A Family is a Gift That Lasts Forever...

A Family is a Gift That Lasts Forever...

Friday, March 13, 2015

Upward Basketball


Cooper is on an Upward Basketball Team this season and Nate is coaching.  It's been a lot of fun for them both.  They have a great team of first and second grade boys.  Nate has a lot of skills in the game and he is enjoying being able to teach his skills to kids.  It's a lot of fun watching him out on the court too, calling out simple plays and giving the kids instruction.  Cooper is the happiest kid on the court, as well as the smallest.  He is excellent at guarding and defense.  He doesn't take his eyes off his man or the ball.  He's learned how to do both at the same time.  He loves the game and he has passion.  He's never slowing down, but running back and forth in the game.  It is so much fun to watch him play.  

We have been very impressed with the Upward program.  It is a Christian based program revolving around Jesus Christ.  The coaches give a devotional  to their team each practice night about Christ, and it gives Nate an opportunity to share his testimony and stories from the scriptures.  The players also earn stars based on Christian values pertaining to their attitude and behavior at practice and games.  At half time on Saturday games there is a casual speaker who shares their testimony of Jesus Christ and how their testimonies have been strengthened through life experiences.  They all have been inspiring.  We have thoughourly enjoyed this basketball season!! Great job to Cooper & Nate!!

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

A 3rd Set of Grandparents


What kids wouldn't like to have not just 2 sets of grandparents, but THREE!! These kids are so lucky to have Andrea & Dennis a part of their lives.  They have become our adopted grandparents.  Andy spends time with the Littles almost everyday while I work for Simplx.  And they adore her.  The days she doesn't come, they ask for her.  And Dawson loves Dennis to pieces.  Whenever he sees a tie, he thinks of Dennis, since Dennis is always wearing one.  And since Dennis a big kid himself, the older kids love to rough house with him, wrestle, sled outside and play.  Andrea has become such a good friend for me and we both know that our paths have crossed for a reason.  I'm so grateful for her.  Her kids are grown now, but her family resembled ours so much.   Only now she has "been there & done that."  Now she's my mentor and teaches me every day.  I learn so much from her and I look up to her.  Thank you for being there for us, Andrea.  We love you. 

One Way to Potty Train...


One way to potty train in this house is to put the little princess in charge.  Dawson won't sit and try for me, but he will listen to her!  Kaylee sits with her little brother and sings potty songs to him.  It was too cute to not snap a picture.  He didn't do anything in the potty, but at least she got him to try.  She's like a little mother for her two little brothers.  Cute kids!

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Kaylee is Reading

Kaylee is reading!  It is one of my most favorite things to do with my kids, teach them to read.  She is ready, focused, and catching on fast.  It is so exciting!! We use the famous book: Teach Your Child To Read," and it works magic with every child!  She will be going to Oak Farm next school year for PreK and is very excited for that!!

We Love Daddy

Daddy is being smothered!  They were all watching a cartoon on our big bed and I couldn't help but add Baby Nathan to the pile and snap a photo.  These days when our kids are young will pass all to quickly.  I love Nate and every last one of our crew. 

Sweet Kaylee

Yesterday, Kaylee and I got to spend some time together since she had a friend's birthday party to go to.  We had about a 25 minute drive to get there, and during our drive she just started asking me questions, the sweetest questions.  She asked where Jesus was and why he didn't come down.  She knew that he and Heavenly Fatger wanted to help her, but was confused as to how, since they couldn't come down.  I tried to explain that He helps our feelings.  When we pray, He can help us feel better inside, or feel happy.  She mentioned that Jesus couldn't come down, and even if he could he couldn't help everyone at the same time.  Wow!  So I explained who the Holy Ghost is, that he is Heavenly Father and Jesus' helper.  That he can be in lots of places at once and help a lot of people at the same time.  I also explained that sometimes if we need something, Jesus hands can't come down to help, but sometimes He will use another persons hands, to act like Jesus hands, to help us.  We talked about daddy's hands when Daddy gives a blessing on someone's head, that Jesus is using Daddy's hands to bless, since Jesus can't be here to do that.  It was so very sweet.  About 3 or 4 times as she let our conversation set in her mind, she spoke up, saying, "Mom can you talk more about Jesus?"  She wanted to keep learning and hearing about her Savior.  I felt the spirit so strongly in the car, and there is no doubt that she felt something strongly too.  And she didn't want those good feelings to go away.  She wanted more and more.  And as I spoke at a four year old level, I felt inspired how to answer those sweet questions.  The ideas on how to teach her came to my mind.  I love my girl dearly.  I cherish sweet moments like these.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Brian Regan Live

For Valentines Day, Nate got us tickets to see Brian Regan live in Wabash at the Honeywell Center.  We went with the Coudrons and the Keplingers kept our kids for us, all 5 of them!!  So it was a true date night!

Downtown Wabash was super crowded and most restaurants had a very long wait.    We ended up at a small Mexican restaurant that was crowded to the max but had just 2 very busy waitresses trying to run the whole place.  We felt bad for our waitress who was running a million directions at once.  We only had time to scarf down chips and salsa, quest, and bean dip before our show was to start.

The show was awesome.  Brian Regan is just so fun.  He makes the simple occurrances in life seem so hilarious and funny.  Towards the end he started doing some of his classic jokes that we remember from when we were at BYU.  It was real funny to watch him do these live in person since in college we only ever listened to his CDs.  

Afterwards we got some desserts and drove back to our kiddos.  What a fun night out with my love.  I'm so grateful for our date nights, which are so necessary in our crazy hectic and stressful lives.  Thank you so much, Hun 😍.

Friday, February 13, 2015

The season for love

Valentines Day is always a fun holiday season.  The kids got a package from Grandma in Utah full of hearts, goodies, and gifts.  Opening Grandmas packages is like Christmas every time!  It is so much fun for everyone!!



Kaylee made some tissue paper roses with Andrea and made a vase by stamping hearts.  She was so thrilled to give it to me when I came upstairs after work.  I love my girl!!  



The kids made Valentine cookies with Andrea with cookie cutters and frosting!  Yummmmm!


Monday, February 9, 2015

Our Family Tree


Jaxton studied our family tree at school. He gathered names and birthdates in relation to himself. He created a tree out of magazine rippings, and placed each name strategicly on the tree. This is very special for him to learn. Recently when getting on family search.org, I began searching around on the website for individuals within my family tree. The famous orphan on my dad's line has always intrigued me and sparked my curiosity as to how we could find that lost name. Apparently in family search.org many names have been recorded by others.  I was actually able to do a search with dates to determine the father of the orphan.  A little more research is required to finalize that we have the correct name,  however it was pretty amazing to see the names and the dates match perfectly with the story that has been told by word of mouth and passed down through the generations.  I sure hope that if I can find some free time sometime in the near future I can search with my kids and together we can seek out our family line! It is a very exciting work!

Kids Map Work


At Oak Farm, the boys are studying maps quite a bit. They are learning where we are in the world and what is around us. Over time they have been working on maps, starting from the entire globe, and working all the way down to the state of Indiana. They have learned the continents of the earth, they have learned the countries within north America, and currently they are learning about the 50 states in the USA.  Jaxton has picked up the 50 states song that I taught him from when I was a kid in elementary school. Now each of them are working on details of a particular state in the United States.   I am so impressed with their work. I love to put it up for all to see!

Sunday, February 8, 2015

My toes taste good!



Snow Days

Snow days are so much fun! For the young and old!






Coopers Tooth


Cooper's tooth was literally hanging by a string. It would wiggle and flop it was really gross. Dad convinced him to tie a piece of floss to the tooth and yank it. He was nervous. But wiggling it with the string got it to fall outwithout having to yank it. Cooper is funny about the tooth fairy. He did not want the tooth fairy to take his teeth away. So he put it in a baggie and had us keep it hidden in our room so that the tooth fairy would not be able to find it. When he's ready he will slip it under his pillow for cash!

Friday, January 30, 2015

Downtown Indy Date Night

Nate and I got invited to an Indiana Pacers game with Nate's work friends, Andrew and Desiree Holy, and Jerry & Jamie Rongos.  We took the kids to Aunt Melissa and Uncle Johns house for a movie, game and snack night.  The kids had a great time, and even baby Nathan took a bottle and enjoyed the fun.

Nate and I enjoyed a fun fancy dinner at Prime 47 Steakhouse followed by a fun time in a suite box to watch the Indiana Pacers basketball game.  The suite was complete with hot dogs and snacks and stocked with all kinds of beverages.  Too bad we had just eaten a huge several course meal!  The kids would have loved it, though.  We will have to take them to a game sometime.  But Nate and I had a really good time getting away and being together.  We also decided to become Colts fans and Pacers fans because it would be a lot of fun to follow our states teams.  Go Indiana!

There was a looming snowstorm /blizzard headed our way.  They were predicting 10-15 inches of snow in Fort Wayne.  We wanted to beat the storm, so we picked up the kids and headed home.  Next time seven'll get a hotel and make a weekend out of the trip!  I love my hubby.  It's so fun to get away from reality sometimes and just enjoy one another!!


Sunday, January 25, 2015

Coopers cake


Cooper wanted a Spiderman cake. We found an idea on Pinterest. And got to work. Happy birthday Cooper!




Coopers birthday party

Cooper had a fun birthday party at Jungle George's where they have about 10 bounce houses, an arcade, and pizza.  We won a free birthday party at jungle George's through a radio station.He invited three church friends, Cameron, Joey, and Gabe. He invited for school friends, Jackson, Fernando, another Cameron, and Pierceton.  

The kids were entertained by all the activities and they had a blast. Even Dawson and Kaylee couldn't get enough.

Cooper was very grateful that all his good friends could come. He made sure they were all having fun.it was a lot of fun. Happy birthday kid!




Saturday, January 24, 2015

Cooper is 6!!!


We can't believe that Cooper is seven! He is such a big kid! Here are some fun things about Cooper at seven years old: 

1. Just last week Cooper lost his top front tooth. His other top front tooth is super news. For a while both of the front teeth would wiggle together as a unit. But one held on strong.coupe has a hard time parting with his lost teeth. When he loses a tooth he is worried that the tooth fairy will come. He does not want her to come and take his tooth away. So he has dad keep it protected in our bathroom.  Maybe one day soon he will be ready for some cash.

2. Upward basketball started again this year just last week. Nate decided he would give coaching a try. He is coaching Cooper's basketball team for first and second graders. Cooper is loving every minute of it. He got new basketball shoes for his birthday. He is way into the sport.

3. Cooper loves to go to primary at church. Michele Metcalf always sit with me and the kids to be some helping hands. Cooper really likes Michelle. She has been helping him work on division problems.

4. Cooper is such a thoughtful boy. He is always concerned about what someone else feels or needs or wants.  He can notice when someone needs help or is feeling sad.  He is very sensitive to his own feelings and the feelings of others.  He is very able to recognize when someone needs something and he is very confident in helping to meet others' needs.  It is a quality that is so precious to Cooper. 

5. Cooper is very hard-working. He is very determined. He gets that from his dad. He will work his heart out at something that is important to him and then he has mastered it. He does this with piano, schoolwork,yard work, and anything else that is asked of him.

6. Cooper is becoming a really good at the piano.  He really really enjoys learning it.  He is one that will practice and practice till a piece is perfect before he will stop.  At first he was almost OCD about it.  He would run through an exercise and if he messed up in the middle, he'd have to start over from the beginning until the whole thing was done from top to bottom without any mistakes.  He's not quite as obsessive as when he first began, but he has a determination to succeed just like his dad.  He hopes to be able to play like his cousin Jared someday.

7.  Cooper really likes to cook.  I love to cook, so I am always cooking different things for our family.  Cooper loves to help.  One evening, it was apparent that I was not in the best of moods.  Cooper announced that he was going to make breakfast for dinner.  He is such a thoughtful boy.  I know that he noticed my demeanor and wanted to help.  He is so much like his daddy.  So he got to work and he would not let anyone help him.  He wouldn't even let anyone in the kitchen.  I't took a while, but he did the whole thing:  scrambled eggs, fruit salad with marshmallows and cut up fruit mixed with yogurt, bread & butter, and orange juice.  I came to check on him several times, and he assured me things were good and he needed no help.  I really was so proud of him.  He even set the table.  The whole deal!  He is smart as a whip!  He is the most prone to spills than any other kid I've ever known, but he also can accomplish a dinner for 7!  

8.  Cooper is such a confident kid.  His classroom at school consists of 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders mixed, with a total of 22 students.  He is used to being the younger one (because of his brother Jaxton), so it was interesting when he gravitated toward a group of 3rd graders as his best buddies at school.  Fernando, Jackson, Cameron & Cooper are such good buddies at school.  They are great kids.  I'm so glad that Cooper has a confidence about him that allows him to just be who he is with everyone. 

9.  Cooper has become a great reader.  He can read so well.  Its amazing how a kid can be taught to read, and then can teach himself by reading and reading and reading more.  I remember trying out our reading lesson book with Cooper when he was barely four.  He wasn't quite ready, but I thought we could try anyways, just for fun.  He struggled with sounding out words.  He couldn't blend the words.  So we put the book away and pulled it out during his pre kindergarten year.  And Alas!  He could blend words.  I learned that a kid can learn just about anything when they are ready.   And now, Cooper is such a fluent reader and he loves to read.  He is reading Harry Potter #1 and is almost all the way through.  He knows the story because of the movie, so that helps him get through the difficult words and phrases that are way out of his reading range.  Yet he can follow the story and is so proud of himself.  Way to go, Cooper!

10.  Cooper loves to wrestle.  It is his favorite thing ever.  He loves to wrestle until he's crying, and then he gets up and keeps going.  He is such a fighter, such a determined winner.  His drive is incredible.  He is super strong.  He is lucky to have 3 brothers to wrestle with.  I don't know what he'd do if he was in a family of sisters.  !!

Here are a couple cute things Cooper has said or done lately:

Cooper said, "in real life do dreams really come true??"

One day, to be camouflaged so a bird wouldnt see him, he put his boots on backwards facing behind him. 😄



Friday, January 16, 2015

Sledding

The kids took advantage of the snow outside. Amy is to enjoy the snow without getting too cold too fast. The big boys got sleds from grandma Routsong for Christmas. they were excited to use them. Dawson liked the snow, but as soon as he fell in it he realized he was too cold. But he enjoyed watching the kids from the window.

Jaxton's winter job is to plow the sidewalk to the porch. He also plows the upstairs patio and the downstairs patio and will earn a little money for his hard labor.

We've had two snow days so far this year. Hopefully it will be nothing like the 13 snow days we had last winter. A little snow is fun.









Saturday, January 10, 2015

Kaylees birthday party


Kaylee decided she wanted a frozen birthday party. So we decorated with light blue and white everything. She invited her little friends Lily, Chyler, Jaslene, and Mia. We started off the party with me again the story to the girls. They listened to that story and 10 Lee. They all knew all the answers. After that. The girls put Blue white and silver beads on an elastic string to make Elsa necklaces. Then we dad and ice experiment with crushed ice.
They sprinkled "snow" aka baking soda on their ice.   The girls used droppers to drip blue colored vinegar water on their crashed ice. It fizzed and sparkled.

Next we painted the girls bases with blue glitter snowflakes on their cheeks. They felt like princesses.  The girls and snowflake sandwiches and snacks for lunch. Bright blue cupcakes with white glitter frosting were next. We added for candles to one of them and saying happy birthday to the birthday girl. After cupcakes each girl got a pair of gloves to be like Elsa. They went down to the basement stayed and danced away to their favorite song, "Let It Go."

Happy Birthday Kaylee!









Here is the kitchen we made for Kaylee.  I got the idea off of Pinterest.  We had 2 old nightstands taking up space in the garage, leftover breadboard and old black shelves.  Even the phone was an old magic jack phone. The boys helped to paint it and sew the curtain.  It was a family project and all the kids play in it! 

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Kaylee is 4!!


Kaylee is 4!!! Happy Birthday Girl!  Here are some fun things about Kay at 4 years old:


1. Kaylee’s favorite food these days would be “chocolate granola.”  She actually picks out the dark chocolate pieces, and leaves the rest, exclaiming that she is full.  Somebody has her mommy’s chocolate weakness.

2.  Kaylee’s favorite little friends these days include Jaslene, Lilly, Carter, and Chyler.  She talks about these kiddos often.  It is really fun to have her friends come over to play because she gets into her girly element. 

3.  Kaylee loves to create “projects.”  A project for her is taking toys and items from all different categories and putting them in piles or boxes all mixed together.  Sometimes she “wraps” things like gifts before adding them to the pile of nick knacks.  I cannot get into her head to understand her reasoning as she piles up her things, but behind it all, there truly is an organized process in her mind of what she is doing.  If Dawson or I touch part of her “project,” she gets very concerned.  She likes it exactly the way she created it, even though it looks like a mess from my point of view.  So sometimes she will keep her “project” out for a few days before we decide it is time to clean up her room. 

4. Kaylee loves to sing.  She will sing all the time.  She loves to sing to her baby brother, and gets a thrill when her singing “puts him to sleep.”  We were watching American Idol one day and she announced that one day when she was bigger, she would be a singer just like the ones on TV.  I hope that dream of hers comes true.  She will be a beautiful singer.

5. Kaylee loves her little baby brother to pieces.  And he equally loves her.  She can make him grin and laugh.  He absolutely loves her entertainment.  She certainly lives up to the stigma of “little mommy” in our house.  She has learned how to feed Baby Nathan baby food and she loves to do it.  We will lower the high chair so its right at her height and she will feed him all his food.  Its darn cute to watch her with him.  As if he is a real baby doll. 

6. Kaylee is a little drama queen.  Her brother Dawson gets quite the kick out of watching her drama in action.  He will push her buttons (and he knows exactly which ones to push) to get her to give him a mighty scream or two or three.  He loves the thrill of her screams.  It is kind of funny to watch.  I try to teach her that if she won’t scream, rather if she’d ignore him, then he would lose all fun in doing it.  But she can’t understand that yet.  So the two of them will go off and play together really well, until Dawson decides its time to push those buttons.  They love to play “backpacks” and “store.”  They are becoming such good friends.

7. Kaylee is a Sunbeam at church!  I can hardly believe it.  She is so darn cute.  She has a great group of friends in her class at church, and her new Sunbeam teacher just happens to be her old Nursery teacher.  That makes the transition super easy!  I’m so proud of her going to Primary and sitting up front.  One week recently, she got real nervous for some reason about Primary.  So I asked Cooper if he would sit with her for a little while, and he did.  He is such a sweet, helpful, and thoughtful boy, and I know how much Kaylee adores him, and all her brothers.

8. Kaylee has been loving her preschool group.  She has some good friends in the group, and she is learning so much!  Its hard to say whether she picks up on things from her older siblings, or if she gets it at preschool.  But she can write just about every letter of the alphabet.  She is picking up reading really well, and she knows all her sounds.  We have started the “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” and she loves to do her reading lesson.  We’ve taken it slow because its often hard to fit into our day, but wherever we leave off, she is quickly able to pick up and move forward.  I LOVE teaching my kids to read.  It is so rewarding.  She will be reading before we know it!

9. Kaylee is surrounded by boys in this house, but she is the most girly girl I know.  She loves to have her fingernails and toenails painted all different colors and sparkles.  She asks if she can use my makeup, every time she sees me put it on.  I always tell her she can , when she’s 12.  She will look forward to that day!!  She loves to wear chapstick, and often wants to use some of my sparkle lip stuff.  She is a princess through and through.

10.  I am so grateful to have a daughter, such a beautiful one at that.  She is just gorgeous.  Her big eyes with dark lashes and blond hair.  I always imagined having a little blonde girl, but I never imagined I would have such a beautiful, cute, fun, little girl to do fun girl things with together.  I received a pedicure gift certificate for my birthday and one of these days Kaylee and I will go get our manicures / pedicures done together.  That will be memorable.  I am so grateful for my darling girl, with her huge heart, and her fun personality.  I love you so much Kaylee!


Happy Birthday to our Girl!