Mason's Kindergarten Graduation

Today our little Mason graduated from Kindergarten! 

Here he comes marching in with the procession music.

 Singing a few songs...one of my favorites...

America the Beautiful

 Here is my cousin Haley's son, Preston.  He is so cute.

 As each of the kids came up, their teacher would say their name and then they would speak into the microphone telling what they want to be when they grow up.  This was the cutest thing of all.

Here is what they mentioned...

*These are my favorites!*

*Zookeeper

*Babysitter

*Big Sister

*Hair-Do-er

*Billionaire

Fireman

Police

Doctor

*ROCKSTAR*

*Cowgirl

Truckdriver

My favorite of all was the little girl right in front

of Mason, she said,

"I want to be a Mother." 

I thought I would cry.  She was the only one who said that. 

It was tender.

 Mason said, "I want to be a Cowboy!"

 And I think he will be!  :)

 This is Mason with his teacher Mrs. Olson. 

She was a great teacher for Mason. 

He really learned a lot from her and enjoyed her as his teacher. 

 What a handsome little graduate!

I can hardly believe that my little

Mason is finished with Kindergarten!

He is growing up waaaaaayyyyy too fast!

Congratulations MASON!!!!

We love you and are so proud of you!  You did a great job and I am so excited to have you home for the summer!  

Trash, Treasures and Dress Up

Trash

This weekend was a very busy one!  We signed up to clean the church early Saturday morning.  We didn't realize it was the same day as the cub scout and community trash clean up day.  It is officially called Johnny Horizon Day.  So, we went from cleaning the church, to cleaning up trash from the road sides.  It was a wet morning and we had thoughts that they might cancel it due to the rain...but to no avail, we carried on.  We really weren't dressed appropriately for the rain, but we just happened to have some extra garbage bags in the suburban, which made great rain pull-overs.  So, off we went to clean up our mile of trash.  The girls heading east down one side, and the boys heading west down the other.  It only took us about an hour because we are just that fast...and well, Idaho country is pretty clean and there was only 1 total bag of garbage.  We felt pretty lucky.  Everyone had some slushy feet by the time we got home.  It felt good to spend the morning serving our community and our church.   

 Upon returning home, Mason prepared to go to his Primary Pizza Party.  We have been  hearing him talk about this since the beginning of the year (4 full months to be exact) because his teachers told them in January that if they could be reverent they would have a pizza party.  Wow, to give 4 year olds such a promise and then have them wait until May...we are so glad that the day finally arrived.  :)  At least we won't have to answer "the party is not today" anymore.  He had a blast and his teachers really do go above and beyond the call of duty.  We appreciate all they do for Mason and his class.

Treasure

Well, Daddy found a real treasure yesterday at work.  He caught it and brought it home for the kids to admire.  Matt said that when he found it, there was a bulge in it as if the snake had recently eaten something.  By the time he got home and showed it to the kids, the bulge was gone, but he did provide a warning to be careful so it didn't get sick.  Carter is normally very careful with animals, but this time he must have had the snake in motion a little too much, because it threw up all over his leg.  It really scared Josie and she came running in the house at full speed telling the horrifying story.  Gross!  (That's what I have to say!)  I didn't know that snakes actually throw up, but I guess why would they be any different with an upset stomach?

Dress Up

 So, the day moved along with errands and costume designing.  Tonight was our ward party with the theme "Finding Yourself in Lehi's Dream."  It was a nice activity.  Matt was asked to be one of the four group leaders.  They asked him to represent Nephi and to dress up like him.  Matt thought about his costume all week and of course recruited some help from myself and (mostly) Memaw.  She is very creative and this amazing costume is what they came up with.  Matt made all his leather accessories, all but the shoes which is where I helped.  Anyway, I think he makes a pretty awesome Nephi and mostly everyone at the activity thought he was pretty great as well.

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father:  I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

1 Nephi 3:7

On our tour of Lehi's Dream, they gave us each one of these little booklets.  In one of the rooms, we got to sit and reflect on the dream and then write our thoughts.  I enjoyed reading Carter and Chloe's on our way home.  There were 3 statements for us to fill in the blanks, looking something like this...

I __________am desirous to know...

______________________________

______________________________

I___________will go and do...

______________________________

______________________________

I_____________have a testimony of...

______________________________

______________________________

Carter's Booklet said,

I, Carter, am desirous to know..."Where in the world am I?"

I, Carter, will go and do..."What Heavenly Father wants me to do."

I, Carter, have a testimony of..."Lehi's dream."

Chloe's Booklet was only partially filled out, but said,

I, Chloe, have a testimony of..."I know that Jesus is my Savior."

I, Alice, didn't take the time to write anything down, but I do have a testimony of Lehi's Dream.  Some of my favorite parts of this dream are as follows.

Lehi's words in 1 Nephi 8:12, "And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit."

Verse 30, "...he (Lehi) saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree."

Verse 37, "And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words, that perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did preach unto them."

Verse 38, "And after he had preached unto them, and also prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of the Lord; and he did cease speaking unto them."

I believe that each of us are in Lehi's dream and I hope and pray that we may all be amongst the group that are "holding fast to the rod of iron" which represents Jesus Christ.  How grateful I am, to have this path already set out for me to follow.  I do bade my children and family to keep the commandments of the Lord.  I know it is the only path to true happiness.

Just leaving...

Since Carter and Chloe were little, they have loved playing in the cupboards.  They just empty out the few items in their way and then climb right in.  Mason and Josie have joined the fun. 

This particular day I heard them playing in the cupboard and they were discussing how

they were leaving.  They were saying goodbye to each other and then I realized that

they had transformed the cupboards into a car. 

I love to see them using their imaginations.  Chloe usually plays the mom, so I hear,

"Hi Mom, Bye Mom, Hey Mom, etc." and when I answer they say, "No, not you...she's the mom!" 

I sure am glad not to have to attend to whatever situation they are calling her for!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

It seems that wherever I go lately, with Mason and Josie, people constantely tell me, "Gee, you have your hands full!" At first I feel a little annoyed and then I realize...I do! Mason is 3 and Josie is nearly 2 and they are both giving me a constant run for my money. (What does that silly phrase mean anyway? I don't seem to have any money once I catch up with these two!)

They copy each other quite well, and they are both very creative with new muscle building and occupational-developmental activities! I can definately say..."Monkey See ~ Monkey Do!" Gotta love the "unders!" (as Mason calls them)
Look...multi-talented! Climbing and opening at the same time!

Josie with her petite-brute strength!

I keep trying to smile because, someday...I just might miss these days!...or so they say!

Angel Armour

Well, little Mason has been at it again! Today, I was in the kitchen and heard a very loud POP! When I turned around and saw what Mason had done, I panicked. I ran over to him as he held the scissors stuck to the vacuum cord...plugged into the wall. I grabbed him and pushed him away. Then I grabbed the scissors and pulled them off the cord. There was another loud series of popping noises and many sparks that flew in every direction! It about scared me to death and then made me very angry!

Sometimes, I wonder how Mason has lived to see his 3rd birthday! I have heard before that everyone has guardian angels among them...this I believe...I often wonder if Mason has 10 times as many angels as the common person! He has some sort of incredible Angel Armour! He has seemed to escape soooooo many dangerous situations! When Matt got home, he reminded me of the blessing it was that Mason was not electricuted today! This was very dangerous and when you see the big hole in the scissors, I feel grateful that it was the scissors that took the blundt of the shock and not my son!

Now, for me as a mother, does anyone have any great suggestions as to what kind of meds I can take to bring down my anxiety level with this child? He is aging my worrying heart by the day!

There will be prayers of gratitude said tonight for sure!

Duck, Duck, Goose

Mason and Josie have discovered the love for a new game...Duck, Duck, Goose! We have to play it quite often because it is so much fun...for them to play and us to watch. They must play this in nursery, because they seem to be little experts with the rules. Even Josie will sit patiently and anticipate being called "the goose." She knows that when she gets picked to be the goose, it is her job to jump up and run around the circle...at least once. She usually likes to run around twice, since the circle is so small.

Who will Mason pick??? And away she goes!
I LOVE the way she clearly says, "Duck...Duck...Goosssse!"

She sometimes has a hard time choosing, or she enjoys tapping everyone on the head.

Gotta love that face! This is when I can't stop smiling!

One more round, and away we go!

As the game ends, she wonders off to take care of the law breakers.

And she shoots...this is where I type the sound of a gun shot...but not sure how to spell it!

Read her lips!

Love to play games as a family!

Rainy Day

It has rained quite a bit here lately. One day we were driving through the rain and Matt drove through a large puddle of water. The water splashed high above the Suburban. The kids all screamed in excitement. Mason then says, "Daddy cannonbomb, toty (totally) wicked!" We all busted up with laughter!

For some reason the kids have adopted the word "wicked" when they think something is really neat. Thanks Dash. :)

The Quiet Game

On the way home from church today, the kids were chaotic. They were making so much noise so Matt finally said, "OK, lets play the quiet game." Chloe said, "One, Two, Three, Start!" One half of a second goes by and Mason yells, "Me Win!"

I noticed that our last post was on a Sunday driving home from Church. Our ward building is 30 minutes away, so we spend a lot of time driving in the car together. I guess that is where a lot of fun stories are made. :)

Dogs

On the way home from church yesterday, Matt and I were discussing the day. Carter questioned something that was said and so Matt told Carter he had ears like a dog. Chloe pipes up and says, "Dog's don't hear good, they...they..." (she clearly was trying to figure out what they do) when Mason jumps in and yells, "Dogs Bite!" He then revealed the only fear he has, as a 3 year old. DOGS!

People Aren't Trash

This picture reminds me of the time that Matt and I took the kids to Santa Fe, soon after we had just moved to New Mexico.  Mason was just a tiny baby still.  As we were walking around the Plaza, Chloe looks up at me and says, "People aren't trash, they're lovely."  I really have no idea where this statement came from, but apparently Chloe can see people for what they really are...lovely. 

I have no idea why Mason was throwing himself away! 

Good thing Carter hadn't taken the trash out yet!

Monet

Mason LOVES his baby sister. He struggles a bit with his speech and the way he says Josie is absolutely adorable. He calls her "Monet." It is so cute, and we can't quite figure out how Josie and Monet even sound alike...

One day, Mason wanted to help Josie with her food, so he decided to feed her. She was sweet and let him help her. She adores him just as much.

He blows on it to cool it down.

Have you ever caught yourself making mouth movements with someone you are watching?

Mason, you and Josie even have mirror image bruises on your foreheads.

There is a special bond between siblings and I am so grateful for that bond. I feel it between my own siblings and it is sweet to see the bond between my own children.

A Jumping Bean

There has never been a question as to whether or not Mason can do something, it is a matter of whether or not he will get hurt doing it! Thankfully, count our blessings, he has never seriously injured himself and he is quite coordinated, again thankfully! Most of the time, when I see Mason climbing or living on the edge, I just close my eyes, turn my head, or walk away, because I can't stand the thought of watching him hurt himself! He is a brave man!

This time, he is jumping off the stairs and it was several (plus) stairs. Mind you, I didn't count. I just grabbed the camera, took a picture and ordered him to stop! I need some sort of proof to show him when he is older and wiser. The picture is a little fuzzy, because I didn't really take the time to get a perfect shot.

No, he is never proud of his accomplishments! A real Jumping Bean!