Winter fun.....

We have had a good time this month, getting ready for Christmas! We had a FHE and planned all the things that we wanted to do before the big day! We have gone to the temple to see the lights (not QUITE the same as Salt Lake Temple, but we made do...) made candy and cookies and have had some fun wrapping presents and keeping secrets from each other! We even got a snow day today and made 3 snowmen (Frosty, Dallin and Jarom) and a trusty snowdog in the backyard to keep us all safe. I am trying my hand at totally homemade scones for lunch today, and I have been fighting an urge to make Grandma Peterson's famous cinnamon rolls that I just may succumb to this weekend. Can you feel it in the air? IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!

Santa's Elf

One of Santa's elves stopped by the other day and we had a lot of fun hangin' out! Check us out!!

fourshoffs

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Wonderful vacay

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving Holiday, spending half of the week at Disneyland and the other half in San Diego. We are so fortunate to have been able to pull this vacation off, and are so grateful for the great time we had with Ben's family. We spent the whole week with you guys and we STILL like you all! Now THAT is saying something! I found myself a new roller coaster buddy in Dallin, as he was happy to go on all the big rides with me, and even went on many of them two or three times! Jarom was a trooper the whole time, and really enjoyed Dumbo and the jets in Tommorowland, and humored us many times on the Pirates of the Carribean ride. Ben's favorite part of the trip was the visit to the Midway, and I just loved it all too much to be able to choose. The beach was wonderful, dinner was fabulous and the company was simply amazing! We hope you all had as awesome a Thanksgiving holiday as we did, and we are now looking forward to the Christmas season!

First steps finally

Well, he did it. The kid finally let go of my finger and took those first small steps of man. He still doesn't think he can walk, even after I have showed him the video tape proving that he can, but, hey, that just keeps him a baby for that much longer, right? His big birthday is looming around the corner, so at least we got those first steps in before the big one. Yay for JT!

JT's first steps

Fred Astaire

So my sweet, innocent Dallin had his first kiss the other day. It had been a day unlike any other, with the warm St. George evening coming to a close. Dallin had been playing with his cute friend off and on all day, and I hadn't given their time together a second thought. Then they came into the house to see what was for dinner, and when it wasn't done yet, they said they were going to go outside to dance, and that I shouldn't watch. So, I did what every other nosy mother would have done.....I peeked out the window. They were on the side of my house behind a tree so that passers-by wouldn't see them, but I had a pretty good view from my window. They were, Fred and Ginger, slow dancing!! He had his arms wrapped around her and she had her head on his shoulder!!!! Just when I thought this was too much, they looked at each other and then they kissed!!!!! I went out there to break up the love fest, and asked them what they had been doing. They came up with the usual brilliant explanation of "nothing." Fortunately Dallin still thinks that we can tell if he is lying by the color of his tongue (Thanks Ben and Rachel!) so I did the "tongue test" and verified that they had in fact kissed! I didn't even know what to say.....I just sent Ginger Rogers home and told him that the only girl he should be kissing is his mommy!

Trick or Treat!

Birthday Thriller

We had a good time celebrating Benny Boo's birthday this last week. We were so fortunate to have both sets of parents come down to celebrate with us. We went to Thriller (awesome! I am going again next year!) but Ben didn't appreciate it so much. Too bad. At least he was able to have a birthday weekend on which the Cougars won, so that is enough to make any birthday special, right? Well Dallin was very brave and did get a little nervous around these "dead" people, but they were very friendly after the show and even gave him a high five. He was so excited for the show and as we were walking in to Tuacahn, he said, "Mom, I am so excited.......my WHOLE body is just SO EXCITED!" he was just bouncing around and couldn't even walk straight. It was really cute. We had a great time with all of our friends and family here to help us sing to Ben, and once again really appreciate our faux family here in Washington that make it so easy to be away from our family (sorry, fam). You are all so wonderful!

As the story goes in Ben's family, Ben was just the most BEAUTIFUL baby ever. People would stop his mom on the street just for a chance to gaze into the enchanting baby's eyes. Well, that is Ben's version, anyway! Actually, his mom does validate the story so I am inclined to believe her, especially in light of how beautiful Ben's offspring are.......

Anyway, 3 birthdays down, and only one left for the year.......I think we are going to make it through this busy birthday/halloween/thanksgiving fall.

I.....Amanda
I AM: A mom
I THINK: therefore I am
I KNOW: my husband loves me
I HAVE: a lot of housework to do today
I MISS: my high school body
I FEAR: for my kiddos future
I HEAR: the washing machine
I SMELL: nothing.....I am sick and can't smell a thing.
I USUALLY: wear flip flops
I SEARCH: for Dallin's shoes often
I TALK: about school when Dallin comes home
I WONDER: what the world will be like when my kiddos are grown
I REGRET: eating those cookies at my Mom's house this week
I LOVE: cookies and my Benny Boo. (not necessarily in that order!)
I CARE: about the environment
I ALWAYS: wash my face before bed
I WORRY: about the state of the country
I AM NOT: very patient
I REMEMBER: hmmmm, yesterday?
I BELIEVE: Marriage should be between one man and one woman
I DANCE: to make my kids laugh
I SING: to calm down JT
I DON'T ALWAYS: make dinner
I DON'T LIKE: making dinner
I ENJOY: reading
I WIN: at the marble game when playing with Ben. It is the only game I ever beat him at.
I LOSE: my patience with a crying baby at 2 in the morning
I WISH: I had a million dollars
I LIKE: going to bed
I CRAVE: chocolate chip cookies
I NEVER HAVE: enough money
I LISTEN: when Dallin wants to talk (which is not often)
I DON'T UNDERSTAND: economics
I CAN USUALLY BE FOUND: at home
I AM SCARED: I can't think of anything I am scared of.......
I NEED: to stop wasting time on this post and get my work done
I FORGET: why i thought it would be fun to do this thing in the first place
I AM HAPPY: when I get 9 hours of straight sleep

Fire Safety......

Well, the fates have all come together to make sure my Dallin is safe. In light of my last post, the firemen came to Dallin's class today and taught him to "Stop, Drop and Roll." All day long, whenever he has seen a stop sign, or if I have told him to stop doing something, he yells "Stop Drop and Roll!" and demonstrates the proper technique for me whenever possible. Now if I do ever burn down the house with my culinary expertise, we will all know what to do. Try it sometime for practice....STOP DROP and ROLL!!!!!

My Growing Reputation

The other day there was a fire somewhere near our neighborhood, and the air reeked of smoke. I was outside taking out the garbage, and one of my favorite litle neighbor boys came out and asked if I was baking something. I thought that was a strange question, and I said "no, why do you ask?"

The reply?......."Because it smells like something is burning!" and then the little brother comes out and says, "Is your house going to burn down?"

Seriously, why do these boys automatically assume that I am the cause of the smoke in the air? Is it because they spend plenty of time at my house? I suppose sometimes kids just pick up on the strangest things........

I will have you know, that tens of tens of people have been served in my kitchen and most have gone on to live perfectly normal lives!!

My Dallin

Today was a fun filled, swashbuckling day. We had "Parents and Pastries" day at school for breakfast, then after school we started a new tradition of going to the book store to pick out a special birthday book (with a little guidance from mommy since she is the new Children's literature maniac thanks to school....) and then off to play miniature golf. (I know, we did that last year, but that is all the kid requested again, much to Ben's dismay......) Grandma and Grandpa Kidd and Aunt Jessica and Uncle Brandon sent the most AWESOME birthday presents EVER, and Dallin was the envy of all the neighborhood. He made such a hawl that there was plenty of toys for all the kids to play with. Thanks, guys. Thanks also to our St. G family that really fills in for these special days when we have no biological family to celebrate with. You all do a great job of staving off the home-sickness. Love you all!

I do just have to say quickly how much I love My Dallin. There was a very real and scary time in his life when we didn't know quite what his future would hold, and had no comprehension of the joy that he would bring to our lives. He is a good boy with a squishy heart. He is one of the bravest people I know and has endured and overcome many trials in his life with such grace that I know I haven't managed. He is my stick totin', rock holdin,' treasure stealin', face pullin' buccaneer, and I love him.

Ummmm, I've got nuthin'......

After days of contemplating, I really don't have anything of importance to say on my blog. So here are some cute pics instead.

September 11th

On September 11, 2001 I was at a work meeting in Washington D.C. I was in the basement of a super duper fancy hotel learning about a new drug for anxiety, ironically enough. There was a ridiculously cocky doctor that was in charge of the study that came to the front after someone asked a question regarding some paperwork and he said, "Ladies and Gentelmen, we have experienced a national emergency." I thought it was just insane that he thought this paperwork was so important, but then he told us what had happened and we rushed to the phones to call our loved ones. We were told to stay in the basement, because our hotel was just a 5 minute walk from the White House, and they were concerned for our safety. So of course, I immediately had to go upstairs to see that the world was still there.

I was trapped in D.C. for 5 days after the attacks. I recall people on the news saying that nobody can ever take away our freedom, but I assure you that my freedom WAS taken away for those 5 days. There were no flights, no cars to be rented, and I did not have the money to buy a car to get out of town like some of the doctors at the meeting did. As we walked around town for those long, stressful days, there were snipers on the buildings, roads shut down with armed guards with gigantic weapons, fire engines blazing down the streets to help at the Pentagon........

It was hard for me to grasp that the world outside of D.C. and New York went on with some sense of normality before I even got home. I couldn't believe that people could just go on with their days like usual. I have learned, however that life really does go on, whether you get on the ride or not. The sun rises and sets as usual, the tide rises and ebbs, life goes on. I had never been so grateful when I finally got home. On an entire airplane, there were 5 of us that dared to get on the flight. And my life continued, but it has never been the same. I don't take the same things for granted that I did before, and freedom is not just a word, but a possession I have that I hold very dear.

Labor Day

Ben was up visiting family for the majority of Labor Day weekend (thanks for the football game, Papa Shoff!) so he found it in his heart to take us all with him to Page, AZ on Monday and make a family outing of it. We took the scenic route, and man was it beautiful! The boys did great in their car seats for so long (we left at 10am and got home at 8pm) but we did get out and play several times to break up the drive. We went to Navajo Bridge, which was super cool......except according to Ben who has this crazy fear of heights. It was funny to see him walking down the DEAD CENTER of the bridge, grasping on to Jarom for dear life, as if the wind would suddenly come up and whisk Jarom out of his hands......sorry babe, but that was funny! Dallin loved that he got a free map at the visitor's center. That kid LOVES maps! It is cute. Then we saw the little town of Cliff Dwellers (using the word "town" loosely) and finally made it to Lake Powell. It sure was windy, but we were able to get in and enjoy the water. Jarom and Dallin got a bit cold, but they had too much fun to care too much. We are so lucky to be able to just jump in the car and go to some AMAZING places that are just a hop skip and a jump away. We love St. George!

School daze......

Poor Jarom is just the odd man out in our family these days. Dallin and Ben started school, and I was feeling a little left out, so I marched myself right on over to the counselor's office at Dixie and signed up. I was pleasantly surprised to find that all the classes I took at Dixie 12 (yikes!) years ago are still valid, including my math......whew!! So I only have 2 classes left to complete all my gen ed requirements and the left of the credits I need can be used to be applied to the requirements for a bachelor's degree. WOO HOO! I am quite excited about that. So this semester I am just taking 2 classes, one of which is an online course, so I only have to actually GO to one class. I think that Ben and Jarom just might survive while I am gone, but we will see. The class that I am most excited about is a children's literature class.....mostly because that will give me all sorts of very valid reasons to HAVE to read. I can just hear myself now...."sorry guys, you will have to go without me. I just have to get my reading homework done........"

Our imperfect little family.....

So I was just perusing my blog, and I sure brag about my kids a lot, don't I? Well to dispel any misconceptions, we are all a little imperfect around here. My patience was thin today, Dallin had the most unbelievable melt down when he got sprayed with water (while wearing his swimming suit and trying to get the other little boy wet, mind you!) and Jarom just wouldn't take his usual naps today but was still ornery and tired. Oh, and Ben? ummmm, fortunately for him he is in Salt Lake wining and dining with the Redbox head honchos. So maybe he avoided the imperfect day today......actually, nope he didn't. He had to pick up a prescription for antibiotics on his way up, so I guess his perfection is drug induced.

Mobile home......

Well, it is official. Everyone in our house is mobile. Jarom has worked on perfecting his crawling this week, and our life has forever changed. Dallin is undergoing intensive training with closing doors, and keeping his precious items like pirate loot or homework off the floor. Jarom is a lot happier now that he can pretty much follow me around, although he already would much rather be walking, so crawling just sometimes makes him even madder, because he CAN'T walk! His teeth are growing in, but I haven't been able to snap a pic of them yet.....the little turkey. And his favorite thing to do right now is shake his head "no". CRAP. I'll bet I am gonna hear "no" from this kid a lot during his lifetime.

Dallin is doing well at school, and has had a lot of fun getting to ride on the bus. He is such a good boy, I just can't even stand it sometimes. I just love that he would still rather sit by me at the bus stop than run with the boys, and I am going to savor every last minute that he will let me have before I become chopped liver. I am, however, really trying to get him to spread his wings a little and get to know some of his classmates/bus buddies. His best little buddy has the opposite school schedule from him, so it is a good opportunity for him to befriend some other kids, too. He has a hard time coming out of his shell sometimes, and I hope that this new adventure we call Kindergarten will help that a bit.

#1 song the day I was born....

I have had fun with this website! The #1 song on the day I was born is "Three times a Lady" by Lionel Richie. How fitting, eh? Anyway, take a look and a listen!

http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

Blue day

So this week I have tried my very best to be the "warm cookies and milk" kind of mommy after school. Dallin gets home off the bus at about 12:10, so he is good and hungry when he gets home. Since school started, they have also been having "color days" where they celebrate one color for the whole day. I have tried to have lunches with the same theme. Yesterday was blue day. What did we do to celebrate? We made blue sugar cookies and had blue milk with our grilled cheese and turkey sandwich. I couldn't figure out a blue main course, so grilled cheese was the ole standby.

As I was wandering around the house wondering what I could make that was blue, Ben asked why Dallin was getting all this special treatment for lunch. First off, I am sure that his mom (correct me if I'm wrong, MaryAnn) had warm lunches for him when he got home from school. Ben tried to convice me that all he got was a swift kick in the butt when he got home, but I am sure he deserved it before his warm lunch. Second off, it is helping me feel like the cute mommy I have always aspired to be. I don't do many cutesy mommy things, so this is one place I can start, I guess. It also gives me something to be creative with while Jarom is down for a nap in the morning.

Hmmmmmm, today is orange day........what will we come up with?

August 12th......a beginning and, well, an ending

Dallin started Kindergarten on August 12! All day long I couldn't help but thinking that this was the first day of the rest of his life. The beginning to a long and hopefully wonderful education. He was just so bright eyed and full of energy. I went with him to school the first day to get acquainted with the teacher and classroom, and then he couldn't wait to get to the bus stop on the 13th, and was just bounding the whole way there. I am so happy to report that he did remember to turn around and give me a hug before he got on the bus. What a good kid. He had a great day at school (from what I gathered) and he wasn't even worried about going back today.

Then the ending part of the 12th. My 30th birthday. ugh. The ending of my childhood. It is over. I have to completely check a different box on questionnaires now. I can't mark the 18-29 box any more. No longer am I bunched in with the 18 year olds. And you know? I do feel older on this birthday. That hasn't ever happened to me before! Usually it is just another day, but man I felt this one! I am not trying to complain, because I really have a wonderful life. I have an awesome little family and a beautiful home, amazing friends, and I really can't complain about anything. Besides finally submitting to adulthood.

School shoes

So I took Dallin shopping on Thursday for school shoes and supplies. Man, did that take me back. I used to love going school shopping! (I know that as my mom reads this, she will be cringing because she HATED going shopping with me.) I would have all my clothes and shoes laid out and prepared for the first week of school. I remember having to wait until school started before I could wear any of my new digs, and it was almost torture. I remember even wearing clothes that were a little too hot to be wearing in August but I did anyway because I was just so excited to show up in my best new outfit.

Ahhhh, how things are different now. Dallin doesn't even realize he needs new clothes for school, and he really could care less about the cool erasers and pencils already in his backpack and ready to go (in a week!) All he cares about is that he gets to ride on the bus, and he gets to just go to school. I hope that lasts for the next 12 years, eh?

Pioneer Day

We had a wonderful pioneer day. It was filled with parades, festivities, barbeques and fireworks. It was very hot here in good ole Washington, Utah though, and it really made me appreicate the pioneers that settled this beautiful area. I really had trouble keeping Jarom cool, and I can't imagine how frustrating it would be for those pioneer women to try to care for their babes in such suffocating weather.


At the end of the day, Dallin was running around in his swimming suit with his friends and just having the most carefree evening. We were waiting for the fireworks show to start, so I laid a blanket out on the grass and just looked up at the stars while he ran around. I felt like I was in a movie or something, it was just so picture perfect. The baby was in bed after a long hot day, Dallin was running around blowing his whistle with the wind in his hair, the clear starlight sky, the warm summer night........perfect. If I could describe serenity, that night would be it.

Had to have one to match......

Here is my latest of Jarom......I had to try to duplicate the awesome one of Dallin that I got last year. The only problem is that Dallin holds still much better than Jarom does! What a wiggle worm!

Home teachers

Ben was on his way out the door to go home teaching today, and since his partner was sick (hope you feel better soon, Josh!) he decided to take Dallin with him as his partner. I was so proud of Ben to have the idea to take Dallin with him. We don't have home teachers, so Dallin doesn't really know what it is all about. I just thought it was so cute to have my boys going out fufililng their callings. Dallin thought it was pretty fun, too! I am glad that I have a husband that can be a good teacher to our son, just by being a good example. Thanks Babe!

(and as always, after I took their picture, Dallin insisted on taking a pic of his own.)

The heat doesn't stop us from playing outside!

Roughin' It

I am so proud of my little family! For the first time since our family's creation, we went on a camping trip without my parents! (That means no refrigerator.....just coolers! GASP!!) We weren't ready to go it totally alone, so we went with some friends from our neighborhood. It was absolutely wonderful! Even Ben had a good time, considering he was fighting off another infection in his leg and he generally doesn't like camping. Thanks so much to our friends who pulled off a successful camping trip that I never would have been able to do by myself. Ben hasn't even vetoed my petition to go again before the summer ends! We had wonderful food, good times, and a nice (depending on who you ask) little walk to the lake. We will definitely have to go again.

Happy 4th!

We had a great day yesterday celebrating Independence Day! It started out with the traditional Kidd family hike.......well, not so traditional I guess because we didn't end up wandering through the wilderness with sprained ankles and crying for our mommy.......just kidding, Dad! Anyway, the boys and I had a lot of fun hiking through the red rocks. Then to cool off (it felt like about 150 degrees by 10:00am) Dallin and I went swimming while Dad and Jarom took a nap, and then we went to the movies and saw Wall-E. It was a really cute show! We had a bbq with our neighbors, and loved the fireworks at the end of the day. What a perfect day! Actually there was something missing--my Grandma Peterson's breakfast. I sure missed that. Maybe next year!

If you lie to me ONE MORE TIME!!!!

Man, we had a rough day yesterday. Dallin is just not getting the meaning of a lie, and I have gotten too frustrated to be able to patiently teach him anymore. He was lying to me about everything yesterday!!! I asked him if he made his bed, and he said yes. When I went and checked, do you think it was made? Nope. I asked him if he ate all his corn, and he said yes. When I checked, do you think it was gone? Nope. AAARGH! Then I would explain to him how important it is to tell me the truth, and I would immediately ask him again (while standing there) if he had eaten all his corn. No kidding, he looked me straight in the eye and said, yup! He just doesn't get it. He spent half the day yesterday in time out, for crying out loud! Mommy even had to take a time out and leave the house without any children!! (Don't worry, Ben was home.....) I don't know what to do with that kid. Today has been better, but I haven't had to really ask him any direct questions (yet).

Desperate times.......

Funny thing today......
Our power went out for about an hour and a half. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't 106 degrees today, but after an hour or so, Ben said maybe we should go swimming. I gently reminded him that it is Sunday, but he said "THE OX IS IN THE MIRE!!!!" Maybe we aren't so climatized to St. George after all......

Jarom Thomas 7 months old

We finally found some time to get Jarom in for his 6 month check (yes, he is 7 months old now.....) and he is doing just great. He is a little bit skinny, and the doctor suggested he start eating "people food" to increase his calories, so we will see how that goes. I don't really know what to feed the kid now, so he will probably really lose some weight here in the next couple of weeks while I figure out what to feed him!

He weighed in at 17.5 lbs, and was 27.76 inches, and he has a huge head. That puts him in the 27th percentile for weight, and 71st percentile for length. Too bad I can't just transfer some of my "baby weight" to him!

He has such a sparkling personality, and is quite a busy body. Maybe that explains his lack of fat.......He is a very happy baby, and as you can see always has his tongue out. He is definitely a talker, loves to laugh at Dallin, and wants to be in the middle of everything ("don't you DARE walk out of the room and leave me here all alone!!!") He hates fruit, but loves veggies and cereal. He is fascinated by his hands and feet, and is mastering sitting all on his own. He is a super star when it comes to sleeping, although he does have some rough nights every now and then. Ben would describe him as a mama's boy, but I just affectionately call him my little barnacle.

We love this boy, and are so happy to have him in our home! We surely had quite the boring life without him!

I am tired.

This last 2 weeks has seemed to last an eternity! We survived, though, and are happy to take a nap or two today. Ben is sawing logs right now, and I just woke up. (I love Sundays!) Grammy's services went so well, and I was able to learn a lot about her and her life. I am glad to be able to have such a wonderful example of service and unconditional love. If I can strive to be more like her, I know I will be okay.

Then, as soon as we got back from American Fork, the Shoff family arrived in St. George for a WONDERFUL family reunion! Ben's brothers got back from their missions, and we were all together for the first time in a while. It was so fun, and so tiring, mostly because I never had the heart to quit playing games during the middle of the night and go home. It was just so much fun to hang out, but we also went to the lake a couple of times, Tuacahn, and the temple. And, we ate a lot! What is a family reunion without eating things you probably shouldn't? It was wonderful to be able to share our St. George with you all, and welcome you back anytime. (but give it a month or so, eh?) ;-)