing with him he really knows most the words and it's so sweet to hear.  All my kids have started singing at this age and it is so sweet.

*Carter has started bringing home books from preschool.  I love discovering that my kids can read.  Just like Zac and Abbi at his age, Carter seems so young to be reading but he really loves that he can read too.  He's always been my child who loves books so I hope this starts a life long love of reading.
 
 *Carter's favorite of the week is that he discovered that netflix has an episode of Curious George in which Curious George goes bowling.  Well, I think Curious George bowls in his backyard and makes bowling pins out of ice and bowls with a snowball.  Perfect for Carter since he's always making things into bowling pins- blocks, sippy cups, little people.  It's Carter's new favorite show and episode.

*One night after dinner Zac and Abbi were bored and Abbi came up with the idea that she would like to do a job to earn money.  I always have a hard time thinking up a job they can do (I don't know why since there are so many things that can be done) but it came to me that they could dust the blinds, one of my least favorite jobs.  They were so excited to do it and so excited to earn the money.  I paid them 50 cents per small blind and $1 per big one.  They earned more money than I thought and cleaned almost all the blinds in the house.  Great idea for everyone & money well spent on my part!

Friday Favorites

*Zac and Abbi went back on track this week!  A favorite for me since I feel like I have my freedom back (have you ever tried taking four children to the store?) and Zac was even excited to go back on track so it was a favorite for him too.  He told me the day before that he was excited to have something to do again.  

*Gavin has discovered drawing these past couple of months.  He always wants me to draw him fire trucks and lately he wants "fire truck stations".  But he's now discovered he can draw balloons.  He'll draw them and then say, "balloon."  Love it!

*Some of our favorite friends (or 1/2 of them at least) came to visit one day this week.  My friend Tamsen is in town from Arizona with her 2 youngest kids.  Carter was thrilled to see his friend Tosh and Liv and Gavin had a great time pulling faces at the camera.

*Carter has resorted to playing bowling in the dark.  Carter is obsessed with bowling and is a night owl.  He usually stays up late playing his leapster but lately has decided he can bowl in the dark.  One night when I went up to bed I discovered he had set the bowling pins up on the bunk bed ladder before he went to bed.  I'm not sure why but I thought it was funny.

*Abbi had an unfortunate hair problem this week.  Her and her cousin Haylee decided to do her hair while at my parent's house and they twisted the front part around a roundbrush.  They twisted it so much they couldn't get it out and they ended up ripping it out and taking half her piece of hair with it.  So she now has some bangs.  She actually likes them though.  So it's been a good thing.  She wasn't so thrilled the moment I was taking this picture though.

*Gavin is our sports boy.  Along with fire trucks, sports balls are his favorite.  He loves to play basketball with his hoop that sticks to our back door (that what you have when you have 4 kids and not enough room for a normal kid basketball hoop).  I love that he is all boy!

Friday favorites

* Carter loves public speaking.  He loves when it's his turn in primary to do the scripture, talk or article of faith. And luckily for him, he can memorize things really easily.  He'll tell you a scripture or article of faith he's memorized if you ask him.  He just loves standing at the pulpit at church and speaking.  So, every fast and testimony meeting he is dying to bear his testimony.  I do mean, dying.  He will constantly ask and ask and ask the whole meeting long.  At first Tom and I just told him no.  He was so little and would definitely need help.  But after a month or so of distracting him we had to let him go.  It's not a bad thing to bear your testimony right?  But  I really didn't want to help him since we're not really supposed to do that.  Tom and I have both helped him do it for a few months now.  Last Sunday he was insistent again about bearing his testimony so I told him that he would have to do it by himself if he wanted to do it.  I asked him what he wanted to say and we put together a little testimony he could bear (and easily memorize to say by himself).  He was dying to go up to the pulpit and he ran up there.  He stood at the pulpit and hesitated for a few moments.  I got nervous that he forgot what he memorized.  So, I started to stand up to go help him.  Then he said, "I...." and paused again.  So I sat down.  And then he finally remembered and said, "I love Jesus. I love Heavenly Father. I love to read the scriptures. I know we have a prophet. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen."  He was pleased as punch at himself and he made me cry.  And then after that mature performance he came back to the pew, laid on the floor and fought with Gavin.

* A favorite I forgot from last week is that Tom has started framing our basement!  I think it will be my favorite thing of the year if I mean when we finish it.  Our family of six desperately needs more space.

* We spent Monday visiting Tom's parents.  It was a Christmas visit since when we were going to visit for Christmas they were sick and we were sick so we didn't go.  The kids loved visiting with their grandparents and playing with their cousins when they came for dinner.  We definitely missed the snow since they have a great yard for sledding.

*Tom took the 3 oldest kids to a movie since they were still off track this week.  They went to Puss in Boots at the dollar theatre.  Yet, it's not quite a dollar movie when it's 3D.  More like the 3 dollar and something theatre.

*The kids and I went to one of Carter's favorite place in the world on Thursday-- Planet Play.  Although Carter usually calls it Incredible Pizza since that's what it used to be called.  Carter loves it because.... (if you know Carter I'll give you one guess why)... it has bowling!  Miniature bowling that is so Carter can easily throw the ball.  Gavin discovered a basketball arcade game just his size.  Zac discovered you could spend all your money on your card in very little time by playing the arcade game that gives you lots of tickets.  Then he discovered that he has a nice sister that chose to play games that he could participate in.  This is our first time ever leaving Planet Play without Carter crying.  That was because he bought a miniature bowling set with the tickets he earned.  We may buy one every time we go there (not very often).

A new year- a new start- Friday Favorites

I've been a horrible blogger as of lately (well, or ever) and as I've thought about it I really want to be a good blogger for one reason-- to keep a good record of my family.  As my kids grow up I realize how fast time really does pass and how much I want it to slow down.  So, I've tried just updating our family when things happen but that doesn't really work for me.  So instead I'm going to try to post once a week doing Friday Favorites.  All my favorite things that happened during the week.  As I read the First Presidency Message by President Monson for this month it made me think that focusing on our favorites might help with being positive too.  President Monson said, "For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude."  So this is me doing my part to choose a positive attitude, which isn't always my strength.  So here we go:


* We are currently strep throat free at our house (knock on wood).  For the past month we had strep 9 times, some of us having it 2 times and it was horrible, miserable and just plain yucky.  I know we aren't out of the woods yet but I hope it's over. (knock on wood again)


* The kids & I rang in the new year (Tom was working of course) at home doing nothing.  I had strep and had billions of primary things to do.  Gavin did go to bed around 9 but the rest of them stayed up until midnight playing wii, computer and watching TV.  Although I did find Zac asleep on the couch at midnight but if you ask him about it he'll fight you and tell you he did stay up until midnight.  Carter on the other hand could have stayed up for hours more.  


* I survived the craziest primary Sunday of the year-- even with strep.  I felt miserable but had to go because... well I had too many responsibilities to miss.  Sunbeams cried, kids got used to their new teachers and all in all it wasn't bad. 

* My birthday was this week.  Just when everyone wants to be done celebrating my birthday comes along.  Yeah, I don't like having a birthday the first week of January but I can't help it.  I celebrated by eating out every meal with some of my favorite people.  Breakfast with my little family, lunch with my friend ( & old college roommate) Lynette and dinner with my parents and Tom.  My parents were even good sports about eating sushi (my favorite).  

* The way Gavin talks is my favorite right now.  I love the "just making sentences" talking.  It is so sweet.  Earlier this week we had an appointment to be to and I had just got Gavin to walk out the door when he stopped, turned around and said in his sweet little voice "forgot something".  He proceeded to walk back in the house, look around, found a little bag and started filling it with little toys.  I told him we needed to go right now but he just kept saying "forgot something" and filled his bag.  When he was done he was ready to go.  I told him I usually would be upset because we had to go but it was just too sweet to be upset about.  I often tell him I wish I could bottle his sweetness so it could last forever.  


* Zac & Abbi have been off track all week.  Being off track is nice not to have to get them out the door so early in the morning but being off track isn't nice because they don't have many kids to play with.  They would be content watching TV all day but that can't happen.  With the nice weather I've forced them outside a few times.  Only one more week though.  


* The weather is crazy nice and I'm almost not liking it since I'd just rather it be cold and snow now, not in April and May.  


* Zac got Jazz tickets from his Jr. Jazz team.  Tom was scheduled to work but luckily uncle Kurt came to the rescue to take him.  Lucky for Zac he even gets to sleep over and Abbi was invited to hang out with aunt Alanna and sleep over too.