Finally Back To A Daily Grind

It is nice to finally feel like we are in a routine again.  Some people are bored by routine but I really love knowing what to expect next.  With two boys that may sound impossible, but I always know that there is fun just around the corner. Its nice that Jacob is busy in school and having a good time with friends and activities.  Just 5 months into our new home we have met my neighbors, Jakie has friends, Rick and I have callings and everything seems to be going pretty good.  We are loving our neighborhood and or house.  What a difference it is when you buy!  I feel so much more pride in ownership and I love having color on the walls:)  

We have not had much that is super exciting happen in the last few months, mostly just every day little things.  Here are a few of the pic of us just doing what we do that I want to remember forever:

Jacob, You Are Adorable - Lost two more teeth

Jakie has had his front teeth wiggling for months. It took some working but we finally got that front Right tooth to come out. Jacob now whistles when he talks and makes me laugh each time he smiles. Rick says that he reminds him of Ellie (from UP) when he talks. For me he just looks like an adorable little boy. I love watching him smile and seeing his cute freckles and hillbilly smile. He looks like a sweet little boy. I love it. It makes me sad that he will grow up, but at least for now he is still my little boy. Since this photo was taken he also lost his left front tooth and it is even cuter.

Just a funny story about his innocence:

Rick was putting Jacob to bed a few nights ago and while doing so Jacob told him about being allowed to go over to a friends house and playing in the park with his friend and his friends older brothers. Rick asked him if he was a good boy while out on his own and Jacob boldly responded " yes I was, but I don't ever think I want to go back over to my friends house or hang out with his big brothers". Rick was surprised so he asked Jakie why and Jacob said," well, I am sorry to say that they use bad words all of the time". Rick treading lightly asked, "well, what words do they say?" Jacob then said that he did not want to say them but after some encouragement he finally said, " well, they use the "S" word, and the "B" word and the "F" word. Rick I am sure was freaking out but luckily he had the thought to ask Jacob what those words were that they said. In doing so, I would say he probably saved an embarrassing talk with his friends parents for me!

Here is how that conversation finished:

Rick: "Well honey, what is the "S" word?"

Jacob: "Dad, its really bad!"

Rick: "Its okay Honey, tell me what the "S" word means."

Jacob: Okay, (pause and then finally answering) It means....(whispering)STUPID.

Rick: (with relief in his voice) "Oh, okay. Well what does the "B" word mean?"

Jacob: (eyes wide) "Dad, it means...... BUTT."

Rick: (Almost laughing) "And the "F" word?"

Jacob: (Wide Eyed and quietly whispering).... "FART".

Rick: "Okay honey. Thanks for letting me know. Lets never use those words and we can play at our house now".

Jacob: "Yeah dad. I don't want to be a bad kid."

Rick and I laughed about it all night and I laid in bed glad that at 7 that is all that the "S" word and "B" word and "F" word mean to him. I hope he keeps that innocence for a longer time than I did! Once we learn them we cant ever forget them right?!

Camping Fun!

We just love camping with the boys. It has been about 6 months since our trip last fall. We would have love to go again but it has only just started to thaw out. We have had a few really nice spring days so we decided we were going to do it. Unfortunately, the forecast changed a bit mid week and we thought we were going to have rain on Friday. We hung out all day waiting for Rick to get home and when we saw clear skies we hit the road. Rick had a spot picked out up in Little Cottonwood Canyon but he thought the altitude might be a problem with snow still on the ground. We set our sights on his childhood camp spot across from Provo on Utah lake. We drove and drove out past the homes and suddenly took a left turn off of a remote road ad headed down into the open desert. We could see the lake about 1/2 mile down the road but turned off onto a few side roads. We have 4 wheel drive so I wasn't worried but we bounced all over the place as we made our way down to the lake shore. We finally found a great clearing that already had a fire pit (make shift) set up. We got out and started to set up camp since it was about 7pm and we wanted to get it all done before the sun went down. We let the kids watch a movie in the car (still strapped in) as we cleared the site and got to it putting up the tent. (Utah lake is a popular remote site that people love to shoot at so the site was littered with shot gun shells.) After the tent was up Rick got to making a fire. He impressed me with his skills as he lit a fire with a single match with the wind howling at his back. He had a smile of triumph as he pulled out the dinners we had packed earlier in the day. We did tin foil dinners with chicken kielbasa, onions, peppers, & garlic that roasted over the fire for a full 30 minutes. The kids opted for wieners and we ate as the wind picked up and the temperature dropped. We had just finished the kids dinner and were just about to start our meals when we got a shock that changed the night. Jacob found a little gun shell on the ground at some point during our stay there and while we sat around the camp fire he pulled it out. Completely unaware of the danger, Jacob called our attention to it. Rick saw that it was a 22 (and thought it was an empty shell) and told him to throw it away. Rick meant on the ground, over near the lake, in the trash can... Anywhere but where he did! In a split second that felt like slow motion rick and I jumped up and screamed as Jacob tossed the "shell" into the fire. We looked at each other stunned and then I screamed for everyone to get away from the fire. In a matter of a few seconds I had grabbed Ricky (still in his chair) and Rick grabbed Jacob and we took cover behind our vehicle parked right behind us. Our adrenaline was pumping and crouching behind the car I started to feel kinda dumb for my reaction. It was just a shell, but I thought what if?? Well, we are lucky we did because about 15 seconds after it went into the fire we heard a loud pop as the bullet went live and ricocheted off a rock around the fire pit. I wish I had a camera to catch our faces when that happened. Rick looked ghost white and somewhat sick as we stood there contemplating what could have happened in that split second. We both looked at Jacob and in a freaked out voice we both began lecturing Jacob on camp fire and bullet safety. Shocked and concerned about other possible live ammo we decided to put out the fire and turn in for the night. The fire was out in about 1 minute and it was pajama time for the kids. Rick and I finished our dinner sitting by the tent door until it was too cold to leave the door open. Of course, we pick a super windy night to camp. The wind howled and whipped across the water that we were camping on and shook our tent violently. We laughed as we listened and thought about how funny it was that we chose a night that got down to 35 degrees to camp. Luckily, we had plenty of warm blankets & sleeping bags. The movie we had on ended and we all turned in for a semi comfortable sleep. We were glad when the dawn broke and the wind had died down. I think next time we are going to go camping on a night that is closer to 60 and the wind is calm. We had a good time anyway, Next time though I think we will do a sweep of the site looking for any live ammo before we set up the fire.

The next morning while we pack up the car:)  It was warmer for them in the car.

HAPPY EASTER!

Well, another great Easter is on the books.  I know that Easter is not really about eggs, baskets, candy or even fun but with kids around it sure is easy to get all sucked in.  Aunt Amy's baskets she sent blew the kids minds and it was fun to watch.  We "helped" the easter bunny by hiding lots of eggs around the house in obvious and not so obvious places so the kids could hunt them down and have the thrill of the hunt.  Jacob helped Ricky find easy ones and Ricky returned the favor.   Both LOVED their baskets full of candy, toys, & little Easter items.  Thanks Aim!!  We had a leisurely morning with breakfast as I prepared my lesson for church.  I was grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the fun and then go celebrate the real reason for this sacred day.  While we walked to church I asked Jacob if he knew the real meaning of Easter and was so proud when he told me it was of course, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I smiled and held him close and whispered in his ear that he was my smart boy.  I aked how it made him feel and he answered perfectly.  He answered just what I would have if I had been asked...Special and Loved!  Amazing that a little 7 year old can grasp that and know that the candy is fun, but the blessing of Christs Resurrection is forever.  Hope you each had a wonderful Easter!  We love you all.

A Visit With The Klarmans

We sure love going down to St. George to visit with Laura and Doug and the kiddos (Kiara, Jaycee and little Booklynn). It is so fun to just load up one weekend and head down to the warm climate. We only had a few days but we wanted to enjoy it. We arrived to a feast that Doug made to welcome us (Smoked Ribs). Any wonder how we are such good friends? The food was great, the company was fantastic and it was just so nice to spend time with my bestie! There was really nothing big to do while there, we just wanted to spend time with our friends. The kids played in the culdisac in front of their house on bikes, we shopped a bit, we went downtown to see the historic district and we hung out at home. One of the nights we got a sitter and headed 30 minutes west on I-15 to Mesquite and hit the awesome buffet. 18.95 for anything you want. Doug and I didn't waste time on the sides, we hit the crab and lobster. It was so fun to talk and enjoy my favorite food in the world. We dropped a few nickles in the nickle slots and after loosing 2$ we headed home. It was fun. I loved playing with the girls and Jakie & Ricky loved playing with other kids. I think Jakie and Kiara have found little kindred souls in each other. We were sad to leave that Sunday:( Here is a peek at our fun:

A Day At Temple Square

After a wonderful morning out for breakfast we decided to go drop in on Temple Square. I wanted to post these adorable drawings (Courtesy of Jacob) to illustrate the days happenings. The day went as follows according to Jacob:   1.  We left the house 2. We went to the temple 3. We felt so much love for each other while we were there  4. I asked him what his favorite part of the movie we saw Temple Square was and how it made him feel.  (See pic 4 for his reply.)  I am so glad that we went.  It was sweet to look over at my boys feeling the beautiful spirit that exists at Temple Square.  I loved walking hand in hand with Rick and feeling close as a family.  I am glad it made an impression on Jacob and I am glad that he drew it out for me to see.  His explanation was tender and he was shy as he told me how he felt touched during the movie.  We will have to go again soon!