Check! Check! Check!

I had to share some of my latest projects. These are things that I have been trying to "check" off my list for a long time and I finally just sat down and got it done. I hate to toot my own horn, but I'm proud that I figured it out and wanted to remember. For Dustin's family reunion this year they are having a contest to see who can make the cutest sock monkey. I have tried in the past and failed, failed failed at making sock monkeys and Dustin's grandma has had to bail me out and fix my mistakes. When I found out that the prize for the contest was one of her coveted hand-made sock moneys I went to work and was determined to figure it out. This is what I came with. Sense I have boys that love Toy Story I thought I'd use that as my "Theme", I always like a theme you know---LOL! I think they turned out pretty cute! Then after I had finished those I was so proud of myself I made a baseball and cheerleader monkey because Dustin likes to play ball and it couldn't hurt to have a runner-up for the contest. I am of coarse depicted as the cute cheerleader:P. I also finally finished my bedspread that I've been working on sense Dallin was a newborn. I came up with the pattern all by myself and put it together without any previous experience. A couple of shout outs to Dustin for giving me the best Christmas present ever---a sewing machine. It has truly saved my sanity many times and given me something to think about and strive for, and to my Mom for helping me to get it quilted and finished up. Thanks guys---Love ya!

All I need to know I learned in Kindergarten!

Dallin graduated from Kindergarten today---he did awesome! The program was great, he knew all the words to the songs and didn't even "blink" much. Lol! That's what he said anyway, when we were talking afterwords. (Blinking is his nervous habit.)
All grown up! We are so proud of him!
Dallin and his teacher, Mrs. Miller. She was awesome!

All about Dallin:
Favorite Food: "White straight things that are floppy and start out in a rectangle" (roman noodles)
Favorite Color: "There is a lot---blue, red, black, brown, green and yellow...that's all!"
Favorite Song: "Captain Clipper!"
Favorite School Subject: "There is two, go to recess and computers"
Best Friends: "Brannon and Adam"
Favorite Thing to do: "Play with my friends and ride my bike!"

T-Ball!

Swing batter batter! Dallin is loving T-Ball! Dustin is the coach---bonus for Alex because he get's to play at practice and he loves it. So fun to watch him play!
P.S. Notice that he bites his lower lip just like his dad when he is really nervous and trying to focus. LOL!

Preschool Graduation

Alex graduated from preschool today. I love the little programs that they put on. Alex knows all the songs by heart--he wakes up every morning and serenades his brothers with them until they wake up, but he was not going to have anything to do with performing them for the parents. He didn't budge an inch through the whole program! It was hilarious! The minuet he got his hat and diploma he was out of there. We squeaked on little smile out of him, but his true face is the one he has on in the picture with his teacher. Fun memories. I guess he's not ready for acting school quite yet.

P.S. A funny side-note:
About halfway through the program one of the kids yells, "Teacher... I'm bored!" Way funny!

Mothers Day Weekend

We enjoyed a fun weekend with my family at the lake, the pool and then ended up at the red hill for Alex's favorite marshmallows! It was so much fun having the family down for some fun in the sun. The kids love it when grandma comes to visit. They are still talking about driving the boat all by themselves, and yes Zeke we had to put Zeke in the tote that we brought all the food in---he's to heavy to hold constantly especially when he is trying to fly out of your arms to get something all the time. It worked great---make shift play-pen. :) Happy Mothers Day Mom!

Note to Self:
Alex gave me a questionnaire that his teacher helped him fill out. Some of the things it said were:
"My mom is as pretty as a....FOOD!"
"I'd like to tell my mom....LET'S GO TO GRANDMA'S!"
This is from Dallin's "coupon book" he gave me. In it he promised to vacuum, take out the garbage and feed the pets 100 times! Score! I love how he colored the pictures of himself helping me. He made a point to tell me that it was him and that we have brown carpet and he had to search for a brown crayon. Too Cute! :)

"Muths, Cali-pitters and Butterflies"

Today we picked Alex up from pre-school and were headed to Wal-Mart (That's a whole other story) and this is the conversation Julie and I heard going on in the back seat...

Alex: "We learned about how to make butterflies today!"
Dallin: "It's about time, we learned that a long time ago..."
Alex: "See I made a picture of a butterfly"
Dallin: "Mine was better."
Alex: "See--first it starts out as a 'Muth'(moth), then it turns into a 'Cali-pitter', then it goes into a butterfly!"
Dallin: "You forgot to draw the chrysalis!"
Alex: "There is no Christmas in making butterflies!"

Then I had to ask Julie if Moths really turn into caterpillars? She rolled her eyes and said I had lost it. Well---I guess if they learn it in pre-school it's true, right? LOL!

Friends and Food Storage...

For a while now we've been trying to get our food storage bought and put away. It's been something that has been nagging at both Dustin and I. We made a good dent in it this weekend, canned a few things with the help of the Church Cannery and some great ladies in the ward, and I am now proud to say we have enough wheat to feed our family for six months according to the church recommendations! Now it's onto the beans and rice and water. It's so overwhelming when you look at all they suggest you have, but we're working on it a little each month. Whew! On a lighter note -- we went up and roasted some yummy marshmallows with the Sorenson's and played with the kids for a while Saturday night on the Red Hill. Totally spur of the moment and really fun. Alex said it was the best marshmallow he ever ate! Dallin found a caterpiller hanging on a rock and said it was about to make a "chrysalis," (Hello---had no idea he knew that word or what it meant! Melissa and I both looked at each other like "What did he just say?") and Derrick has been asking all day when we can go climb the rocks with Jack and Brynn again? He promises he'll try not to touch the fire! Fun times! :)
P.S. Dallin brought me a flower he had found and picked just for me---melt your heart! So sweet.

The Dark Side

Yesterday I was at the DI looking for a hat for a sock monkey I am making (I know---weird thing to be looking for, but I can't find one anywhere else) and all of a sudden this kid comes up behind me in full Darth Vader ensemble breathing like Darth does. He even had a light saber attached to his pants. At first I thought to myself, who's kid is that and why would they let him go to the store with all his toys on? Open mouth---insert foot. It was MY kid. Alex, the never ending actor had found all of this stuff in the toy isle, put it on, and he wasn't leaving the store without it. I of coarse immediately made him take it off until we got home to scrub-scrub-scrub it, then he raced outside to ride up and down the street. I can't imagine how he could see out of the thing well enough to ride his bike, but he did. He was thinking he was awesome, and believe me---he was. You wouldn't believe the little boys that come out of the woodwork when Darth Vader is riding his bike up and down the street!

P.S. These are some of the funny things he says---(he said all of these words in one day by the way, and I couldn't help writing them down.)

"Woof!" - wolf
"Pone-tine" - pine cone
"Saw-chis" - sausage
"Hide in the Sink" - hide and seek

Dallin wanted me to add that he can't say exclamation mark. It comes out
"Ex-a-mation mark. He knows he says it wrong and he continues trying to get it right, it's funny to hear him try though.

A Sunday walk...

We went for a walk Sunday afternoon until Dallin's feet hurt, or so he said. The weather was perfect and it was nice to get out and spend some family time. Kristi came with us and she got the brunt end of all of Dallin's new found knowledge. He talked her ear off the whole way. His most exciting news is that he knows his ABC's and how to count to a hundred by 10's even though his teacher sometimes forgets the song. We walked to the school and let Cloey get some exercise and then up and around the temple twice. Zeke enjoyed his very first ice-cream cone without any help from Mom or Dad. He was loving that he was up in the big chairs with the boys!

Stinky feet and a soft heart

Last night at dinner Alex randomly announces in his best loud voice, "This house smells like stinky feet!" You can imagine my dismay after all the deep cleaning I have been doing the past few days. Dustin and I looked at each other wondering where that came from and Dallin calmly said, "He learned that on 'Holes'." Whew! Alex's new favorite movie is Holes. It sounds like he is in the memorizing stage right now. He usually does that before he moves onto the next one. Because we are all sick of watching 'Holes', the movie Alex suggested for Friday night family time, we rented 'Marley and Me'. Cute show. At the end though I looked over and poor Dalllin was just sobbing. Poor little guy. I asked him if he was o.k. and he was clearly embarrassed that the show and this cute dog had affected him like that. I asked him if he wanted to get a dog like Marley and he said "No-they die in the end." Ohh---sad. He must have inherited my high water table. I boob over everything---poor kid. I hope he stays soft-hearted like that though. I wouldn't want him any other way.

P.S. Zeke is now scooting on his belly everywhere. A few more months and he'll be walking and then what will we do? He's a monster when it comes to touching things!