Christmas 2013

This Christmas season has been a crazy one. We have had soooo much going on outside of the normal Christmas season (mostly with a rental house in Casper) that we really didn't even think about Christmas day until a week before. We did all the normal talking about serving others and trying to do that, but I didn't buy a single present until the Thursday before Christmas. I went out at 7:30 at night, returned at 10, where Chet and I wrapped them all, and we were almost done with it all. Christmas Eve we went back out for 2 more presents. It was very nice and quick. The boys really got the idea of Christmas this year. They didn't ask for a lot and they were very understanding about the commercialization of it all, and I was very happy at their disposition towards Christmas. Of course they are still kids, but they were really good remembering that it's Christ's bday, not theirs. They were over the moon excited about their presents they did receive, and it was a super great day!!! The highlight: After Cael had all his presents open, he climbed into Chets lap and started crying. With tears running down his cheeks, he says, "All I asked Santa for was a remote control." I looked over at the boys, and low and behold, Carter had one present unopened, and it was a remote control car. I just looked at him and wispered, "Can I have your present for Cael please?" They only get 3 presents each (like the three wise men). The other two gifts were not toys (that he had already opened.) I think he was saving the biggest and best for last. Without question and without any sad facial expressions, he just handed it over to me. I handed it to Cael and told him he had one more present. He opened it up and was BEYOND excited (and told us that it was the best Christmas EVER!!!). I turned to Carter holding back tears (as I am now trying to write this even!) and mouthed thank you! He was smiling, and didn't seem one bit sad. He was happy none the less!!! I was so overwhelmed with happiness and pride and joy. Carter seemed to have the true spirit of giving, and was so selfless. I grabbed him and as I cried I told him that I would take him to the store to buy anything he wanted. He asked me later if he could trade in his gift for a night up until midnight. I hugged him again with so much love for that amazing boy, and told him he could have both! Later that night we drove all over town looking for a place open on Christmas night that we could get some ice cream (the #1 way to show him love. He LOVES to get ice cream.) Carson was very upset that Carter was staying up with Chet and I, and came out with tears in his eyes, saying, "I would have done the same!" I don't know if he would have, but even if he wouldn't have then, he saw how happy it made Chet and I, that Carters example will remain with him too of unselfishness. We went to a Christmas day brunch and bragged about Carter and I know it made an impression on both of them too. They could see the pride and all the adults were telling Carter how amazing he is! I cannot even explain the way I felt. Everyone was so happy. The boys played and played and played, mostly together. It was definately a mothers payday. When everything that you have been trying to teach them all came together. It has been my favorite Christmas that I can remember!!! Mostly because of the way I FEEL, not the things that I have! I feel so blessed to be the mother of these 5 amazing boys. They are all soooooo different and they bring such different personalities and things to our family, but together it all fits. In one homey LOUD filled with love house!!!

My Baby turned 3!!!

This year was the year for Colby. He had to indure Caden's bday in Aug (when the asking when it would be his bday began) and then Cael's in October, and then mine in November. By the time December FINALLY rolled around, he was beyond excited!!! The great thing about his bday is that it's right after black friday, so I can get him TONS of cool toys for barely anything. He asked for dirt bikes everytime you asked what he wanted. He is REALLY into dirt bikes right now! He loves trucks that have trailors, and animals that can go into the trailor. Ducks (duck duck dynasty!) or horses or elk or dogs or whatever. He also loves four wheelers. He got about 10 trucks and trailors. Also, on the boys third bday we have a money theme and they get their first piggy bank and rolls of coins to put in it. It becomes their mission savings, and everyone has one but him so he was really excited to finally have one. He find money (he knows where to look for Chet and I's coins) and wants to put it in his bank everyday. We also gave him some birthday cake oreos and he was pleased! That could have been one of his favorites. He got to take them around and share with brothers. He felt pretty cool. He also got some super hero things and books. For breakfast he wanted cake. For lunch he wanted popcorn. And for dinner he wanted chicken noodle soup. This has become a new favorite just recently. He picks it for the meal every week while I make my shopping list (7 members of the family, each person picks a meal for that week). However, on his birthday the boys convinced him that Subway at their school would be way better. So, for his birthday lunch we went into the school and he ate with his brothers. He LOVED it! He was telling all their friends he was 3. It was adorable!

Colby is a total cutie!!! He loves to "perform" (but not for others, just our family usually) He loves to dance, and he is actually really good at it. He has awesome facial expressions. He is SUPER smart (worldly smart and shapes colors numbers letters kinda smart), and is a TOTAL manipulator!!! He knows how to work it. He is what I call my baby brat. He corrects me and says, "I not a baby brat, I 3" He loves to snuggle with Chet and I, and is coming out of his shell a little with others outside the family. I took him to my moms ward and when I took him into nursery I told them that he was visiting, and asked him if he was going to be ok and respectful. He starts rolling up his sleeves and then super hero (one arm out in front of him, Cael taught him) walks over to the toys. He is really good at staying with a sitter or my parents or whoever I tell him its ok to stay with. He rarely ever cries when I leave, as long as I promise him that I will be back soon. He talks really well for his age. He LOVES to talk on the phone. He asks me EVERY day if we can go shopping. He loves to go to the "Blue Roof" (which is Walmart!). He is SUPER sad every.single.time. we drop Cael off at preschool. He asks me every day if he can stay if he promises to be really good and mature (I love when he uses that word!) Whenever I go anywhere I ask if anyone wants to go with me (it used to be that once Chet was home, if I had to go anywhere NO ONE was coming with) and he ALWAYS wants to come. He follows Cael like a puppy dog EVERYWHERE!!! I hear him tell Cael almost daily, "I love you Tael. You're my bestest friend!" Cael always hugs him and says, "I know Toby. You are my best friend too!" It melts my heart!!! They are serious too. They are the best of friends!!! They play really well together (although Colby does like to pick on him and be stronger than Cael, just cause he can. It's funny half the time and I want to kick his butt the other half) Colby tells me about 10+ times a day that he is hungry. It drives me mad!!! He eats really well at every meal, so I don't think he's hungry, but if I feed him, he will eat. I don't know if its a bored thing or attention thing, or what it is, but it drives me crazy!!! He eats a TON of food. He loves treats! He asks me every morning when we return from taking the boys to school if he can have a treat. And every morning I ask him when we have treats? in which he replies "After lunch." He LOVES, and I mean loves loves loves to read. He would be totally happy if I sat all day long and read to him. I make the boys read to him everyday to help them reading (Caden just reading and I make the boys read with expression and punctuation to him) Cael has a great memory, so he just sets and recites from memory all their books to him. He probably reads with someone about 15-20 books a day. He can also recite most books like Cael because we only have about 30 so it's the same ones over and over and over. He tells me about 10 times a day, "Mom, you a princess." Whenever I do anything nice for him he tells me. He loves to help make anything. He pulls a chair to the counter. If I won't let him pour with me, he just sets and watches. He would rather eat homemade over packaged every day. If I take him out to eat for lunch, he will just beg to go home and eat. He likes routine. He loves to be with his brothers, mostly Cael. He is  very picky about his clothes. He has an idea of the way he likes to dress, and is very vocal about it if he doesn't like his outfit. He loves shoes. He would love it if he had 20 pair. He loves "class" at church, and is MAD if we miss church for any reason (which is very rare) He wants to go even when he has the flu! We LOVE having him in our family! Even though I am on the verge of crazy.. I wouldn't trade him for the world. He makes me laugh, smile, be angry, frustrated almost every day. I love him to pieces!!!

Favorite Dinner: Chicken Noodle Soup
Favorite Treat: Cake (but he likes them all)
Favorite Color: Anything Cael says
Favorite Book: Anything Cael says
Favorite Activity: Anything Cael says (seeing a pattern!)
Favorite person to be with: Cael
Favorite toy: dirt bikes
Favorite snack: brocolli (he cries with excitement every time we are in the veggies sections at the store!), carrots (I hate both of them!!!), bananas

55 minutes ago

The older boys were all in playing the wii, and Cars started making fun of Caden for something. No one laughed and Caden says, "Carson, that was so 55 minutes ago. It's not funny anymore." and they just continue playing. It was pretty funny. A whole 55 minutes ago. So old news...

Sleeping Advice

Tonight while saying personal prayers (I ask myself every night why we call them personal prayers when they say them out loud with one of us there... but we're trying to form the habit that will last them a life time. A chance for them to be completely selfish and talk to Heavenly Father about THEIR problems, and Chet and I learn a lot about whats troubling them or on their minds) Carson tells me that he gave Caden some really good sleeping advice. Caden shakes his head yes and looks me right in the eye, totally serious. I asked what that was, and Carson says, "If you just lay in bed really still and close your eyes, you'll be asleep in less than 2 minutes." Both boys just look at me like they are sooooo smart! Sorry Cars, not everyone has your crazy mind that just needs to sit for 2 seconds unused to just blank out. But Caden was happy with it! Hey, I like it! Bedtime was MUCH quieter tonight!!!

Duck, duck...

The boys are hooked on two shows right now. Any time we have any extra time before bed all the boys want to watch Top Shot, or Duck Dynasty. Colby last night comes running in the room wanting to watch Duck Duck Dynasty. He kept saying it over and over. I asked him, "Like, Duck Duck Goose, but Duck Duck Dynasty?" He looked at me all excited and said, "YEAH!!!" Too funny!

YUCK!!!

While searching the internet I was getting bombarded with boys. I had both babies almost sitting on me. All of a sudden it stunk... horribly!!! I said, "Oh my gosh, who pooped their pants!" Both of them immediatly say they didn't, but Cael speaks up and says, "But I did plup." Chet and I started laughing and he just said, "I'm serious I did." How "fart" turned into "plup" I have no idea!

Flu

My little Colby had some form of the flu I believe. It was luckily just a quick 12 hour thing, but he has thrown and thrown and thrown up. Carson wanted to just put oils on him. That was his first thought. Crack me up! But the thing that was crazy is how good of a boy Colbs is when sick. You know how some kids are HORRIBLE sickies, and then others are really good. Colby just wanted to lay on the couch. When we went to pick up brothers from school he took his bowl and used it. He didn't make any mess in the car. He just wanted gatorade in his straw cup, and then for the most part he was wonderful. He made it in the bowl all the other maybe 6-7 times he threw up, only made a mess the first time. He wanted to snuggle and sleep. I love him! Little baby brat has my heart wrapped for sure!!!

Opposites

The other day Cael and Carter were reading a book together in the car. It was a book about opposites, so Carter would read one page, and the opposite would be on the other side. It went something like this:

Carter: Black
Cael: White
Carter: Tall
Cael: Short
Carter:Lost
Cael: Look under your bed

Cael then just looked at Carter, like keep going... next. I laughed until I cried. Cael has two ways to clean his room, well 3 I guess.
1)shove it under his bed
2)shove it in his closet, which I see every day and then he has to just shove it under his bed, so he usually just starts with it under his bed.
3)tell me that he is too little to do it alone, and I clean while he plays next to me.
If he ever loses anything, it can be found under his bed 90% of the time. So I guess he wasn't too far off in his reality. If something is lost, the opposite is to look under the bed and it will be found.