Wednesday, April 30, 2008

More Mud


Yesterday we had a couple tree guys come to give us estimates on cleaning up our forest (aka our backyard). There are more coming over the next few days, too, so there is a distinct possibility that the scene I am about to describe could occur again. And again. And again. Uh-oh.
So we were just sitting down to dinner when the tree guy showed up. The boys were thrilled. They got to go play in the yard instead of eat at the table - a dream come true around our house. We headed out to walk around the forest and learn that we were right. Half of the trees are dead, half are leaning right over our house, and half are pines that will fall over when those other two halves aren't there to protect them. (No comments on my mathematic abilities, please). While Dan and I were talking to the tree guy, the boys entertained themselves by playing in the mud that we like to call our backyard. (Note - grass doesn't grow in the forest...)
And then it happened. A mother's worst nightmare. Camden began screaming and Jake came running to find me. Yes, you guessed it. Camden's entire foot was stuck in the mud. Wow. That was a mess! So I got his shoe out - okay, I made Jake get the shoe out since he was already muddy and I had no desire to become too involved in all that. Then I put it back on the kid. I had to do that part, and I got my hands all muddy. Yep, that's how much I love him! Well, now that Camden was covered up to his knees with mud, the boys decided they might as well complete the job. So they proceeded to rub it into any and all exposed skin. They sure did have a fun time. And I have to admit they were pretty cute.
As the tree guy left, so did I. I had a Beehive activity to get to (hey, sometimes I need a little girl time, you know). Which left Dan with the cleanup. I felt a little guilty. Until I looked up at the house to wave goodbye. What did I see? Dan talking to a neighbor. And two muddy little boys running around the front yard. In their underwear.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Reality Check


Just in case you were thinking about getting a dog... Don't forget about rainy days!

Friday, April 25, 2008

You know the weather's getting good...


when your little boy falls asleep at 4:00, skinned knees and all.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Happy Birthday Mayo


Today is our sweet girl's 7th birthday! I can't believe it! We are so blessed to have her in our family. She is definitely a well-loved dog, even if she doesn't like to be petted...

Okay, she's pretty neurotic, too... But it's her birthday so we'll let it slide.

To celebrate her special day (we did it yesterday because today will be very busy and I mean come on, she's a dog and I don't think she knows her days very well.) the boys and I took her to PetSmart to pick out a treat. Usually she goes straight for the pig ears, but this time she chose a bone with beef filling. And she's been prancing around showing us that bone ever since. She doesn't actually chew and eat her bones, she shows them off. It's her favorite activity. I told you she's neurotic. Then last night we sang Happy Birthday (she wouldn't look at us while we sang to her) and had cake. She had no problem looking at us when we gave her a piece of that cake... Good thing we celebrated yesterday because today she's getting a bath. Not her favorite activity, but you know what? She smells bad, and she'll thank me later. She doesn't like to smell bad.

Oh, and since I've gotten some questions (and lots of strange looks) on the matter, no her name is not really mayonnaise. Her name is Mandisa (it means sweetness and fits her perfectly). But when Jake was just learning to talk he started to call her Mayonnaise...and it stuck. Funny story: One time Aunt Amy commented that she didn't like mayonnaise (the condiment). She went so far as to say that "mayonnaise is disgusting." Jake, hearing her, burst out with, "No, she's not!"

Friday, April 18, 2008

I went out to check the mail...


and when I came back in Camden was reading the scriptures.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

He Did It!


Yesterday, after talking on the phone for quite a few minutes, Camden handed me the phone and said, "I don't know...maybe it's Della." Hmmm... So I said, "hello," and Uncle Clark said, "Was that Camden? I thought it was Jake!" So, apparently, they had a nice conversation but neither of them knew who it was that they were talking to. The point of this story is to say that Uncle Clark called us on the phone! After three months of Basic Training, he graduated this morning and has a few days off before AIT. Basic Training is never easy, and Clark even had to battle pneumonia (twice) while still going through all the training and pt stuff. But he made it! And I am so proud of my baby brother!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Dan


I love this guy!

Last night was all about Dan, so here's what we learned...

Nickname: Daddy
Age: 31 years
Birthday: September 17, 1976
Height: 6'2" (I almost come up to his armpits)
Weight: 190 pounds? I think?

Now, the favorites part was kind of hard, since Dan is happy with just about everything and doesn't really choose favorites, but here's what we got:
Favorite Food: spaghetti, or maybe pizza, or maybe Peking Gourmet, or maybe Aunt Sara's enchiladas (but no olives!)
Favorite Books: Catch 22; My Life and Hard Times
Favorite Movie: Maverick
Favorite Band: The Wiggles! (really, it's true. He used to sing Wiggles songs on the bridge on the Albatross)
So, then we moved onto sports teams, and we got a lot more out of him...and there was a lot of cheering...
Basketball: Mason
Baseball: Mariners
Tee-Ball: Bats
Soccer: USA
MLS: DC United
Premier League Soccer: Fulham
Football: Redskins
Hockey: Capitols

Dan has a goal he's currently working on, and doing great at by the way! He is doing 100 push-ups every day. Maybe that's why he was able to carry Mayo to her bed the other day...

Dan is a wonderful husband and father. He is the funniest guy I know, and makes us all laugh every day. He is also a great provider for our family and works hard to take care of us. Jake says, "He's my favorite person in the whole world!" I second that! Plus, he's really handsome, too!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Opening Day


It's Stafford Baseball League's Opening Day! And Jake's tee-ball team, The Bats, had their first game bright and early this morning. Everybody seemed to have a lot of fun, and I didn't see anybody picking dandelions or finding shapes in the clouds -- two activities I remember doing as a tee-ball player myself...maybe that's why that was the beginning and end of my sports career...
The Bats, as the home team, started in the field, with Jake playing shortstop. Though he didn't actually see any action over there, he was ready for anything that came his way. And he was pretty cute, too! In the second inning Jake played center field, and would have made Ichiro proud with his great stop of a grounder that got by all the infielders. But nothing could get by Jake the center fielder! Then in the third (and last) inning, Jake played first base, a new position for him. And though he wasn't sure at first how to play the position, with just a few hints from the coach he did so great! His grounder skills came in handy and he even got an out all by himself. You've never seen great baseball until you've seen two five-year-olds racing for first base. Don't tell those five-year-olds, but it was pretty funny and I laughed. But then I cheered since my boy got the out, so you can tell him that part. All in all, the fielding was impressive!
As for batting, each player had the chance to bat three times, once an inning. I love that rule! Jake did very well at bat, and only hit a foul once in the third inning when he was so busy doing the pee-pee dance that it was hard to focus on the ball. But even after that foul he came back to hit a great grounder toward third. Yes, he bats left. He never got out and ran faster than I've ever seen him go. Good job Jake!
All in all, it was a great game, and a lot of fun. We're looking forward to the rest of the season...and many more seasons to come!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Boy's Best Friend


"Know where my chicken is? It's in Mayonnaise's mouth!" Camden was so proud of himself for figuring out a way to get rid of that chicken! We, of course, got him some more...

The other night, I woke up to find Camden in our bedroom. I escorted him back to bed. It wasn't until the next morning that I learned exactly what he had been doing. In his words: "Mommy, know why I was in your room? Mayonnaise had a bad dream. I told her it was okay." What a sweet boy!

Yesterday Mayo got in trouble and was sent to her bed. Actually, Dan had to physically carry her to her bed. And since she is bigger than I am I was pretty impressed! So a little while later Camden said, "Daddy, Mayonnaise doesn't want to be in time-out. I heard her say she's sorry."

That boy loves his dog. Oh, and the picture? Last summer in Yellowstone Camden spent a lot of his time rubbing dirt into her fur...and she loved it. Our beautiful dog was no longer shiny, but we had a happy boy and a happy dog -- what more could a mom want?

Monday, April 7, 2008

Jen


Tonight, Camden taught us all about me. That sounds really funny, but it's true.

Nickname: Mommy; Nugget
Age: 27 years
Birthday: June 4, 1980
Height: really short (5 feet, almost)
Weight: 106 pounds (yes, the dog is much bigger than me, but she doesn't know that)

Favorite Color: orange
Favorite Food: peanut butter and jelly; chocolate, of course!
Favorite Toy: paper, scissors, stamps and glue
Favorite movie: The Princess Bride
Favorite Book: Gone With the Wind
Favorite Sport: whatever my boys are playing, currently tee-ball
Favorite Scripture Story: Helaman's 2000 Warriors (I am a mom, after all)
Favorite Superhero: Action Jackson (aka Underwear-Head Boy)
Favorite People: Dan, Jake, and Camden
I really love my neurotic dog, but I really want a bassett hound (not a beagle, though sometimes I get them confused)
Oh, and the boys thought it was absolutely hilarious that I used to wear a tutu. Really, they just liked the word.

Jake was responsible for our activity tonight, so we played London Bridge. I miss my camera (it's still in Falls Church) at moments like those. There are no words to describe seeing two little boys catch Dan and "lock her up."

How We Spent Our Weekend


This weekend we spent a lot of time in our pajamas, staring at the computer. We got to watch General Conference right at home instead of fighting with our children at the Stake Center. Isn't the internet a wonderful thing?

Oh, and my favorite talk? Elder Ballard's talk right at the end. He knew exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you Elder Ballard for reminding me to enjoy being a mom, and for acknowledging that it is sometimes hard to do!

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Bagels


This morning, while I got to sleep in, Dan and the boys made homemade bagels. Great job guys! They were beautiful and delicious!

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Camden


We've been sick. There, that's my justification for not having FHE until last night. But we finally did spotlight Camden!

Nickname: Cammie; monkey
Age: 3.5 years
Birthday: June 17, 2004
Height: 39 or 40 inches? Just a guess based on his brother's height...
Weight: 34 pounds (After two years at 29 pounds, he finally gained five in one month)

Favorite Color: black
Favorite Food: strawberries
Favorite Toy: transformers
Favorite movie: GeoKids and Really Wild Animals
Favorite Book: Chickens To The Rescue
Favorite Sport: Football
Favorite Scripture Story: David and Goliath
Favorite Superhero: Batman
Recent Accomplishment: graduated to the next level in swim class
Camden wanted everyone to know that his favorite underpants are the Spiderman ones.

We love having Camden in our family. He is such a fun combination of sweet, mischievous, and silly. He eats frowny-face pancakes, wants to paint his bedroom black, and is the best cuddler in the whole world! Camden is also a great athlete, and seems to know naturally how to throw/catch/hit whatever ball he finds. And you have never seen bouncing until you've seen Camden bouncing. The kid never touches the floor!
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