Look What McLendon Left

McLendon was only visiting until Christmas Eve. We knew that Santa would take him home when he stopped by our house. Much to our surprise, Mac dropped a bag of goodies for the kids on the roof as he left. It was fun to watch Dad retrieve the bag and we loved getting the gifts inside.

Our Friend, McLendon

We invited one of Santa's elves to come live with us for a few days this Christmas season. He did many nice things for us, like mkaing breakfast, giving us new things in our Church bag, giving us new toothbrushes and bubble bath, and giving us a new Christmas DVD.

One morning, we woke up to find that he had given us a "Snow Day". Since we haven't received much snow this year, we thought it was a lot of fun. He TP'd the Christmas tree and hung snowflakes from the ceiling. It was one morning that we will not forget.

Baking Memories

Olivia, Audrey and I baked cookies today. The girls were really excited to help me roll out the cookies. I think they prefered to eat the leftover dough, but they had a great time doing it together.

JOY!

There are only a few moments in life that can capture full emotion through a camera's lens. This was one of them...
We went to Snowflake Lane in Bellevue and Olivia was mesmerized by the whole experience. The drummers were fantastic and she loved seeing the snow princess. I loved seeing her glow.

Olivia's Sticky Situation

Today was a day that was busy with many activities. The girls and I had many errands to run in preparation for the evenings activities, including a trip to the grocery store. We rushed home to continue our preparations.

This afternoon, right as I started getting dinner together for the kids and to bake a dish for the Relief Society activity tonight, Tyler came and asked if he could have some orange gum. I asked him what gum he was talking about because I had not bought any orange gum lately. He said he wanted the same gum Olivia had and she would not share it.

I called Olivia downstairs and noticed that her mouth was packed full of orange gum that she has put in her pocket when we were at the store.

I turned off the stove and oven, packed up Olivia (the boys went to the neighbors house) and took her back to the store to pay for the gum. The whole time she was crying and saying she was sorry and did not want to go to the store. When we got there, we went to the Customer Service desk and waited in line. Olivia was burying her head in my shoulder when it was our turn in line. I asked her to tell the lady what had happened. She refused to make eye contact.

After paying for the gum, Olivia and I headed home. She was a much more humble girl. We are hoping that this lessons sticks!!

Eden Family Christmas Tree 2009

In the spirit of tradition, we trekked up to our usual Christmas tree farm today. We wandered into uncharted territory (at least by our family) and found the perfect tree.

Of course, we nearly lost it on the way home...

After a funfilled day, we ended with a beautiful Christmas tree to kick off this beautiful season. We are excited to celebrate it as a family once again this year.

Decade's Day

Hilltop Elementary sponsored a Decade's Day today. Carter and Tyler wanted to participate. They asked Ryan how he dressed in the 50's and me how I dressed in the 80's (Smart boys!!). After ransacking their closets, we came up with some great costumes. The boys played the characters very well. Carter liked wearing all denim with white socks and loafers. He even liked doing his hair for the part. Tyler had everything down to the loose tie, no socks with his loafers and the earring in his left ear (look closely).

They came home from school excited. Carter's friend in his class had dressed up in a similar outfit and Tyler even had a teacher tell him that he had worn that same outfit in the 80's. I love it when my kids learn history!!

Carter's Heroes

This month in Cub Scouts, the boys were working towards their Citizenship badges. One of the activities was to build a float to showcase their hero. The parents were given instructions to ask who the boy's hero was and to not offer any suggestions or help. When I asked Carter who his hero was, he thought about it briefly and then said that it was Grandpa and Grandma Clark. I asked him why and he said, "They are a good example and they teach me."

The floats were in a "parade" at the Pack meeting last night. Carter proudly pulled his grandparents. We are glad to have many "heroes" in our lives that teach our children things that they would otherwise not learn.

If at first you succeed...

Try, try again!!Audrey found this costume in the boys closet a few days after Halloween. Being a smart child, she remembered that if she put on a costume, not only will you get a lot of attention, you will get a lot of candy. With Olivia's help, she came downstairs dressed up to see how she would fare. When the costume did not produce the same results, it was taken off and put away. You can't blame a girl for trying.

Halloween 2009

What do you get when you cross a CSI agent, a SWAT team member, a sparkly witch and a ladybug? HALLOWEEN at the Eden's!
We started the evening with pizza with the Klausers. It was fun to be able to spend time with friends before sending the kids out for some holiday cheer. Audrey and I went with them for a short while and then when we couldn't keep up, we came home and handed out candy. She was a great help and really enjoyed it when the kids who visited our house admired her costume.

At the end of the night, everyone had a bag full of candy, a tummy ache and a great night's sleep. It was another successful Halloween!

Carving Memories

The kids did a great job carving their pumpkins this year. We had a lot of fun pulling the "guts" out and trying new, elaborate designs. Audrey liked being a part of it.



And the finished product....

"We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision"

We received a letter from the school nurse a few weeks ago explaining that she had done a routine eye exam on Carter. On the letter home she wrote, "Needs to bring glasses to school". We laughed about it because Carter has not ever had glasses and since his parents have great vision, he should too. Right? Nonetheless, I made an appointment to see the eye doctor just to prove the school nurse wrong.

I took Carter to his appointment and was amazed at how little he could actually see. He is near-sighted so we had never noticed he could not see as it had never affected his reading capabilities. We had wondered why he sat so close to the television, but what eight year old boy doesn't sit close to the TV? I sheepishly handed the school nurse's letter to the eye doctor so he could validate it.

This morning, Carter and I went to get his glasses. He tried the glasses on and looked around. The lady who was helping us took the glasses back into another room to adjust them and Carter said to me, "Mom, when I had my glasses on, I could see that picture of Snow White clearly. Now it is blurry." The picture was advertising some glasses frames and it was less than twelve feet away.

On the way from the appointment, he kept saying, "Mom, that sign says, 'Tony Ryan for Fire District #1'". And, "That sign says Wasabi Bay." It is a whole new world for him.

Olivia summed it up after school when she said, "You look so cute, Carter." I agree!!

Carter is NINE!

Caught Red-Handed

For some, this post may seem like a deja vu. Alas, even with experience, I still am being outsmarted. Listed below are the things that I have learned from Audrey today:

1. Imitation is the finest form of flattery.

2. Clinique lipstick is truly "long-wearing".

3. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

4. 409 removes "long-wearing" lipstick from hard surfaces.

5. "Long-wearing" lipstick requires dynamite to remove it from skin. (Perhaps that is why I do not ever wear it and why it was in my vanity drawer.)

6. Audrey's new fall wardrobe is going to include a lot of black, as it hides a multitude of stains.

7. Pink shows "long-wearing" lipstick very well.

8. Babyproofing is never really babyproof.

9. Having a camera handy is the best form of revenge. Someday she will have children!!!

9. Forgiveness is really easy because she is such a joy to our family.

Mischief

There are many phases of a child's life. Audrey and I have just entered the "Don't-expect-to-get-anything-done-while-the-baby-is-awake" phase. She is too independent to know that she is still dependent on her mom for many things.She likes to spend time in my bathroom going through my necklaces. I don't usually mind. I don't wear beaded necklaces on a daily basis to clean house, run to the grocery store and take kids to and from school. The problem comes when I want to find them when I need them and I have to think where a sixteen month old would hide beaded necklaces.
Olivia has showed Audrey how to open the pantry door and so she is able to get whatever she desires on the bottom two to three shelves. On Sunday, I got her dressed and then she went to find herself a snack. She had a choice of flour, sugar, uncooked rice or hot dog buns. She chose the hot dog buns. Wise girl.
This morning, she was playing quietly in the bonus room with Olivia. That should have been my first clue. When I went to proudly see how the girls were getting along, I saw that they had been coloring together. Well, maybe not together, but near each other. Olivia announced, in her most crimeless tone, "Look, Mom. Now Audrey has red hands." She had taken apart a marker that Olivia had been using and despite being "washable" I am sure we will wear the battle scars for a few more days.
So, friends, when you come to visit, be forewarned that life is only as clean as our sweet sixteen month old will allow.

Easter in September

The girls got new dresses which have smocking across the chest and tie in the back. This is the first time that they have ever had matching dresses and Olivia thought it was fantastic to dress like her little sister.

When we got to church, we saw one of my friends sitting in the pew across the aisle waiting for her family to arrive. Audrey squirmed off my lap and walked over to her. She caught Abby's attention and then looked down at her new dress and back at Abby. She was looking for accolades and Abby obliged her. Audrey thought it was a great game and so as other people would arrive she would slip out of our pew to go show off her new dress.

They looked beautiful and it was fun to have new "dress-ups".

And Now for the Talent Part of our Show...

It is not uncommon to find Audrey in sitting in the chair at the piano. She likes to "play" the piano while we finish our evening chores.

Tonight I heard her plunk on the piano keys. I didn't think anything of it until Ryan told me to come quick. Apparently, she was bored with the piano and wanted the bells on top of the piano. She can't walk yet, but she can climb!!

The First Day of School

School started late this year. It was nice because it felt like our summer was a little bit longer. We had to pull out the long pants to go to the first day of school because our weather is already changing.

The boys are excited about a new year. Carter is in third grade with Mrs. Littlejohn. Tyler is in second grade with Ms. Smith.

Mystery Solved!!!

(Read "The Mystery of the Disappearing Tooth" post first.)

Tyler was preparing breakfast this morning when he said to Ryan, "Dad, if I tell you something, will you promise not to tell Mom?"

Ryan agreed and Tyler began his confession: "I tricked the Tooth Fairy. I was trying to clean my tooth in the sink before the Tooth Fairy took it and I lost it down the drain. So, I found a small bit of cracker on my sock and thought it looked like an old tooth so I put it in the bag and put the bag under my pillow. The Tooth Fairy took it. I tricked the Tooth Fairy."

Stupid Tooth Fairy.

The Mystery of the Disappearing Tooth

Returning from Chelan on Friday, we stopped at a fruit stand to pick up some fresh fruit. We got a bag of apples which we were anxious to sample when we got into the car. Tyler eagerly started eating his. About fifteen miles down the road, he told us that his tooth was really loose and ready to come out. He was really excited as we have been waiting for this to happen for about six months. We all encouraged him to pull it out, which he did.

He handed me the tooth which I carefully wrapped in a bag that we found on the floor of the car. We put it in a safe spot so that we would know where it was and it would not be thrown out with the trash. When we got home, it was carefully transferred to a clean Ziploc bag so that it could be placed under Tyler's pillow in anticipation of the Tooth Fairy.

That night, I went into to say prayers with the boys and say good night. The tooth was in a very safe spot under Tyler's pillow. As all the kids were tired, they went right to sleep. When I went to check on them an hour later, I decided I had better check to see if the tooth was still under the pillow. The bag was gone. I tried to move Tyler and his pillow without disrupting him but he finally woke up. I asked him if he had given the tooth to Carter for safe keeping and he insisted that he had put it under his pillow and gone to sleep. I assured him that we would look for it in the morning and that the tooth fairy would come the next night.

When he awoke the next morning, he came downstairs carrying a bag. He had found it behind his bed. He carefully took it back upstairs to put it under his pillow.

As he was preparing for bed that evening, he said to Ryan and I, "Michael told me that the Tooth Fairy is really just your mom and dad and they give you money when you lose a tooth."

Ryan and I looked at each other and then I said, "What would we do with all your teeth?"

His face brightened and he said, "Yeah! Why would you want to keep all of my teeth?" He was glad to have debunked the theory that his school buddy had given him.

He went to bed and went right to sleep. The Tooth Fairy came and placed a dollar under his pillow and took the Ziploc bag in exchange. When she examined the bag further, she noticed that there was no tooth in the bag. There was a small piece of paper, but no tooth. As she conferred with the counsel of Tooth Fairies, they decided that even though the tooth was not present, they would still award Tyler with the prize.

Around 2:00 a.m., Tyler came into our room and woke up Ryan. He was very concerned because the bag was not under his pillow. Ryan told him they would find it in the morning. Tyler kept insisting that the "bag full of money" was not there. Then with a nudge from his wife, Ryan went in with Tyler to prove that the Tooth Fairy had indeed come. He found the dollar sitting under the pillow and showed it to Tyler.

Tyler held it up to inspect it. Ryan in all his 2 a.m. excitement said, "It's a dollar!" Tyler held it up a little higher to see if the faint street light shining through his window would prove differently.

"Are you sure it isn't a five on there, Dad?"

"Nope, it's a dollar."

"A dollar?" asked Tyler incredulously. Disappointed, he put it back under his pillow and went back to sleep.

He has no idea how much money the Tooth Fairy will end up paying for his mouth before he leaves home!!!

A Week at the Lake

We spent a week at Lake Chelan with the Edens. We had such a good time and built wonderful memories. As we were leaving, Tyler kept asking if we could "go and do just one more thing". None of the kids were anxious to leave.

We spent a lot of time swimming. As a matter of fact, every day had at least two to three hours spent in the pool. The kids were able to practice all their newly learned skills that they have acquired in swim lessons. It was great fun.
On Tuesday morning we rented a boat. We were able to be out on the lake for a couple hours. It was nice to get a different viewpoint. Everybody had a chance to "drive" the boat.

We wanted to rent jet skis on Thursday morning but we woke up to a thunderstorm. It only lasted for about an hour and it produced a beautiful rainbow but also a lot of wind for the rest of the day making the water too choppy to enjoy being on it.
Carter was able to rent bikes with Nikki and Grandpa. They rode around the resort. He thought it was great to be able to do something that his siblings were not able to do.

Olivia preferred putt-putt golf. She became quite the golf pro while we were there. She liked having everything her size.

Tyler liked just about everything. He hardly slept for fear that we might run out of time.

And Audrey was a bit out of sorts the whole trip but we know that next year, she will love it as much as we did.

We love the time we spend together building memories. We hope this will be a solid foundation of friendship and love as we continue to grow together as a family.

Jetty Island

Our family worked hard to get our house and yard in order this morning, so we decided to go to Jetty Island as an afternoon treat. The kids and I had been there a few years ago, but Ryan had never been there and was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable it was. It is a sandy beach on a man-made island and the water is less than three feet deep for nearly a quarter of a mile so the kids can wander out as far as they would like. We were there at high tide which provided a lot of water fun close to the beach.

Everyone had a good time. Ryan buried the kids in the sand. The boys and Olivia liked playing in the water with driftwood and a frisbee. Even Audrey wandered down to the water and sat in the tide as it came in. She loved the water and watching her siblings play. We love building memories like this.

Politically Incorrect

While we were at Jetty Island, Ryan buried the kids in the sand. Audrey thought she would help and so we wanted to get a cute video of it. As a bonus, we were reminded that we also have to reteach our children tolerance in social situations, namely a crowded beach. Listen to Carter...

We're feeling hot, hot, hot...

What do you do in the summertime in Seattle when temperatures are reaching record highs? Everything inside. We have been chasing the air conditioning this week and spending some quality time with our Grandpa and Grandma Eden.

On Monday, we went to the Pacific Science Center. We were able to see Animal Grossology and some of the other experiments that are usually there. The kids couldn't get enough of the exhibits. They would run from place to place faster than the adults could keep up.
The highlight of the day was going to Dick's Drive-In on Queen Anne. Grandpa introduced the kids to "real" hamburgers. They are all addicted and hope to go back soon. They walk around the house talking about the Dick's Deluxe burger.

On Tuesday, we went to the zoo. It sounds hot to be at the zoo in hot temperatures but we met some friends and played at an air conditioned indoor play area called Zoonasium. Olivia's friend, Sophie, kept Tyler and Olivia entertained as they chased each other around. Carter made new friends and they even had a toddler area for little Audrey. We were at the zoo for just over 2 hours and we played at the play area for just over one hour. The rest of the time was spent seeing the penguins, the tigers, the elephants and the insects. Tyler has been asking to go back to the zoo. I am pretty sure it is not because of the great animal exhibits.
On Wednesday, the hottest day ever recorded in Seattle at 104 degrees, we went with Grandpa and Grandma to the Everett Children's Museum. We spent almost three hours there and everyone involved came away exhausted.
Later that evening, we found respite in our neighbor's air conditioned bonus room. We had a sleep over there which was a treat for our kids. It was nice to feel cool throughout the whole night.
Thursday, we ate lunch at the mall and then walked across the street to the theatre to a nap time movie. This proved advantageous as Audrey slept during most of the movie. The kids enjoyed the movie and the adults enjoyed sitting in a cool room.

Just when we thought that we would break the bank seeing all of Seattle indoors, the weather started to "cool down". Friday was a much more pleasant day with highs only in the upper eighties. We were able to get our house clean and get back to our regular summer schedule.We enjoyed our time indoors, but since our time in the sunny outdoors is so limited in Seattle, we are glad we are back to normal.

We are thankful to our Grandpa and Grandma Eden who helped make our indoor summer vacation possible. We love building memories with them and we are so glad they live so close to us.

Planner

We have a trip planned to go to Lake Chelan as a family during the first week of September. We are looking forward to it. We went there last year with our grandparents Clark and are excited to go back this year with our grandparents Eden.

I am a big believer that a majority of the best part of the trip is planning it and getting there. The anticipation is always a lot of fun. In that spirit, we have been discussing the things that we are going to do in Chelan including swimming, miniature golf, swimming, playing at the lake, and swimming.

This morning, Olivia was taking a few extra minutes getting dressed in her room. I assumed she was having a hard time picking out her clothes or perhaps she had become sidetracked playing with her doll. Soon she came downstairs with her backpack stuffed full.

She came into the kitchen and announced, "Mom, I am ready to go on our trip."

"What trip?" I asked, being that we had a day trip planned with Grandma and Grandpa Eden today.

She huffed at me and tilted her head to her shoulder, "Chelan, Mom."

I smiled at her and told her to go unpack her bag so that she would have something to wear for the next few weeks.

Later, I found the unpacked bag in her room. It contained Barbie, a few of Barbie's dresses, a pair of shorts and a T-shirt for Olivia, a Polly Pocket doll, and some things to do her hair. She was ready for a great time. I hope the vacation outshines the planning.

Zion's Camp

Carter was able to attend a science camp as his summer camp choice this year. It was a fun experience for him. He was able to experiment with things that he isn't able to do at home.

Today, as we were driving home from church, I asked the kids what their Primary lessons were about. Carter started by telling me that he had learned about Zion's Camp. I asked him to elaborate and he said that he had learned that there were many leaders from the early church in Zion's Camp and they were called to go to war but, in the end, they never fought.

I added my thoughts to his and we had a brief discussion about the blessings of Zion's Camp. I looked in the mirror and saw Tyler sitting with a furrowed brow looking confused. Soon he couldn't contain his disbelief any longer and said,with some incredulity, "Carter learned about Science Camp at church?"

Baby Heaven

Carter is showing some great responsibility and likes to entertain Audrey for short bursts of time so this morning I asked him to watch her while I took a quick shower. When I came down twenty minutes later, I found a blanket on the floor with all sorts of baby toys laid out on it. When Carter saw me looking at it, he said, "Mom, you just have to make it baby heaven and she stays happy."

Basketball Camp

Tyler participated in a basketball camp this week. He has a great natural talent that will be tough to beat when paired with time tested skills. We are excited to watch him continue to progress as he practices the new skills he learned.

Lessons from the road

I have been practicing amateur yoga for quite a few years. I love the benefits of yoga but one thing that I have never understood is how yoga teaches you to "be in the moment".

This week, my family and I went on a road trip. I am not sure if it was the yoga or if it was the small, confined space with six people that helped me to "be in the moment". There were many situations that required all of us to "be in the moment" or it could have adversely affected the rest of our trip. I think what I may have learned from our road trip is that "being in the moment" requires preparation as much as it requires flexibility!!!

Here are some other things I learned that made our road trip successful:

1) Whisk the children out of bed early in the morning and put them in the car in their pajamas. They imagine that we are doing something sneaky, like the VonTrap family escaping Germany. Even with sleep in their eyes, they have grins on their faces. It may be that they still have one foot in Dreamland, but that is part of our plan.

At the end of the first leg, we stopped at a rest stop - or "dress stop," as Olivia refers to it, and get the children in their traveling clothes. I did not make my children's traveling clothes out of curtains, but the option is there for next time.

2) Pack your own food. We packed breakfast and lunch and then we were able to stop at a park or a "dress stop" to play. We ate donuts and fruit for breakfast and sandwiches and chips with juice boxes for lunch. The kids enjoyed this much better than having mom and dad frustrated while sitting in a restaurant after traveling in the car for hours on end. It was a good stress release for all of us. I researched parks online in the cities where we would be at the designated times. I found one close to the freeway so that we didn't have to spend our travel time searching for a park.

3) Plan games, games and more games. I have always been apprehensive to take a trip without the DVD player. I have wondered many times how my parents ever did a road trip with all of their children ("Do I need to pull this car over?") but I also hate how my children look like zombies when we arrive at the destination because they have not blinked the entire road trip. This time I decided that I would try the trip with limited DVD time.

I tried to remember the things my family did when we would road trip when I was young. I also printed some games for the kids to play such as scavenger hunts, car BINGO, Battleship, Tic-Tac-Toe, etc. My favorite was Battleship because it required A LOT of time and we all enjoyed it.

The DVD player came out after lunch but that was nearly eight hours into our trip so we were due for a change of pace. It was a great break, the kids quieted down again and the last bit of the trip was relatively relaxing.

All in all, it was a great road trip. We enjoyed the time we had together and I am hoping that my children will be inspired to torture their own children by taking them on road trips!!!

Y? Because we like you...

We spent time in Provo with the Taylors over the 4th of July weekend. We had a fast and eventful trip. Ryan had never been to Provo and he was like a kid in a candy shop, not to mention the rest of us were excited to spend time with some much beloved cousins. We packed many events into a short amount of time.We walked the BYU campus and visited the Bean Life Science Museum. It was interesting to see all sorts of animals that we had never seen before. We were glad they were stuffed and that we were not the hunter finding them for the first time.
We went to Bridal Veil Falls. It was a beautiful day and the cool water was refreshing to play in. Olivia would only go in a short distance but Tyler and Carter tried to follow Mason and Stuart to the top. They only made it about halfway before their moms told them to climb back down.
On the 4th of July we woke up those who were willing and able to go hike the "Y". The adults, Tyler, Stuart and Mason were brave enough to battle the mountain. It was a great morning for a hike. When we got to the top, we looked out over the valley and were able to see about two dozen hot air balloons starting to rise. We enjoyed the view for a bit and then made a vain attempt to run back down the mountain. It was a great start to a great holiday.
It was warm on the 4th of July and Carter and Mason used their ingenuity to cool their feet. They used their ingenuity for a lot of things during our stay, some of which had negative consequences for them. One example was when they decided to make a fire pit in the backyard of the abandoned house next door. Luckily, it was found before it did any damage. They are great boys and we are hoping that with the right focus, their curiosity will make their parents rich!!!

The evening of the 4th we were able to sit in the Taylors backyard and see the fireworks at Stadium of Fire hosted by BYU. The Jonas Brothers were the special guest and although we could not hear the words, we could hear them singing and hear the stadium full of girls screaming. Not to be beat, Noelle went and got her little CD player out of her room and brought it out to the back deck. She popped in a Jonas Brothers CD and she and Olivia were dancing and screaming in hopes that Nick, Joe or the other Jonas brother would hear them and come over and visit. Unfortunately, they never did come. But we had a great pseudo-concert given by two beautiful and determined little girls.

All in all, we had a great weekend. It was hard to leave such a great family and fun place. We are excited that the Taylors are now only thirteen hours from us so that we are able to see them with only a day long road trip.

Annie and Audrey

Audrey loves Annie. Well, she loves any dog, but Annie is the one we can pet. Annie is a very patient dog that allows Audrey to follow her around and give her "hugs" (which is laying on the dog when she is sitting still) and "kisses"(imagine what a one year old child offers as a kiss).

Tonight when Annie went outside, Audrey followed her to the door. Audrey waited there for a few minutes and when Annie started begging to come in, Audrey pulled up toward the window in order to "touch" the dog. She was so excited to be on the same level as the dog. If you didn't know better, you would have thought Annie was equally excited.