scripture power

The kids have really been liking the song "Scripture Power" lately. We sing it a lot at scripture time. Well Bransen has picked up on the song as well and quite likes it. This is how it goes like this:

Because I want to be like the Savior, and I can,
I’m reading His instructions, I’m following His plan.
Because I want the power His word will give to me,
I’m changing how I live, I’m changing what I’ll be.
Scripture power keeps me safe from sin.
Scripture power is the power to win.
Scripture power! Ev’ry day I need
The power that I get each time I read

Each time you sing "power" you raise your scriptures in the air. The kids really like this part. Bransen really likes to hold the scriptures and look at them but unfortunately he has ripped a few pages out of some of our books so we try not to let him have them. Once in a while the other two will leave their Book of Mormon down lower where Bransen can get it. Such was the case tonight. He was being so cute carrying them and he was being pretty good with them. We watched him for a minute and then Tim asked if he could put the scriptures away. Bransen quite distinctly told him "no." Then he said what sounded like "power." So we sang Scripture Power and Bransen held up the scriptures and tried to say the words each time we sang the words "scripture power." He had the biggest grin of accomplishment the whole time. It was soo cute. I wish we had it on video. We'll have to try again sometime!

pretty sure

I was just starting to get lunch ready and Kaylise walked in and said, "Mommy I'm pretty sure I want some wheat bread and then I'll go back and finish my work."

snow

Yesterday we had freezing rain in the morning which turned into snow. We had about two inches of snow in an hour. There are icicles hanging down from the bushes, pine needles, and tree branches from the rain and then covered on top with snow. A lot of the trees actually look really cool. School was canceled today so Aiden was really excited to have a "free day." I've still made him do some stuff but he has been enjoying his play time. They had a lot of fun in the snow after school yesterday but it is about 12 degrees colder still today so we haven't let them go out and play yet. It's pretty crazy to have such a snowy winter. We usually only get it once a year and it melts by evening!

Kaylise's creation

Kaylise really likes to play with the brushes in photoshop and I thought this one turned out pretty neat looking!

Temple

Tim has recently been called to work in the temple two Saturdays a month. The 16th was his first day. He was very blessed to have a unique and wonderful experience and is very excited about the opportunity to work in the temple. I know he will be blessed for the time he is sacrificing to help and our family will be blessed also by his example and growth as he is strengthened through this wonderful opportunity.

Bransen

I have been slowly cutting back on the number of times I nurse Bransen this week. Tonight as we were getting ready for bed he was eating some rice puffs. Then he spotted the M&M jar and started coaxing for one. So I gave him one and then left the room to go help the other two with pajamas. In the bedroom Bransen found Kaylise's church bag and wanted the few pretzels that were left. After all the bedtime routines and the older two were in bed I was about to take Bransen to put him to bed. Then I realized he was probably still hungry since he was devouring everything before bedtime. So I took him into the kitchen and made some cereal for him. Twice. Then I got out the applesauce. I refilled the applesauce a couple of times. Then he climbed off my lap and was playing in the cupboard but still wanting to eat. He kept turning back around for a bite every three to five seconds. About every three or four bites he would do a double take. He would take a bit and turn his head, then instantly turn back around for another bite. It was hilarious. After quite a bit of cereal and applesauce he was still looking for bites so I gave him some more rice puffs. He really slowed down on bites so I thought he was done. Then I remembered the cookies we just made yesterday and decided to eat one. He saw me eating it and wanted a bite. He would come back every 10 to 20 seconds for another bite. Then he had a longer pause so I ate the last bite and was holding my hands in my lap watching him. He climbed out of the cupboard came over and pulled my hands open to look. I told him it was gone and boy did he get mad! Apparently he was hungry tonight!!

Bransen whipping his head back around for another bite reminded me of how we play snatch with him. We will teasingly grabbed something quick and look at him. He has mastered the snatch! He grabs something quick and gives you the look of "I got it." It's so fun to watch him and play with him.

twister

It was getting a little later in the evening and Kaylise asked me if I would play a game with her. I asked her which one since Tim was gone home teaching and I didn't know how cooperative Bransen would be. She chose twister. I figured this would be an okay game that Bransen could play with us or not really mess up too much so I agreed. We all had a great time. Since Kaylise can't really read she was just telling us random body parts and the color the spinner stopped on! She would tell us to put our piggies on a color. We would have to ask right or left. We were being really cheesy and having a great time. She kept telling us head, cheek, chin or eyes on a color so we would be in stink bug position quite a bit! Bransen was watching Aiden and I and decided to come join us. He came and stood on his head in stink bug position and started laughing. Then he just laid down flat on the mat and laughed. It was really funny to watch him try to mimic us!

Skirts

Last week I finished making some matching skirts for Kaylise and I. I bought the material over a year ago on clearance for $4. I just never got around to making a skirt with it. Then I was thinking if I did it just right I might be able to make a skirt for myself and one for Kaylise. It worked! Kaylise loves skirts and thinks it is so cool to match with me!

Keeping a healthy smile!

Kaylise

Kaylise is learning so much. I stay with her in the hallway between the time we drop Aiden off for kindergarten and the time preschool starts for her. Sometimes she helps the teacher put out the totes for the coats and backpacks. She can now read all but two or three of the fourteen names of kids in her class. I was very impressed at how much she is learning and recognizing. We got a stretchy ABC game for Christmas and I'm impressed at how many of the letters she already knows quite well and their sounds.

Kaylise is now a sunbeam in primary. She has been so excited to move up to sunbeams and once she got there she is not quite so thrilled about it! They meet together first as all of the primary in sharing time. They sing songs and have a scripture, prayer, and talk and a little lesson. Then they split up into their individual classes by age. Well the first Sunday Kaylise went straight to her classroom because she could see her name by the door! She has a hard time going to sharing time and just wants to go to her class. I remember Aiden having the same problem when he first went to sunbeams so I think she will get over it. She's such a smartie though to know where her classroom is by finding her name.

Robots

Tim bought the movie Robots for his birthday. We watched it this Monday for family night. One of the main themes is "see a need, fill a need." Well right after the movie they went in to brush their teeth and get ready for bed. I guess Tim saw and squished a cockroach. Anyway after Aiden brushed his teeth he came in and started telling me all about his cockroach machine. He told me all about how it would work and that it would shoot out glue and stop the cockroaches. It was a very detailed description on how this machine would work. Apparently he saw a need and instantly started trying to invent a machine for the solution! What a motivating movie! :)

Aiden

We have been working quite diligently with Aiden on his bike and he is getting really good at riding by himself. He can turn without bailing off and keep going for quite a while. He has a harder time trying to go straight on the sidewalk but if you let him go on the grass or wide open area he can go a long ways. He is also getting quite good at starting himself without needing a push from us or a step to stand on. We are so proud of him. He is growing so much.
Aiden is also getting better all the time with his reading abilities. I am always so amazed at how fast he learns and how much he can remember.
We went to the rec center last week and decided to walk/run some laps on the track. I was blown away with Aiden's ability to keep going. He would run an entire lap, never stopping. Then he would take a little break and run another one. One time he started a little ways behind Tim and then decided to run with him. He caught up to Tim and passed him. He ran between 6 and 8 laps with breaks in between. I was so surprised that each time he ran he would make it the entire lap without stopping. He has never run so much before. It was nearly 3/4 of a mile. Well the next day he woke up and had really sore legs. He said he was never running again! I guess we should have been better about teaching him to stretch before and after running! We'll work on that.

Bransen

There are several things that Bransen has been doing for a while now and I just haven't gotten around to writing them yet.

He likes to click his tongue. Tim taught him how and now he goes around the house clicking his tongue quite a bit!
Bransen has also learned how to climb all the steps on the ladders not just the first one! He climbs up onto the trampoline. He mostly likes climbing though because once he gets there he just wants back down so he can climb up again! He has learned to come down some of the time. He can also climb up the bunk bed ladder to the top bed. He's still not a hundred percent steady all the time so we have to keep a close eye on him.
He has quite the sweet tooth as well! He really likes M&M's (any chocolate for that matter). My grandma gave us an M&M dispenser for Christmas and he always coaxes for some when we walk by it! On his birthday I was really nice and let him have some after lunch. He kept going to play for a few minutes and then walking back and asking for more. One time he went and hollered near the counter where they are and then came back to me. I was sitting in our living room just outside the kitchen. He poked his head around the freezer, looked at me with a big smile, and nodded his head yes! It was so irresistible that I had to get him another one!!
We have been trying to teach Bransen a little bit of sign language. Not that we know much but a few simple things like; please, thank you, more, drink, Mom, Dad, etc. We have been doing it for a few months now. He is finally starting to get some of the signs recognizable so we know what he means. He signs drink and more fairly well. He is pretty good at shaking his head yes or letting you know no! It is so fun to watch as he learns new things.
Poor Bransen had several casualties the last couple of weeks. He kept falling into things and scraping his nose or cheek. I thought he was just about healed up and we would have 1 year old pictures with no owies. Then about three days before his birthday he fell into the dresser in the kids' room and hit the edge and the hinge. So he had a nice line bruise down his forehead and a big chunk out of his cheek from the hinge. (At least that is the conclusion I came to!) I didn't actually see what happened I just saw where he was when I went in. I was changing my clothes and heard a loud thud and a very hurt cry from Bransen. I ran in and found the poor hurt boy. Aiden said that he was playing a game of knock over and didn't know the dresser was behind him. I explained that he knew better and that we don't play knock over. Amazingly enough the wound healed fairly quickly. There is still a little scab and red spot were he hit the hinge.

apple slices!

I bought some apples a week or so ago with the intent to make fruit dip to go with them. I also wanted to buy an apple slicer/corer so I could quickly slice the apples. Well I haven't ever made it to the store for the slicer so I just kept holding off on making the dip. Tim asked me the other morning what happened to making the fruit dip. It was kind of a long night and I was a bit tired still and apparently my mind had not yet fully awakened so I explained that I hadn't bought the slicer yet. I wanted the slicer so I could easily "slap the 'ice'les." He could not stop laughing and kept teasing me about slapping my 'ice'les! I have since made the dip and used a knife to slice my apples!!

Monkey see monkey do!

The other day Bransen had some marks on his cheek by his mouth. I wasn't sure if it was pen or crayon or colored pencil. I licked my finger and tried to wipe it off. It came right off. The funny thing though is that Bransen was sitting in my lap looking right at me as I'm doing this. So after I licked my finger and wiped his cheek he licks his finger and rubs my nose. I thought it was hilarious!

Birthdays

Here are some pictures of Tim's birthday. I made him some orange chicken for dinner and then we had pumpkin pie for dessert. The kids really wanted to have party hats so I splurged and bought an eight pack at the dollar store! We had our friend Josh staying with us last week so he also joined in the party hat fun!

For Bransen's birthday I made a baseball cake! He really enjoyed the cake. He would lightly get a little finger full and lick it off. I love all of his facial expressions. I also got his one year pictures with comfy bear. Hopefully soon I will get a first year review put together. Bransen is walking all over the place, climbing lots, and just growing up. He tries just about anything you offer him but has no problem with spitting it right back out! For the most part he is a pretty good eater though. He really likes yogurt, cereal bars, and crackers. He's starting to think he needs milk with his cheerios and the stuff on your plate looks much better than his! We just had his one year check up yesterday and Bransen is now 20 lbs 6 oz and 29 inches tall. He has grain just under 13 lbs and grown 10 1/2 inches in his first year of life. We love having this guy in our family.

A funny little side note. While in the waiting room at the doctors office I overheard an interesting conversation. They give you a pager type device that beeps and vibrates when it's your turn to go in. Well this girl, maybe 8 or 9, was telling her little sister, around 2, what would happen when the pager goes off. She told her several times and then one time she stopped and thought for a moment and asked the lady she was with something along these lines. When something "goes off" is that off the opposite of on? The lady had to hear the question a couple of times and then she just sat there stumped for a minute and just agreed that it was. I found it a rather interesting question and was contemplating how I would explain that one!

Protection

The following conversation between Tim and Kaylise happened the other night. While I was making dinner Tim comes in and replays the conversation for me.
Kaylise~ I'll jump on my bed and Bransen will jump on my bed.
Dad~ Oh please don't. You might get hurt.
Kaylise~ Oh I won't. Jesus is watching over me.

Peace at home!

Right now Aiden and Kaylise are fairly quietly and quite nicely playing together in their room and Bransen is sleeping peacefully on the floor behind me. I am sitting in front of my computer which has mostly recovered from its awful virus. Tim is just finishing teaching his class and headed to his office to diligently work on something I'm sure!! It's wonderful.

My computer has been out for several days with a nasty virus that completely shut us down and wouldn't even let the mouse and keyboard work. Tim had the brilliant idea to try his usb mouse and it worked. We were able to get the cure and remove the virus but it affected some of my programs which I will have to reinstall but hey I can live with that. It's better that losing everything or reinstalling everything. Now I just have a ton of catch up work to do.

Happy Birthday Bransen!

I think he had a fun birthday today. I have a virus on my computer though so I don't know when I will get pictures and videos up. Hopefully soon.

Kaylise

Kaylise has been really funny lately. She will quite often be telling stories or we will all be talking about something that one of them is doing and Kaylise will say, "When I was a little girl..." It makes me smile everytime!

We signed the kids up for soccer classes and they gave me a canvas bag full of stuff. There were a couple of small notebooks that Kaylise was really excited about. These were a little nicer than some so I didn't want them just scribbled all over, pages torn out, and thrown away. So I told her it could be a journal notebook and I had to help her with it. So we sat down and I held her hand and we wrote what she told me.
January 13, 2010
"I'm thankful we can go to the science spectrum today. I'm thankful for my Dad and hope he has a happy birthday. I'm thank thee I could play with friends Dallin, Carter and baby sister. I'm thank thee for Heavenly Father and Jesus. I'm thank thee I could play with my family."

Happy Birthday Tim

Today is Tim's birthday. I am so thankful for him and the wonderful person that he is. He is an awesome father, husband and friend. He is very kind and loving and works so hard to further his education and provide for his family. He knows how to have fun and be silly and we all love him so much. Happy Birthday Daddy!

rumbly tummy

I have a very rumbly tummy right now. I don't know why it's being so vocal but it is and it reminded me of last Sunday. During young women's my tummy let out a good rumble while Bransen was laying on me. He sat up and growled back. It made me laugh.

Bransen was really funny during lunch today too. I had my foot resting on his chair and my knee up as I was feeding him. After a few minutes he reached out, grabbed my leg and growled. Then he chuckled took a couple more bites and repeated the process! He did it several times. It was pretty fun.

Formalities

A couple weeks ago at the dinner table Aiden was telling us about something and said something about the formality or that Kaylise would need a formality. So Tim asked him what a formality was. Without skipping a beat Aiden went right into this big long five minute (okay maybe only two or three but he really can be quite long winded!) spill on what a formality is. I can't recall what exactly he said but I do know that it had absolutely nothing to do with the definition of formality! I'm not even sure where he picked up the word from. Anyway he got all done with his explanation and Tim says, "Oh so that's what a formality is!" Aiden says, "Yeah. I think so."

Another story to which I've been holding off because I couldn't remember the details but there still not coming to me so I'll just tell what I know before I forget it all!! A couple Sundays ago our home teachers came to visit us. I can't remember the entire context of the lesson but we were talking about families and being kept from danger. At one point Aiden was talking about bad guys and how to stay away but if you do get captured that they just get drunk at night and then you can get away! We just laughed. I think it comes from the stories in the book of Mormon about when the Nephites are trying to get out of captivity. After the lesson we started talking a little bit about our roof and thinking that we had the leaks all finished. Then Aiden tells them "now we just have to concentrate on the attic." He also thinks that we will be moving the day after Christmas this year. We tried to explain that we have one Christmas left before we move so he translated that into us moving the day after Christmas. I think it comes from his friends moving and one actually did move the day after Christmas this last year. He said we would just open our gifts, look at them to see what they were, and put them in boxes to go on the truck the next day! He is so funny. I love his imagination and creativity.

Kaylise is really funny with making up words sometimes. Lately she has really been into saying she can't do something because she is "swabbaly and wobbaly."

driving

On our way home from the rec center this evening we came to a blinking red light. Tim tried to explain to the kids that when it is blinking then you treat it like a stop sign. We discussed the proper turn taking proceedures for a minute trying to get everything straight! Then Kaylise says, "When I get big and I'm little like a baby I'll drive a baby truck." She just makes me laugh. I love it.

Family Home Evening

Tonight was Kaylise's turn for the lesson. We usually let them choose a lesson from the many options we have and then help them give it. Well tonight was different. Kaylise wanted the "stick family." I put pictures of family members (a mom, grandma, grandpa, brother, etc.) on popsicle sticks for the song "Happy Family." She wanted to use these for her lesson though. So we had our opening song, prayer and article of faith and then turned the time over to Kaylise asking what she would like to teach us about families. I wish I'd had my camera on her. I think it was the all time best lesson I've ever had with my family. She said that she wanted us to know that "families are forever. If we be nice to the commandments and are obedient then we wont have Adam's transgressions. Satan he wants us to make bad choices and be sad but we don't want to do that. If we are good then we will be happy together." (this is as close as I can remember. She said a little more but it was about the same just maybe changing a few of the words around. I was thoroughly enjoying her lesson and knowledge on the topic.) After teaching us then she asked each of us to say something about families and then we sang the Happy Family song a few times. It was awesome. I love Kaylise and all of my family so much.

penguin

A couple weeks ago Tim found a joke on a candy wrapper and told it to the kids. "What kind of bird can write?" "a PENguin" hahaha. Well two or three days after telling the joke Aiden comes in and says "how can a penguin write? They don't have fingers" I jokingly told him with his beak. At the time I didn't know that Tim had told them the joke. Apparantly Aiden had to think about the joke for a few days and was trying to figure out exactly how that worked! Now he still thinks that penguins write with their beaks. We tried to explain that it was a joke but he doesn't entirely understand the meaning of joke I guess!