Breakfast Tea Party

Ali got up at about 6:30 (I'm guessing--I was still asleep!) and brought up the little table and chairs from downstairs, then set the table with the pink and purple tea set, even though she would have much preferred blue dishes.
Max woke up and we brought him down to join us. Mmmmmm. Hot chocolate and Trix!




Noticing the lack of healthy choices, we quickly pulled out the Teddy Grahams and High School Musical gummy figures. After all, this was Grandma's last day!


Later in the morning Max and I went out to the garden for some truly healthy food. Max loves the cherry tomatoes. He calls them "gahden!"


Kaitlyn said she wanted to show me something. She tipped her glasses and exclaimed, "Ooh la la!"


Max and Kaitlyn loved playing with the neighbor's toys.

"Okay, I'm ready to play ball!"


"I wonder where you put the gas in this thing."


Megan, Nathan, Ali, Kaitlyn and Max, it was so much fun to spend time with you! We're really looking forward to having you and the rest of the family down to Tucson for Thanksgiving.

Max, I miss hearing you say, "Tayko, Fafa!" (I'm not sure how "Grandma" became "Fafa," but Max can tell you. "There you go" and "Thank you" are both "Tayko." That's efficiency for you.)

Kaitlyn's first day of preschool

This morning after our walk Kaitlyn played with Max in his room while I took a very quick shower. She was so sweet with him, even giving him his "paci" and his "buddy" (a stuffed bear that he sleeps with).



Kate was very excited about going back to preschool. I don't know if it was the anticipation of the preschool activities that she remembers from last year or the fact that she can finally wear her new school clothes! She kept asking how many minutes till her carpool would pick her up, beginning with 105 minutes. Finally the time arrived, so I took some pictures of her in her new preschool outfit.



Kait's ride was late and it was getting warm sitting outside waiting on the front steps in the sun. The next thing I knew, Kaitlyn ran inside and got her sun glasses. We found some for Max, too.


Yesterday I posted a picture of Kaitlyn and her best friend, Raeya, and so today I took a picture of Ali and her best friend, Jaden, Raeya's brother. This afternoon after school, Ali and Jaden decided to walk around the neighborhood to look for jobs they could do to earn money. They were careful to reassure me that their moms had let them do this once before, as long as they only knocked on the doors of people they knew. They cleaned the glass doors to the back patio for me for 25 cents each--and they did a great job!


I have really appreciated Ali's help this week. She is always so willing to do what I ask and so kind and helpful to Kaitlyn and Max. Kaitlyn has been a lot of fun and she has generally behaved very well. She is very socially savvy and some of the things she says are hilarious: "FYI, I'm going to do [whatever]." And Max is a charmer! He stands up after being changed so I can put his pants back on and more than once he has surprised me with a big wet kiss or a crazy, raspberry kiss! He has insisted on sitting in a regular chair rather than his booster seat, and has generally done very well at meal times, maybe because his bowl/plate is closer to his mouth :).

This evening after dinner, I rushed to get the kids loaded into the car to take Ali to gymnastics. I had printed out directions and managed to remember to take books for Kaitlyn and books and a bottle of water for Max. The books didn't last long, so we went back outside and sat in the car and Max was entertained for the rest of the 50 minutes pushing every button on the console. He spent a good half hour yesterday at the kitchen sink, turning the faucet on and off over and over, and flipping a wet paper towel around. He is so delighted when he can make something happen. On the rare occasions when he hasn't wanted to do something (like go down for his nap or for the night), I remember that Nathan said his best parenting technique is distraction. I've tried that strategy and it definitely works, but I think Nathan and Megan are a lot better at it than I am!

In fact, I have such an increased appreciation for what Megan goes through every day, especially when Nathan is out of town. As she said the first time when Max got upset shortly after I arrived, "Welcome to my life!" She is amazing and it has been so clear this week how well she and Nathan have done in raising the children. Everyone knew the routine and the rules and they were very good at following them. Bravo!

Ali and Kaitlyn and I talked about having a tea party tonight after we put Max down, but it was too late when we finally got home. (I admit to getting a bit turned around when I tried to read the directions in reverse.) So we decided to have it tomorrow morning at breakfast. When I first mentioned it, Kait was all over it, but Ali said, "No, no!" (not being a girly girl). But she soon warmed up to the idea and now it seems she's looking forward to it.

Ali loses her tooth

This morning Ali and Kaitlyn drove over to the bus stop in the Power Wheels, and I followed with Max in the stroller. After the bus came, Kait drove back and then I put her and Max in the double jogging stroller, which is surprisingly easy to push. We walked for about an hour with Amy Moore and her son Gavin, the back door neighbors. Later in the morning, at Kait's request and Amy's gracious assent, we went over to her house and the kids played for about an hour.

In the afternoon, Kait played with Raeya, her best friend. As soon as they arrived at our house, they decided they wanted popsicles, and of course Max wanted to join them. Having learned from experience, I took his shirt off and sent everyone out on the back patio. He was in heaven and soon very drippy and sticky. I got a "before" shot, but didn't have the energy for an "after"--I was too busy cleaning him up!



Ali's best friend, Jaden, who is Raeya's brother, met her when the bus dropped her off. (Jaden and Raeya are home schooled.) Ali and Jaden spent quite a while deciding what they would like to order from the new Scholastic books catalog. (Craig and Michelle, do you remember those days?! Camille, you probably do too!)

After dinner we walked up to the park, but it began to rain, so we raced home. We decided to watch the DVD of old cartoons that I had given Ali. I'm sure they dated back to when I was their age! We popped some popcorn. After a couple of cartoons, we got everyone bathed and into their PJs. Then we watched another cartoon and it was time for bed.

Ali has been working on her loose tooth for several days. Before leaving, Megan made sure the Tooth Fairy was prepared with a dollar bill. This evening Ali was finally successful in working out the tooth. Hurray! She put it in a snack bag and stuck it deep under her pillow. I adjusted the location before she went to sleep to make sure the Tooth Fairy wouldn't miss it.

Sugar Cookies

This morning shortly before dawn, Ali slipped quietly downstairs and turned on cartoons. I asked her if she wouldn't rather sleep in, and she said, "No, I always get up at this time." So much for sleeping in on a holiday! I decided I might as well get in my workout before the others woke up. So I did 30 minutes of stairs. Megan and Nathan are really set up for stair workouts with four flights of eight stairs each.

Kaitlyn got up at about 7:15 and Max woke up shortly after 8:00 a.m. We had breakfast, then I hopped in the shower, while Ali and Kate watched Max. We played Twister, then I gave them their little gifts (more workbooks), and they worked on them for a while. Ali has really enjoyed the High School Musical "mad libs" book. We have had fun asking each other for parts of speech, then reading the crazy paragraphs we came up with!

Later in the morning we decided to watch the DVD I had brought, "The Velveteen Rabbit." So Ali, Kaitlyn, and Max settled into the oversized leather chair with a comforter and their workbooks, while I popped some popcorn. They said they were allowed to eat it in the living room if they were very careful--which they were, including Max! We all enjoyed the movie.



After the movie, Max decided to give us a little shoe fashion show. He really loves wearing other people's shoes!


I discovered that Ali and I share a love of photography. She showed me the great shots she had taken at the zoo with Nathan's and Megan's "old" camera. She took lots of shots this afternoon. (Note that Kaitlyn has updated her outfit since this morning.)


After we put Max down for his nap, Ali and Kaitlyn and I set about making sugar cookies. They did a great job! They participated at every stage of the process: measuring, dumping, mixing, rolling, pressing out shapes, frosting and decorating. They didn't even snitch without asking. Impressive! We made about five dozen soft, delicious sugar cookies. They reminded me of the ones Camille made once on Valentines Day from Barbara's recipe.





Ali and Kaitlyn took a couple plates of cookies over to the neighbors behind us, then stayed to play for a half hour or so while I cleaned up and then woke up Max (thank goodness for naps). I put him in what looked like a new designer outfit because the Carlsons (the other grandparents) had invited us over for dinner. Big mistakes: Not hiding the cookies before Max came down (they were on the counter top, but he knows how to climb up) and dressing him in that new outfit before giving him a cookie with chocolate frosting. I did have the presence of mind to send everyone outside to eat the cookies, so I preserved the clean floor, but lost out on the shirt. I quickly took it off and rinsed out the chocolate, so there was no permanent damage, but the substitute shirt wasn't nearly as stunning :).

I was very grateful that Grandma and Grandpa Carlson had invited us over for dinner, because I was pretty much done in the kitchen after nearly four hours of sugar cookie making. Dinner was delicious and I enjoyed catching up with Rick and Sheila. Our children all have such great in-laws, which isn't surprising since they chose great spouses!

Sunday with the Indiana Calls

Sunday began with a few cartoons for Ali and Kaitlyn until a grown up woke up. (The grown ups who stayed up packing until the wee hours got to sleep in this morning.) After breakfast, Kaitlyn and Max enjoyed a game of Twister. Then Mom and Max fixed Ali's and Kaitlyn's hair while they worked on the Disney Princess subtraction cards that Grandma brought.




About an hour before church was to begin (at 1 p.m.) we had family home evening/morning, following the family tradition since Nathan is typically gone from early Monday morning until late Thursday night. It was Kate's turn to conduct so she began, "Hi. My name is Kaitlyn and I'll be conducting this morning...." Ali led us in the opening songs, including "Hinges" and "Popcorn Popping," and Grandma said the opening prayer. Then Megan (and Max) told us a story from the Friend about a grumpy girl who learned it was more fun to be happy and obedient.





The activity (lead by Nathan) was web camming with Uncle Craig and Grandpa.


Kate showed them the picture of Michelle talking with Kate and Ali on her wedding day. When Kate's friend saw the picture on their fridge earlier this week, she exclaimed, "Did you go to Disneyland?!" No, but Michelle did look like a princess!


Ali showed them her loose front tooth and said if they were really quiet, they could hear it when she wiggled it, which she did and Grandpa said he heard it!


Kaitlyn and Ali watch Grandpa sing "If you chance to meet a frown..."


Before we left for church, Grandma took some family pictures. Max is holding his favorite toy (Megan's old phone) and Kate is getting ready to wear her new Sunday shoes.


Megan was released from teaching the Sunbeams last week and called to teach the 16-17-year-olds. She was ready for their first question ("Did you bring a treat?!") with Reese's peanut butter cups. She said the lesson went well, even though she had two classes instead of just one. We're not surprised the youth have already figured out she's going to be a great teacher!

I asked Nathan and Megan what they were most looking forward to about their trip. Megan said, "Sleeping in and not having to cook or clean up!" Nathan said, "Sleeping in and eating as much as we want to!" They're planning two excursions: riding dolphins (Megan's childhood dream) and exploring Tulum (based on Nathan's fond memories of our family trip). Sounds like they're going to have a fabulous time!

Megan and Nathan left on their trip at about 7:15 this evening shortly after putting Max down. Kate had asked me several times if I could check to see if I had brought them any more little gifts, and I said that I would check after Mom and Dad left. She also asked for ice cream, and I replied we could have some after Mom and Dad left. When their ride came to pick them up and Megan called out, "They're here!" Kate said, "YES!!!" After a quick demo of their Power Wheels driving expertise for the other couple, Ali and Kaitlyn merrily wished their parents good-bye and raced inside for some icecream and surprise gifts: Disney princess pens and a Winne-the-Pooh shapes workbook for Kaitlyn and a High School musical pen and "mad libs" book for Ali. (The 99 Cent store is a great resource.)


After working through several pages of the workbook, we took some crazy pictures, played Rummy Cube, had a treat after they got their PJs on (a Grandma tradition), then had prayer scripture prayer, a couple of stories, brushing teeth, and finally to bed! (Stalling? Do you really think so?!)

Tytan's First Football Game

It was no secret that Tytan was looking forward to the big game between 20th ranked BYU and 3rd ranked Oklahoma. You could see the guarded optimism in his eyes during his daily workout as the sweat glistened on his supple toned physique.


Even though he did not say much it was evident that the game was on his mind, so he tried to quell his nerves by taking a dip in his Olympic training pool.


At last the day arrived and he said to his Dad as they were swimming together, "We can beat them, can't we Dad? I mean, even though they have the Heisman winner, we have a good team too, right?"



Although Bryan tried to reassure him, Ty was still anxious and uncertain. He knew that this game was so important in building confidence and setting precedent for the entire season. "When you are in the non-BCS conferences, you can't even stub your toe if you want any respect from the rest of the nation," he mused.


During the game his real emotions began to show. Just when the BYU defense had shut down the potent Oklahoma attack, the special teams botched the punt return turning it over and Ty grimaced in dismay. After a missed a field goal due to a penalty and re-kick, he muttered to himself, "That's a rotten way to start the game," while trying to rein in his disappointment. He was fearful that BYU might snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as they had on other occasions.


Even so, the stingy BYU defense was really doing a number on the touted Oklahoma running game and the only Sooner success came through the air thanks to their quarterback, Sam Bradford. A few plays later and BYU was again threatening, although BYU was not effective running the ball either. Max Hall (named after Ty's cousin Max Call) was finding his tight end, Dennis Pitta, just enough to move the ball down the field. When BYU fumbled on the Sooner 2 yard line and the ball was recovered in the end zone, Ty was stoic and philosophical. "There is still plenty of time left." he thought, but he was not sure if he believed that or not.


Then BYU recovered a Sooner fumble a few plays later and his anticipation began to build. When Max Hall hit his receiver, Andrew George, in the end zone on the right side for a TD, he almost jumped out of his seat with excitement. By half time Oklahoma held only a slim three point lead at 10 to BYU's 7; so there was hope that the second half would see some better results.

Ty knew that he needed to save his energy and suggested that his Dad might do the same, so they forced themselves to catch a few Zs.



The second half was a nail biter. BYU got close but Oklahoma tacked on another field goal so the score was Sooners 13, BYU 7, and time was slipping away. Recognizing that Max was not finding anyone open on the outside because of the superb play by the Oklahoma corners, Ty mentioned to his Dad that BYU needed to look for openings in the interior seams. Not sure if it was telepathy or just great minds thinking alike, Ty noticed that Coach Bronco Mendenhall began that attack and the ball moved down the field with the precision passing of Max Hall. Ty couldn't stand to look when it was 4th down and 3 to go and BYU did not have enough time to come back if they did not convert.



He thought, "By moving quickly to the line of scrimmage and changing the cadence of the count, BYU just might be able to sneak a quick pass through the Sooner secondary." Sure enough, that is exactly what Bronco thought as well and it worked to perfection. He heard the cheers, and began to think this could really happen. BYU could actually pull this one off. It might even be a good start to a new season. He wouldn't let himself get too elated, but there was no doubt that it was a possibility. He dived to the floor as BYU tried running it in from the two, but even with his empathetic support, the ball had not budged.


Calmly, he considered the situation. "They need to send Pitta to the front of the end zone for a pass decoy and then throw it to Jacobson. He has been quiet all night." When to his amazement, that is just what BYU did and it worked--TD! BYU was ahead with only three minutes to go.

A few minutes later when Oklahoma missed a field goal, there was nothing to suppress a BYU victory if they could just "take a knee" for three consecutive downs. They did it! The game was over! BYU won 14 to 13! It was everything he had hoped. He hardly knew what to say. "Did you see that, Mom? They did it! I had my doubts, but they actually did it! Aren't you excited?"



After the cheering died down and he had a chance to analyze the stats, he thought, "Maybe I'll just have a drink with my Dad . . .


and then go see what Grandma and Grandpa are up to."