My 5 Guys & Me: March 2009

Funny Favorites

1-14-14

Says Bear to us the other day, "Can I wear underwear to bed?"

Dad: "I don't know. We'll think about it."

Bear (with a big grin on his face): "Don't think about it. Just say yes!!"

10/31/12
Says Connor today as he's looking for his Halloween bucket, "Where's my butt? Mom, where's my butt??"

7/21/12
One of C's favorite things to do, lately, is walk around singing, "Happy Daaaaaaay!" "Happy Daaaaaaay!"

1-20-12
Tonight at dinner, I told Scottie that I needed to have the blue storage tub that he'd been using for his toys. He got this shocked look on his face and then said, "But, where am I gonna keep my yarn? And how am I gonna be able to crochet!"

9-28-11
Today, I was in the bathroom doing my hair while Toady used the toilet. My hair was piled up on top of my head in sections while I curled it. Gavin looked at me and told me that I should wear my hair like that on Sunday because I was so beautiful. "In fact, I don't know anybody that's more beautiful than you. Or nicer. Except Jesus."

9/11/11
Connor found a dead (but unbloodied) mouse on our porch, courtesy of Sly I'm sure, and was SOOO proud to bring it in and present it to the family. It startled me to see my baby holding a big, fat mouse in his hand, so I screamed, which set off Scott, which set off Braden, all of which terrified poor, unsuspecting Connor. After it was all over, Brandon & I got a really good laugh out of it!

8-22-11
After roasting hot dogs up in the canyon tonight, we came home to roast marshmallows over the candle. Brandon turned off the lights so the kids could more fully appreciate the light given off by the candle. He expected oohs and ahhs of appreciation, but instead, Scott, in his cute little way, said, "Oh, that is just a wonderful sight!"

7-1-11
While up on the rooftop watching the fireworks tonight, Gavin says, "Mom, if that was me exploding, that would probably just hurt."

6-20-11
This morning, Gavin said to me and Brandon, "Dad, you know when you and Mom and Scott and everybody was sleeping? There was some bad guys here . . . I took them out."
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B has had a hard time during one of the kids ball games throwing the ball soft enough. He throws pretty hard and ends up hurting people. So, this morning, when they asked if they could play the ball game, I reminded him to throw the ball soft.

His response? "Mom, there's a logical explanation for why I throw hard. I'm tougher than the rest of them."

5-29-11
Today we were visiting a cemetery when we saw a headstone with the name Bladen on it. Says Braden, "Hey! That must be my great-grandfather . . . in . . . law. See? Braden . . . Bladen. We're only one letter different!"

5-26-11
Says Scottie to me today, "Mom, I need new shoes. My laces are in love with coming untied."

4-23-11
Today while we were at Brandon's parents house, we excused the boys to the park that's just down the street. A little while later, Gavin comes running in saying that Braden was stuck on top of the monkey bars.

As Brandon & Gavin are walking out the door to "save" Braden, I hear Gavin say, "Hurry, Dad! I don't want my best buddy to die."

4-14-11
This morning, each of the boys wanted to cuddle with me on the couch before school. B got ready really quickly and came and cuddled with me.

Scott, who was anxious to be on time for school because of a class party they're working towards, came up to tell us it was time to go. I told him to comb his hair and grab his backpack and then we'd go.

B then commented to me, "I'm all ready."

I responded, "No you're not."

B: "Huh? Yes I am. How am I not ready?"

Me: "You don't have your backpack on."

B, sighing: "Mom, do you really think I'm going to wear my backpack when I'm in the middle of a cuddle session?"

4-10-11
This is not funny, really, but I wanted to post it anyway. Today, Brandon & I both had to be at the church for a couple of hours - me for choir practice, and Brandon for Bishop's appointments. We left Scott & B at home since the church is back behind our house.

When I got home, I walked into the living room to find balloons all over and notes from the two boys saying that they love us. They had set up chairs in the living room for each of us, had placed napkins out and got the cookies out for us to have a picnic. It was super cute!

3/27/11
Brandon walked out of the kitchen this morning after getting the boys breakfast. Toad follows him out, stomps into Connor's room and says, in an upset, whiny voice, "Dad, are you getting ready to not get me any milk?"
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This afternoon at lunch:

Scott, "Mom, Gavin keeps calling me Barbie."

Gavin, "Well, it's just 'cause I want a sister."

3/22/11
Today before school, it was Scott's turn to say family prayer. It's also the science fair at school today. So, he prayed, in part, "Please bless me on my science project, and that I don't have a nervous breakdown."

3/14/11
When I take Gavin to school in the afternoons, he'll get out of the car and call to me, "I love you a million gallons, Mom!"

Today, he got out of the car and said, "I love you a million gallons, Mom. Plus 100,000 gallons!"
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Says Gavin, "I need my old coat. And, my old coat kiiiinda fits, but that's okay, 'cause I'm not gonna grow outside. 'Cause it's cold. And kinda dark."

Me, "So, when it's cold and dark outside, you don't grow?"

G, "Yeah, 'cause my body isn't waked up." *pause* "But, my face is waked up!"

3/6/11
Today in Primary, the kids were asked, "How do you be nice?" Gavin raised his hand and when called on, he responded, "By not walking around everybody and tell them that you're the best."

2/19/11
Says Toady, when he saw the bowl of grated cheese, "I'm gonna dump some cheese down my throat!"

2/4/11
So, Toady says to me tonight, "Mom, did you know about my girlfriend?"

Me: "No."

T: "Yeah. I've got a girlfriend."

Me: "Who is it?"

T: "Lisa." (our neighbor)

Me: "So, why is Lisa your girlfriend?" (Wondering what he's heard that has made him get a girlfriend.)

T: "Well, I was gonna choose Sarah, but somestimes she's mean to me, so I choosed Lisa instead."

2/1/11
We've been working with my 2 year old nephew to talk a little better and more clear. So, I was changing his diaper today and said, "Dallin, say, 'Love you.'"

In the clearest little voice, he says, "Love Me!"

1/28/11
From my 6 year old nephew:

"Renee, does Connor still eat milk from, like, those things in your tummy?"

"Yep, he does."

"Well, I think he wants some right now."

"Well, he doesn't get any right now. I only feed him that way morning and night."

"It's morning!"

"No, like as soon as he wakes up in the morning and right before bedtime."

"Oh. Well, how does it work?"

"Well, when mommies have babies, their bodies are made to make milk that their babies can drink."

"Cool! I wanna see it in action!"

1/27/11
Tonight we were eating dinner (chicken stew) and Brandon remarked that it was good. Says Gavin, "I don't think it's good. It tastes like a bee in the middle of a hair piece."

12/31/10
We told Gavin to go get dressed to go to Grandma's house for our New Year's Eve party. He came back a few minutes later dressed in plaid shorts, a red t-shirt, and his (moon) snow boots.

All I could do was sit there with laugh.

Says G, "Well, isn't it awesome?"

11/25/10
Yesterday, after Thanksgiving dinner, the family was playing basketball in the church gym. My niece, Rachel, came up to Gavin and said, "Gavin you rock at basketball!"

Says G, "I know. I'm a master!"
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A little while later, Rachel asked Gavin, "Are you a master at basketball?"

Says, G, "Yeah. But you guys are superstars!"

10/24/10
This morning when I got in the van to go to church, Gavin remarked, "It smells bea-u-tiful in here. And it's called Mom."

B came back with, "Gavin, it's called perfume. He-lllloo."

10/11/10
Part of Gavin's prayer at dinner time tonight:

"Please bless that Connor can learn to say good words (pause) like (pause) yah, and um, giddy-up."
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Today at Gavin's SEP with his Kindergarten teacher, his teacher told us a Gavin funny.

Says G, "Um, Mrs. ___________, I've sorted these attributes by color and size. Is that okay?"

10/3/10
Part of Gavin's prayer at bedtime after General Conference the other night:

G: Thank you that we could listen to Pres. Obama and his helpers today . . .

Dad: Gavin, it's Pres. Monson.

G: Oh, I mean, Pres. . . .

D: Monson . . .

G: Pres. O'Monson and his helpers . . .

9/18/10
So, the other day, my sisters kids were talking about their names and how they all have some sort of religious reference. Rachel from the Bible, Jared from the Book of Mormon, Spencer after our prophet Spencer W. Kimball, Dallin after Elder Oaks, and also his grandpa Jay.

Well, Tanner was feeling a little left out. "Tanner's not in the scriptures anywhere," he said.

Piped up his older brother, "Yes you are Tanner."

"No sir. My name is not in the scriptures anywhere," says T.

"Uh-huh," says Jared. "You are in the scriptures. You know? The brother of Jared?"

8/7/10
Tonight, we were coming home from Whiterocks Canyon where we had a dinner with the family when Gavin asked how fast we were going. Brandon responded that we were going about 35 mph.

Then says G - "If you go 35 miles uh hour, your seat feels like fur. You know, like if you sit on something furry? And, you should never tackle a bulldog."

8/4/10
Today, Brandon & I were outside hanging clothes on the clothesline when we heard Gavin call out, "Guys, there's a dandy legs over here. And it's gonna bite me and eat me up for dinner."

When we asked him again what kind of spider it was, he said, "A long dandy legs!"

7/6/10
Yesterday, Scott wanted to learn how to sew on a button, so I taught him how. Since then, he has sewn a total of eight buttons onto a scrap piece of fabric.

Today, after seeing Scott sewing on buttons, B wanted to learn how. So, I'm teaching him, too. I helped him with the first button, and then he started jumping around saying, "I did it. I did it!"

6/28/10
We brought my nephew, Spencer, home with us to stay for a week. Last night, after our Sunday family movie night, we sat down to read the scriptures before bed. I was sitting fairly close to the arm of the couch, and Spencer wormed his way in next to me and said, "I don't care if I'm squished, 'cause I want to sit by you and Connor."
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This morning, he was eating his breakfast while I was checking my email and he came in and said, "Nee, can you save the rest of the Raisin Bran for when the rest of my family comes up next week? 'Cause it says it has fiber in it, and my brother needs fiber, so that would be a good cereal for him."

6/19/10
We went swimming at the hotel pool while we were in Salt Lake, and Braden kept doing belly-flops. So, Gavin came over to me (where I was soaking in the hot tub), and said, "Mom, wanna see me do a folly-flop?"

5/17/10
I heard a joke this morning that kids just love:

"Dr., my bum is broken."

"What? Your bum is broken?"

"Yeah, my bum is broken. It has a crack in it!"

5/9/10
Last night, Brandon was playing Monkey in the Middle with the boys. He threw the ball to Gavin so that he could play too. Scott stood there for a moment, and then said to Brandon, in a very matter-of-fact voice, "Dad, do you know what you just did? You dis-involved me."

5/4/10
Tonight, the boys were jumping on the trampoline when I heard Gavin start to cry. He came in and when I asked him what was wrong, he responded (all while hysterically crying), "Braden's murdering me!"

So, I asked him what he meant, and he said, "You know. Like fighting."
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Last night at about 3:00 am, Gavin came into our room to sleep because he was scared. Well, tonight, he was explaining that he was scared of dragonflies and spiders. (Me too, Toady.)

So, we talked a bit about dragonflies, and then he said (as he holds up his finger and thumb in a tiny circle), "And, you know Mom, that baby dragonflies are like this puny. Isn't that really puny-ish?"

4/27/10
The power went out tonight for a few seconds, and the first thing Scott said when he ran out of his room was, "Dad, did you pay the electricity bill?"

4/2/10
Scott opened up a b-day present that my parents sent up - a model of a Blackbird airplane. As he tore the last bit of paper off, his mouth dropped open, then he cried out, "I'm so gonna enjoy this, prob'ly."

4/2/10
Gavin always confuses the word "pour" with "spill." For example: "Will you spill me some milk please?"

3/29/10
I noticed the other day that Scott doesn't say "I have" during conversations. Instead, it's always, "I've." Ex: "I've a new classmate" or "I've a new game that I made up." It's pretty cute!

3/16/10
I called to Gavin today and said, "Toady, I'm gonna beat you up."

He replied, "Yay! Beating me up is fun!"

**Please note, this "beating up" is really just wrestling and is all fun. No little people are hurt during this activity.**

2/22/10
Tonight during FHE, we were telling each other what we appreciated about each person. When Scott got to what he appreciated about B he said, "I appreciate Braden because he has a great knowledge of weirdness!

2/17/10
Last night, my sister called me with a funny story. Her daughter, 12 years old, came up to her and asked her if she knew who Davy Crockett was. "Yes" was the answer. Then she asked, "Mom, was Davy Crockett really popular when you were younger?"

Come to find out, my niece had Davy Crockett mixed up with someone else - she thought he was a singer that was popular when my sister was young!
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The other day, Gavin was helping me bathe Connor when he said, "Mom, I know what Connor is thinking."

"Oh, yeah?" I asked. "What's he thinking."

G says, "He's looking up at you and thinking, 'Boy, she's pretty special.'"

1/26/10
Scott & I were mourning the death of Champ, my brother's dog (aka the family dog), and I was remarking that Champ was always so calm and dependable. Scott replied, "Yeah, he was like me. I'm not a normal boy. I'm calm."

1/14/10
My kids got Charades Jr. from their cousins for Christmas, and it's become one of their favorite games. They were playing the other day with Brandon, and it was B's turn to act. He laid down on the couch, looking at the ceiling, with his mouth wide open.

Gavin's guess: "Um, drinking from the ceiling??" (The action was "going to the dentist.")

And, then my favorite. B's turn to act again. He sits down on the floor, and gets a big grin on his face.

Gavin's guess? "Um, are you cheesing?" DING, DING, DING!!! (The action was "getting your picture taken.") Too cute!

1/4/10
Yesterday, as my sister and her family were getting ready to leave, my nephews asked Brandon if he could slam dunk a basketball. We had the standard lowered so the boys can make baskets, so Brandon responded that when it was low like that he could dunk it. So, they asked him to dunk it, and when he did, they cheered.

His response? "Oh yeah! I'm a manly man!"

12/27/09
Tonight, Brandon asked Gavin several times not to touch Braden's helicopter that he got for Christmas. When he wouldn't listen and Brandon go after him, Gavin replied, "But, Dad, I can't. My obedience ran away!"

12/1/09
A day after we brought Connor home from the hospital, Gavin was giving him kisses, then looked up at me and asked, "Mom, now that the baby is borned, can Santa come?"
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We were driving home from my in-laws after Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and Gavin was just talking away. We were laughing at something he said, and Brandon told him, "Gavin, you're a character."

Gavin replied, "A character's like carrots, and I'm not a carrot."

11/12/09
Gavin asked me this morning when we were coming home from the hospital with Connor. When I responded that it wouldn't be until probably tomorrow, he said, "Oh, so I guess I'll have to live here without a mom."

11/10/09
On Saturay, I invited my mother-in-law, and two sisters-in-law to a local craft holiday show. B asked me when Grandma was going to come pick us up, and I told him in about 15 minutes. Then, he asked where we were going. When I told him, this was his response: "So, you're going out to be girls again??"
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B is really big into sports lately - but mostly football. He had come home from "football practice" (some of the neighbor kids getting together to play) and was so excited to tell his dad about some of the plays during the game.

Then, he said, "Dad, you really gotta' get me hooked up with some sports! Really!"

10/28/09
Gavin was talking on the phone with his dad this morning and Brandon asked him, "So, Gavin, how's your life?" (See the Funny Favorite on 10/12/09 for why he asked that.)

Gavin replied, "Well, it's kind of huwt."

10/23/09
Gavin's supposed to eating his dinner, but he's in singing right now. "I wish that I could fly! I wish that I could fly! I wish that I could fly, fly, fly! I'd go up high in the sky, and then I could blow my whistle - ph, ph, ph . . . " (Imagine blowing on a whistle where the ball doesn't move.)

10/20/09
Says G: Mom, you know what? I got too much endergy. Do you know why? 'Cause I got too much food in my belly and down to my toes, and I got too much endergy.
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Gavin was in the tub this afternoon playing with two boats - a red one and a blue one. All of a sudden, he says, "Mom, I wish my legs were blue, and my head and arms and stuff was red."

10/12/09
Brandon called me this morning from school and after we had finished talking, Gavin wanted to talk to Daddy. So, he gets on the phone and says, "Hi, Daddy. So, how's your life?"
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Gavin wanted to take a picture of me with my tongue out this morning. When I stuck my tongue out at him, he put the camera up to his face, then said, "Wow! You're doing good!"

10/6/09
This morning on the way to school, the boys were noticing the frost on the rooftops and the grass. Gavin knew what he was talking about, but didn't know what the frost was called, so he called it "frice."
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A few days ago, we went to the tennis courts to watch Brandon & his brother play a match. Gavin and I were playing around, poking and tickling each other. I looked at him and said, "Gavin, I'm gonna beat you up!"

His reply?? "Oh yeah, Mom. Bring it on!!"
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We went down to Salt Lake the other day to do some last minute baby shopping. We couldn't find sitters for all of the boys, so we took them with us. We were explaining something to them, when Gavin said, "I know. You don't have to tell me. I know everything."

Who says that teenagers know everything? Apparantely, so do 4 year olds!

9/16/09
G: Mom, am I still four?

Mom: Yes.

G: Well, I have a lot of food in my tummy, so I think I'm seven.
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Says Gavin, "Mom, when the baby gets borned, like all the way borned, and Santa comes, I hope he brings me a tuba, and a walk-a-le-le (ukelele) for Braden!

8/23/09
Brandon opened up a can of Spaghetti-O's tonight for the boys to try for dinner. Gavin kept asking what it smelled like and Brandon replied that it smelled like spaghetti. Gavin said that he wanted to smell it, so he leaned down and sniffed.

Then, he sat back, wrinkled up his nose and said, "Ew. That smells like dog food!"

Says Brandon, "You don't even know what dog food smells like," Gavin changed his statement to, "Oh, yeah, actuully, it smells like cat food!"

8/10/09
One of the boys favorite snacks is cinnamon toast. Gavin isn't sure what to call my cinnamon/sugar mix, so when he wanted a cinnamon toast the other day, he asked me if I could put sparkles on his toast!

3/24/09
Tonight, Gavin was bouncing around instead of sitting still at the table and eating his dinner. I got fed up with it, so finally said, "Gavin, sit still or I'm going to tie you to the chair with a rope."

His response????"Okay, Mom!!! Tie me to the chair!"

Then, when I didn't/wouldn't tie him to the chair, he got MAD at me! "Mom, I said tie me to the chair! NOW!"

Cute little stinker.

3/16/09
Today, Gavin was sitting on my lap giving me kisses. Then, he got a mischievous look in his eyes . . . and LICKED me!! Yuck! So, I got him off my lap and told him I was done playing, and that we don't lick people.He sat there for a minute looking at me, and then said, "Well, Mom, will you lick me?"
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Gavin asked to feel my forehead today, so I let him and asked if I was sick. He replied, "Yep, you have a feber, and you go like this - *cough, cough*"Brandon was sitting at the computer, so I told Gavin to tell Dad what was wrong with me, so he said, "Dad, Mom has a feber and she goes *cough, cough* like that. But she won't die!"

2/24/09
Last night, I bought Gavin some workbooks to help him learn his letter, number, shapes . . . The older boys saw them this morning, and went and dug out their workbooks. They said that they were doing research.

So, as I was taking the boys to school this morning, Gavin was looking at his book and said, "'Ccording to my research . . . mumble, mumble, mumble . . ."

Then Braden said, "That's makes sense, Gavin, 'cause according to my research, pizza, popcorn, and peas are good for you. But, not pie - no way!! Pie's not good for you. And cookies - not so much."

2/23/09
Gavin's new favorite sayings are, "If you say so" and "Would ya look at that?"

2/22/09
Last night, Brandon & I went in to check on the kids before we went to bed. As we were laying an extra blanket on Gavin, he woke up, looked around, and then said, very sleepily, "Dad, don't be right there!"

2/20/09
This morning, I showed Gavin that he can hang his coat up in the "new" coat closet, and his response was, "Okay! I can hang my coat up. This is gonna be amazing!"

2/19/09
Gavin was helping Brandon fix the closet in the hallway today, and they were talking about how nice it was to have a helper and what a good helper Gavin is.

Gavin then said, "Yeah, I'm you'w helpe! And, we're emenies, huh, Dad?"

Brandon says, "What? We're enemies?"

G says, "Yeah. We're emenies. You know, that shoots the bad guys?"
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A few minutes after the "emenies" statement, Brandon was drilling some boards into the wall to make a coat hanger for the boys. The drill slipped (or something) and Brandon said, "Oh, geez."

"Yeah, oh geez," says Gavin! "I wish I didn't dood that."

2/9/09
At school, the boys are learning some dances in their PE class - Scott a cha-cha (sort of), and B a waltz. I asked them if they wanted to go to their Dance Night, and they both said, "NO!" B then went on to say, "I hate dancing. It's like getting married."
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A few minutes after B's declaration of hating dancing, I kissed Brandon. The boys covered their eyes saying, "Ew!" So, I said something along the lines of, "What? It's just a kiss." Brandon went on with other terms to describe kissing - smooching, macking, making out, lip smacking . . .

Poor Scottie was apparantely just absolutely grossed out, and yelled, "Would you stop saying those things?"

1/16/09
Tonight, Brandon & I were talking about the Jordin Sparks song called "God Loves Ugly." The boys overheard us, and said, "God Loves Ugly????"

So, I was explaining that the song means that no matter what you look like - tall or short, really, really pretty, or not so pretty, thin or big - God loves everybody.

Braden heard the "thin or big" part and said, "Oh, you mean big, like a when blowfish puffs up??? That kind of big?"

1/13/09
When Gavin needs help wiping his bottom, he'll call us - "Mom, I'm done." Or, "Dad, I'm done."

So, today, he called me, "Mom, I'm done."

I went in to help him out, and when I walked in, he said, "Actually, I am'nt done!"

1/12/09
Tonight, when Brandon asked Gavin to go to the bathroom before bedtime, Gavin replied with, "I don't want to."

Says Brandon, "Gavin, go in and go potty, right now!

Says Gavin, "I alweady did . . . last night!!!"
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We signed the older boys up for tumbling, and tonight was their first night. The teacher asked Scott what his name was.

So, Scott replied, "Scott Garrett Shaffer."

Says the teacher, "Oh, Scott Garrett Shaffer. Ok."

Says Scottie, "You can just call me Scott if you want to!"

12/25/08
Every gift that Braden opened this morning that he approved of, was followed by him saying, "Suh-weet!!"
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This morning, when Gavin saw the Go, Diego, Go scooter that Santa brought him, he looked at it, in disgust, and said, "That's not what I wanted!
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Santa brought a guitar for Scottie - just what he's been wanting. We were recording the boys, and Brandon asked Scott what Santa had brought him. Scott replied, in an almost reverential voice, "I got a guitar. It's very special to me!"
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We've been fighting the stomach flu at our house for the past couple of weeks, and last night it was Scott's turn.

So, last night, we were getting ready to read the Christmas story in Luke, and "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and he said in this sad, little voice, "Mom, I don't think I'm going to be able to celebrate anything tomorrow!"

12/22/08
A couple of weeks ago, Braden and Gavin got out our pop beads and made me some necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings - you name it, they made it. As Gavin was putting a bracelet around my wrist, he said, "Mom, we're dectorationing you! You're all dectorated!"

12/8/08
When Gavin is hungry or thirsty, he'll come up to me or Brandon and say, "I'm hungwy of some bwead." Or, "I'm thiwsty of some wat-uh!"

We've tried saying back to him, "Oh, you're thirsty FOR some water," and he just says back, "Yes, I'm thiwsty OF some wat-uh!"

12/7/08
This evening, Gavin was helping me make some mac 'n' cheese for the boys, and he wanted to stir it all up. So, I gave him the spoon and went to call the boys for dinner. As I walked away, I heard Gavin take a BIG breath, and then say, "Ok, here goes nothin'!!"

11/24/08
Gavin fell down this morning as we were getting out of the van, so I scooped him up to carry him inside. As I was walking, he says, "Mom, ow! You're hurting myself."

11/17/08
This was back in September, but it's just too cute not to put on my funny favorites! Enjoy, again!

Says Gavin as we're walking up the stairs, his hands full of toys: "Mom can you scratch my bum? No, not there! Right here. Yeah, right there. Ahh, thanks Mom."

Me (laughing): "You're welcome!!"

Him: "That was bery nice of you to scratch my bum!"

11/13/08
Says Gavin, "Bwaden, you'we the "S" word!"

Braden gasps, 'cause he knows to call someone Stupid is wrong.

Says Gavin, "What? I didn't say Stupid! *GASP* Oops!"
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On our trip to Yellowstone this summer, as we're driving through Newton, UT:

Says Braden, "Look at the beautiful field, Mom! That looks like a nice place to have a war! Mom, is that where the people of Newton have their wars?"

Monday, March 30, 2009

I wanna go to sleep!

So, yesterday was a bad day for me. Scott woke up feeling sick to his stomach, and sure enough, after everyone else had trekked off to church, he started throwing up. Not fun for this already queasy mommy! But, I did my job like any good mom would do, and he was feeling perfect by the end of the day. Not me, though. My morning sickness just seemed to intensify as the day went on, as did my headache. Blah!

I actually went to bed as soon as we finished saying prayers with the boys! I was in bed at 8:45! I fell asleep and woke up at 9:20 when my visiting teaching partner called me, then I went back to bed. I slept in until 7:30 this morning, but I still feel beat! :\ I just wanna go to sleep! Anyone want to come do my fabric shopping for me??? :)

Oh, and by the way, I'm sorry for the down post - I'm not really down or depressed, just tired. :)

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Now this is happiness!

My 3 1/2 year old is an absolute joy to watch in the tub. :)

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Is this too hard to read?

I've been playing around with my blog, but I can't really find anything that suits my mood right now, so I chose this. Is it too hard to read? Do I need to change the text color? Let me know, please! Thanks!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Clues, clues, all around!

So, I've left some clues around my page, and some of you have "found" them, and others have not. Don't worry if you haven't - I left it kind of obscure on purpose. But, it's been fun for me to get these comments and questions left behind! :)

But, if you feel left in the dark, the answer is yes!!! November 14. :)

And, thanks for the ideas on helping with the queasiness. I'm anxious to try some of them out to see if it helps. I did try some mint hot chocolate today hoping that the mixture of the two would help. Instead, it just made me feel really full - like Thanksgiving dinner, undo your belt, full. *sigh*

And, don't feel offended by the Santa post - I HONESTLY didn't know when I posted that post!! :)

Monday, March 23, 2009

Any tips on how . . .

. . . to cope with this queasy feeling I've got?? I'm not nauseous enough to throw up, but queasy enough to feel . . . blah!! Anyone have any great tips on how to deal with this?? :)

No movies today . . .

So, movie afternoon/night didn't happen. B came home from school with an earache, and it just got worse as the evening progressed. So, he and I ended up at the InstaCare to get his ear checked out. It seems like we were just doing this a few weeks ago - oh, wait, we were! One month ago - Feb. 23! What a co-inky-dink! *sigh*

Anyway, he does have another ear infection (or maybe it's the same one that never fully cleared up) in his right ear, so the dr. gave him a prescription for a stronger antibiotic to kill the infection. We got to the pharmacy and left it to be filled, did our shopping, then went back to pick it up, only to find out that the price of this stronger medicine was *gasp* $33.20!!! And, that was after the insurance picked up $103 - something off the original price! Yikes! Medicine that B will take twice a day (just barely over 1/2 a teaspoon - 3 ml), for ten days, and it costs $136 market price! Yikes!

I had the pharmacist call the dr. back to see if there was something different (and cheaper) that we could do, but there wasn't anything that wouldn't cause horrible side effects in a little 6 year old boy! So, we swallowed our shock, and paid the $33 for his medicine.

After that, I treated him to Clucker Dunkers at Village Inn. And hot chocolate! Yummy!

Blah . . .

That's how I feel today.

Brandon suggested doing a movie afternoon. Sounds good to me.

*sigh*

Thursday, March 19, 2009

My first Cub Scout

Mischievous Scottie

So, since Scottie turned 8 a month ago, it's time for him to enter the scouting program. He's been going for a couple of weeks, but until today, we didn't have a scout shirt for him. So, I went and got the patches and neckerchief for him, and Brandon & Scott when and got his shirt. (It's MUCH too big for him - there's PLENTY of room for him to grow!!) But, I got all of the patches sewn on, and we got him all ready for scouts tonight, and I have to say, he's quite handsome. My little boy is sure growing up!

Combing his hair before scouts - he's gotta be pretty!!

Mom & Scott

Scott in uniform

His (cute) mugshot

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Gavin's lunchtime concoction

So, I was in here checking my email when I heard Gavin start up the microwave. He said he was making me lunch. So, once the microwave was done, he brought me my "lunch." It was a concoction of . . . well . . . this:

Your lunch is ready, Mom!!

Gavin's SO proud!

Hmm . . . yummy. (Blech!)

Yep, that's right: ketchup (lots of it) and raisins. Warmed up. Yum - thanks Gavin!

Mail time, mail time, mail time, maaaiill tttiiiimmmeeee!

Brandon bought a new mailbox for us a few weeks ago, and was able to install it last night. The boys wanted to have their own mailbox, so Brandon screwed the old one into the fence in front of our garden space. The boys are SO excited! They kept running back and forth out to the mailbox last night to "check the mail" and "mail their letters." It was so funny, but could be the source of great happiness for years to come. It reminds me of "Little Women." (If you've ever read "Little Women" you know what I'm talking about! If not - read it!)

Running out to mail their letters (sorry it's blurry)

Posed with their "new" mailbox!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Gymnastics Meet

The boys finished their tumbling classes last Monday and they had a parents night where we could go watch. They had so much fun during their classes, that we decided to take them to a real gymnastics meet up at the university. That was Friday night, and they had a blast!

Scott clapping after one of USU's vaults

'Da boys bein' silly

Me - bein' pretty!

Braden & Gavin chillin' during the meet

B - towards the end he was getting bored
and was antsy to go home

Stitches and Preschool

Gavin got his stitches out on Thursday, and let me tell you, it was an ORDEAL!!! There were two nurses in the room holding his head still, and me holding his arms and legs down, and it still took them an hour (ONE HOUR) to get TWO stitches out! Yikes! At one point, he was screaming so loud that they asked us to move to a different room - in the back! The poor girl taking the stitches out was so timid and hesitant. I don't think she'd ever taken stitches out of a small, wiggly, energetic, scared little boy before. Plus, she kept saying, out loud, "I don't want to cut his lip." So, that scared him, too, 'cause all he heard was "cut his lip."

Gavin getting his stitches out

Anyway, the two nurses finally said that we should take a break and let him calm down. He was given suckers and pop to help, and after a bathroom break, the nurse that was originally helping us when he got his stitches, came in, and said, "Let's get this done." So, I helped her hold him down, and when the younger nurse came in and asked if we needed help, the other nurse said, "Nope. We're fine." She was able to get the other four stitches out in ten minutes!!

Showing off his sucker during his "break"

Then, that afternoon, was Gavin's first day of preschool! Brandon took us out to lunch before hand, and then we drove over to the high school (yes, where Brandon works), to drop Gavin off at his "very own school, without Mom." (His words.) It's called Little Grizz Preschool and it's run through the high school's childhood development classes. And he LOVES it! The first day when the teachers and students came out, he ran off without even giving me a hug or kiss goodbye. We watched him walk up the stairs, and he turned around and pressed his little face against the window and waved goodbye to us, with a HUGE smile on his face! It was cute, but kind of sad for me, too!

Today is his third day, and he's so excited to have his own school. It's nice for me, too, because they're actually being taught things - about their body, family, colors, shapes, letters . . . It's not just an hour and a half of play time. It gives me a break, and it gives him an outlet, too, so it's a win-win for both of us!

My cute little "girl!"

He insisted on putting these in his hair - it was kind of funny. Then, when I wanted to take a picture, he got mad at me!

Monday, March 9, 2009

LOTS of new posts!! Come and get 'em . . .

. . . and keep scrolling, even if you think you're done. Don't stop until you hit a post that you've previously read! :) Happy reading!

The one with all the SNOW!!!

There was NOTHING on the table or the deck when we went to bed last night. What does it look like today??

This morning at 11:00

Lady playing in the snow

This afternoon at 2:30

11" at 2:30!!!

Our chairs out on the deck

Golf Club + Gavin's lip = "OWIE!!!"

Part two of Previous Post called "Long Day."

So, after Scott's baptism, we invited the family over for a luncheon. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and family and friends brought salad, and dessert, and veggie trays, and buns, and chips . . .

As you can imagine, it was chaotic. We had 33 people in our house: 15 adults, 14 young children, and 4 babies under 1 year old. There was a lot going on! Well, most everybody had gotten their food, so I went and got some food and sat down with some friends to eat. I wasn't even halfway through with my lunch, when my BIL comes into the front room and says, "Renee, Gavin got his lip split open. I think you're gonna need to go get him stitches."

Now, my BIL likes to joke sometimes, so I didn't really believe him, until he told me to come take a look. *sigh* Apparantely, what happened was that Gavin and his cousins were in the back yard, when one of the cousins found a golf club (which I thought we had put away for the winter . . .), and was showing his other cousins how to swing it and he hit Gavin in the face. OUCH!!!

Gavin's "owie"

So, we rushed off while my MIL, sister, and SIL cleaned up the luncheon mess for us. (Thank you LaRean, Anne Marie, and Charity for cleaning up for us! We really appreciate it!) Gavin was SO good, though. He just sat and played in the exam room while they got everything ready for us. The only really hard part was when they shot his lip up with Lidocaine - he SCREAMED at that, and cried and said, "Owie!" I cried right along with him - it was HARD!

Gavin hiding in the closet at the dr.'s office

Playing with the toys

Right after the Lidocaine shot. It was cold in there so I wrapped myself up in his blanket.

Getting his stitches

He was all wrapped up in a blanket with his arms trapped to his sides, but Brandon still had to hold his legs down so he wouldn't thrash off the table. Once the dr. started the stitches, though, he actually fell asleep! Gavin ended up with six stitches right above his lip, and was pretty out of it when we got home.

Right before he fell asleep . . .

. . . and, he's out!

You can see how fat his lip is in this picture

When we got home, he kept saying something that we couldn't understand because his lip was FAT! We finally got it though, "Wanna see in the mirror." So, we took him into the bathroom, and he just stared at himself. It was sad and cute at the same time. Then, while Brandon went and picked up the boys at my MIL's house, I laid down with Gavin and took a nap. Once he woke up, he was just fine. Bouncing, running, yelling, jumping . . . He was his normal self. I was worried that as the Lidocaine wore off, he'd have a hard time sleeping that night, but he didn't even stir. They haven't bothered him even once! He's a tough little guy!

Checking himself out in the mirror

We'll go in and see his regular doctor (the doctor that saw him on Saturday was the other partner), and he'll take a couple of the stitches out and glue the cut closed with steri-strips, then we'll see him again in a few days to take the rest out and glue those closed. He'll probably have a scar, but that totally fits Gavin! Today, it's not quite as swollen, but it's still "a chunk" as he calls it! :)

Scott's baptism

Part 1 of the Previous Post called "Long Day."

So, on Saturday, March 7, 2009, Scott was baptized. He woke up the morning before, came in to see me, and said, "Mom, I'm getting baptized tomorrow!" Then he ran off with a big grin on his face! He's been so excited about getting baptized and is trying really hard to be good.

For his baptism gift, we were planning on getting him some new church clothes. He gave him the choice between a suit, and a nice vest/pant suit. He went with the suit, and I have to admit, he looks super cute in it!

This is such a cute picture of him!

In his new suit

Anyway, my sister came with her five kids and spent the night on Friday night, then on Saturday morning, we had to be to the Tabernacle before 10:00. Scott was just giddy with excitement.

Scott in front of the Logan, UT Tabernacle

Brandon & Scott

Once there, he and Brandon changed into their baptismal clothes, and then the service began. Scott's Grandma Shaffer gave the opening prayer, and Grandma Goodrich gave the closing prayer, and his grandpa's gave the talks.

Grandpa Goodrich gave a talk on baptism and gave Scott some really cool rocks. He had Scott put some rocks in a sack and then hold the rocks. They started to get heavy as he was talking to him, and Grandpa said that the rocks were like sin. But, the good thing about baptism is that we can repent. He then took the rocks from Scott and his "burden" was lifted! He gave him a really cool pyramid rock, and each side represents something different: Faith, Baptism, Repentance, Gift of the Holy Ghost. It was a really neat talk!

In his baptismal clothes

Then, I sang a number called, "Come Unto Him." Anne Marie played for me, and I think it turned out really nice. After that, he was baptized! The kids were invited up by the font so they could see him, and I crowded just as close as I could too. He was SO beautiful as he came up out of the water, completely pure. I admit, I cried.

After he and Brandon changed, Grandpa Shaffer talked about the Holy Ghost - how it's a compass to guide us, or a light to show us the way, and how when we're scared or confused we can turn to the Master for guidance. Grandpa gave Scott the flashlight, and he has carried it around with him constantly.

After that, Brandon confirmed him a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost. Scott felt awesome and "warm." I'm so happy with my little Scottie and this big step he has taken to be baptized. He seems so grown up to me, and yet at the same time, he seems so small as he takes his first steps into this big bad world of being really responsible for the things he does. He'll do just fine, though. :)

Another blanket and more cards

The other day I went and bought a bunch of material to make some baby blankets. This is one that I made for my BIL and his wife for their new baby! He was born a couple of weeks ago and is SUPER cute! They got married in Hawaii, so I thought this was a great blanket for their new baby!

The "inside"

Closeup

The "outside"

Another closeup

I also made Scott's invitations to his baptism. Scott had fun picking the ribbon out with me, and I think they turned out awesome!

All four cards together

The invitation inside

"New" Kitchen

So, the week before Scott's baptism, I got possessed - I swear I didn't know what I was getting into, so it must not have really been me. I decided we needed to repaint all of the trim upstairs, restain the bathroom cabinets, and restain the kitchen cabinets/doors/trim.

Monday night, we went to Home Depot for some new bathroom accessories, but it was all too pricey, so we ended up at Walmart. We also got some stain, so we came home that night, and Brandon restained the bathroom cabinets, and put up the new hardware. Then, on Tuesday, I repainted the trim in the entrway - it looks a lot better! On Wednesday, I started to repaint the trim in the hallway, but couldn't finish because my hand hurt. So, Brandon finished for me.

On Thursday, I decided to repaint the trim in the bathroom. (Don't you think I would have learned by now? Nope! My hand felt better. What's the big deal?) I finished it up, then started to restain the kitchen cabinets. B had a friend come over after school, so that kept all the boys busy and out of my way.

Scott had his first pack meeting that night for Cub Scouts (he's growing up so fast!), and while he was there, the other two boys and I ran to Sam's Club to get food for our luncheon on Saturday, then ran to pick him up again. We ate a very simple dinner that night (I think Scott had a sandwich and the other boys had a corndog), and I was determined to keep going that night.

So, we put the kids to bed, and we kept going. At 11:00 that night, we still weren't finished, and had run out of stain. But, it looked funny because some of the cabinets were done, and some weren't. So, I made a run to Walmart to get some more stain. We finally finished it all up (except for the window frame because we didn't want to take the blinds out), cleaned up, and were in bed by . . . 1:30 AM! Yikes!

But, it looks nice, and we're looking forward to redoing the kitchen floor (the vinyl covering over the linoleum is curling and getting dirt trapped in there that cannot be cleaned), and repainting the walls! :) Thanks for your help Brandon!

New stain vs. old stain

Brandon goin' at it - this was about midnight!

Service Project for the Byana Mary Hill Orphanage

Some of the children at the orphanage - aren't they beautiful?

Each year, the Stake Relief Society puts on a Women's Conference where there is a keynote speaker, and then several different classes or lectures throughout the morning that the women can go to. Afterwards, a VERY nice lunch is served.

Well, this year, we decided to do something different - a service project. The St. R.S. President - Julie Wood - was able to hook up with Engineers Without Borders, and voila - a project was born. We got in touch with one of the girls that had gone to Uganda to this orphanage, and she came and showed us pictures and told us about the kids at the orphanage. We definitely wanted to make this our project!

The director of EWB told us some that would help, so we decided to make some school kits and bags, some hygiene kits, and some fleece blankets for each of them, as well as get money donated for a corn grinder. We decided that the perfect day to do this project would be the 21st of February.

So, we wanted to get enough money donated to buy them a corn grinder! At our service project, we ended up with over $1400! I was amazed at the number of women that just dropped in 50 or hundred dollar checks! It was so neat to watch that donation bottle fill up, and then count the cash afterwards. We needed $3,000 to buy them a corn meal, and combined with that $1400, plus money that was donated after the project, plus the $600 they already had, we were able to get them their grinder!

Now, let me tell you a little about the orphanage: there are 400 children at the orphanage, ranging in age from babies to about 15 years old. There are ten nuns that run the orphanage. They grow corn, and the children "pay" for their schooling by helping to plant, harvest, and cook the corn. A dormitory was built for the girls last June, but their beds are still bunked three high. The boys sleep on mats on the school room floor.

Their source of nutrition is the corn they grow, plus any fruits they can scrounge around in the jungle for. They take their corn into the local village to get it ground, but it's often mixed with inferior products, or when they come to pick it up, the order is not ready. Oh, and there is NO electricity there, so to sew the kids school uniforms is done by a treadle sewing machine.

We were also able to make the 400 hygiene and school kits, and are currently having the various wards continue sewing the school bags, and cut and tie the fleece blankets. It's amazing how much service and money was given this day, and it's a testimony to me that there are great people out there!

Here are a few pictures of that day! Some of the ladies here stayed the entire four hours cutting and then working to tie the blankets! I did one - ONE (1) - and my fingers were SO sore after that one. I'm amazed at how they just kept going!