After School Snack

The boys always look forward to their after school snacks, which I must say that with the exception of the first week of school, are pretty LAME. This week, I got a special treat. After serving up a plate of raspberries to each child, I was sent to my room by Zachary. The boys set up motion detectors, banana peels, and various other means to alert them to me leaving my room. After about 20 minutes, I was led into the kitchen. Zachary had prepared a special after school snack just for me:

Belgian Waffle
Strawberries with Chocolate Sauce and Cream
Strawberries with Just Cream and
Raspberries with Cream

He added that he "even washed" the fruit for me. Does he know his mama (as he so affectionately calls me) or what!

Princess Party

Lucy was invited to her first birthday party. She went dressed as Snow White, her favorite of all the princesses. She was so excited to go to the party that she would not hold still for a picture. Every bit of the party was so pink and perfect (my friend Kelly is the BEST hostess!) and Lucy loved it. Thanks, Kelly, for inviting Lucy to Sylvie's party!

Partners in Crime. . .

Last week it was syrup. Thirty-two plus ounces were used to decorate our carpet, chair, sofa, and ottoman. The tile was covered as well, as if they had rolled around in it, and then danced around the house. I heard them giggling, and soon the giggles turned to the kind every mother knows. You know the one where it sounds like they are conspiring to put the dog in the dryer? Instead of getting out of bed, I pulled the pillow over my head. It was only when I heard Brandon saying, "TROUBLE! You two are in BIG trouble!" that I decided I should get up and assess the situation. Well, they are getting smarter because this week, it was markers. They silently traced all the tile grout in our kitchen with a yellow highlighter, colored on one entire wall with markers, and then traced the chair rail around the kitchen and foyer. They covered the refrigerator with crayon as well. Not a peep out of either of them so we woke up to a lovely decorating job.

First 5 K

Our family completed a 5K on Saturday morning. It was a first for our boys. Todd finished with Brandon with a time of 33 minutes and 32 seconds! He is so excited and is now training to run the Wasatch Back Relay. He's already analyzing the legs of the race to determine which one would best suit him. Zachary and I "ran" while pushing Chad and Lucy in the double stroller. We would have run more, but Zachary, our athlete in training, started out at a dead sprint and was so tired that I nearly had to piggy-back him. I kept telling him, "Slow and steady wins the race!" We will be reading the story of the Tortoise and the Hare very soon!

Case of the Missing Pajamas

The other night I found Zachary on his bed sound asleep wearing the following: Skull Candy headphones, a tank top, and short shorts. I woke him up to use the bathroom, and questioned his attire, asking where his pajamas were that he had been wearing when he went to bed. He went crazy on me, screaming, questioning why I would remove his pajamas. After 15 minutes of hysteria, I called for reinforcements. The entire time Brandon and I were trying to get him dressed in his pajamas he kept yelling that he was going to have sweaty arms. The next morning he had no recollection of us waking him and this was the unsolicited story he had for Brandon. "Dad, last night, you know when you thought I went to bed? Well, I didn't. I went down, put on my workout clothes, and I did push-ups for 3 whole songs. I did like 100 push-ups. Then, I ran laps around the basement. I was SO sweaty! I'm going to be an athlete, and athletes start training when they are six. And look (he points to his bicep ), I growed!" Later he said, "Mom, I am now just 10 inches away from being an athlete!"

Todd's a Keeper!

Todd has become his team's exclusive goal keeper. After watching him for an entire season, the role definitely suits him. He's aggressive and not afraid to dive for the ball. . . so much so that I've thought of pricing a helmet. His HEIGHT makes him a huge asset to his team. Go figure, seeing that neither of us are giants by any standards other than our waist lines. When he jumps, only the very best played balls make it in.

Zach's "School Bell"

Today Zach asked Todd if Challenger has a bell to let kids know when recess is over or school is out. Todd said, “Yeah, all schools have bells, Zach.” Zach then said, “Um, not mine. When I build a school I’m going to have a Barbie doll that comes out and sings 'Aahhh!!' to tell kids when school is out.” Netell and I used to think that Zach said things like that just to be funny, but we are more and more convinced that that is just the way he thinks—he lives in his own unique world.