Attitude Adjustment

Luke had finished playing a game on the computer and told me he was going to turn the computer off.

I said, "Don't turn it off. It is okay to leave it on."
He said, "But I want to turn it off."
I said, calmly, "Don't turn it off."
He said, "I'm just going to turn it off."
I said, not so calmly, "Do Not Turn It Off!"
He said, "Mom, you have an attitude. You need to change it."
I laughed and said, "Why do you think I have an attitude?"
He said, "Because of the way you talk to me."

Oh man, I think I do need an attitude adjustment. But if only he would listen the first time, not the third time!

An Interview about Daddy

This was an idea I stole from someone else and thought I would try it with Luke. (However, some of the questions are my own. :) ) This was supposed to be posted for Father's day, but I am just getting to it now. Better late than never, I guess.

Luke's (3 yrs. old) interview about his daddy:
What is your daddy's name? Kevin and Daddy Spiderman

How old is your daddy? I don't know. Take a guess. UUUM....four.

How tall is your daddy? a lot of tall

What color are your daddy's eyes? blue

Is your daddy strong? Yeah! How strong? like this (and than shows his muscle)
Where does daddy work? (hesitating) uuh, work What does he do at work? gets something... that's always fun!

Does daddy ever get mad at you? Yes

Why does he get mad? because I hit sometimes

What does daddy do when he gets mad at you? Calls the police and puts me in time out.

What fun things do you like to do with daddy? play games, play toys, go to Home Depot

What is daddy good at doing? playing games What else? opening doors (this made me laugh out loud, it is important to be good at opening doors :) )

Is daddy your best friend? Yes!

Why do you love daddy? Because I do! (Well said!)


We love our daddy! He is the hardest worker, so fun, willing to do anything for us, a worthy priesthood holder, and the best daddy!

Taking advantage...

of a couple good weather days. Last Thursday and Friday were so nice. I was able to take the kids to the park. I took them by myself on Thursday and than Friday evening we all had a picnic and played at the dinosaur park. It was so much fun to be outside and not "die" from the heat. (I know "die" is a little dramatic, but I really am hating the heat we have had yesterday and today.) Our fast food picnic


throwing food to the ducks (Luke was pretty scared when they would get close.)


nervous smile as he was being brave and standing by the duck pond


Katelyn loved swinging

Follow Up

The sticker chart worked great at home. Luke and I had a really good week last week as I tried to focus on the positive and he worked hard to earn his stickers. As for nursery, he wouldn't go in last week. That is the first time in a very long time that he would not go into nursery. He has completed his chart and earned his garbage truck toy. We will see how this Sunday goes and if I need to start another chart!

Whatever Works!

Katelyn is 10 months old today! She is so much fun and is finally starting to move around on her own. In this picture she looks like she is going to crawl, but no, I guess my kids don't crawl. Instead she has figured out how to scoot on her bum, just like her older brother did at the same age. My brother thinks that my kids don't like to get their hands dirty so scooting on their bums is a better option. Katelyn is still trying to master it but she can move herself around most of the family room. Her speed has not kicked in yet, but I am okay with that. I wish I could figure out how to put a video on here, than you could actually see this amazing feat. :)

My Bully

Do you think "bully" when you look at this sweet, innocent face? I don't, but it seems that looks can be deceiving. As I was peeking in the nursery door (Yes, he is still in nursery. He is by far the biggest one in there. That's what happens when you have a Jan. birthday.) to pick Luke up, I see him pushing another kid and getting ready to hit. I was able to tell him to stop in a stern voice before the hitting happened and than asked his nursery teacher if this happens a lot. She said, "He can be pretty aggressive." (I guess that was a nice way of saying, "Yes, he can be a real bully.") It always makes me sad to hear that my kid is not doing what he is supposed to be doing.

So I was pretty upset the rest of Sunday and talked to him a lot about how we are supposed to treat others and to listen to his teacher.

I than realized that I am always telling Luke what he shouldn't be doing and telling him "NO" instead of focusing on the positive. So I made a chart with several columns and each time he does something nice, dosen't argue, helps me, plays nicely with Katelyn, etc., he earns a sticker. (It is a lot harder than I thought to constantly be looking for positive things, but it is helping me to not be such a bully. :) ) He earns small rewards along the way and than he can choose something bigger (like a toy) if he completes the whole chart. This has been a much better week for Luke and I and he has been trying really hard. I am proud of him. I am hoping that he can earn several stickers this Sunday by behaving in nursery. Can he do it? Will he be the nice kid and not the bully? I will let you know in a couple of days.

These two...

make it almost impossible to get a good picture of them together. Luke has a hard time looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. Katelyn gets so distracted by Luke, especially when he has shoes on and she just wants to pull his shoestrings. This was one of six that actually has them both kind of smiling and sort of looking in the same direction. I think this was after I stood on my head, spun around, and made funny sounds. Okay, the funny sounds was about all I did, and it kind of worked.