The Beach

Bentley loved the beach.

He had really wanted to go, even though he was not feeling well.

It was kind of a cold, windy, day, so we were really glad that Uncle Lyle came along and was happy to play in the water with Bentley. Bentley was a little scared of the water at first, but Lyle helped him ease into it and Bentley had a great time. Thanks Lyle!
Maxwell liked the beach, but not the ocean.

He was happy to sit on the sand, burying his feet, or making sand castles.
Jonah didn't like the sand OR the water, so he sat on a blanket and played with the cups we'd brought to dig and build with.

whoops

Evidently Jonah didn't get enough to eat at breakfast this morning. I found him on the kitchen table, eating a waffle.

Laundry Day

This morning I confiscated all the kids' clothes that I'm planning to pack for our vacation. Many more clothes were being washed. Bentley had very few things to choose from when he got dressed this morning (although he did have regular pants and shirts in his dresser). He selected the Elmo costume he wore on Halloween a few years ago, and the tiger pants he wore this past year for Halloween. I'm just glad we don't have anywhere to go today.

Window to the World

Jonah loves to climb up on our bench and look out the window.

When he really wants to get a good look outside, he climbs up on the back of the bench. He likes to see the cats, dogs, and birds, as well as the kids walking to or from school. He likes to see people mowing their lawns, or watering their grass. Sometimes he waves at everything he sees, and other times he shouts and laughs loudly out the window. I think he's so funny, and I'm glad he's found something that is so entertaining. :)

favola della buona notte

My brother, Spencer, and his fiance, Brianna, came over tonight and ate dinner with us. They played hide and seek with the boys, and just before bed, Spencer read them a bedtime story. When Spencer returned from his mission to Italy, he brought Bentley and Maxwell two Italian storybooks (so he's the only one of us who can read them). Tonight, he read the boys "Sebastiano," about a little bird who loves the strangest things - a flower that dies when he picks it, the snow that melts when he brings it inside, and the moon that is always changing. In the end, Sebastiano finds a friend to love. The boys love spending time with both Spencer and Brianna, and we're all glad that Brianna has moved to Utah and that we get to see both her and Spencer more often.

Shoes

A while ago I posted about Bentley our common interest in talking on the phone.

Maxwell has something else in common with me - he loves shoes! Here he is with all his shoes. He has 7 pair, which seems like a lot for a two year old little boy. Bentley has always had two pair at a time - tennis shoes and sandals for summer. Now he has church shoes as well.

Max has his own shoes, and all of Bentley's old shoes that he can get his hands (or feet) on. He loves to wear all of them - and he frequently mixes and matches them. He likes to wear shoes almost all the time - even when he's sleeping if we'll let him.

Summertime

This week has been sunny and warm. We love it!

The boys have eaten lots of popsicles and yesterday we set up the swimming pool.

Bentley and Maxwell had a great time splashing in it.

Jonah, on the other hand, wasn't crazy about the cold water.

He's also not sure why we like popsicles so much.

Here he is trying his very first popsicle.

Joy School Graduate

Bentley's Joy School graduation was this morning. We had a short and crazy ceremony (the kids just wanted to play) and then a picnic and play time in the back yard.

Here's a picture of our Bentley in his cute cap.

One of the boys

As Jonah gets older, he gets to play more and more with Bentley and Maxwell, and he loves it. He enjoys following them around, and he's pretty good at sword fighting - for a 14 month old. He'll hand me a stick and start hitting it with one of his own if his brothers aren't around to play.

This morning I braved the mall with the three boys, and NO STROLLER. That's unheard of for us. I always have the double stroller in the car, just in case we need it. Today, I didn't plan to go to the mall, and for once, I didn't have the stroller with us. But Mervyn's was having a sale, and the big boys need swim suits for the summer, so we gave it a try. And they were so good! I'm so proud of them. They behaved so well that we were able to shop a little longer and they got new shoes, too. (Well, Jonah didn't get anything. He has a suit, and they don't get shoes in our house until they learn to walk. I really like shoes, so that would motivate me, but Jonah doesn't seem too interested in shoes - or walking for that matter.)

"I Get Knocked Down . . .

. . . but I get up again."

Jonah still isn't walking (much- he takes a couple steps each day) but he is good at climbing. He likes to climb on top of the kitchen table (which is VERY scary for his mom), and he enjoys climbing up the slide in our backyard. He slips and slides back down most times before he reaches the top. When he does reach the top, he gets scared, freezes, and screams to be rescued. One day, he'll learn to turn around at the top and he won't need his mom or dad to save him.

Monday

Yesterday, Maxwell and Bentley sang in Sacrament Meeting with the other Primary children (Max is actually still in nursery, but the brave music leader invited the nursery children to sing as well and Max was happy to go up with his big brother.) The children sang two songs, and my boys knew one of them very well. In fact, they sang it over and over during the first half of the meeting. When it was their turn to sing for real, they smiled and didn't sing a word. (sigh) At least they looked good.

Maxwell loves the song and sings it all the time now. It's hard to get angry or frustrated when he's singing about how cheerful, bright and lovely his mother is. I'm not sure he's made the connection between the song and his own mother, but it makes me think extra hard about being patient and loving. Click here to see a video of him singing his new favorite song. (I like it much better than last week's poem.)

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

-to my

beautiful,

wonderful

Mother!

Thank you for

loving,

teaching,

encouraging,

and caring for me

(and Mindy, Warren, Spencer, Mikey, and Greg).

Bentley's First Campout!

Friday night, John and Bentley attended our ward's Father-Son Campout. It was Bentley's first time camping! (I guess he has some practice since he's been sleeping on the floor of his room instead of in his bed, but this was his first time sleeping outside, in a sleeping bag, in a tent.) His favorite part was a hike he and his dad took ON A MOUNTAIN! (Bentley was pretty excited about that part.) Maybe next year Dad will be brave and take TWO of our boys. :)

More Fashion Max

This is Maxwell, showing off his latest creation. He wanted the red cape so he could look "like a bad guy." He chose the red hat because he didn't have the blue one. The scrape on his head is from a wrestling mishap with Bentley earlier this week. The shoes don't really show up, but he is wearing two matching blue shoes - on the correct feet. We love you Max!

Playing Catch

Jonah loves to play catch and today

I found him in Bentley's room,

playing catch with the cute

little boy in the mirror.

Jonah would throw the ball,

then laugh and laugh.

He's such a sweet little guy.

I'm so glad he's part of our family.

Poetry in Motion

Bentley and Maxwell love to recite a poem their Dad taught them. You can watch them here. (thanks to Elliott for the website for videos)

Trash Tree

We have a huge Siberian Elm tree in our front yard. The original owners of our home planted it 30 years ago. It provides lots of shade in the evenings, which is nice, but it's a "trash tree," and our neighbors hate it. The stuff on the deck around Maxwell are the seed pods from our tree. They cover our yard right now, and find their way all over the neighborhood (and into our house). For another week or two, the big Elm will shed and our neighbors will shake their fists at it (and maybe at us as well). I'll be sooo glad when it's finished. We have thought about having it cut down, and probably will at some point. It's really expensive, though, so we haven't put it at the top of our "to do" list.

Bikers

Jonah still isn't walking, but he loves to ride on his brothers big wheel.
Max and Bentley have been "riding" bikes outside, too. They can't really ride bikes yet, they mostly push with their feet, but maybe we should invest in some helmets anyway because they have a hard time riding in a straight line. They often slip off the sidewalk into the street. It would be funny if I weren't so worried about them getting hurt.

Mega-Worm

John and the boys were weeding the front flower bed this week when they discovered . . .
MEGA-WORM!!!

We thought it was huge, but a neighbor who happened to be passing by told us it was a pretty average earthworm. I think Bentley scared the poor worm to death because he ran around the yard with it for a while before putting it back in the garden.

Jonah's Second Haircut

I thought about just trimming his hair, but ended up buzzing it instead. Now he looks like his big brothers and he's ready for summer!

Which boy did this?

One of our three boys has a "thing" for patterns and order. He likes things to be in their place and to be clean. He also has a unique sense of style. The other day he arranged the Power Rangers in his brother's dresser - by color. Any guesses?

Mikey the Eagle

The other big event in Idaho this past weekend (besides Greg's birthday) was my brother Mikey's Eagle Scout court of honor. He's had his Eagle project finished for years, but he waited until the week before his 18th birthday to finish the paperwork. I guess he likes to keep things interesting. Here he is with my parents as my mom pins his award on his shirt. My brother, Warren, was there to give him the Eagle charge. I was excited to take our three boys home to see their Uncle get his Eagle. They were pretty excited too, until they learned it wasn't a REAL eagle that Mikey would be getting. All three boys ended up in the hall with John because they were quite roudy in the court of honor. So much for that motivational moment. :)

Greg's Quilt

Last week my baby brother Greg turned 16. He is crazy about penguins, so my sister and I made him this quilt for his birthday. I wanted to post a picture when we finished the quilt a month ago, but I was afraid he'd see it. We wanted it to be a BIG surprise, and we came really close to succeeding. On Greg's birthday, we called to wish him a happy day, and Bentley spilled the beans. He thought Greg should know, since it was his birthday. I guess it makes some sense, but we were hoping to wait till the weekend for Greg to find out. Oh well. Bentley made Greg's day by telling him early. :)

At the Zoo

We spent the weekend in Idaho with my parents. The boys had a great time playing on the swing set in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard, eating dozens of little boxes of cereal, and fighting their uncles with "talking" swords.

On Saturday, we went to the zoo. In the petting zoo, the boys were brave enough to touch the goats. They loved the big snakes and the tigers, but were disappointed to not see the lions. The lions (who are almost always out) slept in that morning. At least the boys got to drink out of the lion drinking fountain. :)