Top Ten-Aprimay 2012

So you know how my one goal this year was to do consistent top tens? Hmmmm, I'm not super great at keeping resolutions.  Even if I only have one.  So, to celebrate the fact that it's almost the end of June, I thought I would summarize our April and May.

10) Last year for Lucy's birthday, her cousin Audrey (age 4 at the time) gave her a baby doll.  Maybe she thought Lucy missed playing with dolls.  Maybe she thought we needed another female in the house.  We brought it out one day to see how Eli would react to a doll.  Lets just say I've never seen a more startled baby.  I mean, that kid almost jumped out of his skin.  HeeHEE!  It made me laugh.  Until he grabbed the doll and started smashing its little head onto the ground repeatedly.  Our favorite new phrase?  "Soft, Eli.  Sooooooffffffttttttt!"

9) Lucy (while eating an orange at lunchtime):  Ummmmm.  It smells like Fanta.
Adam (completely shocked): It smells like SANTA?!?!

8) We had a little re-teaching of what to do when one gets "lost" (or cannot see their mother at the BYU games center, though she left your sister in charge for 2 minutes whilst she changed the baby's stinky diaper in the women's room).  HINT: It is NOT a good idea to panic and drag your 4 year old brother outside to the parking lot because you are sure that your mom went out the car without you.  Thankfully, you happen to run into a very kind BYU student named Sara who offers to help you by walking you to the car and then back into the bowling alley to find your mom, who has come running out to look for you and finally spots you as you are crossing the street back from the parking lot.  Lots of prayers of gratitude are always a good idea, though.

7) Isaac (after spotting a sign hung up across main street in Springville): What does that say, mom?
M: It's an advertisement for the Art City Annual Ball.
I: Oh.  What's a ball?
M: It's a dance where you dress up really nice.
I: Oh.  Do you have to dress up like animals?
M: Ummmm. . . HUH?
I: You know, cause it's an animal ball.
M: I said ANNUAL Art City ball.
I.  Ooooooohhhhhhh!  Do you have to dress up like art?

6) Wherein Adam learns how to "trash" talk: After trading words over the fence with our 5 year old neighbor as they jumped on their respective trampolines, Adam came inside and said, "Mom, I came in because Bryce was calling me names."
M: Oh, what did he call you?
A: Bad names, like "Silly" and "Stinker."
M: And what did you call him?
A: Nothing!
M: Adam??????
A (defeated): Okay.  I called him "trash."  And (whispering), "Bob."

Don't know why or how this kid thinks "Bob" is an insult.  Just hoping it sticks.

5) Wherein Lucy learns how to get a boy to stop pulling her hair.  Turns out a little guy in her class had been pulling her hair every day since the beginning of the school year.  (She never mentioned it until late April, but by that time she was done.)  We talked about what she could do about the situation and I gave her a couple of ideas.  Which one worked?  Oh, you know.   The next time he pulled her hair, she said, "Zach, I know that the universal sign that a boy likes a girl is when he pulls her hair, but I just want you to know that I prefer flowers or candy.  Thanks so much."  Mission accomplished.

4) Mother's day love.  Remember that Annual Art City Ball?  Guess who got surprised with tickets to it?  Ummhmmm.  Me.  HHBL seriously loathes dancing, but he knows I love it.  So we had dinner and dancing and a load of fun.  Add to that some delicious breakfast, coupons from the kids, and lots of love = one awesome day.

3) Adam seems to have one volume.  Loud.  I mean really loud.  So in an effort to keep him quiet one Sunday during the sacrament, I handed him a hymn book and told him to count how many times he saw the word "Jesus."  After a few minutes of frustrated looking, he used his one volume voice to tell me, "Mom, it is SO hard to find Jesus in here!" 

2) Last day of school!!  We love us some summer vacation and were thrilled to say goodbye to teachers and homework for the summer.  Well, except for Kye who's trying to complete his math book over the summer so he can skip up a class.  So far, so good.

1) Hello summertime, summertime, sweet, sweet summertime!  Baseball games ("It is sooooo boring, mom!  No one touches the ball but the pitcher and catcher!" ala Kye, and "We have the best team mom!  We win every time." ala Isaac), lots of otter pops, wild fires popping up all over the state, swimming, climbing trees, vacations.  Is it any wonder we love summer?  (Except for the wildfires par.t)