Do you really have 387 Family Rules?!

Okay so after the post about Sunday clothing and my two boys someone emailed and asked if we really have 387 rules.....

No....I hope not....we just randomly have called out numbers like that when something comes up that should probably be a rule.

But we might have that many if we start counting....

there are those basic rules like:

Brush you teeth.

No clean clothes in the dirty clothes pile.

then those that are family specific like:

once you bed is 1/2 covered in books you have to clean it off...

and to go even further there are ones that are child specific....like

for K "no more pizza until your salad is gone" or E "no more salad until you pizza is gone"

So if I start counting we might get up there and who knows I'm sure well be making more as we all grow up and the boys try out new things that we didn't know we needed to make rules for like when I had to explain that rocks do NOT go in noses.

Life with boys!

But on a side note the one thing I have never thought I would say so much in my Mommy life is "watch out for the wall!" I thought we grew out of that when they were 2 than 4 than 6 and now I am hoping it is done at age 9.....only time will tell.

K is NINE!

I don't know how it happens but my boys keep growing and years pass and now my firstborn is 9 years old....stands in height up to my shoulder, with feet almost the same size as mine.

I remember that baby boy who I could cuddle all day, and we would sleep together on the couch in between feedings. I don't know where the time went!

But he is growing up and becoming such a great person. A wonderful friend to all and has such a great personality, with caring in his heart for everyone around him!

Happy Birthday to you!

{camping practice}

So the last two father son camping trips have been.....memorable is the word we will use to be nice.

Last year they ended up home at midnight b/c E had a meltdown, than Chad drove back out with K and then the car broke down on their way back to town.....

Year before the tent literally blew about 200 yards away right after E stepped out of the tent. We are very lucky that he didn't stay in a second longer as the tent had all their supplies (cooler, food, sleeping bags, clothes everything) in it and still blew away. This scared E for life and resulted in last years trip home.

This year Chad really wants them all to go again. So tonight they are all sleeping in the garage in the back of the jeep...for a "practice." E knows he can't come home halfway through the weekend and K is always up for camping so Chad is trying to convince E that sleeping in the jeep will be lots of fun! I bet they will be in before 2 am! What do you think?

Something Fun to Watch

I know no details about this but I love it!! Happy viewing!!

{looking good}

my two boys both showed up at church in ties....our family rule #387 "boys were ties every Sunday beginning at age 8" edited to also read "with any color church shirt....white shirts mandatory at age 12" (this was my addition)

But both boys have white shirts for their school dress uniform and

K prefers the white shirt so they wear them.

But E HATES ties and LOVES sweaters,

but we live in Vegas and it's getting hot

and somehow while I was at meetings this morning

Chad got him in a tie...

So pictures had to be taken.

Forgive the squinting eyes, but the sun is bright here in Vegas.

{first time goalie}

In goal for the first time ever...

won't touch the ball with his hands...

and figured out it is pretty boring when the

ball is on the other side of the field....

but loves to "do goal kicks!"

{first game of the season}

Ehan lives and breathes soccer when we are playing. His love is spreading into basketball, which he has informed us he will play next season...I think that in Vegas you can play in the summer or winter....so we will have a season of soccer followed by basketball then back to soccer again. Welcome to the world of a boy who loves sports!

Anyways....Chad is coaching this time and E. loves it. It is a 5/6 year old league that plays on a half field, with 4 on the field at a time and this year a goalie. This goalie thing is new and confusing for the kiddos. Some now want to pick up the ball the time and others refuse to use their hands while in goal. So it will be fun.

The greatest part is watching the ones who just run the other direction all the time. I have never yelled "turn around" or "go the other way" so many times. I really love this age group soccer better than the older kids. We laugh a lot and everyone wins! I will be sad when he is out of this league and moves up tot he more serious one next season!

Here's our boy in action!

{back to the normal}

So Spring Break is over and today we are doing chores, homework, piano lessons, and speech. E keeps calling it doing the "normal stuff" as opposed to last weeks non-structured days. We didn't travel this year over break but spent a lot of time here doing nothing which is what all of us wanted anyways so it was great.

We started break with bad weather (Vegas bad weather which means wind, a tad bit of rain, and cold...yes i know it could be worse but we were just thinking about pulling out all the shorts when the weather went to cold again) and I was sick for the about first 4 days .

We made library trips, rents some Wii games from the video store, had family sleepover in the front room, went to see Aliens vs. Monsters, had dinner out once and did random things around the house.

When we went to the movie we were the only ones in the theater! I couldn't believe it! Here the boys are in the center of the whole place with no one around.

One of those random things is this brown sugar game I remember doing in young womens at some point. The boys really liked it and I think Chad just thought I was crazy but they played it for a good hour one afternoon.

But now we are back to "normal" and counting the weeks until summer break....8 Weeks to go!

{easter}

This morning the boys got their fill of candy before church and then more after church and birthday cake on top of it. We have never really talked Easter Bunny with them since we don't see the bunny as having any meaning or lesson behind Easter or the spirit of Easter so when the boys got up this morning I think they had forgotten it was Easter to begin with. But when they started seeing the hidden eggs the fun began.

Here are the baskets that were left and a few of the items they received. It makes for a fun morning and a few of their eggs even had some money in them! Lucky boys!

{We have a Birthday Shout Hurray!}

Today is a fun day at our house. Along with Easter we also get to celebrate Chad...father, husband, lego lover, griller, car fixer, garage cleaner, gardener, and most of all best friend.

Here he is at the Walker Family Reunion with his brothers and sisters and Mom, 2 years ago.

He has wonderful relationships with all his siblings and though there is much teasing it is all in love.

I love that he and his mom are wonderful friends and how much he loves and respects her. This is in SLC in 2007

Here we all are on Oaho in 2005.

Here we are the day we became a family. August 1995. Don't we look like babies...

Happy Birthday Chad!! We love you!

{conference weekend}

So in our house conference weekend is a lazy stay in your jammies kinda of weekend.

But yesterday we got to visit with our St George cousins...so the boys played most of the day and we listened to bits and pieces of conference.

Years ago a wonderful friend gave us a huge conference bingo board and it has been a huge hit. As soon as the boys know conference weekend is arriving they start asking if I have candy for the board. They sit a listen to the morning session without a problem with our bingo board. TI also print stuff off form sugardoodle to entertain them and usually the morning session goes well.

For the afternoon session we spread out a blanket and dump out the millions of Legos we own...or shall I say that Chad and the boys own. And off to Lego building we go. It is a tad noisier...with help form all the sugar they eat from the bingo game...but legos last us all afternoon conference and into the evening....

So I think the boys hear the conference and are starting to "get it" even if the legos are out.