Tuesday, March 31, 2009

3, 2, 1, BLASTOFF!....




Daylan gets to make & do the funnest things at Pre- School. Last week he got to be "Astronaut Daylan."
Daylan loved his Astronaut "get-up". Ever since Friday afternoon, he's been jumping off things saying 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, Blast Off!!


Can I just tell you how much this little boy makes meSMILE!?

Student(s) of the Quarter

*I was so proud when I received these 2 letters in the mail from the Principal & the kids school teachers that both KAYLEA & SPENCER had been chosen from their class as "Student of the Quarter." We were invited to go to a school Assembly on Tuesday to see them get their awards.

My Mom & I went over to the school and watched Spencer receive his award. What a kid! He was pleasantly surprised to see "Grandma" there. Here he is with his teacher Mr. B.
*Kaylea caught the Flu last Monday night & was too sick to go Tuesday to the Assembly. I tried to get her feeling better for it, even started to get her ready but she just couldn't do it. Poor thing. So she stayed home with Dad & Dude & later we celebrated on the couch with her award, candy & balloons. She said she felt like she was at the hospital; SICK but with surprises.




Good Job Kiddos!

Monday, March 30, 2009

More Spring Break Highlights

Roc & Dude
~SPRING BREAK~

So our goal for Spring Break was to spend some quality time with the kids,
 keep them busy & spend little to no money! Here's how we spent our week:

*Ostrich Festival
Grandpa Tom's Birthday Dinner
Dollar Theatre to see Tale of Despereaux
Slumber Party with Lundell cousins
Searched for 4 Leaf Clovers & wore Green
Spencer Scout Activity
High School Friends Lunch @ Costa Vida
Mall Photo Scavenger Hunt with Lundell cousins
Birthday party for neighbor Gavin
Visiting Teaching
Skateland with Campbell cousins
Daylan's 1st Flag Football Practice
Tim's Basketball Game
Kaylea Gets sealants @ Dentist
Home Movie Nights with Treats
Swim @ community pool
Dollar Theatre to see movie InkHeart 
Picnic Lunch @ Park with Campbell, Lundell & Check cousins*




Getting Emmie to giggle....













Baby Miley
(...aka mini jett)





Big Sister Melissa playing with tiny little Claire.


These girls are so funny. When they play house, they PLAY house. Elsie was happy to cooperate and let them push her around in the doll stroller to wherever their little hearts wanted.
Can You Say BOYS!?
I love this picture of Ava & Kaylea! These 2 just giggle when they get together.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Sabbath Thought:

*This morning Tim & I spoke in church. I actually hadn't spoken in quite a while & with my pregnancy emotions I was a little nervous. All went well though. I thought I'd put a little blip of my talk on here as the Sabbath Thought for the day. We were told to speak on any aspect of Jesus Christ.
 
Here are a couple of the quotes & scriptures I used:

(I referenced this article various times in my talk):


Elder Ballard stated this:   "In the eyes of the Lord, there may be only ONE size of audience that is of lasting importance—and that is just ONE, each one, you and meand each one of the children of God. The irony of the Atonement is that it is infinite and eternal, YET it is applied individually, ONE person at a time." 

...Brothers and sisters, I believe that IF we could TRULY UNDERSTAND the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, WE WOULD REALIZE HOW PRECIOUS IS ONE SON OR ONE DAUGHTER OF GOD.

...We would strive to EMULATE the Savior and would NEVER be unkind, indifferent, disrespectful, or insensitive to others."


Christ searched for the ONE & taught us to do the same in Luke 15:1-5. 

  1 Then drew near unto him all the apublicans and sinners for to hear him.
And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, 'This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.'
3 ¶ And (Christ) spake this parable unto them, saying,
  4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine ain the wilderness, and go after that which is blost, until he find it?
  And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

*Skateland*-Spring Break

This was our first time at SKATELAND & the kids 1st time skating...ever!! 


So
 this is what the 1st time around the rink looked like.






Doing the leaning backwards technique...
Spence starts to get the hang of it with help from Dad

Kaylea gets some help thanks to Aunt Heidi.

Daylan practiced on the carpet to 
learn his balancing...


Zane & Daylan                          


        
Happy Baby Claire....
totally smiling even with a bow covering her eyes.





Natalie & Trent
The Pros




Aw...Cute Cousins
Daylan got to meet SpongeBob & some other cartoon dude
"So Dad...about those Video Games over there"...

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Baby Name Dillema

~My opinionated children each think they have the BEST name picked out for our baby boy, and none of them are budging. It's actually quite cute and the names they each came up with on their very own are becoming very endearing to me. I'm kinda glad they came up with these because I've really had a hard time this time around in the name department. There are so many names I think are cute but do they fit? That's the question. Not to mention Tim thinks he is solely naming this child. Oh my!...sigh... Remember Me? -the one who's making this child in my belly every day?

~At this point it probably would be hard for me to choose any other name seeing that the kids are all so passionate about their little brother's name.  Maybe we could come up with some kind of combo of the 3?...
THE CHOICES:

Spencer hopes for: JAXSON
Kaylea hopes for: TYLER
Daylan hopes for: MAX

*Usually a conversation in our house goes something like this:

Spencer (making sure Day & Kay are listening): "So Mom how is Jaxson today?"
Kaylea: "You mean Tyler."
Daylan: "No it's Max!"

Wish Us Luck!

Monday, March 23, 2009

*Ostrich Festival*


We started off Spring Break by going over to the Chandler Ostrich Festival & brought Uncle Danny to tag along for the fun.

We didn't get to see the Ostrich Races but we did reenact the close encounter that Kaylea had with an ostrich as a little girl. I forget what weird creatures they really are.

However Tim & Danny did order themselves up ostrich burgers that evening. They said it tasted just like hamburger with a little fishy taste to it. I didn't want to risk my pregnant belly on that. (Ehh!...)

*There were Carnival rides & little shows to go to.
The kids got to sit in this helicopter & pretend to fly it.
getting ready for the circus show....a little on the boring side but kids liked it...
They stared in amazement at the goofy clowns as they juggled. Daylan insisted they were magic!
The Sea Lion Show
Daylan on a ride by himself that startled him...
Notice the CLASSIC Daylan pouty lip.
Uncle Danny winning the kids stuffed animals
Sunset at the Park
Watching the Marc Chestnut Concert
Piggy Back Ride Time during concert
Ready to call it a night...

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Today's Sabbath Thought:


President Gordon B. Hinckley -" Lessons I Learned As A Boy"

What a simple but wonderful story that reminds us of the kind of person we are striving to be- A follower & disciple of our Savior, one who loves & serves all. May we strive to OVERCOME the natural man & BECOME more like our Savior Jesus Christ.
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:34–35

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Daylan goes to Preschool

Dude went to a day of Preschool back in October but we decided it wouldn't work out because it would be too much driving & hard on the schedule. He did enjoy the day he was there though with cousin Roc. Here is a picture of him there after building a "tower."
So remember my conversation with Daylan back in January about Preschool? He begged & begged to go once the other 2 kids started up at Public School this semester. I told him I would need to call around to see what Preschool he could go to. And remember he suggested I call a "police man's mommy." Well I guess I did something like that...

*The last week of February Daylan began Preschool with Ms. Chris (-my friend Jeni's Mom's Preschool.) I'm having him go 2 afternoons a week which is working out great. He is loving it although is still quite timid when it comes to talking one on one to the teacher. Even though he's still 3, he is keeping up in his 4 year old class with ABC's and their sounds. His favorite part is figuring out each day what to bring for Show & Tell. They have done some very exciting crafts & projects & just had a fun 2 weeks learning about dinosaurs!
*YAY for Preschool!*
...& soon to be Big Brothers. (2 months from today)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

My Lovable Reader Spencer...how do you get mad at this face?

So while we're on the subject of reading:

*This kid loves.. no wait... can't live without reading as you can probably figure from this photo. Notice in the picture his large stack of books as he reads by the dim light in the hallway at Grandma & Grandpa's house. 

*Spencer & Kaylea enjoy coming to "Grandma's Library" & see what kind of books they can find there. Spence has discovered all of Uncle Phylip's awesome book collection of Goosebump books. He can read a decent sized chapter book in minutes...way faster than his Mom.

*Spencer really is just one big sponge who soaks up everything taught to him. He is a great student and just a good kid all around. Teachers love him, fellow students love him. Heck when I come into his classroom I am practically a celebrity because I am "Spencer's Mom!"

*So here's why I'm telling this story: (mainly for journaling purposes)
This really has nothing to do with reading but just the fact that he is a teacher's dream...well except for one playground's aid that is.....read on...

~I recently went to help out in Spencer's class and as I got there the kids were all coming in from recess...well all except for Spence & 2 other boys. About a minute later in they walk along with this BIG, GrUmPy "playground aid." She put one of her hands on her large hips with the other one holding her extremely important clipboard. Then she proceeded to talk louder than I thought humanly possible as she said:   "Mr. 'B', Here are three boys who were out on the playground recklessly playing in the mud...and that is JUST Unacceptable!...They will be receiving a ticket & will sit against the wall at lunch recess!" (Sounded a lot harsher in real life.) If this obnoxious woman only would've known this "boy's" mom was standing right there, maybe she would have had a different tone...?

*I tried to hold myself back from running over and body slamming this power hungry woman. (Told you I'm feisty when I'm pregnant!) I mean c'mon okay get them in trouble but do you have to yell as if they had been punching Kindergartners or something? You could just sense that minutes before she had blown that shiny whistle around her neck outside on the playground and probably had an adrenaline rush doing so. 

*I looked over at my son and saw the tears welling up in his eyes. I could tell he had a lump in his throat and was trying so hard not to cry. (Hopefully he was thinking 'Wow my mom is so nice-even when I get in trouble at home she doesn't act like this...') Actually I know he was really thinking: 'Of all times to get in trouble..& now when MY Mom is Here!'

*Anyhow the lady left & Mr. 'B' calmly asked each boy what had happened. The other two boys said Yes they were playing with sticks in the mud. (big whoop!) Then Spencer after fighting back tears, the throat lump and quivery lip answered with his shaky voice saying: "I didn't know I had walked in it until she yelled at me." Uh Oh -there it went. His face turned red and then the tear became almost visible. He had almost made it. He wiped his eye as if there was an eyelash in it...remember trying to pull that one off?

*Then something special happened: One by one hands went up all over the classroom. Mr. B called on 3 of them and they all said things like: "Spencer didn't try to get in the mud." OR "it was an accident"....etc. It was so sweet that then I got a lump in my throat. You see who Spencer gets his sensitivity & emotions from?

*The teacher (Mr. B) handled it well but said since he wasn't there to see what happened, he still had to enforce the consequence. Spencer was still obviously upset & embarrassed & probably just in shock that HE was getting a ticket! After a little bit I snuck over to Spencer's seat in the back row, squatted down and I whispered in his ear that I know he didn't try to break the rules; And he wasn't in trouble in my book. I told him to just serve out his punishment and not let it ruin his day. I kissed him on the cheek when no one was looking and left.

*Well he came home happy as usual and said he was fine the rest of the day. And for the record I think it was a good experience for him to toughen him up a bit but c'mon none of us want to be told we've messed up especially when we didn't try to.

~Audra's Tidbit of The Day~
So my discipline theory is this: 
Definitely give kids consequences when they do break the rules or disobey! .....But ALSO I think that:

If we tell a kid or even imply that HE IS BAD...Then He WILL be BAD! Heck they're just living up to what we've already pronounced them to be. We can say "you did a naughty/bad thing" but should NEVER say "You ARE bad/naughty!" ....okay getting off my soapbox now....
(Thanks Mom...I think that theory has worked out pretty good!)

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Someone Discovered... Junie B. Jones

~Kaylea has made the discovery of a lifetime this past week: The Junie B. Jones Book Series! She is quite the reader for being in Kindergarten.

~ Kaylea is loving the fact that she can read chapter books now & is already on her 3rd Junie B. Jones book for the week. I'll come in the room and she'll be laughing away at the SILLY things Junie says or does.
 
~I'm so grateful that all my kids LOVE to read. NOT being able to go to the Library or have reading time at night is such a punishment for them. I love it!

~I'm thrilled with the fact that we have another reader in the family. Yay!..Daylan is pretty happy about it too!