Helping Grandma

Grandma told the boys she'd pay them a dollar each if they would pick up all the beans on her grass. The boys were so excited and were singing the whole time(except for the last 10 min.-- the excitement had gone). It was a big job. When Grandma got home from work she found 3 yard bags full of beans and rethought her wage. She couldn't believe there was that much out there. The boys were ecstatic about the dollar bill so the wage was fine for the job.

Blessing Day

With everyone's busy schedules today was the only Sunday that Darryl and each of our parents would all be able to be at Cole's blessing so today was the special day. Both our parents, Lisa and her family, Jason and Emma, Jackie, and Jordan and her family were all there to spend the special day with us. Cole was super great. The only hiccup in the day was when we arrived at the church at 12:57 and realized that we didn't have a binki so I made a mad dash for home. Darryl did a great job with the blessing the one thing I remember the most was that he blessed Cole to tell many about the gospel. That just really hit me that my kids can and likely will gain testimonies of their own and be mature enough to share it with others. [Novel thought-- I know, I had just never really thought much about that before.] I just always think of my kids as toddlers for life. Kade has been saying he's only going to have 1 more birthday and then he doesn't want to have anymore--which I'm fine with. I'll keep him 6 or younger forever. ; )
Today Cole was such a chatter box. He just coos and goos but I could talk with him all day. He's such a cutie. He's completely content to just snuggle/hug you whether he's awake or asleep. Kade and Clint always pushed away from you because they wanted to look around. It's so great to have a cuddly baby. Grandpa Brown said while they were blessing Cole his eyes were bluer than blue and he looked like he was looking at someone up by the ceiling. I had a hard time finding an outfit for Cole. All of the stores/people that made Kade's and Clint's no longer make the tuxedos but I found this one online from a little store in Idaho; Shipping and all was $35! Cole was also wearing booties made by Lois Johnson, Diane Stubbs mother. Diane is the secretary at Redmond Minerals and she puts together the baby gift baskets for Redmond. Her mom must be the sweetest elderly lady to make those booties for people she doesn't even know.

Chicks

Well they are cute little chicks now but they will soon be not so cute chickens. We got chickens today. For quite some time Darryl has wanted to build a hen house and raise chickens. Well today we bit the bullet and we're committed to try at least with these six. Darryl says he has 8 weeks now to get the hen house built before they will need to move in. Until then we're having fun watching them in the box. They are so funny to watch. If one is asleep the others just walk over it to get to where they want to go. There is one that keeps pecking at the drop of water that fell on the box-- you'd think it would just be easier to go and get the water out of the feeder. Hopefully we'll get lots of eggs this year.


EXTENSION:
The next day Darryl and the boys went to the store to get more saw dust and walked out with another chick. It is a black variety and very pretty.

Great Weekend

"That was so much fun!!!!!!!!!" Clint exclaimed as he walked in the door. The boys have been anxiously awaiting the day we'd go and see the Joseph play and Saturday was the day. We've been listening to the sound track non-stop and a few months ago we rented the Broadway recording that Donny Osmond was in. The boys loved it but they really loved seeing it live. What made it even better was that Aunt Jackie, Aunt Wendy, and Uncle Kelby came to stay with us this weekend and so they went too. I was planning on going but had second thoughts about taking Cole. If he slept the hole time he'd be ready to go at 3 AM-- Um No. If he was awake he probably wouldn't want to just sit there so I'd have to stand out in the hall during the show-- Um No. If he ate he'd likely be noisy--Um No. So we stayed home and Darryl went with his brother and sisters and the boys. They all stayed at our house Sat. night, went to church with Darryl and the boys, and then stayed for dinner before they headed back to school. Kelby and Wendy had blind dates that came on Sunday for dinner-- they were a brother and sister from a family Greg met on his mission in Ohio. They're both going to school at BYU so we invited everyone to our house for the blind dates. It's always so fun to have them here. The boys just love them so much. The whole time they were here Kade kept saying, "I just really don't want [them] to go home." The great thing is that Grandma and Grandpa Bosshardt are coming to Heber for 7 Habits workshops and so they're staying with us all next week! Then next Sunday we're blessing Cole so all the Grandmas and Grandpas will come as well as a few Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins-- we love getting to see our family!!!

Mole

Kade has a large Mole on the left side of his head. We took him to the Dr. today to have it checked. Dr. said he's fine now but when he's a teenager they'll likely remove it. Here are pictures so we can see if it changes.


Funny/sad story that goes with this:

For weeks after the Dr. visit Kade would make comments that he didn't want to have any more birthdays. Seemed strange coming from a kid who LOVES birthday parties/cake/ice cream/presents/pinatas/friends/etc. He then decided he wanted to just have 1 more, "I'll turn six but then I'm not having any more birthdays." Finally he said why; He said he didn't want to be a teenager. We asked why and he said because he didn't want the Dr. to cut his head. We've tried to explain it all better to him to ease his fears but he still(2 months later) is nervous about it. * * * Today (5/4/10) Clint was saying he didn't want to be a teenager either. Talking to Kade he said, "We don't want to be teenagers, right? Cause we don't want the Dr. to cut our heads off." I've tried to get this whole mess cleared up with those two but trying to explain things to 5 and 3 year olds just isn't working.

A Camping We Will Go

Kade has been wanting to go camping for quite some time so we told him we had to wait until the snow melted and then we could set the tent up in the back yard. Well the snow has halfway melted in the back and so you can see a lot of grass so Kade was super excited to get that tent set up-- I guess we should have been more specific and said ALL the snow had to melt first. Darryl promised them he'd set it up downstairs when he got back from one of his business trips and Kade reminded me of that daily. They've been sleeping in the tent every night and for naps too. I couldn't believe that they didn't just play but they fall asleep rather quickly.

Cole's Favorite Pastime

Cole's favortie pastime lately is to eat his hands. I love to watch him try to shove his little fists in his mouth.

Catch a Leprechaun

We were looking for activities a few weeks ago on the computer and Kade spotted this Leprechaun trap and was set on making one. We made gold rocks and put them over a trap door so when the Leprechaun came to get the gold he'd fall down into the trap. Kade checked it every day to see if we'd caught a Leprechaun, even though I told him every time that they only come on the 17th. Well they checked it every hour today and when there was finally evidence that we'd caught one they didn't seem too excited-- maybe because he "escaped." In his escape he dropped his hat in the trap so we still have that. Kade couldn't figure out why he didn't take our gold; I told him it was because the smart Leprechaun and he knew it wasn't real gold. The boys wanted pancakes and eggs for dinner so I threw in a few drops of green food coloring and they were pretty excited about that-- even thought they looked awful. The eggs were slime-green; they tasted fine though. :)

Mud Pies

We've been having so much fun outside while the weather has been beautiful. We, Kade and I, shoveled the 2-3 feet of snow off the garden. The boys have spent the days sledding down our snow piles in the front yard, and making mud pies in the back yard. I thought all little kids came with the recipe for mud pies implanted in their heads but it wasn't until this week that my boys have ever attempted mud pies. I think Clint must have picked it up from a book or a show he watched. He seems to be the expert. We had Abby here during one of the times they were making mud pies and it was so funny to watch because Kade and Abby would get their ingredients and then ask Clint if it looked right. He'd either say, "Yep," or he'd tell them they needed more mud, water, or ice crystals(snow).

It's Magic!

It was the Magician family night at UVU Wasatch tonight. He comes every year but this was the first year we've gone--everyone should go. The guy is great. He's cheesy funny, his magic is amazing, and his juggling is incredible. The kids loved it, and Darryl and I had a good time. It was so fun to watch Kade and Clint covering their mouths in awe and Clint saying, "Wow!" to Kade during everything the magician did. After it was over they couldn't quit telling us about all the tricks-- we saw them too but the kids were setting up at the front by the stage so I guess they thought we didn't see the show. On our way to the car Kade said, "That was TOTALLY WICKED!"
SIDE NOTE: The guy, a football player body type, went into that red box you see in the picture to the left before the blades and the cylinders. The one you can see there is also one on the bottom. Needless to say I have no idea where the guy could have hidden in that one. I hate magic(only because I can't figure it out-- it drives me crazy when there is no way to explain how he did it!).

Arrr Matey

Kade wanted to make a pirate ship today. 1 Chips Ahoy package, 2 shish kabob skewers, some paper and paint and voila. I was actually quite impressed with the ship. It held a LOT of toys before it ever sank. They boys had fun blowing the ship back and forth to each other.

Clint's Prayers

Clint's prayer the other night went something like this: "Heavenly Father, please kill all the monsters, robots, and spiders." We had to talk about the fact that Heavenly Father doesn't like to kill. So the next night he said, "Heavenly Father, I help all the monsters, robots, and spiders die." I guess he kind of got what we talked about. :)

You'd Think

You'd think that my boys would LOVE flubber/goo/oobleck/slime-- whatever you want to call it they loved the idea. They really enjoyed making it but they didn't care to play with it. They did have fun for about 5 min. and then they were ready to trash it. I was shocked. True they both hate it when their hands are sticky but this is more like a squishy bouncy ball. When I told them we were going to make it they couldn't wait; they asked every minute if it was time to make it yet. But then when it was all made they laughed and played and said, "Oooo, you're so gross slime," and then they were done.

He Pulled It!

Tonight just before bed the boys were playing with our water pitcher pumping the mixer handle when Kade got a little close and snagged his loose tooth. It has been hanging forward a little but after that it was really hanging forward. Darryl was going to numb it with some Anbesol and pull it but when Kade showed me what had happened I told him I liked to twist out my teeth when I was little. He grabbed it and tried to twist it but said it hurt. So I told him to stop. He was still holding it and said, "But I got it." What?!. He pulled it out himself! He didn't cry, it didn't really bleed, and he was so calm about it. It was so crazy. Here's the new toothless smile.

The toothfairy came!!! She left 6 quarters!

2 Months!

Cole is 2 months! This year is flying by already. I had the Dr. do Cole's 2 mon. check-up when I had him in for his cold yesterday. We don't think he's one of our kids anymore. He was on the charts in height and weight! In fact he was 50% in length(kind of funny because that is one thing they were worried about from the ultrasounds), and 10% in weight. That is unheard of with our kids but we'll take it! Both Kade and Clint have always been below the charts on height and weight-- but they're always on the charts with head circumference. :) Cole's head was 25% which is much smaller than the other two boys. Strange. Here are the numbers: Weight: 9 lbs. 10 oz. Height: 22 in. Head: 39 cm
He is such a great baby and this week he has made me so excited-- he's been sleeping 4-6 hour stretches at night. Unfortunately I haven't been able to sleep that long too due to interruptions from sick kids, and Darryl getting home from work trips but I have hope now of increasing my sleep length. WaHoo!!! Cole has more chub(if you can call it that) than the other boys did. They were skin and bone, we called them our little birds. Cole, however, has creases; they aren't very deep but they're definitely creases. He has a serious double chin too. He's so stinkin' cute and I just can't get enough of him. He's starting to make noises like he's trying to talk-- I LOVE IT! It just makes me want to squeeze him more.

sick & tired

We're sick and tired of being sick around here. So when I posted last time I thought we were just passing through a typical virus. Well it created havoc along its way. Kade was improved Thur. and Clint started coughing. [It was bound to happen.] Clint however began saying "Ow, Ouch, or Owie" constantly on Friday evening. He said his stomach hurt and I figured he just felt crummy because he had a fever and his coughs sounded like they hurt. Well all night long really all night he said ow (in some form). I let him get in bed with me at 10:00PM because Darryl was out of town and he never stopped saying ouch. About every hour it would become more intense then settle down again. I was looking forward to the next day when this would be over. It never ended! I didn't take him into the Urgent Care on Sat. because everything I read online said it wasn't anything serious and it would just have to run it's course. Darryl was gone too and so I didn't want to take the other two to the Dr. either. Well Darryl got home late Sat. night. Luckily Clint slept some that night but was up saying ouch every hour. Sunday he was constantly complaining still and so Darryl took him to the Urgent Care. Can I just say now how thankful I am to have Darryl to help me with all of this. He was home Sunday and took off Monday and helped SO MUCH. I really don't know how I function without him sometimes. He was so great with the boys and I was so nice to know that someone could help them immediately instead of waiting for me to be done changing or feeding Cole. I have the greatest guy-- I love my man. Anyway, back to the story: They diagnosed Bronchiolitis as a result of a respiratory virus[likely RSV]. They said he was saying ouch because he was deprived of oxygen so they sent him home on oxygen and said that would help. Well it did improve him but he would still say ouch often and intensely every hour. Finally after watching him scream and look at me with a look of, "I'm scared-- why is this happening to me--I'm really hurting-- Mom help me." I yelled for Darryl and had him take him to the ER. I didn't know what they would do but I needed someone to help my little guy quit hurting. He was chuck full of Ibuprofen and Tylenol and they weren't helping. Not long before all this Kade had begun crying about his ears. He was in a lot of pain too and was really upset. While at the ER the doc. did tests and x-rays and determined his secondary infection was manifesting itself with his intestines and so he was full of air and his stomach was constantly cramping. He gave him an antispasmodic and that improved things a TON. Clint finally quit saying ouch constantly! Meanwhile Kade his in bed but not sleeping soundly. He can't rest because he's in pain. Clint had a follow-up Dr. appointment Mon. morning so Darryl took both boys in. Kade too has Bronchioloitis and they said the ear infection is his secondary infection. After a breathing treatment they sent them home with an antibiotic, ear drops, and albuterol. Clint was looking a lot better-- but not quite there yet. Mon. night just before bed Clint started playing with a truck.[He's starting to feel good!] Tuesday morning Darryl and I were so happy to listen to our boys playing an laughing. It has been a long week without anyone playing or laughing at our house. They still have a nasty cough every now and then but that will likely linger for weeks. When Clint runs around and plays too hard he usually gets coughing hard and needs a little oxygen. He also complains that his stomach hurts a couple times a day but hopefully that will go away soon. Cole started getting congested a couple days ago so I took him in to the Dr. today they said so far he's fine-- just a slight cold.

Fly Like a Butterfly

"Mom, come watch me fly like a butterfly." Kade's little mind never stops creating. Today he tied his rope to our piano table(not a very heavy table), threaded the rope over the stair banister and down into the family room. He would then hold the rope standing on one arm of the couch and run across the cough and jump into the bean bag. What a kid. I realized what the rope was tied to and then tied it to something a little more stable-- the couch. He then got the idea to try to climb the rope to go upstairs-- I really think he could do it but it scared me too much to let him go too far. So instead he goes up about halfway and slides down. Every time he laughs at the fun he's having then shakes his hands and says, "Ouch, I got rope burn."