No Smores for You

The funniest thing happened the other evening.  I had just made Baked Smores (one of Kade’s very favorite things ever) and we were bringing some of them to doorbell ditch friends and stuff.  Dad kept teasing Kade that the second he left, he was going to eat them all gone.  Kade was playing right along and the two of them just kept bantering back and forth about the whole thin. It was just hilarious.  Kade didn’t want the smores to leave his sight—“just in case” and Dad just was so funny about it.  

Good news. When we got home, there were still some for Kade. So huzzah!

Scott and Zoe get engaged!

 My baby brother got engaged!!!  And how wonderful and happy was I to be able to be a part of it you ask?  SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY!

 Zoe is sweet and funny and kind and thoughtful and fun. She's so fun.  I'm so happy she'll be in my family!

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Scotts engaged!

Scott’s engaged!!!!  And the best part is that Zoe is amazing and we all love her so so much!  What an amazing blessing that it has been to live here while Scott’s living here!  To talk and hang out, to talk, to play tag/touched-ya-last, to make fun of each other, and to have the kids and Jess just get to know him so well! It’s been AMAZING!  And then to watch him start dating AND THEN then to be able to watch him fall in love with this ADORABLE girl that we ALL love.  So happy.

Now this was adorable.  First off, Zoe and Scott always play games over here.  Whether its pounce or spoons or sardines, games are always being played.  SO, Scott arranged to have his friends come over and help me and mom set up the backyard all pretty.  They strung little white twinkle lights above the backyard, and  200 tea lights on the ground all lit-up and  forming a path which led to a table that was by the tree (on which hung an adorable crystal chandelier) and had on it flowers, and decorations, AND a platter with a Spoon that he’d had engraved to say, “I can see this lasting….like forever” (which is what he’d said to her when they were dating to open up the marriage talk flood gate.)

They’d gone skiing, then out to dinner and ice cream and came back to the house to play games.  Scotts friends were all hiding in the backyard so they could get some pictures of the engagement and we'd had planed to have Traveling Spoons (the game that would lead to the engagement) be the first game.  But Zoe wanted to do pounce…so we made the crew outside wait just a little longer. Then I said I wanted to play spoons so bad, and so we started.  Scott got out, and it was down to me and Zoe.  Scott said he was going to hide the spoon outside and he’d be standing by it so whoever won would know where to go.  Then, I let Zoe win and she TOOK OFF outside, only to see the whole backyard lit up and Scott standing by the tree with a ring box.  Me and mom and Nate just sorta tried to duck away so they could have their moment.  The rest was just adorable and they got engaged and it was so so so wonderful!  

RHETTS RIDING A BIKE!

Rhett riding a bike

Rhett’s riding a bike now!!!!!  There was a really nice day in February that the weather was uncommonly amazing, probably in the high 60’s, that I took Rhett and Max to the “Green Park” up the street.  Rhett had apparently ridden in the back yard for a second on a bike without training wheels and wanted to try it out. So we had elbow and knee pads on him, and his helmet and he went to town!  I’d give him little pushes and he’d get 5-20 feet on his own on that first day.  We’ve been 3-4 times since and today he was pushing off on his own and even was able to go around the track 7 TIMES!  And then he stopped “to think” at his thinking spot at the playground before starting again on his bike.  He’s been sooooo fun to watch learn. 

(meanwhile max was trying to ride Rhett’s bike from his birthday last year, WITH the training wheels.  He was sooooo slow but did so good. He won’t accept any help and is just adorable!)

March 2017

Also guess how many push-ups this little boy can do?  He just did like 60 beautiful push-ups.  He's so rad.

It's Time, Young Jedi.

Once upon a time there was an awesome family of boys in our ward.  Like really great wonderful kids.  One of the older boys had a "Jedi Braid" for a while and my boys LOVED it. So one day they asked if they could grow one. I said, "no, cause I think that would be ugly" even though I just loved that other boy.  Then they kept asking.  I asked Jess what he thought, to which he replied something like, "I think they should do all the things that they want to with their hair...while they have it" and hung his head all low. HA! So, in an effort to not be such a Nazi mom over all things, I let them grow out a little strand of hair on the side of their heads.  

It's so lame but it was honestly so so hard for me to let them do this.  It was such a growing adventure--for me and the hair-ha!. I honestly learned from the small and simple experiment, a start to how to let go of the things that really don't matter.  Its a good thing to learn for this mom-hood stuff.  

 Also--little heads up (ha ha again), it takes FOREVER to grow!  I accidentally cut off Kade's during his first round-So so sad (story at the bottom). And these short little things are the results after 3 months of growing!

 

October 2014 Journal Entree:

A few days ago I was giving all the boys haircuts.  Kade and Luke have been growing out a tiny section of their hair so they could have  Jedi braids (well, the apprentice braid that Anikan has in a couple of the movies).  

Kade wanted to be Anakin for Halloween and wanted a real braid.  I wasn’t concentrating very hard and buzzed Kade’s section that he’s been growing out for 2 months RIGHT OFF!  AHHH!  I felt so so so so bad.  My face went red and I said, “Kade! I’m so so sorry!”  He reached his hand back and said, “MOM!  You cut it off!!!”  I started to cry. I knew how much it meant to him (although I hated it so much) and he started to cry.  If I had just thought a little more about what I was doing and what his wants were I would have remembered and not just zipped right on through his hair cut forgetting.  I finished his haircut and he, sad, disappointed and mad, went into the living room while Luke was getting his hair cute. Luke decided to have his cut off as well so Kade wouldn’t feel bad J. 

Once I’d finished Luke’s haircut and was about to call in Rhett, Kade came into the bathroom and game me a giant hug.  He said he had felt the spirit and just felt calm as he was thinking about what had happened.  He completely forgave me and cheered up.  He found  a new costume he wanted—still Anakin but post braid and into his dark phase, that Kade asked if I could make for him. Of course I was so happy and jumped at the chance to try and make it better.  I’m sooo thankful for the Holy Ghost and that he helped Kade forgive me and let it go instead of allowing that feeling to fester.