A garden full of flowers: Life right now

As I look at my kids right now, I realize how much things have changed in such a short amount of time. Wesley is getting older and more independent. I don't feel like I have three babies at home anymore. My life is slowly switching from constant diaper changes and chasing around three kids, to a driver, scheduler, cook, and teacher. I mean, I still change diapers and chase around Blake, but I feel like my other two are growing up and my life is not focused on diapers, nursing, nap time, cleaning up spit up, and so on like it has been the past 5 years. I have been really thinking about what I can do to help my boys grow to be young men of great character quality. We have recently started morning "devotional" where I go over a character quality of the week. I have a chart that has 49 character qualities I want them to develop, and each morning we read and repeat a scripture tied with the quality, and talk about what the quality is. At dinner I ask them (when I remember) to tell me one thing they did that day dealing with that quality. We will focus on one a week. Some of the qualities on this sheet are things that won't pertain to them until they are older, but many are important qualities to start developing now like honesty, alertness, generosity, orderliness, joyfulness, determination, obedience, and so on. We have only done it a few weeks, but it is fun to see Wesley come home and tell me how he used "self-control" at school that day, and so on. I also started a chore chart for the older boys. We have decided to give them one dollar a week for allowance. I'm told them that this money is NOT for doing chores, but because they are important members of the family and deserve to get a little money because we love them. However, being part of a family does mean we have a responsibility to help out. Some of their duties are simple like setting the table, making their bed, cleaning their room, cleaning up their side of the bathroom. Wesley has to take out the bathroom trash once a week. They also have a few optional chores they can do to earn extra money (like one penny up to one dime) for sweeping, dusting, helping put away laundry, and so on. They get pretty excited to check things off their list so they can get their allowance, but now that we've had it up for a few weeks, they are starting to slack off again. I think this has been good for them to learn responsibility. Plus, I'm exhausted trying to keep this giant house clean, so I need any help I can get!!

Chase started preschool a month or two ago and LOVES it. He goes two days a week for two hours. On the days he goes to school, he gets dressed, puts shoes on, gets his backpack, and excitedly exclaims, "I ready!" ....two hours before its time to leave! His teachers are so sweet. They come out and great us at the curb so I don't have to unload my other munchkins. One of the older aids holds her arms out wide, and gives Chase a big hug each time she seems him. It is so sweet. Chase just loves it, and I am so grateful. Today is his Valentines party, and he was so excited to pick out his own (Jake and the Neverland pirate theme) and put them together. After we got all of them ready for his class, he had a few left over. I told him he could do anything he wanted with them. THe first thing he wanted to do was make one for Wesley. Then one for Daddy, and one for me. He is so, so sweet. He also started Primary this year and is a sunbeam. The first Sunday he wanted me to sit in with him. Change makes him very nervous, but he adapts very quickly. After getting to know his teachers, he now goes to Primary like a champ. He is sooo well behaved and calm and sweet. He even got a "warm fuzzy" last week for being the most reverent kid in Primary. Its so funny having such two oppostie kids. Wesley struggles soooo hard to sit still and be revert. Its just not in his blood to be calm. Whereas, Chase is so inherently obedient and well mannered. It just goes to show parenting has little to do with inherent personalities. Chase had to give the scripture a few weeks ago, but was too shy and scared to go up. However, When its Wesley's turn I have to lecture him on the proper way to speak in the microphone in Primary. He will go up and make all sorts of silly sounds, which will make all the kids laugh, and he will then do it louder. One Sunday in our old ward he repeated the scripture in a silly voice. I said "Wesley stop that" which he then repeated "Wesley, stop that" in the microphone. I was mortified up there, but everyone else thought he was hilarious...even the teachers. People from our old ward are always telling me how much they miss Wesley's silly little spirit in Primary. I bet it is very quiet over there now that we are gone. Wesley used to make friends where ever he would go. There was a man, bro. Leavitt, who would bring Wesley all kinds of fun rocks to church. He would often even stop by our house to drop off all kinds of rocks that he would find while working. Bro. Patterson would also bring him lolly pops each week to church. I miss my old ward, and am trying to make friends with those in our new one, but it takes time.

The boys love Utah, and have adjusted to life up here amazingly well. We have to leave our old swing set, but we recently bought a nice used one up here, and Jason set it up. The boys are having tons of fun on it (as well as some of the neighborhood kids). We don't really have a big back yard, but rather a big, pretty side yard, so it is easily accessible to other kids. It has been amazing weather lately - nice and sunny, but cool in the 50's. The boys play outside every day. I feel like I live in the1950's. Kids just walk around the neighborhood, going from house to house. I'll look out the window and see some random neighborhood kid playing with my boys. One little girl, Erin, who lives a few houses down comes over almost every day. She is very cute, and sweet, but she and her brother almost live at other people's houses. In California, all the neighbors kind of kept to themselves. I didn't really know my neighbors well at all. Here, everyone says hi, and is so friendly. It is a whole new world. The saying "It takes a village to raise a kid" is very true up here. We all have to look out for each other's kids! :-) Erin's grandma takes Wesley to school each day. He starts at 12:30, and that is right in the middle of Blake's nap. It is a hard time, and her Grandma happily offered to take him each day. She is so sweet. He walks over to her house, and it makes me realize how much he is growing up. Even though she is only a few houses away, I still have to watch him because he gets distracted and I have to keep reminding him to keep walking. :-) We are enjoying our whole new life up here. Everything is so different from our old way of life. Things are clean and well taken care of. There are no baggy pants on boys, no cussing around the school (that I have heard yet), and very little graffiti. I do kind of miss the whole idea of standing out in a crowd in California. I was one of the only LDS kids in my school growing up, and people looked at me different, which kind of caused me to make sure I was doing the right things. Here, a large number of Wesley and Chase's classmates are LDS, and they aren't forced to make sure they stands out. Wesley was one of maybe four or five white kids in his class in California. Here, his school is 95% white. It is very different, and not something I am used to. I do want my kids to grow up used to diversity though, and familiar with other cultures and religions. I kind of miss all the different ethnicities. For now, I'm glad he is surrounded by good influences (hopefully), and wholesome friends.

Blake likes watching his brother's play from our big front window

First day of Primary

Huge moving boxes + stairs = a lot of fun!

Having fun at the local Museum of Creativity

We recieved a projector and screen for Christmas from Jason's mom. When all our family was over we put on a movie downstairs and gave them homemade popcorn, and it was just like the movie theater....minus big comfy chairs, but the kids had a lot of fun!

First birthday cupcake when Jason's family was over

Just minutes after my parents arrived, this sweet little deer showed up in our backyard. We were soooo excited to see him! I love looking out my back sliding glass door, and seeing the wildlife.