Family Update

The past few months seem to have gone by fairly fast. The year is already half way over, but that's usually how it goes anyway. We have been missing Dad a lot. Stephen has had so many work trips and late nights that it feels like we haven't seen him since February. He's been working hard and long hours to prepare for this huge trial coming up at the end of this month. He has hardly had any time to eat, sleep, or be with family. I don't know how he keeps going, honestly. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, last night was his last late, late night for a while...I hope. He didn't get home from the office until after 11:00. I'm hoping this weekend will give him the reset/reboot his body and mind need. We have dinner at Loren's and a fireworks show, then a parade and our own fireworks the next day, then we're ending the week with an over night camping trip in Logan Canyon. We're all so excited to have some time together!

Zander still can't wait to start kindergarten. He keeps asking how much time until school starts. He is so ready to go and do things on his own. We've been trying to practice reading at home and he does a good job sounding out all the letters; he just needs more practice and patience to get to the speed that he wants to read at. He gets frustrated and flustered when he can't pronounce a word right or remember what sound it's supposed to make. He is still obsessed with hair and plays with mine all the time...I can't stand it. I just hope he finds a girl to marry who doesn't mind it because he's been like that since birth. 

Zander is such a fast learner and once he sees someone do something he can pretty much do the same thing on his own. He was really excited to help me mow the lawn last week. He loves to climb up the tree in the front yard to see how high he can get. He ties stuff up in the branches and takes his back pack full of snacks and water up there to chill. He can ride his bike with one hand and do tricks on the new swing set. He is still sweet as ever with his little sister; they are inseparable. Zander still loves Star Wars, but wants to widen his range of toys he plays with, so he likes Pokemon, and Ninja Turtles, and the Avengers which he wasn't really into before. He still loves guns and weapons of any kind. Most of all he loves his dad. Anything Dad is doing Zander is right beside him learning, growing, and having fun.

Where do I even start with Lucas... I don't know if it's just the age or if it's a personality thing yet; I'm hoping it's just his age but he is hard right now. He won't listen to anyone for anything, and if you ask him to do or not to do something specifically he will do just that or he will do the exact opposite of what I want him to do. either way he does what he wants. He challenges me physically like when I have to drag him out of sacrament meeting with him making it as difficult as possible for me to do so in high heels (I almost kicked them off in the middle of the isle) kicking and screaming, and he challenges me mentally and emotionally, like mentioned above, when I ask him to do something and he does the opposite on purpose just  to make me lose my cool or when he takes hours to do one simple task that should take 10 seconds. And then he does a complete 180 and can be the most thoughtful, caring, and loving human being. He is the one who will hop up to help someone who is in need. like yesterday I had four piles of laundry to fold and he could see all the baskets I had out so he came over and said, "Hey mom, can I help you? I'll fold the towels all by myself!" It was awesome. 

Lucas loves to give and get hugs and kisses. He says hello to everyone he sees, and makes everyone laugh; he has the most contagious laugh ever. He is also my pickiest and slowest eater. He plays with his food every time he sits down to the table. if something looks iffy to him he won't start eating until everyone else is done all the while whining how yucky it is even though he hasn't touched it yet. He is my lover of all things sweet and is constantly asking for a snack about every 10 minutes throughout the day. He is also really good at recognizing his letters and can sound out some words too. He also loves his little sister and has to give her a big hug and kiss every morning and announce that Hannah is the cutest baby ever and he loves her. 

Lucas will get the table all set and ready for breakfast (if we're having cereal) while I am getting out of bed and getting Hannah. Actually, both boys do this every once in a while. They play together a lot better now than they did before, and when fights break out they are learning how to talk and solve their problems without physical violence. Recently they've been into playing dinosaurs, and pirates together.

Hannah loves everyone; I'm still her favorite, but she will go to anyone when she is sad or upset. She'll run to whomever is closest to her who has their arms outstretched for a hug, and recently she has been liking sitting on Zander's lap to read scriptures or The Friend. She turns two next month and I have no idea what to get her. She loves Elmo and Poppy, sweets and pizza, and books. She loves to sit and read/look at books. She is constantly pulling books off the shelves and making big piles to pull a new book from when she is done reading a one. She will take arm fulls of book to the couch and ask whomever is sitting there to read to her. She's even had Lucas read to her and she loves it! I love it, but dislike it at the same time because she refuses to put the books back on the shelves, so I am constantly picking up books all day long.

She still takes one good nap in the afternoons and I hope she continues for a few more years. She will laugh whenever she sees someone else laugh. She is constantly shouting "Waa ish mom!" when she does something funny or something she's never done before. She likes to take baths but only in a certain bathtub in the house. She is a little dare devil and insists on doing everything by herself including getting in and out of the car when we go somewhere so it takes a while to get anywhere. She loves to play outside and do whatever her brothers are doing. And like everyone else, she loves her daddy. She gets so excited when he comes home and she gets to see him before she goes to bed. She has to run all over the house announcing to everyone that Dad is home. 

 I am just hanging on for dear life with these three, haha. I love them all so much and love to make them happy. We have had quite a few adventures this spring just so I don't go crazy playing single mom. I know Stephen has missed being with the kids and seeing and hearing about what they did all day. We can't wait for this trial to be over! 

 The boys entered a coloring contest at Smiths and found their papers on the wall!

 This was craft day at Nancy's last week. The boys wanted to do pebble art too. Zander made an abstract piece in a frame and Lucas made an elephant holding a big piece of wood.

 

Father's Day

These kids adore their dad. I mean I wish they missed me every day as much as they do their dad when he is at work. Stephen has been gone for two weeks and working long days so we don't get to see him very much lately. They want to spend their every waking moments with him. Stephen is a hands-on kind of dad who loves his kids very much. He makes sure he gets his time in with them even when he is so tired and just wants to sit for a few minutes. He teaches them how to bake and cook, how to use tools, and lately how to use a dumb bell. We all love to listen to and dance when dad plays his guitar.

This year the kids got dad a bug a-salt gun to shoot at flies and mosquitoes. They also got him a bottle of pop each and something to use in the kitchen some meat rub, saffron, and stroopwaffles  for a treat.We love you Daddy!

First Hair Cut

Lucas Turns 4!

We started the day off by visiting the dinosaur park in Ogden. This place was really cool! They had an amazing rock and gem collection that I couldn't get enough of. The dinosaur bone displays were really neat too. There was so much to do that the kids didn't know where to start; they were running all over the place yelling at how cool everything was. 

When we got home I finished decorating Lucas's cake, and Stephen got dinner ready. Lucas requested hamburgers and hot dogs. The one thing he asked for, for his birthday was a garbage truck that looks, sounds, and moves just like a real one with an arm that lifts the garbage cans up and everything...and candy.

Happy Birthday little buddy! You are so easy to please and so loving, caring, and gentle to those you love. You are such a crack up and make everyone around you laugh. I love your good night snuggles, and your good morning hugs and kisses. You find joy and entertainment in everything to do. We are so glad to have you in our home. 

The Children Will Play While Dad is Away

We went on an adventure to the Ogden Nature Center yesterday and had a blast. We were there all afternoon exploring and practically had the place all to ourselves. Upon arrival we saw all sorts of cool homemade birdhouses on our first trail along with some really pretty birds. We saw some birds of pray, snakes, a big bee hive, and a tortoise before setting off on our own trail. This place was so magical especially since we were alone. The kids got to play in the woods and climb up and through the trees. We got eaten by mosquitoes, so next time I'll remember to take repellent with us. We came to a meadow where we spotted two deer and a mama duck with her five ducklings in the pond. We made it to our destination which was a huge tree house that the kids got to climb up and look out of binoculars. We walked two miles that afternoon, and only made it through half of the trails, so we're looking forward to going again soon.

 We put up our new swing set with the help of our neighbors so the kids had something to do at home. It's a lot smaller than I was hoping, but it'll do for a few years. The kids have been playing on it nonstop. They also kept requesting breakfast for dinner so we had tie-dye pancakes one night and banana waffles the next night. I also had both boys sleeping in their sleeping bags in my room one night (long story), but we've had a fun week so far. Stephen will be gone next week as well, so we'll see what's on our agenda.

Kerry Pettingill Reunion: Elba, Idaho

Adam and Lynnette were in charge of our reunion this year, and I have to admit, at first it was a bit underwhelming to hear that we were going to be spending it in Elba where we always go especially since we already have another reunion planned there in July, BUT it was the most fun I've had with my family and I am so glad we were able to spend more time with Grandpa Pettingill. He was so happy to have us all there visiting with him for a weekend. There were 17 great grand kids and 14 adults staying in his little double wide cabin. There was a glow about him; he was just beaming the whole time we were there and there were only a handful of times he had to get after one of the grand kids. Every family took turns preparing a meal for everyone and they were all so delicious and filling. I am also grateful that Joseph and Tim's family came even though they were are in the middle of moving into new houses. We really missed Becky's family; it would've made it a perfect weekend to have them there.

As far as activities go we were able to go and do whatever we wanted. All the grand kids thought it was so fun to be able to drive the four wheelers around by themselves. Adam and a few others fixed part of grandpa's fence for him, and cleaned up all the garbage out in the pasture. We did some fishing in the pond for an hour and Linley and Grady both caught fish. We played games, and the kids went exploring in the hollows. We watched all of grandpa's hummingbirds flitting around and sited a couple of bluebirds. We went to church on Sunday then went for a guided hike to Cable Rock where we looked for Fairy Shrimp, Brad's family went fishing and caught 5 fish that they brought back and cooked up. Boy were they good! I gave a Family Home Evening lesson on successful and lasting relationships, and we also went shooting for half a day. Monday was the most depressing day with wind and rain all day. It let up for a couple hours by the afternoon, just enough time for Wade and Vernae, Grandpa, Dad, and I to go visit the cemetery.

Grandpa has a new bunk house where all the boys slept while all the girls slept in the pool room. I ended up staying in a room in the house with Hannah and Lucas on the floor although I have to give Lucas some credit because he slept in the new bunk house with Zander and Tyson the first night without any incidences. I'm pretty sure Zander wore the same outfit for all four days we were there. I think I had a better time this time because I was actually able to go out and do activities without feeling tied to the house because of Hannah, so a huge thank you to mom who watched her for me so I could get away a few times. Also a big thank you to Joseph and Trish who helped me on the hike with my kids. I never would've made it back without you.