Leaf Jumping

One thing that compares in awesomeness to having a fire in your fireplace is definitely leaf jumping! There's nothing like a nice December afternoon and a big pile of leaves to make a kid's day.

Piling and re-piling all afternoon.
Not even a gross runny nose could stop the fun...
Friends to share the fun are always good.
And don't forget wrestling with your brothers.
Sunshine, leaves, wrestling, friends... a perfect day in the life!

Christmas in Any Language

The first graders at Bryant's school put on a fabulous holiday celebration. They sang songs about Christmas, Kwanzaa (oh-o Kwanzaa), Hannukah, Las Posadas and celebrations around the world. Bryant was one of 8 or 9 kids that narrated the program and he did a FABULOUS job (if I do say so myself!)!

We all got to go enjoy their musical tones, I was so proud! He's getting so grown up! What a sweet heart he is!

Does it get any better than this?

So much time....

...so little to report. But, I'll do my best, for you grandmas out there. :)

I can't believe its December already! Time is zooming past way too fast. There is really not a lot going on in our lives. Our Bishop made a comment at Ward Council last month that if we look at our schedules between now and Christmas we probably don't have a free night... well, apparently we don't have much of a social life because we have lots of free time. So, feel free to call us anytime. We're probably not busy. :)

Thanksgiving was really great. I am so blessed and have so much to be thankful for. I have such a loving husband. Four beautiful kids. The best extended family a girl could ask for. Awesome friends. The gospel. A home. So, so much. Here are some other things I'm thankful for...

...I'm thankful this wasn't worse than it was. Jonas was climbing up his closet and fell. He came running into the living room saying, "This is the worst day of my life!" But what a blessing that it wasn't worse...

... I'm thankful for these great kids who will sit and watch a movie when I need to be in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinner. Apparently, last year we started a tradition of watching Star Wars on Thanksgiving. The kids were more than happy to sit and watch it while Ethan ran off to play football and I worked my tail off in the kitchen...
... I'm thankful for clever minds that come up such creative ways to sleep. This definitely brought a smile to my face each night he did it...
...I'm thankful for marshmallows and toothpicks when its too cold to play outside. I suggested they build snowmen. Then we evolved to boxes and houses...
... some of us just ate the marshmallows, building is overrated...
... "We can have fun inside!" Bryant said with surprise. I laughed out loud. Who knew?!?!...
...I'm thankful for our beautiful earth and the gift of snow in Texas. Our first. The kids were so excited. When we went to pick Levi up from speech, Jonas kept saying he wanted to have a snowball fight when we got home. After about 5 minutes, he said, "This wasn't a good idea!" and ran into the house with freezing hands...


... I'm thankful for the delightful sounds that come from my wee ones. I love watching them play together. Whether its "Ole!" to Eliza while holding her blanket like a matador or getting out every single pot and pan in the house and playing the drums on the living room floor or playing Flat Stanley with Levi's foam mattress I just love the sounds of their laughter. The sound of their love...
... I'm also thankful that Eliza got over a major, itchy rash quickly. That Levi is learning to say the ends of his words. That Jonas is learning to read (even though he's really struggling to remember the name of the letter F). That Bryant is so willing to help me with almost anything I ask. That all my kids will snuggle with me still...

...I'm thankful the Bryners shared Thanksgiving dinner with us, it wouldn't have been Thanksgiving without sharing it with someone we love and we love you guys...

... I'm thankful that we got to put up a Christmas tree as a family for the first time in 6 years! We almost always travel for Christmas and haven't owned a tree for 6 years. We set our new one up the day after Thanksgiving and the kids decorated it. It is beautiful and it made me cry (I'm doing a lot of that lately!). I love being a family. I'm thankful for my kids' energy, even though they have knocked the tree over already once. Hopefully it will survive the season...

... I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to contemplate things that will bring smiles to family member's faces on Christmas. Its nice to be able to buy gifts...

... I'm thankful for this time of year I get to remember all the things I'm so thankful for. And most of all, I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father and elder brother Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for the gospel and the opportunity it gives me to become better and to become clean. I'm thankful for the knowledge that I can be with my dear husband and best friend forever because of the Atonement. So many blessings, I'm just so thankful.

Charade

So, if you've ever been around me when I'm pregnant you'll know that I enjoy it for the most part. However, the first tri-mester is always really exhausting. Add the four wee ones running around and all the other stuff going on and I'm pretty beat almost all the time lately. So, yesterday while Ethan was off being a good home teacher I didn't want to deal with getting up and down and entertaining the kids. I was bundled up in a blanket, sitting on the couch and thinking, "I should really be doing something with these kids. They love it so much when we play." But what could we play without me having to move much? (I know I'm terrible!) I didn't want to have to set up a game, referee play, and then clean up. And so I suggested one of their all time favorites, CHARADES!

We play charades for a FHE activity at least once a month. The kids always love it and its easy and fun for us too. Win, win. Well, yesterdays acts were a step away from our norms. They were too funny, I just had to share.

The first portion of the game was just Jonas and Levi playing with me guessing. Every time, seriously, they were some sort of winged creature. And they almost always were exactly the same action (with the exception of the really small bumble bee wings). The best exception though was when Jonas started flying with one "wing" and holding the other limply at his side. When I couldn't guess what he was he said, "A mosquito with a broken wing."

Once Bryant started playing with us, they diversified a bit. For his first act he laid face-down on the floor and said he was a kind of food. He just laid there until all our guesses were coming up short then he gave us big hint and we knew he was beef jerky. Then of course, the other two boys each thought it would be fun to just lay there while everyone tried to guess what they were. I put my food down and said if they weren't going to act something out we weren't going to play (so mean!).

Ethan came home and got to enjoy the remainder of our game (it actually lasted until bedtime). The next funny was when Bryant was acting like a dinosaur and every dinosaur we could think of wasn't right. Finally Jonas said, "the one with the cow legs!" and got it right. When we enquired what that was all about Bryant explained that he had made up a dinosaur that had the head of a T-rex and the body of a cow. Its called a tendasaur and it can't kick very well because it has cow legs.

The final laugh out loud moment for us was on Levi's turn. He stood up off the couch, then fell to the ground with a grunt, rolled around for a minute and finally rolled onto his back with his eyes closed and his tongue hanging out his mouth. When I asked, "are you a dead guy?" He jumped up saying, "Mm-hmm" with a big grin on his face, so proud he was so good at this game. Ethan and about fell on the floor laughing. His death scene was so hilarious! I wish I'd gotten it on video. Even though I didn't I wanted to record it for future smiles.

We had a delightful afternoon/evening together and I got to be pretty lazy in the meantime (Ethan even made a scrumptious dinner!). What more could I ask for? Not much.

A family update

Its been a little bit since I've done an update on everyone so, I thought I'd catch y'all up to speed.

Ethan: He's doing great at work, though he's terribly busy all the time. The week of conference was a great time for him. The first part of the week was spent with optometrists in the military and it was nice to talk with his friends and hear their perspectives on things. He continues to be a fabulous hubby and dad. He even got to practice some first aid on his dear wife this week. Let me tell you, he's good.

Kim: I'm trying to not the let the house become a bigger mess. I'm trying to spend good quality time with the kiddos; reading, learning, playing. The combination of both efforts is quite a juxtaposition. I was making Navajo Tacos for dinner Monday (one of my favorites), while opening a can of beans I sliced my thumb open hard. It really hurt, luckily my husband came to the rescue and fixed me up so we didn't have to have FHE at the hospital. :) I'm almost able to type normally now, so it can't have been too bad.

Bryant: He has been learning about Pilgrims and Indians (no politically correctness in Texas?)in school the past few weeks. He had to come up with an Indian name for himself and draw a picture. He showed me what he came up with, "Tike Wonsoe" the picture was the Indian chopping a piece of wood with his bare hands. I thought it was awesome! He has been pushing everyone's buttons lately (but especially mine) and yesterday when I blew up at him he asked, "Why are you so mad?" Then buried his head in the couch and cried (all the while continuing to kick his brother). It was a sad moment for everyone.

Jonas: He is finally interested in sitting down and learning! Its very exciting! And he'll sit and color or draw too. Yay! I've felt an awful lot of pressure not having him in school to teach him some things before he starts kindergarten and he's finally picking it up. He's very excited about it too. Here's a video of him telling some news to his grandpa.

Levi: Speech therapy started about a month ago. I don't think I've seen any major improvements yet in how he talks to us. However, when I ask him to repeat a word with the beginning and end sounds he does it now. So we're hoping that it will spill over into his actual conversation. He really missed us while we were gone and snuggles with me every chance he gets right now. He's also been pretty grumpy and been taking naps all the sudden. I don't know where its coming from, but I'll take the 2 hour quiet time during the day.

Eliza: She is showing similar hesitancy toward animals as most of her brothers and gets pretty freaked out when a dog comes near. She is totally dependent on her blankie and when it got left at my friend's house yesterday we had a really difficult afternoon. Once Ethan came home with it, she just laid on the couch snuggling with it until we ate dinner. I don't know how we'll ever break her of it... She is picking up on some more words too. She says, "Momma" now and actually wants me when she does! She also says, "heh do" which means "here you go." Ethan thinks she may be saying "thank you" but I'm not sure. I don't think she's saying "big sister" yet, but I'm sure she'll have it down by the end of June. :)

That's a little tid bit of what's going on with us. Hope you are well and happy!

There's no place like home

After a much anticipated work vacation to Orlando, we have returned. Oh, it was great to have a break. Major thanks (words can't express it, really) to my MOM. You are amazing! Thanks so much for taking such great care of my kiddos. Having you here allowed me to enjoy my trip to the fullest, I knew my kids were in good hands and I knew they were loved. THANK YOU!!!!

Ethan and I had such a delightful time! It was so great to just be a couple. I loved every minute I was with him. He is my very best friend and the absolute love of my life. I'm so lucky to have him. And I was so lucky to have this chance to rekindle our love.

Highlights of our trip: (for me, anyway- you'll have to ask Ethan for his)

• Outlet shopping with Amanda and Karly... I didn't show as much restraint as I should have, but I got some great stuff.
• Meeting cute West and eating in an ice cave with Ethan's cousin Devin and Amanda.
• Eating at Panera Bread. Oh, how I love, love, love that place. Delicious creamy tomato soup. Love it!
• Going to the Orlando Temple. Feeling that spirit is the best vacation I could have asked for.
• Eating at a true British pub, which made Ethan giddy as a school girl.
• The magic of Disneyworld.

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

I hid the leftover trick or treat candy so it wouldn't be so visible and tempting to me. Well, I did a really good job. I can't find it anywhere! I've looked everywhere I can possibly think of... its driving me crazy. I don't even want to eat candy right now, but I'm going crazy trying to find it!

Last Day of Soccer

Halloween was also the last day of soccer. We had a great day. Jonas' game was first up, overlapping with Bryant's so I didn't get to see much of B's unfortunately. Jonas and Bryant both really stepped up and developed some skill for soccer this season.

Levi still struggled with it to the end, but he did play when his team needed him and he kicked it a couple times so it was a major improvement from the rest of the season. I loved it when he came to the sideline and said, "I need a rest." He laid his head in my lap and just snuggled for the entire 5 minute quarter he was out. It was sweet. I don't think he felt very well, actually, but he forgot about not feeling well later in the day. :)

Bryant really surprised me with the few things I saw him do in the last game. He was playing defense and another kid, bigger than him, was coming down the field with the ball. Bryant stood firm and went for it, he stopped the kid in his tracks and took the ball away from him. I was so proud. Ethan said he came really close to scoring too, but I don't know the details on it since I was busy coaching Jo's team. Bryant proved he's got endurance like his daddy and played the whole game. At the beginning of the year he was just playing half, so hooray!

It was hard to get into, but by the end I loved to hear Jonas say on the way to his games, "I love soccer!" I'm noticing that he is really, really appreciative of praise lately. He just gets a look on his face and he says over and over again, "Were you so proud of me that I did...?" for various reasons. Like he figured out how to do the monkey bars the other day! I was shocked and he was so proud of himself. In soccer he proved he was really fast and had one of the hardest kicks on our team. One of the only kids with that combo, it was great.The Y gave all the kids trophies and boy do they feel proud of their achievement. Its so cute to see them walking around with it or even asking to sleep with it. I don't know what these kids will choose to do with their extracurricular activities next, but soccer, though super busy, was a lot fun!

Festivities

Boy the way things turned out this year, Halloween sort of lasted a week long. The kids have been having a great time with it all too!

Thursday night we finally got around to carving our pumpkins. Everyone had a blast! I made the kids clean out the guts of their own pumpkins (after I loosened it up a bit), much to their disgust. It was really funny watching them touch the guts, you'd think they hated getting dirty or something, but this momma knows better.

We had each boy choose the pattern they wanted on their pumpkin. Bryant got to go at it on his own after Ethan got the pattern transferred onto the pumpkin. Ethan took over Jo's and I took care of Levi's... when Bryant's hand got tired I helped him out too. His pumpkin was so big, the little blade we got in our carving kit wasn't quite long enough to go all the way through. I actually ended up breaking the blade off the handle.
The concentrating artist.
The finished masterpieces. Jo's is on the left, Bryant's in the middle, and Levi's on the right.
On Friday (after a quick trip to Payless where I got some awesome deals) we headed to Ethan's work to trick or treat. We were in quite a hurry to get out the door once Bryant got home from school, so I told the kids to just get a costume on, I didn't care what it was. This is what we ended up with, Bryant as Spiderman, Jonas as the Black PowerRanger, Levi as Beast Boy and Eliza as a cave girl. The kids were so funny the whole time we were there. The med group had a spook alley in the basement of the building and the kids were so freaked out we were going to make them go there, they couldn't even enjoy themselves. They kept saying things like, "I don't want to go downstairs!" "Let's go home now." "Are we going down?!" The entire time. It was hilarious. How sad our boys don't trust us! We didn't make them go downstairs, don't worry. Although I sure enjoyed teasing them about it. When we got to the dental clinic it was just about time to go home, so the guy said, "Take a bunch!" Our kids were obedient and I wish I had a picture of the handfuls they each got. SO funny.
Halloween night we went trick or treating while it was still light out. We got reprimanded by some neighbor kids, but luckily our kids didn't mind. As you can see, we have a couple new costumes again. Jonas, held true to what he wanted to be. Bryant was his made up Superhero, Speedy (don't let the Spiderman attire fool you) the mask totally changes who he is. Levi decided to sport an old dinosaur costume we've had forever (remember this one Jeni?). Eliza didn't even get dressed up. We only went up our street and she stayed with Dad to pass out candy.
After trick or treating we had our dinner. I made mini-mummy pizzas and bloody fingers. The kids thought it was pretty cool. They didn't turn out quite how I envisioned, but they tasted great, so that's all that matters, right?
We ended the evening by letting the kids choose 5 things from their bags, passing out candy to all the little ghouls that came knocking, and watching The Wizard of Oz. I think it might be my favorite Halloween ever. It was so laid back and fun!