Devin Reads!

So proud of this little man. He was so proud of himself being able to read these early reader books we got from the library. I like seeing him use his brain. He's doing really well at some sight words and is pretty good about sounding out simple words. Can't wait to see him read more!

Time Out for Women

Love these ladies. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful family. Christy was the only one missing, and she truly was missed.

We had a great weekend together laughing and talking and hearing uplifting messages. So blessed to have such an awesome mom and such wonderful sisters. I know these pictures are kind of sad and blurry--quality-wise--but I'm so glad that I get to have these memories!

All the Things They Do

Sometimes I get so worried about all the things I'm forgetting. Like, what was that super hilarious thing Devin said that one time in the car that made my heart burst? Shouldn't I get to remember all those moments? But no matter how hard I try to write it all down somewhere, I forget. I laugh so hard at the crazy things the boys do/say and think, "Man, I haven't laughed like this in such a long time." But then later I can't remember why the laughing. Sad. But then I feel sad about being sad about a happy time. I'm kind of neurotic.

Anywho. These boys. They kill me dead. I mean, sometimes I wish I were dead. That's awful. I know. But it's true. Not in a morbid way that you should be concerned about. More of a, "ohmygosheveryonestopscreamingandfreakingoutijustwanttonotbehererightnow" kind of a feeling. So not dead, per se, more away. Okay, now that I've clarified that . . . moving on. Back to being dead because my heart is bursting with joy and love and rainbows. Those moments are amazing. And I want to soak them all in and never forget. But I do. Which, again=sad. So this is me documenting some of the things they do that I never want to forget.

I love when these boys surprise me. Like when I came out of the room tonight to finish up dinner and noticed toys EVERYWHERE. I mean, tornado style. Then I turned to go up the stairs and saw the rhyme to reason. The toys were a trail, beginning at the top of the stairs, curling around the corner--including one preventative pit--and snaking into the family room to end underneath the opened recliner chairs, which could be snapped shut the minute needed. For this was a Backson trap. A trail of things a Backson would want, leading into the aforementioned trap. They spent a lot of time on this. Think of the working together I was unaware of! More than the trap itself I am proud of their ingenuity and teamwork.

 

 

 

Let's move on to this:

And this:

I mean, seriously. Why can they not always like each other enough to roll around together? And the impromptu kitchen dance party with lollipops in hand? Couldn't those happy, laughing nights happen more?

The best of all though, was the magic of childhood on display this morning before church. This experience can only be described as pure joy. Much time was spent staring out the window discussing the snow and the snowman to be built (sadly, no snow after church. darn sun!). Their conversation was only between themselves, sometimes including Daddy to ask questions about the mechanics of building a snowman. They discussed eyebrow options and whether Olaf had hair and thus should their forthcoming snowman have hair. They discussed who would make each body part and whether the prickly sagebrush in the back could be used as various elements of the snowman. Devin taught Landon the important lesson of never eating yellow snow. Or actually, any snow that's not white. Oh to be so excited for snow. (Because although the sight of it makes me happy, the coldness of it makes me cry.) On our way out the door they stomped and played in the snow and screamed with excitement about the fact that Grandma and Grandpa's car MADE TRACKS in the snow. Giddiness about tracks is not unknown in these parts.

After church we had dinosaurs roaming the house making the most awful, sounds-like-there's-something-in-your-throat dinosaur noises. The hissing and roaring emanating from those two small boys was quite hilarious. Devin would crouch down and roar as loudly as he could. Then would inform us that it kind of hurt his throat. But he didn't let this stop him. He persevered. As did Landon, for he must do all his brother does. For 15 minutes this went on. Oh my the laughing tears.

Whether it's pillow fights on the bed--all three boys yelling "you're a scurvy pillow pirate!" or Devin's grown-up response to Daddy's "eenie-meanie-miney-mo" picking of which boy's book would be the first bedtime story: "But I PRESENTED mine first!" or even Landon's extreme insistence that "I can do it by myself! I DON'T need any help!!" I love this crazy life of mine. I mean, I'm still working on that yelling thing and really don't love being woken up in the night by Landon's inability to whisper, "MOMMY! MOMMY. THERE'S A MONSTER IN MY ROOM!" and door banging, but the snuggles I get while singing him back to bed are precious. And giving in and encouraging both boys to wear their winter boots, despite the sunny weather, brings me joy because I know they are happy, even if they can't walk too well. 

So I shall work on the remembering of the good times, on trying to curb my negativity, and on enjoying all these little moments with these wonderful little boys.

The Face of Leprosy

Devin has always been less capable of coping with sickness than others. He also has a flair for the dramatic. In his defense he was up twice in the night and one of those time was a minor throwing-up incident. But he was fine upon waking, except for an inability to feel warmth. Thus the layers upon layers. 

We had a chill morning on the couch so I could work on being functional. Then at lunch, when asked how he was feeling, Devin informed me, "I think it's Leprosy." He was completely serious, so it took a lot of self control not to laugh. He is such a sweet boy. Drama, drama. I told him having Leprosy means having to take a real nap. He needed it. Bad.

I texted Devin's comment to a few people because it was just too good not to share. Best responses: 

Rich: "Nice. Tell him to bathe 7 times in the Jordan River."

Wendi: "Oh, gosh. Wrap him up tight. Don't want his skin flaking off everywhere."

New Backyard Fun

The first job we tackled on the new house was getting the house and yard ready for winter. We spent all day last Saturday cleaning up the yard, trimming up bushes and trees, and cleaning out gutters and sprinkler lines. It turned out to be a beautiful fall day, one that was perfect for working in the yard. I'm glad we got most of the work done, leaving only the smaller front yard for the now-colder days. 

 

Mom and Dad were awesome and spent their whole Saturday with, which was a huge help. We wouldn't have gotten half of what we did get done without them. We took out approximately 20 black yard bags out filled with leaves and pine needles and bush trimmings. I don't think that yard had been raked in a long time! I feel better now that plants are away from the house and am glad that things will be a little more manageable come springtime.

Devin was a particularly good helper and wielded the shovel well. Landon was slightly less helpful, more intent on stealing the sharp clippers and driving the newly charged jeep around (yay for rescuing things from the storage unit!). Both boys love this new backyard and I see many happy days spent outside running around and exploring. Between the play set, snail shells, and wide open grass, we should have content little boys for a long time. Devin also declared that this new backyard is perfect for tag and hide-n-seek, which it is. He and Landon had lots of fun looking for each other between spurts of being helpful.

Fleeting Moments of Love

I'm not sure what's been in the water lately, but these boys have been badgering and teasing and bickering with each other so much more lately. My patience has been wearing thin and is almost non-existent right now. I shall try to improve. But in the meantime, I'm trying to relish the times they actually like each other. They really can play so well. I love hearing them in the morning out in the living room working together and helping each other. My only question: Why do all the niceties cease when I walk out? 

 

Sometimes I feel like a failure of a mother because there is not one moment of peace in the house. We've had days of sitting on chairs so much that Landon informed us at dinner "that my bum is hurtin' from sitting on a chair so long!" But then we have days when they play nicely, share, and laugh and wrestle together. I love those days. I love the feeling of love in the house. I know I contribute to the angst oftentimes, and I'm trying to focus on this more so that hopefully this will carry over and turn into brotherly love. One can hope! But even on not-so-good-days, we'll try to find those moments that remind us of how blessed we really are.

Landon Boy Sings

We've been trying to get a video of Landon singing "I Stand All Amazed" for a long time. Usually it's at bedtime when the chair is rocking, thus making all attempts a precursor to nausea. During FHE Landon requested the song, and I was able to get a video. It's not him singing all three verses like he normally does, but this is better because it really highlights Landon's personality, especially beginning about second 42.

New House!

We finally closed on our new house on November 4th! We waited for over two months for this to work out, but the wait was worth it. We felt good about this house from the start, it was just all the trouble in between that made us doubt (or rather, made me doubt and freak out and be grumpy). We feel really great about this investment and look forward to making this our permanent home.

 

We don't have a move-in date yet because we need to update and clean up the house, but we are very excited to make plans and look forward to having our own place again!

Trick-or-Treating

We had our usual dinner in a pumpkin to celebrate Halloween, but there is no documentation. Let's just say the boys liked the drawing on the pumpkin more than eating the actual pumpkin.

On to the candy fun. Since we had trick-or-treating in Grandma's neighborhood last weekend, we piled the boys into the wagon and headed over to YWorry Lane to see our other neighbors. Our two little pirates were super cute and loved every minute of their Halloween night.

Landon kept me entertained by saying things such as, "I'm a scurvy pirate!", "I have much candy. But I need some more.", and "I forgot to say trick-or-treat!" (this is after he's already received candy and the door is shut), and "Here, you can hold my sword. And my candy. And my hook." Then he chilled out in the wagon because trick-or-treating is super tiring.

Devin mostly kept repeating, "Let's go to that house! I wanna go to that house!" even if we'd just been there. He also has a penchant for ringing the doorbell over and over, so much so that one neighbor commented, "Please have some patience!" He was one excited boy bounding around the neighborhood.

Tired, but happy, boys arrived home for one last trick-or-treat stop at Grandma and Grandpa's and then into bed after a carefully picked piece of candy.