Quick Update

I need to let you all know that the bike has been found! In a random series of events, Cam's bike was dropped off at a friends house. We have no idea where it was, who took it, or how it was returned, we're just thankful to have it back and Cam is SO relieved!

Also, I wanted to clarify that April 26th was only the anniversary of our first DATE! I'll be posting our real anniversary in a couple of months, August 4th.

Outing to the Playground

Last night after dinner, the boys and I walked with Adrienne and Caden to Cam's school to play. Cam rode his bike, Gavin walked (the whole way without complaining), I pushed Owen in a stroller. We parked Cam's bike in the bike rack and let the kids play and play and play. They kicked a soccer ball, played on all the toys, and "ran some energy off" (as Cam says.) We had a lot of fun!

Grandma Tisa...this is a map of the United States. Gavin is standing in Oahu, Cameron is standing in Idaho Falls. It doesn't seem so far away, does it?

When we got ready to leave we walked over to the bike rack, only to find Cam's bike had been stolen! We walked all the way around the school again, we asked all the other people there, and then we walked home and asked all the neighbors who were outside, but no one had seen a little boys' bike. Cam was really strong and just said he was mad but as soon as we walked into the house and he tried to tell his dad what had happened, his little chin started quivering and he started feeling really bad. We decided we should report the incident to the Sheriff's department. I called dispatch, thinking I'd just tell them what had happened and that would be the end. But, no. They sent 2 officers out to make a formal report on it. Cam thought it was pretty cool that they even cared and when they got ready to leave one of them handed him a card with their phone number on it and said, "If you find your bike, you call and tell me. If I find it, I'll call and tell you, okay?" Cam asked Heavenly Father to help all of us find his bike. We're hoping someone will decide to be honest and they'll return it to the school today.

Summer?

Yesterday the boys thought it was summer! They filled the little pool with water and Cameron and Gavin got in their swimsuits. They didn't actually sit down in the water but they did run through it with their shirts off for quite a while.

The pool has spent the winter outside with the dog so it has a few holes in it. The water leaked out and created a bit of mud. Owen kept walking through the mud and then he'd come up to me and saw "ew." He is adorable. I know the boys are going to love when the weather actually changes to spring/summer and stays! It's supposed to be cold again tomorrow. :(

8 Long Years!

Eight years ago Spencer and I went on (what he calls) our first date. It was Esther's birthday and a group of us were going to The Golden Corral for dinner to celebrate. Spence invited himself to come with us. When we got to the register to pay, one of my friend's cards was declined so I told him I'd pay for him and he could pay me back later. Spencer said, "If you're paying for him, you're paying for me too." So I did. The friend paid me back within the month. Spencer bought me a diamond ring instead! Here are a few pictures of what we looked like then. It's okay to laugh at them. We know that we look very young and that Spence has quite a bit more hair. We're just happy that we met each other and that we're together today. Happy Birthday Esta!

Blow Out!

Today we had to go work at the Apple and Owen had a blow out! Major! He hasn't had such a problem for a LONG time so I was unprepared. One of the ladies I was working with went to see if there were any Owen-sized clothes in the lost-and-found. There was one little pair of levis...however, they were size 4T and they were GIRLS! Under the circumstances, though, we had no other choice.

Sadly, we had a few errands to run after work and Owen had to go Visiting Teaching, through Wal-Mart, Albertson's, and Target in the girl pants. By the time we got home and I wanted to take a picture, he wouldn't even stand. He was obviously embarrassed!

Izzy, Owen, and Allergies

We have had our dog, Izzy, for over a year. Recently we have noticed that Owen has had a runny nose whenever he is near the dog. So although Owen loves her the most and says "Izzy, Izzy", we have decided that she needs to move to a new home. So if you are looking for a dog for your home (or know anyone else who is), Izzy is available and needs to be sold quickly.

Cam's Field Trip

Monday was Cameron's Kindergarten Field Trip. They rode a bus to Albertson's and toured the entire store. (Riding a bus was pretty major for most of the kindergartners since most of them live within walking distance of the school.)

They got to watch the bakery lady decorate a cake. They talked about the good food that your body needed so it could grow to be big and strong. They got to see where Albertson's recycles the cardboard boxes. And they got to walk inside the big freezer! They even got a free cookie and a certificate for a free apple or banana.

Then they went to PetSmart where they got to look at all the different varieties of fish, watch a dog be groomed, check out the birds and hamsters, and then pet a frog, a kitten, a parrot, and look at a snake....ew! I was lucky enough to go along as a chaperone. We ate lunch at the park and pretended it was a beautiful day despite the wind! I'm so grateful that I can be a stay-at-home mom and be able to spend days like this Cam.

Stuck in a Rut?

Sometimes I feel like we have the same 5 or 6 dinners over and over and over. I recently found this book at the dollar store and I'll be trying out a bunch of new recipes from it in the next couple of weeks. Don't you just love when you find something great for $1?

Then a cousin told me about this website...maybe some of you can find it useful. I haven't had a lot of time to explore yet but it looks like a great site.

http://menusformoms.com/

Taste Test

Granny Jane created a taste test for the 5 grandkids. She wanted to know if they preferred gummy or chocolate.

So she put a gummy worm and a snickers bar on a tray.


They had to come into the room one at a time and point at their choice and there was to be NO talking. Here are the results...

Gummy

Gummy

First pointed at chocolate but changed his mind to gummy

Chocolate

Both!!

What would you choose?

How Many Tews?

Emily, Jeff, Callie, Dad, Mom, and I went to Junior Miss on Saturday night. My mom had to go early so the 5 of us had to SQUEEZE into Callie's car. Sure, we could have taken 2 other cars but we didn't!

Emily on the Trampoline

Emily wanted to see if she could still do any tricks on the trampoline over the weekend. Here she is jumping, doing a front flip, and doing an aeriel...she even landed on her feet!

Sisters Are We, Cute as Can Be...

My sisters were in Blackfoot for the weekend. They are my best friends and it was so fun spending time with them.

Avery turns 3!!

We celebrated Avery's birthday on Saturday at Granny's house. She recieved some very nice things. Granny & Grandpa, and Emily & Jeff bought her a dance leotard, tights, ballet shoes, a tutu, a boa, and a wand. She looked like a little princess.

Oops!

In my previous post regarding 10 things I hadn't yet mentioned I forgot the most important thing that happened over the week. On Saturday while we were visiting Granny & Grandpa, Grandpa taught Cameron how to tie his own shoes! I had tried numerous times but for some reason, it wasn't clicking. I mentioned this to Grandpa Rick and the next thing I knew, Cam came into the room to show me what he'd learned. Amazing! Thanks Grandpa!

The Smell of Grease in the Air

Recently Adrienne and I were commenting (to each other, of course) how good fresh, hot doughnuts would be. Since you can't find them ANYWHERE in Idaho Falls (at least, that I am aware of) we decided to make some. I found a recipe from Food Network (thanks to Alton Brown) and Adrienne brought her deep-fat fryer to my house this afternoon. It took nearly 3 hours to make 3 dozen mis-shapen doughnuts but the boys LOVED them... (a little too-much nutmeg in my opinion.) We decided we'd need to adjust the recipe a little but overall they were good and we'll try making them again for sure.

10 Things I Haven't Mentioned Yet

I just realized that it's been a few days since I last posted. Here are 10 things that have kept us busy...



1. Spencer took a few days off of work last week and we worked on our yard. (We took 3-4 loads of leaves, branches and other yard debris to the dump.)



2. The boys (including Spence) recorded Star Wars: Episodes I, II, and III and have been watching them together.



3. I played the piano at a chorus rehearsal for the Sounds upcoming production of Brigadoon. (I am only filling in on a "need" basis.)



4. We watched Conference Satuday and Sunday and participated in the Solemn Assembly.



5. We went to Blackfoot so Spence could go to Priesthood Meeting with Ryan and Dad.



6. Granny, No'el, and I took the kids to Riverside Elementary where they played in the gym with balls of all sizes, scooters, and the PARACHUTE!



7. Sunday evening we got a scary phone call from a man that said Cameron had "popped his tires." Monday he called back and threatened to come by our house to "hash it out." We later found out the caller on Monday was Spence's friend, Joe, just trying to be funny. The Sunday caller was obviously mistaken, as Cam is only 6-years-old.



8. Monday we took our car to Sam's Autobody to have some damage repaired. On February 29th I was hit by a lady who didn't stop at a stop light. Long story short...she didn't want to pay for our damage but I kept bugging the insurance and they agreed to it!



9. Yesterday we got our van back and in perfect condition! (I also got a free upgrade for a future rental car from Enterprise because of a little mix-up on their part.)



10. Cam's soccer team had their 2nd practice last night. Games start next Saturday at 12:00 and all are invited to come watch. They'll be playing every Saturday until June 7th.

Cosmo

Grandma & Grandpa Styer sent the boys a package this week! It was full of many fabulous things including 4 new Hawaii t-shirts for each boy. They have worn a new shirt each day...

They also sent the boys new water guns. And although it was windy and cold outside, Cam & Gavin immediately changed into their swim trunks and went outside to play.

But one of the boys favorite things was a little toy lizard that you could put in water and it would grow up to 4 times its size (within 72 hours)!!! So on Wednesday Cameron named the lizard Cosmo and we put him in his bath.

Everyday before and after school, before he went to bed, and numerous times inbetween, Cam would check on Cosmo's size.

So now, 72 hours later, here is Cosmo at his biggest. Great thing about it? It will slowly shrink to it's smaller size after we take it out of the water and then we can grow it again and again. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!