Volcano Fun

One of our latest little projects was making a volcano that we could watch erupt. Hyrum and William had a great time making and shaping the dough, an even better time painting the cooked dough and they just couldn't get enough of watching the volcano erupt. Yea for simple science projects that amaze young minds!

Tape fixes everything...right?

So, Hyrum is my little builder. He always wants to build or make things. If he sees something on a cartoon he thinks he can make the same thing. His mind has no limits! The funny thing is he thinks that tape is the master building tool and the solution to every building problem. Just this morning he wanted to make an inverted plane (aka "a ramp"). So that he could push a box of books up it. He leaned several books up against the wall and then asked if he could have some tape to tape the books up the wall to make his inverted plane longer. He never quite understands when I tell him that tape is just not strong enough to hold heavy things together. Multiple times a week he'll come up to me and say, "mom can I have a piece of tape". As a joke I told him that I knew exactly what to get him for his birthday next month..."a roll of tape." I didn't expect the reaction he gave me. His whole face lit up and he got so excited. He would be in absolute heaven if he had a roll of tape of his very own to do whatever he wanted with. Hmmm....this could be a very inexpensive birthday!!!

P.S. As I'm typing this, Hyrum holds up a picture for Thomas to see and says, "Thomas, this is Jesus. You were with him not too long ago before you were born." So, so sweet.

My Baby is Growing Up

Hyrum gave his first Primary talk on Sunday and I realized that my baby is not a baby anymore. Before I know it he'll be off at Kindergarten. I need to cherish all the time I have with him now.

The topic of his talk was "Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer". I asked Hyrum what he wanted to tell about Jesus and he came up with a list of things to say. We found pictures that he could look at to remind him what to say. All week he was so excited for sunday to come so he could give his talk. We practiced sunday morning before leaving for church and Hyrum could do the whole talk by himself. As we sat on the stand waiting for his turn he couldn't stop smiling. When I told him he was next he gave me a huge smile and fist pump while saying "yea"! When it was time for his talk he stood up on the stool, his head barely reaching the podium. He looked at the picture, then said "ok mom" and waited for me to tell him what to say. I knew that he could do it himself, but I guess he thinks that's how it's done becuase he saw other mom's whispering in their kids ears before. He did great, though, talking right into the microphone, not scared at all (I was shaking more than he was). I was so proud of our Hyrum. I've included his talk below just for fun.

"Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer."

"He created the world and all the beautiful things; like me, plants, flowers and animals."

"Jesus was baptized so that I can be baptized."

"I can pray to Heavenly Father and Jesus."

"Jesus died and was resurrected so I can live with him again."

"Jesus loves little children, just like me."

"I love Jesus. In the name of Jeus Christ, Amen."

Pure Joy

These pictures remind me how much joy my children bring me. Today I feel like the luckiest mommy ever! Thanks Heidi for capturing these priceless moments.

6 Months Old

Our sweet little Thomas is already 6 months old. It's amazing how quickly time goes by . Thomas has captured every ounce of our hearts with his sweet smiles, soft "goo's" and warm snuggles. Here are some fun things about him:

• rolls over (both ways)
• can sit up by himself for very short periods of time
• LOVES solid foods (rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, carrots, peas and corn...yummy)
• weighs 16 pounds 2 ounces
• 26 inches long

My friend wanted to play around with her camera today and took these awesome pictures! Thanks Heidi!

Once There Was A Snowman....

in our backyard!!!

Yea, it's snowing today and we love it. We don't get to see the snow very often here in New Mexico. It has only snowed one or two other times (that I can remember) and it melted right as it fell. Since the snow actually stayed on the ground today we went out and played in it. We made a snowman, snowangels and a mini snow fort (well, okay, it was more like a few buckets of snow that tipped over, but Hyrum sure had fun building it). Hyrum and William had a great time. It was William's first time making a snowman. He wasn't quite sure what to think of the snow. When we were done we went inside and drank hot chocolate. What a fun day!

We hope you're all staying warm today!

Fingerpainting Fun

I struggle sometimes with keeping my boys entertained. It seems like when they have too much downtime (free play) they end up pushing all my buttons. Lately I've tried to keep them busy with various activities. Today I had the idea to put those spray bottles they give you after having a baby to use. I made homemade fingerpaint (recipe below) and filled the bottles with it. I gave each boy a cookie sheet, a bottle of fingerpaint, a paint brush and an old t-shirt, then let them have at it. They loved it and I was able to get the dishes done...it was a win-win situation.

Homemade Fingerpaint:

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1 Tablespoon liquid dishwasher detergent

Food coloring

Mix together the first three ingredients. Divide into bottles and add desired food coloring. Shake and enjoy!