And the car he made

for the program:

A Little Tidbit from Kye's Kindy 500 program

Three little tidbits actually . . . shaky because Adam kept bouncing up and down on my lap. You may also notice that the sound doesn't match up with the picture. As I am not a professional videographer, or even the slightest bit technical, I have no idea why. Enjoy, anyway!

You're a Grand Ole Flag:

This Land is Your Land:

I'm Proud to Be an American:

Just after this video ended, Kye wiped his brow and said, "Whew!" loud enough for the whole auditorium to here. Funny kid.

Flashback Friday

Nov. 9, 1989 . . . Do you remember what happened? Well, DO you?

I was attending an 8th grade assembly, in which we were learning about and discussing The Diary of Anne Frank. (Interestingly symbolic, don't you think?) One of the teachers came into the assembly and interrupted whatever was going on with, "The Berlin wall has fallen!" It was a very, VERY big deal, to those of you who are too young to remember the Cold War. I was born into the latter part of it, but I remember it. We spent the rest of the assembly asking questions about what it would mean, about the history of the wall, and how it would affect our lives. Where were you when you learned that the Wall had fallen?

A Year of Dates: Weeks 13, 14 & 15

15 weeks in and we're still going strong . . .

Week 13: We missed out on Inkheart at the dollar theater the week before, so this time we bought tickets BEFORE going to Zuppa's for dinner. Neither of us have read Inkheart yet so we couldn't be disappointed that it wasn't like the book, which was apparently the way to go on this one. We really enjoyed it. Perhaps the more so because we watched Twilight a few days before (actually I watched Twilight while I exercised and folded clothes and Zach came in for the last 20 minutes) and we figured out every single actor in Inkheart was incomparably better than every single actor in Twilight. That includes Brendan Fraser, which is really saying something. (On second thought, perhaps not better than the biology teacher in Twilight?? I thought he was decent.)

Week 14: See here. The concert was being filmed, so it took significantly longer than normal. Yeah--I'll try to avoid that in the future. But it was awesome for me. I listened longingly to people who could sing so beautifully. Zach was awake for most of it and just took a short little snooze toward the end. How he could sleep through Come, Come Ye Saints with full orchestra and a billion voices is beyond me, however.

Week 15: Due to a conflict on the weekend, we headed out for a midweek date to the temple. Beautiful, peaceful, enjoyable, and warm (it was snowing outside). After, we tried out a new Chinese restaurant called Four Season Hot Pot. We walked in and she asked if we wanted hot pot or dumplings. I said I wanted to try the dumplings (apparantly all made from scratch). She said no dumplings, just hot pot . . . so we had the hot pot. Good stuff. Next time we'll call ahead to order the dumplings.

In case you were wondering, and I know you were, the weekend conflict was Wicked at the Capitol Theater. Zach's already seen it with me so I went with a friend instead. What can I say that hasn't already been said? Good times, great company, fun to be "Galindafied" again.

I'm Always Right

I TOLD Zach that going to a BYU Choral and Philharmonic Orchestra Concert for our date night wouldn't actually kill him.

Oh wait . . .

Yes. . . that's better.

I did NOT, however, promise him it would keep him awake.

Easter Message

I'm excited to share this beautiful Easter message. Elder Holland's was such a beautiful talk, and the one I took away from this Conference as my favorite. Take just a few minutes to watch and enjoy!

Flashback Friday

Talking to a friend who is pregnant for the first time (and who is hoping she will one day be able to eat the foods that currently make her sick) got me thinking. The aversion I got to foods that made me sick during my first trimesters stayed with me a looooooooooong time. I couldn't eat oranges for 3 or 4 years after I had Lucy. The smell of bread (yeast) made me nauseous for an absurdly long time after having Kye. Yogurt got the boot during my pregnancy with Isaac. I (very, very sadly) do not remember our last trip to Hawaii, when I was barely pregnant with Adam, as fondly as I would like. After eating a delicious lunch and going on an unfortunate whale-watching expedition, I vowed I would never eat another mango.

This phenomenon has unfortunately spread to other mediums. Whenever I hear the theme song to The Office, I want to puke. . . seriously. We watched the first two seasons on the plane rides to and from Hawaii and those flights are not good memories. In case you are wondering, yes. I still watch The Office. I just fast forward the opening credits. And I have hope that I will yet be able to enjoy a delicous, ripe, juicy mango. Hey, it's only been 1 1/2 years. I've got time.

All Growed Up

Just look at him holding his own breathing treatment. Awwwwww! Next thing you know he'll be teasing his brothers and annoying his sister and starting school and riding bikes and stuff.

Top Ten--March 2009

Top Ten things heard, seen or noticed at the B's this month:

10) Isaac’s commentary while listening to one of our favorite dance songs: That’s because they wiwy did build the city on wocks. You know what would be better? (singing) We built this city on wocks and bwicks.

9) Adam’s improved vocab. Every time I say, “Ew, Adam, you’re stinky,” he shouts, “DeeDEE.” “Yep, you’re stinky.” “DEEDEE.” He’s so proud.

8) Kye’s inability to eat any food that has touched any other food. Annnnnd it starts.

7) R (a friend): Celebs only lose weight so fast b/c they have people cooking for them and telling them what to do.
Z: That’s what I need.
S: What do you mean? I cook for you and tell you what to do all the time!
Z: Oh yeah . . .

6) The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Lucy’s inherited my unfortunate propensity to sickness. I actually don’t get sick all that often now, but when I was a kid . . . whew! My weekly journal entries from grade school read, “Sick today.” “Sick again.” “Home from school cause I’m sick.” “Got a cold.” “Throwing up.” My poor mother, especially knowing there were 8 other kids around to catch it. Anyhoo, that poor girl has been sick all winter, with the exception of our week in AZ. I’m glad she got a little break.

5) Chore racing. That Isaac beats me every single time. The thrill of the race used to be enough for him. No longer. After giving him a congratulatory handshake one morning, he said, “Thanks. Do I get a twophy?”
M: A trophy?
I: Yep.
M: Um, no. You get a handshake.
I (Shrugging his shoulders): OK.

4) Kye’s vocab misses:
“Mom, will you sue my shirt?”
“Oh no! No oranges tonight! My lips are chat and when I eat oranges, it makes my lips even chattier.”
“Can I have some more Riffles chips please?”

3) Books everywhere. The weekly trip to the library is like Christmas for my kids. (Me, too.) Before I can even get in the door, they’ve taken all their books out of the library bags, spread them across the living room floor for easy access, and are lost in other worlds till dinner.

2) Important realization. My inability to speak video game may seriously hinder my ability to raise boys. It’s not just that I don’t get it . . . I don’t like it. I don’t want to know all the characters’ names and how much they cost and how they fight. But it is time to bite the bullet. I need a crash course in Star Wars speak so I can communicate with my six year old. I realized it was time when he philosophized, “Mom, what if Star Wars really happened? It says ‘a long time ago, far far away.' Maybe it really happened. And what if this is my second time being alive?”

1) The leftover debate. Zach hates leftovers. I mean if he had to choose between starvation and leftovers, he would choose starvation. I can’t throw them away (unless the meal is horrendously bad . . . which I’ll admit happens b/c I like to try new things.) So, how on earth did it take me so long to realize that when Zach does the dinner dishes there are no leftovers? Even if the food was really, really good, there are NO leftovers. Hmmmm. On the other hand, am I really willing to save my leftovers if it comes at the cost of Zach not doing dishes anymore? Such a conundrum.

A Year of Dates: Weeks 11 & 12

Week 11: Zach travels some for his job. Sometimes it's a perk. Sometimes not so much. This time it was a perk. Over the past few weeks, they've been doing a state-wide implementation of the Imagine Learning product. He was up in Brigham City for a few days and ended up staying at a hotel there. Thanks to 2 sisters willing to watch my chillens, I joined him and we met up with some of our favorite people, Sean and Rachelle, for dinner at Maddox Steakhouse. No matter how long it's been since we've seen them, we feel that same comfortable friendship and fun we've always had. Love that. Games at their house afterward were fun, too.

Week 12: We tried out a relatively new place, Jaxie's, for dinner. Our movie was sold out by the time we got there, so we ran errands instead. As boring as it sounds, it's such a thrill to go shopping without kids. We picked up some bday presents for Kye, got a small Easter gift for each child, and went back to Cracker Barrell for their Apple Strudel dessert to wind up the evening. (Yes, a lot of our dates are centered on food, and yes, we need to change that. But it's been fun:-)

Flashback Friday

I'm going to plumb the depths of my mind and remember way back to oh, say, a month ago. Our week in AZ was the perfect escape from late winter in Utah.

Saturday: The kids and I were up and gone by 7:15. I've learned some valuable lessons about driving alone with children. #1 They get nothing to drink but water. #2 Two stops and two stops ONLY! #3 Bring lots of snacks. #4 If possible, control the DVD player for the little ones from your seat. Following these rules made the trip a breeze. That, and the fact that everyone was FINALLY feeling better after months of sickness. (Note to self: perhaps be a little more lenient on the number of stops?? Though the little boys can pee in a bottle if need be, girls cannot.) After 44 oz. of Diet Vanilla Coke (to help keep me alert after my 4:30 a.m. wake up), I was literally dancing as I herded 4 children inside the gas station as fast as humanly possible.

Sunday: After 9 a.m. church, we took a nap, played outside and had the big Sunday family dinner.

Monday: We went to the AZ science center. Our favorites were the Forces of Nature platform show, the nitrogen demonstration, and the bed of nails. After naps in the afternoon, we were ready for our extended family home evening. I'm still trying to figure out how I got assigned the lesson for that one.

Tuesday: We joined Alisa for her ward park day in the morning. Beautiful 75 degree weather. I visited a high school friend turned college roommate in the afternoon. It was so much fun enjoying the breeze in her backyard as we caught up. Thanks for letting us come, Alice. Sorry it's taken me 3 years to come by, even though you live 7 minutes from my in-laws.

Wednesday: After joining Lindsey for HER ward park day, Mom B, Gma Betty and I took Isaac out to lunch for his 4th birthday. The kids played in the kiddie pool in the backyard while Adam napped and I read on the porch. We stayed outside until dinner.

Thursday: We went to the Gilbert library in the morning. As much as I love our library here, I miss this one. It's big and open, and has a gazillion more books. I might have to move to Springville in a few years just for their new library. After the library, I met up with my sister-in-law, Kaylee (visiting from SD), for lunch at Macaroni Grill. It was great to see you, Kaylee! In the afternoon, we went to Braden's bball game for an hour. We picked up Z from the airport around 8:30 p.m.

Friday: Zach and I went to the temple in the morning and played Bananagrams and Codfish with the family in the afternoon and evening.

Saturday: We took the kids to Freestone park in the afternoon and had a birthday bash for Isaac, Warner, and Kambree. After dinner, everyone played games and I packed for our trip home.

Besides the weather, which was beautiful the whole time, my favorite moment of the trip was watching Kambree attempt to walk after spinning on the tire swing. Well, that and the 15 dozen Krispee Kremes that showed up. Good times. Great fun. Can't wait to do it again next year.

Six Spankings for Kyekooski

Six things I love about my six year old:

1) I defy any of you out there to produce a child with as much as intensity as this little man. If he's excited about something, he wakes up at the crack of dawn and can't get himself back to sleep. When he's wired, his voice reaches pitches that only mothers and dogs can hear. When he is good he is very, very good. When he is bad . . . or tired . . . or annoyed . . . or angry . . . or put out . . . well, you get the picture.


2) When he was little, we could make "big head" jokes. Lucky thing we were well versed in "So I Married An Axe-Murderer" dialogue. "HEED! PANTS! NOW!" and "It's like an orange on a toothpick" and "That's a huge noggin. That's a virtual planetoid" were some of our favorites. So was "I am smitten. I am in deep smit," but that has no bearing here. Kye's grown into his head some so we can no longer rely on noggin humor. Sigh.


3) Silly, silly, silly. Today I asked him what his favorite book was. He said (starting to giggle) Grape juice. (Giggling harder) GRAPE juice! (Laughing hysterically).

4) Hard worker. I kid you not . . . Kye can work with an intensity that belies his age . . . most of the time. He likes to get his stuff done quickly so he can move on to the fun. I can usually give him an assignment and count on him to get it done without reminders. It's so refreshing.


5) Sensitive. He came home from school one day and said, "Mom, you know that song that is Proud to Be American? We listen to that at school and when I hear it I cry a little." And he doesn't like movies. Any movies. They are scary. Or if they are NOT scary, he's worried the WHOLE time something scary MIGHT happen, even if we tell him the whole plot line. He does NOT trust us in this matter. It makes family movie night interesting.

6) He loves to learn. He enjoys school, works hard at his homework, and loves to read. His current favorites are "Calvin and Hobbes" and "Garfield." He and Lucy discuss these books regularly (along with Star Wars Legos: the Complete Saga, but that is a different story) and keep us entertained at dinner.