Left me in Stitches!!

So the other night I was working on sewing patches on Victor's Cub Scout Shirt when he came over to inspect my work. "Mom" he asked, "do boys have to learn how to sew?" I told him yes, that while he didn't need to learn to sew just yet, he would have to learn to sew someday. Why? Well what if when he is on his mission he needs to fix a button or a small rip in his shirt or suit? What was my son's answer to such a problem as this? "Can't I just have my companion do it?" When I was done laughing and gained my composure I said no that wasn't how it worked. "What if his companion had the same idea and neither of them learned how to sew?" I think my laughing had done him in and the conversation was over. However the Missionaries just happened to be coming over the next night and after I asked their opinion of the situation they both shared with him their own sewing needs. I hope that he now understands the importance of learning to be prepared to meet his own needs.

O Christmas Tree!!

Well for better or worse the tree is finally up. The late Thanksgiving really seems to have zapped me. If you go back to the summer it has just been one thing after another to get ready for and no recovery time to relax. But like I mentioned the girl has really discovered events this year. First Victor's birthday and baptism had her on a two month quest to reach her day explaining the four year wait till her baptism is another story. Then Halloween a week before her birthday was fun. Now it is Christmas. She was a big helper to dad as he set up the tree and me as I did the lights. Those two experiences lead me to decide that it wouldn't be in my best interest to put up all my ornaments. So I put up a few of of the special ones that shouldn't break, then divided the kid ones I felt that were relatively unbreakable. The pay off has been that Rowan has been free to rearrange the tree at will. Which she has done. Victor being more like me was always very good at hanging the the decorations to mom's rules, Rowan however like everything else in her life goes to the beat of her own drum.
Rowan bringing the next branch to her dad so she can make sure he's doing it right.Rowan making sure she was finding all the right branches.Rowan working hard on her ornaments (she didn't wait for Victor so I had to make two piles so each child would get a fair turn).Victor the old pro tried his best to fill holes and the tree. Little did he know every ornament would be moved multiple times.The funnest part of decorating was the night that Rowan decided the stockings were foot wear and put all four of them on. That's Right TWO on each foot!!!

It a Frame of Mine!!

So as best as I can recall for almost two years I have had a huge collage frame hanging at the bottom of my stairs without any pictures in it. Well finally I not only started it but it is full and rehung and I even got up a picture I took of the Boston Temple as well as a poster of the kids I made at Snapfish. Most of my family and friends know that I love to take pictures and scrapbook. However most don't know that on of my desires is to have a house that has a staircase where I can hang tons of pictures like you see in the movies all the way upstairs. No there wasn't any such wall in my house as a kid, actually there were only a few pictures of us hung at home and they were usually in my mom and dad's room. I have always tried to have photos up but a real huge collection that is in a frequented area is just so, I just love it and I want one. It is one of the reasons I was glad when we moved here because of the stairs. I laughed with Kel the other day I will probably finish the wall just in time to pack it since he can't do his 180 mile commute forever. I would have more done but I listened to Kel when I placed the order so I didn't get the true 4x6 and I have three more that take 10 4x6's each along with 4 5x7 and I had to get an 11x14 for the poster and now I need two more 11x14's for the school collection mattes that Kel got me for Christmas. Yes, I know what he got me and I even started to fill them when he wasn't looking. So here is the scene:

Now of course I have taken many long looks to admire my work but I keep catching Kel and the kids doing the same thing. Victor is always asking where I got this or that picture he had never seen. Rowan loves to find her baby pictures and say "Look there is me as baby Rowan!"

Board Games Anyone!!!!

Most of our friends know that we are big gamers. The kids have always had their own set of games that they could play but we have tried to keep most of the nicer ones out of their reach, Rowan has a bit of a reputation to ruin them. However she has been getting a lot better about that. Actually it was her desire to play the same game everyday for two weeks straight that started the new board game fest that has been going on around here. The game was Guess Who Disney edition. Now she isn't great at playing it correctly because well thinking of questions to ask to narrow it down is a little hard. Astonishingly though she did manage to memorize where everyone is locate on each game board. Her father actually tried to switch the placement of one the characters and she spotted right off and made him fix it.

The really funny thing was that I have started to teach Victor how to play some of the grown up games. We have played game he knew like Checkers, Uno and Jenga, but then started some new ones like Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly and Life. It was really cute the night that we played Monopoly. Daddy was at work so Rowan was only really allowed to watch. She really wanted to play with us so we let her choose a token and occasionally roll the dice. She really wanted $40, but she was so cute she would roll the dice then move in any direction she wanted. Every so often she would move to the Electric Company and go "Look I have an idea!" This would crack us up. She would change her token and willingly go to jail every once in a while. Poor Victor after two days he gave up on Monopoly even though he was doing well, but he won Life. This week has been Candyland or Canny Lane as Rowan calls it. Getting her to not cheat is an issue but she has been pretty good.

Rowan turns 4!!

Well the baby isn't so much a baby any more. This November she turned 4. What a difference a year makes. To think that last year she barely talked and was still such a baby in many ways. She has grown a lot and has come close to catching up to where she should be. I requested a PPT but they didn't find anything but did confirm that she still has some sensory issues we need to help her with. The ear tubes however has made a huge change in her. We have to be careful that there isn't anything to loud around her and she has ear muffs that we bring to public events. However she talks a lot more and while she is still wary in some situations she is more vocal when she feels comfortable. It has been awesome to see her bloom. She really enjoyed Halloween this year, I mean who else but a little chocolate nut could find sheer joy in knocking on peoples door and have them give you candy!!

So a little about her. Her favorite color is usually pink but every so often it is purple. She loves her fairy collection. Her favorite food is strawberries, but whip topping is a very close second. She also never turns down anything chocolate. She has finally hit the stage where she gets obsessed with a movies and I am forced to watch the some movie and hear the same songs and lines over and over and over and over again. Currently it is Hercules, and honestly I am very ready to ship it back to Netflix!!! The sad part is that we own it on VHS but she doesn't get it. We have always had dvd's with Rowan so those she knows and knows how to but them in and work the player. The VCR how ever is hooked up in the play room and that whole rewind thing is just to much for her patience. Oh how the world has changed!! She still loves to do puzzles and she is improving on learning how to play games as long as she wins. She loves to call herself daddy's little girl. She amazes me at how well she can surf the web and play on the computer. She still loves her gymnastics class. She loves to ride her bike. I am very thankful that she is still a total snuggle bug. She insisted that she was going to read her own birthday cards this year, and each and every one of them said "Happy Birthday to Rowan". She loves school and her teacher Martha. She loves to draw, color and paint. She is currently very into photos. Her favorite place to go is to her grandma Paula's house.

Victor Turns 8!!!

Where does the time go? My baby boy turned 8 in September and while this meant great things for him it brought a tear to my eye. We had a huge party because he was baptised on the same day. When you have that many coming from all over a two for one is always a good idea. While the new level of responsibility isn't his favorite part of his birthday I thought that an update on what he is like would be fun.
He is in third grade now. His favorite color is still green. He loves the Red Sox and his favorite player now is Dustin Pedoria. His favorite foods are still hot dogs and chips. He is now a Cub Scout and talks all the time about getting his Eagle and Silver Beaver. His best friend is still Nate and they both gave prayers at each others Baptisms, it is a friendship that I am so very grateful for each day. He still loves Legos and always carries the current catalog in his backpack. He loves Webkinz. He likes the High School Musical movies and wants to be the next Zac E. He is very sensitive and caring. His new thing is making me go over and over what his name means and who each person is or was that he was named for. I have started to teach him how to play lots of non little kid board games.