Who's Wyatt?

K has a new favorite show. It is Super Why on PBS. We don't actually get reception to PBS but we borrowed a Super Why DVD from the Library a few weeks ago. She has watched that thing more times than I care to remember. So lately she has changed her name. We will call her and she will say, "I'm not a ladybug. I'm Wyatt!" When she is being Wyatt she also refers to herself in 3rd person. For example, "Wyatt is getting his shoes."

She has taken to carrying around a small plastic magnifying glass that she calls her "alftabet letters" in honor of Alpha Pig. He uses a magnifying glass to find alphabet letters.

Don't worry, the madness goes on. She will walk around barefoot and when I tell her to put on shoes she informs me that she is wearing her blue Super Why shoes. Tonight she came down without a shirt on. Roy told her to got put on her pajama top and she responded that she was wearing her Super Why shirt. He told her she could just put her Super Why shirt over her pajamas but that she needed her pajama shirt on. As you can see, we've embraced the madness ourselves.

We had some rope out from getting the Christmas tree. K found it and was using it as her "Lucky Letter Lasso" also courtesy of Alpha Pig. She would ask me, "Mommy, where's the Q?" I had the good sense to point to some part of the room far away from me so as to put some distance between myself and the Lucky Letter Lasso!

Everyday there are hundreds of mentions of Super Why or Why-Fliers or Why-Highlighters or Zapping letters or well, you get the idea. It seems we will be living with Wyatt for some time to come.

Family Traditions

The day after Thanksgiving is a big day! Not Black Friday -- we don't do that. Rather it is Christmas Tree cutting day. One amazing thing we've discovered up here is that there are farms everywhere and you can get fresh almostanything. This includes Christmas Trees. So today we went to a tree farm and picked out our tree.

The tree before it was cut

We are learning more about trees each year. This year we selected a Grand variety. We usually get Douglas trees but thought we'd branch out (branch out....heehee...) and try a different variety. The kids loved tromping around the tree farm selecting this tree then that one as the perfect Pyatt Family tree. Once the decision was made Roy started sawing. About 1/3 of the way through he was asking himself why this was a fun family tradition. Much like he does every year : )

Giving Daddy a thumbs-up

One great feature we always appreciate is having our tree shake and baled. They set the tree on a little machine that shakes all the loose needles and squirrels out. Then they pull the tree through a net that bundles the tree up making it soooo much easier to transport and set up. This year our tree was too fat. It refused to be baled. Believe me, we tried. Well, mostly I stood back and took pictures of Roy trying to push and the farm owner trying to pull the tree while the owner's wife and son and D tried to hold the table down. After a few minutes of this the owner offered us a discount to not have our tree baled.

Shaking... (no squirrels)

It was futile. That tree was NOT going through the baler.

We got the tree home with only minimal worry and no problems. When we got the tree in, A was very concerned. No, she was scared of it. Apparently trees are fine and great in the outdoors but should not be brought inside. She is such a funny little body. However, by the time we had it standing up and mostly stable she had come around to our way of thinking and was laughing and squatting down to check out daddy under the tree.

Cum'on it don't get much cooler than that!

We also got a small tree to put downstairs in the toy room. The kids always get excited to have their own tree. Last year it was a little scraggly Charlie Brown thing. This year we got an actual tree that happens to be small.

Happy Thanksgiving

Roy was carving the bird and this was the conversations going on:
D -- He was obsessing over the turkey's uvula. He was very curious about it wanting to know where it was. Do turkey's even have a uvula?
Uvula tangent: D kept calling it a "sucker". Later we were watching Ice Age 3 when Buck is telling about how he got out of Rudy's mouth. Buck says, "I grabbed onto that sucker and swung back and forth and back and forth and ..." All of a sudden it clicked why D was calling it a "sucker"!
K was very curious about the whole idea of a turkey. She was a little scared of it. As Roy started cutting into she kept telling him the turkey was peeing. She'd say, "Daddy, it's peeing!" It was the juice escaping out.
A probably came pretty close to eating her body weight in turkey today. She snacked on some while Roy was carving the bird. I tossed a large chunk on her tray before we got started thinking it would last her the meal. She was finished before the blessing on the food was over. And she didn't stop there!
D wanted one of the turkey legs of which he managed to eat half. K was thoroughly enjoying the skin, much to my consternation. My kids are full on carnivores. There were two salads, mashed potatoes, rolls, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. I believe they each ate turkey and one or two bites of one other item.

This was my second Thanksgiving to prepare alone. I'm happy to report that all went well. The smoke detector only went off once and we think it was because of the heat not because of any smoke. The turkey was cooked all the way through. All in all, very successful!
I hope you all had a great day full of laughter, food, family and gratitude!

My oven and other exciting things

Great news! My oven is working again! Our replacement part came in a day early so Roy and I spent the evening last night putting it in and (YIPEE) it works! Roy may have done the actual work but I want you all to know how vital my part was. After all, I was the one who *gasp* read the directions. I know, very edgy of me. I like to think he couldn't have done it without me. (Especially since he wasn't going to look at those directions.) Anyway, it's turkey and hot rolls tomorrow!

Today the kids and I made Oreo Turkeys. They are actually "Tuxedo" Turkeys because I bought the store brand cookie. If you have a Safeway nearby and like Oreo's give the Tuxedo's a try. I think they are just as good.

The kids were bouncing off the walls to get at all that sugar. We made two cookie packages worth. I let the kids pick some friends to take a cookie to. D picked several and K picked one. She wanted to take a cookie to 'Kenna next door. When she and D went to take their cookies over no one was home. By the time K got back with her turkey it was barely recognizable. Later the kids went to try again. I figured that turkey was done for when part of it fell off before she even got out the door. No one was home again and when K brought the pitiful little thing back we just buried it in the backyard. It was done for. Oh well, it's the thought that counts, right?

Here's a shot of how our turkeys turned out. Sorry for the blur. I am shopping for a new camera this holiday season.

I have spent hours online shopping for toys. Not just any toys -- one very, very specific toy. I keep hoping to find it on sale in one of the Black Friday or Cyber Monday ads but no such luck. If anyone has a brand-new-still-in-the-box Lego City Airport they would be willing to part with for less than $60 please let me know. I don't know what the girls are getting for sure. I have some ideas but.... yeah, we'll see. I also don't know what Christmas Tree Ornaments to get this year. I get a new one for each kid each year. I try to make it meaningful for the year they've had but I don't know what to do for the girls. I want to get D a starting school one. I've seen a few cute ones. But the girls....I don't know. Any ideas?

Two Hour Late Start

School is on a 2-hour late start schedule because of the black ice on the roads. We used this time to get some quality sledding in on the ice flow next door.

Last night our neighbor's water heater was pouring water and creating a small river down their driveway. It was a big bummer last night. Then it froze overnight creating the latest winter fun.

*Update* D just came in crying. Care to guess what happened on the ice? Don't worry he's fine. It is pretty much a forced cry for attention. ;)

Weekend Wrap-up

Yesterday I made turtle pretzels (great pics and tutorial here) for my friend Tyce. Since my oven is broken I went to my neighbor's house and made them. Not only was this better than trying to nuke 'em, but it was also a lot more fun!

We did them in the evening so A was already in bed. D and K went with me to play with the kids -- and play they did. Near the time we were ready to go, I walked over and sat down next to K. She peremptorily told me she was not ready to go yet. I said it would be time soon. Her response, "How 'bout you go home and I stay?" Umm....yea....no. As we were walking home she told me she wanted to "sit by 'kenna at church tomorrow." I believe I mentioned something about we could probably sit near them or something.

Today we walked into church and sat two rows behind them. K promptly walked up to "Sisser Harberson" and announced she wanted to sit with them. Jenn gave K a hug and let her sit next to 'Kenna. I watched K during the Sacrament and it was the absolute MOST REVERENT I have ever seen her be. She stayed in the SAME seat on her bum for nearly the entire meeting! And when she moved it was onto 'Kenna's lap. I think we may have stumbled onto something here....

When church was over it was a mad house. Every child in the primary (and a few from the Elder's Quorum) was bouncing off the walls because there were GIANT snowflakes falling outside. It was beautiful. We don't get alot of snow here and we really don't get it this early in the season. It didn't snow for too long but some of it was sticking.

Roy and I had a little family time in the garage learning how to put on our new snow chains. The snow doesn't warrant it at this point but you never know what tomorrow will bring. Lest you scoff, let me tell you that we live in a city that does not own snow plows. Seriously. Our first year here it snowed and shut down the whole city for days. It was somewhere close to a foot. We drove on chains for a few days.

Roy is giving the cat milk. He seems to think this will make up for the fact that she has to sleep in the garage and it is winter. This is even funnier if you know Roy's take on cats. Plus I've seen the amount of fat and fur that miniture lion has and she'll be fine.

Daily update

We had pork chops for dinner tonight. I told K we were having pork from a pig. She launched into a story about how the pig gave her the pork in her hands. She is so innocent.

Today we went to Safeway. I had to buy very important ingredients. We are going to try making some Oreo Turkeys and Pretzel Turtles. K fell asleep on the way home. She slept and slept despite several attempts to wake her up. Guess who's not going to bed tonight!

D made chocolate pudding for dessert tonight. He got a kid's cookbook from the library yesterday. Naturally his first desire was the dessert section. I'm hoping he'll pick a few main dish items to try. He has been such a bum about eating dinner for the last while. It doesn't matter what I make, he doesn't like it. Even things he likes he doesn't like. IT IS DRIVING ME NUTS!! and all the great parenting tips (ie let him help prepare it, make it look like something he usually likes, etc) don't do any good. Sometimes it helps to let him pick the meal - not all the time.

I am feeling tired and dull. I hope it is not to obvious in this post. Maybe I should go to bed.

Dogs, Crayons and Rocking Chairs

Tonight D read to the dogs at our library tonight. He has done it once before but it has been a while. He read to a cute little shiz tzu dog named Guiness. He did so great and was thrilled.

In other news, I made this today. It is an experiement. I order crayon rolls for the kids in February from an Etsy shop. I wanted to put them in their Easter Baskets. Well, I still haven't received them. I've contacted the shop owner several times and each time she is very apologetic. I really don't think she is scamming me or anything. I think I just fell through the cracks due to some mistakes on both our parts. Anyway, now I am thinking I'd like to give the kids one for each of their stockings on Christmas. This was my trial. I learned that I really can't sew a straight line. Now I want to get some cute fabric and make one for each of the kids. If you want a tutorial check here. If you want send me some cute fabric, please feel free :)

A is so stinking sweet. She has recently (like in the last 4 days) decided maybe it isn't so bad to get rocked before going to bed. She has always been adverse to getting snuggled before put in her bed. She's been my kiddo who just wants to get in her bed and take care of things herself. The last few nights when I've gone it to put her to bed she has pointed to her rocking chair and grunted. This means she wants it. I also sing to her and if I stop singing before she's done listening she will hum little musical notes "mmmm-mmm". It is all very precious.

Some moments make the day seem worth it

Tonight as I started rocking K to sleep. Before I could say it, she asked me, "Do you love me?" Of course I said I did! Then she said, "I love you too. Grandma loves me too." Indeed she does. Moments like these are why we did not send her to the pound years ago.

D hopped off the bus merry and bright -- not a trace of the sad, pitiful face that drove away this morning. Yea! He also left me a note on my bed: front "For: Mommy" back "I MADE YOU'R BeD" And so he had. When I thanked him tonight, he mentioned that perhaps I could do the same for him sometime.

In crafting news, I made a tree skirt to go under our Christmas tree this year. I am so proud of myself. Anytime I make something with my sewing machine and it comes out decent I feel overjoyed. We are not very compatable, my sewing machine and me. But this renews my confidence. Which is good because I still need to make A's Christmas stocking.

Close up of fabric

Completed Tree Skirt! Yea! I'm ready to get a tree to put it under now ;)

A little about D

Today, D had an.....incident when getting on the bus. He and his little friend who gets on at the same stop frequently scuffle to be first on the bus. When the bus came, both boys were ready to shoot to the door of the bus. I held D back. I wanted to give him a hug (he usually does this himself) and give his friend the chance to get on the bus first today. This made D mad. He jerked away from me and climbed on the bus. He turned around on the steps of the bus to angrily tell me to not hold him back again. I told him enough and I love you. He was bordering on a tantrum.
The bus driver decided to step in. She did not approve of the way D was acting towards me and she told him so. I appreciate her effort but at that moment it was not the best thing. I felt terrible for D. As the door was closing, he slumped down in his seat. He was trying so hard not to cry. I know she meant well but that just embarassed him. This means it will be harder for him to calm down from losing his temper.
D's temper is a force we have been dealing with all his life. He is a great kid -obedient, loving and kind. But he does have a temper. Generally, he calms down quickly enough but sometimes that boy can escalate to unreasonable in .2 seconds. At that point, about the only thing to do is wait it out. Talking about appropriate behavior pretty much has to wait because there is nothing penetrating that tantrum.
Fortunately, D's temper doesn't come out too often and escalates even less often. I haven't heard from the school, so I'm guess he calmed down on the bus. Still, as the bus pulled away, I felt for him. His face was so sad.

Trying to get back in the swing of things

I have neglected my sad little blog of late. I hope to start remedying that. There has actually been a lot that has happened. Grandma was here a week ago for Time Out For Women! Yea! We love TOFW (and the tote bags this year ;p super cute).

The kids have been adoreable. K is talking constantly non-stop. She says some of the funniest things.
Mommy: "I love you."
K: "I know."
or
Mommy: "You're a bum."
K: "No. I'm a K-bum."
A has taken to saying, "mommymommymommymommymommymommy" in a shrill little voice. It is sweet in a sometimes teethgrinding way.
D had to do a project for Dia de los Muertos at school. He was supposed to make a poster about someone important to him who has died. We were talking about it and what to do because he hasn't really experienced death -- aside from some fish. While I was explaining about the project he broke in to ask, "When will Grandma 'Net die?" I think he was trying to say she is someone important. Not that he wants her to die.

I have been crafting over here. Soon I will post some pictures. I promise. We are doing a craft night next month for the Young Women. It has been fun to get ready for that!

A few days ago a friend of mine took some pictures of the kids. D was a camera hog ("Is it my turn yet? Take a picture of me!). K was fairly cooperative for the first 15 minutes -- pretty good for a 3 year old. A was grumpy and cried most of the time. Still, I think it turned out fairly well. We never did get a good shot of all 3 kids together. Oh well. I was going to post some shots but blogger is not letting me. boo. I'll try again later.