Elder Reier

We ventured down to Herriman today, (I know, Jami... so sorry we didn't get to see you!) for the farewell of Bo Reier, soon to be leaving for Spokane on his mission.  The Reiers have been our dear friends since before we were married.  I taught school with Shelly at the Cache Valley Learning Center, and taught Bo when he was in 2nd grade there. Yes, that's right.  He is now going on a mission.  So if you do the math, I am... OLD!
Here he is looking handsome with Finn and Jason at the Reiers' home.  And Bo is not the only one who has grown up.  Check out this gorgeous girl, who I taught when she was teeny tiny and sooooo funny:  Caiti.  What a babe.  She is getting ready to live as an exchange student in Brazil next year!  I can't believe it!
And Miss Hannah, whose birth I attended (okay, I was out in the hall), is now holding my baby boy! Seriously, she is too cute for words. I LOVE this girl!
We haven't gotten together nearly as much as we should have over the last several years since they moved from Logan, but when we see each other, it is like no time has passed at all.  Here's Jaime, Shelly and me.
And Elder Reier with his admiring fans:  Max, Bennett, Owen and Jake.
What a wonderful day!  We love the Reiers!!!!

Spelling tests.

I've been meaning to write this down:

Owen had his Kindergarten readiness assessment a few weeks ago, and did so great. I wondered about how he would do on the exercise of picking out words that start with the same sound. Turns out he did amazingly well on it. But here is why I wondered if he would get it:

Owen loves to sound things out and try to spell things lately. We've discovered this can be tricky, however, because while he appears to pronounce things correctly, he's really made up his own words. For example, he would NOT believe me when I told him that DRESS and DRINK both start with the letter D. He has always though they started with a "J" sound, like jress and jrink. Which is how they sound when he says the words, but I had not paid attention to it until he pointed it out.

Another example: He recently saw a sign for Subway and said, "Hey, Mom, why is there a "w" in Subway? Isn't it supposed to have a "b" in the middle?"
I said, "No... It's a "w." Sub WAY."
He argued for a second and then concluded, "Hm. I always thought it was SUB BOY. But now I get it. It's Sub WAY." It boggles my mind that he figured that out. Little smarty.

Farewell to Dan Seals...

Bennett's big day! A photo essay.

Bennett  has been looking so much older to me lately.  He's been acting older too.  I cannot believe he is 7 years old!  How does time pass by so quickly?!  I'm starting to panic.

Here are some shots of his big day full of celebrations.  Logan schools were out for the day, so he had an entire day to party.  We definitely crammed a lot of partying into one day.  Thanks to everyone who called or stopped by to wish him a happy birthday; he truly loved hearing from you!

The day started out with cartoons and then bagels and donuts for breakfast.  Then a little gift opening.  He was happy to finally have a Harry Potter cloak of his own!  (Although probably not as excited as Owen, who has been a good sport about sharing his own cloak for the last couple of months.)
We filled up the LandCruiser with a serious load of boys, including the Lambert boys, Jack, and Bennett's 2 friends James and Luke.  We headed South towards Layton's Classic Fun Center, which Bennett has been dying to check out.  Sadly, on our way, Luke got a bad bloody nose, and we had to stop to help him out with that.  Much to the boys' delight, we pulled off at Smith & Edwards, which also happens to be the home of a huge motocross track, where a whole bunch of riders were practicing.  These kids were going crazy!
Yeah!  Big air!  The boys could not believe their eyes!
At last we reached our destination, and it was worth the drive to see the fun time these fellows had.  They roller skated, danced, played on the soft play and bouncy toys, ate pizza, played in the dimecade, and pretty much just ran wild.  It was great.
Air hockey tournament.
Opening presents on the tailgate in the fresh air and beautiful sunshine...  Everyone was so exhausted.
We drove home just in time for dinner.  Some of the neighbor kids came over to help us carry on the celebration.  We had hot dogs and a special treat:  corn on the cob!  Yummmmm!
Jason grilled up some mean dogs.
Bennett blew out the candles with the help of Olivia and Owen.
And they all jumped on the trampoline until well after dark.  Noone wanted to stop until Owen and Jake cracked heads, and then everyone started to cry for one reason or another.  I think it's safe to say it was a very full day, and everyone was tuckered out.
And to top it all off, Ruby lost her first tooth while jumping on the trampoline!  Congrats, Ruby!

Another one bites the dust.

Fortunately, Swimmy survived at our house for over a week, so that is good.  Unfortunately, I found him floating in the bowl this morning, so that is not good.  And with that short essay on the circle of life at the Lamberts', I bid you good day.

Notes to self...

Dear self,

I know it has been a long time since it has been warm enough to run outside with the kids in the jogger.  So clearly you have had time to forget some important facts.

1.  Remember to pack snacks for the whiney Chariot passengers.

2.  Never let Jake out to stretch his legs.  He will not want to get back in.

3.  You don't need your iPod; you can just listen to Owen singing while riding his bike in front of you.  His favorites:  Jonas Brothers, primary songs, and "Allouette."  Over and over again with the "Allouette."  Sometimes with a country twang.  Sometimes sounding very French.  Sometimes in a growly voice.

4.  You're going to be sore.  Very sore.

Sincerely,

Brooke

St. Patty's Day Party

Jason and I went to see my friends in the Inishfre Irish Dance Co. last night at the Ellen Eccles Theater.  What a treat! It is a St. Patrick's Day tradition, and we were not disappointed.  The music was by Leaping Lulu, and truly was outstanding.  We have friends in the band and in the dance group, and I was struck by what a talented bunch they all are.  Not to mention dedicated.  It takes almost a year to work up to being ready to perform such a show.  Kudos to you, friends! 

I am currently in the ongoing internal debate about whether to start dancing with them this summer or not.  I have some physical limitations, as well as some time limitations right now, but after watching the show, my passion for Irish dance has been renewed!  I have the constant battle that I'm sure most moms do.  How much time do I spend doing something that is just for me?  Or do I dedicate my time to my family now?  I know it is good for my kids to see me pursue something I love.  But Jason and I barely see each other maybe one night a week lately as it is.  I go back and forth all the time.  Hmmmm.  Any advice?  I'd like to think I could just hold off for awhile, and pick it back up when the kids are older, but, HA.  I'm not getting any younger.  My body can barely handle it now!  What to do... What to do...

Owen.

Owen is the most precious kid.  He really is.  He is sensitive and shy.  He is a home-body and a mama's boy.  He is an amazing artist.  His memory is not to be underestimated.  You cannot get anything by him, and  I'm pretty sure he is a genius.  He is very athletic.  He has the best imagination, and plays well with children of all ages and personalities.  He loves figuring out words, numbers, riddles, and asks very astute questions.  He has an incredible vocabulary.  He is fiercely loyal to his brothers.  He loves snowboarding with his dad and Bennett.  He loves skee-ball at the Fun Park.  He has a bottle cap collection.  He loves Soy Milk, but I think he's allergic to it.  He cries easily.  He laughs easily.  He is so funny.  He has a beautiful singingvoice. He has a Webkinz otter named "Stringy."

  

He just turned 5 years old, and he is going to Kindergarten. 

 

I can't believe this.  I am really having a hard time with it.  I'm not sure how he will like it.  Probably, as with most things for him, it will take some time to adjust, and then he will love it.  He will look the way he looks when he arrives home from pre-school with a smirky little smile on his beautiful face as he walks in the door with a "Hi, Mom!" and a little skip before unloading his backpack full of art projects and nature findings.

I hope for a teacher who challenges him and who loves him.  Someone who is gentle and sensitive.  I hope for him to try new things, and not be afraid.  I hope for him to find a friend.  I hope for him to love to read and to discover.  I hope for him to stay the happy boy he is.  I hope for me to keep it together when the time comes to let him go up to the school with all the big kids.  I hope for me to cherish the next 5 months of having my little boy with me.

I often feel like my days slip by without anything really significant happening.  Nothing specific that my kids or I will remember down the road.  But last Saturday I lived a day that was noteworthy and memorable.  I did the right thing that day.  

Jason was out of town, so I decided to take the kids to my Mom's for a visit.  We spent the morning out for a walk, playing, hanging out.  Then Cami came up and we decided to meet Jaime and Porter and go shopping at Target.  (I've had a gift card since Christmas just burning a hole in my pocket.)  We went to lunch first, and seriously had such a good time.  There is something about sister time that cannot be replaced.  I love these girls like, well, sisters.

We perused every section of Target, offering advice on various items from skinny jeans (for Jaime), a beautiful new rug (for me), and even located the very last bags of Hershey's Eggs.  Yes, we bought a few. (No specific number will be revealed.)

Unfortunately, Jaime then had to depart from us to attend to a diaper situation.  But we then met my parents at Grandma and Grandpa Stick's house.  This is the only part of the trip that I have photos of, but they are priceless to me.  I thought I would share.  Have I ever mentioned what amazing people my Grandparents are?  I am so glad my kids got to spend time with them this day.  We need to make the trip far more often.




Later that night, Cami and I made not one, but TWO trips to the grocery store.  We forgot some of the key items on our very short list from Dad and had to go back.  I think the oversight can be attributed to the fact that we were laughing our heads off the entire time in the store.  I seriously had the giggles.  And what happens when you get the giggles?  Or gigs, as Jason calls them.  Well, you might accidentally slam your sister's head with the car door.  I'm soooooo sorry, Cami.  I don't know what happened, but I am very glad you are okay and not holding a grudge against me.  It was truly the most fun I've had in so long. (Not the slamming your head part.)   Thanks for all the laughs, Cam.  I love you.

Farewell to a Fish

(Not an actual photo of Dennis.  It turns out we didn't take a single photo of our pet.  How sad.)

Our goldfish, Dennis (or Dorothy, as he/she was sometimes known) died unexpectedly last week, after 4, or maybe even more years at our house.  I can't even remember when we got Dennis, but it seems like forever ago.  Rest in peace, Dennis.  You were a tough fish.  Sometimes I forgot to feed you, sometimes the kids fed you too much, sometimes strange toys were thrown into your bowl, and your water was not changed as frequently as the pet store recommended.  But you were loved.

I didn't realize how much Dennis was loved until I broke the news to Bennett that he had died.  Bennett cried like he had lost Lucy all over again.  He was just this heart-broken little sobbing heap.  I felt so bad.  So after school that day we went to PetsMart to get a new fishy.  The kids deliberated for quite some time, and finally decided on a cool looking 26 cent variety goldfish with a black stripe down his back, and black-tipped fins.  His name is Swimmy.

And for more pet-related news:  Bennett reeeeeeaaaaaaalllllllyyyyyyy wants a puppy for his birthday.  Sorry, Bennett.  We are not ready to embark on the puppy adventure just yet.  Until we are, trips around the block at Grandma's with Frankie will have to suffice.

 

I haven't seen it snow like this for a loooong time.  Last Sunday, the snow had almost completely melted.  My neighbors had started raking their lawns and we were all feeling springy.  Oh, the cruelty of Cache Valley weather.  Sometime in the middle of the night it started to snow.  And snow.  And snow.  It snowed all day long, and into the night.  I'm sure we got almost 2 feet in that one storm.  It was fun to have a really serious snow day.  Jason took some time off work to build a sweet snow-skate hill with them.  Even Finn had fun being pulled around the yard in his little sled.

Cleanliness.

Last night was bath night.  It is always such chaos, I sometimes dread it.  My bathroom is full of dirty boy clothes, bath toys, wet towels and rugs.  The boys have the grandest time, splishing and splashing, making words from foam letters, dumping cold water from the sink on each other...  I just mostly get irritated.

Much later, after they had all been in bed for hours, I dashed into their room to comfort Jake, who was having his nightly nightmare.  I was struck, when I walked in, by the yummy scent of my freshly bathed and shampooed boys in the dark.  They rustled a little, waiting for Jake to settle down, and once he did, it was so, so quiet.  I wanted to stay in there and smell their hair all night long.

Sleeping children are the most beautiful things.  And perhaps I could chill out a little during bath time.  Clean, scrumptious boys are worth a little water on the floor.

Ski the Beav

 

We went skiing with Kate, Andy, Jack and Lee last week at Beaver Mountain.  It snowed like mad all night long, and everyone had a great time...  Lee had a new snowboard with the famed reverse camber.  He loved it, let Jason try it,  and now Jason covets it.  Andy has a renewed love for snowboarding after 15 years or so of not going.  Kate loved being on the mountain with Jackson for the first time.  Bennett enjoyed his new snowboard and boots.  Owen loved wearing Bennett's old boots which didn't cramp his toes into numbness like his old ones from last year.  Jake made a new friend named Nicholas, and ran around the lodge all night, sharing an over-priced rice krispie treat and fruit snacks.  Even Finn loved the night, trying out his newly found crawling skills in the lodge, and later laughing at the snow coming down on his face.  And I just loved being there with everybody.  Oh, and the fries.

 

Thanks to Jaime and Tyler for another great winter getaway.  This time they let us share their Bear Lake condo for swimming, good food and a whole lot of Rock Band.  I'm pretty sure I would be addicted to this game if we had a Wii.  And I'm really sure Bennett would be. Thanks again for the super fun time!