this week

Riley has earned his LIFE badge.  I am very proud of him.  I spent the afternoon sewing on patches and merit badges.  Good times.

Brenna has finally lost her other front tooth!  What a cutey!

Preston loves to sit by Bryant and share his ipod.  They watch a lot of SpongeBob on the road.  It is sweet (and quiet for the rest of us in the car!)

The 8th grade class is doing fundraising for their class trip to Disneyland.  Today was a pancake breakfast.  They got up early and made the pancakes and cleaned up.  They worked hard and earned almost $400.00 in just a few hours.  Great job!!

Bryant-isms

Bryant is a cute boy!  We love him so much.  He is talking more than ever and really saying things that are unexpected!
-  He loves to play hide and seek and announces that he wants you to play with him and lays out the whole plan.  "You count and I hide!"   "OK, now you hide and I count, no I like to hide..."

-  Whenever we are playing ANYTHING, Bryant loves to win.  He will announce, "I'm the WINNER"  If someones else actually wins and they say, "wait, I won"  Bryant will say in a panic, "NO, ... I'm the Winner!!" 

-  I will give Bryant a kiss and say, "You're cute Bryant!"  To which he will say,   "I AM cute!"

-Out of the blue  Bryant will say, "BING BONG" with a big smile on his face.  (He loves to immitate the doorbell for fun!)

Advice from a cowboy ...

who also happens to be our Bishop.  :)   

The other night we had a meeting with the Young Men Leaders of our ward.  They were outlining the upcoming scout camps and encouraging parents to continue working with their YM on the "Duty toGod" program.  It was a very positive night and we left feeling a renewed importance to not let these programs go by the wayside.
Our Bishop spoke at the end and gave a great analogy.
He said if you have ever been a part of moving a herd of cattle, it is like raising boys.  He continued, "To move 900 head of cattle you really only need 5 or 6 GOOD COWBOYS.   Out of that 900 head of cattle you really only need a few leader cows to charge out ahead of the bunch.  The rest will follow.  As you are moving them along you keep them in a bunch.  Follow the leaders and keep them together.  If you lose one or two it is really hard to get them back.  They get lost and disorientated.  They become "HOT".  They start doing things that don't make sense, --they don't THINK.    When you approach the gate of your destination (a small area in size),  if you get those leader cows inside that gate... the rest of the herd follows.

IT IS AN ART MOVING CATTLE.  IT IS AN ART RAISING BOYS! 

Parents, you need to COWBOY UP!   Use the programs of the church, they are inspired.  Scouting is a wonderful program that will turn your boys into men.  The Duty to God program will keep them on the right track to go on missions.  Do whatever you have to  to get them here to mutual night.  KEEP THEM IN THE BUNCH.  The last thing you want is a HOT boy.  When they lose their way and become hot, they don't think. 

KEEP'EM IN THE BUNCH AND THE BUNCH MEETS HERE. "

I am so thankful for Bishop Alexander.  He cares so deeply for our youth and wants them to be happy.  I know that Riley can achieve that happiness if he follows the counsel of our leaders.  We are very blessed in our ward to have a great scout program.  I am very thankful to those leaders who give of their time to our boys... to help keep them on the right path.

fun with puffles

What is a puffle?   Wyatt loves these little fluffy stuffed animals from the "Club Penguin" game online.  He has taught Bryant all about the joys of stuffed animals and he is addicted!  It is sweet really!

cell phone rules

Riley has been wanting a cell phone for so long!  For his 14th birthday we decided it was time.  He is going to High School in the fall and will be 30 minutes from home.  Just for figuring out rides and to stay in communication, it was just the right time! 

Technology is great, but with this great technology comes rules.  When Riley opened his present, he was so thrilled that he did not worry about rules.  We talked about it later and agreed on our new phone rules...

1.  The phone goes to "bed" at 10:00pm on my nightstand to charge.

2.  No texting at the dinner table (this one had to be added)

3.  We may peruse his phone whenever.

4.  If Riley GETS an inappropriate text, he needs to tell us. 

5.  If we FIND an inappropriate text from someone else, Riley is in a bit of trouble.  Therefore Rule # 4 must be followed.  We would like to stay open in our communication, even if it is a little uncomfortable... 

OUR SOLUTION: 

Just tell your friends, My mom checks my phone... so don't send me junk!

6.  Be Smart,  Be Good,  Be Happy!

Riley getting a phone was an adjustment for all of us.  Vince and I had many talks about what kind of a plan to get.  Vince didn't think Riley REALLY needed a texting plan  (The kicker... Vince also thought he would only need 5 minutes per day of talk time).  I thought Vince was not being very realistic... it was an adjustment to say the least!  We ended up getting unlimited texting. (good thing! That is what the kids are doing these days, you know!)

It is rough to let your first grow up!  It really is!  But we are doing our best!  :)

2 things I KNOW FOR SURE!

#1  When we have a place to go in the late afternoon or evening,  Bryant MUST take a nap earlier that day!!

Bryant was SO happy all day today!!  I just hate to put him down for a nap when he is so rosy and cheerful!!  I paid for that decision later today at Riley's basketball game!  He was a handful and then some... Ugh. 

#2  Homework MUST be done after school.  Not "a little later" or "after dinner".

Today was a busy afternoon.  We were only home for 30 minutes after school before we had to head back to school for Riley's basketball game, Brenna's dance class and Preston's football practice.  The kids wanted to wait till later for homework and understandably so...  But when we got home at 5:30 they wanted a little outside time and I said "OK" while I was cooking dinner.  -After dinner- homework time is hard.  I know that.  We are all getting tired and the thought of having to understand division at this time of night is not fun. 

So I knew these 2 tid bits of mothering before today... but now I KNOW these things FOR SURE!!

basketball

Brenna doesn't like to hear the buzzer.  It is very loud and she says it hurts her ears.  Funny girl!

Bryant loves to go to Riley's games.  He loves to roam all around the bleachers.  He will be sitting in one corner one minute and then all the way on the other side the next. 

Riley has had a fun basketball season.  Vince has been his coach and they practice Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 3-4:30pm.   It has been a great experience for both of them.  Riley is a tough player and Vince makes those kids work! 

dish report

My generous sharing of dish duty is working wonders for me!  But I HAVE to report...

Tonight we had left over tacos for dinner.  YUM! ----  Wyatt had  -clear and wipe down table- .  There were a few pieces of lettuce that spilled on the table.  (Wyatt was OK with this new job until he noticed the lettuce!)  It went a little something like this... 
Wyatt:  "UGH!  (gag)  Oh Mom, (gag),  I don't think I can do it!!  Can you get those pieces of lettuce?" 
Mom:  "No Wyatt, I think you'll be OK!"
Wyatt:  "Gross, (gag),  No Mom!!  I'm practically allergic to lettuce....  REALLY!!"  etc...

Riley -unloaded the dishwasher- just fine, although he put a few things in places they don't go.  That is kinda a 
 -learn as you go- thing.

Then Preston... Oh my Preston!!  He had -load dishwasher- .  I don't think that boy has ever loaded the dishwasher.  I have really deprived my children!!  He loaded cups and bowls in an upright position.  He kept saying "Gross Mom!!  This is really gross!!"  He would grasp the dish with 2 fingers and hold it under the water to rinse off food.  (I'm smiling as I write this...)  Pretty funny!


Ahhh,  a few funny moments to write down so I can remember (with a smile) how much work it is to teach my children to WORK!!  :)

Riley's Super Birthday Bowl!

SUPER BIRTHDAY BOWL CUPCAKES

Hmmm... Shredded Beef Tacos.  A family favorite.

Riley wanted to enjoy the SuperBowl with our family and friends.  The Beaches, Depillos and Thurbers were here along with Nana and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa Gibson.  It was such a fun time together.  Happy 14th Riley!  Maybe next year we can enjoy your BIRTHDAY with the EAGLES in the SUPERBOWL!!  That would be SOME BIRTHDAY WISH COME TRUE!! 

Love Notes

We decorated these fun mailboxes for FHE this past monday.  It was a treat!  The kids really got into decorating and then writing each other love notes.  This is something we will do up until Valentines Day!  I have tried to write a note to each person every night before I go to sleep.  It has been wonderful to look back on the day and remember why I love these little people so much!

"We can begin to become more diligent and concerned at home by telling the people we love that we love them. Such expressions do not need to be flowery or lengthy. We simply should sincerely and frequently express love."   

 David A. Bednar  -Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

--A house with love in it is rich indeed--

math lesson

Tonight at dinner I gave the children a math lesson. 

I started out asking, "How many hands does mom have?"  "TWO" yelled Brenna.
"That's right" I said... "and how many people live in our house?"   "SEVEN" announced Preston. 
"That is right again!!... How many hands do seven people have?"   ...Ooo Ooo...  "FOURTEEN" exclaimed Wyatt.

"FOURTEEN,  That is a lot of hands! ...  Fourteen hands sure can make a lot of messes... am I right?"
 "YES" (their enthusiasm fading)
Does it seem right that mom's TWO hands clean up after the mess left behind from  ALL FOURTEEN hands in this house???
Uhhh... "No mom, it doesn't" ...    ---Well I'm glad you all agree!!    :)

So we worked out a system to help with dish duty after dinner.  I personally am very excited about this and it went very well.  Riley cleared and wiped down the table, Preston unloaded the dishwasher and Wyatt and I loaded the dishwasher.  As we were working on the kitchen Brenna cleaned up the family room.  It was lovely!  :) 
          Many HANDS Make Light Work!!

Happy Birthday Riley!! 14 years old!

Hmmm, a card, how nice...

What could fit in this size box that I would want for my birthday??

Oh, another smaller box... this is looking more promising!!

YES!!  A CELL PHONE!  What I always wanted (and hinted for!) for at least 2 years! 

Happy Birthday Riley!!  14 years old!  I can remember the day you were born like it was yesterday!!  You are the oldest and the FIRST to go through these NEW phases of life.  We, as your parents, get to figure them out with you!!  It isn't always easy, but never boring! And it sure is wonderful to have such a great FIRST born son to be an example to the younger eyes watching your every move!! We love you and want you to know, we think you are doing a great job of this growing up thing!!   :)  -- Stake Dances - watch out!! :)

grocery shopping

Here he is... my little helper.  He doesn't always want to sit in the seat.  He wants to walk until he doesn't anymore.  He likes to stack and adjust our food in the cart.  He usually enjoys a little snack of something that looks too good to wait until we get home (usually chips, cheetos are a fave).  He is my little buddy.  I love him.

This is what my kitchen looks like when we get home.  I am usually worn out by this point, but alas, the food MUST be put away!

The "buy" of the day was Caprisuns.  $1.49 at Frys.  Bryant LOVES Caprisuns!  He would drink 10 a day if I let him! 

 So last time I was at Costco I bought the 100% juice Caprisuns.

YUM! and very good for you! (right!!?)  I thought so...  Bryant won't touch these!  Not with a 10 foot pole!  Not sure why?  I think they are very good.  A full serving of fruit even!  So I stocked up on the cheap, 10% juice kind and he is pleased as punch!!

Another successful day of grocery shopping with my little helper!