Running the Dolittle Farm

I don't know why, but wild animals think they live here. 

I'm not kidding.  Over the past 11 years that we have lived here we have experienced nature up close and personal. 

We have had birds living in our vents.  Try taking a shower with bird chatter over your head...Creepy!  And wait until one of them DIES and begins to STINK.  Delicious!

We have had rabbits dwelling under our porch stairs, in our flower bed, and (my personal favorite) in our square foot garden.  There is nothing more fun than digging in the dirt and discovering a nest of baby bunnies that you are in horror that you almost accidentally decapitated! 

Then the next day when you come down for breakfast and glance out your window, you see that all those cute babies are strewn across your garden in a bloody mess.  The guilt that maybe it was your fault for disturbing the nest is overshadowed by the cover story you have to invent to keep your kids from wanting to go visit the bunnies before school.

We have had lizards hiding in the garage.  Which is not so bad, until one day you discover that the garage door has squished one.  And your husband is out of town.  And you get to clean up the nastiness yourself. 

But most recently, we have had birds again.  This time they are roosting in the newspaper slot of our mailbox.  This is the fourth year they have set up home there despite Eric repeatedly removing nests (before they lay eggs - if there are eggs, we leave it alone like any good Samaritan) and despite blocking the entrance to the box.  Trust me they are persistent little buggers.

The problem with their occupation is two fold.

First, I shake in fear every time I check the mail because I know that at any moment a birdie missile will come racing out and startle me - even though I know it's coming.  Hate it!

And secondly, more often than not, there are casualties lying on the ground in front of the mailbox. 

We have learned that birds are cruel little creatures that have no qualms with throwing their babies out of the nest if they are not making the grade.  I know, I didn't believe it at first, either...until I saw it first hand.  It is quite harsh.

 

The Perfect Family Night

We all know how inexplicably wonderful getting your whole family together for an activity can be.  We all know how super easy it is to get them to sit still long enough to have an in-depth gospel discussion.  And we all know how marvelous it is to make food that everyone agrees on and no one complains or makes rude comments about.

Are you feeling the sarcasm yet?

Well,  I have to admit that this week was an (almost) perfect family night!

It was one of those times when all the stars were aligned, all the kids were cheerful AND helpful, and the fates smiled down upon us. 

I needed to record it for posterity because I fear it may never happen again.

First, we began with the activity - it was just about to rain and we didn't want to miss out!  Lilly saw some silly string at the dollar store a few days earlier and in a moment of inspiration planned the family activity. (Thankfully it was her turn to do so!) 

It was World String War I - every man or woman for herself!

When we finally ran out of string and it started to rain, we moved the party inside for a lesson.

We learned about the Sabbath Day.  We learned a new song about the Sabbath.  And we made a poster of fun things we can do on Sunday to keep the Sabbath holy.

It went extremely well.  Maybe there was some inspiration in having the run around activity first...

And finally, we replenished our sugar stores with some home-made microwaved S'mores!  YUM!

I am still in awe that it all went so well:)

Kids Say the Funnest Things

In honor of Mother's Day, here are 10 of my most favorite sayings by my three kiddos:

10.  While visiting Epcot at Disney World this past December, Emmett excitedly announced while we were visiting "China" -  "Look!  Now I have TWO Chinas!!!"

9.  Two year old Hannah used to refer to the 12 Apostles from Church as the 12 Impossibles.  So, while watching General Conference , she would cuddle up with me and ask all serious like, "Is that one of the 12 Impossibles talking?"

8.  Whenever 4 year old Lilly wanted to convince us of the seriousness of a situation or ascertain if something really was true, she would always say (or ask) "For real and whole life."

7.  Emmett has made a new hybrid word from "Owies" and "Boo boos" when referring to any type of injury he may encounter.  He now calls them his "boobies."

6.  When 2 year old Lilly decided she wanted to learn the names of all the Presidents of the Church, we decided it was a worthy goal for our whole family.  So every night after reading the scriptures we would review the Prophets.  Lilly's favorites were "Lorenzo Snow White" and "David Okay."

5.  Hannah used to call elevators "alligators" and escalators "Eskimos."  In fond remembrance, we still refer to them as such when no one outside of our family is listening.

4.  The first time we took Emmett back to our hotel in China (after knowing him for only about an hour), he surprised us all by walking up to the telephone. picking it up, and mimicking "Hello" after I said it!  His version was a bit more like "Henno," but still pretty remarkable for a kid who had never heard English before!

3.  One day during Sacrament meeting at Church, a 3 year old Hannah whispered to me that she was really thirsty.  I told her I would take her to get a drink as soon as the Sacrament was finished being passed.  She tried to be patient, but I could hear her mumble quietly that she was really, really, really thirsty.  When the young man with the tray of bread finally came to us, Hannah took one look at the tray and began wailing "But I'm not HUNGRY, I'm THIRSTY!"  Everyone around us found it quite humorous.

2.  One day Emmett was sharing with us all the good info he learned at preschool about Fire Safety.  He told us if there was a fire we were supposed to call 911 and inform them "Der a fawa a my hou!"  (Translation : There's a fire at my house.  Thank goodness for speech class and that so far he hasn't had to save our family!)

1.  When Lilly was two years old, people would ask her how old she was.  She would proudly raise her 2 pudgy fingers with her curls bouncing, look at them with her big blue eyes and tell them "I'm TOO much!"  The best part is that we didn't even teach her that:)
   

4 minutes, 30 Seconds Too Long

This is what happens when your 6 year old decides to heat a leftover calzone in the microwave...for FIVE minutes!!!

How could such a thing happen you ask?

Well, I had left to pick up Emmett from school and Hannah (our almost 16 year old) was in the bathroom showering when Lilly got a craving.  Being Lilly, she took matters in her own hands - even though she has been told repeatedly that she is NOT ALLOWED to use the microwave on her own.

From reports, I learned that Hannah heard the fire alarms go off, jumped out of the shower (her worst nightmare realized), threw some clothes on her dripping form, and ran downstairs to a foyer, kitchen, and family room filled with smoke!  Lilly was no where to be seen.

That's when she called me in a panic. 

Luckily, I was able to talk her through it and she soon discovered there was no fire - just a charred calzone.

And what about Lilly, you may be wondering?  She had ran out of the house -barefoot and coatless in the 40 degree rain/hail- and down the street at the first sound of the alarm.  She left Hannah behind. 

Now if I can only get the burn stench out of my house.

Yes, the windows are open airing out the house even though it is only 40 degrees and raining!

Gotcha Again!

Happy 2nd Gotcha Day, Emmett!!! 

We are so happy to have had two loud, energetic, goofy, cuddly, and exciting years with Emmett!  Looking back it seems like we were just in China yesterday, but at the same time it feels like he has been with us forever.  It's hard to remember our family without Emmett chit-chatting nonstop from morning to night. 

Or making impromptu guns (even after repeated sanctioning from his parents) out of paper, sticks, tinker toys, Legos, play dough, or whatever else he is currently playing with.  What would sacrament meeting be with out having to whisper repeatedly that we don't shoot people at church - especially the Bishopric who make lovely targets behind the pulpit, or without having to go yow-yow approximately every ten minutes? 

How boring car rides would be without a little voice CONSTANTLY yapping in the back seat (I've discovered that he can hold a whole conversation with himself if I just occasionally grunt acknowledgment).

Wouldn't our house be too quiet without the pitter-patter of his tiny feet as they race through the kitchen or around the living room, stopping only to do a somersault across the couch or bum-scoot as fast as lightening down the stairs?

And who wants a perfectly clean house anyway when you can have walls and furniture decorated with artwork? (Don't ask about the coloring on the OUTSIDE of our house or the red dye marks on his bedroom furniture.) 

Shopping, dining out, going to a museum, or any other public arena would be so drab without the the constant oohing and aahing over Emmett as he charms his way through life.  Preschool would be a bore if he didn't show up to get the party started.  We wouldn't even know the definition of "charisma" if we didn't live with it everyday and see the huge effect such a tiny person can have on the world at large. 

Yep, we are so fortunate to have this huge personality in that little body as part of our family. 

We are so fortunate to have a little boy we can call our very own son.     

I Did It!

Now, those who know me know that I am a self professed sewing dummy.  I try to avoid the whole ordeal.  But when I saw this project I just had to try it.  I thought to myself that it looks easy enough for even me to do. 

I was right.

 

My first applique.  I am quite proud of it.  It only took me an hour - not quite the 20 minutes it was supposed to take, but not too bad for a non-sewer.  I gave it away as a gift at a party that Lilly went to on Saturday.  What little girl wouldn't want this rainbow T?  And the best part is that I was able to maintain my Scrooge like status and boycott the buying of any more toys - even for other people's children! 

Now I have a million ideas: birthday shirts, Easter outfits, gifts, etc.  I am on a roll!

Snow Ball

This year's Governor School's Snowball dance was another fun success for Hannah and her pals.  Check out how lovely they are!

Anna, Hannah, and Abby

The Sophomore Year Crew at the pre-dance dinner