Listening in...

Right now Sam is playing with his friend Ryan in the basement. They were in another room, but came into the playroom for a minute, so I could hear them from upstairs.

Sam: You can't go to the moon!

Ryan: Why not?

Sam: It's dangerous, there's a million decepticons there!

Ryan: I'm kicking them with my bum!

And then they walked back to the other room.

Funny Will

I was just organizing some pictures and found this from back in April. I was vacuuming and Will stopped riding his bike around the living room to plug his ears. He waited until I was done to resume his ride. So silly!

Utah State Fair!

We went to the Utah State Fair back in September (I've been meaning to blog about this for 3 months). We had so much fun! We saw sheep, did lots of rides, had some fair fare, and we even saw some bears!I loved going down this slide when I was little. We'd always go the opening day of the fair, and we always hit the rodeo. Good memories!

The boys loved the rides. Sure, they were ridiculously expensive, but it's still a LOT cheaper than going to Lagoon. :) Sam would have gone on rides all day if we'd let him. He didn't want to do anything else!
Will is such a stinker, but he's so stinkin' cute!

Luckily, parents ride for free when one is required to be with the kids. These are total daddy's boys, so he was on ride duty all day. I stayed with Molly and the strollers, but it was still fun to watch them have fun!

He refused to ride in the stroller, he just wants to be a part of everything that's happening!

Molly conked out and missed pretty much everything.

We got a foot-long corn dog, fries, and dippin' dots! I'd never had dippin' dots before so Mike bought some. It was good, but since that little cup was $6 and just tasted like sherbet, I'll buy a pint of cheap stuff next time I'm at the store. My cheapness is genetic. I can't help it.

The ferris wheel ride took forever, but probably because I was waiting in the hot sun on the black asphalt, and there was nowhere to go for shade. The boys liked it though! That's Will waving.

I think we hit every kid ride they had.

The giant slide was a little scary for the boys, but they were fine when we told them we wouldn't let go of them. It's interesting how your perspective can change with a little assurance. The slide didn't change, but their attitude about it did when they knew they'd be safe. If only it could always be that easy to assure your kids about something scary!

Our Fun Door and Scarecrows

Sam has a very fun preschool teacher. Miss Chris is patient and kind and fun. I don't think it's physically possible for her to raise her voice. Really. She's great. And every October she asks for some old clothes to make a scarecrow that looks like the child. She does it for every kid. I couldn't take apart last year's scarecrow (I'm sentimental, believe it or not), so now we have 3 Sams at our house!
We had a scary monster on our front door! I'm not super crafty, so I was pretty darn proud of myself for copying something I saw in a magazine. The boys LOVED our door. Let's face it, so did I!

Thanksgiving

I forgot to take pictures of everyone on Thanksgiving, but I got one of Will and a couple of the girls. We had my mom and my sisters and their husbands over for Thanksgiving (the first one I've ever hosted). We had a great dinner (I was excessively proud of my turkey and gravy), and my sisters made some amazing food. We had such a great day! I'm so grateful for my family!

I found these funny little foam hats, and the boys LOVED them. Will called it his "gobble hat" and it stuck. He wore his gobble hat the entire day. Sam had a pilgrim hat, and an Indian headband he made at preschool. But he wasn't in the room when I remembered to take a picture, so we'll have to get one next year.

The Clayton women. I just can't get enough of this baby! She's so sweet and fun, everyone loves her! I think boys may have a hard time when she's older though, she's going to have 3 very protective men watching over her!

Our sisters-in-law both moved out of state this year, so it's just the original Foutz women left.
What a great Thanksgiving!

Big News!

Will slept in a big boy bed last night! Which is kind of sad, he's pretty much left the baby stage. Will begs every night, "Sleep Sam's bed?" (Sam has been sleeping on the top bunk, so there's an open bed) Sometimes we let him get in and be there for a while, but since he won't stay in bed, he always ends up back in his crib. Which always makes him really mad. Last night we decided to see how long it would take him to fall asleep in a big boy bed. The kids were in bed right at 8:00. At 10:47 I realized I hadn't seen Will in about 10 minutes, which meant he had finally passed out. He was out of his room every few minutes just checking things out and seeing how much attention he could get. He was such a stinker, he would crawl down the hall and just wait for Mike or me to look at him. Then he would go straight back to his room and come out a minute later. Sometimes he would sit on the stair until I would look at him, sometimes he would go in the bathroom, and sometimes he would just stand by the door until someone saw him. Sam just informed me that Will went in my room three times to watch tv.

Sam built the "Wall of Mexico" out of bouillon cubes. He told me it's by California.

Will is becoming more independent all the time. Now he insists on peeling his own oranges. And doing his belt. And choosing his own shoes (I really need to hide his flip flops!).

Last night we were eating dinner and Will wouldn't stay in his high chair. He did something naughty and Mike put him in the corner. Will came out and stood by Mike. Mike said, "Are you ready to be nice?" Will said NO! and ran back to the corner. He came back out a minute later and was pleasant as could be! I wonder if I can always get him to put himself in the corner.

We have a little playgroup (which is mostly 2 year olds), but we have older kids too when it's at our house. Brooklyn sat down with her book and 4 of the other kids sat down and she showed them the pictures. It was so funny, they had their own little impromptu story time!

Family Rules

Tonight for FHE we made some family rules. We had the kids contribute, so we ended up with a large list that we whittled down to five.

The finalists were:
1. Be Kind (or get a time-out)
2. Be Obedient (or go to the corner)
3. Be Honest (or lose screen time)
4. No Yelling (or talk in a whisper for 10 minutes)
5. No Naughty Crying or Whining (or clean up for __ minutes)

The rules that didn't make it onto the list were:
~Never Touch Poop (the first, very enthusiastically offered, rule)
~Never wander off on your own
~Always ask Mom or Dad for permission
~Have Fun
~Always give matches to a grown-up
~Never play with lighters

All very good rules, but I think our top five will serve our family well. Maybe when the kids are older we can add some more rules to the official list. Like never touch poop. Very important.

Mike read a story to all the kids before he left for work. It went well until Will and Molly both got a death-grip on the book.

Molly LOVES my phone. She'll choose it over any toy, and it's hard to pry it from her grip.

Just look at that little face! She is so stinking cute! I felt really bad tonight...I made her cry. I really offended her, which has never happened. Mike came in to see what was wrong because she never cries like she did tonight. I was nursing her right before bed and she bit me...hard. With her little razor teeth. All I did was look her in the eye and say, "No." She looked at me for a second, frowned, and then just started bawling. Mike came in and calmed her down, but she was really upset! Little tenderheart. But hopefully she never bites me again.

She had her 9 month check-up last week, and she's small! I'll have to double check, but I think she was about 17.5 lbs and 27 inches, which puts her around the 30th percentile (according to the nurse, the doctor said it was more like 35-40. And I'm pretty sure the length was inaccurate, she shorted Molly an inch or two). She's always been in about the 50th percentile for everything, but she's still proportionate! And she's healthy and perfect.

More Halloween Adventures

So much Halloween fun! I like it more and more every year.
We always look forward to the Halloween parade at Sam's preschool. Last year Sam refused to carry an instrument in the parade. This year he led the procession, he was practically running! Poor Ryan somehow hit his head on a rock (?) so he came last and didn't make it into our pictures. Maxwell (below, far right, Spiderman) is Sam's Transformer buddy.

Sam and about half of his preschool class. I don't where all the other kids were, but a couple showed up after the parade and photo shoot. Sad. Sam is so big!

My sister was so nice to invite us to trick or treat in her office! They throw a pretty amazing Halloween party! We got there at the end, but it was great, and the kids had a blast! I can't wait to see how our pictures turned out. Thanks Auntie Jen! (Next year save us some candy :) And next year we'll go earlier so I can get a slice of the peanut butter cup pie.

Papa and his Molly Grace.

Papa Lon herding my little cows to Grandma Tigger's house to trick or treat. We were sad she wasn't home.

The boys found a big leaf pile and had to jump in!

You know how some celebrities have little dogs as accessories? Well, Mike had some accessories too! A little "cow girl" to carry around instead of a chihuahua. Personally, I think Will and Molly are much cuter anyway.

I was busy making soup and cornbread, so I didn't do my cowgirl costume. It wasn't very good though, especially when compared to Mike and his totally authentic-except-his-pants-weren't-near-tight-enough cowboy costume. And his belt buckle wasn't very big. Some of the cowboys in my high school had them as big as hubcaps. Seriously. But man, he did look good!

No Halloween is complete without a visit to one of our very favorite people, LaRae! We've gone to see her pretty much every year since Sam was just a little tyke. For sure three years in a row, but I think 4. The last two years (before Halloween) Sam has asked me if we were going to go see LaRae on Halloween. We pass her house every time we go visit Grandma and Papa. Mike has known her forever, and we just love her!

The only word that comes to mind is...blech. Is that a word? No? How about...Shave! As in, go shave that off, it's just creepy! When Mike does a costume, he goes full board. He grew his facial hair out for a solid month. See above picture for the classy beard version.

And who can resist a vampire cow? He found them, put them in, and then went around scaring everyone in the room. Love this kid!

Silly Boys

"Hey Mom, do I look like a mummy?!"

"Mommy, I spill dink!"

The Halloween Fun Begins

It snowed all day yesterday, and it's been freezing here! I was sitting on the couch with Sam reading a book and he said, "Mom, I can hear jingle bells! Is Santa coming?"
We started reading Danny The Champion of the World and Sam loves it! It's so fun to read a chapter book with him. He's really getting into the story, and it's some great special time for us when the other kids are asleep.

Our ward trunk or treat was Wednesday, and the kids had lots of fun. I forgot the camera, so I had to take pictures of them when we got home. They wouldn't all look at me at the same time.

Mike had the most amazing costume. Ever. Complete with all the cowboy accessories...bolo tie, belt buckle, boots, and cows! And such cute cows too! Molly looks exactly like Sam did when he wore that costume 4 years ago. I love it! Sam absolutely loves Transformers right now, so he was pretty excited to be Bumblebee for Halloween (along with half the other boys his age). We got some good use out of the costumes this year. We also wore them trick or treating at my sister's office, at a care center, and then of course around the neighborhood. I love getting my money's worth out of something!

In the last couple of years, Halloween has become one of my favorite holidays. I love finding fun treats to make, and this is always everyone's favorite! (Check food blog for recipe) The mummies we made yesterday were pretty fun too! We've made lots of fun stuff this month, and we're not done yet! Plus we have an awesome monster on our front door, I'll post those pics soon. Fun!

My little monsters. I love girly Halloween clothes, is she not the cutest?! Sam and Will love practicing their scary faces!

Speaking of scary, when I got Will out of bed today after his nap, his backside felt unusually not padded. I looked down and saw his diaper on the floor! He took it off, threw it, and then put his pants back on. What a monkey. At least the diaper was only wet!

Molly started cutting teeth about a month and a half ago (at age 7 1/2 months). They're still not all the way out, but one is close. The way I found out she was teething was when my friend was watching her while I was at the dentist (ironically), and she asked when Molly's teeth started coming in. I didn't even know! I don't routinely put my fingers in her mouth, so I'd never felt them. She was a little fussy the day before, but I thought she was just hungry because she was fine after I fed her. Apparently she was getting her first tooth! Talk about an easy baby! She's been sleeping through the night since she was about 2 months old (and by that I mean all night...not 6 hours like some people consider sleeping through the night). She's currently sleeping 12-13 hours at night, napping twice, and she almost never cries. She loves to sit and play with toys, but she's not interested in crawling yet. And she's finally eating solids! for months she just wouldn't do it, so we're happy that she finally caved. Perfect baby.

Sam still loves Transformers, so he had a blast playing with his buddy Max that also loves Transformers. He's doing great in preschool, and loves reading. He read an entire story book to his older cousins the other day. He says all sorts of stuff that makes us laugh and keeps us on our toes!

I went to lunch with my sisters, and it was so much fun! I have the greatest sisters! We talked and laughed, and I had 3 big lemonades by the time our food came. Great way to not be hungry when your food comes.

Melissa and I were sitting in our booth talking while we waited for Jennifer to get there when a couple came up to our table and asked if I was Becky Foutz. It was the people I used to babysit for back in the day...14 years ago! I had a standing Friday night babysitting job, and sometimes another time or two during the week. I babysat for them all the time for about two years (until we moved). The little boy I babysat was 6 when we moved, and his sister was 2. Now he's 20 and on a mission, and she's 16! There's even a little brother I never met. It made me feel so old! I can't believe they remembered me after all those years. It was so fun to see people from (what seems like) a whole other life.

Good News!

I decided there was a chance the memory card got recycled after garbage day last week, so we dumped the can...and found it!!! We already bought a new one (figures), but I'm so relieved to have my pics back!

Lessons Learned

I've learned a few things this week. Important lessons learned mostly by trial and error. And by having kids.

• Don't put the memory card on the kitchen table. It will get recycled with the newspaper. But you won't realize it until after trash day.
• During errands, when your two-year-old hands you an apple, don't put it in your purse thinking he'll want to finish it later. Apples are heavy. Apples will fall to the bottom of your purse. You will forget about it because you can't see it at the bottom of your purse, and even though it's heavy, it's not as heavy as the can of Costco weight loss shake that is also at the bottom of your purse. As you clean your purse out only monthly, the apple will sit in your purse. At the bottom. With stuff on it. Decomposing. I was baffled as to how I could have had a fruit fly in my car. I am baffled no more.
• On the day you're still recovering from a cold but decided to exercise (and not shower) before going out, realize that it's the day you will probably run into several people you know but don't see very often. Their memory of you will be in exercise pants and a sweater with a hat that doesn't match. And you're sick and haven't showered. Lovely.
• On said day, don't be afraid to ask if that person you think is a childhood friend that you haven't seen in 14 years, really is. I got the name wrong, but hey, she's a twin and I guessed her sister. It was so fun to see a friend from half my life ago! And she lives only a few miles away from me now.

And so I don't forget, Sam prays for some really awesome stuff at night. I'll update as I remember more of what he's said. Most of it is Transformer related, but I'll have to ask Mike because my memory stinks now.

• Please bless the Decepticons to turn into Autobots.
• Please bless Will not to want Sideways (a decepticon).
• Please bless the earth to keep spinning.
• Please bless gravity.

*Note: The apple wasn't totally rotten sitting in my purse. It had a big squishy spot on it, but was probably much less gross than I let on. Gross, but not fatal.

I have a 5 year old!!

You can't go wrong by starting the birthday celebrations with the oldest and youngest members of the family, especially when they're just so darn cute!

Sam and Papa celebrate their birthdays together since they're only a few days apart (with Grandma Tigger's in between!).

Grandma gave Sam a really fun animal game, but it paled in comparison to the tape measure! When he opened it his eyes lit up and he ran over to Grandma and Papa, gave them a big hug, and said something like, "Thanks guys, how did you know I always wanted one of these? I love it!" He was so grateful, it was really sweet...and hilarious!

On Sam's birthday we had a few friends over for a little party. Mike was too efficient for me, he'd already removed the "Happy Birthday" candles by the time I was ready for a picture. Sam wanted a Transformer cake, and it was actually a lot more work than you'd think by looking at it. I cut the fondant very carefully. And I made it grey, but it turned purple overnight. Sam didn't seem to notice, and the kids still ate it!

I thought I was buying noise makers, but they weren't! They were just blowers. What a great birthday surprise for Mom and Dad!

The kids all loved them. It didn't take long for the boys to turn them into weapons though. It never does. After cake and ice cream and opening some super cool presents, we headed down to a place called Bouncin' off the Walls. The kids LOVED it, and they were totally exhausted by the time we left. All in all, a great birthday!

Will wanted to play basketball the whole time. He is obsessed with balls. All balls. If something is remotely circle-shaped he calls it a ball. And tries to play with it like a ball. (We were just in St. George for the marathon, and while we were down there he discovered that he could put a golf ball in a sock and then swing it around. He swung a little less vigorously after he hit himself with it. He's such a funny kid.)

This was everyone's favorite, and I have to admit, it is pretty fun! I think they went down this slide for a solid hour before they did anything else.

Molly and I hung out while all the kids played. Mike dressed her for the party, headband and all. She probably has about 50 different flower clips, I love them! And since they're so easy and cheap to make, why not?

We had such a fun day with our Sam, we're so glad he's been with us for 5 years! He's a SMART kid, reading everything (and I mean everything) in sight. He loves learning, and he loves going to preschool. He can't wait for kindergarten, especially since he missed the cutoff by one day. He's a fun older brother, and he's always so sweet with his baby sister! Will misses him like crazy when he goes to preschool and he'll ask me, "Is Sam here?" They're best buddies! And their favorite show to watch with their dad is Ninja Warrior!

Sam, aka Monster Man, aka Rocket Fire, aka Punching Tiger Man, aka Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Fire Breathe