Dad is Gone...Again...

Jon went to Dugway for work (AGAIN) and left us all to fend for ourselves back at home. Here's what happens when Jon is out of town.

#1: I give Aaron a bowl of Ramen just to stop him from whining for three minutes.

Said Ramen gets dumped all over his chair and the floor and remains there for days.

#2: Bedtimes get a little...flexible. Sometimes early when I can't be a nice mom anymore.

Sometimes late when we just HAVE to get out of the house.

This was after a later night: 

She slept through all of us tromping in looking for her.

And through bath and bedtime for her brothers.

Also, she totally peed all over my bedding.

#3: Baths are a great way to fill the gap between dinner and bedtime.

Right, Aaron? 

"Baths are my most favorite thing in the whole world! Well, besides food."

Adorable tub baby

Brushing teeth in the tub = quicker route through the bedtime routine

Aaron thinks Seth's toothbrush is far superior to his.

Or he's trying to help Seth brush...hard to tell...

I really, really hate Dugway trips.

Pioneer Day

Our Primary President is from Utah and decided the kids in our ward were missing out by not getting a chance to celebrate Pioneer Day. For the past two years she's put together an activity for the kids to do pioneer activities and, of course, ride bikes in a parade around the church. Because that's really the best part about Pioneer Day in Utah if you're a kid!

Snow White rides her trike for Pioneer Day.

Look at that amazing color coordination!

Seth scoots for Pioneer Day

(broken fancy camera = point and shoot = blurry pictures)

Seth gets trounced by Brynn during the stick pull.

He didn't feel too bad since Brynn could probably beat half the adults there at the stick pull.

 

Debbie feeds Aaron a popsicle while I help Snow White parade.

He ate the entire thing and looked around for more.

We then went home and dressed up in traditional pioneer garb: 

Don't tell me your pioneer ancestors didn't wear bumblebee masks or have monster trucks attached to their beautiful sashes. Or carry lightsabers. Man, the pioneers were AWESOME.

Ten Months

(Sorry for the blur--my lens died about two minutes after this picture was taken)

  
Oh, my little Aaron man. You are just a funny little boy. You are just determined to do things your own way and on your own timetable. It's a good thing you're adorable because you're getting a little old for all this "carry me around all the time--I'm helpless!" nonsense.

Here's what you're up to at 10 months old:

*consistently taking two good naps a day, usually 1.5-2 hours each

*smacking your lips when you're hungry or see something you want to eat (like Dad's peanut butter cookies)

*rolling is your primary method of transportation. I've watched you roll back & forth repeatedly in a calculated effort to reach some object. It's not a very efficient method, but it's all you've got.

Trying to lure you to crawl with every toy we own.

*due to said rolling, changing your diaper is now a wrestling match EVERY TIME.

*you have also recently started scooting on your bum when sitting up. Still not sure if it's intentional or just a by-product of excitement/whining.

*you're sitting up pretty well, but we still don't trust you. Mostly because you're constantly lunging for things, falling over & smacking your head. You have GOT to learn to creep, crawl, or cruise, buddy.

*I also still don't trust you sitting in a shopping cart, which means you're still in your car seat, taking up 99% of the room in the basket. 10 months old and still can't sit in a shopping cart...sigh...

*going to bed around 6:30-7:00, waking up twelve hours later. This usually involves one or two nursings at night, usually around 9-10 pm or 5:30 am. I hate when you decide to wake up at 6:30 am.

*you now refuse to nurse when waking up from a nap. Nursing is only for going to sleep, or when you wake up after sleeping all night.

*if you don't stop biting me when you nurse, I'm going to wean you at ten months old. I actually dread nursing you.

*the only baby food you now eat is oatmeal, which I mix with yogurt or applesauce.

Looking chubbier than you actually are

*you are constantly talking. No real words yet, but lots of interesting sounds that Seth thinks are words

*still twelve month clothes, size three diapers

*you are a side sleeper. You're the first one of our kids to side-sleep as a baby.

*highlight of your day: Daddy coming home. You rock and babble with joy, then whine until he picks you up

Playing Babyzilla with Seth.

He builds a town and you destroy it.

*still eating 4 meals a day, plus snacks. You are a bottomless pit. I actually have a giant bag of snacks I carry with us whenever we leave the house, just for you. I forgot them once and it was horrible.

*working on your head-shaking skills, although you don't associate it with "no" yet. But it does make you fall over if you get going fast enough.

Just two more months until you're one...how do you feel, Aaron?

"For reals, Mom?!"

(And right after this, my fancy camera lens died...thank heaven for warranties!)

Six Years

Dear Seth,

Six wasn't too hard for me. You've sprouted like a foot and added 5 lbs this year--you are most definitely in solid boy territory now. And I love it.

You're pretty much independent now, but you still want me to read to you and play with you. I can sense how fleeting those requests are going to be in the next few years. And I've already begun to notice that you're caring more and more about what your peers think. Not at all unexpected, but still a little hard for me to accept. Letting go is harder than I thought it would be.

You're reading like a champ. Sometimes at night we have you read scripture stories to Catherine. You'll stumble over a word or two (usually a name), but that's it. You love reading comic books, especially Garfield.

We've discovered that the best way to get you to help around the house is to give you an immediate monetary incentive. So instead of assigning you to sort the laundry and then paying you at the end of the week, we just say "Do want to sort the laundry for $.75?" It all boils down to the same amount anyway, but that immediate reminder of payment has cut down on whining by 80% or more.

You are such a great help with Aaron. I don't know how many times I've been trying to make dinner and keep Aaron happy (never works), only to have you come over and play some silly game that makes him giggle. He adores you and I don't know what I'd do without you.

You are also Catherine's best friend. Yes, you both enjoy pestering each other, but you also get bored and lonely when the other is gone.

I love the stage you're at right now. You want to help, to make me happy. You also want to learn and explore. And you just get more and more fun and interesting to talk to. Watching you grow up is awesome. I love you, my Seth Man.

Seth's 6 Year Interview

(Side note: Last year Seth answered the questions immediately and with as few words as possible. This year you would have thought I was asking him how to solve world hunger. Also, last year we had baby talk. This year we have mumbling.)

1. What is your favorite color? "Blue and red. Blue because it's like ice, like pretty. And red because it's like fire and I like fire."

2. What's your favorite food? "Noodles with eggs" (translation--Ramen noodles with eggs)

3. Who's your best friend? "Gabey Baby (Knox) and Aaron. Gabe is so funny."

4. What is your favorite movie? "(Insert three minute pause here) Cars 2, maybe. There's lots of my favorite movies. I don't know which one is (mumble)...(Upon further prompting:) Cars 2, Aladdin, Aladdin & The King of Thieves."

5. What's your favorite show to watch? (At which point I had to explain the difference between a show and a movie) "GARFIELD (and Friends)!"

6. What's your favorite toy? "Aaron." After being informed that Aaron is not a toy: "Besides Aaron is...Legos." True answer. He was even playing with Legos as I interviewed him.

7. What is your favorite game to play? "Monopoly. It will be for a long time. Then I might get a new game that I like better." (He got Monopoly Jr. for his birthday and has beat me every time. Stupid Boardwalk.)

8. What's your favorite snack? "Besides marshmallows...I hate marshmallows (total lie). Umm...graham crackers?"

9. What is your favorite animal? "My Double Bar (Betta) fish. He got a prize for going through the ring." (Explanation--Seth put a smiley face ring in the bowl and the fish actually swam through it. Seth gave him a "prize": another toy in his fishbowl. I'm sure Double Bar was thrilled).

10. What do you want to be when you grow up? "I want to be a...umm...bishop. Because then I'd get blessed for (mumble) money to people who are poor." (Oookay...)

11. What's your favorite song? "Lots of them. The Beatles. Paperback Writer, when they have like those crazy voices."

12. What's your favorite book? "Garfield (comic books). And Lunch Lady (comic books)."

13. Do you like school? "No. Because I like playing better! I only like drawing stuff. I like co-op. I like that type of school."

14. What do you want to learn about in school this year? "Umm...how plastic gets made?"

15. Bonus question for me: "What's a thousand plus a million?" (I answered correctly, but I'm not sure he was actually capable of judging my answer).

Seth Turns Six

Seth changed his mind about what he wanted for his birthday gift just about every thirty seconds. Finally, the day before his birthday, he announced that he wanted a fish. I pinned him down ("This is it--are you SURE you want a fish?") before beginning my research into Betta fish. 

Seth--Proud owner of Double Bar Jonathan Blood

(No idea where that name came from. Piano lessons is my best bet.)

Double Bar in all his glory. 

Castle selected by Seth. 

I love making cakes and my kids' birthdays are the only times I get to do it anymore. But I realized that Seth cares more about helping make his cake than he does about having a super-awesome cake that I make by myself. This year I gave him several options, and this is what he picked:

I covered a cake in white fondant and gave him food coloring to paint with.

He decorated his own cake this year and was very happy with the whole thing.

First he told me it was a fish in a bowl.

Then he told everyone else it was a bench in a park with a balloon.

Catherine painting a piece of fondant.

No way she's missing out on the fun.

I did get to make his friend's cake (we did a party together), so that was fun.

Seth & Peter had great fun combining their parties together. We went to the bowling alley on APG and let the kids have at it. Blacklight bowling was a HUGE hit. 

Aaron gets to hang out with Dave while I made sure the kids weren't throwing bowling balls at each other.

Dave does this in nursery every week--he's a pro.

Catherine LOVED bowling. She asks to go back about once a week.

Seth also loved bowling.

He allegedly got a strike, but neither Jon nor I were there to confirm.

Little Mermaid bows on your arms help your focus while bowling.

Nice form, Seth!

Blacklight Catherine

Plaid blacklight Seth

Party people #1

Party people #2

I think the candle placement actually adds to the cake. 

Done, of course, by Seth.

SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO EXCITED FOR CAKE AND BIRTHDAY!

All blown out.

Aaron likes ice cream. And cake. Surprise, surprise.

Skyping with Grandpa & Grandma Mikesell while he opens their gifts.

He was, of course, very spoiled. His favorite gifts this year were Legos (even though he got two or three of the same set--"Now I can build all three at once and race them!"). Happy 6th Birthday, my Seth!

The Swim Lesson Saga

Last year I spent all of my time during Seth's swimming lessons explaining to Catherine why she couldn't get in the pool. Rather than go through that again, I signed both kids up this year. 

I wasn't sure how Seth would do. He worked hard last year but really struggled with putting his head under the water. He was determined to do better this year. Possible because I bribed him with a full-sized Toypedo if he did.

Catherine...my sassy Catherine. I had a bit of a dilemma with her. Do I put her in the Level 1 class, which is in the baby pool and below her level? Or in Level 2, which is a pretty big stretch that would require her to swim with her head under the water across half the pool (why there is nothing in between is a great, unanswered question)?  I decided to opt for Level 2, thinking that putting her in with Seth would be a great help, and that she would at least glean a few things from the lessons.

Big. Fat. Mistake. It could have worked, with a different teacher. Sadly, the Level 2 teachers would have made excellent boot camp instructors. Smiling was clearly not something they enjoyed. Nor was working with small children. There were no carrots in Level 2, just sticks.

Catherine learned this the hard way on Day 2 of lessons. Like her brother, she also hates putting her head under the water. She was being very brave and getting the rings off the steps of the pool. Her teacher then tried to get her to pull the rings off the bottom of the pool. Catherine was afraid. Instead of trying to encourage her or saying, "We'll try again later!", her teacher sat her on the side of the pool and told her she couldn't get back in until she put her head under the water.

Well, that kind of encouragement worked spectacularly. After about five minutes of Catherine screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" at her teacher, I decided this class was just not going to work out. It took about 15 seconds with the amazing Level 1 teacher for Catherine to fall in love. Miss Megan is still her favorite person in the world, a month after lessons ended

Aaron was mostly content to just sit, watch & eat. About 30 minutes into each lesson he'd start whining in hopes I'd take him swimming. Poor third child.

After two weeks of lessons every day, it was finally the last day! Aaron ate in celebration: 

(those squeezy applesauces are the best invention of the decade)

My little boy turned into quite a fish.

He passed his class with flying colors.

We're very proud of him--it didn't come naturally for him. 

Princess LOVED her class.

She made sure every morning on the drive to lessons that I would be sending her to Miss Megan's class and not to Seth's class. "I don't like Seth's class." 

And Aaron ate some more: 

Princess Ballerina Fish: 

Dorky Goggle Fish: 

To celebrate their hard work, the entire family went to Broom's Bloom for lunch. Catherine and I agree that their crab soup is simply the best thing in the entire world. Although I didn't like it enough to decorate my oufit with it: 

And Aaron ate again: 

And Catherine snapped pictures to document the occasion: 

The kids are already looking forward to lessons next summer.

I'm crossing my fingers that Miss Megan is still teaching, otherwise Catherine may never take another swim lesson for the rest of her life...