Biker Dude

I just found this picture of Brandt taken in October.  It was the day he finally got the biking thing without training wheels.  A classmate came for a play date, and when Brandt pulled out his bike, the friend said, "Brandt, you still have training wheels?"  That was enough for Brandt to be done, for good, with the training wheels.  

But Brandt remains, by nature, a bit cautious.  Though young, he seems to recognize the potential for disastrous injury in all sorts of situations.  Since the weather has improved, we have been outside biking, and Blythe has been keen to ride with me down the road.  The "down" here is significant.  The road just outside the cul-de-sac we live in slopes downward at a fairly steep angle initially.  Blythe, who still rides with training wheels, and who, by nature, is somewhat fearless, likes to go down the road.  Brandt, however, has not been willing to ride with us.  

Last week, Blythe and I rode off, leaving Brandt in the yard because he said he didn't want to ride.  However, when we were coming back up the hill, Brandt had walked down the hill towards us.  It finally hit me (Duh!) that Brandt was nervous about riding down the hill and going too fast.  So, I suggested that we walk the bikes down the steepest part of the hill and then Brandt could hop on and ride.  That was enough.  He strapped on his helmet and rode.  In fact, he rode down the hill, even from the steep part.  He just needed to realize that he could do it.  And he could!  

The three of us rode up and down the hill several times.  It was a glorious mom moment for me, especially in contrast to the frequent inglorious mom moments.  Watching Brandt and Blythe ride and ride brought tears to my eyes.

Hickory Dickory Dock

Thursday was nursery rhyme day in kindergarten.  Brandt was to come dressed up as or with props for a nursery rhyme of his choice.  He chose Hickory Dickory Dock.  I suggested we make a clock with his face as the face and a mouse attached to fishing line that could run up and down.  He thought that was a great idea but wondered how we would do a bong, and I said, "You could say, 'BONG!'"  He was sold.

Kent brought home a large piece of cardboard and we fashioned a clock.  With Blythe's help, Brandt painted it all brown.  I asked if he wanted to add some detail painting to it, and if he wanted me to draw some detail he then painted, or if he just wanted to do it himself.  He wanted to do it himself, so he did.  We had a bit of a challenge with the mouse as we were initially trying to attach a rather large plastic Ratatouille rat.  It was too heavy and kept breaking the fishing line.  In the end, I copied off a mouse from the internet and then it worked out well.

Parents were not invited to watch the nursery rhyme sharing, but Brandt reported it went very well.  All the kids thought his running mouse was super cool and almost everyone wanted a turn making it go up and down.  Brandt was good to share, as long as they asked him if it was okay.  I recorded his dress rehearsal, and here are some pictures.

Here is the final product with Brandt's details and the mouse running up the clock.

Brandt is practicing his "bonging" to scare the mouse down the clock.

Flat Stanley

Brandt's class read Flat Stanley and then got to send their own Flat Stanley off somewhere fun.  Brandt sent his to Aunt Brenda, in Washington, DC.  Brenda and Joel took him to the Spy Museum, the American Art Museum, Ford's Theatre, and the Air and Space Museum.  She sent back fun souvenirs, tickets, and photos.  With a bit of help from me, Brandt put together a fun poster which is hanging in the hallway at school.  I was delighted that after receiving Flat Stanley back, Brandt said to me, "I want to go where he went."  If only we could seal ourselves up in an envelope and head off to other interesting places.

All the fun places Flat Stanley went.

In the Sun

It has been so beautiful outside, I have been unable to keep the children in.  So rather than fight it, I have taken my activity outside.  I have worked in the yard, but I have also been doing some reading.  At the moment, I am reading Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest.  Really good read.  I'm also working on my tan as I am suffering from winter pastiness. 

Science Palooza

Last Saturday, Provo City something or other was hosting what they called a Science Palooza.  It was a science focused activity complete with experiments, treats, animal shows, and what seemed like thousands of people.  We were not the only family to think it sounded like a swell Saturday afternoon activity.  Blythe was totally into it, wanting to hit each booth and do everything, while Brandt was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people and pulled Kent outside.

Here, in pictures, are some of the highlights.  Unfortunately, because Brandt was less inclined to stay inside and actually do things, I have very few pictures of him.

Blythe is holding a tube waiting for a small film canister filled with water and 

Alka-seltzer to explode out the top.  

She very patiently held her arms aloft for a long time.

Standing in front of a huge fan being blown away.

 

Blythe was throwing a ball into a dinosaur head, trying to see as a dinosaur sees.

How about that eye patch!

The pandemonium throughout the Center.

Brandt wanted to be well away from the crowd.

Blythe is holding a yellow slime worm made of some water based polymer.

Brandt was nearby, but he wouldn't touch them.

One of the ceiling panels was off, and Brandt wanted to see what was in the ceiling.

Inspecting an ant farm.  

Brandt thought this was cool.

Blythe is etching a mask which she would not model for me,

so there is only the picture of her working on it, not wearing it.

 

There was a live animal show going on while we were there, and we watched,

but from the upper level where there were fewer people.

There was a skunk at the show (de-scented), 

as well as a sugar glider.   

The sugar glider jumped onto my shoulder, crawled down my arm, and then 

leapt onto this boy standing next to Brandt.

We left well before Blythe was ready to go, and she threw something of a fit as we walked out.

There were many more things she felt she wanted, nay needed to do.

Spring Has Sprung

This is a bud on our magnolia tree.  

Yup.  We have a magnolia tree, and it is near to bursting.

The anticipation is delightful.

Everyday I go out and peer at the branches, looking for more pinkness peeking out.

I'm excited to see it all in bloom.

Playing in the Park

The weather this past week has been wonderful.  The children have hardly been in the house.  Today was no exception.  We met Tysen and her kids at the park for a picnic and playing.  It was nice to be outside.

Lyla came over and climbed on my back, just to be funny.

I gave her a bouncy ride.

And then she fell off.

The little, practically bald kid who is not related to us is Cruz, our next door neighbor.

He loves Brandt.

Today he told me that his mom was taking his sister Quincy to school, then she and his dad were going on a date, to a wedding, and I was watching him.

When I went next door to get his shoes so he could come to the park with us, he mother laughed and apologized that he son was making up stories.

Hey. It worked.  I took him to the park with us.

I just pilfered this picture from my sister's blog.

It is so cute, I just had to have it on mine.

Ava, Blythe, Lyla

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

A local coffee shop.

And a sign in the parking lot nearby.

I've been chuckling about it all day.

Spiritual Nourishment

I am in charge of sharing time tomorrow.  Our theme for the month is "Living Prophets Teach Me to Choose the Right," and the week's theme is "The First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles are prophets."  It was suggested that I select six of these men, play a matching game with their pictures and names, and then have the children act our a gospel principle the leader taught in the most recent general conference.  

In preparation, this week I have read each of the talks given by these good men in October's conference.  I have read as I have ridden my bike in the basement on the trainer, first thing in the morning.  I love to read as I ride; I enjoy both activities, and I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I not only get some exercise, but I get a whole hour of uninterrupted reading time.  This has been an especially wonderful week!  As I read each conference talk, I have been so uplifted by the messages, I have had my faith renewed, and my desire to follow the gospel has increased.  I also found I had greater patience with the children--I only yelled at Blythe once all week which must be a record.  I know when we study the word of God, either in the scriptures or as delivered by Christ's spokesmen on the earth today, we are enlightened, we are led, and we are fed spiritually.  I am committed to doing better at beginning each day with spiritual as well as physical nourishment so I can enjoy the guidance of the spirit throughout my day.

Early Rising

Brandt is an early riser.  Always has been.  Kent and I are not.  Well, I should say, Kent and I were not, until Brandt arrived,  since his birth and the joining of our family, I can remember one time we set the alarm clock and had it wake us before Brandt, and that was when we had to be up super early so we could catch an airplane.  Otherwise, Brandt gets us up.

This morning Brandt woke and Kent brought him into our bedroom and put him in our bed.  Kent left the room to go to the bathroom and Brandt snuggled up next to me.  I love wrapping myself around him in the safe cocoon of the bed sheets, tight against my chest.  He likes it too.  

We have a projection clock that shines the time onto the ceiling so that no matter how dark it is, we know what time it is, and I suppose we can tell exactly how much sleep we are missing if the children get us up in the night.  

This morning Brandt joined me at 6:15.  He nestled in.  A moment later he said, "Six one six."

"It is still a bit early for our eyes to be open," I said.  "Why don't you close yours and rest them a bit longer."

No sound for a moment.

"Six one seven," he said.

"What number is one seven?" I asked.  Brandt has been learning the teen numbers at school, and he doesn't always get them right.  A good mom takes every opportunity to help her child learn and to reinforce good things already learned, right?

"Seventeen," Brandt said.

Quiet stillness.

"Six one eight."

"Why don't we get up," I said, "and go watch TV?"  

Brandt leapt out of bed, I crawled out and collected my biking togs, and downstairs we went, passing Kent in the hallway headed back to bed to rest his eyes a bit longer.  Why fight what you can't change?

FPE (Faith Promoting Experience)

Blythe has a special blanket she calls her kiki.  It was originally Brandt's, but he was never the kind to cherish something in the way Blythe loves her kiki.  She sleeps with it, hauls it around, chews on it, sits on it, and generally feels somewhat lost without it.  Last night, for the second night in a row, she had to sleep with her backup pink kiki, because we have been unable to find her blue kiki which she thinks feels better.

Despite a very thorough search of the house--each room, under sofas, inside cupboards--we could not find the blue kiki.  Yesterday morning, the first thing Blythe said to me was, "Mom, you said you would bring me my blue kiki before you went to bed."  But it was nowhere to be found.

This morning, after Blythe again asked where it was, Brandt went into his bedroom and said a prayer.  He asked Heavenly Father "in his mind" to help us find Blythe's kiki.  When he finished, he got up, went into her bedroom, and almost immediately had the thought, "Look in Blythe's backpack."  The backpack was hanging over Blythe's bed frame, and low and behold, inside was the kiki.  Blythe was overjoyed!  Kent was so impressed that Brandt found it.  And Brandt?  He went back into his bedroom and said another prayer thanking Heavenly Father for leading him to the kiki.

Brandt's sweet and powerful faith warms my heart.  Our son knows we have a Heavenly Father, and that He loves us and will answer our prayers when we pray in faith.  I am so grateful that we (with help from his Primary teachers) have succeeded in teaching him this principle, and that Brandt believes.

A New Favorite

We got the library regularly, and I check out lots of books for the children.  I usually sit down in a row and look through all the books in a section, selecting ones with intriguing titles, great illustrations, or something else eye-catching.  Some books turn out to be duds, but others become almost instant favorites.  I made just such a discovery the last time we went--the author/illustrator John Burningham.

Burningham is from England and is rather prolific.  I pulled out one of his books, glanced through it, deemed it worth a try, and then looked at the next book on the shelf.  Turned out the next twenty or so books were by Burningham.  I deemed them all worth a try and brought them all home.  What a find!  We loved all of them!  During the three weeks we had them checked out, we read them over and over.  The stories are funny, the illustrations delightful, and they have an English aura that is just wonderful.

One of our favorites is The Avocado Baby.  Blythe called it the "adocado" baby.  In the story, a couple with two children is expecting a baby.  They are all weak and they hope the baby will grow to be strong.  They are disappointed.  Not only is the baby not strong, it is a picky eater.  In an act of desperation, the mother feeds the baby an avocado and it actually eats it.  Thereafter, the baby becomes very strong.  Here is an illustration.

The adocado baby is so strong it can not only pull children but move furniture and carry groceries and defend the house from burglars.  The family posts a "Beware of the baby" sign on the front gate.  The children almost shrieked in delight when the baby throws two bullies in a pond when they are picking on the older but weaker siblings.  

We liked these books so much, I am going to begin a collection of our very own.