Out of the Mouth of Babes

So, I decided to do this with my kids. Some answers are bang on, some I have no idea why they would say that. Oh, and Kienna was pacing around the room for about half the questions and being silly. She thought that was awesome. She seems to have been thinking a lot about manners and writing. Kaia's answers (with the exception of the first) are pretty fair.

1. what is something mommy always says to you?
“Boop” (this is what a say when I put the vacuum away apparently) -Kaia
“Do nice words, and say please and thank you and eat your dinner and go to bed.” - Kienna

2. what makes mommy happy?
“Being good” - Kaia
“When we say please and thank you” –Kienna

3. what makes mommy sad?
“When we get hurt” – Kaia
“When I bounceded out of the cart” – Kienna

4. how does mommy make you laugh?
“By doing funny stuff and tickling us” – Kaia
“Tickling us when I laugh” - Kienna

5. what was mommy like as a child?
“Being a Child of God” – Kaia
“A child…” – Kienna (duh, why didn’t I think of that)

6. how old is mommy?
“25. Haha, I was going to say 21, but your 25.” – Kaia
“twenty……five” - Kienna

7. how tall is mommy?
“Oooh, that’s a hard one. Um, 6 pounds?” - Kaia
“6 pounds….(then after a reminder to say what she thinks)….27” - Kienna

8. what is mommy's favorite thing to do?
“Clean house” - Kaia
“Writing things” - Kienna

9. what does mommy do when you're not around?
“You are sad.” - Kaia
“Vacuum” – Kienna

10. if mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
“I don’t know…..” - Kaia
“Sunshine” - Kienna

11. what is mommy really good at?
“Falling asleep” – Kaia (I don’t know if this is good or bad)
“Writing a house” - Kienna

12. what is mommy not very good at?
“Carrying people when you have a baby in your tummy.” - Kaia
“Not writing on a house” - Kienna

13. what does mommy do for her job? "
“Cleaning” - Kaia
“Writing and cleaning” - Kienna

14. what is mommy's favourite food?
“Zucchini” - Kaia
“Dinner” - Kienna

15. what makes you proud of mommy?
“Giving us freezies” - Kienna
“When you give us treats and freezies” - Kienna

16. if mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
“Odette and Cinderella and Snow White” - Kaia
“A Doctor” - Kienna

17. what do you and mommy do together?
“Go out for a date (laughs) – that’s my favorite thing” - Kaia
“Playing” - Kienna

18. how are you and mommy the same?
“By playing with eachother and colouring the same.” - Kaia
“We say please and thank you.” - Kienna

19. how are you and mommy different?
“Not playing with eachother and not colouring the same.” – Kaia (interesting questions in a row)
“Giving people Apple Juice.” - Kienna

20. how do you know mommy loves you?
“By hugging and kissing me.” - Kaia
“Cuz’ you give us nice stuff.” - Kienna

Exodus 20:8

You know, growing up, my parents would always make sure that we tried to keep the Sabbath Day Holy. We weren't allowed to do some things, and we did some things special....like eat in the Dining Room etc.

So, as a parent. We've done a few of the same things. We all have a nap after church (the day of rest) and we have a nice dinner with juice to make it extra special.

Last week we were talking about the Sabbath with the kids and we said that we are supposed to be thinking of Jesus all day.......so yesterday at dinnertime, Kaia asked...

"Mom, why do we have Juice on Sundays?"

"Well, to make it more of a special day."

"Oh, I know why.....It's because Jesus is the King of the Juice, so it's so we can remember Jesus."

I was quite impressed by her insight.

Happy Belated Father's Day

Okay, so after reading every one elses' tribute to their husbands, I realized that I really need to do that too. I mustered up the courage to do it so late when I saw some other people write later. The truth of the matter is that I've been so exhausted and sore that it's been hard to sit still for as long as it would take to truly pay tribute to such a wonderful guy. So here's the Sweetened Condensed version......

Jarett is a wonderful, wonderful husband. They say that the best gift a Father can give to his kids is to show them how much he loves their mother. Jarett is so good at that. He is constantly doing things for me - frequently when I don't deserve them. He truly has his mind focused on service. Almost every night (especially when I'm expecting), he rubs my feet or my back. He also does the dinner dishes or puts the kids to bed (whichever I feel like doing the least) every night that he can. He works so hard at school so that he can get a good job to support us.....this is bittersweet because he's gone a lot, but his heart truly is in the right place. We don't get to see him very much during the school year, but he is constantly working so hard.....and when he is home, he is VERY home. He's down playing with the kids or helping me with dinner or something wonderfully productive. He also is extraordinarily valiant with his church responsibilities. I LOVE that I have a husband who devotes so much time and effort to the gospel. I love that he honours his priesthood and that I never have to doubt that he is worthy to give his family a blessing when it's needed. I love that he does all he can when he's asked to help out at the church or for a calling. I also LOVE that all he ever would want to be is a primary teacher.

Jarett is also a WONDERFUL father. The girls literally squeal with glee when Daddy comes home. They love him so much. They love him to read them stories (although Kaia does insist on him not using his funny voices). It is so often that I go downstairs to see what Jarett and the kids are up to and they've taken out the instruments and are beating along to some primary song or another song they've made up. Another favorite thing to do is to take out Jarett's remote control car and drive it around the basement (unless weather is actually good enough to take it outside). Another favorite (which I believe shows how much Jarett still has his inner child intact) is the Barbie Slingshot that Jarett created with a bungee chord. The kids went wild with this invention. His constant accents and tickling and playful manner make the children always want to be with him......but the biggest thing that they know, is just how much he loves them. They KNOW it......and I think that is the biggest and best thing a Father could do.

We are so lucky in our family to have such a wonderful husband/father. I'm so excited that we are having a little boy who can grow up with such a great Dad as an example for how he should be. Jarett will be such a great example to him. He will probably train him to beat up any guy that comes within 10 feet of our girls, but that's just the over protectiveness of Jarett kicking in again. I'm so glad I have a husband who cares so much. Thanks Hon, for all that you do.


I also want to thank my Dad and my Father-in-law. They are WONDERFUL men. My Dad was constantly calling us girls, "Beautiful" or "Gorgeous" instead of by our names. He was always encouraging and promoting us to do that best we could. He constantly was teaching us through his actions and through his passion for music. He is not a man who is afraid to cry in front of his girls and it was through this I learned of his love for us. He cannot make it through a "Daddy/Daughter" song without getting choked up. He especially taught us through Fiddler on the Roof and many other prime moments how much it would hurt him to have us go against what we have been taught. He is such a great example - even though he was constantly at work or at church callings, I've always known the overly powerful love he has for all of his girls. I've been so lucky to have my Dad.


I also want to pay tribute to Jarett's Dad. What a humble man!! He is constantly working and helping out anyone who he sees may need help (although, he does have a wife who sees things very quickly and is good at getting him on the job). He is always the first to be somewhere to help set up and is always the last to leave. He is the perfect example of quiet service to me. He never stops and I am inspired by that. He is a quiet man, but he has taught his children through example of the importance of hard work and determination. I am so thankful for all his generosity and kindness.


HAPPY BELATED FATHER'S DAY to all these wonderful men!! I am so grateful to have you in my life.

PS- I had pictures of each of these men. Unfortunately, there are uploading errors.....I'll try to add some later.

Kienna

Well, it's been a crazy day. I'm down in Calgary so I can help my sister prepare for her piano exam. In order to keep my kids out of my hair, my mom went shopping with Kienna while Saryn was asleep, so all I had to watch was Kaia. Anyway, Kienna decided that she wanted to get out of the cart at Superstore, so she stood up to jump to my mom. My mom knew that she wouldn't be able to get her, so she walked to the side of the cart and told Kienna to wait a second. Kienna obviously didn't hear her, so she leaned over to be caught, lost her balance and tumbled onto the ground. Her head and left shoulder hit first. Her ear is super swollen and we were really worried about a concussion. My mom of course, brought her home and we were watching her eyes and making sure nothing was changing. I picked her up to check it out, when she screamed and we noticed that she had a really sore shoulder. After she spilled water on her shirt, she wanted it changed and it was so hard for her that she cried the whole way through.....so, off to the doctor we went. She started screaming as she approached the walk in counter and so they took us right in - yay. The doctor said that he wasn't worried about her head, she seemed okay, but her shoulder should be x-rayed to confirm that it wasn't broken. He said it's not very swollen and it didn't have a bump, so it was probably sprained, but it didn't hurt to check. So, we had to go across the street to get the x-ray and since I couldn't carry her and the seatbelt would hurt her shoulder, they gave her a wheelchair (she called it her Coach - like Cinderella) so I could wheel her over there. So, "Princess" Kienna had to go get an x-ray....she was so hyper, it was hilarious. She was goofing off and being so silly, the whole waiting room was laughing at her. She even said that her arm didn't hurt any more.....I love wasting time, but since we were there.... Anyway, they took her in (they didn't want me in there for the x-ray) and she just jumped out of her chair to get up on the table and forgot how much her arm really hurt. As soon as she put her arm out, she screamed. They brought her back to me after and gave me the prints right away. She said she didn't like it there even though it was a nice lady (although nice ladies shouldn't take kids away from their mommies). So back to the doctor, and we find out that it was indeed broken. Her clavicle has a nice crack right through it right down the middle. She's been so brave, and of course is SO tired (she's been sleeping for a while). She has her arm in a sling (which isn't enough since she can't stop moving it). She wanted to take Peso (my Granny's dog that my Mom is watching) for a walk, so we went and as we came back to the house, she slipped on the front steps and fell right on her arm again. So back into hysterics..... Anyway, she's now watching Pollyanna (and sleeping) and seems to be doing better. I took some pictures, so I thought I'd post them. So here you go.......

It's a BOY!!

For those who haven't heard. We got news last Friday that we're having a baby boy!! We are very excited (although we would've been excited either way). Let the preparations BEGIN!!

So, many have asked if we have picked out a name. Jarett really wants to honor his Grandfather (who is a wonderful man) by naming his firstborn son after him. So, since his name was Lervae, I've said, "NOT A CHANCE". But we have struck a compromise and decided that can be his middle name and I will make him go with the middle initial of L. It'll still be to remind our son to try to live up to the Legacy of his Great Grand-father Lervae Cahoon, but it won't serve as a source of teasing and such. So here comes the tricky part......What sounds good preceding Lervae Cahoon?? Here's my top boy names right now. I would appreciate any comments on them and also any suggestions of good names you heard that you think sound good.

Rhett
Jamison (short would be called Jamis) or Jameson.
Harrison
Stetson
Brayden
Jantz
Jamus

um, that's all I can remember right now. Jarett thought it would be cool to name a boy Ty, but spelled Thai. I'm pretty sure that one is out now....but if someone likes it, I'd be interested to know. Anyway, OPINIONS PLEASE!!

Saryn is Learning

So, Saryn has picked up counting. I was shocked. We were walking down the stairs and she just suddenly started counting them. She can get up to ten (with the exception of 7). Today, she also showed me that she knows when to count. At lunch she suddenly said, "One, Two....Spanking". Spanking is rarely given, but she knows that it follows counting because it's when she usually comes running. What a goof. She really is picking up a lot these days and surprises me every day with how well she's speaking....so YAY Saryn.

Wii Fit

So, after Jarett's long search, we finally got our Wii Fit. We're both weighing in every day and measuring our BMI's etc. It seems to be a really good program. We've done Balance Games, Yoga and Strength Training so far. Yesterday I started and I can still feel it today. My legs, and hips and stomach are aching, but after doing it some more today, I'm feeling better (although still sore). Anyway, for those of you with a Wii and a desire to get into shape - I am recommending the Wii Fit. It's GREAT!