March Dates

Yes, I'm still alive. I've just taken a little bit of a blogging hiatus because life has been down right CRAZY around here.  My calendar has been packed this entire month.  I think I'm averaging 5 (maybe 6, if I'm lucky) hours of sleep each night.  So, obviously, I have a lot of blogging to catch up on from the past few weeks.  Our life was looking like it would slow down in May...but then I got Connor's baseball schedule.  Heaven help me!  Two games & two practices each week.  Can we go back to the T-ball days, please?  Sorry, that was a tangent.  My point in all that was that it was my plan to get the blog all caught up once life slowed down, but apparently, that won't be happening anytime soon.  So, I'll just try my best.  I realized that I still haven't posted about our March dates with our boys.  They were dates that we all want to actually remember this time, unlike February's disaster.  Ugghhh...

Mike took Connor out this month.  Connor wanted to play laser tag.  They had to wait half an hour before their session started, so they did some rock climbing in the meantime.  Connor is really good at all the rock walls at this fun center.  The one he's doing here is the 3rd hardest, and he apparently went up it with no problems...

Then it was on to Laser Tag.  Oh, and some self photos...

They had a great time with each other, and came home laughing about everything.

Aiden went out on a date with me this month.  When he picked bowling, my heart sank a little bit.  I was worried about Aiden doing something similar to what Connor had done the month earlier.  We made sure that we got to the bowling alley a little early, hoping that there would be some bumper alleys available...and there were!  Yay!  Somehow, Aiden still managed to get the ball in the gutter (right near the end of the lane where the rails end) a few times, but didn't fly off the handle like Connor.  I'm pretty sure, after seeing Connor's punishment last month, Aiden was scared to death to even voice his disappointment at getting a gutter ball.  He just kept saying, "Oh man...uh well, that's okay.  I'll just hope that I do better next time!  See Mom, I didn't freak out!"  Haha!  It was a much more pleasant experience for all involved...

Mike took Cohen out on his date.  When asked what he wanted to do, Cohen simply replied "froggy ride!"  And, by "Froggy Ride" he means this thing...

It was the ride he had gone on while he was on his date with me the previous month.  Mike said, "Okay, we can go on the froggy ride, but what else do you want to do?"  Cohen then responded with, "Nothing else...just the froggy ride!"  Sounded like Mike & Cohen were going to have a date that lasted all of 3 minutes.  But, once Cohen had done the froggy ride several times...and by several, I mean 6...Mike was able to talk him into doing some glow-in-the-dark miniature golfing.  And, you can't forget the self-portrait again.  Mike looks kind of serial killer-ish in this one, don't you think?  Haha...

Once they were done miniature golfing, Mike & Cohen discovered that some of the outdoor rides were open, so Cohen was able to ride a couple of those as well...

So there you go...our March dates.  All three of them were a huge success!!  Seriously, this is the best New Years Resolution ever.  I really think our relationships with our kids have grown so much stronger these last few months, just because of some one-on-one time with each of them.  It's so fun to see their little personalities shine when they are all by themselves, instead of just part of the pack of kids.  Love it!  --Lindsay

Conference Weekend...with a Little Extra Drama

We do the same traditions every General Conference weekend. Sometimes I debate if I should even write about it or if I should just post a link to the previous General Conference weekend post and then type "ditto" below it. This year was pretty much the same, until Sunday afternoon. That's when the drama happened, involving this kiddo...

Yes, that's happy, cute Cohen...on a deer statue. Because who doesn't want a picture of themselves on a deer statue?!? This picture was taken Saturday night when the family went to dinner at Joe Vera's after the guys were done with Priesthood Session. Oh how different this little face would look about 18 hours later. You're intrigued now, aren't you?

Sunday started out like your run of the mill General Conference Sunday. We all gathered at my parents' house to watch the conference and to eat these lovely little creations...

My favorite talk of the entire conference was President Uchdorf's talk. If you saw it, didn't you love it??? One of the best...ever! There were so many memorable quotes from that talk, but I think this one was my favorite...

Pretty sure I am going to frame it & put it up in my house somewhere...that's how much I loved it! It was a great session. But, after it ended, that's when the drama happened.

Mike & Greg decided to take the kids over to the park between sessions. They were already starting to get pretty restless, and they needed to get some of their wiggles out before the afternoon session started.

They had only been gone for 5 or 10 minutes when Mike came running back in the door and yelled, "Lindsay! I need some help!! Cohen's hurt really bad! We need to go to the hospital!"

I turned in my chair to see Mike carrying what looked like a dead body. Cohen's body was totally limp in Mike's arms. I ran over to see Cohen's face covered in blood. He was conscious, but lethargic and out of it. I frantically asked what happened.

Mike told me that they had taken a basketball over to the park to shoot a few baskets. Cohen wanted to shoot the ball, so Mike had picked him up by his waist to help him get closer to the basket. Cohen shot the ball, but missed the basket, and reached out to catch the ball. But, he reached out really far & Mike lost his grip on him. Mike tried to catch him as he tumbled. He got his hands on him several times, but couldn't get a firm grasp on him. Finally, he got a hold of his coat. But, Cohen's coat wasn't zipped up & he slipped right out of it & landed face first on the cement below.

Mike & I quickly put Cohen in the car and headed for the emergency room. There was blood everywhere & Cohen's nose was already really swollen. I was sure it was broken. But, more importantly, I worried that he had suffered a severe concussion because he was so out of it. He kept falling asleep. I repeatedly woke him up. I had heard somewhere that when someone gets a concussion, you shouldn't let them fall asleep because they may not wake back up. So, I kept trying to ask him questions to keep him awake. I asked how old he was, how many fingers I was holding up, what his name was, what color his hair was, etc. I had to ask him the questions multiple times before I would get an answer. He kept getting this glazed-over look in his eyes, and then his eyes would close. That's when I would shake his arm to wake him up and ask the question again. That drive to the hospital was only about 4 minutes, but it seemed like an eternity.

We finally got the the hospital & took him into the ER. Luckily, they weren't busy at all & got him right back into a room. A doctor was with us 5 minutes after we walked in the door. He was examining Cohen, and Cohen was being so brave...not even crying at all. I didn't know if that was a good thing, or a bad thing. He would whimper from time-to-time, but other than that, didn't make much noise. As the doctor was examining Cohen, my dad walked in the room. As soon as Cohen saw his Poppy, he lost it & started bawling. Cohen & my dad have a special relationship. They are so close & Cohen always tells everyone that Poppy is his best friend. I think he was happy to have his Poppy with him.

The doctor then announced that Cohen's nose looked good & that it wasn't broken. It was really swollen, but not broken. I told him my concerns about a concussion, and asked if a CT scan needed to be done. The doctor said that he didn't think Cohen was showing symptoms of a concussion. He said that could do a scan, but that research had shown that the radiation done in CT scans can be very harmful to young kids like Cohen. He said that we needed to weigh the benefits of doing a scan versus the risks. He didn't think it was worth doing unless Cohen began to show more signs of concussion. He then said that he thought we should watch him for about an hour and then make the decision.

So we sat & waited. Mike & my dad gave Cohen a blessing, and then Cohen fell asleep. I was again worried about this because of what I had heard about concussion victims falling asleep. The doctor told me not to worry about it, and said that the body naturally wants to sleep after a traumatic injury. So Cohen slept and slept and slept. Mike felt so bad for dropping him. He kept replaying the scene in his mind to see if he could have done anything differently. Looking back, he decided he should have held Cohen under his armpits, instead of around his waist. Kids are top heavy & when Cohen reached out for the ball, Mike just lost hold on him. He felt so bad. But, accidents happen. What can you do?

A nurse came in to check on Cohen about 45 minutes later, and as she was checking his vitals, Cohen woke up. We were surprised to see that he was already starting to act like himself again. He wasn't totally himself, but much better than he had been 45 minutes earlier. The nurse tried to get him to eat or drink something, but all he wanted was ice chips. The staff watched him for a few more minutes & then released him, saying that he would be just fine.

What a relief! If you had told me an hour earlier, when I saw Mike carrying a limp body into the house, that Cohen would be just fine, I would NOT have believed you! My dad said that he really thought God was with Cohen during all this because it could have been, and at first appeared to be, much worse than it ended up being. Experiences like this make you realize how blessed you really are!

We returned home to Nana & Poppy's house to show off Cohen's battle wounds. Everyone had been so worried about him while he was gone. Gavin had told Nana that he thought they should make Cohen a quilt that he could cuddle with to make him feel better. So, while we were gone, my mom & Gavin put this little quilt together. ONE HOUR, people! It would take me at least a week to make this little thing. And, believe it or not, Gavin actually sewed all the strips together. How unfair is it that my seven-year-old nephew is more crafty than me?!?

Notice Cohen's big old knot on his forehead & his swollen, scraped up nose. Poor kiddo! But, just a few hours later, Cohen was running around with the other kids acting like his usual self. It's amazing to me how resilient kids are!

Today, Cohen has still been acting like himself. Whenever anyone sees him & asked what happened, he says, "Daddy dropped me on the street!" Haha! Poor Mike!! Nana & Poppy came to visit Cohen tonight & brought him a Batman action figure, since Cohen is obsessed with Batman lately. Here he is showing off his I-got-injured loot...

You can't really tell by looking at this picture, but with his swollen nose, Cohen kind of looks like he belongs in the movie "Avatar" (minus the blue skin, of course.) With Cohen's nose all swollen, it kind of looks like he has a flat, wide nose like the characters in the movie, and several people have mentioned that he looks like an Avatar character...

Despite having a beat up face, he's still a cutie pie, and sweet as can be! And he can't keep talking about how he's going to tell the kids at school about how Daddy "dropped him on the street."

So, that was our conference weekend. Next conference, I'll look forward to writing a boring blog post about our no-drama/same-as-always weekend. I like those ones a lot better. --Lindsay

Down and Derby

Connor participated in his first Pinewood Derby this week. He & Mike have been working on his car for several weeks now. Well, okay, MIKE has been working on his car for weeks now, with a little help from Connor now-and-then. Mike wanted the car to be super aerodynamic, and Connor wanted it to look like one of his favorite Pokemon characters. Why does this not surprise me? They were finally able to come up with an "aerodynamic Pokemon pinewood derby car." (Patent pending...since I KNOW you all want one) And, here is the finished product...



But it wasn't easy getting to that point. Everything that could have gone wrong with this car, did go wrong. Well, not everything, but pretty darn close. In fact, just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach...and I didn't even make the darn thing! Mike (and Connor) spent hours carving this thing & then sanding it down to perfection, and then got it prepped for paint. That's when things started to go wrong. The paint kept cracking here and there. Mike would sand it all down & prep it again, then repaint it. And the paint would crack again...now in a different spot. Mike was confused, frustrated, and a tad frazzled too. I'm pretty sure this is the first time in his life that one of his painting projects didn't come out looking perfect. And, I've decided these Pinewood Derbys are just as much for the dads as they are for the boys. It's a chance for a dad to prove what a "man" he is through his woodcarving & painting skills or something. I don't get it, but Mike was definitely feeling some pressure! Eventually, after who knows how many tries, he was able to get a coat to not crack. Phew. We were all pretty relieved when that happened. Next Mike attached the wheels. They went on perfectly & were spinning nicely. It was the night before the derby & everything seemed to finally be going our way. We were home free now, right? Wrong.

The only step left was to weigh the car to see if it needed more weight added to it. Pinewood Derby cars have to be 5 oz. exactly. When we weighed it, we found out that Connor's car was only 1.8 oz. Yep, it needed lead...and lots of it. Mike drilled holes in the car & started melting lead. He would then pour the melted lead into the holes. Well, that's when it happened. Somehow, Mike ended up melting two of the wheels when he was pouring in the lead! AWESOME!! It was 10 pm on the night BEFORE the derby! What the crap were we going to do? Where do you buy derby car wheels at 10:00 at night?

I remembered that one of the den leaders had mentioned that she had extra car kits if anyone still needed one. Maybe she would let me steal the wheels out of one of the kits, if she still had one left? I called her first thing the next morning, and she said that would be fine. I picked them up from her & called Mike to tell him the good news. He said he would hook the wheels on when he got home and everything would be ready to go. Okay, *now* we were home free. Actually, wrong again!

Mike got home just minutes before the pinewood derby. As he tried to secure the wheels with the nails that were provided, he realized the nails were too big for the new wheels. The car kit that the wheels came out of must have been made by another brand or something. We tried to call the den leader to see if we could grab the nails that would fit the new wheels. She wasn't home. Duh...obviously. It was only 3 minutes before the derby was scheduled to start. Of course she wasn't home! So there we were, just a few minutes before the derby, with a car that only had two wheels. Mike decided to take the derby car & the wheels over to the church to see if anyone had any brilliant ideas on how to fix this mess.

Luckily, one of our neighbors told us he had some extra wheels and nails at home. He & Mike ran over there, got them, hooked them on the car, and got back with about 2 seconds to spare. Phew! Home free...dare I ask??? Yes, this time we were! Connor *finally* had a car to race. What a fiasco!

Here are all the cub scouts with their derby cars...


Connor competed in 4 races, while his cheering section looked on...

Well okay, some of his cheering section looked on. The other part of his cheering section laid down on the floor and/or played with the tape used to keep kids away from the track...

Connor's car did really well! He won two of his four races, and got into the finals with the top 8 cars...

He did really well in the finals too, but the leader who put his car on the track put it backwards for one of the races, which made him lose that round. He ended in 5th place! Not too shabby considering all the problems we had with this car...and the fact that there were over 30 cars that raced. Here's Connor getting his award from "Billy Bob Ricky" (or something like that) who was our MC of the night. I love the expression on the face of the little girl standing behind them. I'm pretty sure she's thinking, "What the crap is wrong with that dude's hair??"

It was a fun night. The few weeks leading up to the derby weren't very fun, but everyone (and by everyone, I really mean Mike) learned some do's and don'ts for next years car. Ahhhh, next year. My stomach is churning just thinking about it. --Lindsay

Dear Connor

Dear Connor,

Nine years ago, you came into my life and turned me into a mama. And, what a ride it's been! I remember being scared to death when I brought you home from the hospital. You were so tiny & helpless, and I was in charge of making sure you stayed alive. I had no idea what to do! Those first few months were rough. You had colic & I went through Postpartum Depression. We both cried...a lot. I made tons of mistakes. Heck, I still make mistakes now. That's the hard part about being an oldest child. You kind of end up being the guinea pig for your parents as they try to figure out what they're doing. Despite that, I think you're still turning into a pretty darn awesome (and handsome) young man...


You are a little smarty pants. In fact, you're probably too smart for your own good. And, you have a brain that never forgets...ever. In fact, you'll remind me of things that happened years before. I call you my little tape recorder because you remember things so well & can repeat them back word-for-word years in the future. Oh, you probably don't even know what a tape recorder is, do you? I guess I should call you my little voice recorder, so you know what I'm talking about. Speaking of technology, you're a wiz at it...just like your brothers.

You are very goal-oriented. You make a goal and then stick to it & do everything you can to accomplish it. For example, one day this past summer, I was watching some show on HGTV. You sat down by me & started watching it. When it was over, you said, "Mom, I'm going to work really hard at school so that I can get a scholarship to college. Then I won't have to waste my money on school & I can put a big down payment on a house when I get married." I'm pretty sure my jaw hit the floor. How many nine-year-olds say stuff like that? You've brought that goal up many times since then. One day, you came home with a spelling test that had a score of 16/20....your lowest score on a test ever. You were devastated by it. When I told you that 16/20 was still pretty good, you replied with, "I'll never get a scholarship if I keep getting grades like that! I have to get 100% from now on." Yep, you are definitely my child...that's for sure.

This goal-oriented stuff can obviously go a little too far. You are a perfectionist and, therefore, set some goals that are nearly impossible to achieve. When you don't reach some of them, you get discouraged & beat yourself up over it. Part of me wants to teach you to bring the bar down just a tad so that you won't have to be disappointed, but then part of me says, "What's so bad about shooting for the stars?" I'm pretty sure my parents thought I was a tad crazy when I came to them at your age and told them I wanted to be a TV Meteorologist. What if they had said, "Now Lindsay, that's a pretty ambitious goal, let's bring the bar down a little bit so you're not disappointed when it doesn't happen." They never did that though. They just always told me that I could do anything I set my mind to. So, that's what I'm trying to do with you. Hopefully, it's the right thing. See, there I go using you as my guinea pig again.

One thing you've really been goal-oriented with is Wresting. You have just always loved it & have made a goal to become a great wrestler. You work on it all the time. You always want to learn new moves & practice them until you can do them perfectly. This determination really showed in your last wrestling season when you didn't lose an single match the entire season. You were unstoppable.

Now, I can see you doing the same thing with Baseball. You've decided that you really like it & want to get better at it, and you're practicing a lot to get there. It's already paying off. You can throw twice as far as you did last year, & you are becoming a great batter.

Lately, you've also really become quite an outdoors boy. You love to be outside all the time. This is a new change from a year or two ago, when it was like pulling teeth to get you off the Wii and outside to play in the sunshine. But, now it's your favorite thing. You and your friends are always outside riding bikes or scooters, or making up fun little games to play.

When you're not outside, you're usually drawing. You are quite the little artist. You love to make up monsters & alien-looking things in your mind, and then draw them. If you have some paper & a pencil, you can entertain yourself for hours. Your sketches always have a story behind them too & you love to tell everyone about it.

You are becoming a much better reader. You've always been able to sound words out really well, but you've never been a very fast reader. But, with a lot of extra work & determination, you have improved tremendously.

You have become such a great help to me lately. You are (usually) willing to help me with things...like getting Viv out of her crib when she wakes up from a nap, or putting her in her high chair when she's hungry, or grabbing a diaper for me when one is needed (you absolutely refuse to change the diaper though.) I've even let you babysit a few times when I needed to run to a neighbor's house or take something to the school. And, guess what, no one died! I consider that a huge success!

You are a good brother (most of the time.) You get great joy out of torturing Aiden now-and-then, but you're sweet as can be to Cohen & Vivvie. They all adore you & really look up to you. Which is why I'm constantly reminding you to be a good example...yes, another pitfall of being the oldest child.

You are such a great friend to everyone around you. I have had more than one teacher comment on how you are really a leader when it comes to your peers. You make sure everyone feels included, and you are always encouraging your friends to do the right thing. I really hope this continues into your teenage years. Oh, and I should mention that you're still quite the little ladies' man. We know of several gals that have little crushes on you, and some of them are already calling you to see if you want to "hang out." Haha! Apparently, the "cooties" that infested the 3rd grade when I was there are no longer a problem?!?

You and I are very similar. Okay, let's put it this way...if I were a boy, I'd be you. That's how similar we are! We have the exact same personality to a T...we're both stubborn & we LOVE to be right. Because of this, we butt heads...a lot. Your dad can handle you so much better than I can. He is always able to calm you down, whereas I can't. When I asked him what his secret was, he replied, "I've had 11 years experience with you...that's my secret." Oh how true it is! Yes, you are my "Mini Me." Sorry. Hehe!

We love you so much Connor! Thank you for putting up with all my motherly faults & mistakes. I must admit that you do put up with them reasonably well. I love your happy little smile & dimples. You can light up a room with your laugh. You are so smart & fun...and you're always trying to do the right thing. Thank you for being our first child. I love you more than words can say. --Mom

Dear Aiden

Dear Aiden,

Oh my sweet little Aiden! You are my comic relief in this life! People always told me that children come "pre-wired" with their personalities. After you joined our family, I knew that was true!

You are our free spirited child...and by that, I mean you are our wild & crazy (and sometimes out of control) child. You have taught me that life is meant to be enjoyed, and not just now & then...every single second is to be enjoyed. And, that's how you live your life! You love to have fun...ALL.THE.TIME. You're constantly doing things you're not supposed to do because, as you put it, "It just looked fun!" Oh boy, you're going to be a joy as a teenager, aren't you?

You do surprise us from time-to-time though...like the other morning, when you were upstairs getting ready. You had been up there for far too long, and I thought that surely you had gotten distracted & were playing with toys or jumping off the bunk beds. I hollered upstairs for you to stop goofing around & to come downstairs and watch for your carpool. You bounded down the stairs & said, "But mom, I wasn't goofing around. I decided to organize my bathroom cabinet & then I organized my sock drawer. That's what was taking me so long." I replied with, "Ummm, okay. Good job! Thanks for doing that." But, in the back of my mind, I was thinking, "Who are you & what have you done with my Aiden?"


You are such a smart little boy! You excel at everything you learn...reading, math, spelling, etc...it all comes easy for you. I'm so jealous of this. I've always considered myself a smart person, but I have always had to work hard at things to really learn them & apply them. But, this isn't the case for you, everything just comes naturally for you, without effort. It's like you learn something & your brain absorbs every single bit of it instantly. I've also decided that you have a photographic memory. You have always been able to memorize things very easily. A few weeks ago, I pointed this fact out to you & asked you how you did it. You replied very matter-of-factly, "Mom, I don't memorize things. I can just see the page in my head & I read it straight out of my brain!" Ummm...okay. Now I'm super jealous!

You are also quite the little gamer...much to my dismay. I always said that I wouldn't have gamer children. But, you just excel at it...like everything else. In fact, your older brother often asks you for help on his video games. You just seem to understand how all tech gadgets work. I have asked you for help with the iPad more times than I can count.

You are kind of a mama's boy. And, I mean that in a good way. When I pick you up from school, you always run to meet me & give me a huge hug. In fact, most the time you jump on me to give me the hug! And, being that you now weigh almost half of what I do, it has come close to toppling me several times.

You also like to be home. If a friend wants to play with you, you prefer to play at our house. I remember one time I told you that you shouldn't *always* have to play at our house, and that it's okay to play at your friends' houses every once in awhile. You responded with, "I know Mom. I just like it here best!" Can't complain about that!

You are a really good big brother...especially to Cohen. You have always taken care of him & let him pal around with you & your friends. Every once in awhile, you'll complain about it, but most the time you are happy to just let him pretend he's one of the big boys. Cohen absolutely worships you & thinks you are the greatest thing since sliced bread because of it!

You have a tender heart & never like to see anyone hurt or sad. You are always quick to ask what's wrong or to give a hug when someone is crying. That's not exactly the case when *you* were the one to inflict the pain though. Getting an apology out of you is like pulling teeth sometimes.

You are my kid who needs sleep! Oh boy, do you ever need sleep. Some kids can get by with not enough sleep, but not you! You need a minimum of 11 hours of sleep to be yourself. Get anything less than that and you become Mr. Whiny Pants. Everything makes you cry. And, don't even think about asking you to take a nap. You'd rather eat dirt than be forced to lay down during daylight hours!

But, when you have enough sleep (and a full belly) you are the happiest kid on the planet! (Oh wait, I guess that means you're a normal man. Hehe!) You are sweet and kind and happy. And, you have the cutest little smile...

We love you Aiden! You bring so much joy to our family. We love your wild spirit, and your good-natured ways. We love the funny little things you say and the laughter you bring to our home. I think you may conquer the entire world someday with your big brain, fun personality, big heart, free spirit & dashing good looks. :) I'm excited to see the man that you will become someday. Thanks for being part of our family! I love you more than you'll ever know! --Mom

Dear Cohen

Remember when I said that I was going to write each of my boys a letter on their birthdays, in the same way I have written Viv letters? Well, I'm finally getting around to posting them. Here's Cohen's:

Dear Cohen,

Oh, where do I even start a letter for my sweet Coconut? You are such a joy to have in our family! I can't imagine life without you. Actually, life without you was a definite possibility at one point. I almost lost you during pregnancy. When I was 11 weeks along, I had some complications. I was rushed in for an ultrasound & told to expect the worst. I can't tell you my relief when I saw your little tiny heart beating strong. You were okay! But, we weren't out of the woods yet. I was told that in order to keep you alive, I would need to go on a pretty strict bedrest. Luckily, it ended up only being five weeks of bedrest, and then partial bedrest for the remainder of your pregnancy. That was no easy task, considering I had two very active little boys already at the time, but it was totally worth it...because I got YOU out of the deal!


You are the funniest little kid! You are my first shy child. Anytime someone you are not familiar with tries to talk to you, or even look at you for that matter, you will bury your head into my legs. But, as soon as you know the person a little better, you let your cute little personality show. You don't like to be the center of attention & you hate (HATE) the limelight. Where did you come from??? You've also turned into quite the picky eater. Many days, we can't get you to eat a single bite of your dinner. We've tried all sorts of punishments & rewards, but nothing works. You just refuse to eat...unless it's a corn dog, chicken nuggets, pizza, PB&J, Ramen, or cereal. Yep, that's about the extent of your diet. Many times, you will absolutely refuse to eat your dinner, but we will catch you hiding under the shelves in the pantry with a box of cereal a few minutes later. Sigh...I'm hoping it's just a faze. You are also our little hoarder. You love (LOVE) your toys & feel the need to have as many of them near you at all times, especially at night. Many evenings, we have to clear a space off of your bed so that you have a little room to sleep because the rest of the bed is covered in toys that you INSIST must stay there in order for you to sleep. If we put them back in the closet, or dump them on the floor, we will find you in your room later piling them all back up on your bed. I'm seriously about to call A&E so they can come to a "Hoarders" episode on you. Watch out buddy!


You are a smart little thing! Your favorite thing to do in the world is to count. You will count anything & everything around you...stairs, toys, foods on your plate....it doesn't matter, you just love to count. You have a problem when you get to 20 though...you don't know what comes next. So, you just pull random numbers out of your head at that point. For example, you'll be counting along saying 18...19...20. Then you stop for a second like you're thinking and then you just start repeating numbers you've already said in random order...18...17...15...16...7...2...13...etc. It's pretty cute.

You are also an electronics whiz. You can work an iPad like no 3-year-old I've ever seen before. I can't even count the number of times I've had to ask you to help me figure it out before. You rock apps like Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Doodle Jump, etc. One of your favorite things to do on the iPad is to go on YouTube & watch funny movies, like The Annoying Orange. You just laugh & laugh. Oh, how I love your cute belly laugh! However, you also find things on YouTube that aren't exactly 3-year-old appropriate, so I have to stay on my toes when you're using it. When your iPad time is up, I have to physically take it away from you. Because if I don't, you'll *tell* me that you're putting it away & then you'll head up to your bedroom, close the door, hide under your desk, and play on it some more. Ummmm...isn't that something a teenager would do? I'm in BIG trouble in about 10 years!

You love, love, LOVE to read! You are constantly hauling stacks of books around with you so that you can "read" them. You can be content for hours if you have a stack of books (and the iPad is sufficiently hidden.) You have always been this way, and I hope it continues.

You also have a love for all things sports! If you have a ball in your hands, you are a happy boy. You love to throw, catch, dribble, shoot, hit, pass and kick them! You're actually pretty good at it too. When you were about 18-months-old, I would catch you trying to sneak out of the house with a basketball in your hand to go shoot some hoops in our neighbors basketball standard. You have just always gravitated toward sports, and you're pretty darn good at them too...more so than your older brothers in many respects (but shhhhh, don't tell them that!)

You're also turning into a little dare devil, which is a 180 from about a year ago. You used to be pretty timid about amusement park rides, heights and anything else that was "scary" to you. But, that's really changed. You jump off of the rock walls in our yard, go on roller coasters, and can do trampoline tricks with your older brothers. Now Vivvie has taken over as the family scaredy cat. Hopefully she's able to grow out of it like you have, because you can't be a scaredy cat & survive in this roller coaster-loving family!

You say the BEST prayers ever! I must admit that Dad & I call on you to pray more than anyone else because you say the cutest things & I can tell your prayers really come from the heart. You are always quick to ask for blessing upon people who are sick, or who you can tell are having a hard time. And, you constantly thank Heavenly Father for Jesus & his sacrifice for us. You remind your family of it too. One day, I was doing something on the computer. I don't remember what I was doing, but I must have looked sad or upset or something because you walked up to me & tapped me on the arm and said, "Mom...Jesus died for us." Then you walked away. It was pretty darn cute, and exactly what I needed to hear right then.

You also love (LOVE) to give hugs & kisses...or as you say, "hugs & tisses." Before anyone leaves the house to go anywhere, even if they are only going to be gone for 2 minutes, you *insist* on giving them hugs & kisses...sometimes multiple times....as in 17 times. Then you stand at the door waving & saying, "I see you soon!" It melts my heart every time!

Cohen we love you! You are such an important part of our family. I must admit that when I found out you were boy #3 for our family, I was a tad disappointed. But, now I wouldn't trade you for a million gazillion girls! You are such a great kiddo & I don't know what we would do without your cute smile, laugh & big blue eyes. We love you more than words can explain! Thank you for being YOU & for being such an important part of our family! --Mom

And Now, More Awkward Photos (The Basketball Edition)

Remember how I said I wasn't paying for sports pictures anymore? Well, I lied...unfortunately for me & the $25 I lost on these lovely little gems. Since they're such masterpieces, I've decided they deserve to be named. All great works of art are named, and so these will be named as well. For example, this one I like to call "Basketball...eh. Do I get a treat after this?"


And this one which has been named, "Oh my gosh! I'm actually touching the ball. I'm pretty sure this is only the 3rd time this entire season."

And this one which I've dubbed, "Look Connor, I'm finally old enough to play basketball just like you...and, what the crap is going on with my hair?"

And this one, I've just lovingly just named "Awkward..."

So, there's your dose of strange, money-wasting sports photos for the day. Hopefully you got a little chuckle out of them. Then I wouldn't feel like my $25 went straight down the drain. I would at least feel like it took it's time going down the drain...like those penny funnels you see at mall from time-to-time. You're totally throwing money down a drain (literally) with those things, but at least you get a little fun out of it--watching your money go around and around and around before hitting the drain & disappearing straight into some guy's wallet. I'm not bitter...I promise.

So, another Jr. Jazz season is in the books. I'd like to say it was a successful season, but I don't know if that would be quite accurate. It was an interesting season...we'll call it that.

In Connor's situation, his coach rarely let him play the entire season. The guy was seriously all about "winning" (said in a Charlie Sheen voice) so he played the good players way more than the average, and less-than-average players. I wanted to remind him that they still don't keep score in 3rd Grade, but I kept my mouth shut. When I would pick Connor up from practice, I would sometimes go a little early just to be a sneaky spy mom, and the coach would be yelling things like "You've got to make shots like that or go home buddy!" and "That rebound came right to you...and you STILL can't get it?" At times, the mama bear in me wanted to strangle the guy and ask him if he realized he was coaching 8- and 9-year-olds, and not March Madness superstars. But, I didn't. I should have. But, I didn't. I just stood there & waited for him to finally realize that I was standing on the sidelines, and then enjoyed watching him squirm while he wondered how long I had been standing there and how much I had heard. Okay, sorry for that tangent. I, and some of the other parents, were NOT big fans of his, but what can you do. Despite all that, I think Connor still had a good time. He had a lot of friends on his team & had a good time spending time with them.

Aiden, on the other hand, had a great coach. The problem with Aiden's situation was...well, Aiden. The kid did not even attempt to try for 94% of the season. When he was in the game, he'd walk back and forth across the court behind his other teammates. When he would hear us yell, "Run!" from the sidelines, he'd pick up the pace for a few minutes, but then slow right back down again to his slow walk. When I asked him why he didn't want to run, he said, "Running all the time makes me tired. And, why should I run one direction when I'm just going to have run right back in the other direction a second later?" {{Sigh with head dropping}} On the second to last game, Aiden wasn't trying AT ALL. He was barely even moving. I was so frustrated with him. On the car ride home that evening, I told him that he only had one game left & that I wanted to see him actually TRY for one whole game. And then I dropped the gauntlet on him...I told him that if he didn't try his hardest for his last game, he would lose...wait for it...his beloved iPad...for an entire week. {{Gasp}} The next week, that kid ran like he's never run before, jumped like he's never jumped before, and actually made three baskets! He was working hard and having a blast! I think it was the first time he actually had a good time playing. After the game, I said, "See how much more fun the game is when you actually try?" He replied with, "Yep...now can I have the iPad?" {{Sigh...again}}

So, that was our Jr. Jazz season for 2012. I am obviously not raising NBA stars, or even city league stars. Darn it! Now I have to come up with a different retirement plan. Dang it! ;) --Lindsay