A Year of Funnies

Here are the 2017 Quotes

1/6/17
Eli: Toddlers should be called Todd-learners because they have so much to learn!

1/17/17
Logan: Mom you're prettier than the stars, and nicer too.

1/19/17
Whenever Jake gets caught with something he knows he shouldn't have he holds it up to me with a grin and says, "Thank you!" Little charmer.

1/22/17
Eli: Are there people who can see the future?
Me: Not really, no. Except maybe a prophet.
Eli: What about meteorologists? They can!
Me: Good point!

2/8/17
We're looking into buying a used piano and Logan went with me to look at two of them, one that cost $800 and one that cost $250. Logan asked me which one of those two I liked best and I told him some of the pros and cons of each and he says, " I see a cheap piano in my future..." in a resigned voice:)

2/11/17
Logan: The Lamanites were well named because they were lame.

2/19/17
Logan (to me): Yo Yo Ma! Come here; I need you!

3/4/17
Eli: Some kids in my class really like you.
Me: Oh? Why?
Eli: Because you look just like me!

3/17/17
Going to the temple tonight with my love to do sealings. We miss you Dad.

5/13/17
Every day after lunch Jake says, "Night night!" He loves his naps almost as much as I do!

5/15/15
I found these two notes around the house, both written by Eli on his own: "soree Ali for hiteen you." And "I love Jeesis" Both melt my heart!

5/17/17
Eli: A wife is someone you want to hang out with for a LONG time and someone you trust.

5/20/17
Eli (to me): Of course you're talented-- you're a mom!

5/25/17
Ali: Mom can we PLEASE go to the library? I need more books.
Logan: Yeah! We NEED to go!

8/8/17
Ali: Mom you're good at handling children and warts.

8/9/17
Jason: Do you know what country Legos come from?
Eli: Legoland!

8/25/17
Eli: When Ali is done with college she will be a woman. When I am done I will get a job and work forever.

10/6/17
When Jake is looking for me he will call out, "Ja-ake!" just like I do when I am looking for him! (Update: Over time this has turned into "Mommy Jakey!" whenever he is calling me -12/31/17) 

10/8/17
Me (annoyed): Eli Daniel!!!
Eli (charming): Mommy Katie!
Me (less annoyed)

10/10/17
I'm trying to teach Jake the first, then idea (First dinner, then dessert). Now whenever he wants something he tells me, "First, candy." or "First go car" or "First night night" (the boy loves naps) Either he's totally missed the point, or he's a genius!

10/16/17
Jason: I still have some collections of things I had as a kid.
Eli: Whoa that means you’ve had them for like 100 years!

10/19/17
Paige (our niece): Jake, say dinosaur.
Jake: Dinosaur-saur.
Paige: Say dinosaur-saur.
Jake: Dinosaur-saur-saur.

10/23/17
Ali: Mom, why are you up so late?
Me: I was finishing a book.
Ali: Hehe, just like Grandma and me!

10/26/17
Jake: What’s this? (Pointing to the stripes on his shirt)
Me: Stripes, or lines.
Jake: Lines! Roar!

10/27/17
Me: Jake! We don’t throw silverware!
Eli: He didn’t, he threw purple-ware! 

11/2/17
Eli: Where am I sleeping tonight? 
(Sharing a room with your two-year-old brother means sometimes you fall asleep in your bed, sometimes mom's bed, sometimes on sister's floor. Bless him for being flexible!)

11/12/17
Jake: Food is fun. Dinner yay!

11/13/17
Eli: (at the doctor) Will they use the choke-stick?

11/14/17
Eli:..And then mom was blah blah blahing with them...

11/15/17
Ali: (Mostly asleep when I went to check in on her in the middle of the night) What is 5x10?
Me: It's ok, just go back to sleep.
Ali: No, no, no! What is 5x10?!! What is 5x10!!!
Me: 50. Now go to sleep.
Ali: 5x10, 5x10...
Poor thing can't get away from math practice, even in her sleep!

11/18/17
I’ve started helping Jake say his own prayers. The first several times, after the amen he looked up at me and said, “fun!” The side effect of him enjoying saying prayers is that now he thinks he gets to voice the prayers no matter who is saying it or where. He copies whatever the person praying says and if they get long winded he says is own amen over and over!

11/30/17
Jake: First watch tv, then watch tv.

12/7/17
Jake calls every adult male “Daddy.” We’re working on replacing that with “man.”

12/8/17
Jake’s prayer (said randomly while running around): Thank thee for popcorn, and mom and dad, Ali, Logan and Eli.

12/11/17
Alison: When someone is moving the party for them shouldn’t be called an open house, it should be called a closing house.

12/14/17
Original poem by Eli D. E. (That’s how he signed it; he made this up to go with a snowman he drew last night): 
To make a snowman
You will need a pan
And a fan
And a van
Wait! That doesn’t make a snowman!

12/15/17
Jake: Jakey likes mommy, daddy, monsters jammies, popcorn...

12/17/17
My haiku
By Alison 
8 days unto me...
8 days until Christmas, yay!
Christmas, just for me.
(I found this on a scrap of paper on her bedroom floor)

Happy 2017! Welcome 2018!

We had fun ringing in 2017 as a family with crowns,

Poppers and streamers,

 Noisemakers,

A toast,

And kisses!

(Jake helped us celebrate too, he's just too quick for pictures sometimes!)

We had a happy 2017 full of visits to and from family, piano lessons, swim lessons, cub scouts, activity days, a service club, a trip for just Jason and me, school, and two-year-old adventures. Bring on 2018!

Wall Artist

I guess making it through four childhoods with no wall artist would have been too much to ask. But we were so close!

Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas season, and Jason and I were almost sad to see Christmas Day arrive, putting an end to it all! But came it did, and it was a wonderful day. 

Christmas Eve we went to church and listened to great talks from the Bishopric, including our wonderful husband and father, made sugar cookies for Santa, and reenacted the nativity. But by the time I thought to get a picture, the costumes were mostly gone and interest was totally gone. So you'll have to make do with this picture of our nativity. I love that no matter how I organize the pieces when I set them out, over the course of the season someone or someones move the pieces into a tight circle around baby Jesus, and I love it.

Christmas Morning brought happy kids squealing into our room at 6:30am (the time they're allowed to wake us up), and the day just got better from there.

They knew just what to do with the toys, including this stuffed bear for Jake!

Jason and I were thankful to be able to provide a fun Christmas for our kids, and are forever grateful to the One whose birth we celebrate on this day who makes all of this possible and worth it. Merry Christmas.

Christmas Street

We went to the Christmas Street again this year; our fourth time and the streets' 66th time! We love it. And Jason teased me that I didn't need to take pictures again, that we could just look at last years...but I just couldn't not! 

The kids found a huge pile of leaves and had as much fun playing in that as looking at the displays! (Notice Logan's armful of leaves above, and note the fact that he is totally buried in the leaves in the picture below!)

Cute carolers!

O how I adore these people:)

Someone loved all the "sheeps"

"Look, Mom, this is where He would be because it's below the star!"

 A fun time was had by all!

Bishopric

Jason spends a lot of his time with these two good men, Bishop Sydeny Jordan and Brother Joe Kim, and we are so thankful for their service! I am grateful for the great example Jason is to our kids of selfless, patient, continual, happy service to the members of our ward.

Movie and Popcorn

Over Thanksgiving break we went to see the movie "Wonder" with our cousins. It was a great movie and even better company.

Everyone was a little surprised when I told them Jake would be fine at the movie, as long as we got him a refillable bucket of popcorn. And sure enough, the kid was in heaven almost the whole movie (the last 30 minutes were rough, but it was past nap time and we had been there for about 2.5 hours at that point). He sat on mine or Jason's lap, putting handfuls of popcorn into his little cup and then stuffing his face with it. He ate most a a bucket all on his own!

Shopping pictures

Jake gets to read books on my phone while we shop, but occasionally he ventures into the other things on the phone, including the photos. And I have started finding lots of pictures like this!

Noah

We have one of Eli's friends Noah over at our house every morning before school. All the kids have fun with him, but Jake is probably his biggest fan. And Noah, being the youngest in his family, enjoys helping take care of Jake (someone littler than him), and does a great job doing so.

Memory Box

Eli was looking through his memory box, and was amazed all over again at how small his newborn clothes were. He laid them out and said, "It just needs a little body!" and then he found one in his old lovey! Funny boy.

Laundry Room

Sometimes the laundry room is a place to clean clothes, and sometimes it is a place to hide from your mommy.

Morning Reading

I got a kick out of seeing my three boys sitting around the table, eating cereal and reading the boxes.

Nails

Pretty Alison is getting pretty good at doing her nails!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving! Jason's mom came out to visit, and the night she arrived we all met at Portillos, as per tradition.

Amy hosted dinner, and it was delicious. 

After dinner the kids snuggled together and watched a movie.

I'm sure thankful for this man and the wonderful life we've built.

The day after Thanksgiving, we set up our Christmas decorations, as usual. We love our Christmas house. And we loved having grandma visit for Thanksgiving.

Trains

All the boys playing trains together!

Tomatoes

This kid still loves cherry tomatoes, and eats them by the handful just about every time he walks by the fridge.

Where am I sleeping?

Ever since Jake and Eli started sharing a room, poor Eli has been mostly homeless. Because Jake falls asleep later than Eli, wakes up earlier than Eli, and Jake can't stop talking to Eli when the two of them are trying to fall asleep, Eli rarely gets to sleep in his own bed. Add to that the fact that Jake always naps when it's quiet time, so he has to play in the basement rather than his room, Eli hardly ever gets to go in his own room.

For awhile he would fall asleep in my bed and then we'd move him when we went to sleep. But that meant Jake still woke him up too early. Then after a sibling sleepover, Ali talked Eli into continuing to sleep in her room. Before that every night for a couple of months, Alison would wake me up at least a time or two a night because she "couldn't sleep," or had a pain, or was scared, or was lonely...but since Eli "moved in" she hasn't come in once!

Eli is so patient with all of this. He is such a sweet, flexible boy and we're lucky to have him in our family, no matter what room he's sleeping in!

Logan's Tree

What do you do when you want a tree up at the beginning of November and your mom won't go for it? If you're Logan you buy your own and put it up in your room.

Forts

No wonder there are never any blankets around when I want them!

Helping Bake

He's got the taste testing part down!

Skills

Alison used her growing sewing skills to make these cute puppets!

Happy Halloween

This first picture is actually from about a month ago when we went to a garden place for a fall fest and the kids got to try a pumpkin catapult, go on hay rides, eat popcorn and generally enjoy a fun fall day outside together.

This Halloween Jason and I decided to get the uniforms for our daily jobs: referees! Notice the white cap for me (head ref) and the black for him. We make a good team!

Here are our cute trick or treaters: A tigress, a skeleton, a storm trooper and a busy bee!

 Jake kept up really well with the big kids. He would say "trick-or-treat" continuously until given a treat, would then say thank you and then sometimes start again, wanting more:) I took all four out for about an hour, then we came home for dinner and Jason took the older three out again. Jake was not ok being left behind, grabbed his costume and ran to the door trying to get out with the others. I offered TV instead, and he settled right down. He did, however, get upset anytime trick-or-treaters came to our door and got some of our candy (or in his mind, HIS candy), so he also had to get a piece from me every time someone came to the door! The older kids got around 250 pieces of candy each! I declare Halloween a success!

Pumpkins

Our three older kids carved their pumpkins this year with very little help from us. I love how closely they mirror their personalities and likes: Eli's is a silly face, Logan's is an artsy "Boo" with ghosts, and Ali's is a dog. We got one for Jake too but he wasn't interested in the activity, and that was fine by me! 

Jake did, however, like the final outcomes and has to run out and check on the pumpkins now whenever we go outside.

Poster Contest

The kids' art teacher told them about a county-wide fall poster contest, "Pumpkins on a Farm," and Logan was super excited to enter. He sketched out a few rough drafts and then spent about 6 hours working on this beauty.

Eli wanted to follow his brother's example, and came up with his own great contribution. Eli loves to draw lately and spends some time every day doing so.