Ethan Graduates!

Ethan graduated from Kindergarten this week! He was so cute in his hat, but he hated it, and scowled in his program anytime he would think about it being on his head. :) I wanted to take pictures afterward with his hat, but he didn't want that, so this is what I have:

Does it remind you of Calvin and Hobbes?  WE LOVE YOU ETHAN!! WAY TO GO BUDDY!

Leslie Turns 14

Leslie is getting really old!!!

Fourteen to be exact.

When I asked her what she wanted me to say about it, she said, "I  have pink toenails."

 Gotta celebrate some way!

A Visit to the Cemetery

On Sunday, we had early meetings, and took advantage of the afternoon to make a trip to the Salt Lake City Cemetery.  This is an old pioneer cemetery, and Nathan and I both have ancestors buried here.  It was a great opportunity to talk with the children about the past.  I really enjoy cemeteries.  I can feel that they are sacred places, this one is great.

Jake and Leslie using crayon rubbing to decipher this old stone.

Grave of Richard Wesley McAllister and his wives and several children.

The latest McAllister family photo. :)

Smelly Feet

A bit of a zany morning today, must be Friday.  Seth insisted on a big dill pickle for breakfast, Miriam had leftover soup.  Seth and Miriam called me in to check out their robot:

One with angry eyes and a mustache, the other is their happy face robot.

But what I've really come to talk about is feet!  Have any of the rest of you noticed that the soft glow emanating from a computer monitor or television hypnotizes children into taking their socks off?  Any time I start to get complaints that someone can't find socks, I glean from under the computer desk and around the TV armloads of socks.  This malady seems to be no respecter of age or gender.  They're all there (dad's too.)  But, summer is coming!!! I adore the days of slipping into sandals instead of hunting down socks!

My children have developed various survival skills regarding socks.  Caleb, for instance, can ruin a pair of socks in two hours time.  New, to destroyed.  So he is often wanting.  His favorite tactic is called Hyena Feet.  This means that he puts his shoes on without socks and comes home with feet and shoes smelling like a hyena.  Jacob scrounges for any socks in his size.  Mine. Dad's. Leslies, if he can stretch them enough.  Mismatched are OK too, as long as you can't tell when they are in the shoes. (I must confess, he gets this from me, being a tactic I employ if I can't find matchers for one kid or another.)  Most of the other children are not so self sufficient, and whine to mom for help.  That is my cue for harvesting socks, sown in laziness. Of course it also signals the end of the school year.  Most of my children have no knees left in their jeans, stains on every T-shirt and holey socks. It is a wonder it all doesn't self destruct at once and leave them naked in public!

Come on, summer weather!!! We are running out of socks!

Spiders, Where?

Little boys are made with a bucket of energy, a shovel full of imagination, sprinkle on a sense of humor and stir with a stick.  Ethan told this story at the dinner table this week:

"Hey, Dad, I saw a big spider in the bushes, and he crawled on my shoe!  And then he crawled up my leg, and on my shirt, and then he crawled right up my nose!"

Nathan gave him the look that says, "You're full of it." 

Ethan tips his head to one side and smiles.  He knows he's caught, so he replys, "Well, I really did see a spider in the bushes, Dad."

My Latest Project

About 6 weeks ago, I was asked to submit some writing to the Deseret News because they were looking at starting a cooking blog.  I did, and the boss liked my writing, but he was actually leaving the paper for another opportunity, and only wanted recipes to fill a blog to sell for profit.  I was not interested in that, but all that thinking about what I would do with a cooking blog wouldn't die, so I started one of my own.  It is still in its infancy, but functional enough to introduce it officially. It is called Nine for Dinner, and features recipes, photos, menu ideas and ideas for saving money in the grocery store.  It will be better as it gets fleshed out with more content and more ideas, but it is a start. I would like it to be of use to all people trying to feed their families, facing the daily "What's for dinner?" and the weekly grocery budget.  If there is any one you think might like to use it, please spread the word.  If you like what you see, follow along, or grab a button for your web site! As my family and friends, you will probably recognize some of the recipes there!  Thanks for sharing! Thanks also to Nelda for the idea.

Commenting

To all of my dear comment-leaving friends.  Comments will now go to a moderation page, not because of any of you, but some funky spammer has been leaving inappropriate links in my comments. This should allow me to catch them so they don't offend anyone. So sorry!  Please, pretty please, still leave comments!!! Thanks, Jenny

Miriam Turns Eight!

Miriam turned eight years old on May 1st!  She is my May Day baby, and I always think she was given the clear May sky for eyes.  The exciting thing about this year, is her birthday was on the same day as her baptism.

This is Miriam with her Grandpa Jacobson ready to be baptized. We are so happy for you, Sweetheart!

This is Miriam's cake plus cousins, friends and especially brothers to help her with the very big task of eating it! We are all happy at this point. But there is one sad note to the weekend: remember this guy? My nice new potty is clogged again.  Might as well just flush a little boy down it once a year or so.  I told Seth after dinner on Friday that he needed a bath.  Then I stayed visiting with my parents, until the children began to yell, "Seth's Naked!"  He was indeed.  He also had a bit of toothpaste on his face, so I went to investigate.  He had been busy!  My bathtub had been carefully smeared with bright blue, bubblegum toothpaste in a thick layer.  Counting to ten, I cleaned it up, and began to fill a tub for Seth, when I realized there was water on the floor, and it couldn't be related to the toothpaste play.  I questioned Seth, and he told me he had flushed a bottle from a container of bubbles down the toilet.  I have tried, but I cannot reach it.  Down again!!!  I hate being short on toilets, especially this one, because then the three youngest boys come in my room to use mine. Ugh. Bleah! Any ideas on fixing this one without spending another $150 for a new toilet would be appreciated!