Faith 'n Family

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Fishing Trip

Some highlights from a fun fishing trip this Summer:

Girls catching dragonflies!!

Summer was So excited to be part of it all!

Fun Times - Great Memories!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

River and Daddy were talking about being hungry while walking home to eat dinner. River says to Daddy: "I'm as hungry as a hippo that hasn't eaten in 3,000 years!!!"

We had a Family Night lesson on friends. River: "You know who my best friends are? Mommy and Daddy!" This was followed by a big kiss.

On a long roadtrip Silver cries out "Baby Summer Bite My Toeies!!" Sorry Kiddo, that's what happens when you stick your toesies in Baby Summer's Mouth!!

It makes for a long car ride when driving from Idaho to Arizona with little bladders. This has to be a record: Silver HAD to go so we pulled off on an exit. After taking care of business both girls assured us they were fine to continue on. We were just pulling back onto the freeway when we hear the panicked "Me Go Potty, Me Go Potty!!"

Silver: "Me Can't! Me too widdoo (little)"

Our local grocery store gives tokens for free merry-go-round rides. Silver and River hop on while I hold Summer. As they twirl around, Summer gives them high-fives and they all giggle the whole time.

While driving in the car we were looking at different things on the side of the road. River said "I have REALLY good eye-sight!" She was sitting on the back row of the van and was also impressed that she could hear everything. "Mom! I have really good hear-sight too!"

Silver has started saying "Mommy says Uhh huh!" when asking Daddy for something....like a popsicle......"Daddy, popsicle please...Mommy says uhh huh!" She's started using it with me too...."popsicle please....mommy says uh huh!" Many times I'll say that we can't do this right now, but after nap you can watch a movie or after dinner you can eat ice cream. She says "voodie" (interpreted as movie) and I'll say after nap, and she'll say Mommy says Uh huh! Mom: After nap! Silver: Ohhhh. Silver: Ice cream? Mom: After Dinner! Silver: Mommy says Uh huh! Mom: After Dinner Silver: Ooohhhh. So after one of our usual movie after nap discussions she comes to me and says: "Mommy says no! Jesus says Uhh huh!"

I have finally found a great nickname for Colt. Colt has so many great qualities and things that make him uniquely himself. In the past I have called him my McGyver - you know the one that can fix anything with a paperclip and tape, or maybe a straw and a toilet paper roll? Colt is up to the challenge and tries to fix and figure things out. I have taken to calling him "Speed Boat" Colt thrives by challenge and being involved with many different things. Things that utterly overwhelm me and shut-me-down are there to be conquered in his world - he is so very patient with me. So with being so involved with things and having lots on his plate, he tends to need to move from one thing to the next rapidly. Speed. Let's go! One of my favorite terms that Colt taught me when you need to pick up the pace is "scoot a cheek". When you really need to be snappy "beat cheeks!" :) Colt also has a seemingly contradictory style to dilly dally at times...he takes life at his own pace and definitely marches to his own drum. He loves to take certain things at his own leisure.....but then it's time to go, go, go!! Hence the name speed boat: speed - things to do, people to see, places to go, a million miles and hour and then boat - hey wait a minute here, I'm in a boat....on the water....this is an excellent place to go fishing!! :) Let's put our pole out in the water and see what bites.......well we've been here long enough....off to the next site!! Speed Boat. The other morning after a mellow morning and breakfast, Colt was saying "come on let's go!" River turns to me with a little smile and says "Speed Boat!" :)

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Homemade Ice cream

VIDEO: The girls making homemade ice cream!

This was a really fun activity!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup half and half

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup salt (The bigger the granules, the better. Kosher or rock salt works best, but table salt is fine.)

Ice cubes (enough to fill each gallon-size bag about half full)

1 pint-size ziplock bag

1 gallon-size ziplock bag

Instructions

1.Combine the sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract in the pint-size bag and seal it tightly.

2.Place the salt and ice in the gallon-size bag, then place the sealed smaller bag inside as well. Seal the larger bag. Now shake the bags until the mixture hardens (about 5 minutes). Feel the small bag to determine when it's done.

We added chocolate powder to our ice cream to make it chocolate - it turned out just like soft-serve and oh, so yummy!

Next time I'll just do 1 bag instead of 3. 5 minutes is a really long time to shake a bag for a little kid, and it turned out to be a lot to eat too.

VIDEO: how the girls like their ice cream!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

River's 1st Day of School

It was River's first day of school today. Mixed feelings. I'm very grateful that River is progressing and taking a very new, very big step. My little girl is big enough to go to 7 hours of school by herself. I'm proud of her that she is ready to go to school and is excited and willing to learn. I also feel the loss of not having her with me all day. I was hesitant about all-day school instead of 1/2 day, but she was so excited when she tried all-day out today: "Mom, It was SO great! Can I please do ALL day?" Yes! We went down yesterday and helped her teacher Ms. Beusner clean and straighten up the classroom - this was Excellent for River!! She took ownership of her room helping to clean the blackboards, put together packets for each of the kids, organize the decorative borders, cut out things to place on the walls, put name tags on all the centers for the kids, etc. She was beaming and Oh so ready to start. She had a couple of hours with her teacher and feeling like she could do this. She chatted with her teacher telling her that she just read her first 2 books the day before (hooked on phonics is a fun thing for her - Yard Sale - $5!). Cleaning the classroom was excellent for me too - I saw that River really could do this - that she was ready and I got to know her teacher too - to see that she cared about education and is really good with kids.

River doing her Hooked on Phonics - This is a program for sounding out the words. She knows all her letter names and sounds - so this was perfect for her to start making words with. You could see a light-bulb go off in her when she looked up and said "I CAN READ!!!" Smile nearly splitting her face in two. She covers up the pictures and can pull off the cards when she reads the words. I try to give Silver time too for her "learning time" River gets reading and piano lessons. So I give Silver piano "lessons" and pre-school lessons - she is working on colors and shapes. I usually have them both going at the same time - Silver with her coloring or project and River with hers - it's busy but I love teaching our girls!

Back to This Morning :) River got a little hesitant - it was overwhelming for her last night - after cleaning their classroom there was a meet your teacher evening with all the kids. She was nervous about going and meeting new kids and experiencing something new and not knowing everything that would happen. We explained that that was normal to feel that way and that she has an excellent teacher that would help her get to everything - lunch, recess, etc. and would explain everything that they would do in school. She also had a Father's Blessing just before leaving for school which was really special. River received very clear, very specific blessings from the Lord that she would be protected and thrive.

Silver also went with us while we cleaned the classroom and had such a great time playing with all the toys and stuffed animals! She wanted so badly to go today too. I took her with us to wave goodbye to River. She insisted on wearing a backpack too, and cried so hard when she had to say see ya later. She cried all the way home. It's really hard when your big sister leaves all day. I'm really looking forward to being able to spend some extra time with Silver - she needs a lot of individual attention that is easier to do with 2 than 3. She's now the big sister and really thrives with the extra one on one time. Silver ran down the hall and gave River a HUGE hug when we went to pick her up today. :)

We went out to dinner at Pizza Hut tonight to celebrate her first big day, while talking about her day she told me about their homework they will have, lunch and recess time, what song they sang, toys to play with, but her favorite time is when the teacher teaches them! She loves learning! She told me she cried and had a hard time when a boy was rough on the play ground and knocked into her. She said that the Father's Blessing really helped her to be brave all day long. She is learning so much more than reading, writing, and math!

What a special little girl - You brighten any room you are in with your shine and goodness - Your innocence and love for the right are a true treasure. You can do anything you set your mind to!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Silver's Sunday Snapshot

Silver on Sunday Morning:

I bought this dress for River, I think it's a size 5.

It fits Silver at 2, she wears it every week!

I have always thought it would be fun to take a picture each Sunday morning and watch how we slowly change. Each Sunday comes and we sit on our bench and watch one baby turn into two kids and now three. They change and grow so quickly.