Mr. Bones

When I was preparing the last few blog posts I found an old picture that I never posted.  Way back in March I took the boys to the gem and mineral show.  While they enjoyed the rock displays, the hit by far was Mr. Bones - a man wearing a dinosaur skeleton.  I pulled out my camera and took a shot to test the light and then the battery died, so my boys aren't in the picture but I still wanted to share the awesomeness that is Mr. Bones.

A Tree House!

Caden keeps suggesting to Ryan he would like a tree house.  Having just cut down our big trees I'm not sure I see that ever happening.  When we were in Panguitch Caden got to live vicariously through my cousin who had built a really amazing tree house (you should have seen the spiral ladder and how sturdy this thing was).  Both boys enjoyed climbing on it, but Mommy's nerves couldn't handle it for long and they were promptly brought back down.

Shoe Storage

Eric was working on finishing up a snack as we were leaving for Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We told him to get his shoes and meet us in the van.  This is what he brought.  I guess he wasn't done eating yet.

A Party in Panguitch!

Last week Grandpa Dodds turned 80 and my aunt planned a party for him.  All week long Caden couldn't wait to go to the "party in Panguitch."  We took some family pictures, had a nice tribute to Grandpa, and finished up with dinner and cake. 

We took the pictures out on the farm and the entire 2 hours we were there Eric begged to get into the tractor.  Once everyone else left my dad treated the boys to a 5 minute tractor ride, at the conclusion of which Caden jumped down to go find his new friend and Eric clung to the steering wheel calling out, "Go!"

Oversize Load!

This is what our truck looked like last night after the neighbor finished loading it for us (Ryan was working on fixing the chain saw at the time).  Ryan and I spent most of the night laughing over how overly full it was and wondering how in the world we'd get that load to the dump.  Its hard to see in the picture, but in addition to being so tall the pile protrudes 2 feet over the edge of the truck on each side and 4-5 feet behind the truck.  For the record, the tie down straps did their job and we made it just fine.  The door to the truck is open because Eric insisted on climbing into the truck and loudly repeating "Go!" every 10 seconds while I was tying down the branches.  That boy loves truck rides.  Both boys enjoy watching all the other big trucks we see while at the dump.

Um... Yum?

We picked up a shaved ice maker for the boys from DI earlier in the week, and we've had 'ice cream' every day since.  Eric loves the plain ice and can't get enough of it.  He posessively guards his cup and shovels it in as fast as he can.  Caden, on the other hand, thinks it needs some flavor.  A typical 'ice cream' recipe includes ice, water, sugar, salt, and pepper.  We've also tried adding his formula powder and diced apples to the mix, but those weren't big winners.  Salt and pepper ice cream.  Yummy!

The First 50 Words

At Eric’s 18 month well check the doctor asked if he had 5 or so words. I told him I didn’t think so. He really is more of a grunt and point kind of boy. But lately he has started to talk more, and when I sat down to type a list I realized he’s hit more than 50 words! Its amazing the difference 2 months can make.

A-poe (apple), Baby, Ball, Beep-Beep, Book, Boose (caboose), Bubble, Bye-bye, Choo-Choo, Daddy, Daddy home, Duck, Eye, Go, Gum-pa (grandpa), Happy, Help Me, Hex (Chex), Hey-yo (hello), Honk, Jesus, Ke-wee (Kellie), Let go, Mama, Me too!, Mine, Mommy, Moo, Nana (Banana), No, No (snow), Nose, Out, Owie, Peek a boo, Here go, Pee-pee, Pee-Poe (people), Peese (please), Poo-poo, Pop, Quack, Rice, Sauce (applesauce), See, Sue (shoe), Tank you (thank you), This, Tic-oe (tickle), Uh-oh, Up, Wing (Swing), Woof, Yes, Yight (light)

Caden's First Talk

Caden was asked to give the Scripture Thought today in primary.  He was to take 1-2 minutes and share his favorite scripture story or something he learned this week while reading in his scriptures.  Caden helped write his talk, then practiced it for a few days before Sunday.  He had the whole thing memorized, but when he stood up to the microphone he told me I was supposed to whisper it to him a few words at a time, like all the other kids do.  He did get carried away and say the first two sentences on his own before deciding to wait for my prompting. 

Below is Caden's first talk.

My favorite scripture story is when Nephi built the big ship to cross the water.

Even though he didn't know how to build a boat, he prayed to Heavenly Father and he taught him how.  Nephi's family worked together to help him build the ship.

I know that when I pray to Heavenly Father he can help me like he helped Nephi.

A Door, or a fortress!

Ryan has been spending the last 6 months working here and there building a door for his parents and the house they're working on. He built a blacksmith forge and bar twister as well as many other tools in order to do scrolls, twists and bends. The end result has turned out well. As of this last week, there's finally an end in sight. The unpainted door was installed in the entry with the help of 7 guys (the actual door weighs somewhere between 400 - 600 lbs, and the frame probably comes in at around 800 - 1000 lbs). To all those wondering "Can anyone open it?", the answer is yes. As easily as any other door in a house. Though there's still weeks ahead of us doing the finish cleanup and paint work, the pictures show why it's taken so long. To give you an estimate of size, Ryan's mom is around 5' 7".  It will have glass in it, and a handle it yet to be decided on, but it's looking good. Good work!

 

A Litte Bare

Our backyard is looking a little bare.  We finally decided to bite the bullet and cut down our massive cottonwood trees (the ones that got struck by lightning a few years ago).  It will be nice not to have to deal with the cotton, leaves, and roots, but I think we'll miss the shade a bit.  Here are some pictures Ryan snapped the first day the guys came.  They worked fast and I was amazed at how quickly the trees went from towering over my house to piled in our garden area awaiting a trip to the green waste dump.

Sunny Days!

Its finally starting to really warm up around here. Yesterday was sunny and warm, and today is supposed to be even better.  In anticipation of the warmer weather I decided to put the boys in their summer clothes.

Eric tugged at his short sleeve shirt, trying to get the sleeves down to his wrists.  Then he broke into a pitiful cry while frantically pointing as his bare arms.


Caden kept insisting that the shorts I was attempting to put on him were Eric's pants, and he didn't want to wear Eric pants, he wanted to wear Caden pants. 


Eric is in long sleeves and Caden is in long pants.  Here's hoping they warm up to the idea of summer clothes before the weather warms up too much more.