Spontaneous Questions from Teancum

If you ever spend much time with Teancum, you know that he asks a lot of questions and has a lot of deep thoughts. Here are some questions from yesterday and today:

How much north are the clouds?

Which is the big yellow state -- Wyoming or Lander?

How does lightning know where people are?

The fun part about Teancum's questions or deep thoughts is that they seem to come from out of nowhere!

Teancum's Fun Birthday

Teancum had a fun birthday, although very busy! He opened presents before school started. He had his science experiment at school for show and tell. The kindergarteners are always supposed to show their class a science experiment and every year we've done Uncle Eric's sprite & craisin experiment. That's what T did also, and his class LOVED it! After school we went to Walmart to pick up things for T's birthday party on Friday. We got home just in time to go to the school for the Literacy Night. James and the 5 oldest boys were at their soccer game so they missed it, but we picked up their published books for them. Finally we arrived home in time to eat pizza -- at least most of us ate pizza! Teancum had been talking about eating pizza on his birthday for over a week, but when the pizza was finally there, he didn't want to eat any -- he wanted to play with his new toys instead! So the rest of us ate pizza and T played. He didn't want his cake or ice cream either, so we had them for breakfast today. And best of all -- I thought Teancum had caught chicken pox for his birthday (I noticed the spots last night) but when he went to the doctor this morning the doctor said they are not chicken pox. He wasn't sure what they were, but said not to worry about them. So I guess his party is still on for Friday!

Happy 6th Birthday to Teancum!!!

Happy Thoughts from this past Week:

• slippery snakes
• drippy kids
• a cuddly new niece
• determined soccer players
• a happy swimmer (Teancum)
• a crawling baby
• a first play-date for Lizzie
• a friend for Oreo (mouse)
• a magic show for Pack Meeting

Classic Quotes from this past Week:

• "Mom, you're beautiful even when you're doing push-ups. No, you're especially beautiful when you're doing push-ups!" -- Cameron
• "Mom, what am I allergic to?" "Nothing." Very angrily disappointed, "I'm not allergic to ANYTHING?!??" -- Teancum
• "Mom's talk was about 10 minutes long, but Dad's talk was a whole HOUR long!" -- Ethan

Micah's Communication Merit Badge

For part of his Communication Merit Badge he had to do something to introduce himself to his merit badge counselor. It could have been a collage, book, etc. He chose to make a photo slide show set to music and he talked about himself. This is the movie he made today.

Katalya Kija Call

Betty Crocker Strikes in Lander

You all know I am quite the Betty Crocker. As evidence, here are two quotes from the past couple days:

James had left for work early and since he usually makes breakfast, the kids were left to fend for themselves by eating cold cereal, yogurt, or the various other items that do not require cooking, baking, grilling, or anything else I am especially untalented at. Teancum pulled a box of pancake mix out of the cupboard. He knew that James could easily make pancakes because he makes them all the time. He showed me the box and, in an encouraging voice, said, "Mom, you can make it. Look, it even has directions on the box!"

We are tending 2 of the Sandall children today while their parents are on the youth temple trip. For snack we had pre-packaged rice krispy treats. Ethan explained in careful detail to the Sandall boys that once his dad made rice krispy treats FROM SCRATCH and that the reason the rice krispies stick together is because there are marshmallows in them. He said it in such an incredulous way that it seemed that homemade rice krispy treats were as unusual as snow in August (possible, but not likely). :)

I'm an Aunt Again!

Katalya Kija Call, or Kate for short, arrived late last night, Chad & Chalice's first baby! We're honored that she is named after our sweet little Kija. Before Casey left on his mission I promised him four new nieces when he returned home. Lizzie, Clara, and Kate have arrived so now we just need to wait for Curtis & Lindsay's baby girl to arrive in July! Lizzie and Clara are excited about their new little cousin Kate and look forward to playing with her!

Oreo & Golden

Cameron's two pet mice are named Golden and Oreo. So far the cats haven't tried to eat them, although Harold sat watching Oreo one day, I'm sure trying to figure out a way to get the lid off the cage.

Fun With the Whitings

Our new ward members came over for dinner on Sunday. We initiated them into our craziness with some Whiting rituals, including the wheelbarrow and "pd" (play dead). Surprisingly, they fit right in.

She Can Do It! She Can Do It!

You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile!

Teancum always makes me smile! He called Olivia on the phone the other day to see if she could come and play. After talking to her for a few minutes, he said that he'd forgotten why he called, and then said, "silly old man!" and hung up. Funny, funny Teancum!

Super Saturday of Serving

Today our primary had a Super Saturday Service Project and almost the entire primary came! Children brought cans to donate to the food bank, clothing or toys to donate to the local thrift store, stuffed animals to donate through the Church Humanitarian Services, or new childrens' socks to donate through the Humanitarian Department. We urged the parents not to purchase the items for the children, but to let them use or earn their own money to purchase the items, or to choose something special of theirs to donate. They knew they were giving to help people locally or all over the world.

We separated into groups and one group stained wooden blocks that Brother Ramsey had cut & sanded for us. Another group sewed bags for the blocks to go in. A third group glued "Faith in Every Footstep" in the hymnbooks, and made cards for both Sister Harts and a thank-you note for Brother Ramsey. Each group rotated so that all of them could have a turn in each center. After the projects were done, we divided into four groups, wore plastic gloves, each took a bag and a bottle of water (it was nice and warm today!) and went on a neighborhood trash pick-up. We met back at the church to discuss what we had done and how we felt. The kids had served ward members, the neighborhood & community, and the entire world. I think it was a success. We all went home ready to put our feet up and take a nap.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

There were three princesses at our house today -- four counting Elizabeth and five counting Mommy -- and they had a great time playing dress-ups, barbies, tea party, and so on. At one point I heard them say, "and you will marry only me..." so I'm assuming one of them was a prince at the time. They were discussing their ages and after discovering that all of them were three years old, they then tried to decifer my age. At first they decided I was six, but then they all settled on eight because "she's REALLY big!"

Micah's Moral Dilemma

Lander offers two ways for young people (elementary school aged) to participate in soccer. The Strikers soccer league is an invitation-only league, so you know that all of the players in the league are good at soccer. Lander Parks & Recreation Soccer League welcomes everybody of all abilities to play. The Strikers' games are on Saturdays and Sundays. Parks & Rec games are on Mondays - Thursdays. Strikers starts at about age 10, so it's just for the upper grades. So all the kids that are good at soccer are in the Strikers league, and the Parks & Rec older leagues have the less talented soccer players and the Mormon kids. In seasons past, Micah has handled this pretty well. But the older he gets, the fewer and fewer talented athletes are in Parks & Rec soccer.

Reality set in for James and he shortened his team's soccer practices to just twice a week. On Tuesdays and Thursdays at five they have soccer practice, and a Striker team also happened to have practice at the same time, on the same field. The Strikers are very elitist and since they are obviously more important than Parks & Rec, they think they should get the field. Yesterday James just scooted over and used half the field, leaving the other half to this Strikers team. It turns out that most of Micah's friends from school were on this Strikers team and Micah was very embarrassed to be there & playing for Parks & Rec. He said that his friends had kept inviting him to be on their Strikers team and he kept explaining that he couldn't because they play on Sunday.

On Tuesday evening we went to the Community Meeting because Cameron & Micah are working on their Communications Merit badge and needed to attend a public meeting where different views were shared. We went to the "Young Families" session. The panelists asked everyone there what they didn't like about Lander, what they liked about Lander, and what projects they'd like to see done in Lander. When they asked what Micah didn't like about Lander, he said, "that the Strikers play on Sunday." When they asked him what projects he'd like to see done, he said, "I want the Strikers not to play on Sunday." So you can see it has been on his mind a lot.

I am proud of him that it was never a question of whether or not he could play with the Strikers. He just knew that since it was a Sunday activity, he wouldn't be doing it. I'm grateful that he has that kind of integrity and high morals. Someday when he's grown up he'll look back on his experience with soccer and be happy that he chose not to play on Sundays. I think he'll also eventually realize that being one of the stars of his soccer team is something that might not have happened if he'd played with the Strikers. So there are advantages to being one of the few older kids still playing for Parks & Rec. Micah is also reffing soccer for the U-8 Parks & Rec League so that will be a good experience, and one that he might not have had time for if he was playing for Strikers.

Elizabeth's Nine Months Old Today!

Happy Nine Month Birthday to Lizzie Lu!

Magical Boxes

The most coveted items in our household, believe it or not, are empty boxes -- the bigger the better. When the Lander Foster Parents food order comes it is like Christmas at our house. Lots and lots of boxes of all shapes and sizes! Last month Jamey built an army tank out of 2 large empty boxes. All of the kids claim boxes to put their treasures in. Rebecca filled this Costco milk box up with dresses from her closet and as many pairs of shoes as she could fit in it. Then she discovered that she could fit herself inside!



Yesterday the food order came so we had lots of empty boxes, but I've claimed them for our primary service project this weekend so I had to hide them in my office.







Elizabeth still managed to try them out, though.

Lizzie's New Trick

Since she is refusing to crawl, she has resorted to gymnastics instead.

Getcha Head in the Game!

Spring must be here because the soccer season has officially started! Only the five oldest kids are playing this time. Teancum decided he didn't want to play after he was kicked in the stomach with a soccer ball by a very large first grader last season. James is coaching the four oldest kids, and Jamey is the lone man on his own eight-year-old team. James, Cameron, Micah, Ethan, and Ian have practices 4 nights a week -- talk about dedication!

Little Princess

Guess Who Got

Her First Tooth Today!!!

The Crazy Sledders

What happens when you leave Daddy alone with the kids? Several sets of muddy, wet clothes, one pair of ripped pants (and a very embarrased eight year old), and a lot of big smiles!

Cam Jam the Medicine Man

Cameron James

age 12 1/2 years

(Quotes from his journal)

• 
  Today Mom said, "when you grow two more feet then you will be a missionary!" I said, "I think that would be a lot of feet. Maybe my hands would turn into feet!" -- age 5
  
  
• Yesterday at the park I told Mom that each nostril is attached to one lung so if you only breathe through one nostril then only one lung gets air in it and the other one doesn't." -- age 6 1/2

• I keep telling people that Mom is going to have a baby girl even though she isn't. She asked why and I said, "because then we'd get to have Barbie toys!" -- age 5 1/2

• One day during our Christmas vacation I told Mom, "you are the most beautiful girl in the whole world." Then I looked at her and said, "well, maybe not the most beautiful, but you are the smartest and looks are not nearly as important as smarts!" -- age 8

• I asked Mom what she wants to be when she grows up. She reminded me that she was already grown up. I said, "well, I mean when you're 28 like Daddy." -- age 5

• Today I was not happy with Mom for making me finish my dinner before ice cream and I said, "if you don't let me have ice cream then I will control your mind!" -- age 6 1/2

• Yesterday I asked Mom if she wanted a break. She said yes. I said that on Saturday I would do all of her chores. She said that would be great. I said, "well, I won't do any sweeping or mopping or cleaning or anything else like that. I'll just do the dishes and you can do everything else." -- age 8

• One night Mom made chicken & rice for dinner and Dad said it tasted just like Mommy's kisses. I said, "I think it tastes like sleeping death!" -- age 6

Lizzie Lu

Elizabeth Lucy

9 months old

call my agent!

just doing some light reading...

Mikey Bikey Likey Trikey

Micah Spencer

age 11 1/2

• 
  Tonight I brushed my teeth and asked why there were spaces between my teeth. I asked, "did termites make them?" -- age 5 1/2

• Yesterday I was picking my nose and eating it and Mom told me not to. I said, "but I love it!" -- age 4 1/2

• I went with Mom to her doctor appointment last Tuesday. She told the doctor that it felt like the baby was moving furniture around in there. I got wide eyes and said, "you have furniture in there?!?" -- age 5 1/2

• This week we went for a hike and on the way back down I kept saying that I had an owie. Finally Mom asked, "what hurts?" and I said, "my owie!" -- age 1

• Today is Mother's Day. In nursery we made paper flowers. After church Mom asked if the flowers were for her and I said, "no! These are Micah's flowers. Your flowers are right there," and I pointed to some dandelions in the grass. -- age 2 1/2

• This afternoon we were eating dinner and Dad said he wanted to take a nap. Mom said maybe he ought to do all the cleaning and she should take a nap and I said very matter-of-factly, "that would be a change!" -- age 6

• One night I was saying something about Mom's cooking and she said, "you're skating on thin ice, Young Man." I said, "that's OK. I know how to swim." -- age 9

• I asked Mom what she would do if she was a bee. She said, "I would make honey." I said, "well, if I was a bee, I would sting people even if they weren't bothering me." -- age 5 1/2

Mr. T

Teancum Cory
age 5 1/2

• The other day nobody wanted to sit by Rebecca because she was stinky. Mom said, "she's not stinky, she's precious." I said, "she's precious AND stinky!" I was right. -- age 3 1/2

• One day Rebecca was crying and Mom said, "what's wrong with Rebecca? What did you do to her?" I said simply, "I'm just hurting her." -- age 2 1/2

• Mr. Rogers was singing his "Won't you be my Neighbor?" song and I said, "Mom, don't listen to him!" Mom said, "Why?" I said, "because I want you to still be in our family!" -- age 4

• One week I saw the deacons passing the water for the sacrament so I ran over to him across the aisle and pulled on his leg and said, "juice! juice!" Mom had to go bring me back and I screamed. -- age 1 1/2

• My teacher asked where my name came from and I said, "from God." -- age 4

Little J

James Hyrum

age 8 1/2

• One Sunday my primary teacher sat behind me in church. Sister Rhoades was very pregnant at the time. I pointed at her tummy and in an angry voice said, "Dad, look! She brought a basketball to church!" -- age 3 1/2

• For Mother's Day I made a card for Mom and I drew 40 smiley faces on it and I said, "look Mom! I put 40 smiley faces on here because I think you are 40 years old!" (Mom was 30 at the time!) -- age 5 1/2

• Elizabeth loves to eat her toes. One day when she was eating them I said, "wow! She really loves those toes. That means she's really going to like chicken." -- age 8 1/2

Evil Kinevil

Ian Joseph

age 9

• When we found out that we were going to have a baby girl, I said, "are we having a boy brother or a girl brother?" Now I am learning that she is a sister. -- age 5



• Today in church I was putting my feet on the bench in front of us. Mom told me to put them down and she said it was Heavenly Father's furniture. I said, "if it was Heavenly Father's furniture it would be made of fire!" -- age 5 1/2

• One morning Dad was talking to us about what it must have been like when me and Ethan were in our birth mom Carol's tummy. Daddy said that after Ethan came out I must have thought there was so much room that I was just swimming around enjoying myself. I said, "yes, but we had to put on life jackets before we went swimming in there!" -- age 4 1/2

Rebecca

Rebecca Marie

age 3 1/2

The other day Daddy and I were going on a walk. I looked up at him and smiled, "Daddy, you are so lucky!" "Why is that?" he asked. "Because I am letting you hold my hand!" -- age 3 1/2

• Easter morning I looked beautiful, but when it was time to get out of the car to go into church, I cried and insisted that I simply could not go inside. Daddy asked why and I wailed, "My hair isn't pretty yet!" -- age 3 1/2

• Being pretty seems to be a big concern for me. The other day when I was getting dressed for pre-school Mom insisted that I wear pants instead of a dress like I usually wear. I cried and said, "But Mom! Then they won't think I'm pretty!" -- age 3 1/2

• 
  
  

"Eefey"

Ethan Alfred

age 9

(quotes from Ethan's journal)

• One day I asked Mom to do something for me and she said, "You're a big boy, you can do that yourself." I said, "But Mommy, you are a big boy so you can do it for me." -- age 3 1/2

• Yesterday Mom asked me to do something and I said, "Mom do you know how to say please?" -- age 4

• Today I asked Mom why she had eyebrows. She asked why I did and I said, "So I can do this" and I lifted my eyebrows up and down several times. -- age 4 1/2

• We have a new rule that we have to ask to be excused. So yesterday I said, "Mom, may I be confused to clear my plate?"-- age 5

• The other day Mom heard me tell Ian, "I am squishing a worm in my pocket." She said that is something she doesn't really like to hear her five year old say! -- age 5 1/2

• There is a "twin wall" downstairs with pictures of me and Ian together and a sign that says "Twice the trouble, twice the fun." I told Mom that it means that it's twice as much fun for us to get in trouble! -- age 7 1/2

• I told Mom, "everybody at school knows who I am! It's because I have so many talents."-- age 9