New TV

Yes. . . we the proud owners of a new TV. This was something that we have been talking about getting for awhile, but decided that we just couldn't afford one until after our tax return in January. Well it just so happens that the new TV purchase would have to be made sooner than we thought.

Last Monday afternoon Hazel was taking a nap. I turned on a movie for Kimball to watch for quiet time. I left him downstairs watching Toy Story 2 as he was playing with a Nerf gun and a foam ball. He often falls asleep while watching a movie during quiet time. I was upstairs in the office and hadn't heard from Kimball for quite some time so I figured that he had fallen asleep. The next moment I hear a huge crash downstairs. I go flying toward the stairs calling Kimball's name. He came running up the stairs crying, "Mom I was just trying to get my ball behind the TV and it fell off." I ran down the stairs to see what the damage consisted of.

The TV had fallen off the stand and was laying face down on top of the DVD player. Kimball was crying hysterically, "Mom I am so sorry, I am so sorry. It was an accident." I asked him why he hadn't come to get me for help instead. He just cried some more. I quickly realized that this is just a TV and that things could have been much worse considering how heavy the TV was. I held him on my lap and hugged him telling him how grateful I was that he was not hurt. I explained that the TV was so heavy it could have broken his leg or worse if it would have landed on him or Hazel. I was very happy that Hazel was asleep and not standing in front of the TV.

I was able to lift the TV back up to the stand. But it would not turn on. I knew by the sound of things that it had to have broken the lamp inside and it would not work any longer.

When Andrew got home he quickly looked on craigslist to see what he could find in the way of televisions that we could possibly afford right now. We have been wanting to get a flat screen to hang on the wall but knew that they were more than we would be able to spend right away. But luckily some lady had listed a flat screen television poorly on craigslist and hadn't sold it because of her bad ad. So on Monday we made a trip to Bountiful for a new TV for family home evening. We ended up getting a 32 inch flat screen television that is less than a year old for $180. We were happy with this purchase because the same one at Walmart and Costco where both around $550. I guess I should have titled this post "Our new (previously owned) TV.

If you look at the pictures you will notice that it is mounted on the wall. . . now the kids can't tip it over. You will also see our fine antenna. We may be able to get cable or a satellite sometime in the future, but for now our rabbit ears serve us just fine.

Pudding Painting

A couple of days ago I let the kids make a tremendous mess as they finger painted with chocolate pudding. They both had so much fun. At first they thought that I was out of my mind as I encouraged them to get their hands dirty and paints. Although it didn't take much convincing.

BEFORE: Notice how nice and clean both children are, as are the walls behind them.

This is the best tasting paint-ever. Every now and then I would look over and see Kimball having a sample. I really had to laugh when he leaned down and actually licked the pudding right off of his masterpiece on the table.

Why paint the paper when I could paint ME? Hazel sure got a kick out of smearing it on her hair. I think she had as much pudding on her as the paper had on it.

AFTER: My once clean children are covered in chocolate, and so are the walls, floor, & stools. What a mess!!! All the laughs and giggles that came from the kitchen were worth every ounce of scrubbing that I had to do. They kids even cleaned up just like new after a bath.

Tah-Dah!

Mess Maker, Mess Maker, Make Me a Mess. . .

Where is Mary Poppins when you need her? I would love to have a little bit of her magic touch to get the messes cleaned up around my house. I feel like I wander around the house day after day just cleaning up after my kids. Wow they can sure be destructive!




Hazel thinks that everytime she gets a little bonk that she has to put a bandaid on. If I don't help her put the bandaid on quickly when I walk around the corner this is what I find. (Notice the bag she was sitting on. . . yes, I was trying to get us packed to leave to Idaho for a weekend. Isn't she so much help?)

Alright, so one of Kimball's favorite things to do is make a fort. (Of course he is a boy.) Anyway this is just one of the many messes. . . I mean forts that he constructed in the basement one morning.

He was really good and helped me clean the whole thing up when he was finished. What a good boy!

For lunch that same day I put Hazel up to the table to eat pizza rolls and salad for lunch. A minute later when I walked back into the kitchen she had poured all of her milk onto her plate. YUM! You can tell from her grin that she was pretty proud of her handy work.

To make the night complete after both of them had finished with baths and were in their pajamas, Hazel got into the cupboard and dumped an entire bag of chips on the floor. I just laughed and had Andrew grab the camera for one last Kodak moment for the day.

She was actually laying on her stomach eatting the chips right off the floor. (I really do feed my children, in fact she had just finished eatting a big dinner just a few minutes before.)

Since Mary Poppins is not making house calls to my house. . . on days like this I try to remember the best advice about motherhood I was ever taught by two very inspiring women in my life, my Mom & Aunt Susan. My Mom never sweat the small stuff and laughed often at us as children. Her example has stuck with me through the years and I find myself thinking "what would my Mom do right now?". . . laugh of course and then take a deep breath. Then the words of Aunt Susan come to mind "Remember, these are the best days of your life." It can be difficult to remember that these are the best days of my life when I run around playing "tidy up the house" without any magic at all. But, there will be a day when my kids grow up and everything will be tidy and just how I want it and then I will wish that they were little again, so until then I will TRY to cherish every little and big mess that they make.

Catching Hoppers

While visiting Idaho, Kimball took to a new hobby of "catching hoppers". He was not even a little bit afraid of them. Moments after getting out of the car he spotted one hopping across the sidewalk and immediatly went after it.

I got him a jar and he put a whole bunch of hoppers in it. He was so sad that night because he thought that his "hoppers" were going to die. He cried and cried because he wanted to always keep them. I explained that grasshoppers don't live very long anyway and would die after a few days. He wanted to know why. Even after explaining that Heavenly Father made them that way he was still crying.

Andrew finally consolled him by telling him that they would take the hoppers down to Grandpa Black's pasture the next day and put it on the fishing line and catch a fish with it. He stopped crying and went to sleep.

Hazel thought it was so funny watching Kimball catch hoppers that she just laughed and laughed.

Color-ling

Kimball has always enjoyed projects and coloring, so it is only natural that Hazel loves coloring too. Here they are together coloring on the floor in their pajamas.

When I ask Hazel what she is doing she says, "color-ling."

Everytime there is a pencil, marker, crayon, or paper around Hazel wants to "col-or". As you can see she is quite meticulous in her work.

Off to school

Today was Kimball's first day of preschool. The Moms in the neighborhood are doing a preschool at the church on Mondays and Wednesdays for the 3 and 4 year old kids. Kimball had so much fun hanging out with his buddies from church and is looking forward to preschool next week.



Hazel had to wear her new backpack to preschool with Kimball. On the days that I stay and teach or help with the lesson Hazel gets to stay at preschool too. She thought is was so cool to sit on the floor at circle time with Kimball.

Suckers

Just another wacky evening at the dinner table when Kimball was so proud of himself for sucking his cup to his mouth. Obviously Hazel thought that it was a pretty funny trick and had to join in. We all got ourselves laughing pretty hard at...ummm.....I mean WITH each other.