Wild Kingdom

Animals/Reptiles/Pests I have seen since we've moved into this house:

1. Scorpions
2. Snakes
3. Lizards
4. Skunks (seen & smelled them)
5. Squirrel (just one - it lives in my mom & dad's attic and is the bane of my dad's existence)
6. Owls
7. Bats
8. Toads (Alex fished one out of my mom's pool on Tuesday)
9. Rabbits
10. Gophers

I feel kind of bad because we are invading their habitats. Except for the scorpions. I cannot bring myself to feel sorry for them....

Lazy Days of Summer

Life has seemed to slow way down. May flew by but now it seems like some days are eternities. We usually end up down at my mom's house at some point - her house is cooler (literally - I think her a.c. is set at 76 degrees), she has a swimming pool and a Game Cube! Everything a boy could want. Last week we went down and Addy and her mama were making cookies so of course Max had to help. Addy and Max proceeded to make the "biggest cookie ever". It turned out pretty tasty.

It's also fun to go over to my mom's because Rowan & Joshua (both 10 months) are sometimes there. Even though Evan is 3 months younger he has no trouble keeping up. Today we went over and Rowan happily squealed when he saw Evan. For the most part they get along well, except for the time Evan pulled Joshua's hair and the time Evan hit Joshua with a plastic knife and the time Evan grabbed Joshua's cheek...hmmmm...maybe that's why Stacy doesn't bring Joshua over as much....



Can you believe how big Evan is? Rowan and Evan are about the same size!

And then there were 3

My mom and dad went to a family reunion this week and took Ben with them. You'd think I'd be jumping for joy at having one less kid. At first it was nice. Ben has been a little whinny and has been tattling ALOT lately. It was really quiet in the house yesterday morning. "I'm going to enjoy this" I thought. Nope. Can't enjoy it. First of all, Ben is a MAJOR help with both Max and Evan. This morning Alexander and Max were fighting for the 50th time and Max says, "I miss Ben - he will play with me". It about broke my heart. Secondly, Ben is a little chatterbox and I've found that I miss that. He has a quirky sense of humor and can always make me laugh. And lastly Ben always gives me an excuse to make cookies. You all might laugh at this but I LOVE to bake - especially cookies. Ben is always asking me to make a treat - which I usually do. Yesterday I asked Alexander if we should make cookies and he says, "Why?". Sheez, some people ruin all my fun.

Finally Four!

I had to make this picture bigger because it's so Max. It's like he's

plotting an evil take over...

We finally celebrated Max's birthday today. Mind you his birthday isn't until Sunday but he has been bugging me about his birthday party since Ben's birthday (which was in December). We couldn't figure out when to do the party because someone was always going to be out-of-town. Ian had today off and everyone was here so we had it today. I wish we would've done it in the morning and got it over with but nooooooo I had to hear "When is my party?" all day (and all week for that matter - in fact Ian asked me "When is Max's party?" yesterday before work just to be funny). We just had a small celebration because when I asked Max who he wanted to invite to his birthday he promptly listed all of Alexander's and Ben's friends and quickly added his friend Liam and the "J" boys (as we call them) at the end. Liam and the "J" boys are on vacation so we decided to just have a small family party. We opened presents first, of course, and then played in the pool, had a water slide, played with water guns and had a somewhat pathetic water balloon fight. Ian and Kim were a little irritated by the dismal water balloon fight because they had spent ALOT of time filling the balloons - oh well, Addy and Max had fun throwing them at the ground. Some of his favorite things he got for his birthday were: Silver Surfer, a Spiderman costume that you can turn inside out and be black Spiderman (oh the hilarity that followed...), Transformers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (you laugh but the boy LOVES those) and some Spiderman playing cards. At the end we shot off rocket balloons in the front yard - the boys were playing "3 flies up" with those (Dallin & Alex will turn anything into a sport). It was easy, fun and I know a good time was had by all (including Evan - check him out eating his cupcake).

The Worst Day

We were swimming the other day and Ben got in trouble and had to sit out for a while. The whole time he's telling me that this is the worst day of his life and I am ruining his summer by making him sit out (and I thought Alexander was the dramatic one). That got me to thinking what my worst day was (so I could tell Ben and put it into perspective for him). Memories flashed in my head - the day my uncle had his heart attack, the day my grandma died, the day Ian's grandma died, the day my dad broke his back...One memory caught hold and stuck. It was the day I lost Ben.

It was Martin Luther King day 2005 and I had taken all 3 kids to the Phoenix Zoo with a friend of mine and her daughter. The new monkey exhibit had just opened and the kids all loved it. I remember my friend saying, "I can't imagine how you keep track of your kids! You do such a great job!" Oh, the irony! I remember being exhausted when we got home. Physically and mentally. My kids were nagging me to go to grandma's so I thought I might have some peace if we went over there. We were building our house at the time (which is 2 houses down from my mom's house) and I wanted to check on the progress.

When we got to my mom's house I layed on the couch while the boys played inside. Pretty soon Alexander was bored and wanted to go find his cousins outside. I knew they were at our house (the one we were building) so he left to find them. Ben heard what was going on and asked to go too. "They are all at our house" I told him. Off he went. 10 minutes passed and I got up to go check on the boys - leaving Max with my mom. Walking down to the house I couldn't see Ben's bike. He got a new bike for Christmas and took every opportunity to ride it. When I got to the house I saw Alexander, Dallin, Michael and Joe but no Ben. I asked the boys where Ben was and no one seemed to know.

I wasn't too concerned - my parents live in a pretty secluded neighborhood and my kids know not to go past my mom's house. I figured Ben was playing with the neighbor boy (which he often did) and proceeded to talk to my dad and uncle for about 10 minutes before searching for Ben again. I started to call his name. No answer. By this time I am walking around the neighborhood, knocking on doors, asking if anyone has seen Ben. Silence seemed to echo the whole neighborhood. It was like time was standing still. I was feeling more and more frantic when I didn't see his bike anywhere. All sorts of horrible scenarios flashed in my head - none of them with happy endings. By this time everyone was in on the search. My dad was talking to the police and I was literally hyperventilating. The police suggested that we check the house we lived in. Huh? There's no way Ben would ride all the way down Willis Road across Alma School (there was no light at the time) and know the way to our house. But that's exactly what he did. My brother-in-law Brian found him coming back - getting ready to cross Alma School again. When I saw Ben's bike in the back of Brian's car I wept with relief. I can honestly say it was the worst hour and a half of my life!

I remind Ben of this incident and he says, "This is still my worst day!".

Flight of the Conchords

Tiffany (one of my very best friends) had me check out this blog where they posted videos by this comedy group called Flight of the Conchords. I laughed so hard! Ian then went online and checked them out on youtube. They have some hilarious bits. Anyway, Ian put one on our video bar. Check it out!

Wet & Wild

Well it's finally happened...Evan can crawl forward now and he can crawl fast. This morning when I came in from running Ian was taking a shower. He looked down and POOF! there was Evan. He LOVED taking a shower with Ian. He breathes really fast when the drops hit his face and then laughs. We let him stay in there for a good 15 minutes. Mind you, it isn't easy for him to crawl into the shower. He has to go over a lip and the tile has to hurt his knees. When he finally got in the shower he was so proud of himself.

I forgot how fun it is to have a baby.

The first day of summer...

Or the first day of crazy? I feel like I need to be locked up in a padded room. I did step outside and scream for a second and it did make me feel better. The fighting/teasing/wrestling started as soon as they got up this morning. Luckily we have swim lessons at 9:00 so I thought that would spend some of their energy. Then I made the mistake of taking them for ice-cream after swim. Stupid, stupid, stupid...We get home and they all start wrestling on my bed. Alexander hurts Max then Max hurts Alexander then Ben defends Max and Alexander hurts Ben. So here we are...they are all in time-out (except for Evan who is crawling around squealing happily). It can only get better from here...Oh great, Evan just started to cry...

twilight

You know a book is good when you read it and immediately want to read it again. I read "Twilight" and the sequel "New Moon" in about 4 days. Mind you these books are each over 500 pages. Needless to say my family is happy to have me back. My sister let me borrow her copies but they were so good that I purchased them myself. I wouldn't recommend them to kids unless you've read them first. There's nothing questionable in them - just some adult situations. You're welcome to borrow my copies if you want to read them. Soooo good!

*Note: My picture taking skills are somewhat to be desired so the cover is a little blurry. I still can't figure out how to put pictures from the internet on my blog...

A daily occurence...

"Max, can you just go play for 5 minutes? I'm trying to concentrate on something."
"Five minutes? That's it?"
"That's it, Max"
"Not 5 seconds?"
"Not 5 seconds, 5 MINUTES"
"5 minutes?"
"Yes Max, just 5 minutes."
"Not 5 seconds?"
"Not 5 seconds"
"How much is 5 minutes?"
"About as long as this conversation is lasting..."

My Dad

Some of my earliest memories of my dad are of him taking me with him to work. I remember sitting with him in the cab of his truck, talking and drinking soda (Hawaiian Punch was a favorite). He would pull quarters out of my ear, let me "help" him on the job and sometimes even let me pretend to drive the truck. He never seemed stressed out or embarrassed about having his kids with him. I think he's always loved being a dad.

I remember going with him and my mom to shop for my brother's birthday. We were at Diamonds (now called Dillards) and there was a dress I loved. My mom explained that we were shopping for Jared and that she wasn't buying anything for me. Once she turned her back my dad picked up the dress and whispered for me to go try it on. He bought me the dress.

Anyone who knows my dad knows he loves adventure. I remember camping trips, skiing trips, a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon, horse rides, 4-wheeler rides...My dad taught me how to swim, hit a softball, how to drive an ATV and a car, how to mow and edge the lawn, how to snow ski and many, many other things. He always took time to have fun with his kids and never minded taking us places without my mom. One Christmas when my mom was stressed he took all 5 of us snow skiing by himself.

My dad is honest, hard working, kind, faithful, spiritual....His continues to be a wonderful example of what a father should be. I can still talk to him when something is bothering me and he still gives great advice. He is an awesome grandpa too. He takes each of his grandkids on special dates. He one of Max's best friends...and he's one of mine too. I love you dad!

Faith

I remember when Alexander was 3 and wanted to climb across the monkey bars. I sat across the park, chatting with a friend, watching him jump trying to grasp one of the bars. I go over to him and ask if he needs help. He replies, "I said a prayer and Heavenly Father will help me".

I remember when Alexander was 5 and lost his brand-new baseball glove. We searched & searched for it! At Alexander's request we said a prayer that we would find the glove. After a few more days of looking Ian bought him a new glove. A week later we found his glove tucked away behind some toys. I remember Xander saying, "We just needed to have more faith...".

After my uncle Terry suffered a heart attack we knelt down and had a family prayer. After the prayer I looked at Ian and started to cry. We both felt an overwhelming peace that everything would be alright. Over the next few days, when things looked darkest I held onto that feeling and had faith in it. After my dad broke his back I again felt that overwhelming peace when I prayed. I knew that my dad's fate was in God's hands and everything would be alright.

This world causes me to fear - fear that my children will have to go to war, fear that we will someday starve, fear that someone will take one of my kids...but if I say a prayer and hold onto faith I can have that peaceful feeling that tells me that everything will be alright.

So You Think You Can Dance...

My sister-in-law Tricia calls me this morning and leaves me a message. It goes something like this, "Sheri! Did you see "So You Think You Can Dance"? If not, I Ti-Voed it! Can you believe Lacey - in the Mia Michaels number? I want to take a dance class! Call me..."

I promptly call her back and leave her a message, "I saw it and if you can find a dance studio that takes middle-aged women trying to relive their glory days, count me in!"

For those of you who haven't seen this show, it's not too late! It stomps all over American Idol! Basically there is an audition process and then the judges pick the top ten males and top ten females. Then each person gets a partner and they learn a different genre of dance every week and have to perform for the judges. And so on (you all know the drill). We watched it last summer and were so excited when our top two males favorites Travis & Benji made it to the finals. I did want Travis to win (hello - that Mia Michaels dance with Heidi - SPECTACULAR!) and the whole Tranji dance ruled, but oh, well Benji was pretty great too. Anyway, last night's show blew me away (o.k. enough with the italics). My favorite numbers where the 2 hip-hops dances choreographed by Shane Sparks, the vaudeville number choreographed by Wade Robson and of course, the Mia Michaels dance - it was so beautiful and emotional. I also enjoyed the ballroom dance to the Nora Jones song - they were floating! Anyway, Ian loves it too so you can watch with your husband. It's on Wednesday's 7-9 on FOX and Thursday night is the result show (I think it starts at 8). Watch! You won't be sorry!

And if any of you know of a place with adult dance lessons - e-mail me or call me! I am interested!

Hangin' with the homies...

The other night my brother and his 2 adorable kids came over. When it was time to leave his 2-year old, Addy, didn't want to go. So I said she could stay and play for awhile. Addy followed Max around everywhere he went. They packed backpacks for a camping trip, played house with the play food, colored and played a pretend game of baseball. They wanted me to take a picture with their baseball hats on and Alexander and Ben wanted to get in on the action (everyone's a ham when there's a camera around).

I Love My Husband

(if you saw the before picture you'd really be impressed!)

Ian has had the past few weeks off work and it's been really nice. It's just great having another adult around to talk to and to help with the kids. He decided he was going to try and get some things done around the house. The thing I wanted him to do the most (besides the front yard) is the trim around the front door. I just can't stand looking at that beautiful door with yellow drywall coming out around the edges. It ruins the door for me. So last week he made a trip to Lowe's and picked up the trim and some stain. He got somewhat of a rocky start because he didn't have the right saw to cut the wood into an arch, but luckily Dan Taylor (a woodworker who rents space from my dad) let him use his band saw. After much cutting, sanding and staining - he finally finished. I must say he did a wonderful job! It's so nice having a husband who is handy around the house....

Today is his birthday - so I thought I'd list 10 things I love about Ian (in no particular order):

1. His sense of humor
2. He's a great dad (Poltergeist notwithstanding...)
3. He works hard
4. He can fix almost anything
5. He loves me no matter what
6. He has faith & believes in God
7. He loves doing things with his kids
8. He takes time to teach his children important things
9. He cooks and CLEANS!!!
10. His sense of adventure

It's funny a few weeks ago we were talking to the kids and they asked how old we were. I immediately said "26". Where did THAT come from? Ian looked at me and burst out laughing...Really I forget my age! I think most of us feel a lot younger than we actually are! Anyway...if you have a minute e-mail Ian and wish him Happy Birthday! (iidogg@aol.com).

Tuckered Out

Evan hasn't been taking naps lately. I blame it on the teeth, but really I think he just can't stand the thought of missing out on something his brothers do. Earlier,I ran down to my parents house to talk to my dad and left Ian and the kids at home. I knew Evan was tired and was going to attempt for the 3rd time to get him asleep when I got back. Surprise, surprise, I got home and found him snoozing on the floor. Ian said Evan started to fuss but Ian couldn't pick him up because he was working on the door and had wood putty all over his hands. He said within minutes Evan was asleep.

The nap lasted a whole 20 minutes. Let's hope it's not a sign of things to come...

Haircuts

Ben and Max were in dire need of haircuts so Ian took them to Sports Clips. We usually have my dad cut their hair but he's been pretty busy lately going back and forth trying to finish the cabin and staying caught up with his business here, so we decided to give him a break. I wish I would've had Ian take the camera. He said Max was hilarious. When the women was giving Max his massage he had the biggest grin on his face and was practically prancing as he followed her to get his hair washed. In fact, Max says his favorite part was getting his hair washed (that's a first...he HATES getting it washed at home). Ben's favorite part was the massage (no surprise there...) Ian took Alexander a month ago and I think it was the first time Alexander didn't complain about getting a haircut.

I have a feeling there will be no more free Grandpa haircuts...

Poltergeist

Tonight I was racing Alexander home from my mom's and he mentioned that he's afraid of the dark because Ian let him (or shall I say "strongly encouraged") watch Poltergeist. Now, I've never seen the movie and have no desire to see it. I thought it was rated "R" but Ian borrowed it from his parents and it has a PG rating (can you believe that?). Anyway, they watched the movie and afterwards Alexander needed to go to my parents house to return something for me. It was dark and we live at the end of a cul-da-sac that has no lights. So we turned the outside porch lights on and Alexander sets off on his scooter. Meanwhile I see Ian jump up and I immediately notice the diabolical gleam in his eye. "Don't" I tell him. If you know Ian you know it was too good for him to pass up. Apparently he ran outside and stood under the front porch light by the garage and made a super-evil smiling face (somewhat like the clown in the movie). He couldn't even see Alexander but the next thing he hears is a bunch of crashing sounds and Alexander screaming, "No! No, dad!" and hears rapidly approaching footsteps then sees Alex trip and dive head-first into the dirt right in front of him. Ian tells him, "I wasn't even trying to scare you!" (yeah, right). Alex gets up, dusts himself off and goes on his way to my mom's.

Meanwhile, Ian starts watering the trees and sees Alex coming back and realizes that Alex can't see him because it's so dark. (You all know where this is going...) So Ian says in a high-pitched girly voice, "Helllllloooo". I'm amazed that Alex didn't pee his pants. He yells at Ian and runs in the house (he'd had enough). To Alex's credit he laughed about the whole thing after about an hour.

Ian calls this kind of tortuous behavior "tough love" and I call it scarring your child for life.

"Me" time...

We all need it - then why do I feel so guilty for taking it?

This past week has been draining! Ben started swim team practice and everyday it was a struggle to get him up and going. One day he had a breakdown when we got there because he was upset about the cheapy, uncomfortable goggles I had got him. My alter-ego, who I like to call "Mean, screaming lady" reared her ugly head and he went to practice (I did buy him new goggles later that day). Ben had another mini-breakdown the next day because the only swim suit he could find to put on was a little tight. The kid has 3 swim suits! He should've been able to find one that fits. Again, I had to use my not-so nice voice. Hey, I know you all are thinking I have no patience - but really I do! Sometimes it's the only way to get results.

Then there was Max's surgery...he came through with flying colors so I thought that it was going to be fine (this is MAX we're talking about). I didn't take into account the medicine. He flatly refuses to take the pain medicine. I have to bribe him to take the antibiotic and you can forget about the ear drops. I feel so bad! I have to hold him down to put them in and everytime he screams, "Why would you hurt your kid?" I've tried explaining that I am doing it to make it better, but he only knows that he hates it and the person he loves the most is doing it to him. He's also developed a low-grade fever over the last few days, which means he's been even needier and clingier than ever (just when I thought is wasn't possible).

Yesterday, I reached my breaking point. Ian went to help Darrel install tile in his new house so it was just the boys and I. Evan was cranky but wouldn't take a nap. Max wanted to play ball and kept throwing an inflated ball at my face while I was trying to nurse Evan to sleep. Ben and Alexander were horsing around which turned into fighting which caused yelling which in turn kept the baby from falling asleep. I must have said, "Go sit on your bed" about a thousand times before mean, yelling lady came out. Alexander had a birthday party to go to and I seriously considered grounding him from it because he wasn't listening to me but I needed him to go to the party. He was the one pushing Ben's buttons which was causing Ben to whine and scream.

Tiffany called and wanted to go out. I knew Ian wouldn't be thrilled - but I needed to be away from children for a while. We went and saw "Ocean's 13" and ate at California Pizza Kitchen. The movie was great (HELLO George Clooney & Brad Pitt!). Afterwards I'm trying to call Ian because I want to see how everyone was doing and he wouldn't answer. I finally get a hold of him and he's a little short with me on the phone. All the way through dinner I'm feeling guilty about leaving Ian with the kids. Why? He's their dad, afterall. He's perfectly capable...and it's not like I go out by myself all the time. It's been months!!! I just want to know why I can't enjoy the me time when I get it! Any thoughts?

P.S. Jenifer - did you get your "me" time?

Good Times...

Last night we had the end of the season baseball party for Alexander's team. I must say that I got a little teary-eyed at the end when Coach Tom was talking about what a great coach Joe is. They were the best coaches Alexander has ever had! He learned more this year than his all of his other years in baseball combined. Anyway, we all had a blast playing wiffel ball on the baseball field. I'm not sure what the score was, but the boys were telling us the game was to be continued at a later date (I'm pretty sure that means the adults were winning...). Thanks to Susan, Raina & Lacey for taking care of Evan so I could play too...Ian assures me I didn't humiliate myself. And thanks to everyone for an awesome season!

Backwards Baby

We were so excited one morning to see Evan sitting up in his crib. I don't remember any of my other children being able to get from laying down to sitting position this early. I thought for sure that meant he'd be crawling soon...and he is if you don't take into account the direction he goes. He can't seem to get his arms and legs to go forward - they only move back. Evan does one of two things - he either scoots back on his bum or he gets on all fours, rocks, then moves backward. I was holding a bag of Goldfish crackers out in front of him today and he was getting so frustrated because he was moving away from them not toward them. I know he'll figure it out eventually, but for now it's fun to watch our backwards moving baby.

Feisty

This morning Max had his adenoids (I'm sure I'm spelling it wrong) out. I knew from the get-go it wasn't going to go smoothly when he hit a magazine out of a little girl's hand in the waiting room (o.k., the girl was being annoying but still, it's no excuse). He was pretty unhappy with the wardrobe too. He had to put on a light blue hospital gown which was a little too girly for his taste. He tried to tuck it into his underwear as a shirt but it just wasn't happening. The socks were o.k. since I convinced him that the sticky bottom part were like web and would help his feet stick. He liked that until he tried to climb the wall in the pre-op room......The nurse tried to get him to put on the blue cap also, but really how much more can a kid take? The nurse promised he would get to breathe through a cotton candy mask, which intrigued him. Without the promise of the mask I don't think he would've went to the surgery room with the nurse. It took a little bit of persuading on my part - he finagled a toy from Target and peanut M&M's out of the deal. It's funny, I know him so well. I could see him think it over and then make up his mind. He gave me a hug and then walked back with the nurse.

I meant to warn the nurses that it might be a good idea for me to be with him when he woke up from the anesthesia. Ooooops.....Apparently he ripped out his I.V. and tore off his hospital gown before I could get to him. He was ticked off! The nurse says, "He looked so sweet when he was sleeping...but he's really feisty isn't he?" You think so? I held him while the nurse checked us out. He kept repeating, "I want to go home". The nurse asked him how many brothers and sisters he had. His reply? "I want to go home". Then she made the mistake of calling him cute. Oh no. "I am NOT CUTE!!! I WANT TO GO HOME". Ohhhhkay.......Usually patients have to stay in post-op for an hour. My "feisty" child got out of there in 30 minutes.

He's home, he's sleeping and he reminded me 5 times on the way home that we will be going to Target today for a toy and peanut M&Ms.

My little artists

One of the reasons why we chose the charter school my boys go to is the excellent art program there. They have come home with such beautiful pieces of art that they created themselves. They've learned about Vincent Van Gogh, Monet, Winslow Homer, Georgia O'Keefe (just to name a few...) plus Native American art and pottery. I have been meaning to frame some of their art work for a while and was at IKEA yesterday and picked up 2 frames. I chose my favorite piece of Alex's (a pastel version of Monet's lilypads that he created in kindergarten) and my favorite of Ben's (a watercolor flower he did when they were studying Georgia O'Keefe). Ian matted, framed and hung them last night. The boys were so proud! Max wanted a piece of his artwork to hang up but I told him he'd have to attend school first. He replied, "Nevermind".

**Note: Sorry about the reflection of the camera flash on the pictures but I wasn't about to take them out of their frames!

Park Date

Trina called this morning and wanted us to go to the park. Since I know she's going to be moving soon I want to spend all the time I can with her and her adorable kids. I asked the boys and they all wanted to go. We didn't stay too long (it's dang hot out) but we still had lots of fun. The park has a little water place and the kids ran around splashing and playing. It did my heart good to see the boys having fun just playing with each other. Evan was so cute - everytime a water drop would hit his face he would breathe really fast and then smile. It was a fun way to start our day!

Videos

My technically advance husband posted 2 Travis videos and some motor bike video on the blog. Don't miss the cameo by Ben Stiller in the "Closer" video...

Spider-Max

You all knew it was coming. All of my kids have gone through what we like to call "secret identity" phases. I blame Ian's love of Star Wars and comic books. When Alexander was 2 1/2 he thought he was Luke Skywalker. I must have watched the last little part of The Empire Strikes Back a thousand times. You know it - when Darth Vader tells Luke he is his father. Alexander would put on his cape (which was really a blanket that I had sewn a button onto) and get his light saber and act it out about a million times a day. He didn't even need someone to be Darth Vader - he was perfectly content using his imagination.

Ben had many different identities. When Ben was a baby Ian bought a Batman cape in Tijuana that had a mask sewn onto the top of it. The boys loved putting it on and pretending to be Batman. When Alexander was 4 he wanted a "real" Spiderman suit. We found a costume and mask at Wal-Mart, which he wore for the next few months. We ended up having to buy Ben one also and for the next few years it was a favorite. I can remember walking Alexander to Kindergarten with Ben in full Spiderman garb (mask, gloves, everything). It was pretty hilarious.

Max has loved Spiderman since he turned 2. That year I purchased a Spiderman costume for him to be for Halloween (the other Spiderman costumes we had were too big). He put that costume on and he WAS Spiderman. He tried over and over to fling web out of his wrist and was upset when nothing came out. At our church Halloween party we caught him trying to climb the lamp post. The funniest part is he was climbing just like Spiderman - using his fingertips and toes with his body arched. Last year he wanted a "muscle" Spiderman costume. The effect was hilarious. Again when he put on the suit he was instantly transformed. He'd lay flat on the floor and slink forward like he was creeping.

Max no longer requires a costume to become Spiderman. You've all seen it. One minute he's mild-mannered Max (as if) and the next he's web-slinging, crime-fighting Spiderman - complete with jumps, flips and wrist flicks. When you see him ask to see his sweet Spiderman moves - you won't be disappointed!

Maka-Fekes

I used to get upset when things didn't go my way. I used to be stressed when things didn't turn out as I planned - but really, do they ever? Then I had children. Whatever plans you may have, you might as well throw out the window. Especially when you have a child like Max. Max likes being in charge and he likes taking charge. Sometimes I have to remind myself and him who the parent is. For a long time Max was the baby of the family and his behavior now reflects that to some extent. He still thinks he should be the center of attention and acts out when he isn't. He has tested Ian and I in so many ways that now I pick my battles where he is concerned. So what if he won't put on matching clothes...So what if he won't let me comb his hair...So what if his underwear is on backwards - he's wearing it isn't he? It's all about choices. If I lay it on the line and give him a choice, 90% of the time he chooses the way I want him to. He just want to be the boss. He's always telling me, "I'm the boss of me!"

Lately we've been discussing choices we make and the consequences. I told the kids a story out of the Friend Magazine about "maka-fekes" which in Tongan means "octopus lure". In Tonga they fish for octupus using a fishing lure made with a round stone and sea shells. The fisherman then glide their canoes over the reefs, paddling with one hand and dangling the maka-feke over the side with the other. An octopus will dash out of its lair, seizing the maka-feke (mistaking it for a much desired meal). The octopus is so determined not to let go what it perceives as food that the fisherman can pretty much flip it into the canoe without a fight. I asked the kids, "What are some maka-fekes in our life?" meaning what things do we do even though we know they are wrong? We talked about dishonesty, losing our temper, ect. Max raises his hand and says, "I'm not going to get in a maka-feke - I'm going to be nice." For the next week all I had to say is "don't fall into the maka-feke, Max" and he'd stop, think and most of the time start to behave. It's funny to me how a simple story can make a child want to behave.

It's so hard to raise kids these days, I'll take all the help I can get.

Joy

When we just had 2 kids Ian used to say that Alexander was our pride and Benjamin was our joy. Well, we've obviously expanded our clan, but Ben is still the heart of our family. He is such a wonderful, caring kid. He helps me so much with Evan and with Max. He always wants everyone to be happy and to get along. I remember growing up, my older sister Kim was the same way. Maybe it's a second child thing? Ben is definitely the peacemaker and peacekeeper of our house.

One of my favorite images of Ben is him with his arm around Max showing him how to do something. He's helped Max ride his scooter, catch a baseball, build a bionicle, play a video game...he's such a great big brother! Ben also has what I can only describe as an infectous laugh and I LOVE to hear it. He has a great sense of humor. Ian can always shake Ben's bad moods by cracking a joke. It makes me so proud to watch him grow and see what a outstanding kid he is!

When it rains....

Tonight was Ian's night for "guys night out" so I decided to take the kids to Target to kill some time. All went well and I got out of there spending less than $40 (can you imagine??). We get out to the parking lot, I pile the kids in the car and the car won't start. Nothing, nada (except some clicking noise). Dead battery. I switch to survival mode. I open the sliding doors to the car (so the kids won't die of heat exhaustion) and call Ian. We figure out that it will take too long for Ian to go home, get jumper cables and come get me. So I call my mom & dad's house - Darrel answers and says he'll be right there. What a great brother! He's always willing to help me and he never complains about it...anyway we get the van started and off we go. On the way home Ben says to me, "I knew we were going to be alright." "How?" I ask. "I prayed" he says. Wow. What faith.

When we got home our dining room and downstairs storage room were infested with ants. I could've really used Ben's prayers then (and some bug spray).

Tag

I have been tagged by Laura! Apparently that means I have to write 8 random facts/habits about myself and then tag 4 more people at the end of my blog. I'm going to try and make this as quick and painless as possible.

1. I love my family (extended and all - EVERYONE)

2. I am a social person (duh!)

3. I love to dance (I am trying to teach myself to hip-hop dance and it ain't pretty)

4. I love to exercise and eat chocolate (but not at the same time - in fact the exercising allows me to eat the chocolate)

5. My favorite colors are green and blue (the colors of my childrens eyes)

6. My best friends are my husband & my mom

7. I LOVE mexican food - Mattas, Serranos and Elmers are my favorite restaurants

8. I went to ASU but never graduated (I plan on rectifying that)

O.k. 1. Tricia, 2. Mom, 3. Dallin 4. Ian (hee, hee) - TAG you're IT!

Grand Slam Xan

This baseball season Alexander has really struggled with hitting the ball. There's been so many times that he's been up at the plate and really wanted (and needed) to hit the ball for his team and he struck out. He's hated feeling like he let his team down. However, in the last few games he has been hitting pretty consistently. Last night he got up to the plate with the bases loaded. He'd already hit the ball once so I imagine he was feeling somewhat confident that he could hit it (confidence is about 75% of his problem). He hit a line drive right past the third baseman and got a GRAND SLAM!!! It wasn't even on errors - he made it all the way home just in time (man that kid is fast). It was such an awesome, proud moment for Ian and I. Most of all, I was happy for Alexander. It was so cool to watch his team come out and congratulate him. Listening to the replay by Alexander on the way home I kept thinking that every kid needs to feel like a hero once in a while. Way to go Alex - YOU ROCK!!!!

Travis

My favorite band right now is Travis. Years ago I was reading a magazine and there was a review on a alternative rock band from Glasglow. Already I knew Ian would be hooked because he loves almost everything Scottish (since his mother was born and raised there). On a whim we bought their second c.d. "The Man Who" which has one of my favorite all time songs on it "Driftwood". After they released their third album they toured and came to Phoenix and we went with Jason and Tiffany. I have to say it was probably my favorite concert EVER! It was a small venue and Fran (the lead singer) played a song on stage all by himself using only his acoustic guitar. It was so cool (for lack of a better word) - I felt like he was singing directly to me. I think I listened to that song on the cd for the next month, picturing the concert in my head.

I was a little disappointed by their fourth c.d. since it had a "Parental Advisory Lyric" label on it. Come On!!!! What good is music you can't listen to in the car with your children? Anyway, they just released their 5th c.d. and it was love at first listen. My kids are loving it too, which is makes it even more wonderful. My favorite song is "Battleships". It's a mellow, catchy tune with lyrics that make me reminice....

O.k. I promise not to blog about my musical tastes again for long time (unless another great c.d. comes out, ofcourse...)

The Settlers of Cataan

I grew up in a game playing family. Sundays were religious days so we couldn't watch tv or do homework - we were "forced" to interact with each other. When the weather was nice we played Red Rover or Crack the Whip or Freeze Tag in our front yard. When it was hot we played card games and board games. Sorry, Life, Uno, Yahtzee, Scattegories, Trivial Pursuit...just to name a few. A few years ago my brother and his family moved to California so he could attend school and when they came to visit there was a new game in town: The Settlers of Cataan. Now any of you who know me know I do not like to learn new games - this especially applies to new games that seem way too complicated. Pretty soon almost my whole family was playing "Settlers". Not me, I held out. Finally after Alexander learned how to play I caved and tried it (thanks to Jamie). Addiction is a mild word for what followed in the next few months. We even went so far as to play it on the computer. Everyone who came over or came to visit was taught to play. Since it's summer and Ian's off work for a few weeks we have again caught "Settlers" fever. Alexander is now a formidable foe (see Mini Me post). Ian and I don't believe in letting our kids win at games so when Alexander beats us it is especially sweet (let's just say there is singing and dancing involved). Last night I taught Ben how to play and he did quite well (there was a moment that Alexander started to freak out when he thought his 7 year-old brother who has never played before was going to beat him). Any of you who are looking for a fun, educational game are welcome to borrow it (it's pretty expensive to buy in the store) or better yet come over and play!