Our Giddy Boy

Somehow I totally missed Gideon turning 10 months old last week.  People have been asking me how old he is and I keep telling them he is 9 months old.  Then I looked at the calendar and realized I lost a month somehow.  Our little guy is already 10 months old.  His bright smile and shining blue eyes are a ray of sunshine.  He continues to be a calm and good natured boy.  His latest accomplishments include:

*Pulling himself to a standing position whenever and wherever he can which usually results in falls, bumps, and bruises. 

*He likes to push things around the house while standing such as chairs, buckets, totes of toys, and most recently tricycles that his siblings bring into the house.

*He likes to hold his bottle all by himself when he has one as seen in the pictures below.  He needed to eat and I was trying to get lunch for the other 3 so I gave him his bottle and a few minutes later I found him asleep.  He looked so content with a full belly and milk dripping down his chin.

*He loves to play tug a war with Scout and he has quite the grip.  Sometimes I find Scout pulling him along the floor as he is still holding on to one end of Scout's rope.  Gideon is laughing the whole time.

*LOVES being outside and will stand at the sliding door to the backyard banging on it and jabbering away if the kids are outside.

*Has found great joy and satisfaction in being able to climb into the dishwasher when I am doing dishes. 

*Pulls anything and everything out of baskets, totes, drawers, and throws them around the house.

*Stands up to the piano and pushes the keys whenever Thomas is playing.  He also likes to crawl and play with the peddles and Thomas' feet.

I am amazed daily at all he is learning and growing.  I miss my little baby yet I love the personality and fun things he is learning as well.  I am learning that the bittersweet feeling of our kids growing up never really ends...it continues at all stages of their lives.

Camping

We had the opportunity to attend a ward family campout last night.  It was held at the John Johnson Farm in Hiram.  The John Johnson farm is where Joseph Smith and his family resided for about a year.  He received revelations that became 16 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants while staying here.  During this time, however, he and the church faced serious opposition from angry mobs of people.  This is the place from which the mobs dragged Joseph out of the house and tarred and feathered him.  The Church has built a beautiful campground on some of the land that they utilize for Girl's Camp during the summer months.  We loved the time being outside and enjoying our time as a family.  Joshie could hardly wait to roast marshmallows even though he would throw them in the fire when he had finished roasting them.  Thomas and Spring enjoyed going on different little hiking trails and, when it became dark, playing flashlight tag.  Mary just loved walking around and talking to everyone.  Sammy, well we didn't see much of him all evening.  He was off with the othe boys playing tag, playing baseball, and climbing on big piles of hay.  Around 10:00 last night he came back to the campfire and just climbed on my lap and cuddled with me.  He was so tired and when I finally convinced him to go lay in his tent it took less than a minute and he was snoring away.  Gideon was great and so easy.  We layed him in the tent about 8:00 and he fell right asleep even with all the kids running and screaming and playing. 

As we were sitting by the campfire last night and it was quiet I found my thoughts drifting to how blessed we are.  Here we were, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, enjoying a wonderful camping trip on the same land that, less than 200 years ago, Joseph Smith and other members of this same church were harrassed, threatened, and many times brought to near death simply because of their religious beliefs.  How blessed we are for those early members of this church that sacraficed so much and endured so many trials.  I'm so grateful for the blessings that I and my family enjoy each day because of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

1st Days

Thomas began 5th grade today at Lakeview Intermediate.  He caught the bus at a bright and early hour of 7 am.  He was all smiles and very excited that Kaiden would be on the same bus as him this year.  Last night I began to get the nervous jitters a little thinking that he was starting at a new school that is much bigger than the ones he is used to.  There are about 800 students and only 4 LDS kids in the school.  I know he is a great example though and he is not the least bit nervous.   When I met him outside today after the bus dropped him off he has a smile clear across his face.  He said he loves this school.  He talked for almost 30 minutes straight about his day. 

The highlights of his day include:

     *Going on a tour of the school.

     *Making and "all about me" poster

     *Meeting a lot of new people

     *Having his "specials" for 15 days in a row

     *Starting orchestra on Friday

     *His teacher...he really likes her.

Spring was the big sister to Sammy as they headed off to school.  She is excited to be able to join the choir this year at school.  She is the last one to come home and her bus was about 30 minutes late today so we were anxious to see how her day went.  She ran home from the bus stop with a grin a mile wide.  She loved her first day of school. 

Her highlights of starting 3rd grade include:

     *Having Brady and Ava in her class

     *Her teacher...Mrs. Poston because she is really nice.

     *Eating lunch at 12:05 with all the 3rd and 4th graders so McKenzie will have the same lunch hour.

     *A new bus driver that is much nicer than last year...sometimes he brings candy!

I guess we are off on a great start to another school year.  I am exhausted though and I think the kids are tired as well.  Hopefully we can make it through the rest of the week and find some time to catch up on sleep this weekend!  Oh, maybe not.  We have a ward family campout this weekend.  We will have to see when we can catch some ZZZZZZ's!

Sammy's 1st Day of School

Shortly after midnight I was asleep and heard someone talking to me.  I thought, at first, that I was just dreaming but it didn't stop.  I opened my eyes and looked at the side of my bed to see Sammy completely dressed...shorts, shirt, shoes, socks, jacket, and backpack.  He had showered and even combed his hair.  He kept saying over and over, "Mom, I can't believe it's finally my first day of school!"  It took me about 15 minutes to convince him that it was way too early be up for the day and that he needed to put PJ's back on.  He finally agreed and then climbed into bed with me. 

He woke up again with Thomas at 5:45 this morning and got all dressed, for the second time.  He had breakfast, brushed his teeth, and did all his morning responsiblities by 6:15.  For the next 2 hours he kept asking me how much longer until the bus would be there.  He was so excited he could hardly stand it.  When I finally told him it was time to go to the bus stop he came roaring up the stairs.  He was so happy that Spring told him he could sit by the window on the bus.

He and Spring rode the bus to school and then I met him at the school for a parent orientation.  When I got to his classroom he was sitting on the floor with a smile that spread over his entire face.  It was great to see his excitement for the first part of his day.  When I came back to pick him up the first thing he told me was, "Mom, we got to have 2 recesses! I got to play on the playground!"  He was disappointed that he didn't have homework today though.  He talked and talked and talked the whole way home.  He  told me, "There's this cool game on the playground.  It's a big pole sticking out of the ground with a rope attached to it.  A ball is hooked to the rope and you get to hit the ball as hard as you want to wrap it around the pole.  It's GREAT, Mom!"  So, he was introduced to the world of tetherball!  He also said the best part of riding the bus was he didn't have to buckle up!

We came home and he helped me make lunch for everyone.  He was such a big helper.  He even snuck upstairs and made my bed for me!  During lunch he told me about the stories his teacher read to him today, the tour they took of the school, the new friends he made (even though he could only remember 2 names), recess, and more.  He has told me many times, "Mom, school is just so great that I want to go again!  It's better than I ever dreamed it would be!"

As cliche as it sounds, I really don't know when Sammy grew up to be the great boy he is.  His face is just glowing today and he is so happy!  I really don't enjoy having to send the kids back to school, however I know this will be such a good thing for Sammy.  I know he is going to make great strides.

'Twas the Night Before Kindergarten

Sammy has been wired today!  He starts Kindergarten in the morning and I don't think a person in our neighborhood doesn't know it!  He has been running around and telling everyone he sees that he finally gets to start school tomorrow.  I just had to record a few fun things that happened today, for posterity sake!

*After he woke up from his nap this afternoon he came down the stairs with his hands above his head, fists pumping, smile across his face (you know...the kind of smile only Sammy can give) and exclaimed for all to hear (inadvertanly waking up everyone else that was still napping), "I've just taken my LAST nap EVER!"  I guess Thomas and Spring have told him that once you start school you don't have to take naps anymore.

*Sammy does not get nervous.  He is very confident and loves to just do whatever looks the least bit exciting and fun.  He has not expressed the least bit of hesitation at starting school; however, I saw a glimpse of it this afternoon.  He was talking to Spring about school and was so happy and excited.  Then, for about 30 seconds he got really somber and quiet...definately not like Sammy.  Then I heard him ask, "Spring, you are going to sit with me on the bus, right?"  Spring assured him that she would sit with him everyday and that was all he needed.  He was back to his normal self!

*At dinner tonight Sammy, Spring, and Thomas were talking about school.  Their conversation went like this:

     Sammy:  "I know the most important thing about school and that's having fun!"

     Thomas:  "Sammy, it's also important to listen to your teacher and do what he says so you can learn."

     Spring:  "Yeah Sammy.  You need to listen to your teacher just like you listen to your primary teacher and

                    to Mom and Dad."

     Sammy:  "Well, I should actually listen to him like I listen to my primary teacher because I listen to her

                    better than I listen to Mom and Dad."

Nice...We're not sure whether it is a good thing that he has already identified this or not!  I can't wait to see what excitement tomorrow brings!

Arrow Of Light

Thomas was awarded his Arrow of Light at Pack Meeting tonight.  This has been his goal from the time he began in Cub Scouts over 2 years ago and he has never faltered in his vision of achieving this goal.  I was surprised at how emotional I was as the ceremony progressed.  Thomas is such a great blessing to us and I am in awe of his growing testimony and strength.  He loves scouting in every way and his love and enthusiasm shows in all he does.  He was assigned to give a talk in Primary last Sunday and he wrote the entire talk all on his own.  His topic was "My body is a temple of God."  As Joel and I listened to him give his talk we were impressed that he brought in parts of the Scout Oath in his talk.  After citing some scriptures about what it means for our bodies to be temples he then stated, "We can treat our bodies like a temple by being physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight."  He then went on to discuss each of these traits in more detail.  Scouting has become a way of life for him and I am so grateful he finds joy in such an inspired program.

House of Nerds

 

Sue Ann, our amazing neighbor, uses reading glasses. She says she buys the cheap ones at the grocery store but she needs two different magnifications so she will buy 2 pair and pop out the lenses to make a pair that works for her.  Well, yesterday, Sammy was hanging out with her and was fascinated with her glasses so she gave him a pair of frames.  She told him, "When you get home tell your Mom you are going to wear them to school...but don't really wear them to school, OK?"  He LOVES them and has been wearing them all the time.  He even wore them to the grocery store today.  Well, today all of the kids, at different times, spend some time with Sue Ann and came home with frames as well.  Joshie and Mary didn't want them though!  They  have all been wearing them all day long.  Thomas even let Gideon try them on.  They are hilarious.  Who knew the fun they could find in frames!  They make me laugh when I see them!

Brothers and Buddies

I was just looking through some of the pictures from Spring's camera from our trip to Washington.  A couple days before we flew back home we had a picnic at a park.  Joshie loved being able to push Gideon in the swing and give him "underdogs!"  I just love this video and picture of our youngest boys.  They are really becoming great friends.  Gideon loves to be with Joshie.  If he sees Joshie head to the back door Gideon drops what he is doing and follows as quickly as his little hands and knees can take him.  Usually, though, the door is shut before he gets there so he will stand up at the door and jabber to Joshie who is playing outside.  Joshie is quite protective of Gideon and often stands "guard" in front of Scout's food and water dishes calling to  me, "Help, Mommy!  Giddy getting Scout's food.  HELP!"  I hope they always enjoy and love each other.  I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to spend my days watching our children grow and learn and develop their love for each other.

Ice Cream!

 I found a fun recipe for homemade ice cream on this wonderful blog yesterday. You don't even need an ice cream maker for it so we decided to try it out. We doubled the recipe so we could make 2 different kinds. We made peanut butter cup ice cream and cookies & cream. Sammy was SUPER excited for the peanut butter cup ice cream because he "just loves peanut butter cups!" We had a great time making the ice cream and of course the kids loved licking the bowls and spoons. The only bad thing was we started it at 5:00 last night and it has to be in the freezer for 6 hours so we couldn't test it out last night.

So, what's a good, responsible, healthy mom do? She makes her kids wait until the next afternoon to try out their ice cream. Well, fortunately for our kids, I'm not that kind of Mom! About 8:00 this morning I asked the kids, "Hey, who wants some ice cream?" What kid wouldn't love that idea! Some of them hadn't even had breakfast yet but, hey the memory and me being able to eat the ice cream this morning (without sneaking it) was well worth it! They were so excited they could hardly contain themselves. Let me tell you, this is some amazing ice cream. We will definately be doing this again soon! Next time I think I am going to get lots of different fun mix ins and let them all make thier own individual concoction! The kids had all sorts of ideas this morning of what they would put in their "perfect" ice cream! It was a wonderful morning. Notice all the kids wearing jackets and long pants? Well, they think it is cold here in the mornings now because our lows at night are finally getting into the 60's! We keep all the windows open at night to help bring in the wonderful crisp air! The kids think it is freezing but I am loving it!

Good, Better, Best

Joshie was in heaven being outside today.  All afternoon I would hear the water on and look out the window to see him with the hose running.  I would, out of habit, call out to him to turn off the water and he'd say, "OK Mom." and turn it off.  Then a few minutes later it would be on again and I would call out to turn off the water and he'd reply, "OK Mom" and this cycle repeated over and over for about 15 minutes.  Finally I was so frustrated that I stopped getting dinner ready and went outside to 'settle it once and for all'.  I told him he needed to turn off the water and keep it off.  He said, "OK", turned it off, then looked up at me with pleading eyes and held up his pointer finger and said, "Just one more time, Mom?  Peeeese!"  I realized how silly I was for taking away such a simple pleasure.  He softened my heart and I said, "Sure Joshie, go ahead.  Have fun!"  to which he replied, "Thanks Mom. I love you!"  Then I stayed outside with him and enjoyed watching him having so much fun with a hose and the trampoline.  His pure joy rubbed off on me as we laughed and giggled.  He kept asking me to go under the trampoline in the "shower" he was making with the hose.  I'm so grateful he helped me remember what is truly important in my day.  Dinner can wait and we can be a few minutes late eating dinner but these moments can't wait.  He won't always be asking me, "Just one more time, Mommy?"  I hope to remember this afternoon and the pure fun and joy my Joshie and I had together the next time I have a choice in how to spend my time.  "Good, Better, Best...right?"  Best was enjoying the running water with Joshie this afternoon and I'm so grateful he kept turning the hose back on this afternoon or I would have missed out on a wonderful memory. 

Sunday Afternoon Walk

We went on a walk last night before bedtime.  The humidity was not as high as it has been for a couple weeks so we decided a nice walk was long overdue.  We saw lots of dogs along the way and the kids loved petting each one and talking to their owners.  I love the time we have to just get out and enjoy some time together.  As we were walking I realized we have now experienced 4 distinct seasons here.  I have loved things about each one and am still in awe of how drastically different each season is.  It really helps me appreciate things more.  Although I am ready for the humidity and heat to drop a little, I can't say I am ready for the winter to come yet either!  Maybe we'll have a very long fall!  That would be awesome!

Flying Gideon

I love to watch Joel play and enjoy time with our kids.  The kids love their time with Dad and it is so fun to see the difference in their interactions between Joel and I.  One of the kids' favorite things for Dad to do is throw them into the air.  Gideon took part in this yesterday.  It was so funny to see his facial expressions go from smiling, to absolute fear, and then back to smiling all in about 2 seconds.  Our kids are so blessed to have a Dad that loves to spend time with them and absolutely loves to come home and play with them.

9 Months Old

Gideon is now 9 months old and continuing to brighten each of my days.  He is developing quite the personality and learning so many new things.  Here are some of his latest accomplishments and antics:

*18 pounds 8 ounces (10th percentile)
*27 1/4 inches (10th percentile)
*Great at blowing raspberries, especially on my neck when I am holding him and he wants me to feed him!
*Can pull himself to a stand (didn't know this until he did it at his checkup right after I had assured the doctor that he could not do this yet...either it was his first time, or I never saw it before because the kids would quickly pick him up after he did it, or I am just not quite as observant as I once was.  I'm thinking it is probably the latter!)
*Smiles oh so easily...people always comment on his quick and contagious smile and always ask me, "Is he always so happy and easy going?" To which I respond, "Yes, he is one great little baby!"
*He is starting to crawl on his hands and knees more know and only resorts to his army crawl/scoot when he is in a hurry to get somewhere.
*He loves to be at my feet whenever I am in the kitchen.
*He is definately a "momma's boy" but he is content when others hold him.
*He is very patient when Mary, Sammy, and Joshie put him in the doll stroller and wheel him around the basement.
*He has found a new love for books.  I just have to keep the ones with paper pages up because he will tear the pages quicker than I can blink.
*He waves to everyone that is near him whether they are looking at him or not!

He is our little man and we love him dearly.

Visit from Aunt Emily

Aunt Emily came to visit us for a few days the last week of July.  Thomas and Spring went with her to visit Historic Kirtland.  Another day, while I was at Day Camp with Thomas, she ventured out for a full day of activities with the other 5 kiddos.  They visited the John Johnson farm, went to McDonalds for lunch and ice cream, and went to see the Bubble Lady at the library.  We greatly enjoyed her visit and wish it could have been longer but are so grateful for the time she took to spend with us.  We love you, Em.  Thanks for coming to see us!

Spotted Gideon

 

Monday evening I noticed a few bumps on Gideon's arm that I supposed were mosquito bites and didn't think much of it.  Tuesday morning he woke up with a lot more of them and some on his face as well as a high fever.  He was clingy all day yesterday and just wanted me to hold him which is not like our little guy.  He woke up this morning with his right eye swollen shut and his entire body covered in these funny water blister looking things.  I ended up taking him to the doctor today but there isn't anything we can do about them.  He is having an allergic reaction to a virus he has.  We just have to try to keep him as comfortable as possible until the rash goes away which could be a week, the Dr. said.  We figured these pictures could serve as good blackmail later in his life!

Day Camp

So, 2 days after getting home from vacation we headed off to 3 days of day camp.  It was hot and HUMID, but we had a great time.  Emily was in town for a few days to visit and really saved us by being willing to watch the 5 kids while Thoams and I headed off to day camp.  I felt bad leaving each day but I know the kids loved being with her and she did some fun things with them while we were gone.  Saturday was family day again so she was able to come and join with us for a couple hours before having to head back home.  I was so tired by Saturday night but it was well worth it.  I can't believe that this was Thomas' last year of Day Camp.  It seems like there are so many things happening lately that are reminding me that our children are growing up before my eyes.  I just wish I could freeze time sometimes.  How grateful I am that I have been able to be a part of Thomas' time in cub scouts.

Shootin' with Grandpa & Dad

 Thomas really enjoyed his time in Washington. The first week he went with Grandpa to Day Camp because Grandpa was the rangemaster for BB Guns. He loved being able to help Grandpa and being able to shoot whenever he got the opportunity. The following week Grandpa, Joel, and Thomas went to the gun range. They even let Thomas shoot trap for the first time. He loved it and loved the time with Grandpa. All the practice must have paid off because he shot nothing but bullseyes at Day Camp here last week!

Spring's Baptism Day

Spring was baptized on Friday, July 22nd while we were in Washington for a family reunion.  It was wonderful to have more family share in this special day than we would have had otherwise.  Spring has been anxiously awaiting this day for months now and she had such a calm excitement all day as we prepared for the evening.  She asked Aunt Alanna to give the talk on baptism.  Alanna gave her a white stuffed bear to remind her of the covenants she would be making to:  "bear" the burdens of others, "bear" Christ's name, and to "bear" her testimony at all times.  She has carried this bear around with her ever since.  It is really special to her.  It was priceless to watch Joel hold her hand as she walked into the font in her beautiful baptism dress made by Grandma.  I had all these thoughts and images of her growing up rush through my mind as I wondered how she had grown into such a beautiful young girl.  After she was baptized she gave her Dad a big hug and then I got to give her a hug.  She was smiling like I have never seen her smile.  I asked her how she felt and she simply replied, "so happy and clean."  How grateful I am for the opportunity she gave me to have my testimony of baptism strengthened.  Grandma Powell gave the talk on the Holy Ghost.  She had a neat object lesson to help Spring understand that the gift of the Holy Ghost is a gift you feel, not one that you see.  She was then confirmed and received the Holy Ghost by her Dad.  Later in the day she told me that her favorite part of the day was receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.  After her baptism she told me that all the times she has gone to baptisms they seem like they last for hours but her's only seemed like it lasted 2 minutes!  Later that evening, while she was in bed, I laid in bed with her and she talked to me about her day.  I then read her the book, "White Dresses" which is a story written by a dad to his daughter about the milestones in her life.  The Spirit was so strong as we read together and tears filled her eyes.  She told me it felt so good to be able to feel the Spirit. 

We love you, Spring!  We are grateful you chose to be baptized and follow in the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  You are a blessing and source of strength to all of us.  While we were watching the video after you were baptized Sammy was smiling so big and he told Daddy that he can't wait to be baptized just like you.  Thank you for being that wonderful example.