Memphis weekend

So here I am again, blogging about "the weekend before last". At least I'm not blogging about Christmas, even though I just got those pictures off of my camera card last week!

Dave had worked some crazy hours so he arranged a long weekend and we took off on a little getaway. We decided Memphis would be fun, and thanks to some advice from my friend Sarah (Memphis native), we had the best route and some great places to visit.

We started with the Memphis Botanic Gardens, where they have a new area called "My Big Backyard". It was awesome. Lots of hands-on, fun stuff to do and lots to see. The design was magnificent, I couldn't get over it. There were all kinds of fun little touches, many of which were made from natural and recycled materials. The only downside was that it's not quite spring. I'm looking forward to seeing everything in full bloom in the Spring.

The boys loved this spider web:

This patio area was so cool, I can't even describe it. You just have to go there:

We also hit the Memphis Children's Museum, which was so much fun. The boys have not met a "kid masim" they didn't like. Jon loved this basketball hoop in the toddler area:

This was just an amazing feat. Terminix had this bug exhibit going on, and there were these two big bugs walking around. Jon wasn't sure at first, but then he really liked this grasshopper! This was the second time we ran into him, and he picked Jon up and gave him a hug and Jon didn't CRY! In case you haven't been around Jon much, he is a very happy, friendly kid, but very nervous with people he doesn't know. He doesn't like anyone to pick him up or get too close, but if he's with mom or dad, he'll say hi and talk and flirt- just keep your distance! So this was a Kodak moment, for sure!

I wish I had gotten a picture of the outside, but this was a FedEx jet that the boys just didn't want to leave. They thought it was great fun. It was mounted up high, you had to climb stairs to get up to it, and there was a a slide to get back down. The cockpit was just full of dials and knobs and switches- they had a blast "flying" the plane!

Christopher always loves the grocery store part of any children's museum. He carefully selected his items, then had fun at the checkout, ringing everything up. He was quite serious about the whole process.

This store had a deli counter at the front, and Ben enjoyed filling Daddy's lunch orders. You can see Chris here going through the ingredients- but the funny thing is, he wasn't making up trays and plates, he walked off with things like slices of ham and lettuce thrown into his cart with his canned goods. Funny kid.

Jon loved this part too, but he didn't really want to shop much, only push the shopping cart around.

This area had dress-up clothes and a stage- another favorite of theirs. They had fun putting on some shows while we were the only ones in that part. As you can see, there was a green screen, but the camera and monitor weren't working. 

We found another green screen area with a working set up, and they had a lot of fun watching themselved on the big TV monitor on the wall.

It was funny to watch their heads float when we'd drape them with the green capes...

As if all of that wasn't enough excitement, we spend an afternoon at the Memphis Zoo! They had a lot of cool exhibits and the boys loved everything.

There were different areas set up to be different parts of the world. We enjoyed the China area, and saw our friends from "Kung Fu Panda" like Panda and Crane :)

Jon loved walking around and checking everything out. He loves animals.

The sea lions were so cool. The boys thought this was "awesome" that they got to see this one so close up.

This was Chris, much of the day. Lagging behind, "checking his map". He likes to lag behind. Come on Chris!

While visiting some monkeys, Ben heard some birds calling and started calling them, and telling us- listen, I can call the birds, and he'd make the sound they were making. Then they would "call back" and he would be so proud! 

That day was long and fun. It was beautiful and sunny and just a little bit cool. We did a LOT of walking and we had some tired boys on the way home. The trip was fun, can't wait to do the next one!

Big ouchie!

We had our first experience with stitches the weekend before last. Sunday morning, we were getting ready for church and Jon fell and hit his head on the edge of the train table. I thought it wasn't a big deal for a split second, since the kid bumps his head daily, but then I saw the blood. It wasn't too deep, but deep enough and in just the right place that he needed to be stitched up.

We were at Urgent Care down the road for just about three hours. He was SUCH a trooper. It had stopped bleeding quickly, and by the time we went in, he seemed fine, except for the gaping wound above his eye. He sat with me and read books, looked out the window, played with his toy car...

Getting the stitches was so sad. I asked when we first got there, how they did it- and they said if we took him to the Pediatric ER across town, they would sedate him, but there they would just restrain him and use local anesthetic. Since it was only a couple of stitches, we stayed, hoping for a shorter wait time.

They put some numbing medication on the wound and had to leave it on for about 20 minutes or so. I had to make sure it didn't ooze out into his eye, so I laid him back and told him he could go night-night if he wanted. I rocked him a bit, and amazingly he took a little nap on my lap while we waited.

After that, they swaddled him in a sheet, and I held his arms while two nurses had his head and feet. They made me sit down, because I guess a lot of parents pass out in that situation. I did what they told me to, although I don't know if I've ever passed out in my life. We both did fine. It was pretty quick, but sad. Jon cried, but was really brave about it. A few times, he stopped and looked up, trying to figure out what was going on up there (there was a drape over part of his face and he was peeking out at me from under it). Afterwards, he had some pretty big shaky sighs, but was great. He cheered right up and had some crackers and juice on the way home and jabbered about things.

The big boys came along later in the week when we went to the Pediatrician to have the stitches out- and I was so impressed, they stood right up by the doctor and watched him pull out the stitches, they were so interested! I would have been so grossed out as a kid.

Here's hoping we don't have to do that again for a long while! 

(Or ever, that would be okay, though not as likely)

Harmony

Over the holidays, I always miss being around my family. Being with them is like nothing else in the world. Many of you that read this blog haven't had the chance to meet my family. There is such an ENERGY, it's chaos, it's awesome. Kids everywhere- crying, playing, whatever... people crammed in wherever there is a spot. There are a lot of us, and it is loud no matter what, but it is always crazy and hilarious and enjoyable and you just feel the love radiating. The music flows when they are all together. Dinner is cleared and the guitars come out for the jam session to start. I miss this music when I'm not there, so I'm glad I got video this time. So, here you go, a little taste of that. And for my family (who may eventually read this), I love you guys! Miss you.

(You see a lot of people here but playing and singing are my four brothers and my little sister (in white) and my pops (the old guy). My fourth brother you can see in the back on the left, he doesn't have an instrument. When they play Hawaiian music, he's usually playing along on his uke).

Mmm... hot chocolate.

Originally, I was bugged that there was no good hot chocolate mix available in Alabama (Stephen's). The first winter I even brought two big cans back with me from Utah. The next winter, I ordered some from Amazon. Then I came to realize that I don't really like the instant stuff that much. I also am not a fan of any of the homemade mixes that I've tried (although I found a recipe that looks promising, I need to try it!). I'm slightly hooked on Starbucks hot chocolate now, but that can be pricey, plus I'm not going to load all my kids up just for that. SO I googled one day. I don't know about anyone else but I always thought homemade hot chocolate would be kind of more work than it's worth. And it is, if you do it on the stove, but the microwave makes it easy as pie. I'm probably the last one to know this, but in case you wanted to know, I'm sharing. It's so cold and we just had the BEST hot chocolate topped with whipped cream (for me) and marshmallows (for the boys).

Take a 2 cup glass measuring pitcher and mix together:
1/4 c. hot water
2 T. Cocoa powder (I've tried a few and prefer Nestle for this)
2  T. Sugar


Zap this in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Stir well (I use a whisk to get it nice and smooth)
Then whisk in milk to the 2 cup line.
Heat to your desired temperature (1-3 mins).
(Makes 2 cups)

Voila- delicious hot chocolate, a la Starbucks (well, I think it is- you decide! Add whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup and you'll think you're there....) I think it just tastes less of that corn syrupy sweet and just good. And it doesn't taste like just warming milk and adding Nesquik- it's just better. Also, although I wouldn't call it healthy, it is more wholesome- none of the added filler junk. You could probably use artificial sweetener if that's your thing, less sugar would also work, and you can definitely use raw sugar, just make sure to dissolve it with the water in the first steps.

Enjoy!

(PS. I know I haven't really blogged. I'm going to work on that, there is much to tell. Go get yourself some nice hot chocolate and check back later ;)

(PPS. Why is this room so cold?)

Provo Canyon

I'm going to try to be short on descriptions and mostly just share my favorite photos or I'll be blogging this trip until NEXT September...

We had a great time showing our kids one of our favorite Utah spots- Provo Canyon. We "hiked" up to Bridal Veil Falls and let the kids play, then took a drive up to Sundance to enjoy the fall beauty and a sucker before heading up through the Alpine Loop. It was so gorgeous. Aspen trees have always been a favorite.

We ended the day by meeting up at one of the parks for dinner with the family. We picked up Magleby's Fresh, mmm... the kids roasted hot dogs with Uncle Josh.

Utah...

I had all of these great intentions to blog through our two week (4000+ pictures) trip that we took in September, but it seems that life is gotten away from me once again. But I will try to finish up here and there, while resuming normal posting!

The first night in Utah, we were able to see a couple of old friends-- an old mission companion of Dave's, Ammon, and his family; and also an old friend of mine from high school/ girls' camp- Allison. It was fun to see them.

Thanks, friends, for hanging out with us! Sorry our time was so limited out there, it would have been great to see everyone that we missed! Next time, more of you will have to rearrange your busy lives for me!

When did this happen??

I was going through my recent pictures and found this cuteness...

Seriously, when did my baby become this big boy? He's growing up too fast! Struttin' around in his big boy clothes and sneakers... talking?!

Climbing up the slide (or ladder, whatever strikes his fancy at the moment) up to the clubhouse... all by himself...

Then of course acting so proud of himself, strutting around, then sliding back down- backwards, forwards, or even head first (Superman style)....

Then I saw this one... look at that face, he's such a little angel.

Even though I'm not sure I want him to get any bigger, I absolutely love this age. He is so sweet and funny. He loves to laugh with us and be silly, he loves to say words, he's very good at communicating what he wants! He is an awesome dancer, you should see him boogie! He is all over trying to do anything and everything, but in the midst of it, he will still run to me and give me hugs and kisses and I still get cuddle time.

And that smile... he dazzles people everywhere we go. They look at him, then he catches them off guard when his face just lights up and those dimples show up....

Sigh.

Trick or treat!

Well, here they are- Indiana, Indiana, and Yoda.

Yoda was not very happy, his naptime was severely disrupted today, and it took him a little while to decide that he was going to be a happy camper tonight.

Ben had a lot of costume ideas, but kept coming back to Indiana Jones. He loves to play Lego Indiana Jones on the xBox 360 with Dave, and loves to run around the backyard humming the theme song and having adventures. He wears Dave's "Indiana" hat pretty much every day. We found these awesome (faux) leather jackets at Target and got one for each of them. Besides being able to play Indiana to their hearts' content, they can also wear them to keep warm. Bonus :)

Of course, since Ben wanted to be Indiana, Chris wanted to be Indiana. It's like this a lot. In the mornings, I'll ask what cereal they want and Chris will either wait until Ben answers and then pick the same, or he'll change his mind after Ben has answered. Sometimes he varied his choice- he wanted to be "the son" which is his usual role when they are playing Indiana Jones. We found a hat and whip set for each of them, so now Chris doesn't have to just be the son (since Ben always had the hat), he can be Indiana too if he wants.

We bought the little dude a jacket too (couldn't leave him out, they're just too cute!) but not a hat and whip (those adult sized props don't actually fit well on the bigger boys) and when the day rolled around, we pulled out Ben's first Halloween costume instead, and it was too cute. He loved wearing it, even the hat!

And here is the whole candy crew- all the cousins went together.

The babies were too cute! Just had to share these fun shots...

Jacob


Ethan

Peter

This one is not necessarily one of the "babies" but still, look at that face! He is so good to say cheese for me too, I don't even have to ask!

Oliver

And a few from our adventures earlier in the day at the ward "Trunk or Treat"! I forgot my camera, but Dave got a few with his iPhone.

I love how Jon is just taking off with his little pumpkin.

He was loving just walking around everywhere in his cool costume! The older boys were way excited for the candy. They were so cute. They can be slightly horrendous when it comes to us limiting their treats, but they were pretty great today.

Jon held this sucker in his other hand forever. Sometimes he would stick it in his mouth (wrapper and all) but mostly would just carry it around, it made him happy :)