Roundup Week

I grew up in the busy suburbs of Los Angeles and when I moved to Utah I remember getting a lot of flack for moving to the “stix.”  That said, I really love where we live.  I love the sense of community that is here and how “small town” it feels.  Part of the annual summer festivities are that weekly, there seems to always be a city in Utah Valley that is city’s celebration (e.g. Provo City has Freedom Festival, Pleasant Grove has Strawberry Days).  Basically, for the week there are tons of community events planned; from baby contests, to outdoor bazaars, to parades, fireworks and occasionally….a rodeo.  Such is the case for our city and we had a great time!  It’s become a sort of tradition for us!  The boys love going and usually we convince my parents to join us too!  This year was one of those years!  We love watching the bull rides and the half time motocross motorcycle stunt show.  I think Gavin’s highlight is getting a snowcone!  It’s all fun!  Seems like summer is going so fast it is hard to believe that the kids’ break is already 1/3 over!  Makes me sad!

Scary, Scary Tooth Fairy

Or so Scott thinks!  Scott lost his first tooth!   When we went in to the dentist’s office a few weeks ago he pointed out that Scott had a new tooth growing in and that we had to get that baby tooth out or he would need to get it pulled.  So, I’ve been working on it here and there when I would remember and we got it!  Scott was excited at first!  We went to the closet to get out the “Tooth Fairy Pillow” and when we set it on his bed, he’s like “Maybe we should put it on the floor, Mom.”  A little background……Scott has empty toy tubs and they are all underneath his bed, where he puts anything that freaks him out.  So, I laughed and asked, “Are you scared of the tooth fairy Scott?” and he confessed he was.  So I proceeded to point out that if he was afraid of the fairy, that I’m sure that fairy would stay away.  He put two and two together and realized if he wanted to make any $ on the deal, he’d better swallow his fear, so he let me put it at the foot of his bed next to his Night Light Lady Bug toy he himself affectionately has named, Max the Wizard.  And alas….the fairy came.

Hangin’ With The Howells

It’s Memorial Weekend and we thought it would be fun to have Michael’s sister and her family over.  They were able to come for dinner (actually, they brought it) and play games.  The cousins had a great time playing too!  The only thing missing was….Lauren.  I guess she is off with friends for the weekend…..sad how fast these kiddos are growing!

Oh, and I almost forgot…..before that we were able to take our gaggle of guys to the batting cages.  That was the highlight of their Memorial Morning…..it’s times like that I love that I have so many boys.  I love to play sports and I feel like I can hold my own, so I look forward to helping coach the kiddos…..and get to play too!  Someone has to show them that girls can hold their own!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dancing Princess

 

My niece Melissa is the only princess in the family.  My parents have all grandsons….and her.  She does, however, have Down’s Syndrome.  My sister has done the best to try to help Melissa have a normal childhood; helped her get good teachers, put her in dance…….but, Melissa is finally getting big enough that she won’t be able to do the dancing anymore with the studio Kenna has

 

had her at.  Scott, Gavin and I were able to go to Melissa’s final performance and although her part was very brief (too brief in my mind), she did a great job!  We are proud of the princess!

Kenneth Garr Lester……..USAFR

It is tradition, ever since we have lived in Utah, that I take my grandmother Gee (Maurine Steinpfad) to the cemetery to visit my grandfather’s grave for Memorial Day.  This year my mom accompanied us too!   We managed to get there a week early this year, but hey – at least we made it!  This year we went on my kids’ early out day so we all made the trek up to the cemetery in Salt Lake…..all but Mason.  Since Michael works from home it worked out conveniently to leave him there and let him nap.   My grandfather died when he was 25 on duty, in an airplane crash, in West Virginia.  My mother was 9 months old and my Uncle was 3.

(There is quite the history to accompany this, in more detail that you, my boys will one day be able to read in my journal.)  Every year we go there, it just blows my mind at how short his time here was on earth, and how much more life I’ve had the opportunity to live.  It’s very sad to me.  It would’ve been nice to have a grandfather.  My father’s father died when I was 2 and my grandmother remarried a man named Al who was a great surrogate grandfather.  But, I have to admit, it wasn’t quite the same as it could have been and I feel that relationship missing in my life.

Dance Festival 2012

Every year the boys’ school puts on a dance production as part of their “music Specialty” class.  This year, Gavin’s class danced to “Never Had A Friend Like Me” from Aladdin and Jared’s class danced to “Crocodile Rock” by the Beach Boys.  It was so cute!  Gavin wore a blue shirt and they made him gold arm cuffs to dress him up like a Genie and Jared wore fifties looking clothes; jeans rolled up and white t-shirts.  Here are a couple still shots.  I’m going to try (once again) to have Michael help me upload the videos.  They’re too cute to not share!

 

 

		Dance Festival 2012 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Scootie’s Preschool Graduation

It’s July and I am just realizing I never blogged about Scott’s Preschool graduation.  It was very cute.  He’s getting so big!  Miss Heather & Miss Denise are sisters who teach just a few doors from my house.  It’s been so great having a school so close and I love watching each of my boys ride off to school.  Each one dawdles before going in the door, hanging around the staircase for a couple minutes before he decides to go in to class.  It’s a good memory. 

Their little graduation consisted of a few nursery rhyme recitations and a few songs.  They did a great job!  He brought his T-shirt, just like his brothers do, for the last day of school, and had all of his friends write on it.  Then, we all went out for an ice cream to celebrate!  Scott is so excited for Kindergarten, he can hardly stand it!  I think he will do great!

Love this picture BTW – it took me a couple days after I’d posted it on FB to realize that his fly was down!  SO funny!  SO Scott……he doesn’t care.  He’s just happy.

Blue Jays

Jared has had a fairly good baseball season so far.  They have won a few games this year.  Some have been better than others…..but he’s having a great time and that’s what we were really going for.   It’s been fun to watch him develop in his sports and see some progress.  The key for Jared is to not give up……when he gets discouraged his first inclination is to run away, rather than fire through and try harder.  Love him to pieces and I’m trying to help him learn.  I got a few more shots of him that I liked and I’m going to post them here.

Riding Off Into The Sunrise…..

For the last time!   Scott had his last day of preschool.  It’ s so hard to wrap my mind around time and how fast the moments truly do go.  I know I will miss one day, standing on my porch watching my little boys’ heads, one at a time, year after year, ride their bikes over to the neighborhood preschool.   I have 3 years until I get to send Mason and then that’s it.  It’s so sad to me.  I read a quote the other day that  I really liked, which I keep reminding myself of that said something like, “Don’t cry because it’s over.  Smile because it happened.”  SO true.  But like most things, it’s easier said than done some days.

I Love Jared, He Loves Me

We love Gavin yesiree.  They love us and so you see, we are a happy family!  Somebody cue the music!  Well, if you’re a Mormon, you totally know this tune.  Not sure where it stems from.  My guess would be the Primary Children’s Songbook….. 

Well, I had to take a picture of it.  For years, these boys have driven us nuts with all their arguing.  And several years ago, we devised a few different punishments “of choice,” we like to call it.  One of which is public humiliation….in a good way!   Whenever our boys bicker like crazy, we make them stop what they are doing, hug each other and sing the tune I typed out above.  It’s great!  So, believe it or not, we had to do it again the other day.  Who knows how old these guys will be the last time they have to do this, but I thought, “I’ve got my camera on me this time.  I’m going to get it on film.”  Well, part way into their song, Gavin gave me the look of death.  He was more embarrassed that I was taking pictures, than anything!  After he stopped focusing on me, they got through their tune satisfactorily.  By the end of the song they are always giggling out of control and having a great time and have  moved on from whatever it was they were arguing about. 

It’s great!

Soccer Comes To A Close

This last week was a really LONG one for me!  Michael was traveling and we had lots planned that I had to do alone.  I have no idea how single moms do it.  They are awesome! 

This last week included baseball games, running training sessions at the park, soccer games, piano lessons and soccer practices.  It was crazy, but fun!  So glad to have Michael home again!  I didn’t have my camera on me, but Jared’s “Red Lightning” team ended the season with a tie!  I think I have s few pictures I took earlier and if I can find them, I will put them on here.  Gavin’s “Green Vipers” won!  I did manage to have my camera on me at that game and got some great shots of him in action, though.

At the end of Gavin’s game, I managed to volunteer Michael and another Dad in our neighborhood (Todd) to coach Gavin’s soccer team next year.  His coaches decided they were done. So, he reluctantly agreed and I think it will be a fun adventure…..for all of us!

Oh, and I can’t forget.  The next generation of superstar brothers that will play soccer, were playing on the sidelines and cheering on their brothers!  I thought Scott holding on to Mason’s hand was so sweet, as he guide him through the field.

Father and Sons

Once again, arguably the most anticipated event (at least around our house ) of the year rolled around!  Scott had been asking since Monday when it was time for the campout.  Because Michael is in the Elder’s Quorum Presidency, he was responsible for bringing the water balloons.  We went and bought a huge container full.  Michael was running behind with work and our sweet boys decided when they got home from school, to spend a few house outside filling them up for their Dad.  It was very sweet.  Later on, Gavin disappeared and went back at it, outside, crouched over the spigot.  It was very cute…..and I was very proud.

Well, they took off around 5pm and I spent the evening with Mason and my buddies Amy and Evelyn.  We went to dinner and painted toes while we watched “Mama Mia.”  Well, maybe not Mason….. I will let Michael post the rest of what happened at the Father and Sons Campout.  Looking at the pictures…..seems like a recipe for trouble, if you ask me!

Mr. Mase

This little baby makes us laugh and laugh.  He’s been so much fun to watch grow.  His latest trick is to run around the house babbling in baby gibberish and looking at us like, “Get a clue.  Why don’t you get what I’m saying?  I totally get it!”  It’s so funny.  In this picture, Jared dressed him up in his jersey and Mason found Jared’s lunch box and hoisted it up over his arm.  He likes to pretend its his purse, like Mom.  SO cute!  Oh, and here’s another thing that makes me laugh.  Sometimes Mason laughs at me, as if I’m so entertaining to him; like he knows more than I do.  SO funny!

Hangin’ With Hadley

I just had to take a quick pic of this; these two hang out ALL the time.  They decided to be silly with orange slices this afternoon.

Training With An Olympian

Our neighbor a few houses over is Marsha Mark Baird.  She is a former Olympian who ran for Trinidad and Tobago in the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic Heptathlon.  She’s so funny, because she doesn’t like to draw attention to herself, but I think it’s pretty cool how athletically accomplished she is! 

Well, Marsha decided she would run a running clinic for the kids in the neighborhoods (ages 8 and older).  She did 3 different workshops and Jared was able to go to two and Gavin went to all three!  It was fun to watch and the boys got faster just over the course of her exercises.  A big “thank you” to her for all her time! 

Oh, and did I mention…..Scott stayed busy climbing trees at the park. 

Mother’s Day 2012!

This year my sweet bundle of boys and their Dad, made me a yummy french toast breakfast with turkey bacon!  They also bought me beautiful “fire and ice” roses (just like the ones in my wedding bouquet) and wrote cute cards.  It was sweet!  At church, because our primary is so large, they have to two primary programs and they do the Jr. Primary program on Mother’s Day!  That was a treat!  Sweet Scotty got up front and sang his heart out!  The program this year was about families and when Scott’s class got up, they asked the kids what they love to do with their brothers/sisters.  Scott originally told they he likes to play Mr. Popper’s Penguins with his brothers ( some random game they made up where they bounce up and down on the stairs), but when he got up, he had a different answer in mind!  Their recent babysitter, Lauren, brought over a wii game called “Just Dance,” and I haven’t heard the end of it since she was over about what a fun time that game is and how much he enjoyed dancing with his brothers.  So….when the time came and they asked him what he liked to do with his brothers, he got up to the podium and said how much he likes to play Just Dance with his brothers!  It was so cute how he said it and everyone giggled.  He is such a cutie!  In primary they had the kids make up puzzles and write something on them for mom and then break them up into pieces and put them in a bag for the moms to put together with messages on them from the kids.  It took me a few minutes, but I pieced them together.  That was sweet too!  We ended the day with going over to my parents’ house for dinner where the “Dads” cooked for the “Moms.”  Michael was sweet and made me what has become my favorite chocolate cake and grilled me some delish Rosemary chicken!  YUM!  We had to head home at a decent hour; Michael had to leave on business at 4am the next morning.  So much for Mother’s Day!  Went from being waited on to overwhelmed……but I managed to survive my single mother week!  Thanks honey for a nice day!

A Necessary Evil

Poor Scott endured that terrible process every child going into Kindergarten has to endure…..a date with the DR and his shots!  They do something a little more fun at our clinic, known as “Kindergarten Days.” They do all the typical tests, but with distractions like….snacks and toy prizes.  As always, Scoots is off the charts!  This time they sent us away saying that he is the average 6 1/2 year old!  He was really brave and I am really proud of him!

Drums Alive

The boys’ school took up a new  program.  I found out a little bit into it that this program was developed by our new principal’s sister.  It was a fun new take on a way to combine exercise with math facts.  Each kid is given a set of drumsticks and has a balance ball situated in front of them.  Kids drum the beat; the same amount of beats that correlates with the sum.  So, if the answer was something like 24, the kids would drum the ball twice for the tens, and then hit drumsticks four times for the ones.  Good way to get them active while reviewing their math.  It looked like they were having a great time!

Camp Woolstenhulme

This year Gavin had Mrs. Woolstenhulme for a teacher.  The same teacher Jared had when he was in 2nd grade.  It’s is her tradition to do some fun activities the last couple weeks of school.  One of which is……Camp Woolstenhulme!  The kiddos all get to bring a blanket and/or pillow and flashlight and she clears out the desks and puts up a few tents and then in the center she made a fake fire for the kids to gather around.  They get to make s’mores and tell campfire stories.  This year, I was invited to come in and tell some stories to the kids and it was fun!  I got a couple pictures of it ,but I’m afraid they didn’t turn out so well.