Bed, made.

Carson has always made a game of making his bed. This picture is just a classic example of what a "made bed" looks like. He has always loved stuffed animals and has to sleep with at least a dozen every night. And since he does not want them lonely while he is at school, he involves them in some sort of activity, like a soccer match or game of red-rover. 

Parenting is tough, especially when trying to encourage cleanliness and organization. However, sometimes choosing battles is a no-brainer. 

 

St. George

Feb 7-9, 2017

 

Hide and Seek

2-20-17

 

Pokémon

Not totally obsessed, but a hobbiest for sure. Carson has loved any kind of lego since he was old enough to stick things in his mouth. When he got a set of Pokémon micro-legos, he was over the moon. He has taken his time assembling them and is about 2/3 completed with the characters that came in his set. Today he attempted a time lapse, but ended up filming it in real time.... not very entertaining as a spectator event. But the finished products are fun to look at! Keep it up cars!

 

Off Track

This kid. 

He is perfectly content sitting at home with a book, a blanket, and his dog. Although I have promised the much anticipated outing of, get this, the massage chair at RCWilley, that will be a fraction of this off track time. We have enjoyed playing games, especially our new favorite, mancala, (that we got from our family in Guam that contains beautiful coral and shells from local beaches) watching movies, and even getting up early to take AJ and Ash to school in the mornings. Every day may not be an adventure, but it sure is enjoyed. A week and a half left of freedom!

President's Cup 2017

first snowman

Meet the first snowman of the season. We love snow at our house. Something about a fresh coat of snow invokes feelings of love, kinship and joy. It also is like a lasso, roping my kids out each time the friendly flakes find our house. 

This friendly face was created by Ash and Cars. They were quite inventive using food gel for the details. 

I've been a stressed, grouchy mess lately and am so grateful for this glimpse of whimsy. 

 

Aquarium

December 10, 2016

The most common word spoken when a camera is pointed is, "smile!"  Well today,  I didn't have to say it. They were actually enjoying each other's company. I even snuck away to the gift shop for a little bit to do some Christmas shopping and came back to these three aliens that inhabited my children's bodies. 

An older gentleman even stopped me to comment how wonderful it was that my children were getting along so well. (I thanked him then politely explained my need to capture the rare moments)

Maybe one day I won't feel the need to post every time my kids have a harmonious afternoon. 

Off track with Carson

I have had so much fun being off track with my not-so-little baby boy!  Carson is such an enjoyable, delightful child full of humor, wit, sarcasm, and compassion, that I can not help but be full of life and love when I am around him.  Here are a few high lights of our time together this (our first of three for the 2017 school year) off-track:
October 26
Breakfast downtown to celebrate John's Birthday

October 26th @ the zoo. "Swag shots" with some "sick statues" according to the hipster Carson. He wanted to have all the zoo statues wear his fedora.  Silly boy. Glad Grandma and Grandpa were able to join us for this one!  They are always so fun to be around.

October 27th the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium.  We were here three hours! THREE!  I thought we would be in and out in one hour, but this kid loves his sea creatures.  He examined each one so intensely.  It always interests me to see what grabs his attention.  The tide pool is always a fun spot, as well as the stingray pool.  This time, he was particularly interested in the worm looking things that you barely even notice.  He looked at those things for a good 10 minutes in their mundane tank.  Fascinated.

October 31.  Finally all of my "Off Track tasks are mostly done (sewing, laundry, cleaning, halloween (today), etc, etc, etc, ) and it is a good thing because on the way home from the awesome Castleberry Halloween Party, our car decided to fizz out!  So... with a broken car (serpentine belt is broken) and an empty fridge, I introduce my child to the modern convenience of freaky-fast sandwiches, TV trays, and Movie Marathons.  He chose the Divergent movies.  Although I felt really lazy and extremely unproductive, It was refreshing to see the empty laundry baskets.

We also got regular tasks done as well, but having these two along always makes the trip a little more.... interesting?

In fact, during a run-of-the-mill outing to Oraon Gygi, for the best boullion ever, and a few other items, he declared, "mom, I don't know why, but I really like shopping". 

But, after three weeks of sleeping in, lunching out, high-price adventures, I asked him what his favorite thing was (not including Halloween), and he responded, "The massage chair at R.C. Willey." The $4,000 one on display in the electronic department. He even tried convincing AJ to choose it for an after school activity instead of the Skate-Park. 

Good to know you're easy to please, Cars. Good to know. Next track off, we'll hit up IKEA and R.C.Willey and call it good. 

Now that we are back in school, life will resume a sense of normalcy and we can go on counting down until our next break. 

8 weeks. 

 

 

 

Pinewood Derby

I don't think AJ had one pinewood derby the whole time he was in cub scouts. They had other events that took its place like the "vegetable regatta".  It's no wonder that his had a hard time with scouts... that, and his short attention span, and short fuse...

But this kid, he has been participating every cub year and absolutely loves it. The only part he doesn't like, is using the power tools to shape it. He is always so cheerful and happy with the results, even though he has never been an event place holder.   Here are some shots of his last pinewood derby journey:

 

 

Halloween!

My kids did not even bat an eye when I told them I would only put up Halloween decorations if they helped me.  Since no one offered, we had no festive decor.  It may become a tradition since no one really cared.  We still had plenty of candy... as a matter of fact, we had an abundance.  Since I bought candy about two weeks early, and BJ decided to buy two boxes of snack-sided Doritos to pass out to trick-or-treaters.  The original plan was for AJ to stay home and pass out the booty and I would go with Ash and Cars, but Aj decided, last minute, to go as a "parkourist" and collect candy with friends.  So he left, then Ash (Queen of Hearts) went with Macey Francis (White Rabbit) and Tesla Schaffer (Black Cat) and Carson ("Conner" from assassins creed) went with Joseph.  I stayed home.  It was quite lovely.  I was tempted to blow out my jack-o-lanterns and binge on almond joys and doritos, but I did not want to be left picking up half eaten bags of extremely cheesy chips for the next year.  So I put in MockingJay (part 2), and kept the remote handy so I could pause it every minute, open the door, and throw treats at kids so they could get on their way.  All in all it was a delightful night.

My favorite part of the evening was when Ash and Cars came home and sorted their candy.  I got a kick out of how carson organized his candy:
Sweet: Candy bars, soda pop, etc
Suckers: things on sticks
Sour: sweet tarts, war heads, fun dip, etc
Chewy: Starbursts, air heads, gummy bears
Spicy: Hot Tamales, Doritos
Non-Candy: toothbrush, toys, etc.
The other thing that made me laugh was after Ash organized hers (more agreeable with my logic... and probably the rest of the planet) she counted the items in each category and logged them in her notebook creating a graph of treats.  A girl after my own heart.

Happy Halloween!!!

Glasses

After the eye appointment last month, we ordered 4 pair of glasses for these cuties.  Zenni.com is the place to get them! We got these 4 pair (4 for ash, and 1 un-necessary pair for cars) for under $90. Ash was totally surprised.  She knew she was getting one pair (she chose the ones in the picture with she and Cars) but I surprised her with the sunglasses and the rectangular ones.  I am enamored by these kids of mine.  Aren't they adorable!?!

Slush Savvy

In a previous game, Coach Jeff provided an incentive that the kids were able to cash in on tonight. It was so fun to see these cute Hawks clamoring around the Slurpee-equivalent's at the local Holiday. Such a fun way to celebrate another victory!

Cars&Jake

I am so glad Jamie brought her cute family to the Salt Lake Valley.  This kids are absolutely adorable with each other, and there is not much better than cousins.  "Family by birth, friends by choice".  Live it, love it.

Shot on

This is too good of a shot not to share (Love the ref's expression too!) A mom on Carson's soccer team is awesome at taking pictures and keeping a team shutterfly site updated.  When I showed Cars this picture he have a satisfactory nod of approval and said, "Wow, I am legit!".  Yes Carson.  You've made it.  

Go Hawks!

GO HAWKS!! It is so fun watching and supporting this little comp team.  Carson is learning so much and enjoying, mostly, every second.  We even jumped at the opportunity to buy team gear assembled by one of the parents.  

Carson does not get a lot of game time, which we were warned when he was offered a spot on the team.  He is a great player when he wants to be, but doesn't get as aggressive as he needs to be at this level of play.  He is making major improvements and puts a lot of work and effort into this sport.  We will be behind him as long as he wants to keep it up. 

We love our player!!

Game Day

Just a couple Carson-Soccer shots.  Playing in the box today. Sure love this kid of mine.  

Dinner after with Grandpa Russ, who was able to come watch!  "Hook and Ladder" in Glendale.  YUM!!!

Airborne

August 27, 2014

I had a TON of homework. Ashlyn was at her friend, Jordyn's for the day (celebrating her birthday), we had already tackled a tough loss with Carsons soccer team and helped Brooke and Paul move, and I knew if I went home and turned the boys loose, they would spend the day on the tv or other electronic devices. So instead, I toted my laptop into airborne and set the boys loose for two hours while I plowed into my "Christian Worldview" class. 

Webelo Night

August 26, 2016

Carson, Jake and Tyler are a formidable trio in their troop, or they were tonight... It was the Webelo evening where the boys participated in a bunch of rotations helping them power through some certifications.  They had a blast and were super cute with each other.  I was glad I was able to go and help keep them reined in.  It was fun watching Carson interact with his friends, as well as respond to the presenters.  Even though I froze when the sun went down, I am glad I went.  It was well organized and well attended.

Back to school

Routine.
In our little neck of Utah, ninth grade is still considered junior high. That doesn't make it any less terrifying for mother to send her child off to it. Especially AJ. This kid has a knack for getting into trouble. He seems to be missing some part of the brain that encourages you to think before you act. I'm told it is a "teenage trait", but somehow that doesn't quite pacify my trepidation. Nor does the fact that AJ was begging me yesterday… Quite literally begging, to postpone the ninth grade until he could go through with his sister… In two years.  This kid needs school more than anyone. Not necessarily for the education, he comes to that quite naturally, but for the structure and discipline.  Needless to say, I did not give into his incessant begging, as he started his ninth grade year today. The difference between AJ and Ashlyn is actually quite comical. When just comparing their educational pursuits, we have an extreme variation.

Weeks before school, Ash makes a spread sheet outlining outfits with coordinating shoes, accessories and a plan for how to do her hair. (That really happened) She makes sure we do our back to school shopping, early enough for her to take care of all of her school supplies she anticipates needing. The week before school starts, she gets her schedule and a map of the school and highlights each classroom she needs to find and decides the best route to take to maximize her time between classes. This is also the time she designates to organizing her backpack. She make sure she has enough pencils, glue, scissors, colored pencils, markers and any other school supplies she thinks she may need in the right place in her backpack and in her binder... That has been aptly tabbed, filled and organized according to her schedule. Within the week before starts we take a trip to the school and she verifies her mapping skills as she walks out her plan. The night before school starts she lays out everything she will need in the morning, showers, blow-dry's and straightens her hair, and gets to bed early. 

And then we have AJ.

The month before school starts when I ask him to go back to school shopping with me, he says "just grab me a shirt and some shorts and I'll be good", to which he quickly adds, "never mind, I can just find some stuff on Amazon and send you the link".  The week before school starts he thinks he has a month left of summer. The night before school starts he finds a pencil tucked in the side of the couch next to some popcorn crumbs and says, "hey, doesn't school start tomorrow? I think I will take this with me".  He goes to bed after 10:30 and when I wake him up in the morning he finds some clothes from the laundry couch, tucks his pencil behind ear, and climbs in the car.

Carson's back-to-school system is a good mix between his two siblings. 

What's a mother to do?

My insistence on a nutritious breakfast is the bane of my children's existence. Since Friday is the only school day that they are allowed cereal for breakfast, I am up extra early making sure I can get ready for work in time to make something suitable. I help Ashlyn with any necessary last minute organizing or getting – ready needs while AJ sluggishly goes through the morning motions, all the while Carson is sleeping soundly tucked away waiting for his wake up time.  He started school a week before they did and is already proficient at making the most of his morning.  So I have A plate of warm eggs on toast for AJ, A glass of carnation instant breakfast for Ashlyn, who can't ever eat before 9am, and some eggs staying warm for Carson who will wake up in thirty minutes.  They eat their respective meals and jump in the car after I wake Carson up and tell him I will be right back to fix his hair.  Carson eats then goes back to sleep on the couch until I get back 10 minutes later.  I fix his hair (heaven forbid if I don't) and head to work.  Thank Heavens for Heidi who gets Carson to school each morning so I can get to work on time.

And then we do it all over tomorrow.

and the next day...

and the next.