While you were gone . . .

Josh comes home tonight at 5:25pm! We are very excited!! Josh here are a few things you missed!

Horrible day Sunday – Blake pretty much screamed all day! While mom was busy Grant ate almost an entire box of Dora popsicles (-2) and Trent poured a HUGE overflowing bowl of Captain Crunch for himself!

Changed Grant’s sheets twice and our sheets twice because of Grant!

Got a babysitter so I could run a couple errands Saturday morning . . . came home to her little sister and Trent’s friend and his 2 sisters! (After saying no friends!)

Told Grant the skin on his ear was peeling from his sunburn, he laughed and told me, “Everyone can see my bones now!” Trent told him, “Ears don’t have bones.”

Grant flipping through his chore cards, “read scriptures, say prayers, put on your life jacket when you swim in the pool, pick up the blocks, gets some pets from the store.” There is a pair of kind of puffy blue overalls that stand for “get dressed” – hence the life jacket. If you have pets there is a card for feed the animals. The blocks stand for “pick up toys.” I love the literal!

Grant put a big band aide right across the bridge of his nose! The big sore was right above it, not covered!

Grant was ready for bed first and Trent folded his arms and said, “Grant is a better boy than I am !”

Blake attacked Grant’s face while lying in bed. I asked if he was ok. In his general statement, literal way he said, “I am always ok when Blakey wants to pick my scab off!”

Walking in from getting the mail Trent said, “Grandpa has a sword at Jill and Mike’s house.” Me “Did he show it to you?” Trent “I saw him use it.” Thinking it was the sword from Japan, “You did?” Trent “Yeah it is a small sword and he sliced the enveloped with it! We need to get one!” Letter opener!

Trent “Let’s color pictures of Jesus for FHE. Can we walk around in heaven? What can our spirits do?” Grant “Next time I go to heaven I am going to take Him a Jesus picture.” Grant again “When you go will ask if we can color in heaven?”

Chera Reese is pregnant! Hooray!!!!

We are hoping Josh does not bring home the swine flu!

I force feed Blake veggies on occasion!

****My internet has been down! Which really ticks me off!

Little boys can be way too intense when Mom is way too tired!

Grant in the back seat of the car “Mom I am petting Blake so softly on his hair he won’t cry! (Laugh to himself) He is not a horse!”

After yogurt in the yogurt shop, Grant lying on the bench outside showing me his “back float” he learned in swimming!

The car seat I need to clean in the bathtub is sitting right where I left it when I took Josh to the airport!

Reese’s grew up “nee nee neeing.” It is rubbing noses with my Dad! I did it with Blake this morning and he LOVED it!!

Monday Trent had a 10 – 12 minutes conversation with my parents on the phone! They loved it!

Trent is the “Apple of My Eye” this week at school! He took Skittles Monday for everyone! He is sooooo excited!

Grant dumped an entire bag of cheese fish in the bonus room on the train table and couch! Consequence pending!

Grant cut his own hair twice! Jill thinks I need to shave it for sure!!

After Dr. Duffy suggested I look on You-tube at his patient’s home video of Bot Fly removal, I had a dream I had Bot flies and ticks all over my body and I couldn’t squeeze them out fast enough!

Another dream Josh would not commit to marry me!

Another dream all 5 of us were being held hostage by 3 men in a house and I couldn’t get the kids to quiet down but I didn’t want to scare them with the situation!

The boys did a pretty good job with their small carts in Smiths Grocery Store.

Blake, more tired than I realized, did not enjoy in Smiths when I lifted him up into a big bunch of balloons!

Neighbor boys beating on our swing set with golf clubs! Where did the golf clubs come from?

Do not ever eat a Dorito you think Grant doesn’t want – he licks them!

Trent “Mom every minute put one eye on Blake, one eye on Blake one eye on scrapbooking!”



Trent and Grant got to go to Johnny B's birthday on April 24th! Grant did not want a picture with the Storm Trooper!

Small Talk

Grant is a narrator. He explains everything the best he can. He is also a rhymer. This morning he came in and said, "Mom I need a jacket packet lemon lacket." I told him I thought he was a great rhymer. He told me, "I do things that I do and I hate things that I hate!" Ok!

He was trying to explain to me the shoes he wanted to wear today. I could not figure out which ones he was talking about! He said, "I know what myself is talking about."

Grant told me, "Blake has 2 tooths, if there are 2 he has teeth. He has 2 teeth. Blakey I like your teeth in your red stuff!" I was thrilled he self-corrected!

This morning at 8:20am Grant was ready for school and wanted to ride his bike around the driveway. He was excited they were going on a field trip to the park. I told him he could ride a couple times then come in. He was not allowed to go to the Brockbanks, NO crossing the street. He came in a few minutes later and announced, "They said I was early and to head home." What? Did he cross the street and go to the Brockbanks? Better yet, he went to school! I asked him why he rode to school. He told me, "Because I forgot to do that thing you said." I replied, "Not cross the street!" Needless to say Grant went with the carpool today and did not ride his bike back!!

When I told him the park had been canceled he was pretty upset! He told me, "I only like parks. I only like to go to school when there is a park. I am not going to school because there is no park."

Tuesday, April 21, Trent taught Blake to climb the stairs! He is very patient with Blake and adores him! Although now he is thinking he might like Grandma Evelyn's dog a little more than Blake! I told him now he has to teach Blake to come down! Blake is now obsessed with stairs and Trent is paranoid Blake will get hurt on the stairs!

Couldn't Resist

When Blake is a "Nakie Baby" the boys crack up - which in turn makes Blake crack up! Seeing him standing there holding onto the toilet, I couldn't resist!!

I think I like this picture because you can see he is so excited his little eyes are squinted closed!!

His head is the only thing on him over the 50th percentile! I love big heads!!

***(The spacing will not work for me! Help me Paul! So I am using *)

Blake is taking his prescription for his ear infection like a champ . . . but give him veggies and uh-oh another story! Tonight I gave him a bite of sweet potatoes and he made his hands into fists and turned bright red and was shaking trying to scream with his mouth closed! He was ticked! Then I tried a banana-blueberry-strawberry mixture . . . ate the whole thing! A neighbor of mine saw me at Wal-Mart and we chatted veggies. She said not to give him anything but veggies and he will eventually eat them! Yeah, definitely not my style!

***

Our little nephew Cole had his appendix out last night! Grant's interpretation - "someone in his body was pushing everything in there really hard to one side so much that he broke his knee!" I was thinking of pulling out the body book tomorrow - except that the book has little people with ladders and ropes explaining how the body works! This would just solidify Grant's ideas!

***

Trent organized a little neighborhood water fight yesterday! I looked in the back yard and there were children of all ages! I knew he was planning on having a water fight, I thought with Grant! When Grant woke up yesterday morning he said, "Trent I am so excited for your big water gun party today!" I didn't realize he would gather such a group! I was sitting on the deck and he came over and whispered to me that he had locked the garage door because he thought kids were "stealing" our Smarties! I suggested we "give" the kids some Smarties!

***

Josh headed to the airport tonight! He is going fishing with Uncle Cliff and Uncle Matt! When we got home the deck door was unlocked! I thought I should probably double check the basement door to make sure it was locked! (and the closets) I do not usually get scared, but for some reason I was freaking myself out! Little Grant was so tired on the couch! I asked if one of the boys would go with me or if I should call the Brockbanks! (half teasing) He stood up and said, "I'm the one with the flashlight mom!" He got a little Star Trek light out of the Apple Jacks box! Anyway, I appreciated it and all is well!!

What's up!

Poor Grant bumps his head constantly!! While playing leap frog Trent knocked him into our black table hard! The back of his head had an instant goose egg, but not an egg shape, a straight line puffed up! This picture is Grant holding frozen peas on his head! (The peas lasted for 2 minutes if that!) The next day he hit something and had another big goose egg above his ear! (I was not comfortable with that location!) The next day Trent's buddy threw a pool ball at Grant and hit him in the forehead! The child could not understand why I did not want them throwing pool balls! He will not be in our basement anytime soon!!

On April 18th I walked into Blake's room after his nap and he was standing for the first time!! We need to lower the crib! These pictures also show off his haircut!

Quick funny story! Monday I asked Trent if he would ride Grant to school on the battery powered four-wheelers! I told him I would come out when it was time!! I was feeding Blake on the couch and looking out the window! Trent, McKinnon and Anaston (McKinnon's little sister) were out front! Trent was determined to catch a bird in a Kirkland diaper wipes box! I didn't see Grant and it was 9:40am! At 9:55 I went out to tell them to go and Trent said, "We already took him!" He was over 20 minutes early! I was cracking up! When Grant got home he told me that when he got to school they had forgotten his backpack so McKinnon ran home to get it for him! He told me he sat in his chair and waited for the kids!

After school it was 70 degrees, so Grant got to slip n' slide with the Brockbanks on their front lawn!! Michelle was laughing because the first sign of sun Kade and Reagan pulled out the slip n' slide! Grant was thrilled!!

April 19 Josh, Grant, Trent and Olivia drove with Grandma Evelyn to Bountiful to get her new puppy! He is an adorable Cavachon! Koda is 10 weeks old!

Blake is 17 lbs. 6 oz. and has his first earache! He also has 2 teeth on the bottom!

Quote

My mom emailed me this fantastic quote!!
"Courage does not always roar...Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day that whispers 'I'll try again tomorrow.'"

Ears

Grant asked me this morning if bugs were going to crawl out of his ear because there is a hole! I told him no, that the hole leads to the ear drum and the ear drum is how we hear. He said, "So there is someone in my ear playing the drums so I can hear."

Julie's 32

Still wearing those goggles!!

I met my sisters at Carl's Jr. for lunch after Blake's nap! They took the kids to Jill's house, and she kept them until 8:30pm!! THANK YOU JILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got a massage at the Sanctuary!

Then went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner!

"Yee-haw!" I was very embarrassed! (When I remembered the saddle, I wished I had picked somewhere else to eat!!) We had a great time!! Josh went to get gas in the Sequoia for me and a movie! I went to get the kids from Mike and Jill! (Trent had previously told me to go be with Dad for a long time.) I asked him if we were gone long enough, he replied no, he wanted to stay longer!

The Day After

I need to let the Easter Bunny know the Shaving Kits were a hit!! (They have shaved every morning since Easter!)

My little duck!! He usually wakes up happy and smiling (except when Grant beats me in there!)

Thank you Easter Bunny for the goggles! Grant has not taken them off . . .

even when they are so foggy he can hardly see! (Josh and I went shopping together for the Easter outfits and ended up with 2! The kids need church clothes for the summer so we got them both! When its warm again I will have a picture of all 4 boys!! That includes Dad!)

Lovin' the Kangaroo Zoo for Spring Break! (Blake was home with a babysitter!) Driving to the Kangaroo Zoo Grant asked, "Mom does the Easter Bunny have wood on the back of his hands?" (I think that is because he could see it was gloves!) Trent said, "Grant it was Johnny!" Clicking it was human not Johnny, Grant said, "Oh so it is bones!" Trent said, "It was Johnny Grant!" Grant, "Then I shouldn't be scared!" Trent explained to us that the Talls told him it was Uncle Johnny and they discussed it Sunday night with Aunt Jen! Grant said, "I should get myself an Easter Bunny costume and put all those clothes on and try to hold Parker and all those kids!" I was cracking up because Parker and Grant were both so scared! And what do those Easter Bunnies do anyway, try to hold scared kids!

The boys swam in the hot tub with the Simmon's kids and then took me to the Olive Garden for my birthday! After that we went to a Jazz Game! (Their first time going!) They had a lot of fun!

Taken by Grant.

Taken by Trent.

Happy Easter!!

On Saturday night Jen Child told Grant a little Easter Story! (Mind you Grant is afraid of the Easter Bunny and most of the characters at Disneyland!) She told him when she was a little girl she was sleeping and felt a little tickle around her nose and mouth! (She kind of tickled Grant's nose and mouth with 2 fingers!) He was sitting next to me on the couch and looked up at me with huge eyes! She then told him it was Easter Bunny kisses! Tears filled his eyes and he tried to climb on my lap! It terrified him!! She felt so bad!

I love having the boys match! I was super excited that all 3 could match this year!! Trent was so excited to find his basket that he got up at 3am! He came into our room and hovered over me, "Mom I think the Easter Bunny came, let's go check!" He was obviously excited so we went to the family room, flipped the lights on and he checked for eggs!" He came back to bed with me and could not sleep! I let him go hunt for his basket! I told him the Easter Bunny left me a note and his was red and Grant's was blue! (Good thing he is 5 and didn't wonder when I had read the note!) I heard him hunting for a while. He came back and said he had found Grant's but could not find his! He wondered if I had any ideas! I was so tired at this point and wanting to get some sleep I said, "Check your bathroom!" I could hear him in the bathroom pulling the shower curtain back! Then I heard the cellophane and him riffling through the basket! He came back in to my room and told me he got a shaving kit! He was still very excited and wanted to wake Grant and hunt for eggs! I told him no he had to sleep! He finally got to sleep a little after 5am!

The boys really excited to hunt for eggs! Grant in the middle of an Easter dance!! (Before they started hunting I ran to the pantry to check Grant's basket! I had to retie the cellophane from Trent's peeking!)

The boys are looking through the books we made them, "10 Things We Love About You." (Thank you Danylle for the fantastic idea!)

They loved the books!!

Dad made some special Easter German Pancakes!

I think they turned out pretty cool!

We did not have time to take pictures before church because Blake was asleep then Grant was asleep! So we tried to snap a few at Jill and Mike's house! It was very important to me to get good pictures so I got a little testy! Sorry Josh!!

Obviously we did not succeed this year!! Grant did not feel well, Trent wanted to play with cousins and Blake had just woken up and was hungry! Grant spent his time laying on the couch or ottoman! Then he told Parker, "I need a little rest, I will play with you when I'm done!" He went into my parent's bedroom, climbed in the covers and snuggled up! He told me it is the most comfy bed in the world! He stayed in there resting for a long time!

We had dinner at the Simmon's house with my sibilings and the Parkes Family! (My cousin Shawna and her husband Barry and their 3 girls - Jessica, Becca and Mo.)

The Easter Bunny came, much to the kids dismay! (Mainly Grant and Parker.)
Blake liked him . . .

for a minute!

Dad helped make everyone comfortable with the bunny!!

Even Grant!!