The Heber Creeper!

I had been dying to DO something and GO somewhere, and do some sort of mini family vacation. Ever since I was little, I've always wanted ride on the Heber Creeper. So, when plans were made to be in SLC for a family event, I started to think of how I could squeeze a little bit of a family vacation in as well. I planned to go up the day and a half before we had too, spend the night in Provo. Then we could eat out, and play in the hotel pool. The next morning we'd wake up, head to Heber and ride the train. That's what we did. It worked out perfectly and it was a memorable trip.

The boys were excited for our first time on a real train. (A bonus was, that my best friend's parents live in Heber, and got us discount tickets. It was basically half the cost. Whoohoo!)

 

 

 It was gorgeous scenery. I'll spare all the photos, but it was an amazing ride. The weather was brisk but comfortable. The boys had popcorn, drinks and other treats during the two hour (or so) trip.The best part, to them, was the Hold Up! A "real live" cowboy bandit and cowgirl bandit stopped the train with gun firing and all. They told the kids "not to smile" but gave them chocolate coins as they passed them. The bandits demanded the trains gold....

 "Keep your hands up!" The boys were back and forth on whether or not the whole thing was real or not. It was cute to see their innocent confusion.

 After trying to find gold and failing, the cowgirl robber was captured. Ben and Kade were picked to "watch over her and not let her go." They LOVED that, and idealized the Conductor.

 At the half way point, we stopped at a park and played for 20 minutes. It was great to stretch our legs and let the boys run around. Again, in the beautiful Heber outdoors.

 Getting a little sleepy on the way back to the station. We let the games come out too.

Carter was smitten by the cowgirl's beautiful singing voice and stood watching her sing for quite awhile. It was darling. I am glad there was a way for us to have family trip. We never get to. This was perfect. I enjoyed myself and am glad the boys were able to have this a new experience. So much fun.
 

A Note from a Thoughtful Boy

First thing this morning, Ben, who's eye hadn't even adjusted to the light of day yet, came into my room and asked, "Mom can I have a recipe paper?" (The "recipe paper" are little index cards I use in my recipe box.) I told him "Sure." and he left. I didn't wonder what it was for, because he is always drawing on something. And, I have been leaving him notes and pictures in his lunch box drawn on those index cards, so it wouldn't be an unusual thing for him to want one.

When I came out of my room, to get the morning under way, Ben handed me an index card and announced, "I wrote a note to my bus driver. And, drew him a picture." 

What an incredibly thoughtful boy.

I wish I had thought to take a picture of the note, but I didn't. It read something like this, Dear Bus driver, thanks for dropping me off at Walmart. I like when it is quiet in the bus. Thanks for picking me up at Ace. (And, I know I'm missing the last line here - compliment I think.)   From: Your Bus Rider Ben Harris 

On the other side he drew a picture of a bus driving down a road to the bus stop.
I love that Ben thinks this way. I love that he ACTS on thoughts he has to serve or compliment or thank others.

I saw Ben give the bus driver the note, and I drove past the open door to secretly watch the driver's reaction. I couldn't see much due to the glare of the sun coming through the window. All I know is that he was reading it.

I am one proud and grateful mama. This is what I dreamed of my boys being - thankful, thoughtful, and openly and sincerely complimentary. Way to go Ben.

Boxing with Dad

As part of our new family chore system, the boys can earn points, each day, when they spend time doing their "Personal Goal". The boys pick a goal and they must stick with that one goal for a month. This month both boys chose to practice boxing with dad. This is not just fun; Joe has them doing actual drills and they must give him their attention, listen and work hard. It's different than just horsing around with dad. There's no doubt Joe, Ben and Kade really enjoy this.

 Kade is a natural! He's always moving. And when he boxes, he naturally bounces lightly on his toes, which is prefect for a boxer. His instincts are awesome, and he picks up the drills really quickly. He keeps his hands up, ducks out of the way of an oncoming pad, and hits with power behind the punch.

 Ben enjoys the boxing, and he loves learning how to fight -the right way. I think he loves the way Joe teaches and gives awesome feed back and cheers them on. He is a little more stiff when punching, but he's getting better.

Carter wanted to be right in the thick of things, but of course, these are not meant to be "play" time, so I try to distract Carter or take him away.

And, as a little side note, Joe is a great dad, not to mention SO attractive! He just looks so hottie when he's doing anything like martial arts or boxing. I love watching him do anything like this. I know he wishes he could use his martial arts skills more often, and hopefully the boys are getting to an age that they'll listen, and he can actually start teaching them. I hope the boys will choose this as their goal for next month too. They are just fun to watch.

Just Pictures of Funny Boys

Okay -so this one isn't so funny. But, it's still cute. the only reason it is a little funny is...he was THIS mad and crying because I wanted to take his picture in the Iron Man suit. As soon as the camera came out, he got so mad. He is normally a ham.

Here's my little one with the big band aid on his head. Underneath he had a small gash glued together. Thank goodness for no stitches!

Ben got out blankets to wrap himself in to pretend he was Voldemort. Carter wanted to join the fun. 

Surprisingly, when Ben asked him, "Are you Voldemort?" Carter got all serious and didn't smile. He has no clue who Voldemort is at all. funny kid.

Kade found this mustache and put it on Carter. When the camera came out, Carter quickly took it off. I luckily got a picture. Kade was happy to pick it up and pose for a picture. Cute boys!

Great Books Shared and Memories Made

Last week, I ordered two of my favorite books to read aloud with the boys: The BFG and James and the Giant Peach. I told them a lot about each book, and some of my favorite parts. We were all anxiously waiting for them to arrive. Once they came, we got to reading The BFG. I was SO excited to share these books with the boys, and I know that their seeing my excitement over the books arriving, and my excitement in reading it aloud added to their own enjoyment.They LOVED listening to this new adventure full of silly words and things they've never imagined. Everyday, for a little under a week, we've read and finally finished the book tonight. We all cheered when we finished. We couldn't contain the thrill we had at finishing a  great book and having that awesome closure you have when you know the whole story. Ben said he wants to read the book over and over again. :) YAY!

After we finished it I wondered if there had ever been made a movie of The BFG. I Googled it. :) They had a movie on youtube, so I let them watch it. Both boys kept pointing out, "That's not like the book." They didn't like the changes. Haha. It's funny to hear a kid say, "The book was better." I loved sharing this book with the boys and being the sole reader of it. I loved that they begged me to read every spare moment we had. We have done this before, but not with ALL of us having this much excitement and enjoyment with reading one book. Tomorrow we will start James and the Giant Peach. (We all were disappointed that we ran out of time tonight and couldn't read the first chapter.) And, without a doubt, we'll share another week of fun and adventure together. Then on to more......

Back to Preschool

Seriously this boy is too cute! He has gotten so big.

Back to Business for Kade.

Kade is back at preschool and, as always, was calm and cool about starting back. I bought him a new shirt for school -the boy has a ton of clothes, all of which still fit perfectly, but ya gotta have a First Day of School shirt. ;) He was thrilled to wear it.
He headed back to his same familiar preschool that he's attended now for a couple years. (He got to go right at three, for just four months, before starting his real first year.) The only new thing is his teacher -who he was a little familiar with already. The first day was just "back to business" for Kade. He walked in like he owned the place, he kissed me goodbye, and said "See ya." That was that. He was thrilled to do gymnastics again -that was his favorite part of the whole day. I'm so glad he has a schedule again and fun physical things he gets to do daily -like the gymnastics, karate, and swim days. Yay for being back to school. Kade is back in his element!

Oh my Carter.

Here's a whole bunch of pictures of Carter and what life is all about with this little guy around. He is fun, stubborn, determined, and all around hilarious and on the move. Love you Carter!

 On an outing to the park with Grandma and Kade, Carter slipped on a wet rock and smacked his head on another rock. We made a trip to the ER for a small but deep cut in his head. I opted for glue instead of stitches, to make it easier on him, and once we were home, he was his happy little self.

 I could kiss this little face all day, if he'd let me.

 While "helping" with laundry he put Ben's undies on his head, and left them there for a long time. This boy cracks me up.

 One of my all time favorite picture of Carter climbing. Although the kitchen is a disaster, it's real life and I am grateful I captured the pure craziness of this determined little guy.

 

And, yes, he climbs some more. He's my only climber boy. He's really good at it, but man he makes me nervous! I dare say I think this boy is going to be the cause of multiple heart attack for me.

Back to School! 1st Grade

Ready for his first day of 1st grade.

Confident and ready for a new year.

My big first grader -toothless and all.

Ben is back to school!! He's now in the 1st grade! I can't believe it, but I have said "I can't believe it" every year. He's grown so fast.
Sunday, he and Kade got their back to school blessings like they've gotten every year. That always helps me know they are going to be fine.
Today went off pretty well -only one minor hitch of locking my keys in the house. (thankfully Aunt Nattie works five minutes away and was able to come use her key to open the door.)

Ben had laid his clothes out the night before; he even put his socks in his new shoes. (This kid is so on the ball.) He woke up before his alarm went off, and he was awake and dressed before the other boys were up. I was able to go over all his supplies with him, get him breakfast, and talk to him one on one for awhile. I needed that. He was so relaxed and excited, yet I was trying hard not to show my own nervousness. This is my first born people! And, he's going off to school, all day, eating lunch there, going to five different classes with five different teachers (like jr.high or high school schedule) and he's riding bus. It's crazy! I wish I could be a fly on his shoulder just to be there while still letting him go. (more for my sake than his.)
I drove him to school today and, as a great blessing, we ran into his best friend  heading into school. Ben is always thrilled to see his friend, and it made the morning all the more exciting. Hopefully they'll have a class or two together -or at least lunch and recess. :)
I'm more than grateful for the awesome school Ben gets to attend. I know that he will thrive this year. Even with all the butterflies I have, I feel calm about where he is and what he'll be learning. Having a kid in school this way is a whole new routine and a whole new world. But, it's exactly what we need. I'm excited for the year to come.

Oh My Sweet Four Year Old.

Before I forgot, I had to journal these things Kade said today.
I went in to Kade I say good night. (it was Ben's "night", so he wasn't in bed yet) Kade and I were talking about how awesome I think he is and what his great strengths are. He's a defender and protector and SO creative and just all around a great boy. Then he said, "I can't always control my hands. Sometimes when they want to hit Ben, they just hit him. But, I pray and pray that I can control them and someday I won't hit."
I told him he was exactly right. When we pray, continually for help to change something, Heavenly Father with help us improve. He said he knew that already. :) What a sweet kid. I told him his faith was one of his greatest strengths.

Also, when driving, I pointed out the huge gorgeous gray clouds rolling over St. George. Kade quickly said, "Look I see Jesus' world over there. See the white?" It was so cute. I love that he thinks of things like that. I love my Kaderbum.

Fun Day Build and Take Apart.

 Today was our third Fun Day -Build and Take Apart. What little boy doesn't like to build stuff and take things apart? This was a fun time. We started with Pinatas. I pre made little animals out of toilet paper rolls, and white "streamer" paper. I glued ribbon to different parts that, when you pull them, break open and release the candy. Super easy and super cute. I cut up some of my left over tissue paper from my craft stash, and the boys got to work. They painted glue on their animals and then stuck the paper all around. They were so cute and so focused. I loved watching them work.

 Ben and Kade did such a good job on their pinatas. They were excited to get to pull a string and eat some of the candy after their lunches.

 The next project was taking apart Dinosaur Eggs! While in Cedar I hit up an obliging mountain for a few shovels full of dirt and then sand to make this recipe for dinosaur eggs. (I baked mine for 10mins at 200 degrees to help dry them out. It's been pretty humid lately.)  They were rock hard on the outside. I was a little worried that the boys would need more than the popsicle stick I'd given them to "dig". But, nope! They were solid but softer inside and were easy to dig through once the outer shell was broken through. SO COOL! Each dinosaur egg had a little dinosaur in it, and the boys all loved that. I may just use this idea for other things later. So easy, and SO fun.

Clay Tower building. The I made homemade clay (2c flour, 2c warm water, 1c salt, 2tbls veg oil, 1tbls cream of tarter -optional but awesome. Combine in pan, stir and cook over med-high heat till the clay isn't sticky.)  This is the best recipe I've found for clay, and I've used a couple over the years. :)  I don't know a kid who doesn't love clay. I gave them cut straws to use to build towers -or whatever their little hearts wanted.

ROBOTS! Sooooo fun! The pictures speak for themselves. Clean empty cans covered in random things (with magnets attached to them) to create funny faced robots. Then they can take them apart and do it all again. When I first saw this idea on pinterest I knew it was something my boys would love -especially Kade, so I knew it was meant to be for Fun Day. Each boy received two robots and lots of different robot pieces, like: plastic lids, screws, eyes, pipe cleaner hair, metal washers, clothes pins etc. (I gave the boys a warning to not let littler kids get a hold of these robot parts.) These robots have already given Ben and Kade a ton of entertainment.

Carter even got in on the fun this time. He didn't stay in the chair too long. And, he prefered throwing everything off his highchair anyway. But, it's "fun" day -not "follow the rules" day. ;)

It was another successful Fun Day. These kids are seriously awesome. They make all the prep work worth it, and I enjoy having them over. They are sweet and grateful. I think I'll have to keep doing these off and on even though the school year. :)