How to make chocolate milk...

According to Tahnyon.
you just shake it. Then you pour it in a cup. Then you drink it then its all gone. And it's good.

Overheard: Tahnyon's prayer tonight...

Because this is cute enough to make me forget every infuriating moment this kid has caused lately...

The parts I can remember...
"Thank you Jesus can watch ober us. Thank you that daddy can be my daddy. Thank you grandpa can make sure we mum(come) to his house when we get to mum to his house. Thank you Grandpa can share his food with us when we get to mum to his house. Thank you Grandpa will let us feed his courses (horses) apples when we get to mum to his house. Thank you mommy and daddy can watch ober me like Jesus does."

And the next day... "Thank you bampa nan be my bampa. Thank you Aree nan be in our fam-fee. Thank you bampa man be nice and safe."

Living in reality...

I try to keep it real here. Chalk one up for the bad days blogged...
Frankly, I've had it with two and three year olds. Somebody PLEASE tell me that girls figure out how to handle their emotions for at least a few years before they become teenagers. And while you're at it, can you promise me that boys eventually stop breaking things? I'm pretty sure Aree is going to cry for the rest of her life. The emotions! Over everything!
And Tahnyon... Well, let's just say that no matter how careful we are I have sent Tayvin's glasses in 5 times to get them fixed in the last 6 months. And that's not counting how many times I've fixed them myself. We usually get them back, he gets to wear them for a few days and then Tahnyon breaks them again. And the cut finger thing? (Which I will blog about soon.) I can't even begin to tell you about the amount of time/money we've spent just trying to keep his tendons intact since the surgery. Nothing slows him down. And if it does, he eliminates it.
There's really no point to this post. Other than when they're all in school or married with their own kids I'll be able to look back, remember, and probably miss these days. Even the bad ones.

Overheard:Grandpa's house

Tahnyon running inside after riding his bike with his 'mo-mer-cycle' helmet on: "Mom, nan you come fix my mo-mer-cycle?" Me: "Yah, I guess. Give me just a minute." Tahnyon: "k, thanks. Cause I ready to go to Bampa Tony's house. I gon-ga go fru the water and fru the woods. Cause that's where daddy told me their house is. Fru the water, fru the woods."

Tayvin and his big golden heart

Years ago I wrote a long post about Tayvin's heart and my determination to not let the world dim it's glow. I don't often forget about that. Sometimes I feel like I do really well at helping him act upon his desires to love and serve others. And often I feel like I'm not doing enough. But the fabulous thing is... I'm not alone. There's this pretty incredible man in my life that also happens to be a wonderful daddy. And between him, me, Tayvin, Heavenly Father and our Savior- Tayv's heart is growing and shining even more. He is always trying to cheer others up. He tells Aree and Tahnyon how much he loves them all the time. He gives random hugs and kisses. He talks about how we can help people. He draws pictures of Christ all the time. He earnestly prays for everyone. I came across this picture today and it reminded me of his wonderfully sweet spirit and his focus on what is important. I always want to remember this.

Overheard: Tahnyon

Mommy: "Tahn, if you're going outside make sure you don't take off your Spider-Man costume." (This is often a problem)
Tahn:"Yah, cause we don't want anyone to see my bummy or my privates."
Mommy:"right!"
Tahn:"Yah, cause we only show those to the toi-yet."


And on another note: On Sunday I asked the kids to put ALL of their church clothes in the hamper except for their ties. (This is different for them because I don't wash their suits every week.) Today, as I was sorting the laundry, I found Tahnyon's church shoes in the hamper. :) I guess the kid listens sometimes....

Myrtle Beach

Nate has been spending most of his time down in Myrtle Beach for the last few months so we decided to join him the day after Christmas for a mini vacation. It wasn't super warm but the beach was a good distraction from the fact that it was our first Christmas ever with no snow!
Oh how I love that place!!!

And, thankfully, at the end of the week we get daddy back and his travel will be much more rare.

Jesus wants me for a....

SUNBEAM!!
We're still working on sitting still in one chair... Especially while mommy is leading singing time but Tahn is sure excited to be a "big boy that goes to cry-mary now!"

Overheard...

-I just got called to be the primary chorister in our new ward. I was asking Tahnyon what songs he wanted me to sing in nursery tomorrow. He told me, "Um... Popcorn popping. But sometimes I don't like to sing that song." Me: "Oh, really, why not?" Tahn: "Because it makes me look out the window." Well, gee kid, don't extend yourself too far. :) -Tayvin was in his room for talking disrespectfully one afternoon. When I went and asked him if he was ready to talk about it he looked at me very seriously and told me.... "My silent moments with you are now forever!" Hahahaha! I seriously could not keep a straight face for even a second. Where did this kid come from?

Excuse me, while I vomit.

Why you ask? Because, once again, I just realized what a huge thing it is that we're doing. Indulge me for just a minute... You know how after becoming a mother it randomly hits you every now and then that you are solely responsible for another human being. You. have. to. keep. them. alive! Most of the time you're good, just doing your thing, fulfilling responsibilities. Then when it hits, it hits like a ton of bricks. And you get light-headed. And want to cry. And you DO cry. And then you get sick and puke because you realize how big this responsibility really is. As if you haven't been doing exactly what it is that is scaring you. Well, that's what just happened to me. Again. You see, 2 weeks ago, out of the blue, we decided to up and move our family to North Carolina. A place where I had never been (and still haven't) and Nate has been to for 24 hours-just long enough to interview for a job. And we leave in 2 days. And Tayvin was supposed to start school yesterday but didn't. So he'll go to his first day of 1st grade in a strange state, strange school, with no friends. And he'll ride the bus for the first time knowing nobody. A school with no Chinese immersion program. And he'll eat lunch at school for the first time by himself. And when I think of that sweet boy (who is acting so brave about all of this) doing all of this alone, I just want to curl up in a ball and cry like a baby. (Which I did do, btw, for 2.5 hours.) And then I think of Tahnyon who is attatched to my dad at the hip. And he's so excited to move to "Nort Car-ca-yina" but has no idea what is coming... That he won't see his grandpa every few weeks anymore. That the horses will be fed without him. That his muddy 'moose boots' will have to relinquish their spot in grandpa's garage or stay there until they no longer fit his cute little/big feet. That the hook his cowboy hat hangs on will be empty for who knows how long. And then I do curl up in a ball. And then I think of Miss Arahlee-who just started calling Grandma "mah-ma" and riding with grandpa. I think of how much older she'll be before we can bring her back to visit. I think of SO many wonderful friends/neighbors/family that we are leaving behind....And then I do cry like a baby. Or vomit. :) But once all of that is out of my system: I think about the incredible opportunity this is going to be for Nate and the success I know he'll have, I think about all of the good I've heard about NC, the history sites that we're all dying to see, and the southern manners that my kids will be exposed to. I think of cute tiny southern drawls and the ethnic diversity that my children will grow up with. And I take a deep breath, get back to packing, and know that everything is going to be alright.

Overheard:

Me: "Tahn, what do you have?" Tahn: "The ma-mote?" (remote) Me: "What do you need the remote for?" Tahn: "Cause I da boss." ______________ Tahn kept saying something and I couldn't understand. When I don't get it, usually Tayv does. He didn't either. We kept guessing. Finally Tahn said very calmly: "No, that is not the word that I am say-hing." :)

Overhead : Bampa

Staying true to form, Tahnyon and my dad are BEST BUDDIES and pretty much can't get enough of each other.

Me: "Tahn, will you say the prayer please? "
Tahn: "Yes. Hefee Fafer, Thank you this day. Thank you bampa. Thank you bless I go bampa's house. Name of Bampa, amen."

<3

Overheard:

Walking out of church yesterday...

Tayv: "Mom, this is the picture I colored in cry-mary today. This one is a picture of me and daddy. And on the other side is a picture of you in the hospital."

Me: "Oh? You put me in the hospital?"

Tayv: "Well, my teacher asked us to draw a picture of something that would be a good reason to fast."

Family Pics Oct 2011

I've basically decided to give up on family pictures. At least until I'm skinny (er). But here they are anyway.

Overheard: Problem

Tayvin: "Mom, in school today we were supposed to say a problem." (I think they were working on math problems.) "And [insert random schoolmate's name here-we'll call him Braxton] said his problem was that his mom told him he couldn't play Cars 2 anymore that day because he'd already played too much. And I was like, Braxton! That's not a PROBLEM-Your mom's trying to keep you smart!"