The Madness that has been our March

We have been having a lot of fun this month!  I decided to just do a big catch-up post for most of the stuff (although I will be doing a specific post about Bryant's birthday and our St. Patrick's Day celebration).  I'll try to keep the captions short... the pictures are not necessarily in order, but that doesn't matter too much, just enjoy all the cute pics of the fam!

The Saturday between the boys' birthdays we took them to the zoo.  There is an extraordinarily fun park right by the zoo, so we had to stop there as well...

Our Cheezers...

We have also been doing what we call "activity time" more frequently.  The boys totally look forward to it and we all have a great time.  We do different things each time and I have a few pictures showing a sampling of things we've been doing.

Mess (almost) free painting or printing.  We dropped colors, smooshed and then "printed" or stamped onto white paper.

We made salt dough and built some volcanoes one day.  I baked them for several hours and then the next day we let them erupt!  The looks on the boys' faces tell it all!

We had spring break this month.  We didn't do anything spectacular, but we had lots of fun!  Two of the five days Bryant was home he built pillow forts in the living room and the kids just played and played and played.

The day before spring break Bryant's class did a performance of "The Three Piggy Opera."  It was awesome!  Sorry the picture is blurry, but it doesn't need to be a clear picture for you to know he did a FABULOUS job!  It was so cute!  And he was so happy that Ethan, the kids, and I all got to be there to watch him!

What could be more fun than "Don't Eat Pete!"? The kids seriously could answer that with one word, "Nothing!"

We get to plant our first real garden! HOORAY!!!  Ethan has been working really hard on getting our yard all ready to plant in the next couple weeks!  YAY!!!

And for any of you who care about our dryer situation... it has gotten worse.  One day I found these buttons on Levi's shirt... they are totally melted!  The dryer has also melted the elastic in a pair of my garments and some fleece jammies.  Then one day it sounded like it exploded and it moved itself forward 8 inches, it freaked. me. out.  Well, since then we have purchased a new one and we get it TODAY!!! YAY!

San Antonio... almost alone.

Ethan had to go to San Antonio for a meeting the week before our anniversary and I suggested we find someone to watch the kids and go together, he thought that was a fabulous idea!  When I told him that our fabulous neighbor/friend was willing, he was overjoyed (it made me feel SO good!).

We stopped in Fredericksburg, an old German town, very touristy, but fun.  We ate at this restaurant and had German Potato Pancakes and a Schnitzel Burger.  They had tons of bread for sale in the bakery that I thought would make my brother Richy totally salivate.

Later than evening we strolled along the RiverWalk and Ethan snapped a picture of this one for his family to remember.  We walked more of it than we ever have before, I think it might have been the whole thing, actually.  It was great fun, we can't do that with the kids underfoot.  We started out trying to find the restaurant I went to when I went to Time Out for Women.  It was so good then, I wanted to take Ethan.  It was delicious!

We were almost alone, we got to bring this little cutie along with us...

On our way home, we stopped at the San Antonio Temple.  Even though we couldn't do a session, we really enjoyed the spirit we felt just being on the temple grounds.  What a spectacular blessing the Temple is! 

Happy Birthday Dear Bryant!

Bryant was so excited for his birthday this year, and why wouldn't he be?  We planned the cake(s) for weeks in advance and he kept asking for big, fun gifts.  The anticipation was almost too much!  But the day finally came and it was delightful.  

We started the celebrations with my surprise visit for his lunch.  Not only did I surprise him, but I also bought him a Happy Meal (he's so lucky :).  Then the kids and I delivered cupcakes to his classroom at the end of the day.  He requested Harry Potter cupcakes, so we had an assortment of lightning bolts/glasses, quiditch goals/snitch, quiditch goals/broomsticks, and logo HP.  It was so much fun to hear the kids get excited about what was on their cupcakes. :)  One of those "glad I took the effort" moments. :)

At home we had dinner of his choice (blueberry pancakes with maple syrup) and the opened presents.  He was thrilled with the gifts and with the money he received from grandparents.  Thank you!!!  

Although we had talked about cakes for weeks, he was VERY indecisive about what he wanted, so I decided I would surprise him.  He comes home with a different dinosaur book from the library every week, so I figured I'd be safe with this theme.  While it was an easy way out, I must say it turned out awesome! I love the volcano... so did he, that was the piece he requested!

My first born is SIX years old already!  Time has sure FLOWN by!  He is such a great big brother and a wonderful helper.  I am so lucky to be his mom.

Heart-to-Fart

Ethan is in Bryant's room right now, having some father-son heart-to-heart time.  They do this just about every night and its really sweet (most of the time).  So I'm listening as I crochet and I hear some comments about the smell of Ethan's armpit... something like it's kind of stinky, but mostly sweet because of his deodorant.  Then I hear this next little gem,

Bryant:  Can you do that sound where you put your hand under your armpit?

Ethan:  (proudly) Ya, see... (proceeds to attempt the sound)... (succeeds in making the sound)

Bryant:  How do you do it?

Ethan:  It takes lots of talent and skill and practice...

Bryant:  And you have to have stinky armpits.

I guess this explains why I have never been able to make the sound...

8 months old

Little miss Eliza is now 8 months old!  Wow.  Time is truly just flying by...  She is still just as adorable and fun as ever.  She is just a joy to all of us!

She is scooting all over the house now, as evidenced by her filthy clothes.  I really need to sweep everyday (or multiple times a day) to cut back on laundry costs. 

She can push herself up to a sitting position from her belly. She still sucks her thumb when she's tired.  And her hair is long enough I have to do it every day.

She loves to be with people.  If we leave her alone in a room she is not a happy camper, but if she can sit in her chair with all of us, she's content for a long time.

She still loves to put anything and everything in her mouth.  She loves to jabber all day, but she's also very quiet a lot of the time.  She'll stay in her crib after she wakes up for quite a while, the kids have to tell me she's awake from their view outside the bedroom window...

She is such a sweetheart.  We all love her so much!

Happy Birthday Dear Jonas!

Yesterday was Jonas' birthday!  Its hard to believe that 4 years have gone by since I was in the hospital delivering this gorgeous baby boy!  Jonas is such a sweet boy who I love so much!  He is full of energy, fun, and mischief.  His imagination is the life of any party.  He is learning so much (letters/sounds, writing, coloring, singing).  I think its possible he is the best 4 year old sharer I've ever met.  He is a joy and we love him so, so much!  Happy Birthday Jonas!

And now, for our celebration in pictures...

Jonas burst into my room in the morning and said, "I know who's birthday it is, Mom!"  

I said, "Oh, ya? Whose?"

He put both hands on his hips, stuck out his chest and said, "MINE!"

How old are you Jo?

Birthday spankings, for some reason dads and grandpas worldwide forget how to count when it comes to giving these out... and kids are willing and eager to let them keep trying to figure it out.

So pleased with his new (grandma designed and made) vest and his very own "dollar" from my mom and dad!  When the package came in the mail for him he got so excited he said, "I'm going to put it on my dresser and when Bryant gets home I'm going tell him I got a package in the mail!"  Then after his declaration in the morning that it was his birthday he ran to get his package, when I told him we were going to wait until Daddy got home to open it, he said "Will you keep it safe for me?"  It kind of makes me feel bad for those kids who live close to their grandparents and never get a package in the mail... it was half the excitement!

Levi kept saying all day that it was his birthday too!  Here he is wrestling with Ethan to get one of Jonas' cards.  You can't see it in his face, but he was really upset.  While Jonas was opening his present from Bryant Levi stealthily stole the gift from my mom and dad and tried to get it open before we caught him... luckily mom has radar for stuff like that. :)

His new scooter!  Totally excited about it.  When he opened it, the first thing Bryant said was, "You can share it with me!"  To which Jonas said, "Ya, I can!"  Just as excitedly.  Too cute.

The cake.  We could only find 1 candle, LAME!

It was a delightful day!   We had our neighbor friends join us for most of the day, but no official party.  I don't know if I could have handled any more than we did, once the kids were in bed, I crashed on the couch and didn't get up again until Ethan dragged me off to bed. 

St. Patrick's Day

We had a great time celebrating St. Patrick's Day!  For "activity time" we drew rainbows with sidewalk chalk and then searched for our "pot o' gold" at the rainbow's end.  I died some rice green, mixed it with split peas and then buried "gold" (reese's pieces, lemon heads, and yellow jelly beans).  The boys really dug it (pun totally intended). :)

Sacred Temples

Like many of you, my in box has been filled with cries of outrage, fear, and sadness at an upcoming episode of a television show that will depict what the writer's understand to be sacred temple ceremonies.  I've been called to write to the able channel to let them know what a horrible thing it is they are doing.  I've been advised to write to the channel's owner and do the same.  I've been challenged to boycott the channel as well as all affiliates and above all to spread the word.  

While I am quite saddened by this shameful display of disrespect, it does not quite surprise me.  And in considering my reaction I've been thinking that the backlash that we are giving is probably just what the show's writers, directors, and producers want.  The old saying "Any publicity is good publicity" comes to mind.  The church's official statement sums if up very well, talking about why the church "as an institution does not call for boycotts.  Such a step would simply generate the kind of controversy that the media loves and in the end would increase audiences for the series."  However, just like all things within the church, individuals are able to choose what action they want to take.  

I don't have the ability to cancel any subscriptions to this huge company, as we don't have any subscriptions to begin with.  I chose not to send my email on to the company because I've already seen that while they have apologized, they will still be airing the episode.  And I think it gives us the same opportunity to use the publicity saying.  As Latter-day Saints we should "conduct {ourselves} with dignity and thoughtfulness."

Not only is this the model that Jesus Christ taught and demonstrated in his own life, but it also reflects the reality of the strength and maturity of Church members today.  As someone recently said, "This isn't 1830, and there aren't just six of us anymore."  In other words, with a global membership of thirteen and a half million there is no need to feel defensive when the Church is moving forward so rapidly.  The Church's strength is in its faithful members in 170-plus countries, and there is no evidence that extreme misrepresentations in the media that appeal to only a narrow audience have any long-term negative effect on the Church.

If the Church allowed critics and opponents to choose the ground on which its battels are fought, it would risk being distracted from the focus and mission it has pursued successfully for nearly 180 year.  Instead, the Church itself will determine its own course as it continues to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

It appears that the Church is doing just that, as yesterday it added this video to its video page mormonmessages.com

Let's use this opportunity to teach those around us, those that care to know the truth.  The truth might be difficult to find in a television show whose information comes from a former member of the church, but those of us who have felt the whisperings of the Holy Ghost while doing the sacred work within the temple, we have the truth.

The temple is holy place.  Revelation and peace are the fruits I have reaped from participating in its sacred ordinances.  It is a place to feel the holy spirit, to listen, to pray.  It truly is the House of the Lord.  It is a place of love and beauty.  I am so thankful that I have been sealed to my sweet family so we can be together for eternity.

The quotes throughout this blog post were taken from The LDS Newsroom, The Official Resource for News Media... The Publicity Dilemma.  It is a great article and I encourage you all to read it.

What's up Doc?

The other day the kids wanted a snack and I was running quite low on them as I tried to remember what we had I mentioned that we had some carrots.  Jonas got really excited and said that's what he wanted.  So I went to get the baby carrots out and he said, "No, not those ones! I want a big one!"  What mother could argue with that?  I peeled big carrots for everybody, we went through half a pound!  

Being sick is messy...