Isaac Turns 6

Isaac just turned 6 last week.  We were on vacation so he got to celebrate by having the resturaunt servers sing to him and present him with his own birthday cake.  We are having our family celebration today. 
Newest stats:  42 inches tall, 40 pounds

Here is the yearly interview:

Favorite food: Mac and cheese

Favorite dessert: brownie
Least favorite food: meat except chicken nuggets

Favorite book: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Favorite game: Reading and word games that I play at school
Favorite toy:  anything that you can play pretend, little people, castles, wild west shoot outs
Favorite TV show: Sponge Bob Squarepants

 

What are you good at? Singing and dancing
What do you get in trouble for? fighting with Nick

Best Friend: Sophie and Lily
Favorite color: Blue and red
Favorite Primary song: Army of Helaman
What do you want to be when you grow up?  a surgeon

We love you Isaac and are so glad you are a part of our family!

Nick Turns 4

Nick turned 4 just before Thanksgiving.  Newest stats:  36 inches tall, 30 pounds

Here is the yearly interview:   

 

Favorite food: Mac and cheese

Favorite dessert: cake
Least favorite food: meat (I don't know when this will ever change.  It is so hard to go out to eat when he won't even eat chicken nuggets)

Favorite book: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Favorite game: Spy Alley
Favorite toy: Matchbox cars
Favorite TV show: Avatar

Best Friend: Isaac
Favorite color: Green and Red
Favorite Primary song: Nephi's Courage

He has really grown up over the past year. He is fully potty trained, day and night, he is going to preschool and enjoying learning his letters and sounds. Yes, he still talks to Chives or about Chives nearly every day. A few days ago he was in his bedroom and started letting several toots. He turned to me and told me that Chives was such a tootie buns.

What would we do without our little Nick?

Halloween and Hurricanes

Halloween this year was very cold and wet.  Normally, we can sit outside in the cul de sac and visit with the neighbors, roast marshmallows in the fire pit while handing out candy to trick or treaters.  Not this year.  Hurricane Sandy overwhelmed us with snow, rain and temperatures in the 30s for trick or treating.   Now, being from Utah, this is actually a regular occurrence on Halloween and I think the older kids remember more Halloweens where they went out in snow than not.  Luckily, I am a Utah girl at heart and still buy the costumes extra big to accommodate a coat underneath.  This was a concept completely unheard of by my Ohio neighbors.  So while their kids were very cute and skinny Dorothys, Glinda and Tin Men, my kids were very fat Robin Hood and  a rather plump Firefighter.  Since no one was prepared, there were very few trick or treaters out that night.  My kids, therefore, got all the candy that people were trying to get rid of.  Hmm, I now have 2 big mixing bowls full of chocolate and one bowl full of laffy taffy, etc.  This is way more candy than my kids even want to eat.  Isaac and Nick were thrilled with the haul, so are the nurses at work...

Hungry Monster

By Tom and Taylor

Today Jennifer was away when an ugly but familiar monster came knocking.

3 hours ago...  Alas, today we were at church when we first caught a glimpse of the fiends yellow eyes and rotten brown and crooked teeth.   I could blame the existence of the warty loathsome beast on evil influence of the adversary convincing our susceptible bishop to weaken and cave.   

Yep, he had moved church start time to 1:00 P.M.   For all that is holy, NOooo...

So it was when the claws of hunger thrust greedily into bowels.  Captive as I was, the monster distainfully sank his teeth into my side.  All I am saying is, "dude, I could like totally relate, you know, to like the crucifixion, right?"

1 hour ago...  Upon returning to our demesnes, Taylor and I crafted the ultimate weapon.  (No, it was not a +23 reaver claymore of dessication.)  We created the dumpster burger.  Picture this,  2 ground beef patties, 1-1/2  brats, 1/2 grilled chicken breast, 2 spiral cut ham slices, 5 cheese slices of cheddar and swiss, home made beef chili, salsa, on 1-1/2 buns and for flavor, A1, franks red hot, sweet baby rays and sweet city barbeque sauces piled high. Each bite was a unique and diverse culinary medley culminating in a hunger monster slaying symphony.

 

Isaac and nick fought bravely with a peanut butter, chocolate chip and marshmallow tortilla sandwich.  Semper Fi...

10 minutes ago...  that filthy creature put his matted tail between its legs and flew with a sniveling whimper.  Well met and farewell my cowardly adversary.  Until next time irascible gutter spawn.  Taylor said he would give the beast about 20 minutes.

Tom and Taylor

Meet Chives

I was driving to the grocery store yesterday when I heard an interesting conversation between Isaac and Nick in the back seat.  Nick was very upset because I had buckled his car seat for him.  He REALLY wanted to do it himself.  Sometimes there just isn't time to do it self, right?

Nick: Isaac, mom is not my friend.
Isaac: What?
Nick: Mom is not my friend, I am mad at her
Isaac: Mom is still my friend, she is really nice.  You don't make any sense.
Nick:  Isaac, I am not talking to you, I am talking to Chives.

What? You are talking to Chives?  Who/what is Chives? 

I will let Nick describe Chives to you in his own words:

Hmm, very interesting. I haven't yet had a child with an imaginary friend.  It seems to be a very creative solution to his frustrating problem.  When someone isn't listening or does not agree with what you are saying, you just talk with Chives, who evidently is always a good listener and is overflowing with empathy.  I am intrigued to see where this will go.  I have visions of Chives taking the rap for the crayon on the wall and violence against Isaac.  What is the down side?  Maybe I should get an imaginary friend to listen when I have a bad day or always agree with everything I say...

The Beast of the East

Over the past weekend we decided to finally check off another item on Tom's bucket list.  Ever since we moved to Ohio Tom has wanted to raft the Gauley River.  It is the number 2 river in the United States for number of Class V rapids in a short amount of time.  Unfortunately, the river has been dammed and they only let out enough water to return it to its normal flow for 6 weeks out of the year.  Those 6 weeks are September to mid October.  Over the years we keep wanting to do it but other things come up and it gets pushed back.  Not this year, though.  We actually rafted the "Beast of the East". 

Here is one travel article describing the trip:
The Upper Gauley earns its rep as one of the premier 1-day raft runs in the world. It drops 335 feet in 10 miles. This 10-mile section offers 60+ rapids ranging from class III-V+, including the legendary "Big Six" class V+ rapids, including Pillow Rock, which many call the best 10 seconds in whitewater.

Water released from the Summersville Dam every fall provides the most intense whitewater rafting east of the Mississippi; that’s why the Gauley is called the “Beast of the East.” Ranked one of the best whitewater runs in the world, the Gauley is a combination of heart-stopping excitement and breathtaking scenery. It boasts more Class IV and V rapids than any other eastern river and offers one of the most intense experiences in commercial rafting.

Tom's brother and a few of his friends came along with Tom, me and Taylor.  We filled an entire raft and we even got the same raft guide that we had so much fun with going down the New River last year.  We wore wet suits because it was pretty cold but that did not detract from the thrill of paddling through some serious white water.  We even went over a waterfall (Sweet's Falls).  I have rafted the Green River, the Snake, and the New River and nothing compares to the Gauley.  Everyone should do this at least once. 

We have some pictures and Tom even took some video. Unfortunately when Tom was filming, the force of the water made his finger press the stop button so the video is in 2 different sections.  I couldn't figure out how to make it one single video so you have to watch it piecemeal, sorry.  Just imagine the buckets of water pouring over us.  We couldn't do another video because we actually needed Tom to paddle to keep us out of harm.  Oh well. 

 

 

 This year we did the upper Gauley but there is actually a Lower Gauley trip as well. Next year we will take 2 days and do both trips. Can't wait. 

First Day of School

We have had a lot of first days of school lately.  Isaac just started Kindergarten and Nicholas just started preschool.  Taylor started 11th grade and I just dropped Miriya off in Rexburg for her first day of college.  Whew, finally, one week after Labor Day, all my children are in school, at least all morning long. 

Here are some pictures:

Isaac walking into the school on the first day

Isaac and his teacher, Ms Stusek

Nick, after school on the first day

Nick listening to his teacher

Taking Miriya was a new experience.  I remember going to college and living in my own apartment.  It was so exciting and so scary all at the same time.  I think that is how Miriya felt as well.    We had a good laugh when we realized that Miriya had packed 9 pairs of pajamas and 39 pairs of socks and no blanket for her bed.   What a nutter!  Grandma Terry came with us to help set up her room and pay tuition and buy books and groceries (and a blanket for her bed).

Miriya is so far away but I am sure she will do well on her own.  I have been preparing her her whole life for this.  It is still heart wrenching when she actually leaves.  She is supposed to text me daily, just so I know she is OK. 



Miriya in Rexburg

Miriya, unpacking in her apartment

Palmyra

Horseshoe Falls, Canadian side

For EFY this year the older kids begged to go to Palmyra, New York.  We, being sucker parents, said OK.  When it came time to figure out how to get them there we realized that it was an 8 hour drive away.  Much too far to drive up and back twice to take and then retrieve so we decided to make a family vacation out of it.  We started out in Palmyra and visited the Joseph Smith family home and then spent some time at the Sacred Grove.  Turns out it is pretty heavily infested with mosquitoes so we did not spend as much time there as we would have liked.  We then went to the site of the printing of the first Book of Mormon.  After all this history the little boys were more than ready to run around.  Thank goodness the next stop was Niagara Falls.

Walking in the Sacred Grove

In front of the monument on Hill Cumorah

 There was plenty of space to let the kids run and play.  There were a lot of people but tended to go early and late missing the worst of the crowds.  We even rode our bikes along the trail at the lip of the gorge and found some geocaches along the way.  

Miriya observes the American Falls

We did Maid of the Mist this time

We ended our trip at a rental cabin in a Pennsylvania state park.  We call it almost camping because you can do all the hiking, biking, outside cooking and star gazing that you do when you camp,  but at night and during rain you can stay in your soft, comfy bed.  Since Tom won't consider a camping trailer and I am kind of done with tents this is a good compromise.  There were some mishaps along the way, as there always are on family vacations.  We lost the nut that holds the axle of Tom's rear bike tire in place.  Unfortunately, we were 10 miles from the car or a road.  Tom made a makeshift nut with a water bottle cap.  It wasn't pretty but it got us back to the car.  Whew, that guy should be named Macgyver.  We got home just in time for Taylor to start school today.  Isaac starts after Labor Day and Miriya leaves in 2 weeks for Idaho.  The summer is officially over.
 

Went on a bike trail that took us through an old train tunnel

July Jaunts

On Friday I took the kids to COSI in Columbus.  It is a really neat children's science museum that we love to visit.  While there, a bank had set up a booth at the entrance.  They spoke to the kids about saving money and then the kids talked about what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Having just come out of the space museum, Isaac wanted to be an astronaut.  Nick decided that he wanted to be a cowboy.  There were many costumes for the kids to dress up in and then get their pictures taken.  It turned out really cute.

At the beginning of the month, Miriya got her wisdom teeth taken out.  She was a poor thing for a few days but has sprung back well.  She was scheduled to work the next day.  I told her to trade away that shift.  She did so reluctantly but then was glad that she did.  That crazy oral surgeon sent her home with extra strength lortab.  What a nut!  I don't even give those out from the hospital.  I thought that the pain clinic was the only place to get those.  Now I know it is the pain clinic AND the dentist. Too bad my patients don't go to the dentist for their pain medication.  They would probably be happier with their results than when they come to see me.  Oh wait, you have to pay cash for the dentist, guess that is why they come to my shop.

Notice the stud on the upper right ear.

Speaking of Miriya, she has gone all rebellious on us.  She came home the other day with her ears pierced way up in the cartilage.  We talked about how the hole in your cartilage doesn't grow back and that she has chosen to go to BYU for college.  She insists that the rule is one pair of earrings.  She thinks that if she only wears the cartilage pair she will be square with the rules.  Right, let me know how that works out for you...By the way, if you get put on probation, I don't pay your tuition.  I only hope it was those Lortab 7.5s talking. 

Playing in the fountain at Riverscape on a hot, summer day.

It has been so hot and dry this summer.  The people in charge are calling it a drought.  I can't remember so many days in the 90s since we moved here.  We have found some fun places for the kids to get wet and keep cool.  In addition to the good old river standbys for kayaking and catching crawdads, we have found several fountains for playing and splash pads.  Nick is usually hesitant at first but then runs in when he sees his brothers having so much fun.  We can actually ride our bikes to the one at Riverscape, so we are definitely ready for a good drenching by the time we get there.

Summer is going by so fast.  It seems like it just started and already I am looking for school clothes.  Crazy lazy summer days!

Alaska, the Coastal Version

Nick in the ship's pool

For our big summer vacation this year our family decided to go to Alaska.  We went 2 years ago and did the interior region Denali/Fairbanks area, so this time we did the coastal areas.  All I can say is WOW!  If you only get to Alaska once in your life, this is the place to see.  The glaciers are amazing!  Living in the shadow of Mt Timp as a girl my friends always told me that there was a glacier on the backside.  Now that I have actually seen a glacier, um no, that little patch of snow on the back of Mt Timp is most certainly NOT a glacier.  A glacier is one of the most beautiful and powerful pieces of mother nature in action that I have ever beheld. The glaciers are about 100ft tall and the most beautiful blue.  When a piece drops off, the new ice underneath is the deepest purest blue, I could have watched the glaciers for days. 

Near the iceburgs

We started out on a cruise ship from Vancouver to Anchorage.  We had a stop in Juneau where we kayaked in the glacial lake of Mendenhall glacier.  We got very close to the floating iceburgs as well as the actual glacier.  As we took the kayaks out, we were told to be careful because the iceburgs roll over unexpectedly and that pieces of the glacier can fall down and hit you.  After we saw the glacier calve we understood the danger.  The noise it makes is like a gunshot and then the piece that falls is the size of a house.  The resultant wave is like a tsunami when you are in a kayak. 

See the deep blue where the glacier recently calved

-Kayak next to a glacier=one check off Tom's bucket list

We were hoping to see the famous salmon run but were a few weeks too early.  Oh well.  We did see a lot of bald eagles and even a moose and bear.  We also saw a lot of porpoise and orca whales.

Looking at historic totem poles

At another stop we were lucky enough to stumble onto some tide pools.  We spent 4 hours squirting sea anemones and harrassing sea urchins and sea stars.  Those beaches had not seen a human in quite some time as the sea life was abundant, just waiting for our little guys to come along and capture them.  We chased crabs and sea cucumbers and even saw a few eels.  The little guys thought it was so cool and were very sad when the tide came in and the rocks were covered up.  It is so nice when you find an unexpected treasure like that. 

Check out the seastars and the sea cucumbers

We did have one fail.  At Skagway we rented some bikes so that we could ride to a ghost town.  On the map it looked like a very manageable ride.  Once we got there we found that the road actually went over a small mountain.  We rode about 1/4 the way and then decided that this was NOT fun.  We were on vacation after all so we turned around and had a great time coasting back down the mountain.  We then visited a gold miner cemetary and learned about the lawlessness in the gold rush towns.  Behind the cemetary was a waterfall that we hiked to.  Not what was planned but an OK substitute.  I guess we should have looked at the topographical map when we made our plans, who knew?

In Alaska at this time of year the sun sets at 1130 and rises at 430.  When it has "set" it actually remains in a twilight state, it never gets really dark.  Try and keep your kids on a regular bedtime schedule with hours like that, impossible.  The little guys spent a lot of time sleeping in their car seat.  It was nice to come home and actually sleep in the dark again. 

Superhero night at kids club

Crazy June

I can't believe it has been a month since my last post.  It has truly been crazy around here.  Right after Mother's Day we had Miriya's official graduation.  It is tradition for all the high school students to have their own graduation party so all of the families in the ward with graduating seniors got together and threw a party for them all at once.  Unfortunately it was kind of cold on that night and we nearly froze Grandma and Grandpa Terry but we had a great turn out of well wishers. 

All the youth from our ward that graduated this year

We were so lucky that Grandma and Grandpa Terry were able to visit for Miriya's graduation.  We showed them some of the fun things you can do in Ohio in the summer.  We took them canoeing, well they canoed and while the rest of us went kayaking.  They weren't too eager to get wet, did I mention it was cold? 

In addition to canoeing, we also showed them the fine art of catching crawdads.  I actually caught a fish too, but it was an accident.  We put all the crawdads in a bucket and then dumped them out on a big rock and watched them run away.  Grandma and Grandpa also got to see fireflies.  The kids were so excited to show them that they brought the flies into the house where they promptly flew away.  Now I have fireflies inside the house, interesting.

Checking their nets for crawdads

Right after our visitors left, girls camp started.  I am the camp director so this was a huge undertaking.  I grouse and complain about girls camp for the preceeding 3 weeks, OK if I am honest it is probably 3 months.  Tom is likely as crazy as I am by the time camp actually arrives.  Once I am there, it generally turns out well and I am glad I went.  This is my 3rd year and Miriya's last.  Time for new blood for next year, right?  I planned up a high adventure for the girls at the request of the YW president, but got shot down by the bishop even though the boys are doing similar things in a few weeks.  I have made a few waves over this and probably some enemies.  Oh well, just doing what I think is best for the girls.  I will be taking Miriya on a high adventure in August whether or not it is sanctioned by the church.  I have heard from several parents that they are planning to come as well.  Who needs church approval to have fun?

All my girls, 24 total

Isaac and Nick have been doing soccer.  Isaac is getting better and can actually dribble the ball into the goal from time to time.  Nick is still working on paying attention to the ball.  He has made a few goals but usually we have to yell at him from the sidelines to run over to the ball because he is doing somersaults in the grass or taking an unplanned water break.  He is so funny. 



We learned how to make sushi, yum!