Sam: 12

I can hardly believe that it has been 12 years since that night the doctor said, "well, since you almost passed out in my office, I think it would be best if we just go ahead and deliver that baby tonight. Go get something to eat and come back in about an hour."

"Uhhhhhhh"

Sam...he's just always been nice, pleasant, loving, and kind. Yes, he is 12, which means there are occasional bouts of moodiness. But, how many kids are that will p

erceive when their mom is having a little rough spell, and sincerely say, "I'm sorry, is there something I can do?" He can see every slight change in mood of me or his dad. We're working on being that perceptive of the siblings now, and acting accordingly. He has this thing {we all know where it came from} where he likes to tease his siblings. He has great amusement at their expense.

This year, my mom and dad came out for his birthday. At church, when boys turn 12, they are allowed the privilege of receiving the Priesthood and becoming a deacon. With the privilege comes responsibility. They must keep themselves in line with the moral standards and values that we believe. They have the responsibilty to pass the sacrament to the members of the congregation every Sunday. They have the responsibility to collect fast offerings.

Sam was ready for this responsibililty. It was exciting to have his Father, Grandpa Lester, Grandpa Perkins, Uncle Andrew, and Bishop participate in that special day.

I put my camera away before Gma & Gpa Lester came over, but we did get a couple pictures after church.

Then here's Sam's cake.

The bottom layer: Chocolate cake drenched in caramel, covered with cool whip.

The second layer: Oreo cheesecake

The third layer: Chocolate cakepop cake {this is from bakerella...you bake a cake and then crumble and mix it with a can of frosting. She makes cute little pop things on sticks. I put it in a cake pan and freeze it and eat it just like that}

The top layer: Tres leches from Cafe Rio

When I asked how he wanted it decorated, he said...it doesn't need decorations.

That's Sam...no fluff or frills, purely functional, and delicious.

(can't figure out how to find my pictures to upload from my new mac:-) any ideas? figured it out...now, how to move them in the post.

Tooth Fairy

The first thing that Amelia showed me after school yesterday was her loose tooth. I knew that it was wiggling, but the new tooth behind it was positioned so that it would not push her baby tooth out. It was going to have to come out with sheer force, or persistent wiggling, which was the case this time. Although she went to school with a little wiggle to the tooth, she could bend that tooth clear to her gums when she left school yesterday. She didn't want dad to pull it. She didn't want to have to "screw it out with pliers." She wanted to pull the tooth out herself.

So she did. When she got home she spent about 10 minutes in front of the mirror before she came out with her eyes big like they get when she's excited about something. In her hand was her tooth. "Look, mom."

She is a go-getter. {remember the training wheel incident}

I was laughing because I can just imagine her all day at school, working on that tooth. She actually even told me how she wrote her numbers.

"first I would take my pen and circle the 6, put the pen down and wiggle my tooth, then pick up my pen and do another 6. just like that." {imagine that with actions}

I can't even belive my Mia is big enough to be losing teeth *sigh*

So the very next morning the tooth fairy had *gasp* forgotten to come. But mom knows how to fix things. Mom can "find" things that little girls cannot, and even though she had to increase the pay to make up for the disappointment, it all worked out. That tricky tooth fairy can even come while you're eating breakfast and mom's making beds. {betcha didn't know}

Thanksgiving

I did not even take out my camera this weekend. too bad. There was lots of family, food, and shopping.
We had dinner at my house again this year. We were really hoping for a rerun of the turkey from 2 years ago...not the black monstrosity that we cooked last year. The big green egg did not disappoint us this year. It cooked an amazingly moist and delicious turkey.
And I made pies...apple, cherry, and a peach cream thing that Andrew and I made up to put into an extra crust. I love making pies for a couple reasons. I get to use the marble rolling pin that one of my dearest friends gave to me for my wedding shower. I think of her every time I use it. Then of course, I think of my grandma, master pie maker. She always made the best pies when I was little. She would make cherry for my mom and pecan for my dad. She also would do a pie of the month club for an auction at her church. I'm sure it caught top dollar with her reputation for making delicious pies. oh, and lemon meringue. I think it was Matt who always liked that kind. So, grandma, my cherry pie was a little runny this year....any ideas? more flour?
They were beautiful, though. but again, no picture.
Lindsey make some darling place mats with little turkeys for utensil holders. but again, no picture.
We had wonderful company...Hayley's family, Aunt Deb & Uncle Ross, Matt & Tanya, Lindsey and kids, Craig & Chris, and my big hurd of kids. but again, no picture.
The kids all danced for us...I do have a video of this. cha-cha slide, hoedown throwdown, hokey pokey, chicken dance.
I downloaded a bunch of songs a few weeks ago when Nate had to have some stuff for the youth dance, so my kids are getting really good at he cha-cha slide. Even Henry will do it...his dancing is hilarious. He even dances to the songs at church. He really feels it.

"It's like a time machine, I'm going back so far"...a.hoopes

I'm copying a friend's title because it made me laugh and it's quite fitting for my post today. I have not yet metioned anything about our fabulous Grannypalooza trip that we had this summer. We celebrated my beautiful Grandma Gaskell's 95th birthday at a wonderful weekend in Washington DC. There is nothing in this life that can touch the love and kinship that abound at family gatherings. Everyone from my mom's side of the family was there. I hadn't seen my cousins in years. It was great to reconnect, laugh, and enjoy time together.

One thing that I miss, living out west, is the chance for my kids to know their cousins better. But, like it is with my cousins, it only takes a minute, and you start out where you left off.

Amelia, Mallary, Elizabeth & JacksonEmma, Sam, Clay, Amelia, Mallary

We flew to Ohio then drove to DC. On the way we met Aaron and did a little kid swap for riding in the car. I thought it would be fun for the kids to have something to do in the car, so I bought some beads at a Target along the way and Mia, Emma, and Mallary each made a necklace with 95 beads each for Grandma. She loved them and wore them the whole time we were there. That made me smile. And then grandma humored us by wearing this great balloon hat. She's such a good sport.

I'd put more pictures, but I'm having technical difficulty.

I LOVE my family!!!!

Emma

I haven't had the time to share a little about our newly 5 year old girl.

Emma is sweet

Emma is direct

Emma is helpful, unless she wants to watch cartoons...then she sneaks into my room.

Emma loves to swim, go to preschool, make treats all by herself {she is an excellent brownie maker}

I have to say more about that. She made brownies the other day, and on Sunday wanted to take some to her class, so we figured how many there would be on a good day, and she asked me to cut that many brownies. Well, there was a strip of crust about 2"wide left in the pan. {can't leave the brownies out with Clay or Sam around...or Nate for that matter} So, before Emma had a meltdown, I had cut about 10 1" squares of brownie so there would be enough for her class. I just had to laugh. She was not going to go to class without them.

Emma loves babies and dolls, and playing with little kids. She is so cute with Henry, and Ryker too.

Emma is smart....very very smart. She argues so well already, I can see her as a successful lawyer. When she asked what that was, I told her it was someone who argues to help people. She thought that sounded pretty good if she could be a mom too.

She still manages to throw fits about silly things. Like the other morning, she couldn't find her money, and wanted her $3 so she could buy a doll at the store. {We weren't even going to the store} She cried in her room for 20 minutes, and only stopped because I had to put her in the car to get the kids from school.

She is funny with an infectious giggle.

I love that girl.

Henry

I had my second cousin-in-law take some pictures again. LOVE how they turned out. His personality just really comes through. You can see what a happy boy Henry is.

So, now that Henry is one he decided to walk...that is now his preferred mode of travel.

He has words...very unusually soon for my children (mia was 3).

He says mam (mom), wa (water), mo (more), and ba (ball or balloon).
He feeds himself, and drinks from a cup (when he doesn't intentionally pour it al over his tray).

When he feeds himself he'll sit for an hour in his highchair...eating.

He loves the sacrament at church, and everyone within 3 rows knows it because he watches it, yells for it, then begs for more when it passes.

He answers questions with the nod or shake of his head, even if they aren't directed at him.

He still HATES getting dressed.

He makes me laugh out loud.

Nate's Hunting Adventures

I don't tel the story near as well as Nate. But chances that he will tell it are slim to none. I guess the pictures will suffice.

This Morning

Last night we fell asleep to pounding rain and howling wind

This morning we woke up to quiet, still, and white powder snow

This morning the snow clothes came out with a silent plea that they would still fit

This morning Emma started her day making a snow angel, and jumping on the trampoline...much to her dismay, the snow was not ideal for snow man making

This morning Emma had to have hot chocolate to warm her up after her jaunt in the snow

This morning Henry fussed and whined about being outside in the snow, but after being brought inside, continually tried to escape out the front door

This morning the sun is shining, making the ground glisten like diamonds

Tonight we wil get pellets so we can stay warm

The one with the cat, mom.

{tHaNks MoM}

Move Over Ace of Cakes

I was wondering what to do on Henry's birthday. The boys were playing with friends and Nate was hunting. We weren't going to celebrate until Sunday anyway. So I got this idea to make a cake for Henry. I was going to make one...but decided I wanted to really make a cake..fondant, layers, props...the whole 9 yards. So I did a little browsing, found some recipes, and found three cakes that I liked and wanted to combine their features to make a really cool cake for my Henry boy.

OH. HOW. FUN. I loved making this cake. It's far from perfect, but I was pleased with the end result. Henry enjoyed it. He posed for pictures for about a second before he grabbed the car from off the top of the cake. Then he did what any boy would do and drove that car back and forth, making the lovely spitting, zooming noise that cars make when they are being driven by a little boy.

Henry really enjoyed the making of the cake. {There's nothing like a good buttercream frosting.}

And of course there was more fun in the actual eating of the cake.

He liked the lid from the ice cream the most. He didn't go all crazy tearing the cake apart and eating it. Once he got a taste of the ice cream, that's where his attention stayed. And of course the frosting on the nose is nothing more than a prop for good pictures.

My Baby's One

I really am trying to get this post up. I just had a lovely post, and it didn't save. GRRRR. I'll try again later.

The Missing Piece

I met Stacey in April when I went to Ohio for the Akron Stake Conference when my dad was called as the Patriarch. Stacey came to my parents house that afternoon. He entertained us with stories of his time in the NFL, and shared how he came to know about and join the church. He impressed me with his courage, faith, and optismism in the face of serious health difficulties. I love this video that the church put together to tell his story. They always do a beautiful job.

I'm Coming

The other day I was chopping vegetables for spaghetti sauce.

Amelia called for me from the living room.

"just a minute" I really wanted to finish what I was doing, and I was almost done.

The call from the living room came again.

"I'm coming" still chopping peppers

That's when Emma walks into the kitchen. "No you're not"

"What?"

"Mom, you're not coming"

"Yes I am...I'm finishing what I am doing and will be on my way"

"No mom...watch...this is "coming"

Emma proceeds to walk towards the living room saying, "I'm coming" then stops and turns around. "See?"

Yep...she told me.

One One Sick Thing

We went antelope hunting...all of us. Everyone had tons of fun baha-ing (sp?) through the sagebrush on a bumpy trail, eating junk food and looking for any signs of animal life. {specifically antelope} Then Nate abruptly stops the car..."did you see those antelope? They see us. If we go any further we'll spook them." All the kids don some bright orange and get out of the truck with their binoculars and the spotting scope.

It just might be an antelope with an irregular horn?!?! Gotta put the sneak on.

So, the boys are with Nate, sneaking up on the two antelope, hoping that one of them is worthy of a shot. I sit in the car with the girls and Henry, still eating junk and waiting to spot the boys coming out of the brush, from behind the rocks. We spot them, then start up the truck to find them on the other side of the hill. We get up on them and them...bam...we heard the shot. 550 yards. We positioned the truck to get the antelope easily, and then we all gathered around to see the prize. It wasn't an irregular horn, just broken off..hahaha. Well, as Nate started to gut the animal, Emma was not interested in watching. We went back to the truck. She was quiet for a minute, but then said "That is one, one sick thing" "What is?" "What daddy is doing. Do you like that?" "Not particularly." "Me neither."

But Amelia, on the other hand, was right there with her head over the antelope. "Daddy, get the heart. Take the heart out." "I'm working on it" Nate says with guts up to his elbows. "Daddy, get the heart out." with a great deal of urgency and distress. So, Nate reaches in, finds the heart, and takes it out. "Here it is, Amelia" "OH, good. Now it's dead." hmmmmm

Sick

Clay and I are the only two in the family who have not had to spend most of our last day looking at this...

Poor things.
I wanted a little slow-down from the football, piano, school, scouts......
Just not like this.

Lots Going On

Here are a couple pictures of some of what we've been up to this summer.

We had these cutie pies come visit. I loved that the kids had the time to get to know their cousins a little better, and spend some time playing with kittens, going on a picnic, riding 4 wheelers, playing in water, and other fun stuff.


Family reunion for Nate's family.

The highlight of the reunion for all the kids is always the rope swing.

Nate's Grandma Donna passed away on Father's Day. On the last day of school she had been diagnosed with cancer. It took her quickly. We feel that it was a blessing that she did not have to suffer for too long, and that she was able to enjoy many activities before the diagnosis. We miss her. It is interesting to watch how the little ones have been affected by this. We have shared many tears, and some very sad moments. Emma seems particularly interested in understanding where she is now, what happened to her body, and what will happen when she is resurrected. The day after the funeral, we had to stop by the cemetery to be sure she had been buried properly. We're still waiting for the stone. Most recently, she was disturbed by the comment I made about selling grandma's house. After about 10 minutes, she asked me..."If they sell grandma's house, then where is she going to live when she is resurrected?" Good question.

She also seems pretty sure that Jesus will be coming again soon because she really misses grandma. And since the resurrection will take place at the Second Coming, then that should happen sooner than later. When I think of Grandma Donna, I see in my mind the joy that she felt when her grandchildren were around, the laughter that seemed to bubble up inside of her when she told a story about the family she loves so much, and her kindness. Miss you....

{P.S. My kids have two grandma donnas...grandma dickerson {Nate's}, and grandma gaskell {Mine}. Next month we celebrate grandma gaskell's 95th birthday.}

For Father's Day, Nate got a tool set. Amelia decided that she needed to borrow them. She asked Nate if she could use them...

Why?

I need to take my training wheels off.

Well, you have to get the right size.

I already found the one that fits. It's right here.

OK...just make sure you put it back.

5 minutes later, Amelia comes in the house and tells me that Sam is going to help her learn how to ride her bike. {I'm going dishes}

OK...

I finished the dishes pretty quickly and thought I ought to go out and take a picture of the process...maybe see if she needed some help.

She was riding her bike sans training wheels.

That girl took the training wheels off of her bike, had Sam hold the seat to steady her, and then yelled at him to let go so that she could ride. In less than 5 minutes, she was riding her bike solo. I just about missed the whole thing. What a girl!!! Way to make her daddy proud.

There is more, but this is just a sample...it's past my bedtime.

Pony Express - 150 Years

The boys were able to participate in the pony express again this year. They left early with Grandpa to make their first leg of the race, then called me when they were on their way to Fort Bridger where they were having a little handing off ceremony...they needed a camera. So, we loaded up and followed them to the next leg of the route, taking pictures all along the way. It was great.

My new favorite picture.

Here they go. Sam had to race Nate for the 2 mile stretch. They were cruising. I think someone forgot to tell Sam he had a broken nose that was just operated on.

Ron & Kathy...they organize the run for our county. They did a wonderful job. Everything ran very smoothly and there was a tangible feeling of excitement the whole time I was there. It was great!!!

Free Kittens

They're really cute.
You know you want one.

They love to be outside. {Well, that's all they know}

Come on, aren't they darling?

They'll cuddle up in your boots and play with your shoe strings.

Call soon, or they'll be gone!!!!