Summer Fun Day 5

Lego Day
My boys are obsessed with Legos. Seriously. They love building with their Legos, playing Lego games on the computer, watching Lego movies, drawing Lego pictures, coloring Lego printables, and anything else that uses Legos or is related to Legos. No joke. So I only thought it fair that we have a Lego day.
We started out building and playing with Legos all morning. Then, I printed some coloring pages from online. To do this go to Lego.com and then “products”. Each product line has their own website, click here to see an index. Clicking on the picture of one of the product takes you to that product website. Coloring pages are usually under the “Funzone” or “Download” tabs. Then, just download and print.


Some of the websites also had printable stickers. They are basically just pictures that you can print on sticker paper and cut out. We printed them on plain paper and used them to make dioramas. Most of the kids just glued them flat onto a background. I was pretty impressed when I saw Seth’s 3-D version.


I also saw these Lego puzzles on Pinterest…

Source: icanteachmychild.com via Marissa on Pinterest

...and decided to make our own with some clipart cutouts. I just taped over a picture using clear packing tape on two blocks and then used an Exacto knife to cut apart the blocks. The kids had fun putting them all together.



Later, I saw these and wished I had more time to make some like them…

Source: ilovechesterrific.com via Marissa on Pinterest

Then, the boys wanted to make a movie. We took about 70 pictures, each time moving the Legos a slight bit and writing our dialogue on a dry erase frame. The plan was to take a bunch of these pictures and when put together in quick succession it would look like they were moving, playing out the story. However, after all our work ,we realized we didn’t have any video editing software on our computer.  We did have a slideshow DVD maker. So we did that, adding some fun music. Unfortunately, I can’t upload the video here because it’s only on the DVD. So here’s just a few snapshots from the video….



To be continued…
The actually video is pretty cool. So if you’re ever at our house, ask Seth to see his Lego video and he will be more than super excited to show you!

Puppies in the Living Room

So, I think our kids miss having a dog (FYI: Cocoa ran away about 2 months ago)…

Aubrey started it all. She was hiding under the coffee table this morning. She crawled out and said, “I dog!”  Then, she started panting and crawling around.
I played along saying, “come here puppy,” and “good girl,” when she came to me. She even let me pat and scratch her head.
The boys were getting a kick out of watching her and Josh suggested that I record it. She stopped when I pulled out the camera, so Seth got down and joined in to coax her. Hence, the video…

Aubrey Dog

When she was all done, she stood up and said, “I me!” I guess she was telling me that she was herself again. Pretty cute and funny for a 19-month old. We can already tell she is going to be a hoot when she gets older.  :P
P.S. This is the first time I’ve uploaded video. Did it work?

I love to see the temple

"I love to see the temple I'm going there someday.

To feel the Holy Spirit, to listen and to pray.

For the temple is a house of God, a place of love and beauty.

I'll prepare myself while I am young; This is my sacred duty."

The words of this children's song put in simplest words how special temples are to the LDS faith.  (If you would like to know more about what temples are and why they are special to Mormons, follow this link to a wonderful article all about LDS temples.)

Today, I wanted to remind our kids of that specialness and help them feel the spirit. So, we took an impromptu trip to the temple. We are lucky that the Houston temple is within a half-hour drive of our home. So after church this morning, we grabbed a quick picnic lunch and the camera and headed to the temple. The temple itself is closed on Sundays and Mondays, but the temple grounds are open to visitors to visit and walk around. So we sat down by one of the fountains and enjoyed the beautiful day and the peace we felt. I remembered hearing somewhere the idea that if we want our children to grow up and live worthy of entering the temple we need to have it as a daily reminder and goal. What better than a personal picture of the temple to see on a daily basis and be reminded of that goal. So, I took a picture of each of us with the temple. I edited them online with Picnik (which I love), and I want to hang them in our bedrooms.

Later for Family Home Evening, (which we do on Sunday because Aaron has a late night class on Monday) we talked some more about temples and why they are special. I used this lesson for FHE and bore my testimony about temples. Seth told me that he loved being at the temple this afternoon and wanted to go back. That is so great that even at a young age, he can feel the spirit there and wants to return often. We just might have to make this a more frequent family tradition.

It was really neat that Saturday night's session of  Stake Conference was all about temples and temple service. It is probably what sparked the desire to take my family to the temple today. For anyone who wasn't there Saturday, this article sums up what was shared at the adult session at Stake Conference.

Let me finish with a quote by President Howard W. Hunter (from the article). “Let us be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people. Let us hasten to the temple as frequently as time and means and personal circumstances allow. Let us go not only for our kindred dead, but let us also go for the personal blessing of temple worship....If we can pattern our life after the Master, and take His teaching and example as the supreme pattern for our own, we will not find it difficult to be temple worthy."

Bubbles and Colored Milk

Almost 2 years ago, I was complaining to Aaron about how hard my day was at home with the kids. All about how so and so did this and it took me FOREVER to do that because so and so was whining and so on. (In my defense, I was transitioning back from being a working mom to a stay-at-home mom.) Very seriously, he looked at me and said, "All you do is complain. Do you even LIKE being at home with our kids?" My snap reaction was "Of course! I love our kids." But it got me thinking. 

I do love my children and love being at home with them.  I also know that it is best for them that I am at home, but somewhere along the way all thar joy and love was missing and I felt negative by the end of everyday. Among many realizations I had that day, one of them was that I was being negative. All day long, I would say no. "No you can't do that. Stop that right now. Leave him alone. Not right now, maybe later." Plus, I was looking at my day from the view of all the things I wasn't doing or couldn't get done because of caring for my children. So, I first made myself look at all of the positives of my day, including but most especially all of the moments I was spending with my kids. I also promised myself that I would say "yes" at least once a day. "Yes, you can eat that with your fingers. Sure, I'll read you that book right now (instead of wash dishes).  Let's have a picnic in the front yard." Gradually, the days got better, and while we still have tough days and tantrums, everyone seems to be more positive. (Well, minus the brotherly "love" fights. I don't think those will go away anytime soon.) If I feel like I'm having a bad day, I try to think of something the kids might enjoy, like a story and cuddle session, a picnic at the park, or a dance party, and it usually makes our day better. So today's "yes" was colored milk and bubbles...

One day, I thought it would be fun to add food coloring to our plain milk. Now, whenever the neighbor kids come over to play I hear, "Can we have colored milk?" (Yeah, I'm the cool mom.) :) So day it was turquoise colored milk with straws. They started to blow bubbles in their milk and my gut reaction was to stop them But instead, I set the ground rules of "no spilling or overflowing," and then let them have fun. They loved it and I feel so much better...

(Plus, won't this be fun for them to remember when they are older?)

Happy Father's Day

So, since it's Father's Day, I thought you might like to hear from my other half, Aaron. His contributions to the blog are usually, "Marissa, you should put that on the blog." So in an effort to elicit more from him, and feeling inspired by Simple Modern Mom's week of dad blog interviews, I borrowed these questions from her (and added a few of my own) in an effort to dig into his dad psyche.

What do you now do that is something you would never thought you would do but have done since becoming a dad?
Touch poop...cleaning up a child who is being potty-trained is horrible

What is your favorite thing to do with your children?
Camping is my favorite way to spend time with my children because we are separated from all distractions. I can concentrate on developing my relationship with each of them.

In your family, what roles or tasks do you have as a father? What are your daddy duties?
work, finances, yard work, and disciplinarian

When it comes to parenting, what are your strengths and weaknesses? What about your wife’s?
 My strengths are providing my children with security, structure, rules, and discipline. Marissa's strengths are providing our children with knowledge, love, kindness, service, sacrifice, and creativity.

What is the best parenting advice you have received?
The best parenting advice I have received came from President Monson, "Don't let the problem to be solved become more important than the people to be loved."

What are your hopes and dreams for your children?
My ultimate hope for my children is that they are strong, righteous, and temple worthy, with a love of God and life.

What do you love most about each of your children?
 I love Seth's creativity, imagination, desire for learning, and sensitivity to the spirit. I love Josh's wit, sense of humor, strength, and the way he challenges the reason for things. I love Aubrey's smile, laughter, and the way she looks at me when I dance with her.

What would your ideal Father's Day be like?
 Yummy breakfast, clean house, and a whole day to spend with my family.

What is something you learned from your father that has helped you as a father?
 My dad was always there for me when I needed him and I will do the same for my children.

What is some fatherly advice that you hope to impart to your children?
Take pleasure in the small things

Thanks Aaron! We love you and we know that you love us. I am so thankful to be married to such an amazing man. You are a wonderful husband and father. We are also thankful for all of the other great fathers out there, especially our fathers (a.k.a. Grandpa P. and Grandpa C.). Thank you for all you do for all of your children and grandchildren. Happy Father's Day!

Farewell Sea Monkeys

When Aaron was a kid, he purchased a kit (from a Boy's Life magazine) to grow and train sea monkeys. Sea monkeys are basically a type of super tiny shrimp. He had prepared his kit when (according to Aaron) his little sister, Kristin dumped them in the sink because she thought it was a bowl of water.

Fast forward 20 years and Aaron tells this wonderful account to our sons. Seth was just totally in awe. Everyone he talked to would hear him say, "Guess what?! My dad had sea monkeys when he was a kid, but Aunt Kristin dumped them out." So imagine his excitement when he discovered that you can buy sea monkeys from Target. After making some money selling lemonade during a garage sale, he bought his first sea monkey kit. (Sorry, I don't have a pic.) Both Aaron and Seth were so excited to raise sea monkeys. They got it all set up, watched them hatch, and started feeding them. Everything was going great. Seth would show and tell everyone who would listen about his sea monkeys. He even wanted to name all 75 of them. I have to admit they were pretty cool and even Joshua was getting into it.

Well, small problem...to keep the tank the right temperature, you have to put them in a North facing window. The only north-facing windows are in the Master bedroom. So the sea monkeys would commute from our bedroom to the kitchen counter at least once a day. Fast forward to today...Aaron goes to put the tank in our bedroom window. It slips out of his hand while he was moving the blinds and it pours all over the floor. He grabs the tank and trying to salvage any that might still be in there, fills the tank with water. Two (out of 75) managed to survive. However, the water that he used had not been treated with the kit's water treatment. So, sadly, those last two sea monkeys perished as well. Seth was devastated. Aaron apologized and explained what had happened. Seth forgave him but insisted that they bury the remaining two sea monkeys. So, they dug a hole in the flower bed, poured them in, and Seth said a few words, "Sea monkeys, I just want you to be good." Thus ends the saga of the sea monkeys. Of course, we probably will have another batch of sea monkeys. But for now, we say, "Farewell, sea monkeys."

Happy Mother's Day!

I love Mother's day. Not only because my incredible husband likes to make breakfast in bed and take care of other "motherly" responsibilities for me, but because my two normally wild and crazy little boys like to be extra sweet on Mother's day. Seth made me an incredibly cute thumbprint coaster at school. Josh drew me a picture of the two of us together. When I asked why my hair was standing straight-up he said "We are swimming and your hair is all wiggly in the water," as he waves his arms in the air, imitating my "hair." So cute!

After church, my boys presented me with two worksheets of "All About Mom," which they apparently did during Primary. Whoever had this idea, I thank you. It was hilarious reading these. So funny that I want to share their responses with you. Before I told the boys what my real favorites were, Aaron also took the "test."

All About Mom
1. How do I show Mom I love her?
Josh: Play games with her
Seth: By kissing her
Aaron: Tell her how pretty she is, that I love her, and kiss her

2. My favorite thing to do with my mom is:
J: play games
S: play games
A: date night, going to the temple, and sharing books

3. Her favorite color is:
J: Green and black
S: Purple
A: Purple
*Everyone's right--purple, green, and hot pink/fuschia

4. Her favorite food is:
J: waffles
S: pizza
A: baked potato, and Chick-fi-la
*Aaron's right on this one. I love potatoes in any form and Chick-fi-la nuggets and sandwiches.

5. If she had extra time, she likes to:
J: play games
S: sleep
A: sleep, scrapbook, craft, read
*All of the above

6. When Mom grows up she wants to be a:
J: Doctor
S: Supermodel
A: Teacher
*When my kids are older, I'd love to go back to teaching again.

7. Mom's favorite book is:
J: Superhero
S: Cooking
A: Harry Potter
*I have lots of favorites including the Harry Potter series, but Seth hit it on the nose. 90% of the books I check out from the library are cookbooks and I usually read them cover to cover!

8. Mom laughs when:
J. I tickle her on the leg
S: I'm silly
A: Our kids say funny things
*All of the above

9. Mom is ____ years old.
J: 18
S: 28 (He wrote the 2 backwards and the teacher thought he wrote 58!)
A: 27*

10. What Mom loves the most is:
J: video games
S: me
A: fun time with family & girls' night out
*What I love the most is my family!

I love it! These were so much fun to read. Apparently, I love to play games and sleep! Also, I am so flattered that Josh thinks I'm only 18 and that Seth thinks I could be a supermodel. It's great to have your kids tell you that you're young and beautiful. It probably won't last forever, but I can bask in the glow for now. :)

To all you mothers, including my own, Happy Mother's Day!  Thank you for all you do. Your quiet daily acts of service and love for your family make the world a better place now and in the future. No one can take your place. Thank you!

Veggies Please!

I have to share this story, because I think it is just what every mother wants to hear from their child...

We were watching "The Biggest Loser" on TV last night, while "snacking" on Halloween candy. The cast was in Washington D.C and they were visiting the White House.  The show toured Michelle Obama's organic vegetable garden (which I admire) and theWhite House kitchen. The contestants created this humongus salad entirely from the First Lady's homegrown vegetables. Trainer Bob Harper raved about how great the veggies were and how great it was that the Obamas are leading the nation in eating healthy. After this segment, Seth turned to me and said, "Mom, we should eat more vegetables and less candy!" Shocked, I replied, "Yes, we should eat more vegetables." Keep in mind that we eat some kind of vegetable at almost every lunch and dinner. :) Half-jokingly, I said, "So I guess that means we should throw away all of our Halloween candy." Seth thought about it a second and then suggested, "No, but we could put it all away until next Halloween." I agreed, meanwhile Aaron frantically shook his head no behind Seth. So, the outcome of this story? We set aside about half of the candy for Christmas stockings and Seth only asked me once for a piece of candy instead of the normal 15 today. I guess you could say that's a step in the right direction... :)