The Denver Children's Museum

Every Friday Tera and I take our kids to our favorite park in Northglenn, a tradition we began last summer. This past Friday, for a change of pace, we spent the day at the Denver Childrens' Museum. Armed with season passes and packed lunch boxes, we made the 25 minute drive without incident. Upon arrival we lucked out with front row parking. It was gonna be a good day.

The first exhibit we visited was tailor-made for children like Dallin and Elijah. There were things to build, walls to paint, and electrical circuits to re-create. Also in the exhibit was a monster truck tire laid on its side so it could be climbed on and in!


First Mimi, Felicity and Brynna selected building blocks.


Mimi really got into her work. She donned a construction vest and pushed her wheelbarrow to collect building supplies (giant Legos).


Felicity enjoyed helping Lauren, Mimi, and Brynna build a skyscraper.


Jake got in on the action, too!


Ethan helped to choose building blocks for the big kids. He is very selective. Adorable, too.


Lauren built the skyscraper taller than she is!


Brynna is a construction cutie.


Felicity is a cranky contractor.


Dallin practiced his electrical skills by creating a circuit that motorized a small fan.


Elijah and Jake agree that electricity is cool.


Roll on, Elijah! The shade you chose to paint that room is very nice.


Time for lunch! It was a beautiful day so we ate outside. Near the entrance to the museum is a giant black cow named Hopscotch which the children are allowed to write on with sidewalk chalk. Dallin, Elijah and Mimi climbed on Hopscotch's back to eat their lunch.


After lunch, Mimi, being part daredevil, jumped off the cow's back. She is Elijah's disciple.

Brynna really enjoyed her lunch. She earned an award for "The Best Messy Face".


Just before we left the museum, Dallin took a moment to pose with Bree.


Felicity posed with Bree, too. Talk about a couple of tired girls!

Our day at the museum was well-spent. All nine (yes, nine) children had fun and were worn-out by day's end, so we'll be back again soon. None of them gave Tera or me trouble at bedtime! Why can't every day be so good?

Love, Cara

Manual Labor

Manual labor is good for naughty children. 'Nuff said!

Cara

Mimi No Front Teeth

If Mimi belonged to a tribe, her name in that tribe would be Mimi No Front Teeth. As you can see from this picture, Mimi is now missing both of her front teeth.

The first of her front teeth was extracted by her daddy last week. Yes, my kids have learned that daddy likes to pull teeth for some odd reason and if they don't wish him to pull out a loose tooth, they'd better not let him know they have one!

The second front tooth was extracted by Mimi herself. And in her bed, during the night, no less! That's right--Mimi surprised Richard and me yesterday morning with her new smile and blood on her bed linens!

Mimi is enjoying her new smile and her new voice. At times it is difficult to understand her, due to the escaping of air when she speaks. Richard teases that she now has a lisp and a whistle and calls her "rough and toothless" instead of "tough and ruthless". So far Mimi doesn't mind her new nicknames and is laughing off the teasing comments. We'll see how long that lasts, though.

Mimi is also enjoying the challenges that come with eating while missing so many teeth. (She has also lost four teeth on her bottom jaw, too). Here are some fun pictures:


Mimi loves fresh fruit. Good thing apricots are soft.


But the pits aren't!



Carrots aren't either, though I doubt that fact will keep Mimi away from them.


Never to be left out, Elijah struck a pose with carrots, too. He looks like a walrus showing off his ivory. Fear the tusks!


Obviously Elijah's mouth is bigger than Mimi's because the carrots are a tight fit for her. Not the case with Elijah.



Though cherries have pits, too, Mimi thinks that losing teeth is a bowl of cherries. To her, losing teeth means a visit from the Tooth Fairy who always brings greenbacks!


Mimi loves apples. She had one for lunch today and was grateful that I sliced it for her. I think if I had handed her a whole apple she'd have either laughed or cried.



Mimi looked cute enough when she only had one front tooth missing.


But was that good enough? No! She had to make the gap bigger!


Who would've thought that pulling teeth was so much fun for Mimi? I guess she got that from her daddy. Or maybe from her Aunt Dena (my sister) who used to pull her teeth out during church to get out of Sacrament Meeting... Strange! Whoever Mimi got it from, she needs to be stopped or by next week she'll have to drink her meals through a straw!

Love, Cara

Little Things Mean A Lot

This month my girlfriends and I have chosen "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman as our book club selection for June. By the end of the book, each reader is able to determine which of the Five Love Languages he or she speaks and understands best. Hands down, my love language is "Acts of Service". Richard speaks my language well.

Richard does so many nice things for me and for our children everyday. I'd be willing to bet that most of the nice things he does for us, he does without recognizing them for what they are: Acts of Service.

Here is a list of some of the little things Richard does:

1) He keeps my gas tank full. I do not pump gas. I repeat: I DO NOT PUMP GAS. In the nearly 15 years that Richard and I have been together, I have had to pump gas twice. Both times you can be sure that I cursed liked a sailor the whole time.

2) He takes the trash cans out every week and brings them back in. I have never had to do it. Yuck!

3) If a toilet gets clogged, we close the lid and use one of the other four toilets in the house for the rest of the day. Richard will unclog it when he gets home that evening.

4) With much alacrity, he exterminates any bugs and spiders that happen to get into the house. He also disposes of any mice caught in traps.

5) Even though Richard works on his feet all day on the job, he happily comes home and helps out around the house wherever he is needed.

6) Every Sunday Richard spends hours with Dallin and Elijah on their cub scout assignments. He wants them to earn their Eagle Scout honors just like he did as a boy.

7) He is happily our resident handyman.

8) He is quick to use his priesthood for the benefit of our family and anyone else who may be in need of such a service.

9) Every morning while I groom for the day, Richard brings me a pitcher of water to drink. He knows I am not quick to take care of myself and that if I see the water in front of me I will drink it. As a breastfeeding mother, it is vital!

10) Richard never complains about going to work each day. He is a good provider.

11) Every night when I head upstairs for bed, I find that Richard has turned down our bed and carefully placed our 9 decorative pillows in a corner on the floor.

12) Every fast Sunday Richard makes breakfast for those of us who can't fast. That's all of us girls. This has got to be hard for him to watch us eat in front of him!

13) Each morning before going to work, Richard helps me start my morning work around the house. No doubt Richard would much rather get up later in the morning than get up and work before he goes to work.

Those are just some of kind things Richard does for us. I could go on and on. It has been said that "little things mean a lot". I, for one, agree wholeheartedly which is why I do all the things I do. It is one of my goals in life to teach my children this very same principle. And so, because Richard is a busy man, I asked the children if they would like to do something really nice for Daddy. Dallin and Elijah said that they could mow the back lawn for Daddy. And though our back lawn is very small, in the summertime when the grass gets long and thick quickly, it is a big job.

Here are some pictures of Dallin and Elijah happily at work:


Dallin and Elijah are getting started. It's a beautiful day to be working outside.



Dallin and Elijah are never too busy to smile for the camera. What hams!



Elijah is the original ham, for sure. He's cute and he knows it. He also knows that if he does a good job on the lawn he'll get a treat.



What's gonna work? Teamwork!!! Dallin and Elijah are a great team.


Dallin knows that doing manual labor like mowing the lawn will build muscles and draw the attention of any chicks in the vicinity.




To my muscles: Burn, baby, burn!



Mr Tyke is our resident supervisor over all lawn mowing jobs. He gave the boys two paws up!



Once again, teamwork works.



As you can see, Dallin and Elijah are very focused on the job at hand.



I'm sure the boys are glad mowing the lawn doesn't have to be done every day.



The grass was so long and thick. The boys had to empty the grass catcher multiple times!



Felicity "helped" with her Yard Crew toy lawnmower.


Okay, so it wasn't all work and no play. Here Elijah is trying to blow up Mimi's skirt with the leaf blower.


And here he is doing the same thing to Felicity, even as she tries to run away from him.


Let's get it started, Mimi!



The finished product. Excellent job, guys! You're hired!


It was a big job, and a gorgeous day, and when it was over, Dallin and Elijah were tired, hungry and very thirsty! They each downed a can of soda pop, and a lot of lunch.

I know that Dallin and Elijah have enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment, that comes from a job well done, but even more they will enjoy seeing the look on Daddy's face when he discovers what the boys have done to surprise him. We can't wait to witness his reaction!!

Love, Cara

The First Six Weeks

As difficult as it is to admit, Aubrielle's first six weeks have come and gone. So sad! Although it is certainly nice to be completely healed from my surgery, and able to participate in all activities again, I would go back if I could and do those first six weeks again. And again. And again. They are my favorite.



Bree has changed a lot since she was born. Most noticeably, she has grown and put on weight, and her cheeks have filled out. Her umbilical cord has come off. Her right eye, which had a plugged tear duct, has finally stopped draining. Her eyes are open and she is alert a lot more. She is an excellent nurser and a good napper. The best change in Bree is that she smiles now. Ooh, I love it! It's the best!



Aubrielle loves to be held and cuddled by her mommy and daddy, and her siblings, too. Dallin and Elijah love to hold her so much that they have even been known to fight over her. They especially love to push her in the stroller and buckle her into her carseat. Elijah has even been changing her diapers lately! Yes, the boys are very helpful with her. Hopefully that won't change.




It's easy to see that Felicity cannot wait for Bree to be big enough to play with her. Felicity is constantly trying to put toys in Bree's hands and tell her what to do with them. Of course Bree doesn't understand. I think she just likes being spoken to. Mimi has recently learned to read books on her own, and most mornings she can be found reading to Bree. Again, Bree doesn't understand, but nonetheless enjoys the attention. It warms my heart to see Mimi reading to her baby sister. So special!



So far, Aubrielle doesn't mind riding in the car--most of the time. This is perfect for us since we often go places. It's great when she falls asleep in her car seat and stays asleep even when we reach our destination. I know that this will not always be the case, so for now I am grateful. I am also grateful for the times that she falls asleep in my arms or at my breast. These are special times which I cherish.

Sometimes I don't remember when we didn't have our sweet Aubrielle in our family. She is a necessary piece of our family puzzle and having her in our home fills a void.



I love that Richard comes home from work and lights up at the sight of Bree. It's wonderful that she seems to brighten his day. She is his little princess and has her daddy wrapped around her little finger. When Bree is fussy or tired, Daddy is sure to comfort her and lull her to sleep.



Since she was born, Bree has been nursing every couple of hours. At times Richard and I have to wake her up to nurse because she has been sleeping too long. Other times, she doesn't seem to want to sleep which can be frustrating to a couple of tired parents, but most of the time she wakes during the night to nurse and goes back to sleep. I know that this period of her life will be gone in the blink of an eye and so I am enjoying every minute of it. The night nursings are particularly precious to Bree and me because they also involve Daddy. When Bree wakes up, Richard goes to her nursery to change her diaper and grab a burp rag. He then brings her to me in bed to nurse and crawls back in with us. When Bree is done nursing, Richard takes her from me, burps her, and puts her back to bed. I am so grateful for a husband who wants to be such an integral part of our baby's life.


It's hard to believe that Bree will be two months old on the 1st of July. Time doth pass so quickly with a newborn baby. What an awesome experience and responsibility raising children is. Being a mother is what I aspired to be, as a little girl, and I am lucky that Heavenly Father has entrusted me with two handsome sons and three beautiful daughters. I am blessed.

I am also blessed to have friends who love Bree, too. Here is a picture of Tera holding her. Tera is more than a friend, though, and I'm glad she'll be an integral part of Bree's life, too. Aren't they both gorgeous?


Life is busy with a new baby--I wouldn't have it any other way. But now that my sweet Aubrielle is sleeping, I should be, too. Goodnight!

Love, Cara