My Little Man Chefs

I've been feeling anxious lately about not spending enough time with my boys.  But how do you find more time in the day?

I had no good ideas.  So after some prayer the greatest idea came. I didn't need to find more time in the day. What if my boys picked a day of the week and cooked WITH me?  It's been working so so so well!  I love having one on one time with each of them AND teaching them how to cook.  Plus they feel so so good when the rest of the family enjoys, compliments, and thanks them for the meal.  Here's a few of their masterpieces:

Luke's Pizza Bites

Rhett's snowman pancakes (also we should note here that Rhett picks pancakes like EVERY week. HA HA!  We've had a lot of pancakes--but he loves it so...what do you do?

Luke made meatballs and rice AND this awesome Jello with 5 different types--how beautiful is that?  It was way cool.

This was so so beautiful.  It took like a million years though. (Kade has been very diligent in picking short meals since then. ie hot dogs, mac and cheese, waffles and so on)  But for reals, he even helped me twist those homemade bread sticks!  It was rad.

Mac and Cheese and we threw in some fancy fruit mousse things.

Brazilian Lemonade, pancakes and bacon-wrapped sausages.

Chocolate waffles with a berry sauce and whipped cream...yum.

It really has been such a sweet tender mercy to be able to do this with the boys.  I'm so thankful for personal revelation and for a Father in Heaven that cares about what I care about.

Windersons!

So...sad story. Our Brother in Law Riley's appendix burst--(to which, once they discovered what had happened and told him to go to the Hospital right away, he responded by going back to work and finishing a report that was due.....that's rad.) And he was in a lot of pain for a long time and had surgeries and what not because of complications.  BUT--the good part of this was that we got to have our niece and nephew come over and spend a little time with us! YAY.

I love movie nights when everyone gets their coziest things and candy and popcorn and friends.  

Love. Love.

So adorable.

The next day we went to Kangaroo Zoo! Woo Woo!

We thought getting slushies would be awesome.  While the idea was, and the kids liked having 'something' the slushies were super lame, and gross, and made with big ice so really--it was just like a drink with too much ice.....Boo Kangaroo Zoo.

BUT, it was crazy fun and the cousins were adorable and ran from place to place together and sometimes holding hands (on account of I told them to do the buddy system--I know the place is inclosed but I still get so scared not knowing where everyone is.) and they ROCKED the buddy system which was wonderful.  ANYWAY. They all had a great time.

This was a super failed attempt to get a picture of them all...Fail.  I think they were excited? Or something? To be jumping and not sitting down smiling for a picture?  Can't be certain :)

Pampering Pedicures with my Mom

Mom and Dad went on a vacation to Hawaii! Woo Woo.  So this gave us the perfect excuse to go and get a pedicure together.  (also the fact that we've been meaning to get out and do something since I moved in 2 YEARS ago!)  

It was just lovely and the place we went to was adorable.  I don't think I could ever get pedicures on a consistent basis like so many girls do regardless of how bad my feet may need it (cause PRICEY and what not) but it was super nice to be pampered together.  :)

Lego League Competition

Kade participated in a group called FIRST Lego League.  

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST )

(In September each year, a new challenge is announced that focuses on a different real-world topic related to the sciences.  Each challenge within the competition then revolves around that theme. The robotics part of the competition revolves around designing and programming Lego Robots to complete tasks. The students work out solutions to the various problems they are given and then meet for regional tournaments to share their knowledge, compare ideas, and display their robots.)

Anyway--it's awesome and he loved it.  It was a new team and no one had done it before and Kade learned a lot from it.  They would get together once a week and  basically talk about core values (Kade was responsible for leading the discussion on “We gain more from what we learn then what we win”) design and discuss how to make their robot work and practice building different prototypes for a robot to rescue things in a natural disaster.  They worked specifically on Nature’s Fury: Earthquakes: Search and Rescue: Machines and Equipment.  

Kade's coach was so cool too.  The kids would have programing ideas and he'd just let them take his laptop and program it to do whatever.  

They had 3 different rounds to make their robots take care of recovery from a natural disaster.  Release helicopters with different attachments they could think up of, or chop down tree's or move an ambulance or other vehicles to a certain destination (which was the part Kade did....unfortunately...for some reason I have no idea about, the robot started going super duper slow on Kade's turn. It was so sad to see the whole team rally around and watch...it...sputter...and barely move.  Here's a little video of what it was like.

Evanston New Years Eve 2013

We spent an awesome 2013 New Years Eve in Evanston

Starting with: The drive.

So poor Luke get's car sick.  And driving to Evanston is particularly hard on his little stomach with all the canyon driving.  It is not uncommon to pull over in Heber and let him get out in the fresh air for a bit.  But what I just love about it, is that Jess always gets out with him and just talks him through the gross feeling and reassures him.  I love it (while I'm selfishly cuddled up in the warm van).

Watching Jess be a caring, loving dad is one of my favorite things ever.

One of the most exciting happy things Max does when he gets to grandma and grandpa's house is play with Sophie....mostly the entire stay is filled with him calling 'Sopee' and giving her treats.  She's such a sweet dog and so so good with the Max following her around the whole stay!

Saddle seats at McDonalds--Got. To. Love. Them!

Watching Rhett go down on this type of sled made me the most nervous I think. I don't know what it is exactly about it though.  I mean, it's like I think he'll crash and be sliced by the sliders or something. Regardless, he did very well.

Ah!  Aunt Andrea Rocks.

We started the night with meatloaf and potatoes--which everybody including the kiddos LOVE, and moved on to watching Turbo.  When Turbo ended and the ending credits started, all the kids (and many adults) started dancing :)  Which naturally progressed into Just Dance--YAY!  So so so fun.

(ha ha--don't you love how the flash totally shocked those boys!  Bwa ha ha)

Then we zoomed over to Wellsfargo-the owner had invited George and the fam to watch Evanstons lovely fireworks from the rooftop. It was so awesome (sooo so soooo very cold--but awesome)!

  We spent the time cuddled up so close together watching the fireworks.  I loved every bit of it!  The boys may have been ready to go earlier then me...on account of being frozen and I don't think Kade had boots on and the wind was a bajillion mph--but for REALS--how often does a mom have an amazing excuse to just cuddle her whole family soooo close, for so long, AND watch fireworks? 

Not. A. Lot. So they endured--little troopers and we had a great New Years Eve.

(the crew in the elevator after the fireworks)

So we TRIED to get all of us...but cept see I didn't see how far George was leaning when I set up the shot...and now he's cut off.  

But here's a beauty that Garrett took  to replace it :) Also Andrea looks very nice in it...

Happy NEW YEAR!

HOORAY FOR CHRISTMAS!!! 2013

This little carousel is the most amazing thing ever.  It has enchanted all my boys and this year was definitely Max's to discover it.  He spent hours in front of it listening to its Christmas songs, watching the horses go around and the lights blink on and off.  He may be more susceptible to epilepsy now but...it's worth it :)

Christmas EVE! 

This year they all came with me to the fabric store and picked out their favorite fleece  for a blanket.  I'm so glad they did too, cause I would NEVER have thought to pick Kade's skulls, or Luke's dragon scales material--but they love them and so YAY!!! SUCCESS!!  They had their scavenger hunt to find their pajama's and blankets, we read the Christmas story in Luke and sent them off to bed :)

And Hooray!  Christmas Morning was lovely. Filled with legos, new bikes, games and fun.  One lil extra this year was special nerf guns from Santa, for everyone including mom, dad, and Scott

!  

(The day after Christmas Luke came up to Grandma and said, “stick-em up” But she didn’t have a gun and reminded him of the rule that we can’t shoot someone without a gun.  So later that day a few of us were talking in the kitchen and Luke came up with a gun in his hand and handed one to mom saying, “Can you hold this for a minute?”  It has Hilarious!!!  Then the 3 of us started a Nerf War in the kitchen/living room.  Loved every minute of it. So many spontaneous wars have erupted and it's been awesome.)

Rhett LOVED his four-wheeler (beaut I found for Black Friday),

Max HATED his.....  

Jess would set Max on his four wheeler, 'cue Max's bawling', then when Jess pushed the button Max would temporarily stop crying--maybe it was shock?  And continue to cry when he stopped and try to get off as fast as possible.  It was super special (he came around to NOT hating it about a month later :)

Neighborhood Fight!

I love our neighborhood!  I love that their are ALWAYS kids playing outside and that the house--although way less clean--is full of little kids all the time.  

On this particular day, the giant mound of snow from the snow plow was turned into a bunker for the kids to throw and hide from on-coming snow-balls.  Curtis-Winns against the Carsons.  

They came inside for a quick cup of hot cocoa!

(unfortunately, because they came in, they lost control of the bunker and therefore the war....what do you do?)

Gingerbread creation splendor

I love the creations that come to fruition during our annual gingerbread house building.  Plus, who doesn't love doing anything they possibly can--WITH CANDY!?  

Rhett and I made a candy house and candy family having a snowball fight. (Apparently, according to Rhett, the rolo head on the roof is Grandpa--cause he's crazy like that)

 Ha ha! Look at that scowl on Jess' face...I don't remember what that was about.  He decided to go rogue this year and he bought a KIT!  WHAT?  So anyway Jess and Kade put theirs together.  And it was lovely.

I was WAY impressed with Luke's sledding hill! His construction was awesome and all the ideas were his.  Loved it!

 Pretty.  I especially loved their cobblestone ('candystone') path leading to the door.

 Okay...so this needs major explaining...and I don't know all of it...but what I do know goes like this.  When they were in St. George...they saw some gingerbread houses displayed.  They talked about it after and thought one in particular was really great.  Then when they started constructing it (Mom doing the pretty cake you see on the right and Dad with the gingerbread man hanging on the left....) they realized they had seen two very different pieces.....  SO, they combined them.---it's a type of Morbid Birthday Cake---maybe Deathday Cake?  They're so funny!

Scott did Lehi's dream.  Complete with Great and Spacious Building and Tree of Life and Iron Rod.