The summertime heat has started. The early part of May was a bit milder than normal. It has gotten warm (low 90s.) It will only get hotter.
With the heat comes the ice cream truck. I remember as a child the ice cream truck would come around and how I always wanted an ice cream. I remember that the answer was always no. Now that I am the daddy, every time that the ice cream truck goes by, I hope that he does not stop. I don’t want to have to say no to my
children. Perhaps it is natural for a parent to want to say yes to a child whenever possible. I think I turned out the way I did in large part because I learned early that if I wanted something, I would have to work for it.
Hurricane frequently tells us that he wants pancakes. His facial expressions are one of God’s gifts to parents. His happy expressions melt my heart.
Mama has been working hard to keep our house in order. It is not easy, but somehow she manages. This week Hurricane pulled several keys off the key board of our computer. His curiosity is never satisfied. I’m grateful that Mama is patient with him. Both boys recognize when they need to be obedient to Mama. They are not always immediately obedient but do follow through.
Underfoot is very patient with his brother. Hurricane has a tendency to bite, hit, punch (verses hit), kick, pull hair, and fake shoot Underfoot. Underfoot is patient for hours at a time and then when we (the parents) are out of the room he will retaliate with one hit. Hurricane melts into tears. It is hard to have any empathy or sympathy for Hurricane when this happens. Underfoot knows he shouldn’t. He is 4 years old and does his best to be the best brother he can be. The irony is that if Underfoot isn’t in the room for bed Hurricane worries and asks where is his brother is. This is true brotherly love. Hurricane wants so much to be a big boy and is getting there much faster than Underfoot.
Yesterday we rebuilt a closet - closet that got tore apart to put in a food rotating system but the closet was built funky by the builder. The new arrangement is more organized than the last closet. We will have places to store crayons, markers, paper, and other junk that cluttered the room.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Canning
We canned a lot this week before it gets too hot. We canned 18 pints strawberry jam, 13 pints blackberry jam, 8 pints yummy syrup, and 14 quarts diced tomatoes. Unfortunately 3 quarts of the tomatoes broke in the water bath. Canning is a lot of work, but it is work we won’t have to do later in the summer.
We decided this week to leave our garden fallow until we return from vacation. We currently have tomatoes, onions, and a few garlic plants growing. We hope that the midsummer garden will be more successful. L4 picked two blackberries today. We haven’t pointed out to Hurricane that there is fruit growing on the pit fruit tree or apple tree. He likes to pick them early. We have grapes growing and hope for more.
Hurricane and Underfoot love to play the cowboys (we think it might be that we watch too many John Wayne movies).
Underfoot really likes to wear his gun belt that he got for his birthday. He asks when we leave the house if he can wear his “weapon” or if he needs to leave it home. Arizona is an open carry state yet he is asked to leave the gun belt home often. He complies very happily.
Hurricane continues to grow into the the serious boy that he has always been. For instance, he watched L4 cut a loaf of bread. After L4 left for work, Hurricane got the same knife and tried to cut his own piece of bread. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t do exactly as his father did. He watches intently on how something is done and will mimic the behavior almost perfectly except without the safety parameters. He loves to play with trains - ALL DAY LONG BY HIMSELF.
We had a stake conference which is a local conference for the wards of the area last night and today. One of the speakers talked about being still like it is said in Psalms 46. He made the point from a personal observation that the mark of success in American life is how busy one is and that busyness indicates how important you are in life. He said that being busy doesn’t make one important that lessons are learned in being still. As a parent by being still, children will come to a parent and confide and problem solve with them in contrast to a parent who is too busy. This was an important lesson for us. L4 and I keep ourselves busy sometimes too busy. It is something we want to change.
We hope you are well and happy.
We decided this week to leave our garden fallow until we return from vacation. We currently have tomatoes, onions, and a few garlic plants growing. We hope that the midsummer garden will be more successful. L4 picked two blackberries today. We haven’t pointed out to Hurricane that there is fruit growing on the pit fruit tree or apple tree. He likes to pick them early. We have grapes growing and hope for more.
Hurricane and Underfoot love to play the cowboys (we think it might be that we watch too many John Wayne movies).
Underfoot really likes to wear his gun belt that he got for his birthday. He asks when we leave the house if he can wear his “weapon” or if he needs to leave it home. Arizona is an open carry state yet he is asked to leave the gun belt home often. He complies very happily.
Hurricane continues to grow into the the serious boy that he has always been. For instance, he watched L4 cut a loaf of bread. After L4 left for work, Hurricane got the same knife and tried to cut his own piece of bread. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t do exactly as his father did. He watches intently on how something is done and will mimic the behavior almost perfectly except without the safety parameters. He loves to play with trains - ALL DAY LONG BY HIMSELF.
We had a stake conference which is a local conference for the wards of the area last night and today. One of the speakers talked about being still like it is said in Psalms 46. He made the point from a personal observation that the mark of success in American life is how busy one is and that busyness indicates how important you are in life. He said that being busy doesn’t make one important that lessons are learned in being still. As a parent by being still, children will come to a parent and confide and problem solve with them in contrast to a parent who is too busy. This was an important lesson for us. L4 and I keep ourselves busy sometimes too busy. It is something we want to change.
We hope you are well and happy.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Happy Mother's Day!
Happy Mother’s Day!!
Family The freezer we bought in Pennsylvania has started showing signs of age. It runs constantly, and the food around the edges of the freezer is soft but still refrigerated. We are exploring other options. We may move the freezer (hence the food) inside the house or just replace it altogether. We spent Saturday working together as a family to clean house, organize, and declutter our living space. Mama has already made one delivery to the thrift store. We filled up the back of the car again to do another drop this week.
L4 On Saturday I took advantage of nap time (everyone else was asleep) and was able to get a new stereo installed in the Geo Prizm. A friend gave me a tape deck/CD player that he had in an old car. It took about 2 hours to get it installed and functioning. Only 1 of the 4 speakers is working, but I can fix that later.
We had a tree die in our front yard over the winter. It is the tree that blocks our front door from the street. I cut it down. It really opens up the front door area and makes our house seem not so unfriendly.
Mama It seems like Mama’s work is never complete. She continues with her role as an southern Arizona area coordinator with Bountiful Baskets. This gives her a chance to shine in a role which is outside of her normal activities (ie mommy land.) At times it causes her some stress, but I think she loves it.
Mama really likes having the Giant Car all to herself. I ride in it only on Family Outings and to church on Sundays. I think Mama likes the car more than she lets on. It is hard to believe, but we’ve had it now for just over a year and put over 30,000 miles on it.
Underfoot Underfoot went to a birthday party this week. He had a lot of fun. Underfoot likes to paint and do ”homework.” Underfoot loves to play with guns and swords. We have frequent discussions about how we do not shoot people. Living in Arizona is like living in the wild west. Many people own guns, so we have to teach him about them constantly.
Hurricane Hurricane’s new phrases for the week are, “I do it!” and “Good Boy.” His personality continues to flourish. He is no longer always gruff around people and has actually started to smile. He wants to do everything by himself. He is quite the escape artist. He likes to drag a tricycle through the house when the front door is unlocked. He will take a ride down the road as far as he can get.
Family The freezer we bought in Pennsylvania has started showing signs of age. It runs constantly, and the food around the edges of the freezer is soft but still refrigerated. We are exploring other options. We may move the freezer (hence the food) inside the house or just replace it altogether. We spent Saturday working together as a family to clean house, organize, and declutter our living space. Mama has already made one delivery to the thrift store. We filled up the back of the car again to do another drop this week.
L4 On Saturday I took advantage of nap time (everyone else was asleep) and was able to get a new stereo installed in the Geo Prizm. A friend gave me a tape deck/CD player that he had in an old car. It took about 2 hours to get it installed and functioning. Only 1 of the 4 speakers is working, but I can fix that later.
We had a tree die in our front yard over the winter. It is the tree that blocks our front door from the street. I cut it down. It really opens up the front door area and makes our house seem not so unfriendly.
Mama It seems like Mama’s work is never complete. She continues with her role as an southern Arizona area coordinator with Bountiful Baskets. This gives her a chance to shine in a role which is outside of her normal activities (ie mommy land.) At times it causes her some stress, but I think she loves it.
Mama really likes having the Giant Car all to herself. I ride in it only on Family Outings and to church on Sundays. I think Mama likes the car more than she lets on. It is hard to believe, but we’ve had it now for just over a year and put over 30,000 miles on it.
Underfoot Underfoot went to a birthday party this week. He had a lot of fun. Underfoot likes to paint and do ”homework.” Underfoot loves to play with guns and swords. We have frequent discussions about how we do not shoot people. Living in Arizona is like living in the wild west. Many people own guns, so we have to teach him about them constantly.
Hurricane Hurricane’s new phrases for the week are, “I do it!” and “Good Boy.” His personality continues to flourish. He is no longer always gruff around people and has actually started to smile. He wants to do everything by himself. He is quite the escape artist. He likes to drag a tricycle through the house when the front door is unlocked. He will take a ride down the road as far as he can get.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Sunday night around 12:30 am (really Monday morning) and crashed. The mountain we drove over had white-out conditions so it took us a little longer to get to our resting spot for the night. We saw some great views and went forward until we returned home.
We stopped one hour from home to eat supper. That way we didn’t have to make supper when we got home, we could just collapse into bed. I think we have opted for the highlights of the week so we can report individually what we have done. In a sense our letter to you is our family journal. We don’t share the sad events of life usually because we want to remember. At times, I wonder if we should share our sad to have it written down.
Family Last night we attended a musical melodrama theater. The show was based around pirates with the tunes from popular culture. Hurricane sat and danced to the music. Underfoot was very tired and at one point fell asleep in his chair. He then slid off and hit the floor. It startled the people around us. We had a good time. Underfoot asked if after church we were going back to watch the show again.
L4 He returned to work and was given a pile of new tasks.
On Thursday L4 assembled the shelf reliance food rotation system we got.
After lunch on Friday, L4 called from work to let me know he had received a promotion at work. Nothing will change except that more will be expected of him from his employer. Good job L4!
On Friday evening, he went camping with the 11 year old Boy Scouts from church. After he returned he worked on the AC in Fred the car. He discovered that a wire had been severed and fixed the problem. With the problem fixed, Fred started to blow cold air. It was a simple fix, and L4 knew how to fix it! Even better it took brain power and time but no money.
Mama I worked on laundry, ironing, cleaning up from our trip, and some organizational things for Bountiful Baskets. Underfoot sat by my side as I worked. He is my faithful companion especially when Hurricane is asleep. I love that he wants to be with me. I made realization that I need to change some of things I do as a parent. What I need to change isn’t completely clear in my head yet. I am working on it daily. My biggest focus is to put my children very first with their requests and being with them. I don’t want to miss any moments.
I took a CPR and first aid class this week. I am grateful to have the refresher course. I learned a few new things like if a someone who is diabetic has high blood sugar they smell fruity. I also learned that it is important to wear a bracelet if you have a medical condition. It will help the paramedics or others know how to help if someone has a medical problem.
I surprised L4 and bought us a bed frame. While he was gone camping, I bought the bed, the family who I bought it from delivered it, cleaned out our room, and tried to put it together by myself. That didn’t work so well. So the next morning a neighbor helped me. I got it all put together with the bed made before he got home. We feel like we are grown ups now instead of college students. With second-hand items, the price is right, and we will enjoy it.
Underfoot
Family Last night we attended a musical melodrama theater. The show was based around pirates with the tunes from popular culture. Hurricane sat and danced to the music. Underfoot was very tired and at one point fell asleep in his chair. He then slid off and hit the floor. It startled the people around us. We had a good time. Underfoot asked if after church we were going back to watch the show again.
L4 He returned to work and was given a pile of new tasks.
On Thursday L4 assembled the shelf reliance food rotation system we got.
After lunch on Friday, L4 called from work to let me know he had received a promotion at work. Nothing will change except that more will be expected of him from his employer. Good job L4!
On Friday evening, he went camping with the 11 year old Boy Scouts from church. After he returned he worked on the AC in Fred the car. He discovered that a wire had been severed and fixed the problem. With the problem fixed, Fred started to blow cold air. It was a simple fix, and L4 knew how to fix it! Even better it took brain power and time but no money.
Mama I worked on laundry, ironing, cleaning up from our trip, and some organizational things for Bountiful Baskets. Underfoot sat by my side as I worked. He is my faithful companion especially when Hurricane is asleep. I love that he wants to be with me. I made realization that I need to change some of things I do as a parent. What I need to change isn’t completely clear in my head yet. I am working on it daily. My biggest focus is to put my children very first with their requests and being with them. I don’t want to miss any moments.
I took a CPR and first aid class this week. I am grateful to have the refresher course. I learned a few new things like if a someone who is diabetic has high blood sugar they smell fruity. I also learned that it is important to wear a bracelet if you have a medical condition. It will help the paramedics or others know how to help if someone has a medical problem.
I surprised L4 and bought us a bed frame. While he was gone camping, I bought the bed, the family who I bought it from delivered it, cleaned out our room, and tried to put it together by myself. That didn’t work so well. So the next morning a neighbor helped me. I got it all put together with the bed made before he got home. We feel like we are grown ups now instead of college students. With second-hand items, the price is right, and we will enjoy it.
Underfoot
- Underfoot likes to talk and tell me what is happening in the moment. He is starting to tell jokes and wants to learn to do “homework” in coloring books, reading books, and an etch-a-sketch.
- We went swimming this week at a friend’s house. He did great on his own and floated.
- Underfoot likes to wear his “sword.” The sword is the mixing tool for our Vitamix which is not allowed out of the house. He will take it on and off as he goes in and out through the day.
- Underfoot is also starting to be very helpful. He does tasks that I ask with perfect follow through! I love it! He even wants to help me in the jobs I am doing.
- Hurricane also wants to help in all the tasks around the house. He does it to the best of his almost 2 year old ability.
- Hurricane continues to be head strong. Our hope is that we can steer that will into doing good.
- Hurricane loves to talk on the phone and wants to say “hi” to anyone that calls on the phone. He will usually tell them he loves choo-choos.We have to start some where.
- He travels very well when he is fed and we sing together.
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