tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39060941112850636242024-03-04T20:19:19.338-08:00True Stories From Our HouseNicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-45271300028198828742014-04-04T20:10:00.001-07:002014-04-07T10:47:45.904-07:00Legos, Legos, LegosThis winter the boys and I decided we needed a shared project to keep us busy during the long cold months. I had the idea that we should build every Lego set in our house, and combine them into one huge Lego city. The boys were actually a little reluctant to commit to the project at first, because they realized that a great deal of sorting a organizing would have to happen before the sets could be assembled, but eventually I talked them into it. Anyone that has spent any amount of time with my boys knows that they are Lego freaks, they LOVE them. The tiny toys are usually strew all about my house, and in various stages of being built into one masterpiece or another. Many days it makes me absolutely crazy, but my boys get a great deal of enjoyment out of them so I try to ignore it most of the time. Building all the sets gave me a chance to be a part of something they love, for hours and hours (and hours). In all honesty I'm a little embarrassed to admit to how much time we probably spent on this endeavor, but it was time we spent together so I think in the end it was worth every minute.<br />
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It was a momentous undertaking in our house so we felt that it needed to be documented. I've lately been interested in time lapse video so it this seemed like the perfect time to give that a try too.<br />
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I especially liked all the little details my boys added to the city. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lord Business with the Taco Tuesday Guy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was told that an epic battle was raging here</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skydiving anyone?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These policemen have Catwoman cornered</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">This fireman trying to put out the tree, while an Orc tries to stop him</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hang on Woody!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lady of the Lake and the catch of the day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magneto stops the SHIELD guys</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These clowns, probably discussing how they'll use their three wishes over some pie</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frodo and Sam finally making it up the fiery mountain with Gollum on their heels</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguWlOkhA30wueWTEKo1gpHRbJzHoLb9_3YHecitRvKlBEmLW1SmU5RJsI5h3ezcpcg8hI06Pfp1sM3ew871U3YofgwrU3C__rt7x0QD7U11dvdkR8fpz2uBuptvlji91cmLz-ONNgUolR/s1600/DSC_4479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguWlOkhA30wueWTEKo1gpHRbJzHoLb9_3YHecitRvKlBEmLW1SmU5RJsI5h3ezcpcg8hI06Pfp1sM3ew871U3YofgwrU3C__rt7x0QD7U11dvdkR8fpz2uBuptvlji91cmLz-ONNgUolR/s1600/DSC_4479.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This lady delivering takeout to the castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigz9CDWusOc_mNzEZxWtQfAgQy50YvtbMtORERD8FIQkRVQauvgCZIvojj-e3zf0aPGDC85kQvq_cUJyCG6qa-jurzYfFCxsex2_Z32LYyWFGWF61MbxwEZIYm5ygje2YkGelmNRhexoKt/s1600/DSC_4482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigz9CDWusOc_mNzEZxWtQfAgQy50YvtbMtORERD8FIQkRVQauvgCZIvojj-e3zf0aPGDC85kQvq_cUJyCG6qa-jurzYfFCxsex2_Z32LYyWFGWF61MbxwEZIYm5ygje2YkGelmNRhexoKt/s1600/DSC_4482.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one is my favorite, these guys just casually trick or treating at the haunted castle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This zookeeper trying to coax some monkeys out of the tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shakespeare and the graduate</td></tr>
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I'm so blessed to be a mom of two crazy boys. I'm really glad that we got to spend this time together. The kids are dying now to take their scene apart and play with it, which is scheduled for later this week, so if you're in the area send your kids over, because the demolition of the Lego city is also sure to be a major event. </div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-81226801459153622272013-07-16T13:03:00.002-07:002013-07-16T13:03:54.468-07:00Mason's BaptismsI've fallen behind on my record keeping as of late, at first it was because I was busy, but then after I was busy there was just so much catching up to do that I've been putting it off.
First I need to write about Mason's baptism. It was such a nice day. We started by talking a lot about baptism in our family nights leading up to the big day. We even had one night where we just practiced the proper dunking procedure. As the day approached I felt like Mason had a pretty good understanding of things and he was excited for a day that was all about him.
We were lucky enough to have my mom and dad come up for the weekend. It was great to have them. The baptism was very nice. Papa Jim gave a talk on baptism and told about what he remembered about being baptized when he was eight. He was baptized in the font at the Salt Lake tabernacle. Then he told about how my Grandma Pauline was baptized. He explained that in the small town where she grew up they baptized all the kids that had turned eight in a year on the same day in August. My poor grandma's birthday was in September and she really wanted to be baptized, so she got special permission and was baptized in a lake after she turned eight. I remember her telling this story when I was little and it was sweet to hear my dad telling it to Mason. Grandma Marie then gave a nice talk on the Holy Ghost, telling Mason what a gift it was.<br />
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Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-90134645053557976722013-04-30T07:43:00.001-07:002013-04-30T07:43:34.673-07:00The prayer of Maxwell<p>Sunday night at dinner Max said the prayer over the food. He tries to remember everyone in his prayers, so he prayed that dad's back wouldn't hurt, that Mason would remember his baptism, and that mom would make good choices. </p>
<p>Later that night as I was tucking him in he asked me to snuggle with him for a minute. I used to always lay by him for a few minutes before he went to sleep, but in recent months we've opted to have our bedtime story on the living room couch where there is more room for all. So I asked him why he had been wanting me to snuggle with him lately. He looked at me with a bit of pity in his eyes and said, "Because mom, I'm getting too big to snuggle with." </p>
<p>So that's it, I've been forewarned, my littlest is growing up...oh, and also I should make good choices. </p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-66622863842910607192013-04-09T07:57:00.001-07:002013-04-09T07:57:52.146-07:00Snow Day<p> I know I've said it before, but we live in the greatest neighborhood. Towards the end of January the kids and I were blessed with a snow day. It didn't take long before all the kids in the cul de sac took to the street and reveled in the piles of new snow. Trisha brought out the four wheelers and us moms took turns towing the kids around on their sleds. It was the kind of day a kid dreams about. </p>
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<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-57127725430595812152013-04-09T07:47:00.001-07:002013-04-09T07:47:44.940-07:00Snow and service<p> This winter we had so much snow. It fell and fell and fell. The kids thought is was the best. Shane and I gritted our teeth and tried to remember that spring would come, really. </p>
<p>One particularly snowy day Shane went out to clear the driveway and took the kids with him so that they could help. He decided that they would do some service for the neighborhood by clearing the snow from the neighors driveway. </p>
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<p>Mason really wanted to drive the snow blower. So Shane handed over the reigns. Mason didn't really clear the neatest path, in fact it was quite random, so random that Shane and I couldn't help laughing quite hard. </p>
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<p> Just as Mason finished our neighbor pulled up and surveyed the maze of snowblown trails in his driveway. He and Shane had a good laugh, and he graciously thanked Mason, who was extremely proud of himself.</p>
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<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-26355767632180598952013-03-04T12:44:00.001-08:002013-03-04T12:44:44.321-08:00Basketball<p> "How tall <em>ARE </em>you?" that's the standard question Shane answers at least once with every person that he meets. The next question? </p>
<p>"Do you play basketball?" to which Shane must always answer an honest "no." You see, he never gained the skills in his formative years, so he feels that he can't play now because the expectations based on his 6'7" height (for those of you that haven't asked yet) are just too great. Now since Mason is headed down the same road, already standing a good 6" above his classmates we thought we'd better at least make sure he learned how to play. I must tell you, I'm not sure sports will ever really be his thing. Which Shane and I are ok with, there are a great many things in this life to be good at and Mason he is so clever and creative I know he will find his niche, but even so I really want him to learn to be a part of a team, and feel confident when people are watching him, and if it helps him not feel like the odd man out in gym class that's good too. So this winter we tried basketball. He got to play with some other kids in the neighborhood, and had a wonderful coach which was fun too. </p>
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<p> Last spring Mason was on a soccer team that didn't make a single goal the entire season, it wasn't for lack of trying, but it was a little discouraging. So right away Mason found that he liked basketball because he and his team scored many baskets right from the start. The games were fast paced and even Max enjoyed watching them. </p>
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<p> Altogether I think it was a good experience for Mason and we'll give it a try next year too. </p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-85771680054772291632013-02-23T06:14:00.001-08:002013-02-23T06:14:04.162-08:00Christmas Break<p> As the long winter in Idaho began Shane and I brainstormed some ideas on how to enjoy the season a bit more. There are many good things about the place we live, but the weather is not one of them. Winter is long, cold, and dark. I find myself really feeling down about halfway through February every year, which is dissapointing because at that point we're only maybe halfway through the winter here. One of the things we decided to try was skiing. Our thinking being that if we had a cold weather sport to look forward to we might not hate it so much. </p>
<p>So the day after Christmas we took the kids skiing. I have skied one time in my life, and this time I decided to try snowboarding. The kids were great sports. While Max and I played on the bunny hill Shane took Mason up the lift. I sort of thought he was crazy for taking him, but a few minutes later Mason and Shane came cruising down the hill. Mason was in love, he told me that he wanted to do this every day. </p>
<p>Encouraged by Mason's good experience this time we all went up the lift for a run down the hill... Now just for a minute look at my smiling face, full of excitement...</p>
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<p> All the way up the lift Mason gave me a pep talk, telling me how much fun I would have, and how easy it was. I hopped off the lift snowboarded about eight feet and fell flat on my face, we all laughed it off as I got up and dusted myself off. Little did I know that eight foot run would be the longest of the day for me... the next hour of my life would go like this: I would snowboard a few feet, fall down, spend the next 5, 10, or 15 minutes (down time got progressively longer each time) trying to get back on my feet only to go a few feet and fall down again. I'm not gonna lie it was pretty awful. Shane was busy helping Max, and Mason got tired of waiting for all of us and said he'd meet us at the bottom. </p>
<p>When I finally got to the bottom I found Shane in the lodge frantically searching for Mason who was lost. There were a nervous few minutes while my firstborn was located. Whille I was still on the mountain and Shane was helping Max, Mason wanted to go inside and warm up so Shane told him to meet him the in lodge, but when he got there a few minutes later no Mason was too be found. We finally found him outside the lodge unable to unbuckle his board on account of his freezing fingers. Shane felt really awful, and we were all relieved to find him. After we got Mason some hot chocolate to warm him up, he felt much better. </p>
<p>So all in all it was a good day. Mason and Max had a blast... me not so much, but even though I didn't have a great time on the mountain I could see how it might be fun some day in the future. We decided to try it again, but with an actual lesson for Max and I. </p>
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<p>A few days later we decided to visit my family for a few days. On the way down Shane and I joked that Karen and Jim's house was our "cabin". It seems everyone in Idaho Falls has a cabin to go to on the weekends. We don't have a mountain retreat, but we have my parents' house in Salt Lake and we really enjoy visiting them when we can get away. It might have something to do with the good food and free babysitters.</p>
<p>One of the things we did while we were down there is go to a Gorgoza park in Park City. It was a beautiful sunny day and we all had so much fun</p>
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<div class="separator" style="text-align: left;clear: both; ">The kids especially thought it was awesome to make themselves into a train and let me pull them both up the hill. </div>
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<p> On New Year's Eve Shane and I went to see Les Miserables, which was very touching and I noticed there was much sniffling in the audience as Val Jean sang his last notes. Then we went home and rang in thenew year with my mom and dad. It was a lovely low key holiday. The next day we returned home and it was back to real life for us. </p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-32283865125197209972013-02-20T08:52:00.001-08:002013-02-20T08:52:17.997-08:00Christmas<p> We had such a lovely Christmas this year. I know its February, but its never too late to get things written down, right? Believe it or not, this is the first time we have ever spent Christmas morning with just our family. I was worried we might feel lonely, but we had a great time. </p>
<p>The night before we had everyone in Shane's family over for dinner. We put the kids to bed early, but around ten or eleven that night Mason wandered out of his room bleary eyed and announced, "Merry Christmas everyone!" Poor guy he thought it was the big day already. </p>
<p>After being up in the night, the boys didn't wake up very early, and finally I got too excited and convinced Shane that we should wake them up. We opened all the presents. Mason in particular was hoping that Santa would bring him a particular Lego set. The very Lego set that happened to be sold out in every single store in town and online. Mason was quite concerned, but ol' Santa is an excellent shopper and did in fact deliver one Vampyre Castle under our tree. Mason was delighted.</p>
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<p> Max had asked for Monsunos and they also appeared under the tree. </p>
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<p> Then we spent the next three hours building Legos and putting together toys. </p>
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<p> It was such a nice relaxed morning. We all really enjoyed it. </p>
<p>Later in the afternoon the rest of the family came back over for dinner and more presents and hanging out. It was great to see everyone. I love having a houseful, especially on the holidays. I think its because it reminds me of my house growing up. Because my grandparents lived with us and my grandma was not at all mobile every holiday was a party with just about every relative in town showing up at our house sometime during the day. As a child I loved it. Now as an adult I really appreciate what a good sport my mom was with her more the merrier attitude. There was always a lot of laughter and desserts to go around. </p>
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<p> In this picture Michelle is wearing the leg warmer/boot topper things I made for all the girls in the family. I was quite proud of my mad crochet skills with those. </p>
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<p> We had a nice dinner and played games in the evening it was a great day. </p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-65921225629849208252013-02-20T08:51:00.001-08:002013-02-20T08:51:44.418-08:00Missing Something...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxDriyCDqYd4Sg49OkNici5A9_LcTKH74NMELHj5RpqsZ-8OPD3Yc79X16gmDRKrvWXk3aKhd_W2MbQ2isIgMlkBveuxKNGIYz2BZy758W9mwMzYLSxAVg1lN1jL1xltwUVTT8bbDvdSt/s1024/Photo%252520Dec%25252018%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525207%25253A44%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxDriyCDqYd4Sg49OkNici5A9_LcTKH74NMELHj5RpqsZ-8OPD3Yc79X16gmDRKrvWXk3aKhd_W2MbQ2isIgMlkBveuxKNGIYz2BZy758W9mwMzYLSxAVg1lN1jL1xltwUVTT8bbDvdSt/s500/Photo%252520Dec%25252018%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525207%25253A44%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1361379103541.0415" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="753" alt=""></a></div>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-57862110832802532972013-02-08T15:08:00.001-08:002013-02-08T15:08:50.233-08:00Today at breakfast Max looked at Shane with a scrutinizing eye and said, "Dad, you look old."<br />
I tried to stifle a laugh, while Mason explained what Max must have really meant by saying in his most nurturing only slightly patronizing voice, "He means not old like an <i>OLD </i>person, but old like we love you."<br />
<br />
Ok that clears everything up. Glad to know the kids still love there old folks.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-35183013053050923592013-01-25T10:21:00.002-08:002013-01-25T13:14:52.676-08:00A letter to my son on the worst day of his life...Oh Max, my dear one, today on the way home from school you just had to use some of my chapstick. Your lips were so dry you were sure you were near death. Unfortunately for you, you also got some chapstick in your mouth. Now you were convinced that you were one step closer to tragedy with the inevitable chap stick poisoning. Finally in desperation you pronounced, "This is the worst chap stick day of my life." I tried to show sympathy, but I have to say that the worst day of your life happens quite regularly.<br />
<br />
You my wild boy have always lived in terms of extremes. If we are having a hard day and I proclaim a boundary like no TV or no friends, your response will always be with despair, "FOREVER!?!" In your world there is no "a little bit" or "just a while." There is no moderation. Although it does give your dad and I a good laugh these days I do hope that as you grow you will learn that there is a middle ground, and that its ok to meet there once in awhile.<br />
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I do really love it though when the worst day of your life starts to show improvement and you pronounce that it has miraculously changed into the best day day of your life. I truly hope your best days will always outnumber your worst days.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-19420456313375067002012-12-02T20:44:00.001-08:002012-12-02T20:45:48.144-08:00Game NightWe started a tradition in our house, last winter that we've continued doing this year that my kids just love. Every Sunday night we have game night. We rotate who gets to choose the game and everyone looks forward to it. Tonight it was Max's turn so we played a raucous round of Mousetrap. The highlights were when I couldn't find my game piece and had to use a foil covered chocolate instead and the laughter that ensued when my piece finally made its way to Shane's side of the board and mysteriously became an empty piece of foil devoid of chocolate; and then when Max's mouse was on the cheese wheel and Shane landed on the turn crank space, Max couldn't stand the anticipation of watching the trap move its way towards his mouse and finally stood on the chair and shouted an anguished, "NOOO!" and then laughed and laughed when his mouse was caught. I know that the kids won't always be interested in hanging out with the folks, but for now its one of our favorite things.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-270150977918810042012-11-29T00:40:00.001-08:002012-11-29T00:40:29.861-08:00Max's lyricsThe yesterday <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEZDP_NVklc" target="_blank">this song</a> came on the radio. I wasn't really listening until Max said to me, "You know that song about cleaning?"<br />
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To which I replied, "huh?"<br />
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"That song on the radio, it says (singing along) cleaning makes you stronger, grow a little taller."<br />
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And then he wanted to know if cleaning really does make you taller... well, I think it probably does.<br />
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-25500053195378792432012-11-14T07:59:00.001-08:002012-11-14T17:55:22.938-08:00A weekend visitorAbout two weeks ago we had a special weekend visitor. My sweet nephew Ethan came to stay with us. Now its been awhile since we've had a toddler in the house and I was nervous I might have forgotten all things pertaining to having such a person around, but I'm happy to say it is a little like riding a bike. Ethan fit right in with our crazy crowd. The kids just love him... I mean love him. I was nervous about Max especially getting a little jealous of my attention being diverted, but it wasn't even an issue. The boys couldn't get enough of him. Mason really was a great helper and loved doing things for Ethan. In this picture Mason is taking him for a ride in the laundry basket, an activity they both thought was hilarious. <br />
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We had such a wonderful time. I forgot how much extra joy having a little guy brings to your house. About an hour before Michelle and Kendon got back, Max asked in all seriousness, "Can we keep him?" I had to tell him I thought his mom just might really want him back, but we were sure lucky to have him visit. <br />
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Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-46956458041923017112012-11-14T07:50:00.001-08:002012-11-14T07:50:25.181-08:00Halloween This year the kids rejected my suggestion of going as Harry and Ron for Halloween, and decided they wanted to be ninjas... (well first Max wanted to be Batman, but then changed his mind to being a ninja like Mason, thankfully Mason didn't mind). I have to admit I was a little bummed, as you know I get really into making the boys costumes every year. But I accepted their desire to be ninjas and instead of starting a huge sewing/hot gluing project we took a trip to Target and got outfitted for Halloween. They still looked cute and really had fun. I love Halloween, its so much fun. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPf0nT1GbfAiBLTlop3qH0epO7rdlaiADv9v3zrypImuCu2-FLiOzhAlVxaIUbj8MmgrTi6tShZ_iTUgt20bK595aCxhgPWG0a3Cida-BuK9CHmELky3OuXiQ3wc_A2LuM3CB9vEGRg0X/s1024/Photo%252520Oct%25252031%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525205%25253A15%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPf0nT1GbfAiBLTlop3qH0epO7rdlaiADv9v3zrypImuCu2-FLiOzhAlVxaIUbj8MmgrTi6tShZ_iTUgt20bK595aCxhgPWG0a3Cida-BuK9CHmELky3OuXiQ3wc_A2LuM3CB9vEGRg0X/s500/Photo%252520Oct%25252031%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525205%25253A15%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1352908225654.4065" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
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<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-30417515770933745902012-11-14T07:48:00.001-08:002012-11-14T07:48:46.194-08:00First Snow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-YJr_ltdroVXu5wSinsU48BX-_YKSz5AI-KuZtkPhOt5MjI3VMDMhxKEhuctRb38xZ5FIdfjzlOOr1zOXoka163wuMCssF2GwacnPbcCsuYItpG4uQxLC2E7m71nvn-VprDRBSMFo4Vh/s680/Photo%252520Oct%25252025%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525203%25253A11%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-YJr_ltdroVXu5wSinsU48BX-_YKSz5AI-KuZtkPhOt5MjI3VMDMhxKEhuctRb38xZ5FIdfjzlOOr1zOXoka163wuMCssF2GwacnPbcCsuYItpG4uQxLC2E7m71nvn-VprDRBSMFo4Vh/s500/Photo%252520Oct%25252025%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525203%25253A11%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1352908125084.3826" class="alignnone" width="500" height="753" alt=""></a></div>
He had to gather the whole yard's worth of snow to make the season's first snow man. <br/><br/> <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-75281889477511118902012-10-17T13:26:00.001-07:002012-10-17T13:26:06.427-07:00First Day of School Second grade for Mason he's getting so big. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EcNUg-Nmnus/UH8UQ-xTe2I/AAAAAAAABPo/uc2PmUQAlrc/s680/Photo%252520Aug%25252027%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525207%25253A19%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EcNUg-Nmnus/UH8UQ-xTe2I/AAAAAAAABPo/uc2PmUQAlrc/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252027%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525207%25253A19%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350505565330.9917" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="753"></a></div>
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Max didn't start preschool until two weeks later.<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEr8ep-783Ic3lQbxZH8x_EES7f00rDm2Ac7RgSseznXrobs8njLsGkoTrVOZTML_bPc8-6-q00WcwwghWvinALUrOEbL-B8kAzktb5zAN068o0-GmrSkidBGbYonoNY8dxoVSeAWK6W1/s680/Photo%252520Sep%2525205%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525208%25253A06%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEr8ep-783Ic3lQbxZH8x_EES7f00rDm2Ac7RgSseznXrobs8njLsGkoTrVOZTML_bPc8-6-q00WcwwghWvinALUrOEbL-B8kAzktb5zAN068o0-GmrSkidBGbYonoNY8dxoVSeAWK6W1/s500/Photo%252520Sep%2525205%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525208%25253A06%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350505565342.0994" class="alignnone" width="500" height="753" alt=""></a></div>
Max went to Miss Karla's preschool for a few weeks, but one day I heard that Mason's school was looking for a teacher's aide, I sent my resume over and the next day they called me for an interview and then hired me right afterwards. Its for just a few hours in the morning, but the best part is that Max gets to come with me and attend the kindergarden class while I'm working. Its a great program for Max, although its taken him some time to get used to going everyday. We've all had to get used to being a little more scheduled in the mornings, and we don't have as much time at home, but so far its been totally worth it. <br/><br/> <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-16808630406502089912012-10-16T12:33:00.001-07:002012-10-16T12:33:50.822-07:00Max's Birthday The last adventure of summer this year was Max's birthday. It was Max's first friend party so we tried to make it special, while still keeping it simple so that I didn't loose my mind. In the past I will admit that birthday parties have caused me a bit of stress so I tried not to go crazy on this one. We kept the guest list limited to the few friends that Max plays with on a regular basis (and cousin Ethan of course) which I think helped the most to keep things manageable for me. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKme9-2I_PIaex1OHRRbdzdLoAsli7HGJnqVYHSAkkjfXVF_2ZOxxxTbr2UK2ephYyFtBiJTdB5tBFu8jlZS507ImFWT9TbAUCgO2YfswGG_gU2TpUyp4MElDknJ3MS0y59Bsc0ts18xWf/s1024/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252010%25253A53%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKme9-2I_PIaex1OHRRbdzdLoAsli7HGJnqVYHSAkkjfXVF_2ZOxxxTbr2UK2ephYyFtBiJTdB5tBFu8jlZS507ImFWT9TbAUCgO2YfswGG_gU2TpUyp4MElDknJ3MS0y59Bsc0ts18xWf/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252010%25253A53%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667043.0264" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
Max decided he wanted to have a dinosaur party which was so much fun. We started with lunch, then we went on a dinosaur safari... We started with the dinosaur dig, the kids loved this and could have done it for hours. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRitByDmpw0gVKgKGDBYoT_Yz35DWHlCLksiaX5KVfoaECx3ccB3rfKJACpNa-M59HYOw_og8uomcQy01OMTWQAUauc-vCcQbWt5qvDtrk9ZOUZzQhx0RtgsRKo09WJpcDpzpFTaN3hCI/s1024/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A07%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRitByDmpw0gVKgKGDBYoT_Yz35DWHlCLksiaX5KVfoaECx3ccB3rfKJACpNa-M59HYOw_og8uomcQy01OMTWQAUauc-vCcQbWt5qvDtrk9ZOUZzQhx0RtgsRKo09WJpcDpzpFTaN3hCI/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A07%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667040.5217" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
Then we had to hurry over to "Volcanium" where it looked like our volcano was ready to erupt. Max and I had made this volcano out of salt dough a few days earlier. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x7W7SSjEd80/UH21DCJG4KI/AAAAAAAABPA/bV8r1_8b6Zs/s1024/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x7W7SSjEd80/UH21DCJG4KI/AAAAAAAABPA/bV8r1_8b6Zs/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667059.2505" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2q4FQPK2_4OyoSkXTvW_ivVs0GTfv1182vCx6qlOxlqv2ck-ovjtWeYRycUx7br25SMronWewAq9Gyw_E-vLbWfAtKBNE2rNT7H33uI0O-BfaZnUcdPZp23r2H1h6UABkenEEsOm2UZu/s1024/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A27%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2q4FQPK2_4OyoSkXTvW_ivVs0GTfv1182vCx6qlOxlqv2ck-ovjtWeYRycUx7br25SMronWewAq9Gyw_E-vLbWfAtKBNE2rNT7H33uI0O-BfaZnUcdPZp23r2H1h6UABkenEEsOm2UZu/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A27%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667056.044" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
I wish I had a better picture of the volcano, because Max was really proud of it. We spent a long time building it and decorating it with dinosaurs and palm trees, Max even suggested that volcano have a cave at the bottom with a dinosaur in it. I think that is what he is pointing out to his friend Jake in this picture. <br/><br/>After the volcano eruption we had to head over to the dinosaur hatchery to make sure all the dinosaur eggs were ok. We found that the large eggs had made it through ok, but the small dinosaur eggs were missing (gasp) and we would have to go find them <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmd34xU95g5u3jWH6EJQW-g3zMD52gS4MtGqs77uDFoqh6dox9iq6XwM_f4mZBzYeF6E4CIy9ht-Zq0ybYp_ghQDQxE5rO3Vah_p9opElzrzgh58Ss9wzFrQbYfBDca0arIu8AE_K4YbY/s1024/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A18%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmd34xU95g5u3jWH6EJQW-g3zMD52gS4MtGqs77uDFoqh6dox9iq6XwM_f4mZBzYeF6E4CIy9ht-Zq0ybYp_ghQDQxE5rO3Vah_p9opElzrzgh58Ss9wzFrQbYfBDca0arIu8AE_K4YbY/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A18%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667017.4053" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF43nDeBlu8w1pQ1s5_sR6GvTy6fcy_XqXYkjiudtDh0l1IMhsvFPUvb5NIUSBeQ3ODWbKqM69WGjg_YOk9d2oEQZ12stWNX-Og_1iWmphKxLHBWum3zJTVNlzWaS81mjj7dtmi9rwzAHX/s1024/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A25%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF43nDeBlu8w1pQ1s5_sR6GvTy6fcy_XqXYkjiudtDh0l1IMhsvFPUvb5NIUSBeQ3ODWbKqM69WGjg_YOk9d2oEQZ12stWNX-Og_1iWmphKxLHBWum3zJTVNlzWaS81mjj7dtmi9rwzAHX/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A25%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667027.5112" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="332" alt=""></a></div>
This was by far my favorite activity. The "eggs" were made out of a mixture of flour and water and used coffee grinds that dried hard on the outside and were soft on the inside. In the middle of each egg was a little dinosaur. The kids thought it was to great that they got to smash their eggs on the ground so they could get their dinosaurs out. <br/><br/>After that we opened presents and ate cupcakes, the kids had all collected a little pile of mini dinosaurs by that time, and so we spent the remaining party time playing dinosaurs. When everyone left they took home a large paper mache dinosaur egg filled with treats. The kids thought this was a especially cool. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382234750523&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s600x600/304372_4382234750523_1606128386_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667111.9917" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382235390539&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s600x600/560527_4382235390539_1410220778_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667097.667" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<br/><br/>The party turned out great. I think everyone had a good time especially Max. Later that night we had Shane's family over for dinner and cake, which was also a lot of fun. Max got to choose what we had for dinenr so it was chicken nuggets of course...<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382210829925&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/s600x600/552540_4382210829925_1051146355_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667024.0742" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="text-align: left;clear: both; ">Ethan mowed the lawn for us</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382209989904&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/s600x600/374126_4382209989904_1667001878_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667017.8232" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
We opened presents again<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382211829950&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/s600x600/541345_4382211829950_1372659392_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667030.7285" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
And of course had more cake, it was a lovely day.<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382212749973&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s600x600/429181_4382212749973_1630407203_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667029.9644" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382213189984&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/s600x600/10259_4382213189984_764348455_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667031.0999" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-14336053568466130772012-10-16T12:27:00.001-07:002012-10-16T12:27:59.179-07:00Max's Birthday The last adventure of summer this year was Max's birthday. It was Max's first friend party so we tried to make it special, while still keeping it simple so that I didn't loose my mind. In the past I will admit that birthday parties have caused me a bit of stress so I tried not to go crazy on this one. We kept the guest list limited to the few friends that Max plays with on a regular basis (and cousin Ethan of course) which I think helped the most to keep things manageable for me. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKme9-2I_PIaex1OHRRbdzdLoAsli7HGJnqVYHSAkkjfXVF_2ZOxxxTbr2UK2ephYyFtBiJTdB5tBFu8jlZS507ImFWT9TbAUCgO2YfswGG_gU2TpUyp4MElDknJ3MS0y59Bsc0ts18xWf/s1024/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252010%25253A53%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKme9-2I_PIaex1OHRRbdzdLoAsli7HGJnqVYHSAkkjfXVF_2ZOxxxTbr2UK2ephYyFtBiJTdB5tBFu8jlZS507ImFWT9TbAUCgO2YfswGG_gU2TpUyp4MElDknJ3MS0y59Bsc0ts18xWf/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252010%25253A53%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667043.0264" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
Max decided he wanted to have a dinosaur party which was so much fun. We started with lunch, then we went on a dinosaur safari... We started with the dinosaur dig, the kids loved this and could have done it for hours. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRitByDmpw0gVKgKGDBYoT_Yz35DWHlCLksiaX5KVfoaECx3ccB3rfKJACpNa-M59HYOw_og8uomcQy01OMTWQAUauc-vCcQbWt5qvDtrk9ZOUZzQhx0RtgsRKo09WJpcDpzpFTaN3hCI/s1024/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A07%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRitByDmpw0gVKgKGDBYoT_Yz35DWHlCLksiaX5KVfoaECx3ccB3rfKJACpNa-M59HYOw_og8uomcQy01OMTWQAUauc-vCcQbWt5qvDtrk9ZOUZzQhx0RtgsRKo09WJpcDpzpFTaN3hCI/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A07%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667040.5217" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
Then we had to hurry over to "Volcanium" where it looked like our volcano was ready to erupt. Max and I had made this volcano out of salt dough a few days earlier. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x7W7SSjEd80/UH21DCJG4KI/AAAAAAAABPA/bV8r1_8b6Zs/s1024/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x7W7SSjEd80/UH21DCJG4KI/AAAAAAAABPA/bV8r1_8b6Zs/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A16%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667059.2505" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2q4FQPK2_4OyoSkXTvW_ivVs0GTfv1182vCx6qlOxlqv2ck-ovjtWeYRycUx7br25SMronWewAq9Gyw_E-vLbWfAtKBNE2rNT7H33uI0O-BfaZnUcdPZp23r2H1h6UABkenEEsOm2UZu/s1024/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A27%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2q4FQPK2_4OyoSkXTvW_ivVs0GTfv1182vCx6qlOxlqv2ck-ovjtWeYRycUx7br25SMronWewAq9Gyw_E-vLbWfAtKBNE2rNT7H33uI0O-BfaZnUcdPZp23r2H1h6UABkenEEsOm2UZu/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A27%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667056.044" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
I wish I had a better picture of the volcano, because Max was really proud of it. We spent a long time building it and decorating it with dinosaurs and palm trees, Max even suggested that volcano have a cave at the bottom with a dinosaur in it. I think that is what he is pointing out to his friend Jake in this picture. <br/><br/>After the volcano eruption we had to head over to the dinosaur hatchery to make sure all the dinosaur eggs were ok. We found that the large eggs had made it through ok, but the small dinosaur eggs were missing (gasp) and we would have to go find them <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmd34xU95g5u3jWH6EJQW-g3zMD52gS4MtGqs77uDFoqh6dox9iq6XwM_f4mZBzYeF6E4CIy9ht-Zq0ybYp_ghQDQxE5rO3Vah_p9opElzrzgh58Ss9wzFrQbYfBDca0arIu8AE_K4YbY/s1024/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A18%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmd34xU95g5u3jWH6EJQW-g3zMD52gS4MtGqs77uDFoqh6dox9iq6XwM_f4mZBzYeF6E4CIy9ht-Zq0ybYp_ghQDQxE5rO3Vah_p9opElzrzgh58Ss9wzFrQbYfBDca0arIu8AE_K4YbY/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A18%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667017.4053" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF43nDeBlu8w1pQ1s5_sR6GvTy6fcy_XqXYkjiudtDh0l1IMhsvFPUvb5NIUSBeQ3ODWbKqM69WGjg_YOk9d2oEQZ12stWNX-Og_1iWmphKxLHBWum3zJTVNlzWaS81mjj7dtmi9rwzAHX/s1024/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A25%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF43nDeBlu8w1pQ1s5_sR6GvTy6fcy_XqXYkjiudtDh0l1IMhsvFPUvb5NIUSBeQ3ODWbKqM69WGjg_YOk9d2oEQZ12stWNX-Og_1iWmphKxLHBWum3zJTVNlzWaS81mjj7dtmi9rwzAHX/s500/Photo%252520Aug%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%25252011%25253A25%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667027.5112" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="332" alt=""></a></div>
This was by far my favorite activity. The "eggs" were made out of a mixture of flour and water and used coffee grinds that dried hard on the outside and were soft on the inside. In the middle of each egg was a little dinosaur. The kids thought it was to great that they got to smash their eggs on the ground so they could get their dinosaurs out. <br/><br/>After that we opened presents and ate cupcakes, the kids had all collected a little pile of mini dinosaurs by that time, and so we spent the remaining party time playing dinosaurs. When everyone left they took home a large paper mache dinosaur egg filled with treats. The kids thought this was a especially cool. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382234750523&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s600x600/304372_4382234750523_1606128386_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667111.9917" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382235390539&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s600x600/560527_4382235390539_1410220778_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667097.667" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<br/><br/>The party turned out great. I think everyone had a good time especially Max. Later that night we had Shane's family over for dinner and cake, which was also a lot of fun. Max got to choose what we had for dinenr so it was chicken nuggets of course...<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382210829925&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/s600x600/552540_4382210829925_1051146355_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667024.0742" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="text-align: left;clear: both; ">Ethan mowed the lawn for us</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382209989904&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/s600x600/374126_4382209989904_1667001878_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667017.8232" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
We opened presents again<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382211829950&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/s600x600/541345_4382211829950_1372659392_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667030.7285" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
And of course had more cake, it was a lovely day.<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382212749973&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s600x600/429181_4382212749973_1630407203_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667029.9644" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4382213189984&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/s600x600/10259_4382213189984_764348455_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350415667031.0999" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-28928585568601691582012-10-15T11:59:00.001-07:002012-10-15T11:59:52.756-07:00Salt Lake Vacation In August we realized there were two consecutive weekends that held events in Utah that we wanted the attend, so we decided to cap off our summer with a week in Salt Lake. <br/><br/>The first weekend we were there Shane went to a car race. He loves racing his mustang. The kids and my dad and I met him there for awhile, but it ended up being a break so we didn't see any racing. Since we were already in Toelle though we stopped off and visited my uncle Don, who has recently taken up bunny raising. The kids thought the bunnies were great and really wanted to take one home. I asked Don if we could borrow one for a few days, but he said there was a no return policy on the bunnies. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4376336403068&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s600x600/429994_4376336403068_1502208460_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350327582862.7573" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The best part about the trip was that Shane was able to stay with us during the week, although he did have to go the library and work on their speedy internet connection, every afternoon he came home and we set out on a family adventure. We had a great time, every night we were busy with some kind of adventure. Many of those adventures involved swimming so I didn't take a lot of pictures. One night we went swimming at the local pool. One night we went to Seven Peaks Water Park. I didn't know if the kids would love this one, but they had a blast. Mason who generally doesn't like thrilling rides LOVED the waterslides, he coudl not get enoug of them, and even went on some that made me a little uncomfortable. Max was a little more timid and spent most of the night in the lazy river with me. </span><br/><br/><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One of the things I miss most about the Salt Lake valley is the easy access to the mountains, so one night we hiked to Donut Falls. It was a beautiful hike, and I was especially pleased to see how much the kids enjoyed being outside in the mountains. </span><br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4377409709900&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style=""><img src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/s600x600/60131_4377409709900_3653676_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1350327582807.146" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="332"></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Of course the thing that I was looking forward to the most that weekend was on Friday when Shane and I went to see Wicked. We left early and went downtown and had a nice dinner and then walked around the City Creek Center. It was so nice to spend time together, and the show was fabulous, even Shane really enjoyed it. </span><br/><br/><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">It was such a great week, I think we'll have to make it a summer tradition.</span><br/><br/> <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-49757869967012798772012-10-04T09:11:00.001-07:002012-10-04T09:11:55.471-07:00Boat Ride Last summer one of the kids favorite things was the boat ride we took in Island Park. We all enjoyed it so much we decided to make it an annual tradition and so before summer was over this year we headed up to Island park. Going later in the summer meant that the water was fairly low. So low in some places that our little friends had get out and push, which Mason and Max thought was GREAT!<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4320881936741&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/s720x720/69111_4320881936741_1426189242_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1349367020693.9844" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="text-align: justify;clear: both; ">About halfway down the river there is this great rope swing that the kids and Shane had fun swinging on until the swing broke free of its counter balance. There was a large family reunion there and one of the teenage girls in an effort to get the smaller children out of the way of the broken swing was hit by its heavy load. There were a few tense moments, the girl was unconscious for a few minutes and was unwilling/unable to move for a few minutes more. Shane who had been swinging on the swing felt terrible and we had a tense wait while the girls situations was assessed. Thankfully (and in an answer to my prayers at least, and probably those of others). The next boat to pass by had a doctor in it. He came over and was able to assess the situation, and pronounce that the girl would be fine, and she was able to get up. We were all so relieved. Shane felt really terrible, and apologized to the girl, who told him the same thing the rest of the group had also said, that it wasn't really his fault just bad timing. So we moved on, but I was happy a few weeks later when I saw one of the family members of the girl and she told me that by later that day she had made a full recovery and was now fine. </div>
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After all the adventures of the day we pulled our boat into shore and went across the street for what Mason tells me is the best pizza in the world. It was a good day. <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-91466282566254716892012-10-03T07:45:00.001-07:002012-10-03T07:45:26.953-07:00Gluten Free? The other day Mason was looking at the Chex box and said, "I know why all the people are smiling, its because they have something that's gluten free to eat that isn't gross."<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4320869896440&set=a.4278926847890.177853.1127827109&type=1" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s600x600/199988_4320869896440_1994880769_n.jpg" id="blogsy-1349275506239.4187" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div>
<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-31673335761312966542012-10-03T07:42:00.001-07:002012-10-03T07:42:17.794-07:00BaseballIn June both of the boys did a T-ball/baseball team. I decided I was crazy and volunteered to coach Max's team. It was just short of absolute chaos, but we made it through the season, and almost everyone had fun (there was one kid that cried at every game). Unfortunately I was so busy during all the games that the only picture I have is the official team photo. So when I get around to scanning it in, I'll share it with y'all.<br>
<br/><br/><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mason had a wonderful coach, and for the first time ever really got into the game and loved it.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "> </span><br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CuX6mWoX2oI/UGxOoINVtPI/AAAAAAAABN4/5TLtBoY8M80/s680/Photo%252520Jul%2525209%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525206%25253A52%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CuX6mWoX2oI/UGxOoINVtPI/AAAAAAAABN4/5TLtBoY8M80/s500/Photo%252520Jul%2525209%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525206%25253A52%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1349275335303.9048" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="753"></a></div>
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The kids had so much fun with baseball that we decided to celebrate the end of season with a Chuckars game. It was my first ever real baseball game and it was fun to watch, the kids really got into to it too, and loved running the bases at the end of the game. <br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uOzBhLOsmL8/UGxOvhX0YVI/AAAAAAAABOY/oexpjwDw_bY/s1024/Photo%252520Jun%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525209%25253A29%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uOzBhLOsmL8/UGxOvhX0YVI/AAAAAAAABOY/oexpjwDw_bY/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252030%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525209%25253A29%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1349275335279.7488" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="374"></a></div>
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<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-35146511601736800122012-09-26T12:32:00.001-07:002012-09-26T12:32:41.586-07:00Summer Do It took a few weeks, but around the middle of June I talked the boys into getting a summer haircut. We had fun with Max and gave him a mohawk before we cut it all off completely.<br/><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70N0rPy64b8k6mifQ3_oujhvaJsPcRFKB729uR7iISaLUZgvsUgHDbnudEAJnnrsITzSxjKPK2w3iqTDIMDD19wW3AyUULoGpWUF-nfymYEKGVdWJ67UEAlPDb5ujMZs1yI_UgUi_aoH7/s1024/Photo%252520Jun%25252025%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525207%25253A55%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70N0rPy64b8k6mifQ3_oujhvaJsPcRFKB729uR7iISaLUZgvsUgHDbnudEAJnnrsITzSxjKPK2w3iqTDIMDD19wW3AyUULoGpWUF-nfymYEKGVdWJ67UEAlPDb5ujMZs1yI_UgUi_aoH7/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252025%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525207%25253A55%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1348687961317.4243" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="332" alt=""></a></div>
<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3906094111285063624.post-67023906876400636892012-09-26T12:27:00.001-07:002012-09-26T12:27:30.546-07:00Our Little Engineer Like many of you out there, a few years ago I was touched when I read The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch. There is one part of the book where he talks about how his parents let him do things like draw a rocket ship on his bedroom wall, and often when my children request a messy/time consuming/inconvenient project I think of this book and want to be a better mom. <br/><br/>So this summer our washer died. I wasn't too sad about this because I'd been hoping for a new one for some time, but I was surprised when as we were sitting outside enjoying the summer weather, and talking about the broken washer, Mason got a twinkle in his eye and said, "Can I take it apart?" <br/><br/><p>Of course my the initial response that almost made it out of my lips was an incredulous, <em>No you can't take my washer apart, </em>but then I thought of Mr. Pausch and his mother and said, "Ok."<span style="text-align: center; "> </span></p>
Shane and I waited patiently outside to see what would happen. A few minutes later an excited Mason came out. <br/><br/>"I'm gonna need some tools," he informed us. <br/><br/>And then it was Shane's turn to be the cool parent. I bin of screwdrivers, wrenches, and wire cutter was produced and then Mason was off to work. <br/><br/>He ended up spending about two days in my laundry room steadily working on deconstructing my washer AND dryer (it was on its way out too). He had such a good time, it was really worth a little extra mess, and the perfect end to our a decade old washer and dryer.<br>
<br/><br/> <br/><br/><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQl7JghEIF9ZQ0p4l81Ucvdl8pkyvkygM-gpBOUh4yF3J4ALfWX_7vUiG_8X_QkZTWwmroCNIx1R7QwCGSrZ-nOIIxGzR7PRSDHNvALGX8aPsddstrWHYxiUaDj9_zPgeNy3YTC1HMNMp/s1024/Photo%252520Jun%25252025%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525208%25253A01%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="text-align: center; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQl7JghEIF9ZQ0p4l81Ucvdl8pkyvkygM-gpBOUh4yF3J4ALfWX_7vUiG_8X_QkZTWwmroCNIx1R7QwCGSrZ-nOIIxGzR7PRSDHNvALGX8aPsddstrWHYxiUaDj9_zPgeNy3YTC1HMNMp/s500/Photo%252520Jun%25252025%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525208%25253A01%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1348687650075.7898" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="332" alt=""></font></a><p> </p>
<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15577283756881666335noreply@blogger.com0