Can I get you anything else, Sir?

The other day my friend is over with her two girls. The kids are all playing outside and we are chatting it up inside. The telephone rings...I answer it.

Poppy: Hey! It's Poppy.

Me: Hello! So what's up?

P: I'm just returning Jacob's phone call.

Me: Um, are you sure? I don't think he called today.

P: I'm not sure, but that's the message Nani gave me.

Me: Okaaay, let me check.

I walk outside and ask Jake if he's made any phone calls to Poppy lately.

Jacob: Yes, I did. Is that him on the phone?

Me: Yes

Jake: Great. (very business-like)

He takes the phone from me, I shrug my shoulders and walk back inside to resume my conversation with Lauren.

A few minutes later, as he is opening the door to come in I overhear him saying into the phone "I'm pretty sure there's nothing on the calendar that day.."

He moves the phone away from his mouth and calls, "Hey Mom! Will it work out for me to head over to Poppy's on the 26th to build a treehouse?"

I told him we would talk about it later, he passes the message on to Poppy, and then ends the phone call with "I'll get back to you about that."

He was so business like. He commands his world. He is hysterical. Making his own phone calls and arrangements. Nice of him to double check with me, don't ya think?

FOOD FIGHT!!

The boys went to the coolest "boys only" birthday party ever this past weekend. They were told to wear something that could get filthy and wet, and to bring goggles.

They started off with a few food related games...

Here Andrew is trying to eat a bunch of saltine crackers as quick as he can and then whistle. We used to do this during Family Home Evening when I was little.



Jacob carefully listens to directions..



and is THRILLED when he hears he gets to dig around in the whipped cream with his FACE!



He found it - the golden jelly bean!



After a few other games they moved onto the highlight - a full out food war. There was macaroni and cheese, pork 'n beans, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, jello, cream pies, ketchup, and marshmallows. It was disgusting!! I could not stop laughing. The tarp got so slippery they could hardly move around and were slipping and sliding in the filth.



One of the parents nailed it right on when they commented that it stunk like an elementary school cafeteria.






The end product.... all the boys underwent a power wash with a hose at the end, it took a while and Jacob still had quite a bit of ketchup in his hair when we got home.




Andrew did not want to get dirty, so here he is during the food fight...his little look breaks my heart!



And here he is finally enjoying himself again during the water fight at the end.



I always wanted to be part of a food fight. Someone in college got wind of this, and for my twentieth birthday I got nailed in the face with a chocolate cream pie. Brrr! It was cold, and was a total surprise, but it really WAS fun! (though attempting to get the chocolate stains out of my pants later on wasn't quite as fun!)

Two Things

Since Father's Day was this last Sunday, and Mike's birthday is today, I have had the blessings of a good spouse and good parents on my mind. I never did a post on Mother's Day, so I'd like to take a moment to tell both my parents that they mean the world to me. Literally.

They built the foundation I now stand upon. They taught me about my Savior, Jesus Christ, and my Heavenly Father. Through their example of following the teachings in the scriptures, and their commitment to continue following our living Prophet's counsel, I was able to feel the Spirit in our home, and learn where to find answers and strength. These teachings have served me well. The relationship I have with my Heavenly Father, and the wonderful traditions my parents established in our home as I was growing up, have been an incredible strength.

I am so very grateful to them. How my mom had seven kids in ten years and did not go insane or beat us is beyond my ability to comprehend! I had lots of fun and remember lots of teaching going on. She is still a rock solid support system and is continually teaching by example. Teaching, serving, and loving can be extended to many others besides children in the home.

My Dad has been a wonderful provider. Not only of shelter, food, and clothes, but gospel teaching and patriarchal leadership. He was, and is, always careful to balance work and family life. He LOVES to play with us. He and my mom make an incredible team.

Thank you!!





And on to my wonderful husband! It's not the greatest picture, but it's the only one I could find of him with all three kids doing one of the things we love... going on family walks.

Mike is so great to these kids. They love him! He takes them on bike rides, to the park, to the swimming pool, wrestles the boys and rubs Amelia's tummy with his head until she gets a rolling giggle going. He tells Jakelor and Andor stories to the boys, and is great to have talks with them about "serious boy stuff" when they have questions.

I have so much fun with him! We love to talk with each other and to be funny. I am really so happy we are friends and that he is a part of my life. Happy birthday, Mike

He Did It!

The Doons jumped off the diving board!



After a lot of talk last summer and no walk, I didn't know if all the enthusiasm at the beginning of this season would pan out. But, sure enough, the boy is in a hurry to keep up with big brother. The first couple of times he didn't walk all the way to the end - just jumped off the side - but then he got the hang of it. Boy, was he having fun!

Here are a few shots of the boys...... they are still at the pool right now. Amelia and I decided to enjoy the peace and quiet at home.

Life in Austin is full of surprises

 

I know it is cliche, but the unplanned things that can happen in Austin give it a sense of place. We saw this group as we were on our way to the pool tonight. Our neighbor about 6 houses over invited a band to play in his front yard. They called themselves "Los SuperAvengers." They focus on "surf" style music, and they were good. We usually don't have our camera when we see a band, but since this was right by our house Cheri was able to go and grab it.
-Michael

Cute Stuff

It is 10:00 p.m. Mike and I are reading and Andrew's little feet pitter patter down the stairs. He comes over to me and lets me know- in a very sad, weak voice- that his ankle is hurting. I locate a scrape that he got while climbing out of the pool tonight, and ask if he wants a band-aid. He barely squeaks out an "uh-huh."

I leave, return, and apply band-aid. In a strong, delighted voice he says, "Ahhh. That feels WAYYY better. Now, if I could just get a little bread and butter in my tummy, I would be all set!"

Sly little bugger.... but I LOVE him!

Summer Swimming

A few pictures of where we have been hanging out last week and this. The boys are in swim lessons. Jake has done a wonderful job. Today they worked on breathing every third stroke and keeping their head to the side, rather than looking up. Jake likes to race the kid swimming next to him in this picture. (Wonder where he gets his love of racing....ha,ha. For those of you that don't know - the only way I can get myself to clean or to complete a task I don't particularly want to do, is to set the clock and go for it. The boys have been trained well. "Jake, Andrew - upstairs! See if you can clean your bedroom before I make this disaster in the kitchen disappear! GO!")


Andrew's haven't been going so well. He is in between class levels, and this one is not challenging enough. I actually have been rather frustrated. When the class description says, "Introduction of strokes and breathing rhythms.." I expect them to be beyond blowing bubbles and kicking their legs while hanging onto the wall. We are on day 5 of 8..... He already knows how to swim about 10 feet with kicks and strokes, it just needs to be refined, so he gets bored in class and doesn't want to cooperate when they start playing "motorboat, motorboat.." Grrr...

Anyway, Amelia likes watching. I need to get some pictures of her in the water. She LOVES it. One great thing about living in the land of terrifying heat - your children become little fishies.

Excuse Me?

Andrew finished drinking his orange juice, handed me his cup and announced, "I don't think I like orange juice anymore. I'm not really a fan of all that human skin floating around."

This has got to be the sickest thing I've heard in a long time. Yeah, good luck drinking the stuff again. Sorry - I should've had some kind of warning before you read this.

Shakespeare in the Park

A few weekends ago we went to see Much Ado About Nothing. It is part of a 49 year tradition a local park has of putting on free Shakesperean performances each summer. Everyone spreads out blankets on the hill, eats picnic dinners, and waits for the sun to set so the show can begin. It was a lot of fun. It took both Mike and I a few acts to catch on to the language. It's been so long since I've read any of his works! As I was struggling to get the hang of it again, I worried that perhaps bringing the boys wasn't such a great idea, but they LOVED it! They hung on all the way to the end (10:30) and laughed at the funny parts and were against the villian.

It is such a great, comical play. The men "returning from war" in the beginning of the play rode down the hill past all of us on their "horses" (bikes) and the boys thought it was so funny. Later on, the constable character and his assistant came wandering up in to the crowd during a scene they were not involved in. They sat down on our blanket and asked the boys if they had any fruit or sandwiches. The boys gave them each an apple and then were thrilled to see the men eating their apples in the next scene! After the play was over and everyone had done their final bows, the constable shouted out for the "two white-haired boys" to stand up. Then he had everyone clap for them and told Jake and Andrew "[they] rock!" It was a fun outing and so good for the boys to stretch their brains with the different way of speaking. This will be another event to throw in with the growing list of family traditions!

Jake the Snake

Wow. What a day. My little buddy, Jake, and I had a rough one. There is something about this little full-of-life boy that can melt my heart and also bring out every parenting weakness I have. Sometimes I just feel as though I am completely losing control of myself. He's got a lot of energy, passion, movement, and expectations. If I am not on top of my game....things start spiraling. Not always in a bad direction, but ALWAYS in a direction. And always fast.

We are getting used to all being together all day (school let out last Friday) and trying to figure out a routine that works for all of us.

Here is a picture of the boy on his last day of school. Wearing his school pride shirt. Up at 6:15, in my room, dressed, clapping his hands with a huge grin on his face, singing "It's the last day of school!" over and over.

He was at school before the front doors opened. He wanted to run on the front lawn with the boys who are always early.


After school I took him out for ice cream. Something my mom did with us throughout our school years. Andy was gone at a friend's house, so Jake and I had a nice chat. He said he was kind of excited for summer, but was feeling really sad about not getting to see his teacher anymore or go to class. He asked me to commit to doing homeschool all summer. I agreed, and so far - so good. We started on Saturday - at Jake's insistence. The boys have been eager to do all their assignments and I have had fun coming up with creative ways to challenge them. We even did P.E. yesterday and ran laps.

Anyway, he's a good boy. I love him dearly. I just need quiet moments of reflection sometimes to slow down and not be reacting to his actions. He can be so great. Today I was done with cleaning up our one hundred stuffed animals for the six hundredth time, and said "each of you choose 4 animals, right now, and say goodbye to the rest." They each made their careful and labored selections and then it was time for me to feed Amelia. I sat on the couch and asked Jacob to grab a big bag and see how many of the leftovers he could fit into it. In a moment I noticed him quietly hugging each animal and telling them he would miss them and hoped that they would make another child "really excited."

Well, I think I've convinced myself again that I can do it. I am just going to have to find the energy to raise this child well. There is a lot of good, and I don't want it getting wasted on my watch! (that sounds bad, but sometimes it is SO HARD that I wonder if it's worth the effort. Not the child - the end behavioral result.)

I'm babbling. Ughh. Parenting is hard.

Jacob's Penguin Project

Jacob was invited to do an Independent Study project this year. He and a few other first and second graders met twice a week throughout the school year. They learned how to do research, type, put together a bibliography, and write a report. It was so fun to see the end product! The night of the presentations was well attended. Each student had put together a questionnaire to be filled out by those coming around. Jacob had so much fun doing each "presentation." He had a little index card with prompts on it reminding him to say hello, state his name, and then the three major areas he studied. He did a great job, and we are so proud of him.

At one point I came over to check on him and he told me that I didn't need to hang around. He was busy and had people to talk to. He let me know that I could just go visit with my friends or go look at some art in the hallway. He makes me laugh.

He made the penguin and little fish by himself out of some Model Magic Clay. It is an Emperor Penguin.

These were some fun questions that you could lift up for an answer. He was especially pleased with how the "blubber penguin" turned out. He was sure to point it out to everyone.

Please bear with me, I am going to type his report here for the benefit of grandparents who live far away and would love to see it. He dictated and I typed it. I only gave him a few prompts, such as: "Jacob, let's do a sentence at the beginning of each paragraph that pertains to ALL penguins, and then list some specific examples." He flew right through it. It was really fun to watch his serious face as he looked over his notes and then worked out his grammar.

Penguins

This is my report on penguins. I had to study a lot to learn about these things. I will tell you where penguins live, what they look like, and how they live.

Penguins live in cold places. They swim in the water. They live in southern parts of the world. Some penguins live in the cool coasts of Africa. Some species of penguins live in South America. They live in Antarctica, too.

Penguins are birds that have feathers that are black or blue-ish gray. Underside feathers on penguins are white. Adult penguins look like they have white skin on their bellies, because their belly feathers are so flat. Even though they are birds, they do not fly. There are many different types of penguins. Emperor Penguins have yellowish orange feathers on their chins. Most of them are 4 feet tall. Fairy Penguins are the smallest type of penguins ever. They grow to be 16 to 17 inches tall. Rock Hopper Penguins get their name because they hop on rocks. Chin strap Penguins get their name because they have a line of black feathers starting at the top of their jaw bone, going under their chin, and ending at the other side of their jaw bone.

All penguins feed on fish. Some penguins may eat shrimp or other small animals in the ocean. Blubber, which is a thick layer of fat under their skin, keeps them warm. An extra layer of feathers acts like fur below their outside waterproof feathers. Raising baby penguins is a lot of hard work for the mom and dad penguin. The mom has to swim off with all the other moms to get food in the ocean. The baby stays at home with the dad. Usually penguins only lay one egg at a time. Adelie penguins have two babies at a time. Penguins may look clumsy on land, but they are graceful swimmers in the water.

Penguins are very neat animals. They are birds, but they do not fly. They live in very cold areas, but they do not get cold. I like penguins because they look so cute and cuddly.

Overheard

From the bathroom.

(I'd just called the boys to dinner.)

"Ahhhhh! Hurry! She's coming! Get the milk jug out of the toilet!"

"Okay....put all the recycling bin things in this pile..."

"I'll put the teaspoon back in the kitchen."

"Uh-oh Jacob, we used all the cinnamon sticks..."

______

I didn't even look. I just let them know that the bathroom needed to look like new before I saw them again, and when I went in to brush my teeth that night, it looked as good as new.

Sibling Plug

You must read my sister, Lindsay's, most recent post. The link is in my sidebar. Crazy funny. I am crying right now.

No Complaints

Wow! Last night I was the last person to fall into bed... at 8:30! Gives you some kind of indication of how busy we have been over the weekend. And, to use a phrase Jake has just adopted, "Time sure flies when you're having fun!"

It began on Thursday. What a purrfect summery day it was. We started out by having some girls over after school to run through the sprinkler in the backyard. They migrated to the driveway to lay on their towels and dry off and play a little game of chess.


When the girls' parents stopped by to pick them up a couple hours later their dad asked if we would be up to going to the lake. When? Right now! We most definitely were! Everything is more fun when it's spur of the moment. We threw some gear together, called Mike with the bad news that we wouldn't be home when he got there, and neither would dinner, and took off. SO MUCH FUN! The kids went tubing and Amelia was a regular little lake rat. We parked the boat in the middle of the lake and all swam around while people took turns sitting in the boat with Lady Love. She kept standing up and smacking her hands on the side of the boat and squealing with delight.

Friday night the kids all went to a pool party and barbeque with some friends, and Mike and I went out with all the adults in his family. We went out to eat to celebrate his passage of the bar. It was really fun to dress up and go somewhere fancy, and not have a baby wiping goobery crackers on my shoulder. Ahhh...

Saturday was birthday parties and a fun family bike ride.

Sunday was a wonderful Mother's Day. Flowers, cards, yummy food, and a nice nap!


Jake made
me a card, poem,
and the
standard:
a rock.
It must
be
true love.






Andy drew a
picture "with a
heart!"and
"bumpy Clouds."
"Look, I even drew
hair just like yours!"













this
poem
rocks
as much
as I
guess
I do.




On Monday we continued the excitement with an official swearing in of our new attorney at law. It was great. Afterwards his office hosted a great luncheon. Lots of good food and fun company!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Mike won a recipe contest! I've always known he can cook, but now the world (or at least his company) does as well. The comptrollers office was holding an original healthy recipe contest, and since Mike's office is affiliated, he was able to submit a recipe. It had to be tasty, healthy, and completely original. He submitted a southern style entree and came home with a blue ribbon (and a gift certificate). The contest was in the morning, so the Judges just had microwaved leftovers, but they still liked it. I think it's pretty cool, and he had a great time doing it.

Here's the recipe. Try it out. It's dee...licious!


Chicken with Triple Sweet Root Vegetables
1st prize, entrée
By Michael Anderson

Who would guess onion and basil can be just as good as brown sugar with your sweet potatoes?

4 chicken breasts
2 large sweet potatoes
1 large sweet Texas onion
8-10 sweet basil leaves
6-8 parsnips (one bag)
2 sprigs rosemary
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 teaspoons sea salt
Juice of 2 lemons
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 325ºF. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes, parsnips and sweet onion. Chop the parsley, sweet basil, rosemary and add the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the herbs to the vegetables, and put in a large pyrex glass dish. Pour juice from 1 of the lemons and olive oil over the vegetables. Cover with tin foil. Place in the oven for 1 hour. Pull out and stir the vegetables. Place the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables, pour remaining lemon juice on the meat and put back the uncovered dish in the oven at 375 ºF for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add more salt to taste.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 ½ hours

Nutritional Information:

Serves 6

264 calories
3.6 grams fat
17 grams carb
37.5 grams protein

The Nutrition information is from a nutritionist that the Comptroller hired for the contest, it isn't just Mike's guess.