My 5 Guys & Me

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?"

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Crazy Hair Day & Zumba party

This past week was Red Ribbon Week for the boys, and on Thursday, they had a Crazy Hair Day. Scott chose not to participate; he's like me - he doesn't like the feeling of people pointing or laughing at him, even if it is something cool. "Look at his hair, that's awesome!" But, B & Gavin wanted to. And, here are the results:

And, I had to put one of me on here because for the first time this week, I actually did my hair - thus, it was "Crazy Hair Day" for me!

The night before, we had a Zumba Halloween party where we were supposed to dress up. And, what better thing to do that to dress up in 80's exercise clothes? :)

Big hair, leg warmers, the shorts over the leggings, the cut-off shirt hanging off the shoulder . . .

Bright blue makeup, and big red lips!!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Scooching, Spinning, and Standing

Connor's scooch

Connor spinning in his jumper. It's kind of long, but you can see how much he LOVES to spin. He does this every time he's in the jumper.

Connor also loves to hold onto our hands and walk around. He gets so excited that he'll dance and shuffle his feet while we're walking with him. He loves to scooch around, but if somebody is close by that can help him walk, he'd rather walk. I think he'll end up walking before he crawls!

Ready, Connor?

Standing all by myself!

I'm gonna fall, Mom! You better catch me!

Whee!!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Sorting Attributes

The other day 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?"

:)

Sunday, October 10, 2010

The finished bathroom

Our bathroom upstairs has needed help for a long time. When we first moved in, we noticed mold growing on the ceiling and on the wall above the shower. (We decided that the previous owner(s) didn't ever turn the house fan on while they showered, so there was no air going through the bathroom, thus allowing this growth.) The walls were cracking because of a bad paint job, and in general, it just looked awful.

But, we haven't been able to do anything about (up to this point) because we've had other projects and things to take care of. The boys rooms, the nursery, the kitchen . . . But, Sherman Williams had an INCREDIBLE sale a couple of weeks ago - 40% off ALL of their paint and stain, so we got paint for the bathroom, and stain for the deck.

So, Brandon (the tall man that he is) climbed up on the step stool and bleached the ceiling and walls, then painted Kilz primer over everything. Then, we taped off the trim, and got started. A one day project, and the whole bathroom is just transformed! Voila! We love it, and it's so nice to have a nice clean bathroom, with clean walls. It's like an actual room now!

The next thing will be to replace the floor. Again . . . mold. The floor wasn't sealed well when the linoleum was put in by the previous owner(s), and water seeped underneath. So, eventually that will get replaced as well. I'm SO looking forward to that day!

Enjoy the pic's and let me know what you think! We happen to love it!

Before . . .

Going in a circle around the room - after . . .

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

A letter from Scott

This is what I thought was a journal post from Scott a week or so ago, until I looked at it more closely. After a few days, he had addressed it to me, and wanted a response. It shows his cute personality. As he was typing this, he just had a huge smile on his face and just kept bouncing in the chair!

3:52 P.M.

Dear, Mom

Today we got huge peaches. My mom is holding them now. Today is Sunday, one of my favorite days. To marrow is Monday and, it is the first day of the week that I go to school. I have been at school for six weeks. Fourth grade is fun, very fun. We have made several different things in school. Each is fun to make.

Mr. Cox is A good student teacher.

My teachers are: Mrs. Lowe /Mrs. Farnsworth. They are very nice.

One time Mrs. Lowe said I needed A reminder, yet I did not need A reminder.

I could use A day or two with school starting at 9:10 A.M.

Love,

Scott

P.S. Please leave note.

As requested, my response:

Dear Scott,

I could sure use a day or two of school starting at 9:10, also. I’m glad that 4^th grade is fun – that makes me very happy to know you enjoy learning! You’ll have to tell me more about the things you make in school. I love you, Scottie bug!

Love,

Mom

Monday, September 27, 2010

A peach by any other size would taste as sweet . . .

The little peach is a normal size peach you'd find in the store. The other peach is the size of most of the peaches that came off our peach tree this year. HEW-MUN-GUS!!! :)

Despite still being somewhat green, they still taste really good. Especially in smoothies!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Funny favorite

So, I'll put this under my funny favorites, too, but I just had to share this. It's too funny not to.

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, Jared, "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?"

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Family bike ride for FHE

I love going on bike rides. Unfortunately, I haven't had a bike to ride, because mine has been out of commission. It needed a new seat and the tire needed to be patched up. It's been low on the priority list, but after having the boys beg him to fix it up so that we could do a family bike ride, he agreed.

He found a seat for me to replace the one that was oozing gel out of it, and patched up my tire. After a couple of test runs to make sure the tire would hold, we were ready to go. After a dinner of breakfast, we headed out.

We got Connor situated in his seat behind Brandon (the bike seat filled with a baby is too heavy for me - I can't balance with him behind me) and got a helmet on him. It was too big, but it was all we had. So, we grab a USU beanie, put that on his head, and tried the helmet again. It worked.

He wasn't happy sitting there, but once Brandon started riding, he calmed down. Gavin LOVED riding in this bike seat, and would squeal and clap his hands. Connor just sat there wondering if he really liked this new thing. After having one child smack his knee on his handlebars because the chain flipped off (B), one child get his pants stuck in the chain and then rolling up and securing his pants with my scrunchy (S), and one child hold up traffic in the middle of the road because he couldn't push the pedal hard enough to get his bike going (G), we finally made it to the boys school to play on the playground.

At this point, we were able to get a smile and even a laugh or two out of Connor. He continuously tried to get his helmet off (without success) and was absolutely quiet on the way home again, just trying to decide if he liked bike rides. I sure do - although my backside is VERY sore today. My behind just doesn't fit on a skinny seat. :) Oh well. I think this is something we'll do a lot more of in the future!

"What is this thing, Mom?"

"I don't like this - I think my helmet is on backwards."

"Oh, that's better."

Off we go . . .

"Do I like this?"

Holding on for dear life

"Get this thing off of me!"

"Oh, hi Mom!"

And, then, this video. As you can hear, I was trying to get him to say "Mama" but he ended up saying something entirely different. Hmm.

Interesting Sunday evening

I'm the choir pianist in our ward, and for an hour each Sunday evening, we have our ward choir practice. After the practice was over, the choir director and I were standing in the hallway talking, when a woman walked up to us asking if this was where the CES (Church Educational System) Fireside was. There was a training meeting going on, but not a fireside.

She was very obviously mentally handicapped, and when we explained that it wasn't at this building, she asked where it was. Now, very often at the beginning of sacrament meeting, I'm dealing with a fussy baby who wants to eat, or boys who are still trying to calm down after primary, so a lot of times I don't hear all of the announcements. This was no exception. I had no idea where this fireside was.

But, we thought it might be at the stake center, and told this woman so, and she asked if we could take her. We explained where it was, and she kept asking us to take here there. Our choir director had walked to the church, so I offered to take this woman (whom I will call Izzy) to the stake center.

We walked outside to the van, and Izzy just kept saying, "I won't get in trouble? I won't get in trouble? I won't tell no one." I was confused why she would get in trouble, so I assured her that I was trying to help her and that she wouldn't get in trouble. I asked if there was a reason that she would get in trouble, but I don't know if she understood my question, because she just kept repeating, "I won't get in trouble? I won't tell no one. You won't get in trouble, k."

Turns out, that the fireside was NOT at the stake center. I tried another building with Izzy asking the whole time I'm driving, "I won't get in trouble? I won't get in trouble?"

I didn't have the cell phone with me, so I decided to drive to our bishops house and get the info from him. He gave me the address for the fireside, and as we drove there, I tried to get to know her. I asked her name (Izzy is NOT her real name), and where she lived. She refused to give me her address, although I had offered several times to just take her home. As we were driving along, she kept asking if she'd get in trouble, followed up by the remark, "I'll keep my big mouth shut. I won't get in trouble. I keep my big mouth shut."

Now, that to me is sad - not only that someone would say that to another person ("You keep your big mouth shut"), but to say it to someone that is mentally handicapped just really upset me. I told her that she didn't have a big mouth and that she didn't have to keep this a secret. I was trying to help her after all. She replied, "Okay." Followed by, "You won't get in trouble k? You keep your big mouth shut!"

Anyway, we made it to the other building, only to find the parking lot void of any cars except one that looked like it had been sitting there for about five years. *sigh* What to do now? I knew there was a chapel at appx. the same street numbers as the address the bishop had given me, just with different north/west coordinates. So, we drove there. Again, nothing. We asked a man that was there if he knew where the fireside was. His suggestion was to try the stake center again.

So, we did, and ended up knocking on a bishop's door to ask his help. He gave us the same address that we had previously tried (the one with the car that had been sitting there for half a decade), then tried calling one of his counselors when we told him that building was empty. He couldn't get a hold of his counselor, and told us that he thought it was probably over by then. (It was 7:00 - we'd been driving around for an hour.)

So, I offered again to take Izzy home, and again she refused. "I know how to get home. I can walk. It's not to far. I can walk home. I know my address. I can walk home. It's not far." She took off walking. Ahh! So, I followed her down the hall, and told her that I'd feel better if I could just take her home. She refused, and just kept on walking.

So, I went home and called the Stake Relief Society Pres. who happens to be in Izzy's ward, explained what had happened, and then asked if she was really okay to get home. Come to find out, she's not supposed to ride in cars with other people, because they have to pass some sort of driving test specific to Izzy's needs. Or something like that. Oops!

No wonder she kept asking, "I won't get in trouble?" And then saying that she'd "keep her big mouth shut." She knew she'd get in trouble for being in a car with someone other than her approved drivers, but didn't explain that to me. I just hope she didn't get in trouble because I tried to help.

Friday, September 10, 2010

A story about a boy and his violin

A couple of weeks ago, Scott came home from school with a notice that the school orchestra was starting up. Since he is in 4th grade, he was eligible to participate. With certain instruments - violin, viola, cello, bass - free instruction was also available.

Scott came home almost dancing with anticipation. "Please, Mom, can I be in the orchestra." So, we played the "what-if" game. If we let you, what instrument would you want to play? Would you be responsible and practice? What about lessons - if they start early in the morning, would you still want to do it? He answered that he wanted the violin and that he'd be responsible.

So, Brandon took Scott to a meeting where everything was explained to them. They told them of several music stores where you can rent violins for a monthly fee. Scott was sold. We told him we had to wait until Brandon got paid to go get the violin, the music stand, and the three required books. Every day when we got home from school, he'd run to the mailbox, bring the mail inside, and ask, "Mom, are any of these Dad's paycheck?" :)

So, on Wednesday, we went down to The Book Table, where we were able to rent a violin for him. We'll pay on it monthly, and after two years, we'll own it. He was sized at a 1/2 size violin, so by the time the two years is up, he'll have moved up in size - either to a 3/4 or even a full size. He was borderline between the 1/2 and 3/4, but the gal at the music store told us it's not wise to go up a size with violins. Get what fits, and exchange later as they grow.

So, Scott will be learning the violin. He's been asking and asking to learn the piano, and I've been a bit reluctant because of his finger. His middle one is growing very sideways, and his pointer finger hasn't grown at all since the accident. I taught him some of "When the Saints Go Marching" (just the right hand), and he had a difficult time stretching his fingers out to the right keys. I should probably just teach him - he'll adapt, right?

Anyway, lessons start on Monday, and he is SO excited! His violin is in his room, and we put the CD that came with one of the books into the CD player for him yesterday, and I thought he just might implode. He doesn't show outward excitement very often - he usually just smiles really big, sometimes bounces up and down, and very often will throw his arms around me when he's excited about something. I'm excited too. This is a great opportunity for him and will be good for all of us. B's even talking about getting him a violin next year when he's in 4th grade! :)

I got my music stand!!

Hmm - do I like this one . . .

. . . or this one??

Let's try this one.

Says Connor, "I'm bored. I think I'll . . .

. . . eat my diaper bag.

"Okay, I got my violin and my case."

Taking them for a "test-drive"

Leaving the store with his violin - he's super happy!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Cute, funny video

Enjoy! We did.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Randomness . . . mostly about me

This is for you, Val! :)

* Toady's favorite song is "Orinoco Flow" by Celtic Women. Followed closely by "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" by Amy MacDonald.

* Scott, in the middle of summer, will frequently wear a short sleeve shirt, shorts, his Indiana Jones hat, and his tall black snow boots. Over top of that, he'll put on his Jedi robe, and he'll be set.

* B isn't very random - although his mood can change as fast as switching off a light.

* Connor can almost bounce himself out of his jumper. He LOVES to jump. (I cannot put enough emphasis on LOVES.)

* Sometimes, I think Brandon's the only normal one around here.

* As I'm laying in bed each night, drifting off to sleep, I find myself saying a little prayer (although, it's almost like a chant) that the boys will sleep through the night.

* I'm a bit OCD when it comes to switching off lights at night. All of the light switches have to be in the off position. If one of them isn't, I'll go over to the other light switch that works the same light, and get all of them switched around so they're all in the off position. It drives Brandon nuts.

* I have to have a completely dark room to sleep in. I've trained myself to ignore the light from my clock, but anything else is taboo. We have a nightlight in the bathroom, and if the door is left open, I'll wake up because of the light. It must be a family thing - my sister is the same way. At least one of my brothers, too. C0rrection - I just found out another one is like that. So, at least two of my brothers.

* I also have to have the closet doors completely closed in our room as well as the bedroom door closed (although the bedroom door doesn't have to be latched). If they're left open, I'll wake up and close them. (I kid you not - unless I'm INCREDIBLY tired, I wake up every time.)

* I wish I had my sister's work ethic. I think she gets more work done in one day than I do in a week. Sometimes two weeks.

* I LOVE fruit snacks. If the boys get them in their Halloween candy, I'll sneak those. Really.

* Lately, my favorite lunch is a hamburger sandwich. Ground beef, crumbled up, seasoned and cooked thoroughly, then put on a slice of Grandma Sycamore's bread and topped with a second slice. No mayo, no ketchup . . . Just hamburger.

* I get REALLY silly when I'm tired. Just ask Brandon. Or my sister. Or Patti. Or . . . On second thought, don't. They've got stories.

I'm hungry. I think I'll go have a hamburger sandwich.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Mothers . . .

Being a mom is the hardest thing I've ever done. EVER. But, I do love it. And, I can say, from experience, that some of the hardest times are some of those times when inspiration came and I can look back on those times and remember the good.

This video is such a good reminder for me. Sometimes (okay - let's be honest, Renee, a lot of times) I brush my kids off because "I'm busy right now" or "I don't want to" and I know I disappoint them. I need to do and be better. Hopefully this will help.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Round and round and round he goes . . .

Oh, and by the way - I'm not spinning him. This is all him!

Two Sundays down and some Speed

Okay - I've been in Primary for two weeks now leading the singing time, and so far it's been great. The kids are actually singing (which, according to a lot of people, hasn't happened in a LONG time). I think they got in a rut of "I don't know that song, so why even bother singing." I had to remind one of the kids yesterday that it was singing time not sitting time so I expected him to sing. He did.

Last week, we did a back to school theme with erasers, crayons, pencils, sharpeners . . . and all of the songs we're supposed to sing for the program in October. I was able to get a good idea of what songs we need to work on. Yesterday, we worked on one song. We sang it over and over and over again, but played the hot and cold game while we sang. I had one of the kids hide an object somewhere in the room, while another child stepped out of the room. Then while we sang (repeating the verse if we finished before the object was found), he/she tried to find the object. The closer he got, the louder we sang. So, it was fun for them, and we got the song stuck in their heads. :)

But, I had the same dream over and over again last night - the kids got bored and I couldn't find anything fun for them to do anymore. *sigh* They'd just sit there, and eventually started getting mad at me - "This used to be fun, Sister Shaffer." Yikes! I guess when I get to that point, it'll be time for me to be released.

So, yesterday was a good day. Connor was good with his daddy during church, and his little face absolutely lit up when he saw me two hours later. Choir practice was fun, and I got to sit and read (and finish) my book while the boys played outside. Then, the kids went to bed, and Brandon & I stayed up until 10:30 playing Speed. A few rounds of regular style, then switched to California style. We haven't done that in a LONG time, and it was so fun to laugh with (at) each other!

Thanks for a super fun night, love! We should do it more often.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Our little Maestro . . .

Watch his little foot go . . .

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

New calling

I have a new calling - well, an additional calling. I'm still the ward choir pianist (no surprise there. The other night I sat down and figured out that I have been the ward choir pianist in every ward I've ever lived in - which is six total, including the ward I grew up in - except our Sandy ward. Five wards, starting from the time I was 12 years old. Hmm. I see a pattern here.)

Anyway, my new calling is . . .

Primary Chorister!

The boys are stoked! Their momma - not quite as stoked. I think it'll be fun, but it's not the calling I had in mind. But, then again, I guess the Lord doesn't always give us the callings we had in mind, right? :)

Oh, and if any of the four of you that actually read my blog (I think there are four anyway - it doesn't seem like many people come here to visit me anymore. :) But, I digress . . .) If you have any ideas or your kids have any ideas of things they have loved about singing time, feel free to pass them on to me. Thanks!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Wahoo!! I'm SO excited!

Sunday night we were downstairs reading the scriptures with the boys before bedtime and Gavin asked Brandon if he could help read. So, Brandon helped him say a verse. As he was reading, I noticed that his words seemed quite clear. The more I listened to him, the more excited I got.

So, I pulled him over to me, and gave him a whole bunch of words to say, and it's true - he can now pronounce his R's!!! Wahoo!! I jumped up and down, and screamed, and laughed, and the boys screamed and laughed right along with me. As they went to bed that night, I heard the boys saying, "Gavin, say __________." And then he'd say it and they'd all laugh again. It was so cute!

I have been seriously worried about him and his pronunciation, but our dr.'s just said to leave it alone and that it'd work itself out - usually by the time the child starts kindergarten. Well, he does next Tuesday! So, just in time. And, what better birthday present for me, than to have my Toad start saying his R's? He's awesome.

Way to go, Toady!!

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Kitchen remodel - Before, during & after

Okay, for those that actually follow and read my blog, I've got lots of posts following this one (keep going until you're caught up). I finally managed to update the blog - at least up until the last two weeks. Those will have to wait until another day, though.

So, we've lived here for 2 1/2 years, and are finally getting to re-do the kitchen. It took a lot of work and a lot of help from family, with lots of laughter and even some frustration along the way, but we love the results! It turned out awesome!

The kitchen before, complete with drop box

Dining room before. And, yes, the colors really are awful.

Taking off the chair rail. Take a look at those nails - seriously!!

Taking the cupboards down - these were a beast to take off. But, we did it.

The drop box

The drop box had full size cupboards hanging over the counter when we first moved in. But, because they were full-sized, there was only about a foot and a half between the bottom of the cupboards and the top of the counter. Not even enough room to roll out bread dough or cookie dough. So, they came out the second or third day after we moved into the house.

Brandon scoring the drop box for demolition

Taking the crowbar to the drop box

An interior view of the drop box

Most of the finishing wood off the drop box

The cupboards are down, the drop box is out, it's time to sheet rock

So, Brandon and I (mostly Brandon) took the cupboards down and the drop box down. That night, my sister and her family came up and stayed for several days to help us finish the kitchen.

The next morning, my sister primed the walls while the men sheet rocked, taped, mudded, and textured the ceiling while I took Connor to the dr. Turns out he had a double ear infection, plus an eye infection in both eyes. Plus, four teeth coming in all at once. He was miserable, but even still did quite well.

Gavin decided to do Dallin's hair one morning - complete with hairspray. Lots of it.

Rachel - our built-in babysitter

Priming the walls and getting rid of the old, yucky colors

Whoa - It's a bird, it's a plane, it's, it's . . . SuperMike!!

Dude - my head! Let me out of here!

Mike working on the insulation

My super awesome sister taking off the baseboards.

Whichever owners put the baseboards up made sure they weren't ever coming off. Instead of finishing nails, they used 4 inch nails to nail the baseboards to the wall. Yikes!

Taking a break to play with Dallin

One panel of sheet rock is done.

Since we didn't have a kitchen, meals were eaten outside on the picnic table. I'm so grateful we had good weather. We BBQ'd that night, then the next morning, Anne Marie & I headed to Home Depot to pick out the paint color. I had some color chips picked out, but I kept going back and forth. I couldn't decide what to do. Plus, we weren't really sure how to do the faux finish that I wanted.

So, we headed off, and spent two hours picking colors and learning how to do the finish. (The colors are Popcorn Ball for the base, and Riviera Sand mixed in with a glaze for the faux finish.) We found what we liked, then had Brandon google the technique.

It said that once the color and the glaze was mixed together, to roll it on the walls in small sections. Then use craft paper (think thick brown paper you use to wrap packages for the mail), crinkle it up, then lay it on the wall. Rub it on, then pull it off. But, it wasn't working because the paper was too thick.

So, we came up with the idea of using garbage bags. We cut the bottom off the bag so that we could unfold it all the way, and it worked great! Now, we just had to figure out the best way to get it on - do we rub, pat, use fingers, palm of our hand? It took us a while, (okay, a LONG while), but we did figure it out, and I LOVE the finished results!

The yellow base coat

The ceiling is finished!

Touching up a few places

Our practice wall - behind the cupboards

Putting the cupboards back up - be strong boys!

The garbage sacks we used to put the faux finish on the walls. We hung them out to dry, then would use the other side as we continued with the faux finish.

The dining room walls - don't worry, we fixed the cross lines in the middle

The kitchen - notice the fan is still there

A close-up of the paint and faux finish

Minus a few decorations - the finished kitchen

We had talked about looking around for a cupboard to put on the wall next to the window, and with my MIL's suggestion, we took one of the cupboards that was originally hanging off the drop box over the counter, and put it up on the wall. We really like it. I just need to organize the kitchen, now, and get rid of stuff I don't use.

Notice the fan is gone - it's now in . . .

. . . the dining room (with our clock now on the wall)!

Another view of the kitchen

We've decided that we don't like the full curtain over the window - it blocks our light switches. So, I'm going to cut it off and make it into a valance, and then we'll put some blinds under it.

Our next projects will be to replace the floor in the kitchen, dining room, entryway, hallway, and bathroom. It's in serious need of some help - the linoleum is curling, the top vinyl coat is peeling off allowing dirt to get in, and mold to grow in the wet spots. Plus, it's old and 70's-ish. It's time for something new! Then, we'll work on the countertops - either painting them, or just getting new ones.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and that you like my new kitchen as much as I do! Thanks again, SO MUCH, Mike & Anne Marie for your help. We love you lots!