Flex

Do you. . .

ever wish. . .

that you were. . .

. . .This flexible?

Ladies' Man?

(Everett, on a hayrack ride at a birthday party. . .with pants he had wet seconds before this picture was taken)

Looks like Everett still has a little bit to learn.

Hopefully he doesn't figure all this stuff out until he's about 30.

Hot Off the Presses

Everett found some old stories I wrote when I was a child and today he decided he wanted to write one, too. Here it is, Everett's very first story, in all its three-year-old randomness:

Once upon a time there was a monster and an alligator. They were hungry. The monster was hungry too. The monster hides from a fox. And next the monster hides in a tree and the alligator hides in the tree too. And the monster chased the fox away. And the fox came back. Next the monster hides in a tree. Next the monster scared it away. Again next the fox came back. And now the fox has nice friends. The friends are people. And next there are some toys! And next there’s a princess. And next there’s Ashley and Everett. Then the monster chased Everett away and Ashley and Momma and Papa and William away. Next all the toys are gone because there’s no more people. Then the fox ate meat and chicken for dinner. Next the fox trapped Mommy and Ashley and William and Everett and Papa. Then they all got out and ran away to their house. The End.

A Little Bit Never Hurt Anyone

My motto with mud is that I am no match for its magnetic child-capturing forces. My kids love mud about as much as they love sprinkles. Seeing as there are a lot of dirt patches along the walkways to our house, it takes us a veeeeery long time to get to the car after it rains.

We recently had one last game at the softball fields. At one point I noticed the kids were heading straight to a giant mud pit, and I did not even try to stop them (see first point above).

(after scratching her cheek)

"face muddy, Mommy."

Surprisingly, Everett was the cleaner of the two.

After a quick trip to the bathroom facilities and a change of clothes (I always try to carry around extra clothes for such occasions as these), everyone was back to normal. Ashley's shirt, however, will never be the same.

YMCA Classes

I signed Everett up for two classes at the YMCA this summer: beginning swimming and tots' basketball. He really enjoyed them both, but I think swimming was his favorite. It was a great class. There were only four boys in the class, and one of the boys didn't come a lot of the time. Since his class coincided with the Y-Play childcare, I could just drop Ashley and William off so I didn't have to worry about them during the class.

Everett loved jumping into the pool. They were all pretty good about taking turns and waiting, which was a relief.

Basketball was also enjoyable. Everett had trouble on his first day with all the new faces, but he relaxed and had a lot of fun after that. I wasn't so concerned with him really learning the skills (like dribbling) as I was interested in him having a chance to run around with some other boys.

They began each day with two laps around the track (one lap is 1/12 of a mile, so it wasn't that far). Everett really looked forward to this.

I usually let Ashley do it, too. She would complete one lap by the time everyone else finished two, but she never seemed to mind.

This looks like they're playing a real game. The other boy is just helping Everett get his ball in. Everett was always hesitant to throw it in; he always wanted to just tip it in which was a problem because he is so short.

Have you heard of the game Mr. Fox? Everett and the other boys loved this game and asked to play it during every class. I don't know what this has to do with basketball, but I didn't care. I was just glad they got to run around and get tired.

Mr. Fox starts on one side of the room while the other players are on the opposite side. The players ask Mr. Fox what time it is, and they have to take the correct number of steps (6 for 6 o'clock, etc.). When they get close, Mr. Fox says "dinnertime!" and they all run to the other side before he can catch them. That is when this picture was taken.

Ashley always wanted to play. I tried to be really careful about this because I didn't pay for her to be in the class (she is too young anyway), and I did not want the teachers to think I was taking advantage of them. However, sometimes they invited her to play, and yes, Ashley was always thrilled. Everett loved having her play and would always be very careful and help her know what to do. In this picture he is telling her to stop because they had already reached the correct number of steps.

When Mr. Fox announced that it was dinnertime, Everett always made sure Ashley was running with him, even if it meant lagging behind and getting eaten. It was fun to see him "saving" his sister.

This is how I usually kept Ashley occupied:

Drawing--with an actual pen! (they are not allowed to use pens at home.)

Snacks. This bag of baby goldfish stayed in my purse and lasted for many classes.

I took a couple of videos of Everett one day. He finally learned how to shoot by actually throwing the ball. I think he wasn't confident enough to let go of it before it hit the rim. The first part is how his shooting usually looked. The second part is after he learned to do it correctly (well, sort of). The third part is him working up to an amazing trick. . .with the most anti-climactic ending possible. I don't know if Everett will ever really love basketball, but it will be fun to show him these videos when he gets older.

(password: basketball)

Visit

We recently had a very nice visit from my parents and my brother. Everett and Ashley were thrilled; Everett talked about them coming for weeks before it happened. My parents drove out our new (used) honda pilot, and for many mornings before their arrival, Everett would open our front door and ask if our new blue SUV was here yet. Ashley and Everett were both very happy when the day finally came that they could see it and ride in it.

(Insert picture of new car here)

We've been happy with it. It took me a little while to adjust to driving a larger car, but now I really like how it handles.

My brother often goes places with a wheelchair because he is not very steady on his feet. Everett and Ashley enjoyed the novelty of a chair they could push around easily.

Our living room is small but the kids still enjoyed going for rides.

William loved the extra attention from his grandparents. They saw William when he was blessed, but even two months brings a lot of changes. He is more responsive and more giggly now, and it is fun to see him begin to recognize relatives.

There was only one day it was cool enough to enjoy being outside, so we took advantage of that and walked to a playground.

Ashley and Everett had a lot of fun showing off to their grandparents.

Another day, we went on a paddle-wheel boat ride on the Mississippi. It was terribly hot and muggy, but I think everyone still enjoyed the trip.

Look how pretty and little my mom is!

Everett didn't last too long on the fourth level before he wanted to go down to the first level where it was air-conditioned.

Ashley didn't seem to mind the heat. This picture makes it look like we were close to the water, but this was the top (fourth) level of a large boat. It would be a good drop.

One thing my kids always enjoy about their grandparents is the iphones they carry around.

My mom has lots of little apps the kids can do. Everett and Ashley can spend a long time at it. Notice how they're all in their pajamas? First thing we heard the morning this picture was taken was, "Can I pway games on your phone, gwamma?"

We were sad to see my family go, but we had a great visit and we are looking forward to Christmas when we can see them (and Joel's family) again.

Keeping Things Real

Sometimes I feel like a blog is just one big Christmas Card. It seems that all the information I ever put on here has to do with all of the fun, exciting, or sweet things we've been doing. This isn't necessarily on purpose--I don't usually take pictures of us in the middle of a huge tantrum or think to document the days my house is a complete disaster. (Maybe that is because it is more of an event when every room is clean, since usually there is at least one messy area at any given time.)

So today, I'm going to do something a little different. I'm going to tell you about a conversation (ie, fit) that Everett and I exchanged last night. He is getting older and talks (or yells) back more frequently, and too often I find myself reacting badly.

SCENE 1: The Family Room

I had just taken Ashley upstairs and put her to bed. Then went William. Between teeth brushing, pajamas, diaper changes, and scriptures, I think I had gone up and down the stairs ten separate times in the last few minutes. No big deal, right? Wrong. Today, for some reason it was really driving me nuts.

I approached Everett, who was moping and leaning over the center cushion of our hand-me-down couch, and informed him for the fifth time that it was "bedtime NOW, Buster".

"Moooooommmyyyyyy! I want you to carry me like a baaaabbbyyyyy." His voice was so heavy with whine, I could have collected the drippings and filled a five-gallon bucket.

I surveyed the messy living room. There were little blankets and stuffed animals everywhere that I also had to bring upstairs.

"Everett! I cannot carry you upstairs like a baby right now. You need to get up there by yourself. Now MARCH."

"I DON'T WANT TO MARCH! I WANT YOU TO CARRY ME LIKE A BABY!"

"I don't care what you want! I have too many other things to carry. I do not have room for you in my hands right now."

"I AM NOT GOING TO GO UPSTAIRS!"

I took a breath, hoping it would dissipate my already too-high frustration level. No such luck. The dam broke with a roaring crack.

"EVERETT! YOU need to get UPstairs RIGHT NOW."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"

He glared at me and fingered his favorite-stuffed-animal-of-the-moment, the cougar. I took two bounding steps and whisked it from his hands. He didn't move. I threw it as hard as I could up the stairs, as though Everett, by some canine instinct, would dash over to fetch it and continue on to his room.

He didn't. The cougar, having crashed against a stair, was now laying helplessly still within Everett's overheated eyesight. It was an insult he could not ignore.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Everett collapsed on his knees beside the couch and buried his face in his hands as he began to sob.

I realized I was not getting anywhere, and I further realized that I needed a time-out, so I gathered what toys and blankets I could and carried them upstairs. Everett's lamenting howls echoed up the stair corridor behind me.

I tossed the toys and blankets by the foot of Everett's bed. So much for putting them away. I took a few breaths and while I went back downstairs, I debated: should I stick to what I first said or should I go easy on him since the initial impatience was mine? By the time my foot touched the living room floor, I had decided.

"Everett," I said, my voice not as steady as I would have liked, "I can carry you like a baby now. Are you ready to go to bed?"

He nodded tearfully and rested his head against my shoulder as I went--once again--up the stairs to his room.

SCENE TWO: Everett's Bedroom

Everett laid down on his pillow with little protestation. I covered him with his favorite blanket and his light blue sheet, and cringed inwardly as I heard the request I knew he would make.

"I want you to sing Baby Jesus please, Mommy."

My heart was still racing from my earlier outburst. If there was ever a time I was not in the mood to sing a sweet little song, this would be it.

"Everett," I said impatiently, "I cannot sing you that song right now. You did not come to bed when I asked you to." (As much as I try to be consistent with encouraging obedience, the truth was, I just did not want to do it. Springing this punishment on Everett with no warning was purely selfish.)

Then I walked stormily out of the room as Everett, once again, began wailing. I sighed and stepped into the bathroom. As I leaned over the sink and thought about how unfair I was being, I decided that since I was the adult, I was the one who needed to grow up first. I filled a cup with water and brought it to him.

"Here, Everett. Drink this and then I will sing you your song."

He downed the water, wiped away his tears, and cuddled with me as I stroked his face and sang the familiar lyrics. When I was finished, he almost smiled peacefully. He turned over and settled into bed, and I didn't hear from him for the rest of the night.

I try to be good about making my apologies and not being too hard on myself, and I try to react more often with kindness than impatience, but it is, of course, a learning process. As much as I disallow back-talk and want the kids to understand it will not get them what they're after, this situation would never have happened if I had exercised just a smidgen of extra patience. Everett responds strongly to tone of voice, and the tone I had was not at all pleasant. When I have overreacted, I try to end up being a little more lenient.

But, it is nice to know that even after nights like this, Everett still bounds happily into my room the following morning. Hopefully I give him more good to remember than bad.

Birthday Boy

Joel just turned 28 years old, and we really enjoyed celebrating his birthday. Thanks to my parents, we had a really nice dinner, and thanks to Joel's parents, we got their old wii. The kids were thrilled that someone was having a birthday, because they know that means cake.

(lemon cake with strawberries and whipped cream)

Ashley chowed down on hers, and then Grandpa let her help him with his last few bites.

Everett made Joel some cards. He wanted me to teach him how to write "Happy Birthday", but he pooped out after the "happy" part (frankly, I was surprised he got that far). However, he was so excited about his H, he added it onto another card on which he had already written his own name. In this picture he is holding up a car with three Y's.

It's the thought that counts, right?

Unbeknownst to me, the kids had found a few stray boxes and carefully placed their favorite stuffed animals inside. They brought their home-made gifts out with a flourish after Joel finished opening his wii paraphernalia.

Joel is reminding Everett that if he gives Joel the dog, Joel gets to sleep with it from now on. Everett looked increasingly worried as I confirmed this fact, until he went over to Joel and carefully but firmly took the doggie back.

Same with the teddy bear. I think Ashley had a different idea of how this was supposed to go.

I was happy to celebrate Joel on this day. We had to come up with everything we thought he would like to do, because if we asked him, he would just roll his eyes and tell us not to make a big deal about anything. "It's just another day," he says. Well, yes, that happens when you're an adult, but I was glad to give him a little recognition. I am so lucky to have him as my husband, and I am even luckier that he likes having me around. I couldn't dream up a better man than him.

As a bonus (for those of you who have nothing better to do), here is a video of the kids singing Happy Birthday to Joel. Everett is still learning how to sing (his speech problems are more apparent when he has to think about rhythm and melody as well), and seeing this makes me think we should sing more often because it is so good for him.

(password: birthday)

Eventful

We've had a lot going on in the last little while, which may or may not explain my lack of blogging. Really, I have no good excuses. August heat just makes me feel lazy.

However. . .

It is cooling down this week and I am back in the blog-posting saddle. Here is what has been going on (look for separate posts in the next couple of days):

We bought a new (to us) car

We celebrated Joel's birthday--with much more ado than he is accustomed to.

We had a fun-filled visit from my parents and brother.

I got super deals on what ended up being a sack of clothes each for Everett and Ashley to hold the them through fall and winter.

I got a new haircut.

To his great delight, Everett discovered Little Einsteins and their red rocket ship.

Joel and I are enjoying our new callings at church.

I showed the kids how to use Ashley's mattress to make a slide down the bottom few stairs.

I finished registering Everett for preschool.

I took the kids to the John Deere pavillion near-ish our home. It is air-conditioned, the kids can climb up and in a number of giant tractors, and it is FREE.

We're staying busy. Keeps our rented walls free from marker that way.

Take the Words Right out of My Mouth

Lately Everett has been very tuned in to the phrases I am saying (unless they contain the words "no," "wait," or "hurry up"). Often when he comes to me and announces grand plans or informs me of something positive he's done, I reply with a very simple "good!".

Four days ago, I guess I filled my quota.

"Mom, why do you say 'good' aw da time?"

"Well, Everett, I guess I just like to say it. What do you think I should say instead?"

"I don't know. Some-peen ewse." (that was "something else" for those of you not fluent in Everett-speak.)

Yesterday, as Everett was playing but couldn't quite get his creation correct, I couldn't help but notice that "Blimey!" escaped from his mouth every few seconds. Just as I was getting around to smiling to myself (Everett picked that one up from me, and I in turn had picked it up from Joel), Everett turned to me and again asked:

"Mom, why do you say Bwimey aw da time?"

I just laughed. "Everett, what do you want me to say instead?"

"ELISE JOHNSON!" Everett replied, without hesitation and with an edge of false exasperation.

In a similar manner, he has also questioned me on my usage of "see you later" as a phone-conversation-ender.

I realized at Walmart a few weeks ago that I might also over-use the word "guy" or "you guys". I was shopping with all three kids and we had just gotten all of our items loaded on the conveyor belt, when I suddenly remembered we had forgotten a necessity. I sighed and informed the kids that we needed to put it all back in the cart and go find the item (soap) before we could actually purchase everything.

"Hey Guy! Hey Guy!" Everett yelled to the cashier. "We need to go get some-peen! We will be wight back! Okay?!"

It was a fine gesture on Everett's part, except for one small detail. The cashier was not a guy; she was a woman. She--with her masculine haircut and unisex clothes--glanced over at him and chose to ignore his enthusiastic announcement. I would have done the same thing. I returned our items to the cart as quickly as possible and got the kids out of there. When we returned, we went through a different line even though our original choice would have been faster.

It will be interesting to see what else Everett notices about my speech habits. It will also be interesting to see what else he copies. If there was ever a time to watch my language, this would definitely be it!

Wildcat Den

There is a beautiful state park that is a short car ride from our house. Once you enter the park, you'd never guess that you're in Iowa.

The rock formations are my favorite thing about this park. If I was any sort of rock climber, I'd definitely want to scale these walls.

Ashley decided it would be more fun to fly along the trails as an airplane.

And she most of her time making airplane noises, whether she was extending her arms or not.

Sometimes she'd stop and just zone out for a little while. I could always tell when she was doing this because she'd stick her fingers right in her belly button.

The kids loved running along the trails.

The giant boulders were interesting as well.

Bridges--on which to play "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." I was the biggest Billy Goat, and when I told Everett I had to throw him in the water because that is how it happened in the book, he suddenly lost interest in the game.

I think we will have to go back and explore different areas of this park. There is even a stream the kids could play in, if Joel and I decided to be ambitious.

Hand-me Downs

Here is Ashley, wearing the exact same dress I wore when I was about her age.

It made me smile every time I looked at her.