Our Favorite Things from August

 Soccer games at West Jordan High School.  Go Lady Jags!  I think (secretly hope) this was Ammon's last season coaching the girls' soccer team.  Observe the coloring book I brought for Maya.  I can't keep up with her even when she's a foot away from me.

Jared and Stephen finally moving out.  (Just kidding.  We love you punks, too).  They both spent the summer working with newlywedded brother Collin and his wife Maddie at Boy Scout Camp.  They'd  crash here on weekends for about 18 hours before heading back.

Anniversary number eight in our favorite place - Park City, Utah!  We tried mountain biking again and it went much better than anniversary number one when I completely tore my jeans open, so my backporch was hanging out, and I couldn't stay on the bike for more than ten feet without falling off.  This time we rode the ski lift up the mountain and biked down, and I only fell once.  Booyah!  Also, I'm not pregnant, so don't ask me if I am.  When you see me at the gym, please give me a high five because I freaking need any kind of motivation.  Thank you.

Ammon's Birthday.  

India picked out a pink birthday card that read: To a Special Friend. 

 Man, we miss you terribly during the school year!

We Like to Take Care of Wesley

I suppose we have a loose interpretation of "taking care."

Sorry Wesley.  We get away with way more crap now that Bryce is away at basic training.  This poor kid does not even get the benefit of being the oldest or only child in his family when he lives with his obnoxious aunt, uncle, and two cousins.  We really do adore him though.  Adore him to tears usually.

Firsts

One thing India is surprisingly not dramatic about is tooth extraction.  She's lost her bottom two teeth, and both times Ammon used his "claw" (India's word) to pull it out.  There was no yelling, no screaming, no squirming, just "woohoo! Daddy pulled my tooth out!"  

Below is India on her first day of kindergarten.  Ammon and I got to go with her and do a treasure hunt of all the things and places she needed to become familiar with. There was definitely an adjustment for me and India.  It's been hard to let go. I really did feel like a little piece of me died.  (She may have gotten her dramatic tendencies from me.  Maybe.)  

Every day I ask India the same question:  How was school today?
Day 1:  It was awesome!
Day 2:  It was great!
Day 3:  It was good.
Day 4 (in tears the morning of):  Why do we have to go to school every day?  Why is it so long?  I just want to stay home with you and Maya.

But we've survived thus far. She's only been tardy once - go me.  She loves school.  She's started writing words from all around the house.  My life  revolves around homework and playdates (by choice.  I do want to be the cool mom and have India's friends always wanting to come here to play).  At recess she is the instigator of chasing and catching boys to make them princes because they're cute.  Every morning is a struggle to wake up Sleeping Beauty followed by a fight about what she is wearing to school (I fully support uniforms) and tears as I brush her hair way too hard, but you know what?  I still miss her.

Sleepy

The first picture is Maya sleeping on and in the doggie blanket (icky).  My poor baby Maya sleeps anywhere but in her bed: under the bed, in India's bed, under India's bed, under the fireplace, behind the door, in the dollhouse, etc. It's weird. Ever since we switched her to the toddler bed, she prefers the floor. 

The next picture is Maya alseep under the piano during piano lessons. PS - we weaned her off a binky when she was one years old.  But she manages to find Wesley's reject binkies ALL the TIME!  And when I can't handle whining anymore, I  give her the binky.  Go ahead - judge me.   

The third picture is a time India and Maya put themselves to bed EARLY, together, and in their clothes.  So rare.  So wonderful.  I love these beautiful punks.

New Tradition

In honor of tricking and treating this month, India and I started a new neighborhood tradition called Mummy Tagging.  India told me she wants to do it every night.  Ammon didn't think we (mostly I) could do it without getting caught.  Tsk, tsk silly.  I  give Ammon credit.  He thought of the idea a long time ago.  

Collin & Maddie's Wedding

More Sass

India gave four-week-old Wesley a check up. She pronounced Wesley to be eight months tall and weigh one hour since he sleeps so much.

India: "Mom, you're embarrassing me." (In response to my singing "Imabe." Seems like I've been hearing that response from India waaaaaay too much.)

India: "I look like a chicken." Daily battle of the socks and tights.

India, Maya, and friend Ellie were flipping through a puppy coloring book pointing out which puppies they were going to be. Ellie turned to a page and said, "Hey, that looks like your dog!" India replied, "My dog would never be that ugly. That one can be Maya." (Can I smack her?)

India to Maya before bathtime: "My boobs are bigger than your boobs." (Can I smack her now?)

Ammon asked India to help him cook dinner.
India: "I don't have to cook because I'm going to be a mom when I grow up." (I hang my head in shame). So now when nobody wants to do anything we say, "I don't have to do ____________ because I'm going to be a mom when I grow up."

Monday Dalliances

India and Ellie made their tricycles into parade floats.

  On the way home, India pretended to swing from tree vines and Maya was a t-rex dinosaur.

Yipes

Good thing I finally read the mail.

India's Back to School Night is this week.

Ammon and I are freaking out.

Ouch

 While India was out drawing with chalk, she was stung by a bee.  

Her arm still looks skinny, so I'm guessing she's not allergic.

After Ammon put on magic spray, India went back outside and drew a picture of the bee, a flower, and a girl.  She does not like being mistaken for a flower.

Sick of Being Sick

I have had tonsillitis since last Thursday.  I have lost my voice and am super cranky.  Apparently, ripping out a pool does not make one get any better any faster.  Ammon has banished me from everything but napping. I should be ecstatic, right?  Yet somehow the satisfaction of wasting time is not so satisfying when it's been mandated. So my poor hubbie, poor girls, poor doggie,  poor house, and poor yard have been severely neglected.  So far only the flowers have died.

Casualties

Maya attempted open-heart surgery with her fingernail on India while Ammon and I were on a date watching Rise of the Planet Apes (which surprisingly I enjoyed more than I thought I would).  The girls are obsessed with the original Planet of the Apes and ask to watch it every day.

Karma counterattacked Maya a few days prior to the 6 1/2 inch scratch to India. Maya's nursery friend, London, bit her between the eyes while I was visiting teaching her mother.  I surmise that life is fair.

Demolition Day 2

I thought revving a drill was fun yesterday - not so much today.  Thanks to these guys, Ryan and Ammon, for doing the hardcore stuff today: ripping out the liner, metal rigging, posts, etc.

 See the slide in the background?

Damage control expert.

 No more slide.

 Former deep end of the pool.  I believe there is an alligator living there. 

Demolition Day 1

We're taking out the pool, which is actually turning out to be not as hard as I thought it'd be. We got quite a bit of the railing off. Josie and I (aka amazon women) did this with no man help! There's something a bit therapeutic with drilling and destroying things.

Seriously?

 The following happened the same day.

Me (watching Maya play with board games on the floor of the hallway):  Maya, I'm so happy to see you having fun by yourself!
Maya:  Leave me alone, Mom.

and

Me: Enter room dancing to "Move It, Move It" on Madagascar II while India and Maya are lounging.
India:  Mom can you please stop?  You're kind of embarrassing me.
Me (offended): I am going to do the crazy dance EVERY time your friends come over now.  I am going to do the crazy dance for  your kindergarten class and teacher next year too.

And then some past funnies:

Setting: Indoor rec center pool. We basically have the facilities to ourselves.  After the one-hundredth time Maya has gone down the slide, she notices the cute, tan, shirtless lifeguard that replaced the female lifeguard.
Maya (pointing):  That a boy.  Prince for me.
Me:  Flabbergasted that a two-year-old could be so boy crazy.  Desperately hoping cute boy lifeguard cannot understand her.


Setting:  Our neighbors have a flat stone at the top of their garden that reads, "He who plants here plants happiness."  
India:  Is somebody buried here?

Setting:  Church.  
Ammon whispering to Maya:  How many grandpas are there?
Maya: Two, three, six, seven, eight, nine, sixteen.
Ammon:  How many grandmas are there?
Maya: Two, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven.
Maya (pointing to older ladies in the choir): One, two witches.
Ammon and Erin: Wickedly laughing and taking mental note not to dye hair too dark in the future.


Ammon to me:  Thanks a lot for your help last night.
Me: Huh?  What was going on?
Ammon:  These girls are pissing me off.  They were up all night.  Maya was sleep walking and crying because she was confused, and India kept waking me up by coming in to see if she could sleep with us.
Girls - you may NOT sleep in Daddy's bed.
India:  But I love Mommy.  And I love you.
Ammon: I love you too, but not in my bed. If you come in my bed again, I'm going to put your beds in the dumpster.
India and Maya:  wailing.
Erin: laughing hysterically because I have regained the ability to sleep through everything.

Recognized.

India learned in primary class that after Jesus was "taken off the hangers," he was put in a tomb.  The angels pushed the rock away, and then He was "recognized."  And after we die, we will be "recognized" like our Savior.  I love this kiddo so much.  

Stake conference was wonderful.  Dinner (by Ammon) was amazing, Company (via skype and over for dinner) was delightful.  Life is good.

 Before the hunt.  Kind of.

 

Can you read the writing on her ice cream bucket?  It's the yuck-yuck bucket because I don't believe in spending $1 on something I don't want to make room to store for a year.  I guess we could make something.  Nah.  Throw up bucket is way easier.  It took some convincing to get her stop spitting in the bucket and actually put her eggs in.

My happy brood.  And the sweaters sent and darling skirts made by Kate's mad sewing skills!  

 India made a cute basket for Easter in preschool.  

 Marshall and Belle.  My brother probably takes the best care of Belle out of all of us.  I had to get a picture of him and the family doggie because I'm not sure she'll be alive when he gets back from his mission in two years.  But if she does make it, I also won't be surprised.  

Maya and India had fun helping me load the eggs with candy beforehand.  When Maya couldn't get any more candy to fit in an egg, she'd eat whatever was left in her hand!