Yet Another Violin Project

Caleb's life can be tracked by "focuses". Thomas the Tank Engine (age1-4), Polar Express (age3-4), Bambi (age5-6), Biplanes (age6-present), and the violin from (age5-present). And when I say "focused" I mean more appropriately "fixated". He lives, drinks, and breathes his fixation! It's hilarious, but can really be a problem for his family sometimes when we want to do or talk about something else...anything else! This is Daddy and Caleb's new project...to build a real violin out of wood. The staining and strings will come next. I love it!

Kids Can "Tri" Too!

Caleb and Court competed in a triathalon last week through the YMCA. They did the whole swim, bike, and run. It was so cute to see them working so physically hard. They did a great job and both finished the whole thing.

Eye Tricks

I looked over at Courtney the other day during lunch, and she was crossing her eyes! I couldn't stop laughing! I don't know how she figured it out! We've all been trying to do it too, but none of us (except Rog) can do it! She's so funny:)

Halloween Already??

I never thought I'd be that mom who has all her Christmas shopping done in October and Halloween costumes ready in August. It's almost embarrassing!

Resourceful With Ribbon

When you drive across the country...you're bound to run into a variety of weather. We hit a huge thunderstorm in Missouri. It was hard to see a couple feet in front of the car. We pulled over to get gas at one point, and when I was turning the car back on to get going again...the wipers started going fast like they had been when we were driving. All of the sudden one of them flew off the windshield. It just broke! We prayed in gratitude a million times over that we hadn't been going 80 mph in the storm when that happened!

Then in Wyoming (the windiest state ever) we were driving about 75 or 80 when we heard this huge crack. We pulled over and walked around to the back of the car. It felt like someone had rear ended us. We saw that the bumper had been ripped off the rivets, cracked, and almost flew off the car completely! All because of the wind.

So, Rog, being as resourceful as he is, borrowed a couple of hair ribbons from the girls and literally tied the wiper and the car back together!

Okay...that's it!

To all of my amazing sisters, friends, relatives and locations we saw this summer that did not make it on my blog...I'm so sorry, but you are lost! Most of Sister's Week except for the episode with disfunctional whipped cream can which I will post below...thank goodness! (luckily I was not the historian), Cynthia and Dave (some of our greatest friends in the whole world!), the St. Louis Arch (we rode to the top!), Nashville, Kansas City, Chalise and Danny (and kids...who we spent most of the summer with and did SOOO many fun things with!), The Storms (our most recent greatest friends in the whole world who moved to California and we are lost without!), and everyone else who we got to see this summer. We love you and miss you!

Some of our great friends from Orem. We miss you guys so much!

The Bonds and Grandma Cummings. We had such a great time in Utah!

Popcorn and a movie with Mamalaw in Colorado!

Great Great Grandpa Nielsen. What a priceless picture!

One of our only couple pictures...in front of the Bountiful temple at Kelsie's wedding. We were married there too...seven years earlier. It's hard to believe.

A couple summer Utah trip updates

After a long summer hiatus we are back! I was so sad that I lost some trip pictures I didn't have the heart to start blogging again. Now we have a new crop and are back in the swing of things. It has definitely been a crazy summer. It's hard to believe it's already over! A couple summer highlights from the pictures that weren't lost and we're moving on...

Colorado Garden of the Gods and Cave of the Winds. It's hard to believe that I grew up here! And now ten years later I have a husband and three children here with me:)

Cardboard Violin

Caleb had been wanting to make a violin for the longest time...so I finally gave in:)

They had so much fun with it! A couple nights ago, Courtney accidently bent it and made it too weak to hold the rubber bands any longer. Caleb came in with tears in his eyes and told me what had happened. He was devastated and poor Court felt horrible. I explained that cardboard violins weren't inteded to last forever, but I'm guessing I haven't heard the end of this one:)

King Benjamin

The kids and I made a "King Benjamin on the tower in a shoe box lid" to represent what we're studying in The Book of Mormon right now. We had a temple in there, but it didn't end up in the picture. They loved learning that when you do service for others you are only serving God.

Courtney's 4!

We had a fun "horse" birthday party with some friends from the ward and a couple from our neighborhood. (Steph...please don't laugh at my sorry excuse for a horse cake...I was most worried about you and Jannah seeing it!) I've never seen a happier Courtney. Not being used to having all the attention on her constantly...I think she was a little overwhelmed with all the food, friends, and presents:) We did an obstacle course (taking cues from her cousin Brinley's party a couple years ago...thanks Carrie:), some fun games like animal charades, opened presents, and had yummy cake and icecream. Courtney couldn't believe all of it was for her!

I took her away from the chaos at one point to calm her down, and told her a story about her actual "birth day."

"I went in to the hospital with a "huge tummy" ready to have a beautiful baby girl. When the doctor checked me, expecting everything to be normal, he looked up in surprise and said, "She's flipped!" You had been perfectly positioned the entire pregnancy, but had decided for whatever reason the last possible week...that you did not want to come out! (I fold my arms with a stubborn affectation, and Courtney laughs) So, they took me and tried to turn you back around inside my tummy! You were already such a big girl and had the cord wrapped around your neck...so there was not much they could do. Mommy and Daddy decided that we wanted you to come as safely as possible and so the doctors cut open my tummy and took you out safe and sound. (I couldn't decide if the truth was too gruesome...but she seems to appreciate me a little more after I tell her:) You were so beautiful and peaceful when you came and as healthy as a peach! Mommy and Daddy took turns holding you all the time. I wanted to hold you forever (I say as I cradle her like an infant) but you started to grow bigger and you were so full of life and curiosity. You have so much strength, in fact, when we took you to the doctor at 4 months old he was watching you lay on your tummy to see if your neck muscles were getting stronger. When you lifted your head up and looked at him...he said "Good, good," but then you pushed yourself up completely on your arms! He was very surprised, but not as much as when you suddenly lifted one arm completely off the table supporting your entire upper body on just one hand! He dropped his clipboard and yelled, "Whoa! I have NEVER seen that kind of strength in a baby that little!" (Courtney's eyes are wide and she is surprised at herself:) But, Court, I say, that's not all! When you were 9 months old, you were climbing up the ladder of Caleb's bunkbed. You scared poor Mommy so much! Then at 2 years old at another doctor's appointment, the doctor asked you to come over so he could check your reflexes, and you said in a clear, full sentence, "Where do you want me to stand, Doctor?" His jaw dropped this time and he said, "Someone in this room is brilliant and I know it's not me!" You have amazed me and everyone around you with your strength and maturity! Daddy and I love you soooo much, Miss Court." (She smiles peacefully, but I know inside she feels ready to conquer the world.)

Blue Drama

After a fun birthday party at her friend Emily's house...Courtney was wild with the excitement of having her own little gift bag (or it could have been the sugar)...and posed for the camera:)

Patriotism at its Best!

Caleb noticed that a lot of our neighbors had an American flag in their yard, so he and Courtney decided to make one for us. I had noticed a tall stick protruding out of the ground when I took Bosco out to go potty, but I had no idea what it was for. I looked out later and saw the flag being taped to the top of it:) When it rains Caleb runs out to bring in the flag, but back up with the sun it goes. You'll notice the "finial ornament" adorning the top of the "pole." So cute:)

Leyden Jar

The kids and I tried to make a Leyden Jar-a makeshift electric capacitor. It was really fun but didn't produce any noticeable sparks. We are fascinated with Benjamin Franklin and his electricity experiments. So, we'll try it again next week and see if we can come up with anything cool.

The Coolest Dad in the World...

My unfortunate children woke up Tuesday morning (after dad had left for work) with absolutely no idea that it was St. Patrick's Day much less that such a day even existed. They would have gone to bed that night under the same shroud of ignorance had it been my concern alone. On account of a particular lack of creativity, motivation, strength, or the like...I decided to keep that knowledge to myself (because I had that option...or thought I had). Daddy came home and pinched me harder than ever. There was not even a remote shade of asparagus, emerald, jade, or chartreuse to be found on any of us. The kids were forgiven on account of their misfortune, and I was quickly shooed out of the house for a church activity (grabbing a green ribbon on the way so as not to incur the same fate with the youth).

Skulking guiltily home later that night I found serenely sleeping children all tucked peacefully in their beds with the look of contentment in the form of green mustaches on their faces. So what if they hadn't eaten a wholesome dinner, bathed, or gotten into bed on time. What good is a routine if it can't be broken (occasionally), a family without any fun, or a holiday without a celebration? Nothing will mean anything if you don't make it mean something, right? Thank you Rog on behalf of the children for reminding me of these lessons...I have the best husband in the world!

Caleb was astonished to find that everything tasted exactly the same when it was green. He wanted to test it against something that had no flavor...so he dyed some water and sure enough!

We have the BEST babysitters in the world...

Lindsay asked me if one of her 10-hour Young Women's projects could be accomplished by babysitting my kids. I couldn't turn that down:) She and Ashley got together before we picked them up and had MADE playdoh for Caleb, Courtney, and Rebecca! I had never before left Becca with anyone unless she was asleep, so I was worried that she might be hard for them. When she saw that playdoh...she never knew we even left. The kids can't stop talking about it two weeks later. We still play with it every day and still can't wait until we can have Lindsay and Ashley back! Thank you for making it so much easier on me girls! I love you both!!!

A Loosen Tooth

Caleb has lost his first tooth!! For about two years now he has been looking forward to this occasion. Every now and then he would inform us that he had a "loosen" tooth, which was usually just hopeful. At the dentist office last week I was told that he really did have a loose tooth that was almost to the point of coming out altogether (I was a little embarrassed that I had no idea.) It was all he could talk about at that point. Caleb sat with daddy one night a couple days later, and let him wiggle it around a little bit. After some prodding, pulling, and complete determination from father and son, the tooth came out. Caleb was ecstatic. He wrote a letter to the tooth fairy that night under the assumption that he could ask for any present. Deer Toot Frey...

Picnic at Ingersoll Rand

Rog is so great:) He invited all of us to his work to have a picnic. It might not sound ideal to lots of people...but when you have a job that is situated on a beautiful lake it starts sounding a little more enticing! It was so fun. We walked on the trails and found seashells on the shore.