Crazy June

June has been really busy. We just got back from Oregon for the funeral of Jacob’s Grandma. It was really nice to see all the family. We are grateful to have been able to go. On the car ride there, Sage was pretty funny. She noticed some train tracks outside her window, so she said, “Look Keiger…train tracks.” But of course, with Sage’s little voice it sounded more like “twain twacks.” So Sage continues to say to Keiger, “Can you say twain twacks?” Since Kei adores attention from Sage, he obediently responds, “Tu-Tuh!” The rest of the conversation went as follows:
Sage: “No…twain twacks.”
Keiger: “Tu-Tuh!”
Sage: “Twain twacks.”
Keiger: “Tu-Tuh!”
Sage: “Twain twacks!!”
Keiger: “Tu-Tuh!”
This hilarious exchange went on for a while. I was laughing pretty good! Keiger is actually saying a lot more lately. It’s pretty funny to hear him count to three. It sounds like, “ buh, boo, whee!” Funny kid. I’m a little worried that he has anger issues, though. If we tell him he can’t do something, he has to throw something as a way to vent, or else he shakes his pointer finger back and forth, like he is saying, “no, no, no.”
We had a “Fancy Nancy” night over the weekend, since we (Sage and I) adore the “Fancy Nancy” children’s books. Anyway, we had some fancy lessons and got all dressed up to go to Wendy’s for frosties. Sage was simply elegant with all her jewelry and high heels. The best part of the night was watching Keiger prance around in the high heels before bedtime. I couldn’t stop laughing!
Here’s a picture of Sage getting attacked by the hose. Crazy the things she comes up with! That had me laughing pretty hard too!
Okay, so here’s the latest little project we’ve discovered. You can make your own sun hat, and actually, they’re pretty cute! You just take 2 sheets of newspaper and cut them into big squares. Then you make a paste with equal parts flour and water. Using a paintbrush, cover one of the newspaper sheets with the paste, then put the other newspaper square over it like you’re gluing them together. Here’s the funny part. You put the newspaper over your head and tie a string around your head to mold the paper to your head. You have to leave it there for 10 minutes, so I just sat Sage in front of the TV since she was not excited to have anything on her head. After the 10 minutes, take off the paper and put if on a flat surface to let it dry completely, just don’t disturb its shape. When it’s all dry, you trim the paper to form the circular brim around the hat. Kinda fun, and not messy at all! One last thing…Just finished reading Stephenie Meyer’s “The Host.” Very good. I sure like her. And I’m in the middle of “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith. I’m really into it. It’s like Jane Austen, but a bit more modern—I’m into it. We’ll see how it ends.
Oh, Jacob ended drawing a deer tag for the fall, but no elk. We’re both a little bummed. I really don’t like deer meet, and Jacob just wanted to shoot an elk, but at least he gets to go hunting (I can’t believe I wrote that), so he needs to start shooting his bow. He volunteered to shoot prairie dogs out of the yard of some friends and to shoot coyotes at the missionaries house, but that’s not too surprising is it?

Catch Up

Lots to catch up on. Sorry no pics yet--check again in a couple of days because they're cute. I'm in Utah and Jake has the camera at home, so he'll put them up on Monday. Sage celebrated her 4th birthday on the 29th. None of us can believe she is that old already. She was soooo excited for her big day. Exactly two weeks before her birthday, we were at the library doing the storytime craft, and Sage went around the room getting everyone's attention to tell them that we would not be at storytime in two weeks because it would be her birthday. Anyway, both of Sage's grandparents and Shayla came to her birthday party. She really wanted a pinata, purely for the candy, and I made her a pony castle cake. We were finally able to give her the "FurReal" Cat she wanted for Christmas. I got it on clearance in January, and we hid it in the laundry room closet. So for the past few months, we've heard these little "meows" coming from the toy every once in a while! Nani and Papa and Shayla were able to visit for a few days. It was great to see them. We went on a few adventure hikes. I had to carry Keiger in the backpack up one of the hikes and about died. That kid is built...and I need to work out more! Jake's soccer league started up again, so he's happy to get some exercise. Sage makes a great cheerleader, and Keiger just wants the ball.
We've, okay Jacob, has been doing a lot of yard work, and things are looking great. We've made a few trips to the nursery for plants. Jake is into the perennial flowers, but I can't get enough of the grasses. They're just too fun. I want Jake to take pics of the yard to post--it's a dramatic change since we moved in. I headed up to Utah while Jacob was working in the field this week, and we took the kids to Lagoon the other day. Sage showed a bunch of brave and went on nearly all the kiddie rides. And, of course, she chose to ride the chicken on the carousel. She really didn't like the "Tilt-A-Whirl," but then I didn't either. Ugh. She went on one ride where you ride in a rocket and have a little gun to shoot. Naturally, she doesn't even touch the gun. She probably had no idea what it was, yet she was surrounded on the ride by all these little boys who are all about shooting each other. And then there's my dad yelling at her, "Shoot the gun, Sage! Shoot the gun!" Oh boy. Then it was pretty hilarious to see her on the bumper cars. She was so proud to figure out how to steer it, and then to see the look on her face when she got bumped and stuck in a traffic jam was pretty funny. We ended up spending all day at Lagoon; the kids had a great time. It makes me more confident that we'll be able to handle Disneyland. What do you think, Jake?
Oh, just before Sage blew out her bithday candles, she made her wish and said solemnly, "I wish that I could fly." So at Lagoon she and my mom rode on the tram/chairlift thingee that takes you across the park. While they were high up in the air, Sage said out of the blue, "My wish came true!" Honestly, she remembers everything!
We experienced a bit more Taos culture the other day when we got invited to a reception for a kid who was graduating from high school in our ward. It was crazy! Tons....Tons...TONS of food and all out decorations at the church. It was huge. And then I was told that this reception was pretty mellow in comparison to others who actually rent out reception halls for their graduate. Families here like to have get togethers.
And, BIG HAPPY NEWS! We have new neighbors! Heather is back to the Los Alamos for the summer. The Munns have moved into Alburqurque (the big town with the temple that I always spell wrong), and the Lloyds will be there for the summer too! Yippee! Who would have thought so many would end up in New Mexico for a bit. Pretty crazy, but I'm happy.