The Kicks

Soccer started a couple weeks ago for Bentley. His team name is the Kicks and he started out the season thinking they would win every single game. Instead, they've lost every single game. (Although there is no official score kept, he can still add). After one game the coach was talking to the team and telling them good job and commenting how hard they played. Bentley replied, "Well it wasn't hard enough."

He doesn't have a very strong kick, but he makes up for it in his ball handling skills. He's a good little dribbler and likes to be in the middle of the action.

Now he's pretty much convinced that they will never win a game, but he hasn't given up completely. I wasn't at his last game, but Chod said at kick-off after the other team scored Bentley started chanting "I believe that we will win!" as loud as he could. And then he continued chanting "I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!" as he dribbled the ball all the way down the field and scored a goal! His first of the season.

Easter Festivities

The boys had lots of fun coloring Easter eggs. We used the Kool-Aid method and they kept begging to drink the dye because it smelled so good. But with no sugar and just a little bit of water to a whole packet I convinced them it would be nasty.

We dyed a couple dozen eggs, but they would have kept going if we had more eggs. Bentley hoarded all the ones he colored and insisted no one else could have them. Turns out he's not a fan of boiled (or any) eggs.

Saturday morning we headed to Ricky baptism. As we were waiting for his ward's turn we were able to watch a movie about Christ's life. As we watched and explained a little more to our boys it solidified that Easter is more than just candy. In fact, Easter morning I asked Bentley why we celebrate Easter. He answered that it was about Jesus dying and being resurrected, but he added at the end, I still really like the eggs.

After the baptism and lunch Chod and Bret scattered Easter eggs around the yard and the kids had an Easter egg hunt.

 Each kid was allotted 20 eggs and B carefully counted each of his eggs that he put in his bucket.

 Lincoln wasn't quite as concerned about following the rules.

 My chocolate lover.

And the boy who decided chocolate is yucky. Too bad the Easter bunny had already bought candy--that was heavy in the chocolate department before Lincoln spit a Cadbury mini egg out and called it disgusting. He gladly accepted Bentley's jelly beans.

Disappearing Pull-Ups

We have a super annoying problem happening at our house. Lincoln has been potty trained for a while, but he doesn't stay dry through the night. That's okay, Chod and I each had a sibling that was a bedwetter long into their elementary days, so we've decided to embrace the Pull-Up and pray he eventually grows out of it.

Except sometimes Lincoln wakes up to use the bathroom, and then he ditches his Pull-Up and just puts his jammy bottoms back on. And sometimes he wakes up because his Pull-Up is wet and will then ditch it and put on the jammy bottoms. And when there's a ditched Pull-Up we end up with a middle of the night visitor crying because he wet his bed. Except when he just handles it himself by putting on dry bottoms and doesn't cry, just asks to sleep in our bed. And his dad always asks if he's wearing a Pull-Up and Lincoln always answers yes and Chod always lets him in bed with us and sometimes Lincoln wets our bed.

It's an awful thing when you send the kid to bed with a Pull-Up on and you end up changing bedding on 2 beds come morning. (You're not the only one surprised he is still alive.)

And when you ask if he wet his bed he answers, "Oh sure I did." Like it's ridiculous to even ask.

So we make nightly checks to be sure he is still Pull-Up-ed before we go to bed and we lecture and promise and bribe and still I'm left wondering if we're wasting our money on the Pull-Ups.

Name Game

Our baby girl is still nameless. And we don't have any strong contenders. Unless we want to consider the list her brothers have come up with (and we don't really).

Of course there's Honda and McQueen, and Hot Wheels is still a favorite (but we'll call her Wheel for short) and Lincoln is pretty set on Girl Lincoln, as we already have a boy Lincoln. McDonalds was on the list for a bit, but then they decided maybe Wendys was a better fast food name for a girl. Rock made it on the list the other day as well.

And Bentley told Whit and Bri they could have iPhone...so I guess that one is out for us.

She is such a lucky girl!

Biker Boys

More often than not I use my phone to take pictures, and then I forget all about them. Which has turned me into a bad blogger (just ask my dad).


Our boys have turned into little bike riders. It only took 1 session of us trying to teach Bentley how to ride a bike before I turned to Google. He didn't seem to get it at all and Chod and I tried our hardest not to yell at him. And Bentley kept whining for the training wheels back. It was a disaster waiting to happen. I had heard about balance bikes but didn't really understand the point until I read this article from REI. So I forwarded it to Chod and that night Bentley lost his pedals. He practiced for a few minutes a couple times that week and then we convinced Chod he was ready for the pedals. Chod was skeptical, but he put them on. And Bentley took off. And his Dad felt a little sad that his role in teaching his eldest to ride a bike was pretty much non-existent.

Here he is on his first ride:

Since our house is on a hill it's uphill or downhill no matter which direction you choose. Luckily we have the somewhat more level cemetery for him to practice in.

 And the little brother likes to ride too!

Bentley has even mastered the hill to ride to and from school!

Conference Traditions

For as long as I can remember there have been cinnamon rolls on Conference Sunday. Mom used to make them for Conference Brunch with the Thorntons and it has stuck.

 

It's a tradition Chod and the boys fully support.

While I was rolling dough, the boys stayed busy making "Conference Kabobs".

And every year by the time Sunday afternoon session rolls around I'm completely stir crazy and beg Chod to take us for a drive. This time we ended up at ATK to see the rockets.

Pretty Darn Expensive

Bentley has been ready for a new bike for a while, so one night we went looking. He found one he liked, and Lincoln found one he liked but we didn't come home with either. I did a little bike research and looked for a better deal (and Lincoln gets the hand-me-down) but couldn't find one. Bentley was getting impatient one day and told me he would just go buy his own bike, you know, with all of the money he has. I told him that was fine but that the bike cost X amount of dollars. His eyes got really big and he admitted he didn't have that much. It seems he was starting to realize the value of a dollar. So on our way to actually buy the bike he was worried that we wouldn't have enough money.

"Mom, are you sure you can buy a bike? Do you really have $1000 in your purse."
"No, I don't have $1000."
"So do you have a coupon?"
"Nope, no coupon."
"Well how are you going to buy it then?"

He was really concerned and I assured him that even though his bike cost a lot, it wasn't going to be $1000 and we really did have the money to buy it. But that he would have to be sure to take care of it cause we won't be buying him a new one if this one gets ran over or lost...yada yada yada

Another one of my favorite conversations with  B during the bike shopping process was when he asked if his bike was a nice one. I answered that it is pretty nice.
"So is that why it costs so much?"
"Yep."
"Well, why can't it be that the nicer something is the less money it costs. I wish it was like that."
"That would be nice."

On our way home with the bike I heard Bentley told Lincoln, "My bike is pretty darn expensive." But not in a bragging sort of way, more like in total awe that his mom and dad trust him with something that costs so much.