Desperately needed to update

Seeing as how my last post was in February, I figured it was WAY past time to update. I have a ton of pictures I want to share and stories and stuff like that, but I find that my life has just been sooo busy that to find time to sit down to an actual computer is near impossible. Sure I check email and facebook on my tablet almost daily, but it's so easy to just flip it open and touch......the computer you actually have to sit down, turn on the power, wait, and wait, and wait for it to boot up, then wait and wait and wait for the internet to register, and you get the picture.

Well, anyway, we have kept extremely busy the last few months. Kaila completed another year of dance and even had the special treat of having Uncle Tyler and Trent and Savannah come to her recital. Kade completed his first year of tumbling and ended his preschool years with a marvelous graduation program. Flyn has continued to grow.....and GROW. I don't know what his stats are right now, but he's the same size as quite of few kids who are 3 to 6 months older than him. AND he is into EVERYTHING!!!! He's tall enough now that he can reach the doorknobs and anything else that height, so everything that isn't shoved back away from the edge of any surface is free game and he WILL go for it. He loves everything that isn't toy and everything that is whatever you are holding, working on, working with.

I am just trying to keep up with everything and have decided that we need to slow down. So this next year, Kaila will be in 1 dance class, Kade will continue tumbling, and that will be it until Spring, when Kaila may do softball. Kade, however, is definitely not a T-ball kid. We are going to try out tennis next month, but who knows. He is definitely not a contact sport kid, either. I am also preparing for 7 days of camping out the first week in July.....just me.....it was going to be all of us, but the trial run the last weekend in May proved that is would be extremely difficult. I am on staff for Woodbadge for the Family Camp in Trapper Trails Council. I am a troop guide over the Bear Patrol. I have wanted to be on staff since my own Woodbadge course and am super excited, but really kind of nervous too. There is SOOO much that I have to remember and so much that I will be teaching. Send prayers and good energy my way.

Dave is anticipating a move at work and will be glad to be back in the main area of L-3 instead of on 21st south. His department was moved about 9 months ago to Decker Lake while a new building was built for them. During the interim, though, his department (Software) outgrew the new building and will now be moving back into the old buildings where there is plenty of room for them and where all the labs are that many of them spend at least 50% of their time in anyway.

So onto the pictures. Be warned, there are a LOT and they are not in chronological order:

 Kaila had a field trip on Front runner to Discovery Gateway, so I took Kade and Flyn down to meet them there. This is Flyn at the bottom of the slide in the nursery area. He just LOVED it!

 We went down to SLC with Mom and Grandma and pa Harvey, and while we were there we got to see a few of the prophets graves.

 This is a favorite past-time of Flyn's......making a mess.

 Looks pretty good in Kaila's dance hat.

 First day on their new rollerblades. They have been out there every day since.

 Note to self: HIDE THE TISSUE BOX!!

 All right, I know he likes Legos, but turning into one is another story!

 Another favorite past-time.....if the basket is not in front of the doors, he is over there opening the up and dragging out all the games.

 Kade REALLY enjoyed his popsicle. Can you tell what color it was?

 Hmmm. Grab the camera or help the baby who fell in the basket?

 Look who got a letter. Look who it is from! She sent the prophet a home-made card and his secretary answered back for him. He did really like the card. See below.

 

 

Another note to self: Make sure the bathroom door is closed!! This is probably the 4th or 5th time that I found the toilet paper like this.

 Kade's birthday cake. Not too bad for doing it myself.

 Preschool graduation with Miss Dani his awesome teacher!

 Rocking the new sunglasses, that he smiles huge when you put them on, but then immediately takes them off to play with them.

 Whenever I am feeding Flyn, this is what he does with his feet. It was too cute not to document.

 This is where I found Flyn just this morning.....about 3 feet off the floor at the top of the slide to Kade's bed. Yeah, we've moved stuff so he can't get to the slide now.

 What a mess, but can you find the hidden "object" in the picture?

Oh! There "it" is!! He also did this just today. He was trying so hard to sit at the back of the cupboard, but he couldn't figure out how to get all the way sat up.

Kaila's wish and an update

I know, you can fall over and faint away from shock, I am actually posting!!

I had to record this somewhere before I could get rid of the envelope I wrote it on so I wouldn't forget.

A couple of weeks ago while driving somewhere, the following conversation ensued.

Kaila: I wish it was heaven already. I wish everybody died at the same time.
Me: (thinking that was kind of disturbing) Why?
Kaila: So it could be the resurrection right now!
Me: (huge sigh of relief!) That would be kind of nice, wouldn't it.

As for news, we are all doing well. Kaila and Kade are both rocking their school work and dance for Kaila and tumbling for Kade. They have started earning allowances for completing chores. If they don't do a chore for the day they lose 5 cents. So far they are doing really well and the house is staying cleaner, since that is one of their chores.
Flyn is getting into EVERYTHING!! He mastered the art of the army crawl about a month and a half ago, but now he's finally figured out crawling and getting better everyday.
I am in such a different place than I was a year ago. I am WAY more calm and feel so much better about myself. I have discovered a system to help our household be more calm and loving and it is WORKING!!! I got a book called "Teaching Self-Government" by Nicholeen Peck. Her system is AMAZING. No more yelling, screaming, pleading, etc. The kids are even starting to pick up on self-governing their behaviors and it is soooooooo wonderful!!
Dave is still at L-3 and generally loving what he does. He gets excellent reviews and people who work with him say he does awesome work. He just wishes he had more time to play and with the new system in our house, he is starting to get more.
So how about a few pictures:

 Look! It's the Axiom from Wall-E!

 Such a cute hat! But how about Kade falling off the ball in the background?

 We love Aunt Rhylie, who gave us these shirts.

How about that igloo? Only about 3 or 4 more layers to be done.

Of course, the last layers never did get done because it got too cold,

then it was too snowy and icey,

and now it has melted.

 Kaila's hair for "Crazy hair day". I was going for a firework kind of look.

 Howdy, howdy, howdy! This baby LOVES Woody!

And finally, here is what you do when you are trying to figure out how high to hang

your TV with a wall mount -- you find a piece of cardboard about the same size 

and attach it to the wall mount so you can see how the actual TV will look and how

it will move when placed in the different studs available.

Funnies for future memories

I had to put these on here, so I can come back and remember in the future.

Sitting at the dinner table the other night, I looked over at Kade and said, "I see someone who looks tired." He immediately turned around to look behind him to see who I was talking about.

We were talking about heaven, I think again at dinner (we seem to have a lot of good conversations over dinner). I said, "It's a lot like earth, only a lot cleaner!" Kaila added, "Yeah, because there isn't a dump."

Walking through Hobby Lobby the other night, we passed a Santa figure dressed all in white. Kaila was behind me and I had moved on because she was "oohing" and "aahhing" over everything else on the aisle. Then I hear, "Oh look! Santa in Heaven!"

Conversation from the back seat 2 nights ago-- Kaila: I wish we had glass over our garden so bad guys couldn't get in. Kade, very adamantly: There are no bad guys in this world!! Kaila: Yes there are! Kade: No, there are NO bad guys in this world!! Capiche?! Me: Kade, there are bad people in the world. (Should have said there are people who do bad things, but oh well) Kaila: Yeah, they smoke!

Again the other night at dinner, I was telling Dave that Kade had fallen asleep in the car while waiting for Kaila to get out of school. Dave then asked, "So why do you think you are so tired, Kade?" Kade promptly replied, "Because I ran out of gas."

My baby rolled from front-to-back last night...... with a little bit of help from the slightly raised edge of our bed mattress. He did it again today on grandma's couch. (We were right there, on case you were worried.)
I tried to get him to do it on the floor later today, but he just wasn't interested. 
 

Playing catch-up again!

Wouldn't it be nice if I were as consistent at blogging as my Aunt Tanya? I know it is all a matter of just sitting down and making the time to do it, but just had to say that she is amazing!! She has I think 6 blogs that she takes care of--4 of which I frequently visit because they are updated at least once a week.

Well, on that note. I decided that a Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to sit down and update the blog. We have had sooo much happen since the last post, I apologize in advance for the novel it will surely be.

O.k. so since the last time I really posted was in February, I will go back that far and start there. My birthday was in February, but for some reason we have no pictures of the event. Tells you just how un-eventful it was. The only thing that really comes to mind is that I am only 2 years away from the cut-off  -- no more kids after 35, that is.

I did try an interesting experiment with pie crust that really flopped. We discovered the wonderful health benefits of coconut oil and I tried to use it exclusively for the crust. I know better now and use a combo of butter and coconut oil. Here's the flop, though, for your enjoyment. I also made some cherry tarts.

Here are a few fun things that happened in the mean time. Kade had a donut, but did not want to get his fingers dirty, so he ate it this way.

Kade got dress-up clothes from Aunt Rhylie for Christmas and this is what the kids got themselves into one afternoon. Churchy-sporty-cowboyish pirates.

Ice cream beard and huge smile courtesy of Nana.

Rough-housing with Aunt Rhylie.

I told them to get ready for showers and this is what I came back to find......they decided it would be funny to trade clothes, socks too!

And now for some leprechaun fun!! Kaila came out of school wearing this one day. We also set a trap for the leprechaun this year, but only ended up with some chocolate gold coins and a fun mess. Both the kids, but mostly Kaila, have continually talked about catching the leprechaun next year, and if anything is weird in the house they blame the tricky little man.

This brings us to Easter. Every year since we moved to Layton our neighborhood has organized a neighborhood egg hunt. You "hide" a certain number of eggs in your front yard and then take your kids around to the participating houses. The kids absolutely LOVE this. Of course, this year is was freakishly cold that morning, so thus the winter gear.

They both LOVED the "treats" in their large Easter eggs. Kade got a Lego Francessco Bernoulli, and Kaila got a little Mars rover type lego thing. They have both been SUPER into legos for the last few months. Kaila is currently saving up for the Fire Station, if that gives you any idea.

Sadly, this is the only picture that I got of the kids in their Easter clothes. Well, the best one that shows off their clothes. And no, Kaila does not have bunny ears, those are the curlers in her ponytail. I do have to point out the awesome shrug that Kaila is wearing.....I made it by altering a pattern I borrowed from Aunt Veon. It turned out SO great!

O.k. well, I think that is enough of a novel for now. Plus dinner is done and I need to get it on the table.

In Honor of my Mom....

I have FINALLY changed my blog background. I didn't realize until today, and a few other days in the past months, that my background was still of the Harvest theme. So in honor of my Mom I have changed it to her favorite decoration for a kitchen -- Cherries!

I do have to say, though, that I also like them too, but in honor of my favorite drink at the moment -- Cherry Limeade, the homemade kind, sort of......you buy the Simply Limeade and then add maraschino cherry juice to it. Simply fabulous and NO High fructose corn syrup.

Additionally, Happy Mother's Day to all the special Mom's and Mom's-to-be and all the other special women in my life!

Kade's "smiley" hair discovery

My mom was fixing Kade's hair this morning and he was holding a mirror. He switched the mirror out of his right hand and then placed it over his "heart" (you'll see that it isn't quite in the right spot) and said the entire Pledge of Allegiance. I didn't even know that he knew it! Makes this Mom SUPER proud, though.

I've seen tons of progress out of his work from this new preschool that we moved him to in January, but I guess they are doing even more than what I thought!! They are amazing and he LOVES going to school!

I can't wait until next year when he goes 3 days a week at this same preschool.

We're having a.....

 Which one will it be?

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Kade says we're having, "A snack. An orange baby." 

Kaila says, "A boy!"