The Johnsons

New Blog

2012-11-24T23:51:00.004-05:00

Guess what? I have officially uploaded too many photos. Blogger is cutting me off! So, instead of paying for an upgrade and more storage space, I opened a new account.

Presenting: The Johnson's blog, part II

http://ejandchildren.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

William

2012-11-03T18:20:00.003-04:00

William is a Hoot. He makes me laugh multiple times a day. The way he phrases things makes him sound older than he really is. Here are some of his common phrases:

"Actually, I'd rather. . ."

"NO! That's not supposed to be like that!"

"I don't understand what you're saying." (no doubt he has begun saying this one to us because he hears us say it to him all the time)

William is pretty solid on vocalizing vowel sounds and not so good with the consonants, but we can generally understand him pretty well. He speaks more clearly as the days go by.

William is in the middle of a major car phase. He goes to bed every night with about fifty million little cars (or so it seems). He takes the time to line them all up on the bed next to him, which is covered with a quilt that has a green grid pattern on it and is perfect for roads. Often I stand by the door while he is winding down for a nap and listen to the dialogue between his cars. "Helicopter, to the rescue!" Sometimes it can be quite elaborate.

"Do you want to go to primary with me?"

"No, I have to stay home."

"Do you wanna stay home with your Mommy?"

"Yes, I stay home with Mommy."

"Which way is primary?"

"This way, over there."

"Ok. See ya next time."

"Ok. Bye."

(and so on, for much longer than I'd expect for a two-year-old.)

Several times a day, William sweetly asks, "Do you want to play cars with me, Mommy?" I try to say yes as often as possible, even when I'm busy and can only play for two minutes, because I know he is just asking me to love him. So even though William expects that I will agree to play with him, he laughs and dances with excitement anyway. He gives me a car he has picked out ("ok, Mommy, you be this one!") and we go on an adventure together. William's cars all fly, and they all talk, and their favorite game is tag.

Some day William won't ask me to play with him anymore and I will feel a little sad.

William is going through a Daddy phase. When he hurts himself or feels disappointed, Joel is the one he asks for. William waits with great anticipation for Joel to walk through the door after work, and he especially loves when we get to take Joel some lunch during the day. More times than not, Joel is also the first one William asks for when he wakes from his nap.

And, as of last month, William is potty trained! I know, I know, I'm a little crazy. He was just barely two-and-a-half when I started with him. Even though my other kids were about that age when they were potty trained, I didn't expect William to grow up so fast. But I knew that he had the ability to control his bodily functions, and I knew that this coupled with his natural gift of obedience and compliance, we would have a pretty easy time.

Fortunately, I was right (mostly). William, for whatever reason, was scared of the toilet. Neither of my other kids were, even though I trained them at the same age. William watched Everett and Ashley use the toilet with no bad consequences many times but that didn't sway him. He was genuinely frightened.

Since I didn't want something like that to stop him, I did what I swore I'd never do: I bought a little potty chair. Fortunately Walmart has a cheap-o one that turns into a stool.

William helped me pick out some Thomas the Train underwear and we were set. I set up the potty, asked Ashley to demonstrate (which she did with pride) and let William see that she earned a marshmallow.

He sat right down and used the potty succesfully a few times (yes, #1 and #2), stayed dry, and I cheered within myself. This is going to be so easy! I thought.

I was wrong, sort of. William is extremely sensitive. I was as careful as I possibly could have been to not pressure him and to never let irritation creep into my voice, but somehow he decided that the whole potty thing was too much pressure, and he clammed up. The second day was awful. I played game after game with him. I read books. I sang songs. I fed him fluids. We watched movies. But he didn't go to the bathroom for EIGHT HOURS. Not in a diaper, not in his underpants, and not in the potty. He didn't cry, he didn't whine, he didn't get mad; he just sucked his thumb and refused to talk about it.

I felt terrible for his poor little bladder, and I almost gave up several times (he is too young! I'm scarring him for life! Are my expectations too high?) but I knew he could do it. I let him play in a bowl of warm water. I tickled him. I tickled him some more. We watched more shows. I got absolutely no housework done and I think we had eggs for dinner. Finally, I tried a bowl of warm water again, and he relaxed and smiled proudly as it all came out.

After that hurdle, we haven't had any trouble. He went right from wearing diapers all the time to wearing his favorite underwear all the time and stayed dry during naps and overnight with no trouble.

BUT, there was one last issue. William was still scared of any life-size toilet. This was a problem. I didn't consider him fully trained if we couldn't even leave the house! So I took him to the store, let him pick out a pack of hotwheels cars, and told him that if he used the big toilet he could choose his very own new car from that pack. He took a breath and climbed right on. That was all it took. He quickly used up his supply of cars and I was worried that he'd feel he needed more, but he never even asked.

After one week he hit that magical sweet-spot where he asked to go when he needed to go without waiting until the last minute, and I didn't have to remind him all the time anymore.

The main drawback to potty training a two-and-a-half year old is that he is too short to reach very well when he is standing up (I had the same issue with Everett at that age), so I have to lift him whenever he needs to use the bathroom. But that is a small price to pay. He is awfully proud of wearing underpants just like Everett and Ashley, and he is proud of what he can do in the toilet. He even comes in sometimes while I'm using the bathroom. "Good job, Mommy!" He'll say as he hands me a piece of toilet paper.

Overall, it was a success. If I could do it all over again, I'm not sure I would do anything differently, seeing how well he really got it down.

That's my William. He is doing great and I am really enjoying him right now, and even though he has observed Everett and Ashley's angry habits and taken to yelling when he is mad, he is genuinely sweet and easy to please.

Fall Leaves

2012-11-03T17:30:00.001-04:00

The kids have been enjoying Fall so far, I think. Everett enjoys the fact that I don't make him walk home from school with me every day anymore. It isn't ever too cold for me (yet), but some days are chilly enough that I worry about the little guys in the stroller with the wind in their faces. But, we still do go out when the wind is not too nippy.

We've also been raking leaves. Our city comes by to collect leaf piles by the curbs of all the homes. It is fun to watch; a large beast of an orange machine creeps along the edge of the roads while maintenance workers move an enormous vacuum hose which sucks all the leaves into the deep cavity of the truck. William is always fascinated by it. I think he is also slightly worried that those men might suck him up the tube, and actually, that hose is definitely big enough to fit him through.

One day, after William watched Joel painstakingly move all the leaves to the front yard, and after William had run through them, jumped in them, and rode his scooter into them for days on end, he was extremely disappointed to see that the monster leaf-eating truck was back.

"NO!!!!" he yelled. "They are taking my pile!!!!"

And so, the leaf piles are just a memory. We have a few leaves left but not enough to make a big enough pile to have this kind of fun in.

(You know you've been having fun when large amounts of leaves hitchhike on your shirt.)

William's favorite activity was riding his scooter through the piles and feeling wave upon wave of leaves crest over his knees and crash under his back wheels.

And then he'd do his best to rake it all up again.

James, our little eat-everything-within-reach baby was confined to party in the swing. He still seemed to enjoy watching everyone else have fun!

Last Bits of Summer

2012-10-23T22:05:00.002-04:00

The end of summer is not a painful event for me. I anticipate the crispness, the foodie-ness, and the sweater-ness of Fall all year long. But I will miss watching the kids do some of the things they loved so much this year.

We planted a few vegetable plants this year. I am a horrible gardener, and I do not say that lightly. I don't have the patience for it (which may or may not have something to do with the fact that it is monopolized by four little beings in my house, heaven help us). What I mean is, I love having the plants in theory, but I am not meticulous enough for much to flourish. As a side note, I did have four lovely little herb plants that were doing great, until I went to Utah for five weeks during a blistering Iowa heat wave, which effectively turned them into very usable tinder.

We began Summer with twelve tomato plants. Yes, I realize that is overkill. But I was hoping that after losing 1) the ones I neglect, and 2) the ones our local critters eat, we would still have enough for me to can a few quarts of stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, or salsa.

After one month, the deer ate all but four. One of those four never really took off. Another turned into a behemoth monster which uprooted its sturdy cage and grew large, beautiful, green tomatoes that only began to think about ripening after we experienced our first frosts. What we had left was a cheerful cherry tomato plant, gangly and awkward as a fifteen year old who is not yet used to his stretching body, and a grape tomato plant which half-heartedly produced some delicious bell-shaped fruit.

What you see here is our dandy cherry tomato plant (this picture was taken at the end of September, so the plants have declined significantly from their peak). I did not expect it to grow so well. Apparently the deer aren't as interested in plants so close to the house, and the soil conditions must have been perfect. I am hoping that one day Everett doesn't come to me and explain that this was the spot he used nature's restroom when I wasn't looking (but all the neighbors were, of course).

Everett and Ashley came out here almost daily to pick and savor the juicy sweetness of a sun-ripened tomato. Sometimes they'd pick a small bowl-full but interestingly enough, it was usually empty by the time I got to it.

They never tired of it, as far as I could tell. It was these moments that made pulling weeds (all three times, ahem) worth it to me. I had grand visions of Everett pulling weeds to earn money this summer, since we haven't yet started him on an allowance. As it turns out, there is nothing Everett wants badly enough to have to pull weeds for it.

Everett is holding a red pepper from another one of our plants. The peppers did well but were a little slow to get going. We had red peppers and purple peppers and rarely did any of them make it all the way into my kitchen. Somehow, I didn't mind.

Occasionally, when William was not napping and when he was fast enough to compete with the older kids, he'd proudly score a treat as well.

The kids loved to goof off with the veggies. We grew yellow squash, zuchinnis, and cucumbers as well. (I use the term "grew" loosely.) Someone tell me: Why do so many people have these veggies coming out of their ears but we only ended up with a few?

Oh, right. My horrible gardening skills. I will have to sharpen up and plan better for next year.

The kids also had fun digging, burying things, and making rivers and fairy villages in this huge dirt mound.

Joel spread a lot of mulch in our yard but I never wanted him to cover up this pile. The dirt that abundantly seasoned my kids' hand-picked veggies, worked its way under their fingernails, and turned to sludge at the bottom of our bathtub was too valuable to lose.

Mostly, though, I loved the dirt pile because William loved it for playing cars. He could entertain himself for hours out there on any given day; making car tracks, moving construction vehicles, and burrowing buses never stopped giving him a little thrill.

Homecoming Parade

2012-10-14T23:45:00.006-04:00

We are lucky enough to live within walking distance of our local high school. So when it was time for the homecoming parade, which Everett had heard all about at his school and was dying to see, we trekked on over and found a good place to watch.

I painted the school colors on the kids' cheeks. They thought this was fantastically cool, even though my lame attempts at face painting are really not all that fancy.

Everett was thrilled to be there. The air was brisk and it was one of the first days we could really smell autumn in the air.

We had a few minutes to wait before the parade came by, so the kids had fun playing catch with various items.

We also had fun being a little silly!

William brought along a few cars (surprise, surprise!) and was happy to play with them for a little while.

The parade floats were not intricate or fancy or expensive, but the kids didn't mind and everyone still cheered when the homecoming royalty came along in their corvette and mustang convertibles.

Of course, the parade floats were nothing compared to the excitement of discovering the participants threw candy out to the spectators.

We were at the end of the route, so our kids didn't score much candy, but they were unaware of the inequality and were thrilled anyway. And, when I heard later that some kids came away from the parade with pillowcases full of candy, I was relieved I didn't have to contend with so many sweets when we got home.

James was pretty happy the whole time. I will be sad when my kids are all too old to snuggle with me when we are out .

James was pretty intent on watching all the big trucks come by. It was fun to see him so interested.

Of course, other than the times William was sucking his thumb, no one could match him for enthusiasm.

The police cars were his favorite. William loves to point out police cars wherever we go. His exuberance is contagious.

I think the parade made the biggest impression on our little William. We went home, had some hot vanilla milk (it was a pinterest experiment but wasn't great), and the kids went to bed happy. It was the perfect start to fall.

Miss Ashley Goes To Preschool

2012-10-02T21:42:00.000-04:00

Ashley started preschool last month. It was an exciting day for her! Unfortunately, Ashley's first day was everyone else's third day. She woke up vomiting early in the same morning she was supposed to start school. I had to keep her home for two days, which meant that since they started on a Thursday, she had to wait until the following Tuesday to experience her very first day of school.

By the time we actually got to that morning, she was quite annoyed that I felt it was necessary to make her stand for pictures.

This is the best picture I took.

All the rest look more like this.

William misses having Ashley around, and tells her so every day when we pick her up. "I missed you, Ashley!" he giggles jubilantly as she climbs into her car seat.

Ashley seems to really enjoy preschool. She greatly dislikes discussing the details of the day and will expel a groan of exasperation anytime someone asks her what they did that day. But she is always happy to go and is proud of the projects she brought home.

I strongly considered keeping Ashley home this year and doing preschool lessons with her myself, the way I did with the kids last year, but I knew the socialization would be good exercise for someone who is so naturally an introvert. I've had a couple of conversations with her that really illustrate this characteristic of hers.

Shortly after the first day of school, I asked Ashley how it was.
"Fine," she replied, then said, "There are too many kids."

"Who do you like to play with at school?" I asked one day.
"Nobody. I just play by myself," Ashley answered.
"You do, huh? Do you like to play by yourself?" I wanted to know.
"Yeah."
"Does it make you feel happy or sad to play by yourself?" I further questioned, hoping for a clarified response.
"Happy," Ashley answered matter-of-factly.

That was enough for me. If she was happy, I wasn't worried.

One day I dropped Ashley off late for school. When I opened the door to the playroom so she could join her class for their beginning segment, I heard a few girls shout excitedly, "Ashley!!!" I asked Ashley about this later.

"Who were those girls who were so happy to see you this morning when I dropped you off?"
Ashley gave me an exasperated sigh. "Nobody." She stated decisively. A shy smile played at the corners of her lips, betraying her real feelings.

Another time, when I was talking about Ashley's day with her as I tucked her in bed, she told me soberly, "All of those kids in my class make me feel frightened."

All of Ashley's comments have given me great opportunities to discuss some of these issues and set small goals with her. Ashley's goal this morning was to find out someone's name and report it to me after school, and she was so proud of herself when she said not one, but two names. We were able to talk about what to do when Ashley told me one of her classmates rubs Ashley's head all the time ("It's so annoying to me, Mom!" Ashley had said.). Or what to say when you want to play with someone you don't know very well--something that isn't difficult for a lot of people, but which scares Ashley enough that she prefers to just dissociate from the situation completely. We've been able to talk about how as you practice playing with people and become more familiar with them, that feeling of fear begins to go away. We have discussed a lot of things. Ashley has loved being able to complete small goals, and I have learned how to better phrase questions so she is more willing to answer them.

Hopefully we will be able to achieve our ultimate goal, which is what I wrote on the information sheet the teachers gave me at the beginning of the year.

"What is your goal for Ashley this year?" It queried. I wrote that I hope Ashley learns to be more comfortable about asserting herself in group situations. That is something I cannot teach her at home, and that is a major reason preschool is going to be so good for her this year.

It will be fun to see the progress she makes this year. She is so vibrant and smart and creative and strong, and I hope she learns to have the gumption to show it when the time comes.

Bike Riding, Again!

2012-09-29T11:17:00.000-04:00

The kids are just starting to get old enough to do real activities together away from home. Going on walks or to the playground used to be about our only options, but we have added bike rides to the list, and now that they are becoming more interested in sports, I'm sure we will have fun with that as well.

There is a really nice pathway behind the softball fields in our small city. It is long and relatively flat, and usually we are the only ones using it.

It is really peaceful. The kids seem to always feel carefree and happy when we come here.

Usually by the time we make it to the park, the sun is low in the sky and casts a gorgeous golden light over everything. If you look at the river when the sun hits at just the right time, it flows like luminous gold, as though you could dip your hand in and pull back out a lustrous, molten glove.

We've come to this place several times over the past few weeks and I feel treated each time.

Like I've said before, Ashley is queen of the balance bike. She loves it. I've tried to time how long she can glide along without putting her feet back on the ground, and I've gotten well above twenty seconds. She is amazing.

William really loves to get moving on this scooter, and he can work up quite a speed. The poor guy has banged his head a few times when he watches the road and not where he is going, but he is not worse for the wear and still looks forward to his next ride.

One of our favorite features of the pathway is this gorgeous willow tree.

The path stretches casually along a little river and is visible for quite a distance, so I feel comfortable letting Everett ride ahead of us.

He loves it. He was nervous to learn to ride a bike with no training wheels, but he caught on extremely quickly and even learned to start and stop on his own. His steering has been great from the start. And he has really learned to love feeling the wind in his face as he works up to hair-raising speeds (hair-raising to me, anyway).

William sometimes takes a break to push James in the stroller. I am including this picture because I snapped it a split second before William decided it was a great idea to hang on the handles of the stroller. Over backward it went, and William smacked his head on the asphalt, the poor guy. It is amazing we have never had to take him in for stitches or a busted noggin.

James is content to watch the kids zoom around him. He is always pretty calm in the stroller and it is nice to have a way to bring him happily a long with us on these outings.

I am not very good about taking videos of my kids, so I decided to remedy that. The subject matter is not very exciting, but that's how it goes! And, if anyone can tell me how to fix the wretched noise my camera's autofocus feature makes, I would really appreciate it.

Password for both: bikes

Stair Climber

2012-09-26T20:27:00.000-04:00

In July, while we were on vacation in Utah, James figured out how to climb stairs at the ripe age of seven months old.

I happened to have my camera out at the exact moment he figured this out.

Going down was a whole other issue, one that James had no idea how to approach.

He still hasn't figured out how to go down stairs, but at least he knows enough to know that he can't. Now when he climbs stairs and is done exploring, he sits at the top and whines for me to come get him.

I love my happy guy. This picture was taken of him looking right at me. He insists on getting what he wants but he is usually easy going and quick to grin at anyone.

Walking, walking

2012-09-26T18:57:00.002-04:00

The weather here in Iowa has been GREAT. It is perfect for walking home from school, which is what I have tried to do with the kids as often as possible before winter hits and we are all cooped up together. I love walking home from school with Everett and his friends from our street. I get to hear tidbits about their day, see them race each other, and we all get to enjoy the warm sunlight on our faces.

We cross a nice little field as we near our houses. It is my favorite part of the walk.

Ashley and her friend love to pick some of the little flowers.

Ashley really hates walking, so one day I told her she could ride the balance bike. She loved it, and has ridden it with us ever since. Fortunately she is very good about staying close to me, because she can really work up to a good speed on that thing!

Sometimes the kids hug each other goodbye when we drop our friends off at their house.

Even the boys. And, although I didn't get this in a picture, Everett and his friend are not too old to be embarrassed about occasionally holding hands as they walk home.

William and James are troopers, and I don't usually hear a peep out of either of them, except when William excitedly points out an animal, car, bus, or motorcycle along the way. James is content to suck his thumb and watch our surroundings.

Someday soon Everett will be old enough to make the ten-minute walk on his own, and I will be a little sad. I never expected to enjoy our daily walk as much as I do, so maybe I will keep meeting the kids at school until they are too embarrassed to be seen with me!

Ashley and Soccer

2012-09-11T16:49:00.000-04:00

I've been eager to get my kids into fall soccer. So when Everett came home from his first days of school with a flyer for a local soccer club, I jumped on it.

I signed Everett and Ashley both up. I knew Everett would love soccer, but I wasn't so sure about Ashley.

Ashley loved wearing her new shin guards, soccer socks, and a soccer ball. She used Everett's old silver nikes, found silver shorts to match, and announced that her soccer nickname is Silver Lightning.

With all of those cool duds, Ashley was all set. She happily participated in the warm-up run.

And played a couple of the fun warm-up games. (The team also did a "fishy dance" to warm up, which Ashley scowled about later. "It was just so silly!" She insisted.)

But after a few minutes, she began to lag behind.

Pretty soon all the glory shots I envisioned capturing looked more like this. Do you see that little pink lump waaaaaay off to the right? That is our Ashley. I have a million more photos that look just like this.

Toward the end of the practice, Ashley was joined by another little girl who must have agreed with Ashley's philosophy.

I reminded Ashley every drink break that she should play close attention to her coach. Interestingly enough, he is British and his accent makes his soccer expertise sound quite important. However, Ashley couldn't find it in herself to participate. I don't know if she was bored, intimidated, or apathetic (most likely a mixture of the three), but soccer definitely seemed to have lost its luster in her mind. Gone was Silver Lightning; regular Ashley had taken her place.

We will see if Silver Lightning makes a comeback when they play an actual game.

Ashley did like one part of practice, and that was organizing the cones and the balls.

Everett enjoyed his practice very much. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of him playing because Joel was there and didn't think he could get any good photos through the fence.

Everett had been very encouraging to Ashley early that morning. "You'll do great!" he enthused, "You're pretty good for a four-year-old." She seemed to believe him (until it came time to actually play, that is). And when it was time for the four-year-olds to play, Everett leaned against the fence and sighed. "There go the little kids," he said fondly.

"Aren't you a little kid?" I asked.

"No, I'm a big kid!" Everett replied, as though I had lost my brain.

Well, we sure do love our Ashley. She is wonderful at so many things.

Right now, liking soccer is just not one of them. This is too bad, because there are five more weeks to go, but maybe that will give her enough time to warm up to it.

Biking Around

2012-09-10T23:23:00.000-04:00

We are very lucky. There are a few really scenic, peaceful places to ride bikes (or run, if you are more ambitious than I) near us in our small city.

Since Ashley has really taken to Everett's old balance bike and is surprisingly fast, I told her we could go on a bike ride together.

Ashley was very excited.

Can you tell?

The gently curving roads are quiet and secluded. I was amazed at how well Ashley maintained her pace on this little bike, even up hills. I am totally sold on the concept of these pedal-less balance bikes--Everett rode this one for almost two years before we started him on a real bike with no training wheels, and because he already had the balance part down, he rode successfully during our very first try this summer. When the kids get good enough on this bike, they work up their speed and then raise their feet and just. . .glide for ages. It looks really fun.

Ashley took a few pictures, including this one of me. I am usually the one behind the camera. I don't know what I'm going to do now that my kids are old enough to catch me with the lens.

Ashley especially enjoyed riding across the bridges. I don't blame her--they are pretty fun!

And they are pretty scenic.

I miss the Rocky Mountains, but you sure can't beat that view for tranquility.

Of course we had to stop to pick some wildflowers. The pathway we decided to ride on was surprisingly flower-full for this time of year. Some of the trees have already begun to drop their leaves, and, like many areas of the U.S., we've had a very hot, very dry summer. Many of the plants and flowers dried up long ago.

And yet, there were still some to be found here. Just imagine what this area looks like during the springtime abundance.

I am always glad to spend time with my kids one-on-one. It seems that when I do, parts of their personality sparkle in ways I don't usually notice. Ashley is so vibrant and fun, and strong and determined. Next time she gets whiny and dramatic I will make sure to remember this day.

Ladies' Day

2012-09-03T22:15:00.001-04:00

Everett's first day of school was a big day in our house. It was the first day I had a child attend an actual school. And it was the first day Ashley was the oldest child at home.

As much as I missed Everett, I was really looking forward to the special times Ashley and I could have together while her brothers were napping. And we have had a lot of good times already, the best of which was probably the first day Everett was gone from us.

I knew I would be watching the clock all day long, so I made sure Ashley and I had a lot of fun things to do. We made a cake for an evening baby shower, and then we made a rice krispie cake. I taught her how to make frosting flowers and she went to town on her very own little rice krispie rectangle. I put her little brothers down for an early nap and announced that it was time for our ladies' tea party. In a family with only brothers, Ashley does not have many opportunities to do frilly activities. (Truthfully, she doesn't mind. Most of the time she chooses the same activities her brothers enjoy.) Ashley giggled at my announcement, her excitement blossoming when I asked her to follow me upstairs so we could get all dressed up.

We put on our fanciest skirts. I got out all of my best necklaces (which actually was not a lot) and we piled them on like wealthy old dowagers. Then we put on make-up. Ashley was thrilled to be able to wear purple eye shadow, pink lipstick, and even a little mascara.

We used some of Everett's fancy little lunch fruit cups, and then cut out honey sandwich flowers and hearts. These are the ultimate tea party sandwich.

Ashley gathered a few guests: Mr. Daisy, Mr. Daisy, Mrs. Bolt, and Mrs. Bolt.

We made some lemonade and Ashley practiced her arched pinkie.

She did her best to act very demure as we referred to each other as "Lady Ashley" and "Lady Mommy".

Ultimately, though, her hoity-toity voice would soften into a cloud of giggles.

She declared, "This is the bestest, bestest, bestest, bestest day, EVER!" and announced that we should do this every day for "ages and ages."

And then we ate,

And played, and laughed,

And had a wonderful time, just the two of us girls.

(And I didn't look at the clock at all. . .I mean, too often, anyway.)

First Day of School

2012-09-03T01:00:00.002-04:00

Everyone only ever has one very first day of school in their whole lives. I tried to make Everett's into something extra-special.

So I declared the last day of summer vacation a "chore free day." Everett was ecstatic! He couldn't stop talking about what luck he had. I did have him make his bed and tidy his room, but I let him off the hook for everything else. And let me tell you, that was the fastest and most complaint-free bed making I have ever seen. I wish I could have bottled that attitude to reserve for later.

That evening, I looked over Everett's paperwork one last time. "Wait a second!" I thought. Everett's teacher had visited us the previous week and reminded us that Wednesday was Everett's first day. However, his first day was actually Thursday. I had a good laugh about it and told Everett he had to wait another day. He took it quite well for someone who doesn't yet understand the childhood school time craving for a nice, long summer vacation.

The morning of his actual last day before school, Everett made me a deal. "Mom, you know something?" he said slyly, "since today is my real last day before kindergarten, how about if we have another no-chore day?""

Now, how could I resist that logic? So we had another fun day. I asked Everett what he wanted to do. Go to the zoo? Go to the park? No, Everett wanted to have preschool with me one last time (cue motherly tears). What a sweetheart.

He began on his actual first day of school by waking up early and crawling into bed with Joel and me. Since he was up so early, we had him jump in the shower. This began his love of showering. Nowadays, Everett begs for a couple more minutes in the warm water before we make him get out.

I made him a pancake breakfast and then he got dressed in all his new school duds.

Everett was excited for his first day of kindergarten. We had visited his school two times for various open houses. He had a home visit from his teacher. This first day for him was the second of two days where only half the class comes. And he had a batman backpack with a cape trailing from a secret zipper pocket at the top.

I was excited for Everett to go to kindergarten, but I was also pretty sad. I really enjoyed having Everett home with me this past year. He was my little buddy. Since kindergarten is a full day at our schools, I knew I would miss having him around.

I am a little sad that these pictures are so over-exposed. Everett wasn't too keen on the picture-taking, but he humored me anyway.

The fold-out cape is Everett's favorite feature of his backpack. He wore it proudly unfurled for a few days until a few girls in his class commented on it. "Mom, I just don't want those girls to say 'Oh Everett, that's so cool'!" Everett insisted to me in a high-pitched, girly voice. He hasn't worn his cape out since.

Ashley was proud of Everett for going off to school, too. And although you can't tell from this picture alone, Everett missed Ashley. This is especially apparent by the way he whacks her when he passes her car seat on pick-up day.

Joel went into work a few minutes late so I could bring Everett into the school on his very first day. We walked into his classroom together, dropped off his supplies, and walked to the gym for the daily powerstart. I pointed Everett to his class's place, and he reached up to give me a quick hug. Then he was off, without even a backward glance.

I cried the whole way home. I am a huge sap, I know.

That whole morning, I remembered Everett's nursery days at church when he was two years old. I would bring him to the nursery room door and his whole body would freeze up in protest. He would cling to me with every ounce of desperation he could muster, and then bellow at the top of his lungs in a wild-eyed manifestation of his frustration and fear.

On Everett's first day of school, we had not even a shadow of that. I was so glad he felt confident and comfortable beginning this new stage--I had worked very hard to prepare him for it. But a very small part of me couldn't help but feel that it would have been nice if he missed me just a little more than he did.

Ashley and I made him a special celebratory rice krispie treat cake for when he got home from school. Everett was very excited, but the best thing about this picture is that it captures his complete exhaustion.

We had bacon-burger-dogs for our special back-to-school dinner. They were tasty, but would have been better if I didn't have to skimp on the bacon.

For a special treat, we had raspberry pina coladas.

Now, a week later, Everett has his system down. He makes his bed and tidies his room before he leaves for school. He makes his lunch. He leaves with me or with our carpool. He works hard at school and tries to earn a green smiley face for good behavior, which I can check for in his daily agenda. In the afternoons he usually is very touchy and his frustration levels can skyrocket at even the mildest of offenses, but he is also very proud of his hard work during the day and is eager to tell me as many details as a five-year-old could possibly remember.

Friday morning as Everett left for school, I went down to the door as he gave me one last hug. "No Mom," he told me as I held the door for him, "You need to go back up there (Everett pointed to the kitchen) so you can call out 'Bye, Everett! And Ashley can say it, too."

Then Everett strode away proudly, his gait exuding purpose and importance, and warming his sap of a mother's heart.

We really miss Everett during the day. He is extra enthusiastic about everything, and I miss the excitement. No one gives me hugs the way he does. Ashley and William are good friends and truly enjoy each other's easy going personalities, but sometimes I think we all need a little zip in our lives and Everett is always the guy for the job. (You should see how he plays Uno.)

Four Kids in a Tub

2012-08-23T22:51:00.001-04:00

Bathing the kids at my parents house was easier than normal because I had a few extra hands to help me. I could throw them all in, spray 'em off, and hand them off in a warm towel to the highest bidder.

Joel took one look at these pictures and said, "Four kids in one tub is too many."

I think James was inclined to agree with him! The little guy has not yet seemed to enjoy baths, even when he doesn't have to share the water with any other kids.

Family Photos 2012

2012-08-23T19:03:00.001-04:00

Whew. I don't think I have ever gone this long without posting. The summer flew by, which is probably because (due to scheduling difficulties) the kids and I spent the majority of it in Utah. Joel spent the majority of the summer at home alone, working, and sweating in a terrible, sweltering Iowa heatwave. We all missed him a lot, but I missed him the most out of anyone. The morning after he arrived in Utah for a quick visit, we stopped at the Mount Timpanogos Temple for some googley-eyed sentiment.

Joel and I were married in that temple. We were officially engaged in the park across from it. More specifically, we were engaged under the boughs of this tree.

It is majestic, and bigger than any other tree in the park.

The ancient trunk is massive. It is wide and stately, its great limbs reaching heavenward, a mighty sentinel. Many weathered blemishes give it wizened character.

This tree is our real-life family tree. When I see it each year, I want to embrace it for what it symbolizes to me.

Instead, Joel and I gather our little brood and clump together along its feet.

Some day I will compile a book of our annual family tree photos.

I imagine I will look at this photo and remember the days when I could never keep up with the fingerprints on my windows.

Everett took this photo of Joel and me. I only wish that I had realized our bags and Ashley's stuffed cat were behind us.

Still got it!

Sacred Places

2012-07-21T02:15:00.005-04:00

There is a place from my childhood that is filled with so many peaceful, joyful, sparkling memories that it almost feels sacred. To most people, it looks ordinary, regular, inconsequential even, but to me and many others in my family, it is perfection. This place is my Grandparents' house. When I was a child, the moment my feet crossed their threshold, the rest of the world blanched away to a trivial, lusterless corner of my mind. The house itself felt magical. Once there, I never wanted to leave. My younger sister and I would bring our own pillows to use at their house in part so we could relish the sweet, comforting leftover smell of their house infused within the pillow for days after we returned home. When this same sister walked into my house just before the Thanksgiving holiday last year and asked, "why does your house smell like Grandma's?" I beamed. It was, and is, the ultimate compliment.

So I relish bringing my children to this wonderful place. I was happy to have just that opportunity on the Fourth of July, for the annual Burton reunion extravaganza. The celebration begins early with breakfast and stretches through the entire day, ending when we are too sun-weary and too full of comfort food to continue on.

I am lucky, and my kids are lucky, to have such wonderful people in their lives, most especially my Grandpa and Grandma Burton. Not many children are old enough to have memories of their great-grandparents, but my children will.

My Grandpa is a multi-talented man, a Patriarch and a Sealer in the Temple, and smiles more quickly than anyone else I've met. He loves a good joke and keeps a handful of them in his pocket to dole out when he is in the mood to savor a clever moment.

I wish I had a picture of my Grandma Burton as well. Picture a twinkly-eyed, smiling grandma who smells like good cooking, whose arms beckon kindly and generously, and who feels that just about any ill is repaired by a plate of good food. And her food is Good Food--her hand-dipped chocolates, smooth, flavorful gravy, and countless other delicacies are the stuff of legend in my family.

So, going back to visit is something I look forward to all year. It is fun for me to see my kids doing the same things I did, in the same places I did them.

The trampoline.

One of the Aunts and Uncles who have a knack for making everyone feel special.

Homemade rootbeer.

(can't forget the fantastic Aunts, or Great-Aunts who help with all these fun things.)

Dry ice sure is magical.

The "kinder Gasthaus"

The sandbox

Above this sandbox used to be the end to a zipline that began at an enormous apricot tree in the middle of the large yard. We would climb a large limb of the tree, hop on, and zoom across the yard. Tragically, the ancient, weakened tree was no match for a storm last year. The day it blew over was a sad day for the members of my family. The fresh apricots, fragrant bark, and of course, the zipline are no more.

There are always a few new things to do. This year it was a giant Angry Birds competition.

Ashley enjoyed sling-shotting the balls across the field.

But Everett enjoyed it even more. He teamed up with my brother and some of my cousins, who very nicely took him under their wing.

This was serious business to a five-year-old.

And, this serious business became a major feather in Everett's cap when his team won, thanks to him. At one station, he actually earned more points all by himself than any other team did combined. "Way to go! You were awesome! If you weren't on our team, we would have lost!" my cousins and brother cheered, knowing exactly what to say to make a five-year-old feel like he was king of the world.

James and all the other kids enjoyed the huge blow-up ball pit, new to the family this year. It was a definite hit.

After a long day of treats, games, running around, and relatives, it is time to go home. And that is no more apparent than when my children start to look like this.

But every weary muscle, every tired blink, every sweat mark, and every sticky finger is evidence of a perfect time at a perfect day at a perfect place. And that is why when we leave, we always wonder how soon we can return again.

Twirl

2012-07-14T01:04:00.001-04:00

If you have read this blog for any period of time, you likely already understand that Ashley loves ballet. She has absolutely zero experience other than her own little shenanigans, but I often find her standing absent-mindedly with an outstretched leg and pointed toe, or moving her arms gracefully around her. Ashley constantly makes up new dances using new made-up techniques, such as jumping on a mini-trampoline. "This is called the Falcon dance, Mom" she announced to me just this morning.

So when I saw this swimsuit a few days ago, I knew it had to be hers.

Ashley's eyes lit up when I showed her my purchase, and she spent the rest of the day in it.

Where would be be without our Ashley? Well, life would be a lot less twirly.

Do Superheroes Like to Pull Weeds?

2012-07-12T16:56:00.006-04:00

I know my kids certainly don't like to pull weeds. Everett even knows pulling weeds is the only way he can earn extra money, but he is still not desperate enough to do it. So what happens when the kids are replaced with super-powered comic heroes?

Lots of tough-looking poses,

A little weeding,

And lots of napping. Boy do these superheroes get tired.

(imagine the sound of explosions behind them)

All in a day's work.

I just wish their "day" lasted more than two minutes.

Little Jar of Horrors

2012-07-11T22:14:00.003-04:00

Everett has been obsessed with traps this summer. Fly traps, rabbit traps, booby traps, you name it, he's tried to build it.

And so came the advent of our bug jars. After cleaning up glass shards from a few broken Ragu jars, I wisened up and began using peanut butter jars. They worked great.

Everett was thrilled one day when I showed him a little group of wolf spiders that were congregating on the side of our house. He and I caught three with little trouble, and we brought them inside to look them up.

Despite some fearful web commentators, the general professional consensus seems to be that wolf spiders are generally harmless. They can bite and they are actually a little venomous, but the venom only causes mild, localized pain, which is the case with most spider bites.

So after I explained to Everett that he was never, under any circumstances, to open this jar inside the house or try to play with the spiders, which he readily agreed too, we noted some interesting facts:

Wolf spiders do not build webs. They have excellent eyesight and hunt their prey by running after them, pouncing on them, and biting with their powerful jaws, just like a real wolf.
The mother wolf spiders are grouped among some of the more maternal animals because they carry their babies around on their back until they are about halfway grown.
Many wolf spiders are diurnal.
Wolf spiders eat other spiders (including other wolf spiders), crickets, grasshoppers, earwigs, ants, and beetles.

Everett and I were eager to find out if we would witness a spider throw-down. Surely one of them would eventually get hungry enough to go after the others, right? Well, although we did not get to watch an exciting fight, we did return to the jar several times to find sucked-dry spider pieces littering the bottom.

We added a few insects here and there, and once our wolf spider colony had become cannibalistically depleted, we found some new, energetic little guys to repopulate the jar.

Everett's favorite discoveries were:

Spiders poop. Yes, they do.
Spiders turn darker when they are about to die. (We may have forgotten to keep water in the jar so some of the spiders died a slow death of dehydration. Oops.)
A tiny web-weaving spider we found and added to the jar spun its own safety-net web at the top of the jar and avoided being captured by the large predators on the bottom.
No matter what the internet said, three wolf spiders were not enough to take down one cricket.

Everett was especially interested to note that the "fangs" you can see gleaming from the faces of these little beasts are not actually fangs. They are pedipalps, which are little appendages the spiders use to handle things with.

Unfortunately, our wolf spider experiment came to an end when a neighbor girl angrily dumped out the spiders in the backyard (I believe it was the jar she desired, not the spiders). Everett was sad but I am sure the lone live spider was relieved to be set free where nature intended.

This was a fun little summer diversion for Everett and me. And no, no one else in the house was morbid enough to appreciate our interest or share our enthusiasm for the project. But that's ok--this is exactly why Everett and I are such good buddies.

(Everett with a bird trap he built, which did not actually catch a bird, but which was fun for him to build anyway.)

Birthday for Ashley

2012-07-09T20:57:00.002-04:00

Ashley recently turned FOUR!

She is still a little girl but I cannot believe how much she has grown.

This is one of Ashley's first days home from the hospital. As soon as I saw her, I fell in love with her dark hair and rosebud lips, and her sweet baby temperament.

Here is Ashley one month later on the day we blessed her in our church. It was a special day and lots of special personal promises were made for her life.

Our family changed for the better with birth of this wonderful baby girl. Her easy, contented temperament often brought a feeling of peace into our home.

Here is Ashley nowadays--hair ragged and fly-away from running around outside, a dress on her little body so she can watch it twirl, and lots of friendly animals by her side.

Ashley still loves stuffed animals and even though she detests baby dolls, she is a great big sister and loves her baby brothers dearly. Ashley shuts down emotionally if there is conflict in the house, but is otherwise vibrant, energetic, giggly, sunshine-y, intelligent, proud of her strong and fast muscles, curious, a great builder and story-imaginer, and all the things a wonderful four-year-old girl ought to be.

I count my Ashley blessings every day. I am overwhelmed with love and gratitude for this special little person. Her full-armed, throw-herself-right-at-you hugs replenish my soul.

Ashley woke up on her birthday morning with balloons filling her bed. It was a magical moment I should have captured on film.

Ashley also excitedly participated in her annual birthday lunch with Papa. She loves eating out at any restaurant, but chose Wendy's. The lure of the chocolate frosty eclipsed her other options.

The most special birthday treat, and the one Ashley looked forward to the most, was a visit from her Grandpa Burton. He visited last year on her birthday as well. I think Ashley is beginning to think having him around to spoil her on her birthday is a new tradition! Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of Ashley and Grandpa Burton together.

As always, Everett was almost more excited for Ashley to open her presents than she was! Everett decided he wanted to make her a snow globe after viewing an instructional youtube clip, so he and I scrambled to get it done before Ashley's big day. We put a purple flying unicorn inside, with silver and purple glitter swirling in the magical waters around it. Ashley slept with it that night and Everett was very proud to have made something special for her. Unfortunately I did not get a good picture of this, either (again, a mom fail).

Never one to disappoint, Grandpa presented Ashley with a magnifying glass/bug catcher and a bouquet of lollipops. Little did Ashley know that there were more presents waiting for her back in Utah as soon as we arrived for our summer trip.

What you see is part of a poofy dress that I saw at Costco back in February. Joel took one look at it after I brought it home and said, "that thing is hideous!" I was inclined to agree with him but I knew Ashley would love the poofy skirt and glittery screen-printed ballerinas.

Joel and I splurged and got her a My Little Pony set. Ashley has seen every episode multiple times. She can name even the most obscure characters. It is a testament to her absorption in the show that little William can also name all the main characters. "That's Pinky Pie, Mommy," or "push me up high, like Rainbow Dash!" he clarifies for me.

Everett and Ashley were both excited for the cake. Everett was so excited, in fact, that he rushed in and blew out all the candles before anyone could react. He was so embarrassed about this mistake he obviously made without thinking that he rushed up to his room and had to be coaxed back out.

So I lit the candles again so I could get a least one picture with the birthday cake in all its glory, but Ashley was too quick for me as well.

Ashley didn't care what kind of cake she had; all she wanted was one with three layers. I made chocolate with whipped cream for frosting and real cherries on top. It would have tasted better if I had 1) made it from scratch and 2) not overcooked it. However, we left for Utah the next morning and I wasn't took keen on worrying about the leftovers anyway.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our fantastic ASHLEY MARGARET JOHNSON!

Dad's Day

2012-06-20T17:25:00.002-04:00

Happy Father's Day

To the man who

cannot lay down--anywhere--without three little bodies merging upon him,

who has enough room on his back for all three at once,

who makes the ultimate bareback riding foe,

who never gets lots in the chaos,

who can tickle two-at-a-time,

and can get enormous laughs from a little two-year-old boy,

who gives his wife that knowing smile,

and to the man who often ends up looking

more than a little encumbered

and strangled, and beaten-upon, and rug-burned,

WE LOVE YOU!

(obviously.)

A Whole New World

2012-06-13T17:59:00.001-04:00

It has been about a week since James learned he could crawl. It was (and still is) a slow, stuttering movement--up on all fours, he'd propel himself forward onto his belly, pick himself up, and do it again.

Like a bird fascinated with shiny objects, James is lured by tiny, colorful fragments spread around our house. Thread, buttons, ribbon, and most especially Legos.

Now that James can actually get to what he wants, we are on high alert.

No one can get mad at this happy boy, even Everett, whom I have to ask at least three times a day to clean up the legos.

And although at barely six months old, James is our earliest crawler, and is the child I'd least like to lose track of or fall down our stairs, it is fun to see him discover this new skill.

Fortunately his speed is hampered by frequent thumb-sucking and toe-grabbing breaks, as well as deep contemplation, I'm sure. "Why does my mom only dress me in pants when we go to church?" I'm sure he wonders.

James also likes to give his gums a quick massage. Two teeth have sprouted, eighteen more to go.

Pony Love

2012-06-11T17:15:00.003-04:00

If you've followed this blog at all, you are well aware that Ashley loves ponies and horses and unicorns and any sort of equine friend.

So when she had the opportunity to ride a real, live pony at the zoo, she was ecstatic. The fact that the ponies simply walked in a circular pen did not dampen her enthusiasm.

Ashley carefully selected her first, second, and third choice ponies. Since she was first in line, she easily claimed her favorite--this brown and white cutie.

Ashley was sure it was a girl (because of course all ponies must be girls). I did not verify her claim.

She was thrilled to finally be up on a real, moving pony.

And then, as she continued the ride, I watched with pleasure as a dreamy, tranquil, contented look spread over her face. Her body relaxed, her feet dangled comfortably, her hands felt the leather saddle horn.

She played with the pony's mane. (She and the pony were meant to be friends, Ashley decided, due to the braids that decorated their hair.)

Ashley smiled peacefully.

I think she truly felt at one with the horse.

When the too-short ride was over, Ashley gave the pony one last pat on the nose and immediately began chatting about "next time" with her new friend.

Maybe we will just have to make that happen.

Zoo

2012-06-08T17:28:00.003-04:00

My sister Maddy recently came for a visit. We were all sad when she left!

We enjoyed every moment with her. One day I decided we all should go to the zoo since admission was half price. The kids were thrilled and had a great time. It is a small-ish zoo, but perfect for my kids because by the time we had seen everything, we felt ready to be done.

I don't know if the kids were more excited about the real or composite animals.

(There were several more but I did not take any more photos.)

Little Monkeys. . . yep, that's about right.

Ashley and Everett were too short to reach the taller monkey's face, so we had to do the picture individually.

A real, live, lizard! There was a small python, too. Everett enjoyed touching the animals but Ashley didn't get too close.

Poor William was a little sick, so nice Aunt Maddy catered to him.

He spent a lot of time in the stroller looking like this.

The zoo has three activities for an extra charge: pony rides, a carousel, and a train. I told the kids they could each choose one thing and that was it. Everett chose the carousel and was bound and determined to find it as soon as possible. Fortunately, we found it quickly. He was thrilled to ride this black panther.

Ashley chose the pony ride, but since William was too nervous to try out these moving animals and I had already purchased the ticket, she got to ride the carousel as well. I think she had more fun on the real ponies!

The kids' biggest treat was sharing this day with Aunt Maddy. She rewarded them by letting them choose their own little webkinz animal from the gift shop. The kids still love them and talk about their Aunt whenever they use them.

William chose a lion, of course. It goes nicely with his pillow pet, and in a few months I'm sure it will look just as ratty and have just as many specks of food matted into its fur.

Don't I have a beautiful sister? She is very easy on the eyes, she is quick-witted, and she has a great personality to boot! (No, this is not an advertisement.) William and Aunt Maddy are good friends. They even have a few inside jokes.

But Aunt Maddy knows how to have a special relationship with each of the kids, so I think they all feel they are important to her.

And, as I've said before, this is never more true than it is when Maddy and Ashley get together. These two are just on the same wavelength. Not even I can say that, and I'm Ashley's mother!

Thanks for visiting, Aunt Maddy. We miss you. Come back soon!

On Gas

2012-06-07T16:39:00.000-04:00

There is one kind of humor that never fails to relfex my children into fits of giggles. If you are not sophisticated enough to appreciate potty humor, you'd better skip these anecdotes.

Everett is the mastermind behind almost all potty jokes in our house. He is fascinated by bodily functions. And yes, I believe this indicates his readiness for kindergarten.

Last night the kids and I shared a treat after William went to bed. I gulped down a large glass of water and belched loudly. For a second, Everett's face was frozen in a look of profound amazement. Then he burst out with a loud, musical laughter that shook his body from deep within his belly. He laughed for a long time--each time his laughter slowed, he'd recall the belch and start right back up--and then looked at me again in amazement. "Wow, Mom! How did you DO that?" He said.

So of course I have nothing whatsoever to do with the potty jokes.

Last night Everett drew a large spider with an elaborate back story. "Its head is larger than a planet, and its legs are so long, Mom, that they make the head look very small." he explained. "This giant spider eats people. But it only eats Ashley and William, and not James."

"Why doesn't the spider like babies?" I had to know.

Everett looked at me like he couldn't believe my ignorance. Thankfully he had an explanation prepared that my feeble mind could understand. "All babies do is sleep and pass gas. So if a baby passes gas in its mouth, it would just spit it right out."

Ah. Alles klar, as Joel always says.

Everett assumes that everyone else in the house is as entertained by bodily functions as he is. As far as the kids go, he assumes correctly. When William is upset, Everett begins his go-to method of cheering William up.

"Pppfft! I tooted! PFffft! I tooted! PFFffft! I tooted! PppFFffft! I tooted!" Everett dances around comically, keeping his lips busy with the imitation. William never fails to laugh. He thinks Everett is admirably hilarious in a way that only a little boy can feel about his older brother.

And, all this humor has rubbed off on William. One of his favorite activities of late is to blame events on other people. "Everett did it, Mommy," he reports soberly as I question the kids about a particular mess. Yesterday William was playing with two cups of water on the counter, resulting in a massive puddle on the floor.

"How come you did that, William?" I asked while he helped me wipe up the spill.

"No, Mommy, I didn't, the cup did it," he clarified.

So it was not a surprise when, two weeks ago, William used a similar tactic when he let one rip in the living room. It was very loud and very long. William grinned proudly.

"Ashley did it," his mischievous smile made me laugh loudly. As usual in our potty humor overtures, Ashley was nowhere to be found.