Funnies from Everett

I love my Everett.  He is so funny!  He often says something I think is amusing enough that I want to write it down, but I never do (go figure).  However, I have saved up a couple of gems.  Here they are.

One day Everett tried to give grumpy Ashley a hug.  When she screamed and whined about it, Everett responded with this:
"You know, Ashley, Papa hugs mama and kisses her all the time and she doesn't complain."
(Joel could tell a different story, but that's neither here nor there.)


Everett was trying to explain anger management to Ashley by convincing her that taking a big breath would help to keep her from yelling.  He attempted to motivate her by saying, "If you open your mouth really wide and take a breath, mermaids will swim out. Well, they won't be real mermaids, they'll just be air mermaids, but they will still float out."

It didn't work.  But he certainly gave it his best shot, didn't he?

The entire family was driving in the car, about to visit the Johnson cousins.  This was an event the kids looked forward to with as much excitement as they could contain in their little bodies.  Everett started quizzing us on the ages and genders of his cousins.  When he found out that there are no boy cousins his age, he looked disheartened.  We reassured him that girls aren't so bad. Everett would have none of it.

"I don't like girls," Everett cheekily informed us.
"You like Ashley and she's a girl."
"Yeah well, I really don't like her very much."  Everett's insistence was displayed on an impertinent face and crisply folded arms.

Later, on that same drive, we tried again.
"You can play with your girl cousins, you know."
"I don't like to play with girls."
"You like to play with Ashley. You play with her every single day."  Joel thought this would have Everett sufficiently cornered, but Everett had the last word.
"Yeah, and that's enough!"


Recently we had a delicious and easy dinner consisting of grilled havarti cheese sandwiches on homemade bread, and miniature sweet bell peppers for dipping in ranch dressing.  I enjoyed the buttery cheese and the fresh, crisp vegetables.  Everett had another opinion.

"I don't like this sandwich," he asserted.
"It's grilled cheese.  You like grilled cheese, remember?" I reminded him.
"Yeah well, I don't like this grilled cheese with the spotted cheese."
"It's colby jack cheese.  We have it all the time, and you like it." I had prepared sandwiches for the kids with what I thought was inoffensive regular cheese.  No way was I wasting good havarti on someone who eats his own boogers.
"But I don't like the grilled cheese sandwiches you make.  I only like the ones Papa makes.  Remember those?"  Everett could not be swayed.
"This is on homemade bread!" I sputtered, surprised at his resoluteness.
"Yeah, well I only like the bread that comes in the bag and is already cut!"

He suffered through half a sandwich, but he enjoyed twelve baby bell peppers.  At least we achieved some success, right?

One morning, on the way home from our YMCA, I noticed that a back interior light had been turned on.  It was right above Everett's seat, so I questioned him first.
"Everett, why did you turn that light on?"  I was a impatient and irritated.  A few months ago someone left one of those lights on for a full day and night and we had to zap our dead battery back to life, and I was in no hurry for that to happen again.
"I didn't!" Everett exclaimed.
"Well, it is right above you.  Who else could have done it?"  My irritation heightened.
"Hold on Mom, I have something to tell you."  Everett attempted to pacify me.  "This is what I think.  I think that we went over a bump and something flew up and hit the light and turned it on.  That's what must have happened."
"What do you think could have done that?" I asked.
"I dunno," Everett shrugged, "That's just what I think."


Sometimes I wish I could freeze Everett right now at age five.  I love being around him.  He is a bundle of inundating love.  We rarely have anger problems with him now, especially on the days he gets to spend lots of quality time with me.  He is getting much better at managing the anger that he does have.  Sometimes I can clearly see the rage threatening to engulf him, but he pushes it back just enough to only almost hit a sibling, rather than actually going through with it.  Neck muscles bulging, eyes wide with anger, he can barely contain the powerful emotions but most of the time, he does it.  I am so proud of him.

Just tonight, after I tucked him into bed, Everett called me back into his room to inform me that he was setting a goal for himself.
"Whenever I get really mad, instead of hitting or biting, I will hit a pillow or a wall or a table.  And if I feel like saying something mean I will go to my room first."

I gave him a big squeeze and told him that sounded like a wonderful idea, and that if he makes a mistake it will be OK.  We can always try harder again.

I love my Everett.  He genuinely wants to do many good things.

The Day We Wash the Pillow Pets

Twins

My Grandma had a set of twins and has been waiting for one of her children or grandchildren to carry on the tradition.  So far, no one has (and no, I am not volunteering).

But many, many people have asked me if Everett and Ashley are twins.  

I can understand why they would say this.  When standing, there is only about a two-inch difference in height (fortunately Everett is not old enough to be self-conscious about this fact).  When sitting, there is basically none.

And while their personalities are very different,

and they don't always behave the same way,

sometimes they seem like two peas in a pod.  

They certainly understand each other the way twins do.  They don't remember life without each other.  They know each other's buttons better than anyone else does, but they also make each other happy the way no one else can.

It is pretty fun to see their relationship.  I am glad I can claim them, just the way they are.

Let's Be Genuine

I try to keep this blog positive because it is less of a dumping ground for my brain and more of a record so for my children so they can remember their childhood. 

BUT, sometimes I am afraid that the blog starts to sound annoyingly like a Christmas card from Mrs. Perfect's family.  Those of you who read this blog know me or have known me in real life, and are probably painfully aware of my many imperfections.  

Our days don't always go smoothly.  It takes us at least an hour-and-a-half to get out the door to go anywhere in the morning, if I want to get everyone fed and dressed with clean bottoms and matching shoes (forget about matching socks.  I've given up caring about that.).

Sometimes I go two days without showering.  Sometimes I don't brush my teeth until after lunch.  Sometimes  I make poor food choices, like downing a handful of chocolate chips and two pieces of bread for lunch.

Our toilets always have pee on them.  Dirty underpants scatter about the house, the self-conscious ones hiding in shadowy corners.  My floors never stay clean.  My windows are worse than my floors.  And dusting?  I can't remember the last time I did some of that.

Sometimes, for no good reason, I just wake up grumpy.  My darling, intelligent, caring children from the day before suddenly transform into annoying little devils.

Sometimes I feel like I'm frantically shouting from a corner and no one is listening to me.

Sometimes I get really, really tired of little bodies pulling, pushing, touching, and laying on me.

Sometimes I am just so tired that my head hurts, my eyes, hurt, and my feet drag, and if I sit down on the couch for more than ten minutes I will likely fall asleep.

Sometimes I cringe when I hear the latest "Moooo-ooom!"  And sometimes I just want to go hide under my covers, or at least use the bathroom without someone walking in on me for goodness sakes.

Basically, I fail at a lot of things.  There are many nights I lay in bed being overridden with guilt for the things I should or should not have done, and the feeling that someone else, anyone else, would be doing a much better job than I am.  I yell at my children when they get out of bed, I scowl at my sweet husband, and I berate myself inwardly for not getting it right.

I don't feel like this often.  Most of the time I go to bed feeling satisfied and happy--glowingly happy--about having the opportunity to be at home with my children.  On these nights, I love my husband, I love my children, and I love my life, and sometimes I'm so happy I am surprised that daisies aren't sprouting from my forehead.

But that doesn't mean I don't have exhausting, emotionally-draining days.  And that's all I wanted to clarify.

Growing Up

Everett is growing up.  I can tell that his sense of reality is becoming stronger and more definite.  A few nights ago when I was tucking him into bed, I commented on the frost covering a storm window in his room.

"Everett, look!"  I said, " The frost is glittering on your window!"

Everett looked and was unimpressed.  "Mom, I've got to tell you something.  That frost is not glittering.  It is just the light shining through and reflecting on the ice."  Everett was unapologetic but empathetic to my feelings in his statement.

I laughed.  "How do you know that, Everett?"

"I dunno.  I just do," Everett replied with a nonchalant shrug.

One morning last week Everett asked me for permission to do something.  I don't remember what it was, but I do remember that since I didn't have an explainable reason for my answer, I answered with the most frustrating answer known to man.

"Because," I told Everett.

Everett was impatient.  "Because is not an answer," he informed me.

I laughed, then replied with the second most frustrating answer known to man, "Because I said so."

Everett accepted this answer without argument, which leads me to believe that he is not too grown-up yet.  Don't tell this to him, though.  Everett refers to himself as a "grown-up kid."

Until recently he has not wanted to even discuss going to kindergarten.  I haven't worried about it.  We still have six months to prep him for it.  Yesterday, as we were on our way to the library, Everett informed me that he decided kindergarten would be a fun place.

"What made you decide that?" I asked.

"I had a dream last night that I went to kindergarten and I liked it!" Everett beamed from the back seat.  I asked him what the dream was about.  He was fuzzy on the details but apparently he made a friend and they played some fun games.  Yep, that's about right.  I thought he might have dreamed that they got to fly in a rocket ship to outer space or something equally as outlandish and exciting.

On Monday, after a Family Home Evening lesson in which we discussed that we are all children of God, Everett asked me where Heavenly Father lives.

"Does he live in outer space?  I could tell that Everett thought this sounded right but wasn't quite sure.

"No, Heavenly Father lives in heaven."

"But where is Heaven?"  Everett was trying to figure the whole thing out.  Unfortunately, I did not have a concrete answer for him.

"I don't know, Everett.  But what is important is that you know that he loves you and can hear you talk to him."  I was relieved that Everett wasn't frustrated by my answer.  Sometimes human nature leads us to try to find complicated answers for everything and I am glad he has not reached that point yet.

Everett has become very interested in building things.  Yes, mostly he builds weapons or space ships.  This is a picture of Everett with his "Kaiact."  It shoots enemies.  Everett even spelled it for me: K-Y-M-L-F.  Make sense?  I try to remember how much fun he has when he goes around the house cutting string, using all my tape, and assembling random objects together--including pieces that may or may not be from something I need.  "Mom, I thought of a new invention!" Everett will announce, and my irritation dissipates.

One day Everett brought me a piece of paper with little squiggles on it.  "I made up a new language," he announced.  He was very proud of himself.  He even spoke a few words of the language for me, but since I don't possess the gift of tongues, I cannot translate for you.  You'll have to be content to look at the scribbles.

Everett is also still interested in making up stories.  All of his pictures go along with some sort of narrative.  In this one, the Monster (figure on the right) is mean and locks up the Alien (figure on the left) in a brick enclosure.  "But then the alien realizes that he has red lasers coming out of his arms and he breaks free!"  Everett gleefully announces.  A whole bunch of other stuff happens, too (see drawings at the bottom), but since I don't have the fresh mind of a five-year-old, I can't remember.

Well, that sums up my Everett.  I love this little guy.  He knows how to take care of all his siblings.  He still has to kiss me three times on the cheek each night.   He still likes to sneak in bed with me in the mornings.  He still thinks I'm pretty tall.  He still thinks I have all the answers, and he is just so much fun.

Basically, what it all comes down to is this:  even though Everett thinks five is practically grown-up, I'm sure glad it isn't!

Ashley Loves To Draw

I don't know how Ashley became so interested in drawing, but at the end of August it was as though a switch was flipped--suddenly she wanted to do little else.  It was amazing.  I literally had to drag her away from the table (after hours of drawing) so we could get some other things done.    

She is not as consumed with drawing these days, but she does turn out some pretty good pictures.

Most of these pictures were done just after she turned three, but some are more recent.  I saved them because I thought they were cute or funny.  Maybe someday she can show them to her kids and they can get a good laugh as well.

First, we have Ashley's horse phase.

I believe this is the very first horse she drew.  It is so cute!

Some were tall. . .

Some were bright. . .

Some had beautiful tails (which meant they were girls, apparently).

Ashley has since figured out that the nose needs to be longer and the legs skinnier, and I'm a little sad about it.  I loved these quirky earlier drawings!

We also witnessed Ashley's mermaid phase.

(which also happened to coincide with her bubble letters phase)

Any guesses as to who this mermaid is?  This one was done during Stake Conference a few months ago.  Best Stake Conference ever as far as our kids' behavior goes!

Occasionally a few other magical creatures showed up.  Ashley never quite figured out what it was she drew here.  She just wanted to make something up!

Ashley also went through a people phase.  In fact, she still enjoys drawing members of our family.

This was her very first self-portrait just after she turned three.  I love the hands and feet and the little bangs she gave herself.  (That thing next to her is her favorite plush cat.)  I have no idea what that little dude is doing on her face.

A typical person of Ashley's.  I love how she gets the letters in her name mixed up sometimes :).

I included this one because it is funny.  Ashley drew this on the back of an old receipt during church.  At the bottom is a picture of Ashley and me at the store.  In our shopping cart are apples, a stick of butter, and a banana.  That's probably pretty accurate as far as our weekly purchases go!

Most noteworthy is Ashley's love of drawing cats.  They are all portraits of, yes, her favorite plush cat.

Ashley dreams of having her bed filled with cats.  Here is a picture of that wish.

Favorite cat, yet again.

Sometimes Ashley branches out and draws other animals, like this raccoon, but not often.  She just loves cats too much!

I am interested to see if Ashley's love of drawing will turn into a life-long hobby.  I used to enjoy drawing the way she does, but I don't do much with it now.  It would be fun if she keeps with it so we can have an artist in the family!

Family Visits

We were very lucky to have family present for not one, but two holidays this year!  My Parents and siblings made the trek out for a wonderful Thanksgiving week.  We really enjoyed their visit.  I am mad at myself for not taking very many pictures.  I didn't even get a group shot with everyone at the Thanksgiving table.

We were hoping that James would make an appearance while my family was in town, but no dice.  However, we did have some fun.  I took these pictures Thanksgiving afternoon when we had to get out and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather.

Grandpa helped Ashley feel more confident on Everett's bike.

(he helped William too!)

Ashley was a little nervous to get out on the road at first, but soon she was giggling with delight.

The kids also enjoyed the hammock swing.

It is so relaxing.  One of these days I'm going to have to try it for myself.

Everett and Grandpa even kicked the soccer ball around.

Everett was thrilled, of course.

Everett, Ashley, and William also enjoyed playing with their aunts and uncles and especially their Grandma Burton.  We ate great food, played games, watched movies, and even went out to eat a couple of times.  It was a wonderful distraction for me, because I may have just given up and started wallowing in self-pity because I was 9 months pregnant and sore and grumpy.  I really wish I had taken more photos of everyone, but those will have to do.   

And then. . .my parents came out for another visit over New Year's so they could see baby James and be here for his blessing.  

During this visit, we went bowling.  Everett has been bowling once before but I don't think he remembers.  Ashley had never been.  

It was fun!  The kids enjoyed it for the first few frames and then their excitement petered out.  I think it was a little long for them since they had to wait for four adults to play as well.

If I remember correctly, Everett got a strike on his very first try!  I think this gave him the motivation to continue to the end.  He is also competitive enough to enjoy trying to beat the adults.

Ashley enjoyed bowling the first few times but after that she didn't even care to see if she knocked any pins over.  It was pretty funny!

And, in case anyone is wondering, yes I did beat Joel.  However, we had put the bumpers up by the end and he will argue that it isn't a true win.  BUT, he bowled with the same bumpers I did and we didn't see him eek out a win now, did we?

Everett and Ashley also had a lot of fun with their Grandma.  They baked cookies, cuddled, watched movies, and giggled.

(Everett is looking at Grandma in this picture.  Isn't that cute?)

They also put on a puppet show with a box Grandma Burton set up for them.  Thanks to Grandma Johnson for the puppets.  They are tons of fun!

Grandma Burton is also great at reading stories.  Everett and Ashley really enjoyed listening to her.

We really had a lot of fun with our family members here.  These visits from my family make us really look forward to seeing Joel's family later this year.  The kids are so lucky to have four wonderful Grandparents they can see!