Colton's Sorry Letter

My little Colton who is now 6 has recently learned how to type on the computer. He enjoys playing games and looking at websites like Lego.com. Today he came home from school while I was trying to take a short nap. I said hello and told him I would be resting a few more minutes. Not long after that he started yelling for me. I answered, but since Brenna was sleeping I didn't yell back and he kept yelling for me. I have always told him, "If I don't answer or you can't hear me, don't keep yelling come and talk to me." So I was a little frustrated when Brenna woke up and Colton was now screaming. Well, I lost it and sent him to his room and scolded him.

Not long after I heard him leave his room and go downstairs. After a few more moments I heard something printing. Colton came back up and handed me a folded piece of paper with the following message;

Translation: "I am sorry that I threw a fit. Mom I promise that I will never do it again."

He is currently learning how to read and write. I just thought it was so cute to see his little effort to type me an apology. I have only shown him 1 time how to print something and he remembered it! I just had to scan it and blog it!

All we want for Christmas is a Box!

Peek a boo!

Come into the house.

This is the most awesome toy I have!

Our performance at the box house.

Brenna says, "Dad, can we have a real car?"

Look at Me!

"Now this is a car!"

Just give the kids a Box! They don't need anything else this Christmas!
Mike and bought a freezer for extra food storage a couple of months ago. We saved the large box because we thought it would be fun for the kids to play with. The box was relegated to the basement (or dungeon as I call it) where it has been a huge hit with Colton, Brenna and Colton's friends. Just this week Colton and Mike used other boxes and made a car, a chimney for the house, a pantry and and other things. Each day the kids just want to play downstairs with the boxes. Nevermind that its cold, unfinished with no carpet and dirty. (now I am forcing Mike to straighten it up a bit down there with all the kids playing)
I have been rushing to get Christmas shopping done, but why should I? They have everthing they want in a bunch of boxes!

The weather is cold so I feel crafty!

When the Weather turns miserably cold, and the holidays are here, I get the craft bug! I love to finish old projects and make little gifts for family and friends. I just wish I would have started months ago because I can assure you I will not finish all of my projects before Christmas! Here are a few that I did this past week....

Scarecrow Pillow- a pattern that I got from Aunt Julie years ago and finally finished!

Brenna's name banner- Ever since I saw it in a magazine, I've wanted to do this for a long time.

Apron for Brenna- made from leftover scraps of fabric from the name banner.

Give thanks door hanger pillow- My friend had a birthday this week so instead of spending money, I made something from all the patterns and fabric I have around my house.
Needless to say, not much else got done around my house this week.

"Trick or Treat!"

This was a great day for trick or treating! The weather was awesome! I don't remember having a warmer Halloween. We only needed jackets! Brenna was overwhelmed. I know she didn't have a clue what was happening. Of course, she does love candy, so she followed Colton to all the houses. Poor thing, she has had croup. She is wheezing and coughing. The cold air is good for her so out she went.
Yesterday for Mikes work Halloween party he dressed up as "Backwards Guy". I'm not sure where he comes up with his ideas, but he won 2nd place in his office party. He has been growing what hair he has out for a couple of months. He had me shave the back of his head to look like a beard and a goatee. I then painted a face on the back of his head. He wore his clothes backwards. He looked hilarious!(as you can see).
I can't believe Halloween is over. Now onto the big holidays! I can't wait.

Catching Up! Its Fall!

Yes, it seems that we only post every couple of months, but when we do, we have a lot to say and show!
Several weeks ago, we went up American Fork Canyon to see that last of the fall colors. They were beautiful! It was Monday and it seems that everyone, I mean everyone else in all of North Utah County decided to do the same thing. The canyon was packed and there was actually a line of cars just to get in past the little Ranger station. The trails and parking lots were full! People were taking pictures everywhere. And everywhere we looked it was just amazing. The leaves seemed so colorful. We hit it just right. Unfortunately our children don't like to smile or pose for pictures. And Mike and I let Colton take our picture. So not one of them turned out very good. At least the backgrounds look great!

Kennekuk Ward Chili Cook Off and Halloween Party.

Mike and I are part of our wards Activities committee. Last Friday our ward had the annual Halloween/Fall social. There was Trunk or Treating(even though it was a week before Halloween and we have a great neighborhood for Trick or Treating) a costume parade and lots of Chili. I guess I am a humbug about Trunk or Treating. I like to take the kids through the streets and knock on doors. Even if it is cold. I like answering the door and giving out candy. A lot of my neighbors prefer to just do the parking lot thing. I think if our ward was all spread out it would be a fun activity, but, come on, we live in the Ranches in Eagle Mountain UT. Great neighborhoods, homes close together, and we know all of our neighbors for blocks! Now Colton and Brenna have full buckets of candy and Halloween isn't until Saturday. They did have fun though!!!
Colton was a Cowboy! Brenna was a Rainbow Fairy!


We have to say that we are proud of the Cowboy cosume. To save money, I sewed the vest from some old fabric we had. Mike(creative genius as he is known) made the chaps from an old suitcase with buckles that I have wanted to throw away for years! "We might use this someday" he always says about everything we argue over keeping! He sewed a gun holster and even little pockets for bullets in the belt. Of course I will not allow real bullets! I told them. Boots were borrowed from Aunt Melinda, and Colton's head is just about too big for Mike's famous fishing cowboy hat.
Brenna's costume is a conglomeration of some of our fairy wings, tutus and halos that we sell on our website. www.littlefairywings.com
She picked her favorite color for the wings -lately it has been yellow.

Our Baby is 2! Brenna's Party.

Well, she really isn't a baby anymore! Its hard to believe that Brenna turned two yesterday. October 25. She has been such a wonderful spirit to have in our home. She has definitely brighten our stressful days and made us smile when we just didn't think it was possible! (I guess I made it sound like we are always sad and stressed-no, not always-but she makes us happy when we are).

Since Brenna really had no idea what we were celebrating, we had her party on Saturday at Grandma Boices house. I talked about it for several days. Brenna helped my pick out her toys and stuff the pinata with candy. On Saturday, we had lots of pizza and cake! All the little grandkids opened her presents for her, as she just kind of looked on. She keeps saying about her new Bristle Block set, "this is Brenna's, not Coltons." I have to agree with her, or she will say it over and over. She is used to just playing with Colton's old toys and he lets her know that they are "HIS".
Everyone took a turn trying to break her ballet slipper pinata. It took for ever and finally Mike took out his pocket knife and sliced it so it would spill the candy at the next whack! Brenna hit it with an upside down bat and seemed to think it was funny...Until it broke. As the kids were diving for the candy, Brenna was crying saying "my shoe broke, my shoe broke". It was so sad. We gave her a bunch of candy and tried to console her. She just didn't get it. So now Daddy is fixing the pinata so it can be in her room. -We did the whole pinata thing so the bigger kids would have fun a 2 year olds party.

What a Fun Day!

Kids Keep Us Smiling!

Colton likes to play with his friend Ayden. They like to do all the typical boy stuff. They are obsessed with Legos, and Lego Xbox. They have recently become addicted to Bakugans and building rolling courses for them with paper towel and toilet paper tubes.

Yesterday, after folding laundry I came upon them playing intently with Haley's old Barbie airplane. I have been meaning to sell it on eBay so it was sitting in my living room. They were really into it. All the parts of the plane had just been thrown in it and stored. They assembled everything and painstakingly set up food trays and cups and put the earphones into the seats. They put the luggage in the overhead compartments. I just started laughing to myself. I quickly snapped a shot of them. Puzzled, they both looked at me and asked why I took a picture. I told them that they were playing with a "Girl" toy. A Barbie doll airplane. Colton's face lit up and he said, "Oh, do we have the dolls. Go and get them!"
Luckily Ayden wasn't quite as excited and they decided to go play upstairs in the tent they had built earlier. I have put the airplane away for now.

Brenna surprised us today when she said, "What the heck is this?" She was looking at Colton's
green truck he left on the stairs. Mike and I just cracked up. Obviously, I have said this phrase before. I don't remember when. She is such a sponge at this time. It was just too cute to hear our 21 month old saying something like that. She has been repeating just about everything we say theses days. She is also just so polite. She says, "Bless you, Daddy." every time he sneezes. She also says,"thank you, mommy!" whenever I hand her anything. She will also yell, "Colton, come here!" It is so funny. I just love my kids!

Fishing with the Boys

WOW! my own authorship! This will be great. Where should I start? How about a brief story about the fishing trip over the weekend with the boys? It was a marvelous day and a fishing story that will not soon be forgotten. the boys loved it and I... well I won't soon for get it.
I have not been fishing yet all this year and that is a long time for me to wait. The season started almost 2 months ago after all. Way to long to wait for a serious fishing trip. I was aching to go and I thought if I could take Xander and Colton out fishing and get them out of the house it would tire them out and give Julia a bit of a break.

So we headed down to my favorite fishing hole in Hobble creek. I fish there every year and we always limit out. I figured we would all catch our limit and come home for a big fish fry. I thought ahead though and wanted the boys to be safe so I stopped and picked up a couple of old 2x4s with rusty old screws in them that had been discarded in the ranches. As I tried to carry the two boards to the van they slipped in my arm and sure enough I had my first wound for the day. a rusty screw right into my wrist. No big deal, I have band aids in the car.
on our way.

We got to the canyon and prepared to go fishing. We had spent the morning gathering worms and had the worms in the closed cooler in the car. I picked up the poles, the fishing bag and the boards and we headed off. I headed through the tall grass with the boys in tow. I wanted to avoid the water because the boys were in flip flops and I was going directly to my favorite hole anyway.

Just a few minutes later we arrived at the spot with great anticipation. Things had changed however and the hole is very different this year. The tree that has given fish protection for years at that bend is now gone and the bottom of the hole seems to be full of branches. No big deal I figured, we can still fish it so I took one of the poles to prepare it with a worm. Did I say worm? Who has the worms? Yep, we left them back in the car. Can't leave the kids by the edge of the creek. Not these two. come on back boys...
Several minutes later and much more familiar with the land trail now we were ready to hook a worm and start fishing. I tossed it in and handed the first pole to Xander. then began to get the second one ready for Colton. I turned around and Xander was snagged. My favorite hole was not going to be fishable the way I had done it last time and the way I was hoping. We would have to try on the other side of the creek. No big deal, I decided to scout it out and make sure we could cross.

A minute or so later I was diving in the water for Colton's flip flops. He had just started to cross. It wasn't so much a worry of the loss of his $2 flip flops as it was wanting him to protect his feet as he walked. anyway, even with all the poles and the bag in tow I was able to save the flop flops. I practically took a swim to do it however. Wet from hip to toe.

I got Xander accros and we set the bags down and I fixed the line and tossed it in a few times. Nothing and then a snag. this was not turning into a great day of fishing so far. What else could go wrong right? So I walked into the water to see if I could pull the line lose. it was deep so I reached for my phone on my belt to take it off so it would not get wet. No phone on my belt. Great!
Where could that be?! It was only a $350 phone with a lot of valuable information. I frantically started to think of the most logical place I could have lost it. Did I scrape against anything? Did I remember bumping against anything? No, but my wet clothes did give me a clue as to the whereabouts. I ran back to the other side fo the creek looking for the phone and found it right near the edge of the creek where I had dived in to save Colton's feet. I picked it up and the vibrating ring was going constantly and would not shut off.

I took the phone apart as much as I could and put it out on the fishing bag to begin to dry. Nothing left to do now but fish so I tried a time or two more in that spot and then decided the changes were too great. I would have to go up to another locatoin. the water was too cold for the boys so after I packed everything (including the phone) up I carried the two boys accross to the other side and we walked back over the trail back up stream.

I stopped at a slow spot in the stream where there was a tree creating a small hole and a bit of shadow. I tossed the worm in and BAm! a big old brown trout took the bait fast as can be! Now we're fishing! I quickly grabbed Colton and handed the pole over to him and told him to reel him in. He did so with a lot of excitement. Xander was also very excited and screaming "I want to catch one!"

I decided that little hole was all played out so I took the boys across the stream again to anothe small hole I was familiar with up stream a bit. I got them there and tossed the line in. I had cast a few times with no action and then backed up a little on the rocky shore line. Something prickled the back of my right leg. I looked down at the beautiful green leaves of stinging nettle. Great I thought.

By this time I just kind of shrugged it off with a grin. What a day. I showed the boys the stinging nettle and told them how much it irritated my leg and warned them not to touch it. I don't recall for sure but there may have been an instant where Xander wondered what it would feel like to touch it. I ignored the irritation in my leg and continued to try fishing but with no luck. Xander wanted to throw rocks into the crek and so we moved once again this time slightly down stream.

While I headed down stream a few feet and tossed the line into another hole the boys marveled at the fish Colton caught. I had to tell them to leave it alone once or twice and then another strike. This one hit hard and was really a pulling. I called Xander over and handed him the pole. the top almost hit the water when he grabbed it. he has never been fishing before. It was a joy to see him real in the fish and he had so much fun with it.

The fish Xander reeled in was bigger than the first one and they were both nice and fat. We played around a bit more aznd attmpted some more but never did catch any more fish. I decided to head home before it got too late since Julia would not be able to get ahold of me. We stopped at Ream's to get a bag of rice to place the phone in and headed on home. the next day I was able to finally turn on a well dried out phone and it is working again today.

I would say all in all it was a very successful fishing trip. Not much differnet from any other right?

The Wedding is Over!!!

I have never been much at keeping a journal. I guess blogging is suffering the same fate. The wedding was wonderful. Haley was beautiful and Derek handsome. A story book day. Even the ending when they rode away on the motorcycle couldn't have been better! I will post pictures soon. So much of my time was devoted to planning for the big day. Now I find myself saying "now what?"
Here are some photos that Grandpa Wood shot on June 18, 2009.

Julia has been swamped so I thought I would help her with her Blog. Here is a little story about a day in the life of Mom:
by Mike Wood

I came home after my late night of work a week or two ago and helped Mom get the kids to bed an hour past their bed time. I guess they just like to be up to see Daddy come home. I had taken a stop in the bathroom and wondered why the toilet paper had been re-rolled and folded over as it was rolled up. The house was in order and the kitchen was clean. It seemed to me that mom had taken care of the family once again while I was away. After getting the kids to bed and finally laying in bed ourselves I asked, "How was your day?"
The story started simple enough and I figured it would start at the beginning. It wasn't until I decided to record it and have her recap that I realized the story was much more than I had assumed.
Colton poured milk so Why can't I?
It is amazing what copy cats little children are. Brenna, age 19 months saw her brother Colton, age 6 pour his cup of milk into his cereal bowl. She had cottage cheese and wouldn't you know, a cup of milk. Yep, time to pour that milk with an unsteady hand into my own bowl which of course is much smaller than Colton's. Did I mention the unsteady hand? No problem. When I am done with spilling the milk I just call for help. Mommy!? Mommy!?
Of course mommy came into the kitchen to see milk all over the floor and in the cottage cheese bowl. What a joy to be a mother right? Of course she cleaned it up with a smile while trying to be stern and tell the little toddler no. What next is often the thought going through mommy's head. There is always another adventure awaiting with Brenna in the house.
I asked if this was in the morning or the beginning of the day before the trip to Grandmas and was informed that no this was just in the evening right before sleep. Then the true adventure was laid out before me. Not only were there many fun and exciting things that occurred that day but it seems that most of it happened in a short period of time. The real drama it seems started at Grandmas with spilled milk, a playful walk on a brick wall and a wet shirt from a cousin's bath and more spilled milk. I had to hear the whole story so the adventures began to unfold.
A quick trip to Grandma's house was all that was needed. Of course Grandma lives right next to aunt Melinda and so a trip to grandmas is not just grandmas but all the cousins. I forget the details but somewhere in the mix Brenna had milk at Grandma's house. She was sitting on a stool and dumped the milk in her lap all over her pajamas she had been changed into.
When Mom got home with the kids that night she tried to take a moment to work on the computer and heard Colton yell MOM! from the bathroom where he has sitting on the toilet. She asked what was going on and he responded that Brenna was unrolling the toilet paper. She thought "no big deal" and told him to roll it back up. He of course proceeded to do so. It is amazing how these little toddlers seem to know how to work the art of distraction and misdirection like a professional magician.
No sooner had he rolled up the paper and she was at the side of the toilet reaching in behind him. What is the fascination with the toilet? So of course another scream to mom and her work at the computer was done. "Brenna stuck her hand in the toilet!" Mom rushes into the bathroom to save Colton from his mischievous little sister. She noticed that Brenna was there with one hand in the toilet and her binky dangling out of her mouth. With the agility that only a mother has she picked up the toddler with one arm and tore the binky away from the germs with the other to be tossed out the door onto the floor where it was surely more safe than it would be combined with the toilet water now dripping down brennas arm.
Sternly she tells Brenna that this is not acceptable and no no no and so on and proceeded to wash her hands in the bathroom sink. Now just suppose the fascination she has is not with the toilet so much as it is with the water? scolding and trying to get Brenna's hands washed she is thwarted by the agile little toddler as she tries to stick her feet in the sink along with her hands that are being washed. It seems that her whole plan has come together perfectly and she can now play and frolick in the water all she wants.
Brenna continues to smile her devious smile and giggle as mom tries to clean her and let her know that her actions are not to be tolerated. Have you ever tried to reason with a 2 year old? I'm sure it went over well. Mom did a great job cleaning her up and removing her from the bathroom. It is almost time for bed now and mom needs the break but of course both the kids are hungry, or so they say. off to the kitchen to feed each some late dinner before bed.
Colton as usual wants cold cereal and wants a cup of milk as well. No problem, he can have that. After all he could be eating worse right? This is the story I first heard after I came home and the kids finally went to bed... There is so much more behind each day for Mom.

"Please Brenna Stop Growing!"-Just for a little while....

Brenna is walking!

Its happening too fast. Brenna will be 18 months next month!!! It seems like yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital. She is walking and talking and pretty much just rules my life. (I don't mind one bit) I really enjoy spending my days with her. She is such a sweetheart. She is obsessed with babies right now. She likes it when we read to her. However, her favorite book to read is the Parents magazine and we have to look at every page so she can point to all the babies. She also loves belly buttons. At least 5 times a day we all have to show her ours. She loves to wear shoes and try to get herself dressed. She spends so much time struggling to get her pants on. She won't let me help and screams if I try. She is very persistent and a few times has actually succeeded.
She has discovered that she likes our reaction when she throws or drops her food or dishes. I try so hard not to freak out when she pours her bowl of soup on the floor or throws her food. (Most know that I have OCD when it comes to keeping my kitchen clean. Is is very hard for me to not react).
The cutest thing that Brenna does is go to sleep. She seems to crave her crib and binky. When she is tired she will lay down wherever she is and say "night night". I ask her if she wants to go to sleep and she jumps into my arms and says "bye bye" to anyone around. After covering her with her blanket, finding the binky, and turning on her music, she gigles and lays completely still as I turn out the light and leave the room. Most times she is asleep in just a couple of minutes.

I know this behavior is highly irregular. We never experienced anything remotely like this with Colton. We STILL have to battle him to go to bed. I am sure her easy sleeping days are numbered, but for now I am loving it!

Reading with mom before bed.

Daddy's Little Girl!

Oh! I Feel Bad!

That is how I feel NOW because that is what Mike kept telling me last night, and I just told him to deal with it. Little did I know that I would be spending the entire night at the ER with him and eating my words. He had to have his appendix out! For several hours he suffered awake downstairs as I slept peacefully. At 1:30 AM he finally crawled on the floor into our room and said he had intense stomach pain. I said "You probably have gas or food poisoning from the RAW- still mooing- steak that you ate earlier." Many know that I hate rare and he loves it. Mine has to be black and his has to be bloody! ICH! So I am always thinking that it will catch up with him. And that is what I thought. He writhed in agony and I am thinking that now he can finally learn to sympathize with my cramps.
So after a few more minutes I thought I would google"food poisoning" to see what I could do to ease his pain. Nothing much, just ride it out- I kept thinking. I did read that if you have intense stomach pain for more that 15 minutes you should seek medical attention. But I was sure that he was just being overly dramatic.
So, Mike started calling our Home Teacher to come and sit here with the kids, so I could take him to the ER. He couldn't get an answer. I thought he was crazy. I decided "OK" If you really need to go and blow a $75 on a copay I will take you as long as I get a big cup of ice.
We ended up calling our Bishop(who happens to live across the the street) and he actually answered his phone. I called my mom who lives in Orem now to come spend the night. So Bishop Jensen and his cute little wife in her pink nightie came over until my mom could get here.
Well, I am embarrassed to say that I almost talked him out of going into the ER once we got down to AF. I made him stop at Walmart and drink Pepto and then wait about a 1/2 hour in the car. I was just so sure we would be waisting our time in the uncomfortable hospital when I needed to be home sleeping.
Finally he said he was going in. OK, here we go. They were quick to start the tests and I got my ice. So about 4 AM the Dr enters and says it is appendicitis!!!
OH BOY. I FEEL SO BAD! I had been so selfish and not very sympathetic. I sure hope Mike can forgive me. I apologized so profusely. I just have to say that if your husband complains of stomach pains its better to get it checked, for had we waited as I was trying to do, he would have had a burst appendix and it would have been SO MUCH WORSE!
I am definitely never going to try to diagnose someone elses illness again.
Everything went smoothly and we came home today about 5 PM. He is sore and cannot lift Brenna for 3 weeks. This has already upset her....
I just have to say that we are truly blessed to have great neighbors and live in a great Ward. We received 2 complete dinners, a cake, a plate of cupcakes and a bag with goodies within 2 hours of getting home. I can rest up and not worry about cooking for a couple of days and serve my dear husband who really deserves it for putting up with me!

I Can Walk Now!!!

Walking!!!  Brenna has finally started walking on her own.  She has been a little slow.  My other kids walked long before 16 months.  I hadn't decided to worry yet and her pediatrician said to wait one more month before starting physical therapy.  She is very wobbly, but so cute.  And now she is walking just in time for the warm weather.  I did not want her crawling on the cement outside and scraping up herself.   I guess I will finally buy her a pair of shoes.  Oh, She has some, but until now they were just for church or pictures. So we are now going to get some comfy walking shoes.

Brenna is growing up so fast!!! She is babbling and loves to follow all of us around the house. She loves to dance and eat!! The girl eats more than Colton and sometimes more than me!  I love that she loves food. She will eat any concoction I put in front of her! Colton and Haley have always been so fussy and I have spent many frustrating dinners forcing Colton to “just try it”.  She is such an easy girl!  We are so happy to have her!  

A Visit from the Tooth Fairy!

Colton lost his first tooth a couple of days ago! He was so excited about it and carried it around with him all day!  The tooth fairy visited us for the first time!  Wow! I guess inflation has brought the price of tooth up since I was little.  Colton received $1 and I remember only getting 25 cents!  His tooth was a little dirty…I am not so sure the tooth fairy really should have paid for a cavity. I explained to Colton that he needs to be better at cleaning his teeth. And to my dismay we went to the dentist yesterday and he had his first cavity! Oh I am not happy.  For now we will just work on brushing better!