Woo = Luke
Bay-bee or Bee-Ba = Bridget
Whoa = Will
Dadden = Adam
Mom = Me
Our names for him:
Jones
Jones'n
Jo
Bubby
His fave's
Ta - tah = tractor - He yells it constantly when we see one in the car and as soon as we pass them he says and signs "More."
Bath - If Will doesn't join him he runs to the top of the stairs and yells his name till he comes
Choo-choo - He's into trains and builds track after track all day long
Cars (the movie) first thing he asks for in the morning. Immediately starts signing "fast cars" as he watches the race. He gets ecstatic when May - May (Mater)shows up
Stories - Tractors, As Quick as a Cricket, Five little monkeys, Wheels on the Bus, Things that Go, Cars....
Playing with the kids
Milk ba - ba
Signing - he uses his sign language a lot.
Unzipping his blanket sleeper jammies and climbing out of them
Helping me cook
Our Christmas lights
Dancing to music
I love him. He is growing into such a big boy. He brings so many smiles and laughs into our home. Everybody lights up when he's around...what a blessing he's been for all of us.
Love you Jonah!
Will...you are next buddy!
November 18, 2009
November 16, 2009
recipes
Some yummy recipes I've had lately that came from my friends....
Pumpkin cheesecake by Teri. She brought two pieces over and I'm sorry to say that I ate them both. I'm going to try it on Thanksgiving! It beats pumpkin pie in my book.
Turkey Burgers by Amy. These have the best taste and are good for you too. I'm making them tomorrow.
Pumpkin cheesecake by Teri. She brought two pieces over and I'm sorry to say that I ate them both. I'm going to try it on Thanksgiving! It beats pumpkin pie in my book.
Turkey Burgers by Amy. These have the best taste and are good for you too. I'm making them tomorrow.
Asking price: free
"We don't plug our toilets anymore....We should sell that thing,"
Will recommended to me as he hopped into the bathtub Sunday morning.
(I might mention that Adam spent most of the previous day putting all sorts of odds and ends on ebay, which means Will is just trying to help the cause)
Create a bit for the season
Every single year when Christmas rolls around and we bring out the decorations, I'm reminded that my tree ornaments need more friends--they are sparse. Then I go to the store and see some I love, but they are too expensive, so I decide to come back and get them for a steal of a deal after Christmas. Then Christmas comes and goes and the last thing I feel like doing is walking into another crowded store to look for ornaments that I won't need for another year. So I wait till the kids are back in school and then wander into a store to find that all that's left is ugly stuff that I don't want for my tree.
So I just found something at Martha's I can MAKE for my tree that is perfect. I think I'll make them into beads and string them for a garland, or just hang them individually.
P.S. I just found the place I want to check after Christmas for sales on ornaments...anthropologie. The felt and knitted ornaments. Anyone want to join me?
September 7, 2009
Predictable
My lunch menu has been changing from
garden cucumbers with balsamic vinegar
to
vine ripened toasted tomato sandwiches
to
Olive Garden Salad
and back to cucumbers again.
This could mean only one thing:
I'm having a baby!
(I always crave this stuff in the first trimester and lucky for me - my last few pregnancies 1st trimesters have been in the fall when my garden is bearing cucumbers and tomatoes for me to pick fresh everyday for lunch. Please come join me if any of those sound good to you!)
According to my recent ultrasound the due date is April 4th 2010 (it was originally March 30th...but who's counting?) and the baby is officially 1.9cm long.
Everything is going great! And everyone is excited!
Except for the fever bug that swept through our house last Sunday and has tagged each of us but Adam. I'm tired. And just when I thought I was better I woke up today with aches again.
garden cucumbers with balsamic vinegar
to
vine ripened toasted tomato sandwiches
to
Olive Garden Salad
and back to cucumbers again.
This could mean only one thing:
I'm having a baby!
(I always crave this stuff in the first trimester and lucky for me - my last few pregnancies 1st trimesters have been in the fall when my garden is bearing cucumbers and tomatoes for me to pick fresh everyday for lunch. Please come join me if any of those sound good to you!)
According to my recent ultrasound the due date is April 4th 2010 (it was originally March 30th...but who's counting?) and the baby is officially 1.9cm long.
Everything is going great! And everyone is excited!
Except for the fever bug that swept through our house last Sunday and has tagged each of us but Adam. I'm tired. And just when I thought I was better I woke up today with aches again.
September 3, 2009
crowded
My kids were celebrating over one of our topics of conversation this afternoon. New bike racks have been ordered and shipped to Saratoga Shores Elementary. "I am so excited about that!" Luke said
The situation is bleak around the current bike racks. I am Will's helper everyday to untangle his bike from all the rest that have fallen into his.
"They are locking their bikes up to the fire de-hydrant!" Bridget exclaimed.
Will noticed, "Some of the kids are taking their bikes up to lock them on the fence at the top of the hill. It's a really steep hill!"
Luke was worried about the unsatisfactory lock-jobs the kids were settling for:
"Someone next to me just put his lock around his seat!! Some kids lock their bikes to another bike!"
It's nice to see that they enjoy solving a problem that will make their world a better place for them.
The situation is bleak around the current bike racks. I am Will's helper everyday to untangle his bike from all the rest that have fallen into his.
"They are locking their bikes up to the fire de-hydrant!" Bridget exclaimed.
Will noticed, "Some of the kids are taking their bikes up to lock them on the fence at the top of the hill. It's a really steep hill!"
Luke was worried about the unsatisfactory lock-jobs the kids were settling for:
"Someone next to me just put his lock around his seat!! Some kids lock their bikes to another bike!"
It's nice to see that they enjoy solving a problem that will make their world a better place for them.
August 26, 2009
While Luke played football...
BYU Museum of Art (MOA)
We came here with the sole purpose of checking out the "I Spy" 'gizibit' featuring the original pictures and some of the displays for the books. It was fun, but we found that the Dan Steinhilber gizibit was "way awesomer," said Will.
Monte L. Bean Museum
Bridget and Will took notes of their favorite animals in their adventure books. Will took this picture of the Kodiak Grizzly.
Northern Utah County Gardens
This was filled with plants and flowers that grow well in our area, with limited water. There were two playhouses with yards, one depicting a drought tolerant plan and the other using much more water and maintenance. Bridget and Will each chose a house as their own and played a game, pretending they were neighbors.
Jonah went in and out, shutting the doors as he pleased and running around the yards. What a discovery; a house that was built "to scale" for his little size! Will found "Silver Carpet Lamb's Ear" very fun to rub between his fingers, because it was "soft like carpet"!
On the last day the kids earned their first "adventure" which came with a bottle of pop. Bridget is holding her bottle cap to her shirt like the pin in the movie, UP. We are going to make ours into necklaces. We hiked to see Bridal Veil Falls and cooled our feet off in the water. It was a lovely day!
We came here with the sole purpose of checking out the "I Spy" 'gizibit' featuring the original pictures and some of the displays for the books. It was fun, but we found that the Dan Steinhilber gizibit was "way awesomer," said Will.
Monte L. Bean Museum
Bridget and Will took notes of their favorite animals in their adventure books. Will took this picture of the Kodiak Grizzly.
Northern Utah County Gardens
This was filled with plants and flowers that grow well in our area, with limited water. There were two playhouses with yards, one depicting a drought tolerant plan and the other using much more water and maintenance. Bridget and Will each chose a house as their own and played a game, pretending they were neighbors.
Jonah went in and out, shutting the doors as he pleased and running around the yards. What a discovery; a house that was built "to scale" for his little size! Will found "Silver Carpet Lamb's Ear" very fun to rub between his fingers, because it was "soft like carpet"!
On the last day the kids earned their first "adventure" which came with a bottle of pop. Bridget is holding her bottle cap to her shirt like the pin in the movie, UP. We are going to make ours into necklaces. We hiked to see Bridal Veil Falls and cooled our feet off in the water. It was a lovely day!
BYU football camp
Catching up on some of what made our summer wonderful...
A few weeks into summer Luke went to a BYU football camp while the rest of us enjoyed BYU campus and area each day he was there. First I'll tell you about Luke's experience.
The highlight of the week for Luke was definately meeting the BYU football coach, Bronco Mendenhall. He came to camp on the first and last days, leaving everyone with an autograph (Luke chose to have his t-shirt and binder signed) and a message.
He asked them who wants to play football for BYU. The response was a loud cheer from all the boys. Then he told them what they need to have as their focus in order to be on the team. (In this order)
1. Faith
2. Family
3. School
4. Friends
5. Football
Luke loved it.
The camp took place in the indoor practice field. He got to do a lot of football drills...you'll have to excuse my terminology:
Line practice (you have to push past dummies by getting under them and pushing them up)
running and catching
throwing
tossing balls into garbage bins
I'd better stop...I think I'll have Luke edit this.
P.S. Will is excited do this
August 22, 2009
1st soup of Fall
Despite the summer weather, school is in session so we ate soup last night. Everybody loved it served with soft sourdough bread and butter and mixed apple salad over greens. (The whole meal was all planned out for me in "the best of Cooking Light: Soups and Stews"...a great magazine Adam gave to me for Christmas in 2005)
Lentil and Red Pepper Soup with Sausage
6 oz hot Italian sausage (I just used regular Italian sausage)
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (12 oz.) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 ½ cups dried green or brown lentils
4 cups water
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 (14 ½ oz.) cans vegetable broth
1 (14 ½ oz.) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
2 bay leaves
1. Heat large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Remove casings from sausage; cook 3 min. or until sausage is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrot; cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in sausage, red peppers, lentils, and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Discard bay leaves. Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
Tip: I have one or two children that sometimes get scared off by little red bits in their food, so I blended up the roasted red peppers with the olive oil, onions, celery and garlic. Then I sauted that for 10 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Mixed Apple Salad over Greens
Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp olive oil
dash of salt
dash of freshly ground pepper
Salad:
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apple
2 cups chopped Cameo or Braeburn apple
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
4 cups mixed salad greens
1. combine dressing, stirring with a whisk
2. Combine apples, cheese, and bacon. Drizzle dressing over mixture, toss gently. Serve over salad greens.
Lentil and Red Pepper Soup with Sausage
6 oz hot Italian sausage (I just used regular Italian sausage)
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (12 oz.) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 ½ cups dried green or brown lentils
4 cups water
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 (14 ½ oz.) cans vegetable broth
1 (14 ½ oz.) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
2 bay leaves
1. Heat large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Remove casings from sausage; cook 3 min. or until sausage is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrot; cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in sausage, red peppers, lentils, and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Discard bay leaves. Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
Tip: I have one or two children that sometimes get scared off by little red bits in their food, so I blended up the roasted red peppers with the olive oil, onions, celery and garlic. Then I sauted that for 10 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Mixed Apple Salad over Greens
Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp olive oil
dash of salt
dash of freshly ground pepper
Salad:
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apple
2 cups chopped Cameo or Braeburn apple
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
4 cups mixed salad greens
1. combine dressing, stirring with a whisk
2. Combine apples, cheese, and bacon. Drizzle dressing over mixture, toss gently. Serve over salad greens.
August 18, 2009
library books
A Salt Lake City library card was the start of some of our favorite days of summer. We all love books so visiting the library is always an activity everyone can agree on. Take a glimpse at some of our favorite reads this summer:
Luke is into The Hardy Boys. He grabs six or seven each time.
Bridget still enjoys a good Junie B. Jones, but has also found some other series that she loves like "The Ballet Shoes," by Noel Streatfield (she loves the Fossils), and "The Cobble Street Cousins," by Cynthia Rylant.
Will is quick in his selections, like Luke. One day it's all Curious George, the next it's clifford, Star Wars, or Berenstain Bears etc. He likes to save lot's of time for playing games on the computer. (We recently selected The Little Rascals from the DVD section --- in Will's words, "It's He-yarious!")
Jonah enjoys pulling as many books off of one shelf as he can before I intervene and he squeals and quickly moves to a new spot and starts over again while I clean up the last mess. For me, rather than choosing a variety of books on different topics, I have found it works better to choose one topic, grab 4 or 5 books from that area and dash back to my boy who was in my arms one minute ago and is now on the other side of the library. One of my first reading "binges" looked like this:
Super Smoothies (all awesome), a Jamie Oliver Cookbook (all foods from his garden - yum!), a grilling cookbook, Jamba Juice 21 days to great health.
Due to the upcoming change in seasons and an itch to get a handle on the summer grit and grime that has found a permanent place here among us, my current selections include:
1. REAL SIMPLE cleaning by Kathleen Squires
I'm mopping my floor the other day and find myself reaching for the book to see if I'm doing it right...Find the chapter on floors, tile, oh, I'm supposed to use a toothbrush on the grout? almost
2. Country Living storage style "pretty and practical ways to organize your home" by Lesley Porcelli
..."Find on old iron garden gate and hang it from the ceiling in your kitchen for a pot rack"....now who wants to go hunting for cute old free stuff with me? Are there flee markets in Utah?
3. House Works "Cut the clutter, speed your cleaning, and calm the chaos" by Cynthia Townley Ewer of OrganizedHome.com
...."A place for everything and everything in it's place"...STOP the clutter...What's my clutter personality? The hoarder, the deferrer, the rebel, the perfectionist, or the sentimentalist"....Help me...I might be a bit of each! I can only take this book in very small pieces, but once I finish I hope to have this house running like a well oiled machine....stay tuned.
4. River Secrets by Shannon Hale
....I know, this did not come from the organizing section...my neighbor dropped it by...I'm excited;
P.S. Will just walked into the house in his yellow tank top and yellow silky shorts and yelled, "That was freakin' darn fun, Mom!"
If you are up for that much fun go check out the bike trails at The Ranches in Eagle Mountain. Adam and Luke were thinkin' when they decided to introduce them to Will tonight.
P.S.S. Bridget just walked in from an outside movie party and said she had cotton candy, popcorn, snickers, m&m's and lot's of fun!
Is summer really ending? After three months of sleeping in a row in the basement our three oldest kids moved their mattresses back upstairs to their own bedrooms. Sigh. I'll miss the summer evenings with everyone laying on their beds on top of their quilts, cool breezes blowing through the open windows from the lake and reading to them from the Hardy Boys, Berenstain Bears, and The Penderwicks (we read this every summer). Mmmm.
But today I wrote down a list of all our favorite soups that I'll be making this fall. And we decided that Saturday morning would be our new library day.
Luke is into The Hardy Boys. He grabs six or seven each time.
Bridget still enjoys a good Junie B. Jones, but has also found some other series that she loves like "The Ballet Shoes," by Noel Streatfield (she loves the Fossils), and "The Cobble Street Cousins," by Cynthia Rylant.
Will is quick in his selections, like Luke. One day it's all Curious George, the next it's clifford, Star Wars, or Berenstain Bears etc. He likes to save lot's of time for playing games on the computer. (We recently selected The Little Rascals from the DVD section --- in Will's words, "It's He-yarious!")
Jonah enjoys pulling as many books off of one shelf as he can before I intervene and he squeals and quickly moves to a new spot and starts over again while I clean up the last mess. For me, rather than choosing a variety of books on different topics, I have found it works better to choose one topic, grab 4 or 5 books from that area and dash back to my boy who was in my arms one minute ago and is now on the other side of the library. One of my first reading "binges" looked like this:
Super Smoothies (all awesome), a Jamie Oliver Cookbook (all foods from his garden - yum!), a grilling cookbook, Jamba Juice 21 days to great health.
Due to the upcoming change in seasons and an itch to get a handle on the summer grit and grime that has found a permanent place here among us, my current selections include:
1. REAL SIMPLE cleaning by Kathleen Squires
I'm mopping my floor the other day and find myself reaching for the book to see if I'm doing it right...Find the chapter on floors, tile, oh, I'm supposed to use a toothbrush on the grout? almost
2. Country Living storage style "pretty and practical ways to organize your home" by Lesley Porcelli
..."Find on old iron garden gate and hang it from the ceiling in your kitchen for a pot rack"....now who wants to go hunting for cute old free stuff with me? Are there flee markets in Utah?
3. House Works "Cut the clutter, speed your cleaning, and calm the chaos" by Cynthia Townley Ewer of OrganizedHome.com
...."A place for everything and everything in it's place"...STOP the clutter...What's my clutter personality? The hoarder, the deferrer, the rebel, the perfectionist, or the sentimentalist"....Help me...I might be a bit of each! I can only take this book in very small pieces, but once I finish I hope to have this house running like a well oiled machine....stay tuned.
4. River Secrets by Shannon Hale
....I know, this did not come from the organizing section...my neighbor dropped it by...I'm excited;
P.S. Will just walked into the house in his yellow tank top and yellow silky shorts and yelled, "That was freakin' darn fun, Mom!"
If you are up for that much fun go check out the bike trails at The Ranches in Eagle Mountain. Adam and Luke were thinkin' when they decided to introduce them to Will tonight.
P.S.S. Bridget just walked in from an outside movie party and said she had cotton candy, popcorn, snickers, m&m's and lot's of fun!
Is summer really ending? After three months of sleeping in a row in the basement our three oldest kids moved their mattresses back upstairs to their own bedrooms. Sigh. I'll miss the summer evenings with everyone laying on their beds on top of their quilts, cool breezes blowing through the open windows from the lake and reading to them from the Hardy Boys, Berenstain Bears, and The Penderwicks (we read this every summer). Mmmm.
But today I wrote down a list of all our favorite soups that I'll be making this fall. And we decided that Saturday morning would be our new library day.
June 19, 2009
Check, check
Today Will and I weeded the flower gardens together...here's a bit of the dialogue:
"Mom, I am movin' right along."
"Awesome, Will."
"You can't even catch up to me Mom. See look, I'm on Cassie's(next door neighbor) rocks now! They've got some weeds too. Should I do some so-viss (service)?"
"Great idea Will."
"O.K."
On the way home from our hikes (two small ones) the kids were being a tad unruly which ensued a little "let's be grateful and not demanding so that Mom will still want to take you places" talk by Adam. Two minutes later Will says from the back seat, "Mother dear...." I can't even remember what he asked for but I was shocked into laughter.
Check for service. Check for "UP" words. Will's happy and so am I.
"Mom, I am movin' right along."
"Awesome, Will."
"You can't even catch up to me Mom. See look, I'm on Cassie's(next door neighbor) rocks now! They've got some weeds too. Should I do some so-viss (service)?"
"Great idea Will."
"O.K."
On the way home from our hikes (two small ones) the kids were being a tad unruly which ensued a little "let's be grateful and not demanding so that Mom will still want to take you places" talk by Adam. Two minutes later Will says from the back seat, "Mother dear...." I can't even remember what he asked for but I was shocked into laughter.
Check for service. Check for "UP" words. Will's happy and so am I.
June 16, 2009
UP summer adventure
Here is what my kids are working on this summer. I planned it after we saw the movie UP. And for those of you who have done the health challenge, you'll recognize a few of the parts.
They get a check for each thing and if they get 9 checks in a day, they get a balloon on the board. 18 balloons means they've earned a bottle of pop with a bottle cap and an adventure.
physical:
1. exercise
2. an in n' out job (we rotate inside jobs/outside jobs daily)
3. eat healthy
spiritual:
4. search (scripture study)
5. ponder
6. pray
Mental/emotional:
7. learn (read)
8. special project (anything from the boys taking something apart to Bridget writing a story)
Social:
9. one on one family time
10. UP words
11. service
It's working quite well. They earned their first adventure on Thursday. They each got a cream soda (with a bottle cap of course) and then we hiked to see Bridal Veil Falls (walked a few hundred yards, rather). Then we went to the Draper Library and found some books...the kids were so excited about their finds. Then we found a baseball diamond where the kids raced from base to base, then we found a park to play on and went home. It was fulfilling! Everyone was exhausted and happy!
P.S. The kids set up air mattresses in the basement the Sunday after school got out and have been sleeping on them ever since. It's now the bunk house. I love it because it's easier to read to them when they are all in the same room. And the best part is their rooms are staying spick and span! I love summer!
June 15, 2009
Spring Break
Whew...prepare yourself...there are alot of pictures here. And a bit out of order. For example...no, the kids did not take a long nap in the middle of the day at Disneyland...that is the night before when we arrived late and they were out the second their heads hit the pillow.
A few fun notes...
About a half an hour after Will attempted to pull the sword out of the stone...we were trying to decide what to do next and Will said, "I want to go back and see if anyone got the sword out yet!"
Luke tried skim boarding and loved it. You throw the board down on the thin sheet of water that's left behind as the tide is going out and jump on it for a ride. (basically)
Luke took all the star wars pictures. We hope the little boys enjoy them. He and Will loved the experience of watching the Jedi train kids who were able to fight off Darth Vader and Darth Maul. Will continues to practise his new lightsaber fighting skills on me...."Right shoulder, Left shoulder, right leg, left leg...he's awesome at it."
More journaling to come...
A few fun notes...
About a half an hour after Will attempted to pull the sword out of the stone...we were trying to decide what to do next and Will said, "I want to go back and see if anyone got the sword out yet!"
Luke tried skim boarding and loved it. You throw the board down on the thin sheet of water that's left behind as the tide is going out and jump on it for a ride. (basically)
Luke took all the star wars pictures. We hope the little boys enjoy them. He and Will loved the experience of watching the Jedi train kids who were able to fight off Darth Vader and Darth Maul. Will continues to practise his new lightsaber fighting skills on me...."Right shoulder, Left shoulder, right leg, left leg...he's awesome at it."
More journaling to come...
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