Suggestions...

We are preparing for the road trip of the century and I am looking for road trip ides for the boys- mostly for Emitt, since Tyse is easily entertainable.
I am trying to make little carseat trays for them to use that are magnetic, so magnet games or things like that may be great...
just anything to keep them busy! PLEASE! any ideas would be great!

Country Fest 2008

For the weekend we headed down to the South Jordan city park and took in some good old western festivities as part of the cities summer festival. Tyse has been asking since the first rodeo he went to when the day would come that he could "ride a sheep." We relented and let him compete in the muttin' bustin' event. Here he is in all his glory...

It was definitely short lived, and of the experience he said, "yeah, I want to do it again. But only if I don't get that super fast one (sheep) again." The rodeo started with the 8 year olds and went down from there, finally getting to the 4 year olds (the youngest group). I was getting a little worried about the back out when about 80% of the kids that did it came up crying, but he wasn't swayed by the tears. And he shed none- until he found out that he didn't get a trophy. Just like a kid of ours... didn't cry when falling off a speeding vessel, but a basketcase when his 3 second ride (optimistically) didn't land him a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place trophy. BUT... he did get his first rodeo pay check- a whole 2 dollar bill!

Other than the main event, we had a great time- we went to the draft horse pull on friday night and watched these GIGANTIC horses pull over 10,000 lbs! I have never seen an animal that big... at least one that wasn't an elephant!

We also headed over to the free concert and fireworks and had a great time! The city is really good at getting a good performer and then everyone brings picnics and blankets and has a great time! This year it was Darryl Worley, a smaller name country singer that sing quite a few songs that I like- Kent took Tyse up close to the stage for a good look, as he is an aspiring bass guitarist (he decided that since the bass is the first instrument played in his favorite Steve Miller Band song). Emitt enjoyed playing at the playground that was in the middle of the action, and Ollie took a nap while mom sang along. It was also Emitt's first memorable set of fireworks for the year and he didn't disappoint with a chorus of WOOOOOOW!'s and excited pointing and grunting. He loved it... for the first 10 minutes or so, and then the rest of the show was spent keeping him busy with "jelly"- which at present is about his only source of caloric intake, and an occasional fruit snack. Ollie woke up with assistance from his bigger brother, and he also just sat and stared at the sky as the fireworks lit up the sky. It is still such a neat experience for me, especially when they pair the fireworks with patriotic music. It was such a beautiful night with a wonderful celebration!

Campfire with old friends

Our Ohio State friends were in town for a few days so whoever lived closeby from the old neighborhood got together for dinner up AF canyon. It was our first fire of the season and it was so much fun! We loved living close to this group of people and definitely miss the long days outside, the long nights out in the camp chairs with Jamie in her sweats ( when it was 90 degrees!), all those makeshift dinners in the grass, and the playground.
The kids had such a great time being back together and some of the kids that weren't around back in those days got to play together too!

of course, Tyse was obsessed with the fire and roasting things in it. Kent was happy to pass on the torch...or the roaster!
Jadi and Tyse were the best of buddies in the old days. It was nice to see that Tyse hasn't become too anti girl to hang out with her and have a great time- just like the good old days!

Emitt and McCord are only 2 days apart and the same height, but I think McCord has a good 5 lbs on Emitt- at least! They were so cute playing together!

Look how they have changed!
Then....
Now...Marshmallows and dirt haven't tasted that good in such a long time! Thanks for the fun night!

Trip to the lake

On Saturday we took the boys up to the lake for the first time this year and had a picnic dinner and hoped to take out a canoe for a trip. Unfortunately, we didn't know you can't check out a canoe after 7, nor did we know that you have to be over 2 to ride (makes perfect sense, just hadn't though about it), neither of which was going to work. SO.... we just had PB&J for dinner and then let the boys throw rocks for a while before taking a walk and letting Tyse ride his bike. One of the things we love most about our neighborhood is all the sidewalks that we can walk and ride on, as well as the lake for boating, fishing, and throwing rocks. Boys just can never throw too many!

With superheroes roaming the house, I must be one, too!

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 85% Robin 67% Wonder Woman 63% Spider-Man 60% The Flash 60% Green Lantern 45% Iron Man 45% Supergirl 43% Catwoman 40% Hulk 30% Batman 20%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

Tagalong

My kids LOVE their "taggies." Tyse was given one by my aunt when he was born and I didn't have any idea what we really received- it still is what he wants any time he is tired, hurt, etc. Emitt has one, no wait, he carries TWO around anytime he can find both (he has a backup).
If you haven't seen one, it is a square piece of fabric- most often fleece- with ribbon tags poking out all over. My kids love to rub the tags as they fall asleep or sit in the car or whatever. Anyway, I got so many comments about them that I started making them and selling them at local boutiques and to friends and family that ask. I have LOVED doing it and I think they are just so great. Anyway, I made one for Ollie before he was born, but his is a little different. It hgs minkydot on one side, and silk on the other, along with the tags over the edge. This week he finally is old enough to notice it exists and play and suck on the tags. I was so excited and took some cute pictures of him with it.
If anyone needs a cute and unique gift, let me know! :)

Why do you sleep with a pillow over your head?

Many of you know that I sleep with a pillow over my head. It has always been that way, and makes for some great 'do's come morning. It stems from a traumatic event from my youth involving the neighbor girl (she WAS older than me) and a story about aliens. Enough said. But how many of you know that Kent has also taken up the practice? Since we had kids, he has always slept that way- providing a great excuse as to why he didn't hear the kids screaming in the middle of the night. So I guess it isn't all that strange for this to happen the other day.
We got some new pillows because Emitt is going to get the boot from the crib to make room for Ollie. We got bunkbeds and so now he just needed a pillow. Tyse asked for the extra one that came in the set. Why? Well, I asked, and he said "because I want to sleep with one on top of my face just like you and dad." And sure enough, I went in to check on him before going to bed the other night and found this...

I bet that neighbor never thought she would have caused a family of pillow covered sleepers! You all wouldn't want the tradition to end- what would Tyse's friends wonder about during college if there wasn't a pillow story?

Just another day in paradise...

Emitt has decided it is time be potty trained. I feel lucky that my kids have had so much ambition on their own to do this deed- I am truly blessed when it comes to this. I told Kent when we got married that if he would handle the poop, pee, and puke, I could handle the blood, guts and gore. So potty training is something I have somewhat dreaded. Tyse was so easy that I was sure that Emitt would be terrible- but he has been asking for a couple months now to use it, and I kept telling him no because I wasn't ready to drop everything to take him. Well, we have gotten down to a half box of diapers remaining and it occured to me that if I went along with this, maybe I won't have to buy him diapers ever again, so we have been starting to accomodate his 4 or 5 times an hour requests for "poo poo". He has been doing so great- up until yesterday I hadn't changed a stinky diaper from him in 5 whole days! (poor kid now has nasty teething poo)
Anyway, sorry for the long intro and on to the main event....
The other day he had to go "poo poo". So I went in and sit him on the toilet and then went back into the kitchen (10 whole steps) to take some meat out of the freezer for dinner. Came right back- less than one minute later- and found him off the toilet, with the pee trap removed from the potty seat (the one covering the family jewels in the above picture), dipping it into the toilet and filling it with water, and then drinking it. MAN, I love my job.

Cousins are so great!

We were so lucky to have kent's sisters come up from Cedar for Ollie's blessing! Ollie has a cousin, Mallory, that is only 2 months older than he is, but she dwarfs him! Ollie better learn to hold his own because she was already trying to help him out! She is so cute and we are so lucky to have another cousin close to one of our boy's age!
Poor Emitt was feeling a little left out of the cousin action- he doesn't have any close to his age on Kent's side, so we took pity and took his picture, too!
What a fireball he is turning into!

Ollie's Blessing

On sunday we were able to have Ollie blessed at church. It was such a beautiful day and we were so lucky to have friends and family from all over join us to celebrate! Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pictures until the day was almost over, so this is what I have to show for it...

I am going to have Kent take some pictures of Ollie in his blessing outfit so you can see him later. It was fun to celebrate with people that we don't get to see as often as we would like. It is amazing that you can live only 20 minutes away from family or friends and it takes a major event to even get to see them! So thanks for all that made it and we missed those that couldn't come-maybe next time!
The blessing was wonderful. I am always so in awe of the power of the priesthood. What an amazing blessing in our lives! I am grateful for a husband who holds and honors his priesthood and can bless our children (and me) in these times and in other times that we need it. This was the first time we have blessed one of our boys at church, so it was a new experience for us. Those visiting our ward had a treat- we just split our ward 2 weeks ago, and we are in the small, still growing, very young ward. We just left a more established ward and had 240 women in relief society, and almost 200 kids in primary, so we are now considerably smaller. But on sunday, we had 5 baby blessings and 1 confirmation, so the place was packed! it was even more full than the fullest days before the split. So between the blessings, confirmation, and about 10 minutes of new callings, there were only 5 minutes left for testimonies. It seemed to be the shortest sacrament meeting ever.
The highlight to any party, in my opinion, is the food, and we were really feasting this time! Thanks to all that provided food for us! I stole this picture of Amy eating a tart from her mom's blog- thanks! I promised recipes from the food, so here they are...

Kahlua Pork- 7 lbs. Boston Butt Roast (Pork Shoulder- just a different way to cut it, but the regular cut works) 2 T. Hawaiian Salt (Get it at ethnic food stores- one called Many Lands in provo by the hospital) 2 T. Liquid Smoke (By the BBQ sauce at the grocery store) Place pork in crock pot. Cover with salt and pat into skin. Pour liquid smoke over top. Cook on low heat 12-18 hours, unplug 1 hour before serving. Shred with forks and serve.
My note- I made 15 lbs and served 45 people. It is a really cheap and simple thing to make and serve- and is incredibly delicious!

Fruit Salad (made by my mother in law) Any selection of fruit you may like- we had grapes, bananas, strawberries, nectarines, blueberries, and blackberries Sauce: 1 egg, beaten 1/2 c. sugar 1/3 c. lemon juice 1 Tablespoon butter In saucepan, combine egg, sugar, lemon juice, and butter. Bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Place in a different bowl to cool (place in the fridge). Just before serving, add 1 Tablespoon of milk and whip until well mixed. Pour over prepared fruit.



Tart Shells 1 c. plus 2 T. butter 1 c. sugar 1 egg 1 Tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon almond flavor 3 c. plus 3 Tablespoons flour Mix all ingredients. Press into any shape tart tins that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees until they are browned.
My note- they have been taking me about 15 minutes to cook. You don't want them white because they will break when you remove them from the tins. They need to be somewhat browned. Also- you can just put canned pie filling in to finish them, or you can try some of my favorite fillings below...


Lemon Tart Filling
1 c. sugar 2 T. flour 3 T. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt 1 1/2 c. water 2 lemons
2 Tablespoons butter 4 egg yolks, beaten

Juice and zest lemons.
In medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, flour, corn starch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice, and zest. Cook over med-hi heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter.
Place egg yolks ina small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 c. of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour into baked shells.

Chocolate Tart Filling
1 c. sugar 2 T. unsweetened cocoa 2 T. flour
1 pinch salt 2 egg yolks 1 c. milk
1 T. butter

IN a large saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Mix well, then stir in egg yolks and milk. Whisk until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is consistency of pudding. Stir vanilla and butter into custard. Pour into baked shells.

Fresh Strawberry (or Peach) Pie Filling
1 c. sugar 2 T. cornstarch 2 c. water
1- 3oz pkg. coordinating jello 1-2 pints fresh fruit

Stir sugar and cornstarch together. Add water and bring to a rapid boil. Stir in Jello. Cool and pour over fruit in pie shell.

The 2 wheeler

For a couple months now, Tyse has been telling me that he wanted me to take the training wheels off his bike. However, I knew this would entail a long process of me running next to him and holding the seat, neither of which I can do while chasing Emitt or holding Ollie. So I kept putting him off, telling him it had to wait until both babies were asleep. Well, last week he came home from the neighbors looking for a wrench. Why? Well, he said, the neighbor's mom was going to take his training wheels off for him. I felt slightly guilty and slightly sad that he didn't want me to be a part of it- I had put it off too long! Fortunately, it was right when both of the babies were sleeping, so I pulled out the wrench and we got to it. I got the wheels off, and then I let him jump on and start pedaling. By the time we were at the neighbor's house ( a mere 15 feet away) he had pulled away from me and was off- never falling, never hesitating, and rode around the entire block and didn't crash until he didn't know how to get off. So he ran into the tree post in front of our house. He has never looked back- although that same day, about 2 hours later, I was outside and he was riding his bike, and he started whining and crying, saying "I will NEVER learn how to do this! Never!" He hadn't crashed yet on his bike, so I was a little confused. I asked him what it was that he was never going to get and he was very sad to say he hadn't yet learned how to ride one handed. I assured him that it takes longer than 2 hours to learn this task, but he has, in the last 7 days, learned it, as well as how to stand up, how to ride with his feet stuck to the front fork, how to go off the curb, through the bushes and grass, and how to ride as fast as he can down the 35 foot hill at our local park, dodging the bushes and trees that line the slope. I guess the mountain biking traits are kicking in!
Oh- forgot to mention- thanks for reminding me, katie-
Tyse has also gotten good at riding his bike through wet cement-
we have been having our alley fixed because of the cruddy cement they laid the first time. Tyse's friend came over in the morning they had just laid a new piece right outside our driveway, and happened to notice a large flaw in the cement. Here is a picture of the guy trying to fix it- he had already finished fixing half of the original...Anyway, his friend was on his way to our house and forgot that he wasn't supposed to go through the alley, and then didn't realize the cement was wet. Poor kid- when I happened to see it, I looked around to see what happened and he was standing in our driveway staring at it with this look on his face like- "uh, oh. I am in SO much trouble!"
So he came over and we talked a little about it, making sure he didn't think I was mad at him or anything because it was written all over his face that it was an accident. Apparently for my son's sake, I should have sounded a little more angry, because after he was told he couldn't ride home with his friend, he proceeded to ride into the alley, ride through the same wet cement 6 times, get caught by the mexican workers, and brought home with wet cement all over his bike and shoes. Just another thing he did on his 2-wheeler.

Ladybug Release Party

Our neighborhood had a ladybug party at the community garden last night. Our neighbor won a coloring contest so he was one of the ones that got to open the bag and let them out, so we got to hang out right close, and the news cameras were right there with them (tyse and conner made 3 different tv news broadcasts last night). It was so neat- there were ladybugs crawling all over the boys and they were finding them forever! Here are some pics of Conner and Tyse finding bugs all over him- I think they are funny!
Here are a few more pics of that day-