The Best-Laid Plans...

Okay, so have I kept you in suspense long enough? I know, I know. It's terrible how lazy I am... So here's the story. We were all set to go camping that weekend. The weather looked iffy, but we had Plan A, a back-up Plan B, and even a Plan C. We were set! We were going to a place outside of Socorro, and we were going with my brother-in-law and his family, so the kids could enjoy some time with their cousins. We made sure Enoch knew NOT to ride the bus home - we were going to pick him up from school and head out. No sweat.

Well, Friday afternoon rolls around and we get a call from our relatives - they had strep throat, so they weren't going to make it. There goes Plan A. And since Plan B was staying at their house if the weather was bad, there went Plan B as well. Plan C was to camp somewhere closer to home, so we could pack up and come home if we needed to, and not feel like we had driven forever. So we decided to head out that way. About an hour before we were going to pick up Enoch, here's what we saw:

A nice thunderstorm headed just the way we were going! Figures! So after a bit of deliberation, we decided to bag the whole thing. We didn't want to disappoint the kiddos, however, so we compromised. We tried to set up our big tent in the family room, but it was just too big. We then pulled out the little tent we haven't used in a while and let the boys sleep down there. It was a good idea - the boys had fun, and I got to sleep in my own bed! Plus, when the baby woke up at night I didn't have to get out of a warm sleeping bag and get her!

The boys even made name tags for each of their cousins and aunt and uncle (who they also refer to as cousins) and had a stuffed animal proxy for each relative. It was pretty cute!

So we enjoyed an "electronics-free" evening - no TV, computer, video games or anything. The boys read books by flashlight and played until bedtime, and had fun sleeping in their sleeping bags. I was amazed at how quickly and easily they settled down. I had feared they would be up half the night, but it worked out fine.

Yeah, it was a little more work than just putting them to bed, but this is the stuff memories are made of, right? And this way, we averted all tears and tantrums! And best of all, we got to eat Smores...even if they were cooked in the microwave!

Saturday Is A Special Day...

When kids are little, every day seems to be pretty much the same. Now that Enoch has started Kindergarten, we've begun to notice a difference between Saturday and every other day. We've tried to get out and do some fun things on Saturdays to celebrate!

So a few weeks ago we went to the Nuclear Science and History Museum. It was really interesting, but after about 3 minutes, both the boys were crying and saying they wanted to go home and get out of there! I think it was mostly due to the fact that there was a hands-on exhibit that kept making a REALLY loud noise. Then, thank heavens, they found the toys! A couple hours later, I was the one wanting to get out of there, but couldn't pull the kids away! It was a lot of fun to spend time together.

Victor set up a cool marble run to help entertain the boys. Well, that's his rationale anyway. I think he was just having too much fun...

Enoch was having a blast with the gears and seeing how many he could put together. Pretty fun!

Andrew enjoyed the blocks. (So did Victor.)
There were lots of cool things to do there, and lots of neat exhibits. Thumbs up!

Then last weekend we went to the west mesa and found a short little hiking trail to go on with the kids. It was only about 1 mile round trip, which was just right for the boys. And a nice view at the top. It was an old volcano, and Enoch kept asking me if lava was going to come out while we were hiking. He even found the hole at the top where he thinks the lava comes out! Ahhh, the way a kid's mind works is funny!

Victor and the kids. We forgot our carrier for Lynn, but had the stroller in the car. We did okay until the end when we had to climb up the rocky parts. Then we left the stroller and just carried her.

Me and the kids. Looking great! :)

The view from the top.

A short, but fun hike. And this weekend's outing deserves a post of it's own. Stay tuned...

The Prodigal Bike

The never-ending saga with this dirt bike continues. It was stolen about 2 months ago. We filed a police report, but it wasn't insured because it was off-road only. Needless to say, Victor was ticked. Me, not so much - I was kind of glad to be rid of the thing. Well, we got a call from the police a few weeks ago saying they had found it on the west mesa. Hard to believe, but true! So Victor picked it up from the towing place (after paying the fee) and brought it home. It wouldn't start, and looked a little worse for the wear, but with some TLC and a few new parts, it's running again. But I think Victor is finally convinced that it might be better to sell it... Anyone interested? :)

The Green Machine - ready for action, more or less! Just some cosmetic scratches and a nice rip in the seat.

Enoch's 5th Birthday

Enoch turned 5 last month, and I'm just now getting around to posting the pictures. But, in my defense, I do have to fight the kids for my turn on the computer... Anyway, he had a great birthday. The highlight, I think, was when he wrapped a present for himself (a single red lego) and looked really surprised when he opened it. He might have a career in acting... (NOOOOO!) Here are some random pictures of the occasion:


A Thomas the Train computer game

A Wubbzy book, and best of all:The Wubbzy cake! Victor did a great job with the decorating. Enoch is on a huge Wubbzy kick (if you don't know who Wubbzy is, you should consider yourself lucky!) and loved the cake! He also got a Wubbzy "doll" that he picked out. The doll came with a special code to unlock some games on the computer, and he and Andrew have been addicted to the computer ever since! Ahhh, kids these days....

Lynn's Blessing

Lynn was blessed by her daddy last Sunday - here are a few pictures. We had a good time with family over the weekend - thanks to those who came!

All dressed and ready for church.

My boys are such goof-balls! They are distracting their cousins, so despite the 10 times we tried this picture, this is the best we could come up with!

And here she is today, taking a nap in the swing. She doesn't sleep there often - it's easier for her to nap in her crib. (Surprise, surprise with all the noise that is pretty constant throughout the day!)

And here is what the boys were up to. Time to start piano lessons??? At least they are happy, and the volume on the keyboard wasn't up all the way...

Random Update

Okay, so I thought I'd post a few of the random pictures I've taken lately. Here's the family with Victor leading the boys in a rousing round of "Hi, My Name is Joe" - you know, the button factory guy! The boys thought it was hilarious.

And here is Enoch following dangerously in his father's footsteps - already perusing the Harbor Frieght catalog!

And here he is showing his "Price is Right" addiction - he made the money sign to wear on his shirt! He later cut out the letters of his name and stuck them on his shirt too. What a funny kid!

Here's Victor riding the tractor we rented to dig up our backyard. Unfortunately, it only worked for an hour before it quit on us and we couldn't get it started again! How annoying!

Lynn's first bath - ignore the bleach in the background - we didn't use that in her bathwater! :)

Last but not least in this little photo journal, Enoch and Andrew are having fun with some good old-fashioned favorites - old magazines, cardboard, scissors, and tape. They are making a house for their lego people to live and play in. Pretty creative, huh? They started running out of room and added another box for more room... If only home improvement were so easy!

Let Freedom Ring!

Just a quick post to celebrate my recent, although small, victory! With three kids now, I have become somewhat of a hermit. I'm reluctant to go anywhere by myself with all of them, and just haven't mentally felt up to the task. I knew it was getting bad when I found myself looking forward to going to presidency meeting just to get out of the house!

So I did it. I got everyone out the door this afternoon to run a few errands. And guess what? We all survived! The boys did great, and Lynn slept through most of it, so I call it a big success! We were able to go 4 places and get a lot accomplished. (Well, "a lot" is a relative term!) And I didn't even get the kids out of the car for one of the errands, but that's okay. I feel like I can go places now and handle all three of them by myself! Next stop: Wal-mart! Okay, maybe not yet....