Sunday, September 29, 2013

Funny Children


I saw this print ad for L'Homme (man), a fragrance by Yves Saint Laurent.  I said, "Wow, this guy is smoldering."  Brandt immediately piped up, "Why don't you say that about Kent?"  Much raucous laughing from me and Kent, followed up by Brandt saying, "I don't even know what that means."  

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Let the Sun Shine In

It's our ray of sunshine basking in a ray of sunshine.
Good morning!

Monday, September 23, 2013

Hang Time

Griffin and Crew turned six today and to celebrate, they wanted to go to Hang Time, a trampoline jumping facility.  We had never been and the kids absolutely loved it.  Brandt said, "When it's my birthday, can we come here?"  Actually, Guy (age 35) said the same thing.  It was fun.  There are lots of trampolines next to each other so you can jump from one to another, and there are big foam-filled diving pits into which you can launch yourself.  We jumped and dove and ran around screaming a bit.  From big to small, everyone had a great time, and we ended our time with cake and ice cream.  Unfortunately, my camera shutter speed is not fast enough to deal with all the jumping, so I have three decent pictures and all the rest are blurry.



This is Brandt mid-leap.  
You can only tell that because of the clothing.

Crew is in focus!

I really wish this one was clear.  
Brandt's knee and elbow look great.


Blythe leaping into foam.

Mostly focused.

This one isn't bad.


Now she's walking off the edge. 

I took these pictures one right after the other.
Why, I ask myself, does the one featuring his backside have to be the one in focus?
Why not his cute face side? 

Playing tag. 




Success!
A focused face.

Another focused face, but he is still, taking a short break.







Mom and Eugene
but taken from far away so not super focused.






The Dudes.
Six already.

Getting some help with present opening.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

I Know Heavenly Father Loves Me

Each week in Primary the children have the opportunity to share how they know Heavenly Father loves them and then stick a puffball into a glass jar.  Throughout the year our puffball jar has been filling.  Sometimes, especially in junior Primary, the things the children say are fairly redundant.  Each week several kids say "He created the trees," or "He gave me a family," or even "I make my bed."

Today Blythe stood and shared this sweet experience that made tears well up in my eyes.  She said, "I know Heavenly Father loves me because I have been learning to ride my bike without training wheels and I have been scared of crashing.  But I said a prayer to Heavenly Father to help me do it, and I was able to do it."

I really want our children to know that they can turn to Heavenly Father for help with anything, and my heart nearly burst with joy hearing Blythe's sweet testimony.

Sunday Morning

For some reason, the children find the cushions and pillows on the living room couches an irresistible temptation.  I would like the living room to be a place they don't play in, so that in the event someone were to come to our house unannounced, I would have someplace clean and tidy to visit in.  Fortunately and unfortunately, the living room is an inviting space, and the children regularly mess around in there, "mess" being a deliberately chosen word.

This morning, Brandt climbed under the cushion of the gold couch and then let Blythe pile all the cushions and pillows on top of him.  It was a mountain.  A mountainous mess that probably won't be cleaned up before we go to church.


Saturday, September 21, 2013

Telephone


It's all fun and games at our house.  This evening, as we finished up our dinner, we played numerous rounds of telephone.  Kent and I sit in our chairs and the children take turns moving around the table either whispering in our ears or having us whisper in theirs.  Whispered phrases got sillier and sillier as the game progressed and dinner was consumed.  It shows the level of our commitment to getting the children to finish eating that we are willing to repeat phrases like "The mirror and your eyelashes are getting fat," or "The turkey vulture is in the sky" which is actually one of the more coherent statements.

So, are you bored at dinner at your house?  Join us for food and fun!  Come prepared with silly sentences.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Late Summer Work Party

Kent has been in business now thirteen years.  It has been good.  Financially things were very tight at the beginning, but both Kent and I felt absolutely sure he should be going into business with Dal, his partner, so when times got stressful, we knew it was going to be alright.  And it has been alright.  Great in fact.  Kent loves being in business (a surprise to him!), he and Dal and Lee (Kent's brother) work well together as they deal with current issues and plan for the future, and we have been blessed financially.  Inspite of the tremulous economical situation, they are still in business and provided we don't experience a worldwide economic meltdown and the zombie apocalypse, prognosis for continued growth looks good.

Today we had our first annual work Summer Family Barbecue.  It certainly wasn't the first time we have gathered.  Each year we have a "Christmas" party, usually held in early January, but that is an adults only party.  We haven't had a family gathering, and our time together today was so fun, we'll definitely make it an annual affair (baring the zombie apocalypse).

Shane and AJ spent most of Friday scheming how to make the coolest slip-n-slide ever.  Using large banners left over from World of Concrete, several bottles of baby wash, and lots of cold water from the hose, we did create a fairly cool slip-n-slide.  In addition to running and sliding or running and staying upright because the water was cold, Shane and AJ attached a tube to a rope pulled by a 4x4 and zoomed all willing speedily down the slide.  It was lots of fun.

In addition to slipping and sliding, we played volleyball (poorly) and the kids jumped around in a bounce house.  We had Hawaiian food for dinner (Lose, the admin, is Polynesian) and talked and laughed while the kids all ran around and, if ours were any indication, had way too much soda.  Dal, Kent, and Lee were each presented with lovely TAG Heuer watches for ten+ years with the company.  We really like Kent's business associates and are glad there is such a good feeling at work and away from work too.

Lee showering the slip-slide
He was dangerous with the hose.







Brandt is pulling Blythe on the tube



Blythe is pushing herself



Blythe is scooping up bubbles 



Bryan is working for Kent doing production so he came with Donovan and Grandma Sue

 
  




Tommy, Bryan, Boston, Lose, and Aaron
They were opposite 
AJ who you can't see, Brody, Maddie, Kent, Brandt, and me (that's my shadow)

Kent and his very fancy watch
 
Back row: Lose, Lishelle holding baby, Brenda, me, Kent, Bryan, Shane, Tommy, AJ, Maddie, Aaron
Front row: KJ, Victoria, Brooke holding Chase, Dal, Brandt, Blythe, Donovan, Joanna holding Eli, Boston, Broday, and Lee

All the same people in much the same order, only backwards
 
Business mongrels Lee, Dal, and Kent

Below are pictures I took of the kids bouncing. 
I tried to get them to all come sit for a brief moment so I could get a picture.
This is how cooperative everyone was.

No one listening at all except Blythe in the corner 
who looked at me and then went right back to what she was doing.

Ah! Five small people sitting, none looking at me.

Less sitting, still no looking.

Three sitting, one looking.

This is the best shot.  



In a rare moment of compliance, Blythe sits perfectly still and looks calm.
It was literally a moment.

Much craziness.

Dal has a firepit.
We made s'mores.
Donovan must have shoved three large marshmallows in his mouth before we realized what he was doing.
He has another in his hand he was going to try and shove in too.
Unfortunately for him, we noticed what he was doing and called a halt.