Bonding Time

One night, Jet asked Jeremy to do a puzzle with him. Sweet daddy that he is, he said yes.

They had a great time together. By the time they finished the puzzle there were three missing pieces. So they went to bed and the next morning before Jet woke up, Jeremy told me about it. I found the missing pieces in the crate where we keep the puzzles (there are a lot of loose puzzle pieces in there) and put them next to the almost finished puzzle. When Jet got up, he was thrilled to find the pieces there and was able to finish the puzzle.

So cute. He wanted Daddy to come home right then so he could show him but was content when we texted Jeremy a picture of it. Awwww. 

Do you want to say Hi to Daddy?

Hi, Daddy.

Hi, Jet.

Bonding Time

Jet: Can you draw Daddy?

Daddy: Sure.

Jet: I destroy Daddy.

Lots of Things for Us to Celebrate

Friday, May 20, was a busy day. It was Pick Strawberries Day so Lucky picked strawberries to go in his lunch that day.

Jet and I went to watch the elementary school dance festival. I was so worried it was going to rain. I needn't have worried. It snowed. Heh Heh. Just a tiny bit but everybody there could tell there were definitely little flakes coming down.

If you look really closely in this picture, you can see little snowflakes in our hair.

 

Jr. Jr. and Lucky both did a really good job. And Jet did a good job staying with me. He was only a little wiggly.

It wore him out, though.

 

Since it was Eliza Doolittle Day, we ate more of the devil's food cake after school because it was "lots of chocolate for me to eat."

Look. It's the dancing boys home from school.

 

That night Jeremy took the three oldest boys camping for the ward Father-Son campout. 

 

While they were gone Nichole and I made French bread chicken alfredo pizza for National Pizza Party Day and we watched Pride & Prejudice (The Keira Knightley version) because her orchestra played music from it in her last concert. Jet and I got tired so we went to bed and missed the end of the movie. I had already started dozing and was missing parts of it anyway. Oh well.

 

When the boys got home the next morning, I heard plenty of exclamations of how much they enjoyed their camping trip. I'm so glad.

That Saturday evening, May 21, we had strawberries with whipped topping to go with dinner to celebrate Strawberries and Cream Day. We also had herbal tea to celebrate International Tea Day.

One on One Time

Jeremy and I have been talking about how we haven't had Daddy-daughter or Mommy-daughter or Daddy-son or Mommy-son dates in a while.  It's hard to schedule that kind of one on one time when you have so much going on- work, school, extra-curricular activities, scouts, mutual, Relief Society activities, homework, chores, errands to run, etc. etc. etc.  The list goes on and on and on.  We decided to do something about it this week.  Monday there was no school.  Instead of dragging the kids around birding as we sometimes do when there's no school we decided to have some one on one time away from home. 
First thing in the morning, Jr. and Daddy went to get an oil change in the car together.  It may not sound that exciting but it's kind of their thing.  Jeremy never takes any of the other kids.  It's always Jr. (when he can do it on a day Jr.'s around).  They sit together playing games or watching shows while they wait.  Sometimes they have snacks.  It's their bonding time.

When they got back, Nichole and I headed to the Orem Library.  We had a nice talk on the drive there.  We talked books and things while at the library (she even suggested a book I haven't yet read so I checked it out), chatted with a librarian, checked out some books and movies to celebrate some upcoming holidays, and we sat for a while coloring on one of those mandalas they print out for people to color. 

When Nichole and I got back, Jeremy took Jr. Jr. to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point.  He didn't ride on the camel at Vernal Holly Days so Jeremy took him to ride the ponies at Farm Country.  Jr. Jr. also got to feed the ducks.

When they got back, I took Lucky to University Place (I still call it University Mall) to ride on the escalators.  He thought it was so neat when we rode the escalators at the Conference Center on Saturday that he was very much in favor of riding others.  Unfortunately I could only find one set in one store, though it did go up three floors.  We did ride some elevators, though, including one where you could see out as it went up and down.  After walking around the mall for a while, I decided to take Lucky down to the other mall- Provo Towne Center.  It has many more escalators (not just inside stores).  We also rode in an elevator that had mirrors all around inside. 

So we all had fun with our one on one time/parent-child dates.  It was a good use of the kids' day off of school.  No birding, though I kept mentioning birds I saw as Nichole and I were driving and walking to the library.
It was good family time, though divided up between family members.

Father's-Son's Camp-out

While Nichole, Lucky, and I had a girls' plus night, Jeremy, Jr., and Jr. Jr. went to the ward's Father's-Son's camp-out.
They ate hot dogs and s'mores and french fries and scones, started a campfire, and slept in a tent.

And got really really dirty.
Good times.

Girls' Night

While Jeremy took Jr. and Jr. Jr. to a Father's-Son's camp-out, Nichole, Lucky, and I had a girls' plus adorable two-year old boy night.

We ate pizza, gummi bears, and brownies while watching a movie.
Good times.

Catch of the Day

The KAT's Meow

Dad:  You can't just take things from Lucky.  It's not nice.  You don't like it when he does that to you.
Jr. Jr.:  I just push him down and he drops it.  Then I take it.
Dad:  That's not better!


Jr. Jr.:  The reason I stay up so late is because of too much sugar.
Dad:  So we shouldn't let you have sugar anymore then?
Jr. Jr.:  Actually the reason I stay up so late is because I am not tired, then I get tired and go to sleep.
Dad:  So we should just let you stay up at night until you get tired?
Jr. Jr. (hopeful):  Um... yeah?
Dad (laughing):  Not going to happen.

The Campout That Wasn't

Jeremy was going to take the older boys to a father-son campout this weekend.  The weather looked like it was going to rain a lot so he convinced them to do something else instead.
So after we all ate hot dogs and chips like they would have done on the campout, Jeremy took Jr. and Jr. Jr. out to see a movie. 

While they were gone, Nichole and I got to have some bonding time and watch a movie together here.

Once the boys got back, we all had s'mores (heated in the microwave), which they would also have had at the campout.

Lucky helped himself.

The kids were happy with the bonding time and so were we parents.
And since this year today is also National Pizza Party Day, I made a pizza for Nichole, Lucky, and I to enjoy during the movie.

SMOOTHIE!

Nichole made us smoothies for Brew a Potion Day, January 19.

Jeremy and Jr. had a Father-Son date.  They made a fort in Jeremy's office and watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  Also appropriate for Brew a Potion Day.

Jr. had a coupon for a Cravings cupcake so they also went and got that for him.

Jr. Jr., Nichole, Lucky, and I had a dance party, which doesn't quite fit in with Brew a Potion Day, but that's okay.  It's fun anyway.

But other things that do fit in with Brew a Potion Day- Lucky brought out a laundry basket and Nichole said, "That can be our cauldron."  The kids also ran around "flying" on brooms.

Some other ideas for celebrating Brew a Potion Day are:
Watch Hocus Pocus or The Wizard of Oz
Make dry ice root beer
Just remember.  If you let the kids brew their own potion on this holiday, make sure they have adult supervision.

Quite a Date

We needed a date.  Jeremy and I needed a date.  Jeremy and Nichole needed a Daddy-daughter date.  Jeremy and Jr. needed a Daddy-son date.  Jeremy and Jr. Jr. needed a Daddy-son date.  Nichole and I needed a Mommy-daughter date.  Jr. and I needed a Mommy-son date.  Jr. Jr. and I needed a Mommy-son date.
So we had them.  This evening we had a special Daddy-daughter, Daddy-son, Daddy-son, Daddy-son, Mommy-daughter, Mommy-son, Mommy-son, Mommy-son date (and Mommy-Daddy date).  Lucky wasn't to be left out, even if he wasn't particularly needing a date.
We went to Brick Oven Pizza in Provo.  Haven't been there in years.  We hadn't been there since Jeremy was doing balloons there- way before I was even pregnant with Lucky.  He hasn't done restaurant work in a while.
So we went this evening.  And had pizza.  And root beer.  And a great time.  But no balloons.

It was made so much better by everyone talking about it being a Daddy-daughter, Daddy-son, Daddy-son, Daddy-son, Mommy-daughter, Mommy-son, Mommy-son, Mommy-son date.  Don't you agree that that's just fun?  Try it some time.  Don't go out for a family outing.  Go on a date.  That includes the whole family.  And call it something fun that includes everyone.


It was a fun family date.