Visit

So the other morning, Sage had gotten up pretty early and pulled out a bunch of toys in her room to play with. When I went into her later on and told her to clean things up before she could have breakfast, we got into quite a debate over who cleaned the house more, me or Sage. I should have kept my mouth shut. Anyway, when we finally got to breakfast, Sage said the blessing and asked, “And please bless Mommy so she won’t be so mean.” This parenting stuff is pretty crazy—new challenges and funny moments like that one every day. Sage was also doing something silly with her food the other day, and I asked her what she was doing. She replied, “Oh, just being my little self.” I love it.

Oh, the chicks are still alive, if you can believe. They’re ugly and mangy with their feathers growing in right now, but the kids still love them.

Jacob’s brother and his wife came to visit from Arizona this past week with their 3 cute kids. Kalei is Sage’s age so they had a blast playing with each other. They really wore each other out, I think. One night they had an all-out pillow fight. Pretty funny to watch. And Talon is Kei’s age, and they just followed each other around. I sure wish we lived closer to all the cousins so they could play more together. Anyway, it was a really fun visit. We did the Pueblo, drove the Enchanted Circle (where we discovered the fish hatchery which was great fun—the kids thought it was the neatest to feed the trout), saw the big old Rio Grande bridge, and Jacob and Justin went out hiking around for antlers one morning. Maile and I took the girls over to Twirl for storytime and craft one afternoon and came home to find all the boys sitting on the couch watching a hunting video. It made me laugh. In an effort to catch the culture of this crazy place, Jacob whipped up some really good fry bread, and we attempted to make tortillas again. They were a little bit better than our first attempt a few months ago, but we still have a lot of room for improvement. I guess that means we’ve got to stick around here for a while longer. Anway, I think everyone had a good time. So, start planning your trips to Taos. We’re all about visitors.

Ok—So here’s the skinny on the preschool stuff. Since we’ve moved here, I have been doing a “preschool” with 2 other moms who have 5 year old daughters. We rotate each week, so every 3rd Tuesday, I have the girls from 9:30 to 12:30. Everyone brings their own lunch, and we have a different theme each week. For example, I’ve got preschool this week, and we’re doing “Cinco de Mayo.” We’re going to read some short books about the history of the holiday, make piñatas, guitars from boxes and elastics (our own little Mariachi band), Mexican flags from gluing colored rice, and try to make homemade tortillas yet again since they won’t care if they don’t taste that good! We’re going to also learn a few Spanish words, maybe counting to five or something like that, mainly because I just want to learn Spanish! So this preschool set-up has been really good for us, especially since formal preschools around here are so costly. Sage has a great time just playing with friends and learning a few things too. And I don’t mind a few hours with just Keiger. The bummer is that we’ll lose the other two girls in the fall to kindergarten, so I’d like to continue if we find some other kids Sage’s age who are interested.

A few weeks ago, we had water day. Here are some of the other activities we did. They all come from the book, “Water Wonders.” It is part of a “Fun Projects for Kids to Do” series by Better Homes and Gardens. They’re really cute. The “Dandy Dinosaurs” gave me super fun craft ideas for crafts for storytime at the library last week. You can make darling…I mean scary, T-Rex snouts to tie around your face from a paper cup. Who’d a thought? I have this goal of compiling all of these cute activities into one big resource book since they are all just stuffed in file folder.

Anyway, here comes our tried and tested fun water fun:

“Rainbow Goop”

¾ c. water
1 package unflavored gelatin (inexpensive)
3 custard cups or bowls
Red, yellow, and blue food coloring

“In small saucepan, stir together water and gelatin. Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Cook and stir over low heat about 3 minutes or till gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat. Divide the mixture evenly among the 3 custard cups (about ¼ cup each). Add 3 to 5 drops red food coloring to 1 of the custard cups. Stir to mix well. Repeat with remaining gelatin with yellow and blue food coloring. Chill in the refrigerator 5 minutes or till partially set, stirring mixture during chilling.”

Now you can put some of each color of good into a plastic baggie and let the kids squeeze it all around, or you can experiment with mixing colors. For example, put a little red and a little blue in a baggie and let the kids see what color it makes when they squish it around. Very fun.

Paper Boats
You’re just going to have to look on page 20 of the book to see the easy directions for folding papers boats that float just long enough for the kids to have fun.

Drip-Dry Pictures
Fill up some small bowls with water. Add food coloring to the bowls to make whatever colors you want. Fold up a paper towel or square piece of scrap fabric several times till it is small and manageable. Dampen the towel or material, but squeeze out extra water. Dip one corner of the material into a color and repeat with each corner into a different color. When you unfold the towel, there will be a fun tye-dye pattern. We thankfully got through this project with no one getting dye on their clothes!

Bubbling Bubble Machines
Fill a small cup with ½ c. water and 1 T. liquid soap. Cover the cup with tin foil. Put two small holes in the tin foil, and put a straw through one of the holes. Blow into the straw and bubbles with ooze out of the other hole. Just be careful not to suck! I learned that one from experience!

Chicks and water day

So a few weeks ago, Jacob went out with the missionaries, and he came home so excited. I thought something had gone really well with one of the lessons. Truth be told, he had been talking with one of the sisters in the ward about chickens. This sister had just bought some chicks to raise as egg-layers. Apparently, Jacob thought this was the coolest idea ever, so this week we purchased 3 of our own little chicks, which Sage has lovingly named: Spotty, Chick-Chick, and Dotey (I actually thought of that one). Right now, they are living in the garage under a heat lamp until it’s warm enough to put them outside in a coop that Jacob is constructing. In about 4 months, they should start laying eggs. Oh, the adventures we get into! Who knows how this will work out, but for now the kids are having great fun with their new little pets. They are cute, but a bit stinky. In fact, Jacob is just showing me this home video he took of Sage doing her “Welcome Chick” song and dance in the garage. Wish you could see it, it’s pretty funny.
I had preschool at my house this week which was sooo fun because we discovered this book, “Water Wonders” that had the neatest ideas of stuff to do with water. We had all sorts of fun experiments that kept us busy all morning. The “Bubbling Bubble Machine” was particularly fantastic. Just add a tablespoon liquid soap into ½ cup water in a cup. Cover the cup with tin foil. Punch a straw through the foil, then punch out another hole. Blow through the straw and tons of bubbles come out the hole. I know I had more fun than the kids did during this preschool morning. Let me know if you want any of the other cute ideas in the book. It’s crazy how much more fun I have with my kids if I just take the time to do some creative activities with them. It keeps us from getting bored, and I know Sage really thrives on it. She’s been a bit restless lately, anxious to learn new things and grow, I think. Grandma actually discovered some computer games for her. It’s remarkable how computer savvy these little guys are. It took me a few minutes to teach Sage how to use the mouse and navigate this Sesame Street art workshop program, and she was off! I can’t believe how quickly she picked up using the computer.
Jacob was out of town for work a few days this week riding horses somewhere, so the kids and I had plenty of time to play together. Here’s a great pic of Keiger with the paper wings Sage wanted to make. I love his belly-rub. I really think she believed in her cute little heart that those wings would make her fly. Keiger’s saying some more words now. He just added “ear” and “eye” to his vocabulary today. Most of the time though, he says, “azab, azab, abadaba.” Pretty funny to listen to.
We were ready to get some stuff done in the yard yesterday, but woke up to a couple inches of snow. I love it. It did melt off by the afternoon.

Got wussy kids???

Oh, where to begin? This has been an eventful week. First of all…Easter. This cute little nursery in town put on a darling Easter activity. The kids were able to plant seeds in egg cartons (biodegradable so you can just pop them in the soil-what a clever idea) and dye eggs in dye made from veggies (the beets worked best for a bright pink). There was also an egg hunt for gladiolus bulbs, and Sage got her face painted. She was very proud.
Easter was really nice. We had Easter dinner with the Bishop’s whole family. No pig’s feet this time, just the traditional ham, but there were tamales. We had dinner with friends earlier in the week and played the candy bar game. It was fun, but nothing like the Moscow tradition. The game was a bit too friendly.
Spring has come quickly to Taos. We’ve been outside working in the yard quite a bit. Jacob is slaving away, still moving rock to create his visionary flower bed in the front yard. It should be really something. And we got a garden plot cleared in the back, and a nice little spot for wildflowers. I’m quite excited to plant in a few weeks. I wish we had taken before and after pictures of this yard. It has undergone a big transformation. Just having the grass makes it look so much nicer. I think the kids are sick of going outside because they know we’re just going to weed something or move rock.

Friday was free skiing day at Angel Fire for NM residents, so I went up for the afternoon while Jake watched the kids (good man). It was definitely spring skiing, slushy and warm, but free! Good times. Jacob said that while I was gone, he asked Sage what she wanted to do. She replied, “Oh, whatever I want to….What are my options?” That girl. The other day, she was tying a rope from one of her bikes to a tricycle so she could tow it. She said she was “translating” the tricycle. Maybe she meant “transporting,” but I really don’t know.

So yesterday, we had prepared everything to go the temple in Albuquerque and then stop in Sante Fe on the way home to go to the carousel for Sage. I had packed lunches, stuff to entertain the kids; we were ready. We had just driven out of town when we realized our recommends expired last month. That’s so like us, isn’t it? So we headed home and worked in the yard. Sage got to ride the teeny merry-go-round that takes quarters at the Youth & Family Center.
This picture needs a little explaining. Keiger has one of Sage’s paintbrushes that is covered in glitter glue and he’s smearing it in katsup and eating it. Tasty. I truly can’t believe Kei has not gotten sick more often because of all the crazy stuff he puts in his mouth.
Do you think you have wussy kids? Take our survey and find out.
1. Does your child sob uncontrollably when she receives a small scrape on her knee?
2. Does she then limp for the rest of the day?
3. Does she refuse to take a bath for fear that the water will hurt her scrape?
4. Do your kids freak out when they see the toy mule that is a part of a “Buckin’ Buckaroo” game?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, Sage and Keiger are probably yours. Okay, so that really wasn’t that funny, but it’s true. Those kids would not set foot near that game once we opened. Kei started crying, and Sage said she was tired and headed for her room. I really thought we were going to have a great family fun game night. So, if anyone is interested in a Buckaroo game, give us a call. It’s really not that scary. Jake and I played a few rounds. And we really do love our kids, even though we make fun of them. They are really quite sweet.
And lastly, I have finally worked myself up to starting a book club in the ward. I don’t know why it takes me so long to do stuff I want to do. Anyway, I’m up for any suggestions on good reads.

Fun Stuff

Fun things have happened lately. There was an Easter egg hunt in the swimming pool last week. Sage was sooo excited to go. She didn’t even mind that she had to take a shower before she got in the pool. She said she could “handle it.” Anyway, all these little kids sat around the kiddie pool while the lifeguards dumped eggs into the water. Then the kids went for it. It was great. Sage had such a good time, and she loved all the prizes she got in her eggs. Most of all, though, she loved the eggs and spent an entire day (I’m not kidding) painting them. She is such an artist. The other day she colored from 7am till noon when she finally got dressed, went to the bathroom, and brushed teeth. She’s quite proud of all the coloring books she has filled. You should have seen her eyes boggle when she saw the mega pack of 96 crayons that my mom got her. She’s been coloring ever since. Her favorite colors are asparagus (even though that one broke in half, but “that’s ok” as Sage says) and macaroni and cheese.
My parents came to visit last week. My dad was anxious to install a new door into our garage. He likes his projects. Keiger was fascinated by it all. He loved hanging out by the door as Grandpa was working. He even brought his little toy hammer over and started to pound. It was really cute; I wish I had gotten a picture. Kei is pretty funny. Lately, he’s big into wearing shoes…anyone’s. As soon as he gets some on, he thinks it’s time to head out to play. He’s also really into playing with Sage’s Polly Pocket toys. He hides them all over the house.
Speaking of cute, it was our turn for preschool last week and Sage wanted to have a tea party, so I tried to make it real fancy. I pulled out Sage’s little play table, put it in the kitchen, then left the room for something. When I looked back in the kitchen, Keiger had gone into Sage’s room, taken out her play dishes, brought them into the kitchen, and set the table! He was ready! The girls dressed in fancy dresses for the tea party. The Jello was the hit. Even Keiger sat at a chair at the table and ate. You could only see the top half of his face poke above the table, but he was loving it. He’s such an observant little guy. Too smart. Anyway, the girls decorated lion and lamb cupcakes (I’m such a bad sugar influence!). I thought they turned out so cute, I had to take a picture. What would we do without Family Fun? They also had fun making shamrock wands and leprechaun finger puppets. Good times. I’m bummed that Sage will lose her preschool friends to kindergarten next fall. I’ve been looking into preschools around here, but they are all super expensive, so I’m trying to work up the energy to start a co-op or something. I’m sure something will work out over the summer.

It was very nice to have my parents here, and it’s always a weird couple of days after they leave to get used to being on our own again. My dad and I did get to ski one afternoon. We went over to Angel Fire Resort, which was really nice--big, wide runs. I think it’s my favorite place to ski of all the places we’ve tried up here this year. And my dad can still ski. He really is a beautiful skier. I tried to learn some more from him.

I am so happy we’ve been able to ski this year. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it, since we really haven’t been able to ski that often since we’ve been married. So I’m grateful we’ve had some chances to ski mountains that are so close. I think one of the best things for me about moving here has been that we’ve gotten outside so much more. We have some friends here who are bit older than us with 3 kids that have taught me that just because you’re married and have kids, doesn’t mean you can’t make time and create opportunities to do the things you enjoy. So I’m thankful Jake and I have been able to take a couple of hours and go cross-country skiing or that we have all these fun trails to explore with the kids. It’s really fun, although everything is a bit muddy right now. Taos turns to mud in the spring. It’s pretty funny. Even the local newspaper is running a competition for readers to photograph the biggest pothole in the county. There are some real doozies.

Jacob's 2 cents - I went to the Sabinoso Wilderness Study Area to look at an allotment. That place is really neat, two huge canyons. This one is the Mora River canyon

Sunny days...

We haven’t done much these past weeks, but this past weekend we were lulled into a sense of spring when Saturday was 61 degrees! It was beautiful, not to mention that Thursday and Friday were in the mid 50s as well. Needless to say we took full advantage and went to the park. We really enjoyed ourselves. Sage and Keiger both enjoyed the swings, Sage more so. Keiger has this feeling that when the shoes go on and we leave the house that means that he gets to wander. So, Keiger spent much of his time exploring anything and everywhere.
Sage’s preschool last week was focused around princesses so we had to make an ‘enchanted castle,’ lights and all. And not to mention the dance ribbon that must accompany this castle. She had a good evening.
Keiger had a first this week also – painting, with a paintbrush. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Don’t paint what?

Oh, and Sunday we got to drive to Santa Fe for our Stake conference. When we arrived back in Taos we were reminded what season it really is…winter…and we love it.