A HISTORY LESSON UNDERSTOOD BY A 7 YR. OLD

My husband and teenager were watching another version of the movie Gettysburg, (Not the R rated one of course) when my 7 year old Colton came in and asked Dad what he was watching. Scott was too engrossed in the movie so he answered as bluntly as possible. "It's called Gettysburg and you can't watch, go back and play with your play dough." Colton, being the curious child that he is, wanted to know some more about the movie. Scott quickly explained it was about the Civil War. Satisfied, Colton went back to play with his friend AND the play dough.
When I walked through my kitchen, I noticed there were pieces of play dough covering both my counter and my table. I asked Colton what he was doing and he explained that they were having a war; a "Silver War." It was the Silver side against the Gold side and whoever won, GOT THE SILVER!! How could I not laugh. Think I'll have to correct him about the "Silver War" BEFORE he learns it at school. I can only imagine him raising his hand saying "I know about the Silver War!"

Christmas at Our House!

We survived yet another Christmas and surprisingly the room didn't get too torn up. I spent Christmas Eve wrapping the rest of the presents to put out. I didn't wrap earlier because I had NO WHERE to put anything. And I couldn't put presents under the tree for fear of Nicholas figuring out how to unwrap them. Scott was at work but was able to take a 2 hour break so he came home and helped me finish wrapping.
Colton woke at stinkin' 5:30 in the morning!! I told him to go back to bed. He closed my door and went back to bed; but I kept hearing his footsteps up and down the hallway. I finally got up and THREATENED him to stay in bed or he wouldn't open a single present until after LUNCH!! Well, in the process I woke up Nicholas. It was all over, both boys were awake. So, I put them both on my bed and popped in a movie until a more reasonable hour. Scott got home at 7:30 and the present mayhem began.


Nicholas got a little riding pony and wasn't too sure what to do with it. We put him on it andafter a second or two, he got the hang of it and REALLY started rocking away! He also got a music jam stand and loved that right away. He was playing music and dancing. Colton got a Dance Jam Game, new Wii games and the movie Night at the Museum. I think what he was most excited about though was his Snow Boots. Josh got
a DVD player to go with his flat screen TV which has been sitting in his room for a year. Mom and Dad refuse to pay to have cable put in his room; so at least now he can USE the thing to watch movies.
Santa came through and brought me a camera; however, it wasn't the one I wanted. I tried it out though but just didn't like the way it worked, so it got returned sadly. I did manage to get a few pictures from it though!
We spent a quiet morning enjoying the new gifts and let dad sleep a while. Then that afternoon it was off to Malad Idaho to spend the rest of the day with Scott's family. There, more gifts ensued and another present mayhem. Worse than our house too!!

Nicholas got the cutest little motorized baby dinosaurs that growl and walk. I almost killed my sister in law when Colton opened up his gift. A remote controlled Tarantula!! It's about the size of a small dinner plate. It has long fury legs and red eyes. If I wake up to that thing in my room EVER.....I told Colton I would most likely stomp on it!! Josh was speechless about his laptop from Grandma & Grandpa. He pretty much became unsociable the remainder of our time there because he was on it from the moment he turned it on. Mom finally had to say "Turn it OFF!

We spent the night up there, or rather STAYED the night. Poor Nicholas was in a different environment and NOT his bed so it took him 2 hours to finally fall asleep. He slept with mom in a twin bed and was ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! Needless to say, mom had feet in the face, knee in the back and an occasional head on my stomach while trying to sleep that night. Seriously, how do families share a bed together in other countries??

I look forward to this day every year and yet have mixed emotions about watching it end. Still, at the end of the day, I consider myself blessed to have a wonderful family, to see the smiles and excitement on my childrens faces and remember that the greatest gift I could ever receive I have already been given. The gospel of Jesus Christ, a loving Savior who gave his life for me so that I may return to be with him and my Father in Heaven and the knowledge that my family will be forever. Please keep Christ in your hearts not only at Christmas, but throughout the year. Oh what a difference it makes to have him as a daily part of our lives, it makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE!!

Happy Birthday Boys!!

December 4th was Joshua's 18th Birthday. I picked him up from school early and took him to lunch. Nicholas luckily had fallen asleep so I left him home with dad who was also sleeping. So it was just me and josh out to lunch. We NEVER get time with just the 2 of us so this was actually REALLY NICE!! Took him to one of his favorite restaurants, Rumbi Hawaiian Grill. Gave him his gift as we sat there waiting for our food. it was a small gift bag and when he reached in he pulled out a set of headphones. he looked at me like.."Uh, what am I suppose to do with these??" Told him I thought there was something else in there. he dug around some more and pulled out an MP3 player and said "NO WAY!!" He had one a couple of years ago and lost it. We said we wouldn't replace it since he didn't take care of it. Well, Grandma made this one possible!
Grandma worked in the office of an elementary school. A kid found it and turned it in to her. No one claimed it and it sat in her desk for a year. When she retired, she packed it with her stuff and asked if I wanted it. i told her it would be the PERFECT gift for Josh!
He was so excited, especially when I told him that music had already been programmed on it. Put on some of his favorites, some popular songs, Church, Christmas and some fun songs. I even put on the Thanksgiving song by Adam Sandler and found out he had NEVER heard it before. Then I showed him a surprise file. It was a comedy file. He LOVES Bill Cosby so I put some of his clips on there. Like Chocolate Cake, Noah and Puberty. He listens to Bill Cosby and just sits and laughs and laughs. It's kind of funny!!
He also got a new set of scriptures, a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle and a new set of bed sheets that we will use as inspiration to paint his room next spring. I think the biggest shock for his Birthday was finding out that he is AUTOMATICALLY registered with the Selective Service System. He's praying we don't have a draft anytime soon!!

On Dec. 10th, Colton turned 7. MY BABY IS GETTING SO BIG SO FAST!! I always thought other mothers were ridiculous when they would whine that their child was getting older or how fast time had gone by. Now I know what they meant! He had his traditional family birthday breakfast; french toast with ice cream; then it was off to school. Grandma & Grandpa Parker stopped by after school on their way to Salt Lake airport. We went to dinner at Colton's FAVORITE place.....The Chinese Buffet. That kid can really pack it there! He received a CD from Grandma Champlin, a gift card from Grandma and Grandpa Parker and a guitar from Grandma & Grandpa Caulford. Mom & Dad gave him a Nerf Tag game. He loved it! We got back from the restaurant only to find that Josh had not locked the back door, so the dogs came in and made themselves at home. Kobe, the larger one of the dogs; helped himself to the cupcakes that were sitting on the stove. They WERE for Colton's Birthday Party the next day. So, I stayed up late making MORE cupcakes. (Stupid dog!!!!)
He had 4 friends show up and he had a blast. Small parties are better than large ones with kids and noise everywhere I've decided!

GRANDMA GOT MARRIED!!

It was a hard and nice weekend all at the same time. A LOT of emotions that I never thought a person could feel all at once! I told my boys to not plan on seeing much of Grandma or spending a lot of time with her this trip, she would be TOO preoccupied with wedding stuff. But, we finally got to meet Don, Colton started calling him Grandpa right away and Nicholas had no objections to him and even sat on his lap for a while. He seemed really nice. The family went to lunch with him and mom on Friday, sort of our last "Family thing" together. Didn't get to visit much because I was busy dealing with on ornery baby who kept throwing his food on the floor and just wanted to get down and run.
Saturday, the house SERIOUSLY felt like the house on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Trying to get me ready, clothes for the boys, (I was NOT going to let them go to the luncheon in their nice clothes!!) my niece asking me to help with her hair, Lori's roommate trying to help me decide on how to do my makeup and my cousin there with me in the middle of it all!! I walked in on my older brother in just his boxers, my Aunt came in and we were all dressing with the door open and my baby emptying my suitcase and throwing stuff everywhere! Mom telling everyone "don't forget to bring..." whatever it was that she didn't want us to forget, my nephew forgot a tie so he was trying on a bunch of different ones of Keiths'. There were two bathrooms wich was NO WHERE near enough! We FINALLY made it out and got to the church for the family luncheon. THAT WAS REALLY NICE!! It was Mom, Don, Keith, Lori, Me & my boys, my Aunt Paula and her 2 kids Melissa and Mark plus his wife. My older brother Richard, his wife Rita and their 2 kids Austin & Katelyn, and My Aunt Carol; my dad's sister in law. WHAT A CREW!!
Then it was time to get ready for the ceremony. People started arriving and Nicholas started getting cranky; he had only had a 1 hour nap by now. We took pictures before everything started to get that out of the way! I played the piano while mom and the wedding party walked in. There were about 60 people there. When our Stake Pres. started reading the "vows" I broke down and started bawling. A friend of mine reached across the isle and handed me his hanky. By the end of the ceremony, Mom & Don were married. Nicholas had ripped off my corsage, dumped a bag of snacks, got gooey cookie crumbs on me and Colton missed most of it because he was playing with my cousins flashlight and trying to put Grandam in the "spotlight."
Then it was on to the reception, the desserts came out and Colton was in Heaven. Thank goodnes I had family to help with him. He actually got 3 different people to get him a plate full of goodies. Me, I was busy chasing Nicholas all around the room and visiting with good friends whom I haven't seen in AGES!! My dad's cousin Karl Champlin and his wife Janice drove up from Morro Bay for the occasion and our good friends Jay & Ann Hardman drove down from Utah!! I think mom's best surprise was seeing her bench again.
Mom and dad had a bench on the front porch FOREVER!! It was old and the paint was coming off and it looked very weathered. Well, one day she came home and it was gone. SHE HAD A FIT!! Lori had actually taken it to a friends house and restored it and repainted it. We had it delivered to the church and it was in the entryway. When mom saw it, she started to break down and cry. Don of coarse had NO clue about what it was, so I had to fill him in. She took it with her back to Michigan to put on their back deck.
The saddest part of the whole ordeal....I DIDN'T GET TO TAKE MANY PICTURES!!! I was TOO busy socializing and dealing with my children that I just never got the chance. So, I'll have to wait for copies from mom. Here are a few that I DID get!

Nicholas' 1st Birthday

MY BABY IS NOW ONE YEAR OLD!!! We had a small family party for him and gave him his own Birthday Cake. Since Daddy and Grandpa ALSO have a Birthday in Augus, we celebrated theirs too. Of coarse Nicholas had NO clue what was going on and was pretty unsure about the cake, he just kind of went with the flow. Mommy & Daddy gave him a little walking toy since he has been trying to take a couple of steps. He got some outfits from Great Grandma that will be a while before he fits into them. At 12 mo. old, he is just barely getting into the 6-9 month clothing. He's still such a little guy, his year checkup he was only 16 lbs. He crawls EVERYWHERE and is very fast. However, he does not have the "normal" crawl. He does what is called the "Monkey Scoot." Anyone who sees him just laughs at him because it is such an unusual way to see a baby crawl. (see the video)

At 13 months he now walks, tries to feed himself with a spoon; such a mess; is saying a few words, Daddy being the favorite one and has the cutest personality overall. Had his year pictures taken and it was such a nightmare. All he wanted to do is get up and walk around and play with all the props that were in the studio. We did manage to get a couple of good shots though.

Summer Vacation

Our vacation started on July15th. We were SUPPOSE to leave at 7:00am, as expected, we had a little delay; only this delay was a BIG ONE! My sweet husband packed up the car the night before so we could just take off the next morning. He spent most of the previous day hooking up the DVD player and the Wii so the kids could have plenty to do in the car. It was after midnight when he finished and he didn't push that little lock button on the alarm of my key chain. So, when we went to leave the next morning, the DVD player, Wii and bag of movies and games were ALL GONE! Yep, we had been robbed. Called the police, filed a report and almost bit my tongue off trying not to yell and scream and Scott for not locking the door. Once on the road, the anger of the personal invasion hit me and I was not that pleasant for the first hew hours of the trip. We replaced the DVD player with some cheap one from Wal Mart and grabbed some other movies from home, but it wasn't the same.






We made it to Vegas in great time. We arrived to 111 degrees....CAN YOU SAY HOT?? We stayed at the Luxor and they upgraded our room. IT WAS NICE!! The boys loved the endless Buffet at the Excalibur. Discovered that Nicholas loves hash browns so I loaded up once I got home...now he won't touch them! M&M world was a hit. Told the boys they could each pick one thing. Colton wanted the car, so we took his picture with it and he settled for an M&M dispenser. Nicholas got a cute shirt and Scott got a lighter wallet. Took the boys to a Variety show at Planet Hollywood. It was awesome, this guy juggled ping pong balls with his mouth, the magician turned balls into birds and a girl twirled 8 hula hoops at the same time. It was good clean fun...which is rare for Vegas!!

Finally made it to Disneyland and met up with Mom, Keith & Lori. SOOO fun to see them! Had a great room that fit all of us so we could all stay together! I was so excited to get to Disneyland just to watch Colton and how excited he was going to be over everything. I've decided that's the best part about Disneyland, watching your kids enjoy it and the excitement on their face! I can honestly say the best part of the FIRST day was watching Colton get picked for the Jedi Training show. THAT WAS A DREAM COME TRUE FOR HIM!! He got to learn how to use a light saber and THEN...he battled Darth Maul! IT WAS SOO COOL!!! In the end, he was given an honorary diploma and officially became a Jedi!

Nicholas had a hard time, there was too much stimulation to settle down and go to sleep and unfortunately, Disneyland has no place for a baby to crawl. He did love the Nemo submarine however. He stood up and looked through the window at everything with full excitement. The entire submarine knew he was having fun while the boy behind us was NOT! We took him on whatever ride we could and he loved them all. Though he can't talk yet, all his little excitement noises and squeals were a delight to hear. And despite what aunt Lori thought, he DID NOT get scared in the Haunted House!

Josh I think learned that as you get older, the excitement for some things seem to fade. But as long as Uncle Keith is with you, you can always count on some FUN!! It's the one place you can ACT like a kid and get away with it. That's just what he did, with the encouragement of Uncle Keith that is! I even got him to ride on the Carousel!! He also took Nicholas to meet his first Disney Character...GOOFY!! I think he enjoyed watching Nicholas as much as the rest of us!

We ran out of time for Tower of Terror, but he did get in a couple of runs on the Screamer with all the boys while mom sat nervously aside worrying about Colton. This was his first time on a BIG Roller Coaster and I was sure that he would be scared. I mean come on, IT DOES A LOOP!! I knew when he got off he would be probably crying from being scared. BOY WAS I WRONG!! He got off came and told me how much he loved it then turned around and went right back in line1 HE RODE IT 3 TIMES!!!

Over all, we had such a wonderful time!!

OUCH!!!

Sooo, I'm making home made baby food yesterday afternoon and decided to use my last 3 hamburger patties to purree with some mashed potatoes for my baby. I let the patties sit out and thaw a little, but I'm in a hurry. So decided to use a knife and pry them apart to cook them. Now, why didn't I grab a butter knife? Well, because I was already using my small very sharp pairing knife to skin peaches, so I just rinsed it off to insert in between the patties and start cutting around to pry them apart. Well, they came a part a little faster than I expected and the knife slid down and sliced open my thumb. Scott was up at the store so I called him telling him to come home IMMEDIATLY!! I was pretty sure I was going to need a couple of stitches because when it sliced, I swear I felt the BONE!! Scott took one look and was on the phone with our DR. office to see if they could get me in to avoid going to the ER. They took me right in! The good news was that I didn't slice down to the bone, but did go through some very thick tissue and right down to the tendon, but it wasn't damaged....luckily!! My DR. scrubbed out the wound then gave me the numbing shot right into the cut!! YEAH, THAT HURT LIKE HELL!!! All I kept saying was "Not as bad as an epiderral, not as bad as an epiderral." Doc sowed me up, took 5 stitches then wrapped up my finger. When I got home, Nicholas was fascinated with my finger and started chewing on it. I didn't mind because hey, I couldn't feel anything. Then the numbing started wearing off. OH MY GOSH, NOW I COULD FEEL THE PAIN!! So now I feel like a retard trying to do normal things without the use of my thumb. Ever try unbuttoning your pants without a thumb, or pulling your hair up? Putting on a bra and fastening it has not been the easiest thing either! How about trying to play THE ORGAN?? Yeah, I'm suppose to play the organ for church on Sunday too. It's not gonna sound too pretty! I'm feeling so stupid right now!!