Zach is Four!

Today was a special day. We have been talking about it for weeks and now it is here. We had a great day full of adventure with Zach's 3 best friends: Maddie, Katie, and Tyler. On my camera I had pictures of our water adventure at the zoo... I will have to steal birthday party pictures from my mom and dad's camera and post those later. Overall, we had an amazing day. Zach loved going down the slide with Tyler. He made sure to keep him safe.I love the Orangatangs. This baby is my favorite. It would fall off the ladder and then hide in the bag in embarrassment. It did it more than once. Everytime it fell it hid under the bag.It was such a fun and eventful day it is no wonder that I found both boys zonked out when I went to check on them an hour or so ago.

Tyler rolled off of his bed and onto Zach's. Welcome to my new space saver idea. New to me anyway. I have 8 months left before graduation when we can possibly move and I needed more room in the kids room so this is the outcome. A trundle to fit under the bed. The kids love it. I love the space.

In amazement

We had general relief society meeting tonight and it really got me thinking. Over the last month or so we had struggled with Zach and his sense of frustration. We found ourselves telling him no a lot and really just getting frustrated ourselves. I want to share a conversation that Kenny and I had with him tonight that made me think even deeper about my family and the importance of life at home.
Kenny and I were discussing the content of the meeting and I mentioned how it was said that in these times that can be quite scary in the world, our homes need to be the refuge from the storms. Sometimes our home is not.
Zachary: Mommy, mommy, mommy...I dont like storms. Storms make things dark. They turn out the lights.
Kenny: Yes, Zach they can do that and we need to have the protection we need from those storms....
This really made me think about the storms that can brew sometimes between parents and children. The light of Christ can't be in a home where frustration dwells and emotions rage. I want my home to be peaceful and orderly where my kids feel they can go at all times to protect them from the storms outside our home. I guess I have some work to do.

SCARY!

Last night was family night. We decided that we should take our boys to their favorite park.We were having a blast. Tyler loves slides. Well, things he has done a million times can always be done differently I guess. Kenny was up on the top of the twirly slide with Tyler and he kept telling him to sit down but he never did and he walked off the top of the twirly slide. We were very blessed he did not land on his head, it was a 5 ft drop. He landed on his leg and after x rays and everything he is okay. He is just extremely sore today. He screams when he walks. Just wanted to share my story to say just because you have seen it done a million times doesn't mean scary things cant happen.

Rice Krispies.....

When you give an 18 month old boy a recently made rice krispie treat....the results are not always pretty. At FHE tonight Tyler was given a Rice Krispie Treat. When I assumed he was done I picked him up to wash him up and then when I noticed he was clean I put him down to play. After doing that I went back to join the conversation and my family(rather Kenny's family) multiple members...began to pick the little bits of rice krispie treats off of me. Let me just say....I tried to pretend it wasn't there..okay so maybe I was clueless and knew it wasn't there but luckily I had such wonderful people to point it out. I wonder if for some reason....boogers were involved if people would be so willing to get them off for me.

Happiest place on Earth

I took more video than pictures but these are the best of the bunch. We had so much fun!!! Thanks to Kenny's parents for taking the grandchildren when they turn four. It was a blast.Nice family photo! Where is Zach? Oh .... he got distracted by the fountain.

Tyler J amazed me. He was incredibly good the whole time and didn't really get scared on any of the rides he went on. Way to go! He did get a little sunburned though.

Tyler was really patient waiting for mom and dad or everyone else to get off rides. He seemed to find entertainment wherever he went.

The boys don't always get along but this was one of those fun moments where all was right in the world.

Finally a picture of the group with even a slight smile on Zach's face! He loves Mickey and Donald Duck!

Funniest Moments of the Trip:

#1 Moment: Zach rode a zip tire ride and was told to hold on tight but when he got to the end the two tires hit he flew through the air. Scary and funny all at the same time.

#2 Moment: Zach asking to go on the grizzly rapids ride a million times. No matter How soaked he got.

Kenny's # 1 Moment: Going down Splash Mountain with his parents and watching his mom get completely soaked.

#3 Moment: Going on grizzly mountain rapid ride with a bleached blonde gorgeous big busted girl wearing a white tank top and a short skirt..and listen to her scream because she didn't want to get wet and then watching her get soaked. Words to the wise: If you go on a water ride....don't wear white. Isn't that obvious? Guess not because there was a lady with white shorts riding the same ride.

#4 Moment: Watching Tyler honk all the character's noses during the character breakfast!

#5 Moment: Being in the incredibly boring Tiki room thinking I have to stay...and half way through seeing Zach stand up and look at me and says "mom lets go, this is boring."

We had a blast! Best vacation thus far.

conversations

Me: Hey, Zach you have been good. Do you want to watch a movie?
Zach: Yea, that carpet mouse movie.
Me: What movie?
Zach: You know the carpet mouse movie.
Me: (Completely clueless)
Zach: Mom.....the orange movie
Me: Finally figures it out..... do you mean the RugRats movie.
Zach: Yeah, that one!

** When I was younger I used to watch nickelodeon "Rugrats". I have never in my life heard of it as Carpet mouse. But I guess Rugs are carpet and Rats are mice so I guess that must be where he came up with that! Crazy kid.