Hidden Talent

Bradley's new talent...

Father's Day- Charles

Happy Father's Day, Charles!


For Father's Day, the kids helped set the table for Charles' favorite "heart attack" breakfast: Crescent rolls, breakfast sausage in cream cheese, with scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese, all in one casserole. This is one breakfast that Kaleb actually may have been looking forward to even more than Charles.


The kids got him up, and gave him their cards and gifts. This year they went as cliche' as you can possibly get. They chose to get him a couple shirts and ties. Normally I would say "boo" to that, but he actually needed them.


We went to church, the kids sang, "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home," and then Charles was a special guest in Primary. His tie became a Sing-O-Meter. If the kids sang well, Jaden and Kaleb got to cut off part of his tie. By the end, his tie was cut all the way up to his neck. Thank goodness he didn't have to use one of his new ones!

I'm not gonna lie, I would have been P.O.-ed. (I hate shopping for ties, btw. To someone as anal as me, and has zero fashion-sense... that is just way too obnoxiously stressful.)

Later that evening, we went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Mom made Charles' choice for dinner (Turkey) and Dad's choice for dessert (Spice Cake.) It was all sooooo good.


Just for fun, I had the kids answer these questions about their Daddy:

Why did God make daddys?
J- Because they hold the priesthood
K- Because he needed to make daddys.
B- To play and have Daddy's Breakfast

How did God make daddys?
J- This is a hard one. I don't know. I don't get it.
K- He do "choo-choo-choo-choo" (makes a hammering motion)
B- With tools

What ingredients are daddys made of ?
J- Blood, skin and veins
K- Skin
B- Peanut Butter Sandwich

How old is Daddy?
J- 30 That was easy.
K-4
B-3

Why did God give you your daddy and not some other dad?
J- Cuz that's the one he wanted to give me.
K- Because. Just because.
B- My other Grandpa Socci's Daddy

What kind of little boy was your dad?
J- Kind of funny. Because when when I ask him for some chips, he says, "you can have some spankings." It's kind of annoying.
K- Charles. I don't know because I didn't zist yet.
B- A little one. And big.

Why did your dad marry your mom?
J- Maybe because he thought you were, y'know, beautiful.
K- Because he loves her
B- Because he want to

Who's the boss at your house?
J- Daddy
K- Daddy and Mommy
B- Kaleb

What's the difference between moms & dads?
J- Mom has long hair and Dad doesn't have as long as hair
K- Moms are girls and dads are boys
B- Nothing

What does your dad do in his spare time?
J- Play with me and Bradley and Kaleb
K- Play with me
B- Play magnet blocks and clean up

What's your favorite thing to do with your dad?
J- Play with him
K- Play tougher
B- Clean up and play

If you could change one thing about your dad, what would it be?
J- Nothing
K- Play with me more
B- Clean up

Charles, you really are an amazing Dad. The kids couldn't ask for a better one. We love you. :)

Blog Post Frenzy

I know my blog posts are all over the place, and it's hard to keep up when I post things today, for April... and May... and June. I have a long list of posts I have good intentions for, but am not finding time to give them the attention they need. My list is getting longer and longer, and I am forgetting what's going on now, because I'm trying to remember what happened back then, and it's just getting a little too stressful! So I am throwing together some quick posts to try and wrap-up the last couple months. I'm sorry they do not have much writing, but it's the best I can do for now.

So... for my family... who like to keep up... I'll make it easier for you.

Here are the links to all the new, thrown-together posts. If it doesn't work then I haven't finished yet. Sorry they're lame, but crappy-recorded memories, are better than non-recorded memories!

Jaden's Birthday

The Merrill's Visit

Swim Lessons

Grandma Socci's Visit

Jaden's Update

Kaleb's Update

Bradley's Update

Brynnlee's Update

The Barkers' Visit

Father's Day: My Dad

Father's Day: Charles

Hidden Talent

and... DONE. Whew!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Dad! Sorry this post is so late!


For my Dad this Father's day, I'm going to share 5 reasons why my dad is the coolest.

Are you ready?

Here we go!

In no particular order...

#1. He ran a freakin' marathon. A few months after having knee surgery. Only 6 weeks of training. Amazing.

(He calls these pictures his "proof" that he ran a marathon. Haha!)

And just like every other challenge in his life, he did it with a smile. :)


#2 A few weeks later, he decided to do it again! I mean, yes, he's a total tri-athlete, and he rocks... but 26.2 miles??... TWICE?!

(He hangs his medals in his cubicle at work. So cute!)

#3. He created Lego-Mom. Seriously. He took a picture of mom, some legos, and came up with this:

(We all knew exactly what it was the second we saw it. Once again... amazing.)

#4. He's just a big kid. He still dresses up for Halloween...

(He was very proud of himself for creating his own costume, and for his exciting find of a sleeve of "tats.")

He still plays with bottle rockets. Although he has really vamped it up a bit!

He plays with his grandkids.

(What a good Grandpa.)

And last but not least...

#5. He's brilliant. My Dad is not a professional: plumber, electrician, architect, carpenter, painter or construction worker. But just by reading books, he learned how to, and built his entire basement. And it's beautiful. His ingenuity is endless. He would rather learn and do something on his own, than pay for a professional.

This quality really comes in handy for us too. Last weekend, while Charles was investigating a breakage in the sprinkler system, Kaleb and Bradley decided to throw rocks down the 5 foot hole to the spot where you turn your water on. They made it so it was no longer accessible to turn the sprinklers on or off.

We couldn't reach down and get them, and we didn't want to dig a 5 foot deep hole to reach them either. So we called Dad. This was his contraption to solve our problem.



We also used mom's idea, to put duck tape at the end of the pipe and grab a few rocks that way. They are BOTH so smart.

I remember when I was in 7th grade, I put off doing my science project until, the last minute. Like... bedtime... the night before it was due.

Even though my dad was disappointed in me for doing this, he still stayed up till 4 in the morning with me finding a project, helping me create it, and also helping me type up a presentation board. It was about kinetic energy. It was pretty cool, but I think Mr. Malloy knew I didn't really know as much about my own project as I pretended to know. And I got a "C." But I'll never forget how my dad did that for me.

I love you Dad!

The Barkers' Visit

Joe and Ryan are Charles' 2 best buds from the mission. Charles and Ryan get together about once a month to play video games, and our families hang out together whenever we have a chance.


But Joe and Kamille had to go and move their family far far away to Texas. So it was really nice that we had the chance to see them and their 4 kids. Joe and Kamille are the couple that we met up with on our trip to Mexico. Oooooo... Mexico...

Snap out of it!


Joe and Kamille's kids love Charles. Last December, Charles spent a week in TX with them, helping Joe fix up a house to sell. They are so cute, they call him, "Mr. Charles." And I'm "Miss Crissy." They are so polite and proper. :)


The combined 10 kids had a blast playing together. Joe's oldest boy's name is Brooks. Kaleb has a friend from school named Broox. So they kept referring to Brooks as, "Jaden's Brooks... not Kaleb's."


We had a BBQ, and just hung out and it was so nice to catch up. We miss those guys.


Brynnlee has found a buddy in Julie. Julie takes good care of her. Especially when I have to run an errand or something. :)


Here we actually got them all settled down enough to take a group picture. Then it was time to say goodbye. *sniff-sniff*


Here's Ryan trying to take off with my new wheels. Ha! In his dreams!

Brynnlee's Update

Brynnlee is just starting to smile back. She's been pretty stingy with her smiles up until now. She's not super smiley yet, but it's getting easier to win one.


Brynn is sleeping about 7-9 hours at night now... Hallelujah!


She had her 2 month check up about 2 weeks ago. I had been so preoccupied with getting her to gain weight, that I totally forgot about the immunizations she would be getting. When the nurse mentioned them, I thought, Oh crap. I'm about to hear a sound from her that I have never heard before.

Sure enough, her scream was no longer newborn sounding. She sounded just like Bradley when he screams in pain.


As for her weight gain, she did great. She went from 7 lbs. (14th percentile) to 11 lbs. (55th percentile.) And her height went from 19 in. (22nd percentile) to 23in. (67th percentile). Go Brynnlee go! The doctor had me so freaked out at our 2 week appointment, that we've really been pushing her to eat these last 6 weeks. And it looks like she's a champ. :)


Brynn is such a sweet baby. She eats well, sleeps well, and is pretty content when she's awake. The boys all still love to hold her, hug her, kiss her and sing to her. She's starting to become a little more vocal, and cooing while she smiles. She is such a joy, and we couldn't love her more.

Kaleb's Update

Kaleb just finished his 2nd year of Preschool. What a difference a school makes. Last year he hated school, he never spoke, and he never loved any of his teachers.

But just look at him.


He loves his new school (Sunshine Square), and he loves the kids in his class. Look at him participate! His class did a Spring Sing, and I was such a proud mommy. I could hear him belting out words to the songs, (even a little early at times) and he did all the hand motions, and he was smiling and laughing, and it was so nice to see.


Miss Leslie has been one of those teachers that you just don't forget. She gave him the love, affection, and attention he needed to come out of his shell a little bit and learn to enjoy school. We love her and will miss her. Unfortunately, this school is being torn down and turned into a Wendy's or something. :( But they have another site that we can take him to next year. Yes, that will be 3 years of preschool for this little guy.


Kaleb loves the park. What kid doesn't? Thank goodness for summer. He needs to be outside. I need him to be outside! We probably walk to the school to play at least twice a week.


He also loves to play with the hose. Yes, that's him in his jammies. Sometimes they are out playing even before I get up in the morning.


Kaleb is intrigued by Brynn. He loves to sing to her, and calls her "My Brynnlee Girl." He also loves to pretend he is a photographer. He gathers people and stuffed animals together for group pictures and has us say "cheese, " or "boogers."


Another thing he and the boys are into is playing in cars. They can't wait for Charles to get home so they pile into and onto his car. But if they ever get he chance to play in Grandpa's Jeep.. they are there. :)


He also loves his junk food! Yep, that's m'boy. Here he is with ice cream on his plate, a popsicle in one hand and a chunk of cake in the other. But really... Where does he pack it all? He's still so tiny.

Bradley's Update:

Bradley has been such a fun kid to watch. He really is his own little person. He is hasn't really found much pleasure in doing what the other kids are doing, or watching TV, or even playing with other kids. He usually prefers to hang with the adults, or be by himself. So when Kaleb threatens him with, "Fine! I'm not gonna play with you anymore!" I hear Bradley reply, "That's okay. Me always by myself." :(


Here he is, dressed by himself in the morning, playing by himself before I had even gotten up. He had also snuck a bag of doritos for breakfast. He's so independent!


One day he hurt his foot outside, and he came in to fix his owie. He usually just climbs up on top of the kitchen counter and gets a bandaid out of the cabinet to make it feel it better. But sometimes he bonks his head in the process, and forgets where he originally needed to put his bandaid. So he puts it where it hurts now.


Sometimes a bandaid isn't good enough. He needs a wet paper towel. But a wipe soaked in water will also work for him. He takes good care of himself.


The other day he wanted to play with the neighbors across the street. I told him to wait for Jaden and Kaleb to finish their snack so they could hold hands as they cross the street. He just looked up at me with all the sincerity a 2 year old can offer, showed me his clasped hands and said, "But look. Me can just hold hands with... my other hand." What a problem solver. :)


Recently he discovered how to reach the chips at the top of the pantry. And so he taught Kaleb too.


Another way he shows his independence, is through potty training. Let's just say, I'm sure it will it happen, when HE wants it to.


He still loves those magnet blocks. He is always finding new things to do with them. And enlisting people's help.


He, like Kaleb likes to play photographer. But he's more into candid shots... and using a real camera. He loves to take pictures of the couch, the ceiling, the floor, his sister...


and himself.


Now that we've talked about all the cute things he likes to do, let me tell you about some not-so cute things. While driving one day, I asked Bradley what he was doing. He said, "Eating." Then he sighed and said to himself... "Me wuv boogers."

He not only likes to eat them, but he likes to torture us all with them. He puts one on his tongue and then chases us around with it. It's SO gross! It makes me gag everytime. I never thought I'd hear myself saying, "Swallow it!"... in reference to a booger.


He also likes to do the Diaper Dance. And maybe THIS is the real reason why he doesn't want to give up diapers.

Bradley is also very aware of his feelings and of those around him. If someone is sad or angry, he will say, "you not happy?" "Why you not happy?" And he tries to make everyone become happy. He checks by saying, "Happy now?"

And he's so cute, that when he does something wrong, and I start to reprimand him, and he just looks at me with those big blue eyes, and chubby cheeks, and says, "you not happy wit me?"... I can't help but smile.

Seriously, this kid could get away with anything.

And he's very honest. I don't think he knows what a lie is. If he's being defiant, I might say, "Bradley, I am not happy right now."

(Usually that will cut to h is heart and he will want to change.)

But the other day he just kept on doing what he was doing wrong, and said, "well, I am happy."

I asked him if he wanted a spanking. He just looked at me thoughtfully, and said, "Where?"

And then a few nights ago, we were at my mom and dad's house for dinner. Bradley just got out of his seat and went for the cupboard. His plate was still full of food, so I asked him what he was doing, he just smiled and said, "getting some candy."

We just laughed and said, "At least he's honest!"

Bradley heard us and said, "Yeah. I tell the truth."

This kid is a crack up. He has us laughing on a daily basis. He has his defiant moments, which sadly are becoming more and more frequent, but he's just too cute to stay angry with.

Jaden's Update: Red belt, school, friends and awards

Red Belt


Jaden tested for his Red Belt. He's pretty awesome at Hapkido. However, we're not sure if has his heart into it.


So we're actually thinking about having him drop it for a while. He thinks its fun, but he doesn't really love it. Maybe he needs time to try new things. Who knows, maybe he'll find that he is a basketball stud. Or a musical genius. Or maybe he'll try new things and realize Hapkido is where he wants to be, and then try harder. We don't know. But whatever he chooses, we want him to love it.

Way to go Jaden!

School Program

Jaden is just about done with the 1st grade. He had a really great year. We love his teacher, Mrs. Reece, and Jaden has made a lot of friends. Some of his favorites are Brighton and Ethan. They play at each other house at least once a week. My favorite is when one of their mom's drops their child off at my house, unannounced. Haha! These boys and their communication skills...

Jaden has also met a friend through cub scouts. When we Cahrles and I were the Bear Scout leaders, Nic was one of our cubs. He's about 3 years older than Jaden, but Jaden insisted we invite him over to play. So we did. I was a little worried, because some of the scouts were kind of rude to Jaden, and I didn't want Jaden to get hurt. But Nic is such a nice boy. They LOVE to play together.

He also has a brother who is Kaleb's age, named August. It's also been really nice for Kaleb to find a friend that's not a girl. They all play so well together.

Here they are, showing off their legos.

Anyway, at the end of Jaden's school year, they put on a singing program. I tried to get a picture of him, but he kept ducking away. I like to tease him and say he's trying to kiss the girl in front of him.


Bradley enjoyed the music.


See?


Soaring Eagle Award


Jaden also received another Soaring Eagle award. He worked really hard to earn it. He decided he wanted it, so we worked and worked to get through all the achievements. Then on the night of the ceremony, one of his friends was having a birthday party at the movie theater to see Kung Fu Panda 2. All of a sudden getting his medal wasn't so important. Luckily Grandma Socci was here. He went to part of the party, then his ceremony, then saw the movie with Grandma and Kaleb instead. :)