that sounds a bit odd...

The boys were getting their soccer uniforms on for their games, and were asking what colors they were - they either wear their black or white jersey each week.

Madeleine was by me when I was looking on the calendar to figure out which color each boy would wear.

Madeleine:  "So, did you not put down what team they are playing on because they both play for Odd-i-das?"

"What?  What do you mean?"  I replied. 

"You know - their team names, did you not put them by their team names because they are both Odd-i-das?" 

"The boys don't have the same team name.  Where did you see that the teams both have the same name? 

"It's on their soccer shirts, up in the corner.  In a little oval it says 'Odd-i-das'" 

Oh, honey!  That says Adidas!  That's the company's name who makes the soccer shirts!  They make a lot of sports gear, so that's not the boy's team name! 

"Oh.  I thought that was a strange name." 

Me {thinking}: which one sounded strange, Adidas or Odd-i-das?  

I love when the mind works to put together sense of things that it doesn't know!  It's so often comical to hear us say what is on our mind...it's not just children, but even as adults we come up with some great lines

happiness is...

This girl.  This smile.

May 5, 2013 

If every man were like unto...

Jacob: "Mom, I want to be like Helaman.  Except....well, can I be an army guy?" 

"You can be an army guy, but you don't have to be an army guy to be like Helaman.  To be like Helaman you can be strong - he was strong physically but he was also strong because he was courageous, faithful and true.  Helaman was a great man because he followed Christ and wanted to be like him.  If you want to be like Helaman, you'll be following Jesus and becoming like him." 

Jacob: "Oh.  Then I want to be like Helaman....and like Moroni."  

I love, love my conversations with Jacob.  From the instant he was born I knew we had a wise spirit in our family.  He is a lot of fun, but he has this inner sense of who he is, what he is striving for, and I pray that he will continue to desire to be like these mighty heroes.  He has become even more interested in them and their lives with his scripture reading - what a blessing!  

Alma 48 

11 And Moroni was a ^astrong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect ^bunderstanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;

 12 Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the ^awelfare and safety of his people.

 13 Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had ^asworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood.

17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto ^aMoroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the ^bdevilwould never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

 18 Behold, he was a man like unto ^aAmmon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.

 19 Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less^aserviceable unto the people than was Moroni; for they did preach the word of God, and they did baptize unto repentance all men whosoever would hearken unto their words.

checkmate

Bryson Jr. was in the early morning Chess Club at school for the past few months & he loved it!  Getting up to make it to school early was a struggle on some of those Friday mornings, but he usually was excited to go and play a few matches and improve his game.  He even received 3rd place in the 3rd grade category when they had awards mid-March at the end of the Chess Club season.  He was so excited about receiving a trophy for this!      

Jacob wanted to play as well - so I signed him up, but his attendance was very sporadic.  He still learned and had a great time, and there has been a renewed interest in playing the game in the past month in our home!  The only downside, is that these kiddos often feel the need to get a little too involved in someone else's game (see below - Miss M is moving one of Jacob's pieces).  Trust me - it never turns out well when there are 3 people involved in a two-person game!    

The boys in particular are drawn to the chess board at all hours of the day.  They can't wait to try their hand at getting their opponent in Checkmate & usually start playing in the morning and have a game going until bedtime.  They are a pretty good match for one another - Jacob has really had to up his game in the last month to be a competitive opponent for Bryson.  They both love to rise to the challenge of giving the other a hard game to play - and sometimes their tempers rise as well, especially when they feel that injustice has been dealt and perhaps they have received a Checkmate call much earlier than they had wanted!

Last week I was trying to think of a good movie that the kiddos could enjoy on their weekend movie night, and when I was talking to my dad (who is a champion chess player in our family!) - it was remembered that the boys might like the movie 'Searching for Bobby Fisher'.  I looked on Netflix and it was there for a limited time, and so I put it into the Instant Que to watch and excitedly told the kiddos about the show...or what I could remember.  I don't know if I remember Washington Square so much from the movie, or if seeing it in real life when we were living in NYC brought back the memory from the movie.  Either way, the first few months we lived in the city we went down by Washington Square every Tuesday afternoon to take Madeleine to a Children's Choir she was in at NYU.  I loved walking by the park and looking in at all the folks that were seated on the tables in front of their chess boards deep in thought over the games of chess.

The children were sufficiently stoked to watch the movie after I had talked it up and up for days.  As we were getting ready to watch the movie, Bryson Jr. excitedly called out, "Who is ready to watch Searching for Fishy Bobber?!"

We all looked at each other, then started to laugh and couldn't stop.  I love when words get all mixed up - it makes for such a great laugh!

Now, unfortunately it was too bad we couldn't laugh as hard when we found out that 'Searching for Bobby Fisher' was no longer on Netflix.  We had missed the deadline!  I am definitely hunting that movie down to show to the kiddos - and hopefully by then the kiddos will be even better at their game and they'll still call it 'Searching for Fishy Bobber'....that just sounds so much better anyway! :)

oh, my!

...what  BIG eyes  you have!

Emilia Monet ~ 4.14.13

Just because

I love taking pictures (not really a surprise for those that know me!) - and today I wanted to try getting better Easter pictures at a little location down the road from us & I'm working to take pictures on the Manual setting on my camera, not just Auto...which requires a lot of practice to figure out what I'm doing...not that I complain with taking pictures!  I'll take pictures any time & any day - just because I can!

We were driving down to Nana & Grandpa's house to enjoy games and visiting cousins and family, so everyone was anxious to get the show on the road, so much that Jacob got out of the car for about a minute and then climbed back in and absolutely refused to get in a picture.  Well, 3 of 4 were very cooperative & I am happy with the results - especially getting some individual shots of little B, since I got Maddie's singles last week.

The green is so green in the field and I am in love with the white farmland fence.  If anyone wants photos in this location let me know, I'd like to go again!

 Mr. Blue Eyes himself...the girls are going to love those baby blues!  

(but not now - years & years down the road!)

 B has the best laugh - totally contagious!  

I wish Emilia were looking up in this one - it's so cute of M & B...

I've got to learn more tricks on how to get babies to look at the camera & smile :) 

 My girls --- I love saying that I have GIRLS, 

it's always been the boys and Madeleine, but now I get to say GIRLS!  Yes!   

Scripture Power!

A few weeks ago I went through the church bag that we take for the children to use during Sacrament Meeting.  We work to fill it with quiet activities that the children can read or do, while listening to the speakers - with having Sacrament Meeting last it's usually by this time that children can get antsy. 

Our bag looks very different than when the children were younger - now it's filled mostly with reading material and a few notebooks for taking notes, or drawing a picture during a talk.  One of the favorite items of the bag are 'The Friend' magazines --- the children love this magazine and read it cover to cover each month, and usually read it more than once!  

While trying to find something new to put into the bag, and still maintaining the activities that are quiet and reinforce gospel teaching, my mind went to a bookshelf in our living room where I had stowed the scripture readers.  These are books for each of the scriptures where the stories are depicted in small squares with pictures and a brief overview of the main stories in each book of scripture.  We used these with the children when they were younger for our scripture time, but we haven't read from them in almost 3 or so years...since Bryson Jr. started to read and once Jacob could repeat at least the basic sight words.  

Putting these books into our church bag, I believe was not a coincidence, but a prompting speaking to my mind.  I have been amazed at how both of the boys love to read the books, but how it has been particularly captivating to Jacob.  He will sit there through almost all of Sacrament Meeting reading through this book.  We've had a few people around us comment on how amazed they are with how he stays immersed in reading through this book during church - for a 6 yr. old that still has a lot of energy I have been pleasantly surprised myself!  It's been a blessing, as for whatever reason this same 6 yr. old has been putting up a bit of a fuss when we do our nightly family scripture study.  He wants to get up and walk around, he buries his head into the couch when it comes to his turn to read, and he gets rather whiny during our family reading time.  However, his reading of the illustrated version is something that he loves, and the stories are staying in his mind.  The other day we were talking about making good choices, and he told me that Alma was someone who made good choices, but that Zeezrom was wicked...right Mom?  I'm absolutely thrilled that  these stories are the ones he is choosing to read, and that he is remembering them! 

Not only has Jacob chosen to read these through at church, but he reads them at home.  I have had them sitting out on our glass table in the living room, moving some of them from the bookshelf now knowing that he is so interested in them.  I'll find him sitting on the couch plowing through the stories, and when I ask him to join us for something he'll beg to be able to finish the chapter he is on.  Really?!  He has really picked up on reading this past year and loves it, but now he is begging to stay reading the scriptures?!  Pinch me.  I hope that we can keep this as a habit always - especially during his teenage years!

Jacob has finished the Book of Mormon reader, the Old Testament Reader and is currently reading the New Testament...now I need to find our Doctrine & Covenants reader or go buy one at the Distribution Center.  I'm so thankful for children who love to read good and uplifting books in our home...I can not take credit for planning this, again it's a blessing to realize the promptings that can come that will bless our children and home.  I'm always amazed by SCRIPTURE POWER!