Farewell to our trees

Yesterday we had two of our trees cut down -- one was lifting the sidewalk, the other was an Aspen that was sprouting new trees all over our lawn. We have debating this for a while because we knew we'd lose a lot of shade. And sure enough, our house and yard look so bare! I'm kind of sad. I hope our already struggling lawn doesn't die completely. ): On a more positive note, the kids were very entertained watching the men with chainsaws, the truck chopping the trees up, and a stump grinder. They sat on the piano and watched out the window.

Our lawn also struggles in the backyard -- large yellow patches everywhere. So we've been trying to bring it back to life by turning on the sprinkler in the evening. Andrew went out and played in it last night -- of course he was already wearing his rain boots that he wears almost every day. Then he asked for an umbrella. A good pictures moment!

Dress-up

Andrew just loves playing with his best friend -- she is a girl and he really has a great time in her dress up clothes. If he ever becomes famous, this may be the picture that is shown on some talk show to embarrass the future macho man I'm sure he will be. Just look at that smile he has on his face -- such joy!

Candy and a Popsicle

I may have mentioned before that getting Andrew to eat is a daily battle. Dinner is particularly challenging. His usual excuse is "I already ate lunch today."

So today when he announced that he was finished with his dinner (after one bite,) I told him "Okay. But tonight you can't have anything to eat until you eat your dinner. I'll save your plate."

An hour later Andrew announced that he needed a popsicle. "Not until you eat your dinner." After more whining and begging, he changed his request to candy. Again, more whining and begging. I continued my mantra, "Not until you eat your dinner."

Then began the negotiation:

Andrew says, "I know, Mom -- howbout I be really nice and you give me candy and a poxicle."
"Andrew," I say, "This isn't about being nice. This is about eating healthy."
Andrew replies, "No Mom. This is about candy and a poxicle."

I just thought that was so funny. The good news is that he finally gave in and ate some dinner. Then he ate a candy and a "poxicle."

Dum-dum-da-dum

Last week we went to Idaho for my nieces wedding. The ceremony was very nice and the reception was fun. I can't believe I'm old enough to have a nice getting married! And I can't believe my sister is old enough to be a Mother-in-Law! She doesn't look it.
I took this picture of my sister, her husband, and my niece and new husband. I love how my niece is totally laughing about her dad kissing her mom....right there in public!

The reception was in my sister's backyard. The food was delicious and the decor was classy. I was glad it was at the house because Andrew and Eric were completely entertained playing in the sandbox and with his cousin's toys. There was also a group of kids who escaped to the basement (the bride and groom's brothers) to play some Wii Game -- rock star or something like that. And knowing Brian played the drums, they came and got him to do the drum part. He was happy to help out. Also below are pictures of Andrew being a pirate -- Arrrr. And a picture of Eric carrying around a cheese stick in his mouth.

Handsome Boys

Here are my boys on Father's Day -- they even happen to be color coordinated! Brian has a lot of great qualities, but the one that remains most impressive to me is his patience -- something I've been lacking greatly this past year. It's such an important quality to have when raising kids. So thanks for keeping cool, Brian. The boys are so lucky!

Spreading the word

I was just looking at my brother's family website. They are hoping to adopt a baby. I was just thinking that one way to get the word out is to direct you to their website. Check it out. They're a great family! If you know of anyone who is considering adoption, please pass the web address along. (: We love you guys!

Where is heaven?

Andrew used to pray really great for us. Lately, though, he has been less interested in staying still and saying the prayer. Here's how it went the other night:

Andrew: Why do we have to pray every time at night?
Me: Because we need to tell Heavenly Father that we're thankful for all the things we have.
Yah, like our arms, our legs, and our heads.
Exactly.
But my head is really hard to take off. (He says, as he puts his hands under his chin and pushes upward.)
Thank goodness for that. Okay...let's pray now.
But Heavenly Father can't hear me. He's too far away.
Actually, he can hear you even when he's far away. It's kind of like he's magic...he can hear you even from heaven.
But where is heaven?
Good question...some people say it's clear up in the sky.
Does Heavenly Father live in the chimney?
Uh...no. Even higher than the chimney.

Fruit Snack update

I just wanted to say that my stroller tire, which I patched with a fruit snack weeks (months?) ago, is still working! Makes me wonder if all those fruit snacks are still sticking to Andrew's insides too. (:

St***d

Well, Andrew has picked up another bad habit from me. The word is "stupid" (I hope that st***d doesn't stand for some other foul word.)

The other day Andrew was out digging in the garden. I went to see how he was doing...

"Hey Andrew, how's it going?"
"Oh, hi Mom. I was just calling this truck stupid."
"Andrew, I wish you wouldn't say that word. It's not nice."
"Oh. But you weren't here to hear me."

I was surprised a 3-year-old would come up with that kind of logic. "If mom's not here, it's okay to say whatever I want!"

Here's another fun conversation we had the other day:

"How was nursery today Andrew?"
"Good. I hit that other boy."
"That's too bad. Why did you hit him?"
"I wanted the truck."
"Well Andrew, you are not supposed to hit other people."
"But Mom, I LOVE to hit people."

Oh great.

Eric walks...and laughs....and waves

Last Thursday Eric took a few steps on his own. Friday morning he really started walking. Now he rarely crawls. Here's a video of him in action. I love the way he holds his arms up to keep his balance -- looks like he's running through the finish line at the end of a race.

And here's a video of Andrew and Eric playing the piano -- well, actually Andrew is acting like he's mad at the piano music that won't stay where he wants it. Anyway, you'll see that Andrew still makes Eric laugh harder than anyone else.