Boys and Girls

Joseph is getting so big.  He is very social and in my opinion, a very cute kid.  It seems like some of the little girls have taken notice.  Joseph does not like to talk about this kind of thing because he does not want to be teased about it.  I debate about whether I should blog about it, but I want to remember what he said.  Hmmmm.  I will still think about it.  Meanwhile, I need to write what he said down somewhere so I won't forget it.  :)

Wherein I broke his heart...

I don't enjoy washing dishes, but I know I need to get them done.  Of course, Samuel has a built in radar that lets him know if I am out of sight, I am probably in the kitchen cleaning, so he hones in and wants to help.  He LOVES to wash dishes.  Washing dishes is a longer process with my little one, so sometimes I try to get it done when he is asleep or otherwise occupied.  Yesterday I put off washing dishes until I knew Joseph would be home so they could play together and I could get it done quickly.  Samuel suggested during the day that we needed to do it before Joseph got home because, "Joseph will say, "I want to help mommy," and I don't want him to help."  Well, I was feeling the same way.  So my sneaky ploy worked and I washed everything.  

At family home evening, it was late and we told the boys it was bed time after the snack.  Samuel said, "But we need to wash dishes."  I cringed inside because I knew he wanted to help, but I had done it on my own.  I told him that I had done them.  The look on his face broke my heart.  I felt so awful that I had done them without him.  He looked at me with hurt in his eyes and asked, "you already did them?"  I said yes and that we would have more to wash tomorrow and he could help me.  Damage done.  I think I broke his little heart.  :(  I had to distract him quickly so he wouldn't cry.  

In memory of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy

Friday started off as many other days do.  I woke up in the morning and got my boys fed and Joseph ready for school.  My Joseph who is 7 and such a wonderful, sensitive, thoughtful and creative boy.  We walked to the bus stop and Samuel and I gave him hugs and kisses before he got on.  I cleaned a little and got busy working around the house.  Around 11 in the morning, I jumped on the internet, checked my email and then went to MSN.  Their breaking report was about a school in Connecticut that had a gunman break in and shoot children and adults alike.  I was horrified.  I know that it could have happened anywhere, but I cried for everyone who sent their child to school that day, as I sent my Joseph to school, only to lose them because of one person's inability to see past himself.  I do feel bad for the shooter because he must have been a lost soul, but I truly feel the pain of the parents.  I am not a poet laureate, but I wrote a small poem in memory of all the people impacted by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting:

The silent footsteps tread across our grieving hearts,

The echoes of now silent laughter, tear our souls apart,

Arms yearn for more embraces, tears slide down crying eyes,

The hopes they said “I love you,” before their child died.

Memories of their smiles, the funny things they did,

Of assuring that the monsters did not live under their bed.

But a monster came to them, donned with a human mask,

A sad and tragic figure that ravaged any in his path.

 Now, there are no more tomorrows for the hearts so young and pure,

There are only empty todays for those left behind on the Earth,

On Friday, lots of children met the Maker of all mankind,

He met them, hugged them, soothed them, and promised life divine,

He also hugged the women that served His little ones,

And told them, “Well done my good and faithful, from your duty you did not shun.”

His comfort He will give us as our faith acts as our guide,

We love and pray and mourn with them and seek solace by their sides.

Will I tell Joseph about what happened?  If he hears about it I will.  I don't want him to be scared of going to school and I want to try to help him maintain his innocence for as long as I can.  

Samuel sings

Samuel can be found singing quite often.  I like to sing too and I don't always think about the fact that I am doing it.  One day I was singing some of "Little Talks" by the group Of Monsters and Men.  I was singing the chorus in the car and Samuel kept saying "Hut."  It took me awhile to realize that he was singing the part where they say "Hey."  For whatever reason he thought they say "hut" and that is what he sings when he hears the song on the radio.

At the dinner table the other night he randomly started to sing "I will wait, I will wait for you."  It is the chorus of the song by Mumford and Sons by the same title. 

I have sung the boys the Christmas song "Nuttin' for Christmas."  Samuel took the tune and changed the words to "I am getting lots of presents because I am such a good boy." 

He also likes to sing the Star Wars Darth Vader background music.  I don't know what it is called. 

When we listen to the radio, here are some of the songs that he wants me to stop on:

"Home" by Philip Phillips
"Just Dance" by Lady Gaga
"Some Nights" and "We are Young" by Fun.
"Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men
"Somebody that I used to Know" by Gotye
"Ho Hey" by the Lumineers who I have mistakenly called the Imagineers
"Gangham Style" by PSY
"We are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift
"I Will Wait" by Mumford and Sons

There are more songs, but these are some that I know he likes to listen too.  He makes up other songs that are his own tune.  I like that he likes to sing.  I have also randomly singing "Follow the Prophet" and "I am a Child of God."  He is such a cute boy.  :)

This is a test

Samuel likes to perform "science tests."  For example, he will drink from his cup and spit it back into the cup.  When we tell him not to, he says it is a science test.  He blows bubbles with his straw, it is a science test.  He unrolls the toilet paper, it is a science test.  He shakes a tree in the yard, it is a science test.  He needs a piece of candy because he needs to do a science test.  There are so many times when his science tests happen to be things that he knows he shouldn't be doing.  At least he is "applying" the scientific method.

Things I miss about Utah...

Other than the obvious family and friends and coworkers that we miss, here are a couple of random things I miss:

-Flaming Hot Cheetos with Lime (I can't find them anywhere out here)
-Stephen's Gourmet Hot Chocolate (Irish Creme, Hazelnut, Raspberry, Mint Chocolate, the list goes on).  I have looked at a few stores and apparently it should be sold around here, so I will keep hunting for it
-Our house
-the Utah Clean Air Act which forbids smoking within 25 feet from buildings
-KSL classifieds.  They just don't have a good equivalent here and Craigslist is not nearly as nice
-Cheaper rent

I will probably remember more later, but these are a few things that I could think of.

What's up...

Life is crazy busy. Joseph is in 1st grade so every morning we rush around to get ready and then we run out the door to catch the bus. Samuel enjoys the chance to be outside and Joseph loves school so it is a win/win situation. I just wanted to document some things before I forget them.

Joseph wants to do chores so he can save money for legos. We talked to him about earning a nickel for every time he made his bed, if he cleans his room he gets a quarter, setting the table is a nickel, and so forth. He wants a chore that will earn him a dollar, but we haven't thought of any yet. The other day he was talking about what he needed to get paid and the following conversation ensued:

Mommy:"Wait, I don't get paid for cleaning or washing the dishes. That is not fair."
Joseph: "Mommy you do get paid."
Mommy: "I get paid huh?"
Joseph: "Yes, you get paid in love."

I smiled when he said it. He is a funny boy. Last week he was upset because he missed Utah and his friends. He wanted to see his kindergarten teacher again too. It was a rough Friday for all of us. Samuel likes to talk as well. When we say something that he doesn't like he will tell us that he doesn't love us anymore. We tell him that we love him no matter what. When he is happy with what we say he says that he loves us again. The most common thing he says in his prayers is "bless me that I won't have any dreams." I think he has bad dreams sometimes because he will wake up shaking and crying, so we would pray that he will have good dreams, but he prefers not dreams at all. When he wakes up in the morning he will tell us with a big smile that he had no dreams. Here are a few pictures of our Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

I didn't realize Joseph had taken this picture. I thought it was super cute. Those are my boys. Sometimes they are the best of friends and sometimes they fight like nothing else. Mostly they are friends.

We made a gingerbread house from scratch while we were there. Grandma made the gingerbread and Joseph and Samuel chose the house they wanted. We went and bought candy, but I forgot my camera, so when Joseph's camera died, we could not take any pictures of the finished product.

Samuel rolling his dough. He enjoyed being so hands on.

Joseph rolling his dough. He and Samuel both kept taking small pieces just to taste.

While we were there, we were able to go to a train show. The boys loved it and got to see Santa. I have come to the realization that I should never buy gifts before Thanksgiving for the boys because they change their minds constantly about what they like best. What we have already is yesterdays news. Oh well, here's hoping they won't be too disappointed with Christmas. :)