my, what pretty teeth you HAD...

Some might think I showcase one child above the others.
Although I am possibly guilty of this, I have good reason...
Here is a picture I posted of Cameron awhile back (see here)...

and here is one of Reagan from a previous post (see here)...

and because I no longer want to be accused of being unjust, here is Wesley (as of yesterday)...

I don't ask how it happened anymore,
I just tell them to hurry and find it and bring me a glass of milk!!!
What have I done to deserve these boys???
and why don't I have dental insurance??

I'm glad they are mine :)

no peanuts roasting on the rainbow fire...

with yesterday being
National S'mores Day
I was reminded of these giant marshmallows I found while driving
around forever with a friend looking for some kind of grocery store
any kind of grocery store

anywhere
We finally stumbled across some sort of Mexican food store.
While in there, I spotted the biggest marshmallows I have ever seen
(and yet, they didn't have one peanut m&m in the whole store!!)

we roasted them that night!they were gross! and super sticky! another friend gave me a thing that you throw in your fire pit and it makes colors in the fire - the kids loved it!
All of this reminded me that I haven't posted much of the excitement that has been happening in our busy lives lately! Like, the first day of school a few weeks ago...the boys were excited (and tired) starting their first day!
I will do a whole "I miss Wesley" post when life calms down a bit!I hope these aren't a sign of what kind of school year we are going to have
(because they were the best ones I got - yikes).
They were SO excited to come home everyday!
why? you ask...the dogs were back!!!(and "Kristin", of course)but this is making me miss Wesley again - he is just so cute!
SO, that is about one-tenth of the catching up I need to do
(can you tell Chase is missing the boys when they are ALL gone all day - guess what he wants to do all day? not watch TV, that is for sure!)

workin 4 to 9....

some of you might remember awhile back when Cameron did this...being the overly nice mom that I am, I didn't tell you how it happened -
now I will.
Cameron was trying to dunk his brother Reagan underwater at the pool.
Reagan moved quickly and Cameron hit the bottom.
Apparently, Cameron has remembered this and decided to get his revenge
on his little brother yesterday...with a flashlight! While Reagan awaits his dentist appointment,
Cameron has been hired as the newest (and only) member of my home business
"clean till you dream"
until he has paid off his brothers new tooth!
*No need to worry about poor Cameron - I will let him do his homework during his breaks!

3 week summer - HERE WE COME...

The last day of school is here and another year has flown by! I can't believe how young and cute they were going into 3rd and 5th grade!
They have grown up in so many ways!!He was so excited to start kindergarten and has loved every minute of it!
He is equally excited to be in first grade and get to stay at school ALL day (what am I going to do without my buddy in the afternoon - STOP - I am going to start crying before summer starts!)! Apparently I am more concerned about what they look like before they leave the house at the beginning of the year! Wesley's teacher even noticed that he is doing his hair all by himself - I told her not to judge by his last two weeks of school - it's SUMMER!!!!

one year older...

Reagan turned 9 this week!
The morning of his birthday we went to eat at his favorite place in the whole wide world - IHOP! And because it was his birthday, I let him have half of my french toast - his new favorite! Then we went to the bowling alley where he got his first strike, he said it was "birthday luck"! When we got home we put Chase down for a nap and planned the party! He wanted a Transformer party this year. Reagan always has lots of detailed ideas about his party, most of which are impossible to accomplish. Some of his more doable ideas were "pin the mask on the transformer", "pop the balloon Transformer word scramble" and "transformer bingo"! After the party planning, his Aunt Renata came over to bring him a present. Wesley and Chase begged her to take them home with her, to which she happily obliged (which was a present for all of us)! While they were gone, Reagan and I looked through his baby scrapbooks. Earlier that day Reagan said he has never seen a picture of himself as a baby - WHAT?? After that false claim, I told Reagan he had to look through his scrapbooks before he could open his present! When we were done he said, "I don't think I am going to let my friends see those." - you're welcome! When Renata brought the boys back a few hours later, she presented Reagan with a cake that they had made for him (to see all the stuff she did with the boys, click here!!) - no wonder they beg!A few days later, it was party time! I was most excited about the bingo and made some cute bingo boards and bought some transformer fruit snacks to cover the letters.Reagan picked a transformer name for every letter, so instead of saying "o-67", I would say "optimus prime-67". Knowing it would be a hit, we made it the last game of the party.When the time came, I gathered all the boys together and got going...
galvatron-53, bumble bee-8....
until I heard BINGO!
The winner got to pick a prize and I asked the boys if they wanted to use two bingo cards for the next round. They politely declined saying,
"can I just eat the fruit snacks"
"I am going to go jump on the tramp"
"when are we going to open presents?" Chase hung around but only because he liked to turn the handle and make the balls drop!
So, if any one needs a gently and ever so slightly used bingo game, made with tender loving care, I have it packed away nicely! Presents, not surprisingly, were a bigger hit than bingo - Reagan loved everything!
It only took the boys about 20 minutes to have all the bionacles put together! This was what Chase was doing for those 20 minutes! Reagan, like Chase, had very specific ideas for his birthday cake and once I talked him out of the octagon shape, we had fun making it!Chase has been talking about singing Reagan happy birthday and blowing out his candles for at least a week. Knowing that Chase was so excited, and being the sweet kid Reagan is, he let his little brother help him blow out his candles! We are so lucky to have Reagan!
He is so sweet and thoughtful and is always trying to do his best!
I can't wait to see what the next 9 years bring!
I love you, bud! May all your wishes come true! Happy Birthday!

w.t.

today is wacky tacky day at the boys school!
It is the perfect day for our family. I just told the boys they could pick out their own clothes, do their own hair and be themselves! They should be set! I could have been the parent that made up such a day - their are so many reasons it's great...
*finally a chance to use the 2 right-foot rain boots we bought and never got around to returning
*holes in your pants - perfect
*don't have to worry about misbehaved children (they are just being wacky)
*wearing the same shirt as yesterday (trying out tacky)
*it is much easier to find to separate shoes than a matching pair
*no need to wash your jacket, just wear it inside out

I think wacky tacky day should be every Friday!
(Cameron thinks it should be on Thursday - like yesterday, when he thought it was WT {interesting initials} day and came to school dressed appropriately, miss-matched shoes and all - sadly, no one even noticed!)

represented...

It was a blazing 52 degrees on Sunday and spring was in the air.
The kids all ended up with shorts on (which might have something to do with me being a little behind on the laundry) and they were out on the tramp with a box of popsicles! Which means we are that much closer to summer -
which makes me happy - so happy!! They just seem like better kids when they are outside they are nicer and more united - you could even say brotherlythe dirty mismatched outfits are more accepted outside,
it just looks like a fun day and not a neglected child oh, he is sweet!!
(he is practising his ballerina moves here - I think these girls are rubbing off on him)
and speaking of favorite sweet kids - I was noticing my labels don't quite add up - a certain child has quite a few more posts under his belt than say another middle child. To even things out, I need to make sure ALL kids are represented, so they can ALL be tagged - So...here is Cameron enjoying his popsicle Reagan with his best smile and Wesley in the center of it all, AGAIN!
Now I feel better!

ain't no mountain high enough...

Reagan received the climbing higher award at school for
best manners & quality thinking!
When living in a house with 5 boys (this is one of the many instances that Bill is categorized with the children), "best manners" isn't a phrase that I hear very often (many of you would be disgusted, as I often am, to sit at our dinner table)! I am grateful that Reagan tries really hard to be polite and for a teacher that appreciates his efforts! His teacher has been teaching for many years and is self-proclaimed "old school". She rewards the class (with fake money) for their good behavior, nice penmanship and many other things. During the 2nd week of school Reagan told us that they weren't aloud to yawn in class - that it was rude and that they had to pay her (again, with fake money) if they yawned while she was talking. I love that the kids in her class are expected to behave the way I was expected to behave at that age! Reagan loves it too - which is one of the many reasons they are a perfect pair!

and we are done...

I don't know if you know that I am famous around these parts (which means inside my house and possibly with my immediate family).
What am I famous for, you ask?
I will tell you it isn't for a spotless house and well behaved kids,
it's for potty training.
Thanks to a certain sis-in-law I was tricked, forced, guilted, invited to potty train Reagan (now 8) on tv - no pressure. Here is how it went...
*video isn't showing on google reader - you will have to actually go to my blog - it is worth it*

(the video quality is a little bad because I had to record in with my camera while it was playing on my computer in order to get it on here -and I keep pulling on my shirt because I was pregnant with Wesley and apparently I didn't want anyone to know - annoying, I know!)

Last week we were at it again - on Tuesday Chase got to wear big boy underwear!!
He was not happy.
He wanted nothing to do with it.
He said, "this experiment is not good".
He cried.
He drank lots and lots.
He did it!!!I am no expert, but I would be happy to share what works for me...
Dede's potty training tips:
*have your house clean, your calendar empty and your caffeine handy
* take them to the store for a special potty training trip the night before (buy underwear, juice, etc)
*never let them see you sweat (it is not fun, stay happy and loving - don't get mad)
*every kid is different - adjust (Wesley was potty trained naked because he had no problem peeing in underwear, Cameron was working for a certain prize, etc.) * play, play, play - get rid of the other kids if you can and devote your day to him! We played, read, colored, etc. - NO MOVIES (they can become distracting), after a success we would sometimes watch a short program together (like potty power or elmo goes potty)
* let everyone help (I am pretty sure he watched everyone in the house pee on tues.) Wesley was so excited and wanted to read to him (feel free to kick "helping" siblings out and lock the door if losing focus)* have a reward (we don't always keep candy hearts on top of the toilet, but even the older boys think they deserve one when they go potty now!)
* push the liquids
* have them clean up their own messes
* one thing I did with Chase that I didn't do with the other boys was watch "potty shows" to get him use to the idea before hand (he was afraid to sit on the toilet, fully dressed, with the seat down)!
* even though it only takes a day (or so) to get the concept, plan on staying home and watching them like a hawk all week (it takes awhile for them to tell you when they have to go!)
* it isn't always better having them potty trained - sometimes it is harder - if you are planning on going on a trip you might want to wait - find a good time for both of you!
* wait for signs to start (telling you when they go in their diaper, staying somewhat dry at night, etc.) I have started all of my kids at 2 1/2 (my personal theory is if you wait to long, they can out smart you!!).
* know that it is worth the work, not only because you can put them in the playland at Ikea, but because there is nothing cuter than a toddler running around in his undies!!I am not trying to brag (although, I am totally celebrating) and I know I owe a lot of my success to my 4 boys, but these are the things that work for me and if it can help you out a little, I would be thrilled!
...and NO, I will not potty train your kid - I will however, sign autographs!

prediction...

We attended the much anticipated Pinewood Derby on Thursday night. Cameron was, once again, very creative in choosing what he wanted his car to look like. He settled for a Christmas tree once Sara and I decided a hot dog would be way too much work (much like his turtle was last year). He went for the more is more look and decorated every spot he could find! Reagan was very excited to participate in his first Pinewood Derby. He named his car "Skull Rider" before he even started working on it. He loved using the spray paint (which I just remembered I left in the back yard - better go get that before Wesley sprays his name on the back of the house and then blames it on Cameron - like he does with the pencil and the wall)! After his car was completed he said, "I hope I get first place" - that was my cue for the "it's not if you win our loose, it's how good it looks" talk.

Before they were able to race they made all of the (hyper, excited, spastic) scouts go in a different room to present Cameron with his Arrow of Light (the highest award in Cub Scouts). They did some symbolic presentation that I wasn't listening to, but by Wesley's expression, I think it stunk! Even though I wasn't paying much attention, I am extremely proud of Cameron (and myself) for working so hard and earning this award!

Finally, we were off to the races. Cameron and Reagan were able to race against each other in the first heat. The result...Cameron's car isn't blurry here because of it's super speed, just bad photography!They pretty consistently got 3rd or 4th (out of 4) in each heat, which I expected (there are some dads that spend quite a bit of time and energy getting the wheels and the weights and all the other speed stuff just right - I am not that motivated and Bill has yet to touch a car so we I am pretty happy to have it just make it down the track!).They didn't go home empty handed. Cameron received the "most festive" award and Reagan was honored with the "most realistic" award. The coolest part of the night was the race off between the final two winners. They just happened to be the U of U and BYU cars. They said best out of 3 wins (and predicts the outcome of the big game) - Utah got it done in 2!GO UTES!!!!