Adventures with an Almost 5-yr-old

Hayden... my little buddy. He gets a little bored with the kids all at school and only Mom to play with. I like it, though, because then we can do things together - just the two of us! I'm sad that I'll be sending him to Kindergarten next year. I'll sure miss him. On Monday, we decided to take advantage of the awesome Spring weather and go for a little picnic at the park. I asked him if he could "please stay 4 forever." He said "no." When I asked him why, he said "I have to get to be a Dad someday!" I thought that was pretty cute, but it still kills me that he's getting so grown up. We had a great adventure together. I'm savoring every last moment that I have with him home.

He's so funny. We got to the park, and he left his scooter on the sidewalk as we headed over to the picnic table. We were enjoying our PB&J's when all of a sudden we saw a HUGE lawn mowing machine coming our way. As Hayds saw it coming, his eyes LIT UP!! Then, just as quickly, his look turned to one of sheer terror. It was coming toward his scooter! "OH NO!" He screamed and took off running. He had to save his beloved and beat-up scooter! He got to it just in time (although I had tried to convince him that it was perfectly safe on the sidewalk) and moved it to a much safer location. Whew! "That was close!" he said as he breathlessly returned to his lunch. He then became a bit obsessed with the giant lawn mower. He couldn't take his eyes off of it. For a few minutes, he was loving it. But then it started coming towards us! The terror returned as he feared that WE were about to be mowed. I hugged him and held him tightly as it inched closer. Poor kid. He was so scared! I was trying hard not to laugh... but I must say, it was difficult! His poor little shaking body and sobs of fear only lasted a few minutes, however, as soon it finished mowing around us and headed back the other way. Another "close call" according to Hayden. He had finally realized that the driver inside knew what he was doing and could see us, and that it stays on the grass... not coming onto the concrete that the table was on. After that, all he could talk about was how someday he was going to have a "big lawn mower like that!"

We took a little walk "in the woods" which is really just a little path through a few trees and weeds. He thinks it's quite the adventure, however, and was only a little bit afraid of the swarm of bees we passed.

After our little "walk" we headed over to the playground. Hayden climbed up, came down the slide once, and declared that he was ready to go. Okey dokey! I guess once down the slide was enough! We grabbed his scooter and headed back home. We took a different direction on the way home, and loved seeing all the blossoms on trees and the tulips growing in peoples yards. I'm so glad Spring has finally shown up... however, I hear some cold, wet weather is headed our way again. Boo!! I'll enjoy this while it lasts. Especially with my little buddy. I sometimes wish I could have had the "only-kid-home" experience with all of my kids. I've decided to really do some one-on-ones with each of them this summer. Since the girls are old enough to tend, I think I can do it! I'm excited and looking forward to hanging out with them. They grow up too fast. I don't want to miss a single moment ;)

It's BACK!

Soccer season is back. Did it not just end like 2 weeks ago? Oh, really? It was more like 7 months ago? Wow. It FLEW by! I really DO like having my kids play soccer. Yes, it's crazy and hectic. Yes, we feel like we are just running all over the place. Yes, we start counting down to the end after the first two games. But... I love watching my kids play! They all have so much fun. It's great to see the progress they make from their first games as four year olds to their "Pro" status as 10-12 year olds. I decided I'd do a post on each one and ask them some questions. Kinda like a little interview. I guess that makes me the sports reporter? We'll start with Eryn, since she's the oldest and had the first game with weather decent enough to capture some pictures ;)

Favorite Position: "Goalie or Defense, I'm better farther back."

Least Favorite Position: "Forward! I like being in the back more."

What do you like about playing soccer?: "It's fun!"

What's it like being coached by your dad?: "It's fun, but since the coaches don't like to show favoritism, sometimes we (meaning herself and the head coach's daughter) don't get to start or play our favorite position. But mostly it's great!"

Would you say that soccer is your favorite sport?: "Definitely."

What's your team name: "The FLASH!"

As for myself, as the official "Soccer Mom," what I love about it is getting to see my kids doing something active and enjoying every second of it! I'm definitely one of the louder "cheerleaders" on the sidelines. I love to even just see them get a good kick in! Being a defender most of the time, Eryn doesn't get many chances to score, but she DOES get many chances to keep the other team from scoring... and that's just as good!

Super Goalie in action! She has come a long way playing that position. She used to be so scared of the ball, but she now blocks and saves a LOT of shots. She's doing great and we are very proud of her and how much she has progressed.

Thankful Thursday: SPRING!

Oh boy! I am so thankful that we are having nice weather for the second day in a row!! The Jekyll and Hyde weather lately has really made me depressed. I seriously have had NO motivation. Warm one day... snow the next... nicer one day... windy, rainy and cold the next. I had HAD IT! (Sorry, I don't mean to complain. I know this IS Utah afterall. I'm just BEYOND ready for nice warm weather!) And this picture? It has many of the things I'm thankful for today:

Beautiful morning light.

Short sleeves and NO JACKET! (The big kids even wore shorts to school... which adds to the thankfulness, because they think I'm the nicest mom ever - atleast for today!)

Smiles and giggles from the guy who keeps me company every day.

HOORAY FOR SPRING... for real this time, I hope!

Easter Morning!

The kids came in to our room early on Sunday morning to tell us that the Easter Bunny had come. I really would like him to come on Friday night/Saturday morning so we can separate the Bunny from the REAL meaning of Easter, but somehow we forget to set out our baskets each year on Friday night. But... we were excited to see what he had left. Of course there was candy... way too much of it. Jared got his beloved PEEPS, and we all got a whole lot of chocolate :) Each of the kids got a book in their basket.

Kaitlyn got Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, B got Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Hayds got a new Thomas the Tank Engine book, and Eryn got Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief. They were all excited to have something new to read. After they checked out their baskets, we read the Easter Story from the New Testament. The kids were really good and enjoyed listening to what Easter really means. After that, I read part 2 of a story from the Friend magazine from 1983. I had remembered it from when my mom read it to us when it first came out. It's a 3 part story (we'd have to wait a whole month for the next part) and it's about a Nephite girl in America, and what happens during the time when the Savior died. It's called "A Time to Remember." Something about it really touched me as a child, and I have never forgotten it. I was so excited to find it on the church website and print it out. Our kids loved listening to it. We were going to read part 3 after breakfast, but it was time for Conference, so we finished it Monday night at Family Home Evening.

Between Conference sessions, we got to have "Sister Stafford" (Jared's sister Sarah) and her mission companion over for lunch. She had gotten special permission from her mission president. It was fun to see her and hear about her mission. She is really enjoying serving in American Fork, and we really enjoyed visiting with her while she was here!

Easter Part 2: Hunting for Eggs

On Saturday, after the first session of Conference, we headed over to Grandma Cheryl and PapaBob's house for lunch and egg hunting. When I was little, we ALWAYS had an Easter Egg hunt and "picnic" on the Saturday before Easter. Sometimes my grandparents went camping somewhere and we met them there for hot dog roasting and egg hunting. Sometimes it was in their backyard. It was always fun. We decided hot dogs, chips, potato salad (all the fun "picnic" foods) would be perfect for lunch. Even if our hot dogs were just fried inside my mom's house, it was still yummy! Eryn got to be the Easter Bunny's "assistant" this year and help hide the eggs and prizes. All the other kids waited by the front door to hear the word "GO!" Then they were off and running. Everyone ended up with a basket full of candy, plastic eggs full of prizes, and fun toys. It was fun. Then it was back inside to watch the second session of General Conference.

Colored Eggs

I always see all these fun egg-coloring ideas in magazines and think "I'm so doing that this year!" Then, for some reason, Easter sneaks up and we end up doing the good 'ol cheap egg coloring tablets from Walmart... and you know what? My kids LOVE it! We always have fun. This year was no exception. So Friday night, the kids all got their jammies on and we gathered around the kitchen table. The little color tablets were all dissolved and ready to go ;), and the eggs were all boiled. (I think this was the first year that I didn't call my mom and ask "now, how do I boil the eggs again?" - BIG STEP! I only boil eggs once a year...) Aunt Marie and Uncle Jeff were there to join in the fun. It's always messy and a little crazy, but always a great time.

BEFORE:

We are so glad Marie and Jeff were there with us. It was fun!

The end result... colored eggs AND hands!!

And my FAVORITE set of pictures... the one that sums it all up...