Simpsonians!

Help! We've been Simpsonized!

Our kiddos

I thought it was about time to update with some recent pictures of our kids. It is a lot harder to get some pictures of them than I thought, especially when I take so long to get the settings right on my camera (still trying to figure that thing out!).



Kelsie - 7 years old













Brandon - 4 years old
(incidentally won't sit still for a picture, this is as good as it gets for us)











Caleb - 7 months old

Einsteinians?

I don't usually write about news articles and such on this blog, since it is primarily about our family. I came across this article about the Baby Einstein videos and found it to be very interesting, (or maybe it's my health education background coming out in me).

In a study from a research group at the University of Washington in Seattle, they found that babies (8-16 months of age) who watch an hour or more of the Baby Einstein videos a day, tested below the normal range on a language-assessment test. "They said it's possible heavy watching of the videos hurt children's language development but also proposed other possibilities — that some parents of children with poor language skills expose them to more videos or that some parents leave their children watching the videos by themselves."

In defense of her videos, Julie Aigner-Clark, founder of the Baby Einstein Video's, said they were never designed to make babies smarter.

"I believe we've done what we've always set out to do — expose kids to great things. And when used the right way, by interacting with a parent or a guardian, they're positive ways to engage your child." (You can read more of her interview HERE.)

Hmmmm. So, I guess what they are saying is that if you stick your kid in front of the TV to watch a video that is supposed to expose them to great things, they won't be as chatty with the next baby that comes along? I mean, really, how do they measure verbal communication in an 8 month old. Aren't all babies supposed to grow and learn at their own rate? Brandon would have completely failed the test not only at 8 months, but also at 16 months since he was 2 before he started talking anyway.

By the way, he DID NOT watch the videos.

(Fast forward a couple of years, Brandon's now 4 and we can't get him to STOP talking. Go figure.)

Friends

"Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget."

~G. Randolf

We were lucky enough to have some of our friends, the Racette's, from Pennsylvania stop by and visit us recently. It was so fun to get together, talk and let the kids play. I even got a bonus haircut! We took them to one of our favorite parks and showed them the zip line we love so much. It was just great to hang out with them even though it was for only a few short hours.

A good friendship is when you can pick right up from where you left off, even when it's been a long time since you've seen them. That's how it was with the these guys. I don't think you really realize the impact that people have on you until you move away or you don't get to see them whenever you want. We also realized this to be true with all of our friends from PA that we saw in Utah in July.

What a great feeling.

Another year begins. . .

Today was Kelsie's first day of 2nd grade. We've been gearing up for the first day of school all month. We bought the supplies we needed and also did a little fun shopping for some new school clothes too. When we would ask her to make sure she really wanted to go to 2nd grade, her response was,

"I've got to go to get my brain working!"

(I'm not sure how that reflects on me.)

She spent the better part of yesterday figuring out the right clothes to wear on her first day, "maybe my pink skirt with a white shirt. No, I think my white skirt with a pink shirt. Maybe my pink shirt with my brown pants. I just can't decide!". Yes, we're still in the pink trend here. I was also instructed to curl her hair in curlers so she could be "beautiful" on the first day.

Her alarm went off at 7 a.m. this morning and before we knew it, there she stood all decked out in pink and with curly hair. She was so excited! We got everyone ready on time and started our walk to school, where I continued to ask her if she really wanted to go. That I could teach her everything she needs to know in 2nd grade. Would you PLEASE stay home with me? I might miss you too much! To which she replied, laughing, "Mom, I just have to go!".

So, there we were, standing outside her new classroom, waiting for her new teacher to open the door, and looking at all the new friends she is going to make. I think she looked a little anxious, but very excited. As she entered her new classroom, she turned around real fast and gave one last wave good-bye.

And that's when it hit me.

My little girl is growing up.














And then I cried, just a little.

Sunday Night Ritual (SNR)

After spending 3 hours at church every Sunday, we come home to a "quiet" afternoon with the kids. Kelsie and Brandon are really good about our quiet time and we usually only hear them fighting just as we're waking up from a good nap (or maybe we're being woken up?). We have a nice Sunday dinner, where we try to convince our kids that pork is, in fact, the other white meat and that peas will not kill them. Sunday is a pretty uneventful day for us, just the way we like it.


Then, the kids go to bed.


And our night begins.


We have a fun little game at our house that Wally and I like to play every Sunday night. It is a game where wit and strategy are not necessarily enough to bring to the table. You also need some thicker skin and immunity to spite and malice! We were given Carcassonne from Wally's parents for Christmas and it has quickly climbed to the top of our favorite games. It involves placing tiles together to form cities and roads and getting points for those things that you complete. The secret weapon of the game is the farmers who can help you win the game at the end if they have been placed just right, or totally throw it for you.




There are a few RULES (in addition to the rules of the game, of course) that we have when we play:

1. I am ALWAYS BLACK, no matter what.

2. We have to have some type of game food; popcorn, ice cream, usually both.

3. Plan on playing at least twice.

4. What happens at the table, STAYS at the table.

5. BRING IT.











I have also learned a few noteworthy things:

1. Farmers are a good thing, not a waste of a man.

2. Don't try to help anyone out, unless you're helping yourself. You won't get anywhere with that kind of attitude.

3. Don't try to farm in the middle of a circular road.

4. Finally, if you ask Wally what his strategy is and then try it on him the next game, 9 times out of 10, you'll WIN.

This is a "super-galuper" fun game to play, as Brandon would say.


Especially for me.


Because I usually win.


Yeah, I'm competitive.

I've Been Everywhere, Man!

We recently drove to Eastern Idaho and Utah to visit some family and friends that we haven't seen in a while. We were able to take about a week and a half for our trip and we really had a great time. We started out visiting a couple of my sisters, Whitney and Shayne, and Wally's brother, Nick, in Idaho. We had a fun time with all of them and showed our kids our old stomping ground, Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho). We played at the splash park, rode the carousel, and ate dinner at Craigo's, where Brandon was so tired he could hardly stay awake for the meal! We drove up to Mesa Falls the next day, and Nick's wife, Angie, showed us where an old train tunnel was that we could hike through. It was really fun being in the mountains and hiking around.

After spending time in Rexburg, we drove down to Idaho Falls and spent some time with our good friends from Pennsylvania, Natalie and Corrie Nichol. We taught them how to play Carcassonne, have a great bbq, and let our kids play for a while. Unfortunately we couldn't stay long and after saying our good-bye's, we headed on down to Utah where spent the next few days with my sister, Kelby and her family. While we were in Utah Valley, we went to BYU, saw a bunch of friends from PA (the Gee's, Katy Knight, and Dan Heist), and hit a few of the water parks around the area.

We caught up with Wally's sister, Danelle, and her family one day and hiked up to the Timpanogos Caves. It was a tough hike, but the caves were pretty cool and we were really proud of Kelsie for hiking the whole way by herself. After our hike, we drove to Bountiful where we stayed with Wally's brother, Christian, and his family. We had fun swimming again with cousins and went to the Handcart Days parade and fireworks.

The next morning we drove to a cabin near Evanston, WY where we met most of the rest of Wally's family. We spent t he last few days of our vacation at the cabin where we got to visit, relax, and ride motorcycles and the 4-wheeler. Kelsie was especially proud of herself for learning how to drive the 4-wheeler, and I did an impressive jump off the motorcycle when I tried to drive straight up a hill. We had a really great time visiting all of our cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends. The time seemed to fly by and we were ready to head home.

All in all it was a really great trip, but as it goes, every good trip has to have a little downside to it also. On our last day, Kelsie and Brandon caught some kind of bug and were sick with the stomach flu, throwing up and sleeping most of the day. Luckily, it turned out to be only a 24-hour bug, but unluckily we passed it on to some other family members. We're all fine now and happy to be home. We had a great time playing with cousins and visiting with family from both sides of our family.