Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Logan's birthday was yesterday. I still need to write to Logan and Tom for their birthdays but here are some pictures of last night's festivities. It's kind of nice to have just us around for birthdays sometimes.

Ethan gave him a Lego Indiana Jones 2 game for his DS. This morning, Tom and Logan woke themselves up around 6 just so they could download onto each other's DS and then play it together. If we would have known weeks ago this was what would work to make mornings a bit easier, we would have walked through the snow to get it!


For years now, Tom and Logan have been way into Star Wars. They can't seem to get enough. Tom picked out a Star Wars transformer and more of the little figures to collect. Despite not looking like it in the picture, Logan was thrilled with the choices.


A couple of weeks ago, Logan's bike helmet became a two piece. The inner section separated from the outer shell. Dylan, always safety conscious, bought him a new one complete with a flame decal for his birthday. Even though the other one was shot, when I mentioned that Logan could throw it out when he finds it again, Logan asked to keep it. The kid could keep everything!


For our boys eighth birthdays, Gary and I give them a bb gun. When we decided, Tom and Logan were quite small. Now that we own three bb guns (Gary, Tom and Logan all have them securely locked away in Gary's gun safe), I am wondering why eight sounded so old! At least they only shoot them when Gary is out with them and they are learning the finer points of gun safety at a young age.

Logan wanted a skull cake. When he found out that it would be one dimensional, he was slightly disappointed but when he saw the final product, he decided that it would be okay.

When he saw what I wrote on the side, he thought it said, "Logan B." because he is used to being called that in school I guess. I didn't have room for the whole happy birthday sentiment so I thought the age would be sufficient. I guess next time I'll have to find the room to write! He did like the black and white candles though.

He is a champ at blowing out the candles! Happy birthday buddy!

Friday, January 22, 2010

It's been snowing for days. The Forest Service guys have done a great job keeping the roads and driveways clear but I'm sure they are also ready for the storm to pass! There are piles on top of piles everywhere in our little compound.

This limb came crashing down yesterday evening in our front yard. Even though several came down throughout the compound, no homes were hit, thankfully.


The trees do look beautiful with all the snow! As it starts to warm up, they will start dropping the snow out of their branches. You never know when you'll be hit when you are walking around outside.


All summer, the boys use a little tykes table to get on the trampoline. As you can see, it is almost totally buried under the mountains of snow. The rocking chairs are also buried, again.

There isn't much clearance for the swings right now, either. They will be covered before the night is over I'm guessing. We are suppose to get more snow on and off through the next 24 hours. I can't remember ever having so much snow!


During the last storm, the boys put a piece of plywood on top of the little tykes fort so they could have a snow fort. I'm surprised it didn't snap under the weight. Today there is so much snow out there that they don't even want to try and walk through it. I'm afraid if they went outside, we may never find them again! Maybe we'll all go out tubing later today or tomorrow and really enjoy all the fresh snow as a family.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Potty Training - Take Four

Since Dylan is the youngest of our four boys, I have been less than pushy when it comes to potty training. Sure, there are a lot of positives of having your baby potty trained but it is also a process that seems to take FOREVER if they aren't ready or, sometimes more importantly, if you aren't ready to dive in.

Before the holidays, he would ask to go potty on the potty whenever both bathrooms were full or we were in the car or we were at a gas station that did NOT look like a great place to take a two-year-old with, what seems like at times like this, extra fingers, arms, and hands to touch everything. I decided with all the long road trips through the holidays, we would just wait a month or so and then he would be really, really ready and the process would fly by leaving me with four potty trained boys by summer.

Fast forward a few weeks and Dylan has decided everything to do with potty training is an evil concept. He no longer asks to go potty. Now, whenever I mention pull-ups or underwear or going potty, he begs to wear his diaper. The nagging voice in my head saying potty train now that I heard a month ago, now says, "I told you so!"

Last night, I thought I'd give it a whirl. He tried to pee in his bathroom, to no avail. We rounded the corner to our bathroom to try again and found it occupied. While he waited by the door, for about 30 seconds, he made a puddle on my carpet. His response?

"Oh no!" coupled with the facial expression of, "How did that come out of there!" I think he was genuinely concerned that he had sprung a leak.

Today is a new day and I pulled out the pull-ups when I got him dressed this morning. Before putting it on, we went back into the bathroom to give it a go. He has to stand up - like his brothers of course - so we have a little step stool for him and then he leans over and grabs the back of the toilet. He would arch his little back and then, look down where he sprung a leak yesterday and, looking at me with concern, would say over and over, "No pee from my pee hole! No pee from my pee hole!"

Pee hole? No one has ever referred to that part of his anatomy as such. It was all I could do not to laugh. The phrases they come up with. Logical, yes. Politically correct? Not always.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Knock Knock

Last night, at dinner, the boys were telling Gary and I knock-knock jokes. You know the kind. We told them in elementary school. Our parents probably told them in elementary school. We politely laugh and make them think they are the most original joke teller in history. Here's how it went last night:

Logan: Knock, knock
Gary: Who's there?
L: Banana
G: Banana who?
L: Knock, knock
G: Who's there?
L: Banana
G: Banana who?
L: This is going to go on for while Dad (followed by a round of giggling.) Knock, knock
G: Who's there?
L: Banana
G: Banana who?
L: Knock, knock
G: Who's there?
L: Orange
G: Orange who?
L: "Orange" you glad I didn't say banana?

Ethan's turn was next. He knows one knock-knock joke so we've heard it regularly but he acts like it's new each time which is kind of funny.

Ethan: Knock, knock
Aironn: Who's there?
E: Boo
A: Boo Who?
E: It's just a joke. You don't have to cry about it!

Tom rounded out the joke session and took the cake for the funniest round.

Tom: Knock, knock
Gary: Who's there?
T: Interrupting cow.
G: Interrupting cow who?
T: Dang it!

He totally forgot to interrupt Gary when he was asking who! We all, including Tom, laughed pretty hard at that one!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Trying to Trick Ethan

For a few years now, Gary makes white chocolate covered pretzels around Christmas time. Not being a white chocolate fan, I haven't really tried them but the boys seem to love them. Tonight he pulled out a bag from the freezer as a pre-dinner snack. We had scouts this afternoon and that always makes dinner late and the boys grumpy.

All the boys had eaten several pretzels and Ethan was enjoying a few more at the table when, all of the sudden, he says, "Hey! You tried to trick me!"

Being completely unaware of what he was talking about I asked him what he meant. His response was priceless:

"There are pretzels inside these!"

Yep. Hence the name chocolate covered PRETZELS!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Amen

Every once in a while, I just have to copy something Gary has written on his family website. He has such a talent with storytelling. Here is a recent entry:

"For Christmas, Irene bought the boys a hunting game for the Wii. We have been shooting deer, elk, ducks, geese, bears, buffalo, you know, whatever moves. So last night Aironn started a little contest after dinner. There is a shooting gallery option and you can compete against other shooters for the high score. We had played a couple of rounds and different folks were winning. Finally, Aironn announced the final round. So we were going to say prayers, and after your turn, you had to go to bed. Nothing like prayer and shooting to get you ready for bed. But the boys all thought it was a swell idea. So I asked Logan to say the prayer.

We all knelt in a circle on the floor and held hands, like a Norman Rockwell painting. The prayer was simple:Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for today, please bless we won't fall out of bed. Please bless I'll win the next round. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Aironn almost broke my little finger she was squeezing so hard. I don't remember who won that round, but I never said Amen. God bless the innocent children."