hello again

So next week's YW lesson is on journaling and keeping a personal history and it got me thinking . . . maybe I should start posting again on that old blog I used to keep. I'm not promising anything but if there's one good thing about me:

I always keep trying.

Be it organizing my desk, losing weight, or keeping a blog. I always keep trying. So I'm shooting for once a week, folks. Because I do know in my heart that I should really keep some kind of a history of what's happening in our family--the highs and lows, the day to day, random thoughts, and most especially, the funny things Noah says. Which is where I'm starting today.

Today before 8:15 a.m. Noah offered up the following gems:

1. "This tastes like wooden cows." (thoughts on rice krispies)

2. "Mom, is there a rope in heaven? cuz you would fall."

3. " . . . and please bless that I can go to space. And hold a sign that says, 'workers ahead.'"

This one has been a regular in his prayers for a few weeks now. He's obsessed with construction workers and the power they wield over traffic by holding a simple sign. Not sure where the thing about space came from.

Other family news for the week:

Zack did great on finals & is will be home Saturday. We're so excited to have him home . . . just wondering where to put him! Emma & I get to go prom dress shopping this weekend. I know for some mothers/daughters this would be a big thrill, but we are not one of those mother/daughter duos. Not loving the whole shopping thing, especially with a deadline & challenge of finding a modest dress. Wish us luck! Madeline missed her track meet this week due to a flu bug :( Also, experienced her first Thursday School (detention) so not the BEST week, but that's ok. Caleb & Isaac started their season with Salem Track Club so they're excited. Daddy fixed Noah's jeep (needed battery charged) so Noah is thrilled to be riding around in that. And the big news for Enoch: he discovered playdoh.

Dan & I got to go to the temple last night to be with the Papritz family when Austin received his endowment. It was really wonderful being there, not to mention two hours in the car with my husband all to myself. I really love that guy.

whatever happened to that baby . . .

some of you may be wondering what ever happened to that cute baby we had about six months ago??? this blog has been sadly lacking in updated pictures, cute tid-bits, etc. of said baby for which i apologize, especially to long-distance grandmas. so i offer up the following pics & tid-bits, which in no way correspond to each other. grandma lounsbury & grandma doris, these are for you. and for anyone else who would like to comment on what a cute, sweet baby we have :)

tidbit #1: weighs 17 pounds & is 26 1/4 inches

tidbit #2: is the king of slobber/spit up.
i'm sorry enoch, but it's true

tidbit #3: can sit in his high chair & pick up cheerios.
from the amount of slobbery, gummed up cheerios that i pick up
off his bib & high chair, i'm pretty sure
he's never actually digested one!

tidbit #4: LOVES to watch caleb, isaac & noah jump up and down.
laughs his little head off. thinks they're hysterical

tidbit #5: also LOVES to watch zack dance.
also thinks this is hysterical.

tidbit #6: not sleeping through the night yet, but that's ok :)

tidbit #7: rolls over, enjoys playing with toys on his blanket, and
will soon be sitting up without help

tidbit #8: like every other baby i've ever known,
LOVES to be outside.
we go walking about three times a week
and he sits perfectly contently in the baby bjorn
while i push noah in the jogging stroller. he doesn't make a peep!

tidbit #9: he recently started making his first consonant sound.
"da da da da da" (of course)

tidbit #10: the upside to #9 is that he can answer
perfectly clearly when i ask,
"who do you want to change that stinky diaper?" hahaha

he's 3

noah turned 3.

we seem to have two very different perspectives on the big event.

me: "I can't believe my little baby's growing up so fast" (sniff sniff)
noah: "this CAN NOT happen fast enough!!!" now I confess he's never actually said those words, but he is quite determined to be a grown up. I guess that's what happens when you have 5 older siblings. I offer up the following evidence:

1. top on his birthday list was a wallet, keys, and a "purse." (we went with a backpack instead)

2. he carries around & has frequent conversations on his "cell phone" (old calculator)

3. for fun, he "practices the piano" and "does homework"

4. this morning he made his own sandwich (peanut butter and . . . yogurt) to carry in backpack

5. frequently announces--with keys and cell phone in hand, of course--that he's leaving for work ("ok honey, have a good day at work!")

6. and finally, he recently came to me, took my hand pulling me toward the back door, and said "you gotta show me how to work your car." he was TOTALLY SERIOUS.

of course, there are other times when he bonks his head or stubs his toe and with tears streaming down his face insists that I kiss it "right there." and then I know he's still my little baby for a little longer.

AWESOME 3000

so the awesome 3000 was last saturday and it was . . . well, AWESOME! this is the 26th year of the event which has become one of the largest, timed, children-only races in the nation. it started off in 1983 with 350 runners and has grown to around 3000 participants! caleb & isaac donned their official shirts & fastest running shoes and they were off. caleb finished 4th in the 3rd grade boys & isaac finished 2nd for 1st grade boys! WOW! and to top it all off we had beautiful weather. not bad.

the little speedsters

with their biggest fans

"i'll hold those for you . . ."

of course, we had to walk up to the bush park playground

all in all, it was a great day & we were especially glad grandma "papwuff" (as noah lovingly calls her) could join us. we love having her around!

my baby's growing up

well, my baby girl turned 14 this month. what fun :) she is still the fun, creative, curious, happy, independent, and sometimes feisty little girl she's always been except, well, not so little anymore and a little more into boys and shopping than she used to be! I thought I'd let her tell us herself what she's into these days:

favorite food: Chinese sweet & sour chicken
favorite dessert: brownie sundae
favorite thing to do: "probably shopping" (this was said with slight one-eyed eyebrow raise and voice inflection = duh)
favorite song: break your bones by kill paradise
dream vacation: cruise to Europe w/ cute guys w/ English accents
favorite hymn: sunshine in my soul
favorite scripture: D&C 18:10 "remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God"
favorite tv show: mentalist or heroes
favorite thing about our family: "the fact that I always have someone to chill out with"
what I want to be someday: mother (of course) and designer of some sort

if ya gotta go . . .

imagine emma's surprise when she returned from soccer practice to find . . . a dozen roses in her toilet???

teagan's unusual prom invite gave us a good laugh!

emma has such wonderful friends & their group had a ton of fun celebrating prom!

teagan & emma

the big kids' beach trip

I just love watching my kids enjoy each other . . . especially knowing there's so little time they have together before Zack is off to school. This warm, spring day they loaded up their blankets, makings for s'mores, and a little ben & jerry's for the road, and took off for Lincoln City.

madeline, paige, & emma

hip hip hooray

for the Oregon coast