We Were All Just "Wigging" Out

Hey there; are you ready for some more funnies. I’ve got them, but first just a quick recap. We had a good Thanksgiving in Eugene and the kids were sad to go. Carol and I got up early on Black Friday (not as early as we usually do), but didn’t get anything exciting. Life roles on as usual and we’re getting ready for Christmas like everyone else. We plan to put up decorations Friday and get our tree on Saturday. Many of us are also battling colds: Carol, Trevin, Caden (plus ear infection), and Ammon are all sick. Tyler and Bailey have mild symptoms, and lucky me, I’m still healthy. Well here are the latest and greatest funnies and lots of fun photos, too…

We were in the parking lot of Toys R Us and an old guy on a Harley rode through the lot. He had a raccoon tail (don’t know if it was fake or real) attached to some part of the pack of his bike. It was really old school. Tyler saw it and asked what it was. I said: “A dead rat.” Not picking up on the joke, he asked: “Does he know it’s there?”

I don’t know about your local JC Penney’s, but in our store you have to go right through the lingerie section to get to the kids' section. It really is a bad set-up. So we were on our way out of the store and of course had to go back through there. We had just the three younger boys with us, but we still kind of rushed through. However, Caden still doesn’t keep up that well and while lagging behind apparently he noticed a couple of female mannequins dressed in their skivvies. I turned around to see how far back he was, as he pointed at one and said in his cute little 2-year-old voice: “He naked.” As I started laughing, he then said: “He wearing a, a, a pull-up.”

Carol was getting dinner ready and wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary, but Caden apparently thought so, because he blurted out: “What the heck? What are you doing, Carol?”

Caden is mostly good-natured these days, but he can be very ornery when he chooses. I got home from work one night and the first thing he told me was that Carol wouldn’t let him have any dots candy; and he was not happy about that. A couple minutes later Carol asked him if he had had an accident, because he asked her if he was wearing a pull-up. He told her “no!” I was standing next to him and here is how the rest of the conversation went with me and him. And note that his tone was grumpy and quite terse. Me: “Do you need to go potty?” C: “NO!” Me: “Are those your new jeans?” C: “NO!” Me: “I like them.” C: “NO! You don’t like them!”

We were doing our tithing settlement and Bishop Priebe told us that we love having the Livingston’s in the Oakhurst Ward. I then said to the kids: “Do we love being in the Oakhurst Ward?” The boys started to nod their heads yes, and then Bailey said: “Well I guess Birds didn’t cuz they moved out.”

Tyler is starting to get imaginative with his friends at school. He came home with this little piece of paper that he created and although he meant “business card”, he said: “Look dad, I made my own index card.”

Anyone want to hire him? Apparently he (or his friend “Stan”) can solve mysteries or just knock someone off that’s giving you problems.

We were getting ready to go to the park while we were in Eugene for Thanksgiving, and I told all the kids to go use the bathroom first. So Trevin and Tyler are racing to the bathroom and Trevin said: “Tyler, I have to go really bad.” Tyler then responded: “We can both go at the same time.” Trevin then said: “Oh yeah, I forgot; we aren’t girls.”

I told the kids to put away their laundry and Bailey saw a pair of pants on the ground, pointed to them and said: “Dad!” I told her they were Tyler’s but she wasn’t convinced, so she held them up, and I started laughing and said: “See!” But that wasn’t good enough. She said let me see and actually held them up to me. She finally realized that they really were Tyler’s. Trevin said that’s a blog, to which Bailey said: “No, that’s not a blog. I’ll put it on my blog.” So I asked her: “You have a blog?” “Yep,” she said “on my Barbie computer.”

The kids were in bed and I told them how important they were to me. Bailey replied: “I don’t think parents are important.” Tyler said to her: “Oh yeah, if you didn’t have parents, who would make you dinner?” (He went straight for the important stuff, right) She replied: “I would. I would make pizza.” Then, this is how the conversation went until I finally put a stop to it. T: “Oh yeah, how would you take it out of the oven without a heating glove?” B: “I would put four, no five, pairs of socks on.” T: “What if you didn’t have socks?” B: “I would use slippers.” So I guess Bailey is right, parents really aren’t that important. Who knew?

While we were in Eugene for Thanksgiving the kids were looking at mine and my siblings’ senior pictures on the wall. Carol asked Caden which one was me Trevin said he knew which one I was. I challenged him and he pointed to my picture, and then said: “You have ugly hair.” On the plus side, we can rest easy that Trevin will never sport a mullet.
Self-made hoodies. They call these their football helmets

My special little ones...

Looks like a good spot for a nap
This spot ain't bad either
Everyone, let's try on a wig




Me and the Caden man
Carol and her girl
Swinging with Grandpa
C-squared
Boo and Me
So cool
He just keeps rolling along..."Do you think this will be used against me later in life?"

Happy Halloween...There's An App For That!

So it’s been a little longer than I planned, but here are some photos of the kids’ pumpkins and their Halloween costumes. Tyler was an iPhone (thanks to a big assist from Jerry Balch), Bailey was a witch, Trevin was a football player; and Caden was a ninja. We, I mean they, got a lot of candy and had a really good time.

Alien, Boo Smile, Skull, and Silly Face

Yes, we have iPhone envy...

He he he he...
No, we do not like John Elway. That's just how it came.
Hai-ya!
One tired out ninjaCaden is doing awesome with potty training now, and he stays dry through the night, already. Trevin still doesn’t even do that every night. He hasn’t had an accident in several days, so he has really picked it up. Our diaper bill just got a lot smaller. Yeah!!!! So here are some funnies and some photos. Enjoy…

Carol met with Tyler’s and Bailey’s teachers for conferences the last week of October, and they both are doing well. So on the way home, Tyler asked her about how the grades work with middle school. Carol explained the timeline for all of middle school, then high school. Tyler then asked what was after that? She told him college, and then he asked again, what was after that? She said the real world, and getting a job. Bailey then chimed in: “I want to work at a pizza place.” Carol asked: “Don’t you want to work somewhere better?” She responded: “No a pizza place; Suprema” (where we used to get pizza). Tyler then said in all seriousness: “Sweet! That means I get free pizza, cuz you’re my sister, right?” Bailey replied: “Yep, you, Mom, Dad…” and named everyone else.

Carol got her haircut (her once every two years tradition) and when she got home, Trevin took a good look at her and said: “You don’t look like Mommy.”

When we recently attended Tyler’s Pack Meeting for Cub Scouts, the Cub Master had several people read silly little jokes, including some “Knock-Knock” jokes. Apparently Caden enjoyed them, but that doesn’t mean he understands them. He was in bed the other night saying little knock-knock jokes to himself, when I asked him: “Who’s there?” he paused, smiled, and then said “poo-poo.” I of course said: “poo-poo who?” He paused again for a few seconds to think about it, and then said: “Halloween poo-poo.” So even though it’s a work in progress, we both got a good laugh from his attempt.

Caden went to Gospel Essentials with me on Sunday and after finishing his snack he was looking around the room and noticed this painting, which depicts Christ visiting the Nephites. He then said, pointing at one of the men in the painting (the guy who is closest to front and center) and said sort of laughing: “That guy naked.”

There is a church hymn called “Welcome, Welcome Sabbath Morning,” which begins with those words followed by: “Now we rest from every care.” Well, Bailey was singing it and she doesn’t always know the words, but says what it most sounds like to her, so with that in mind here is what she sang: “Welcome, welcome, Sabbath morning, now we rest from urgent care.”

Trevin was heading down the hall towards the bathroom and Carol was coming out of our room at the same time. It was dark, and Trevin didn’t see her. When he did realize she was there, it startled him and he said: “Ah, you scared me. I thought you were a monster.”

I was in the kids’ room getting ready to tell them a bedtime story and Bailey started one, but then stopped after being interrupted by Tyler. I told her to keep going, but she wouldn’t. So Trevin told me to tell one. I said: “I don’t know how to tell a story.” He replied: “Yes you do, you’re a dad.”

Bailey was sitting on my legs for prayer and she kept moving around. I said: “Bailey you can’t keep sitting on me. Your boney bum is hurting my legs.” Carol piped right up and said: “Dad has a boney bum, too Bailey. You get it from him.” So I said to Carol: “What kind of bum do you have?” She replied: “One that’s not boney.” So I asked again, then Bailey said: “She has a squishy bum.”

I was unwrapping a Jolly Rancher stick for Tyler, which is much bigger than a normal Jolly Rancher candy. Some of the paper stuck to it, so I said: “Oh no, some of the paper is still stuck to it.” Tyler then asked: “Can paper kill you?”

The other day Trevin said to Carol: “I like Christmas cuz the presents.” Carol then asked: “What’s Christmas really about?” Trevin tried three times each with a big “no” from Carol: “Snow? Santa? Presents?” Then Carol reminded him that it was about the birth of Jesus. He then said: “I like the birth of Jesus; that’s the fun part of Christmas.”

He's a happy boy
Our kids with Wyatt and Wesley Bird
Me and the rugrats
Three pigs in a blanket
Two boys washing grapes

Another “Bird” Leaves Our Nest

You know life just isn’t always fair. During our more than 10 years in this the Oakhurst Ward we have made many friends; and some of them have become really close friends. But alas, it seems that they all move away and leave us behind. The Chuggs, the Switzers, the Holmes, the Marshalls, and now the Birds (I hope I didn’t leave anyone out). These families have all become very dear to us, and we miss them. We miss their friendship and their kids and the good times we had with them. Of course, goodbyes are a part of life, but we are always sad to see the people we love go, and time and time again it is really tough on our kids; especially Tyler. He always has had a difficult time with goodbyes, and it never seems to get easier for him, even with age.

We have enjoyed our friendship with the Birds, just like with all the rest, and we will miss them, but the lesson to be learned is crucial. Take advantage of the relationships that matter while you have them. I always tell Tyler: “Yes, it hurts when we have to say goodbye to the people we love, and that’s why it’s so important to enjoy the moments with them when we have them.” But unfortunately that doesn’t provide him much comfort in those moments of painful goodbyes. We will see the Birds again, and even in just a couple of months, but still they are gone like all the others I have named, and that hurts. However, the good memories and experiences outweigh the hurt. And that is why we just have to keep putting our hearts out on the line, even though the inevitable pains will occur; because the rewards are worth it when we form these kinds of relationships.

So, so long Bird family. We will meet again, and we will not forgot the good times and the laughs, the blessings exchanged and the spiritual experiences we have shared. They are to be added to that proverbial book of life we are writing every day. You will be missed, but you will remain in our thoughts and prayers and our memories.

What Do Your Kids Draw?

Hey everyone it’s that time of year. The kids gutted their pumpkins on Saturday night, but we are still in the process of carving the designs. I’ll have to put those pics up when we finish them. They all enjoyed the slime, except Caden, but he still participated, at least.
Speaking of Caden, we have seen a great improvement in his skin and a slight one in his demeanor, but it appears that things are working with his diet changes. Ammon is growing like crazy and was 16 pounds 10 ounces at his 4-month appointment. He has also discovered his thumb; Uggg$#*!)&%$#&*^%!!! Trevin is doing well at playing with Caden while his older siblings go to school all day, but he does get a little board without his sports buddy, Tyler, around. Bailey loves school and she loves to play school whenever she is home. She involves her little brothers as students, when ever they’ll put up with it. Tyler is part of a book club at school. They are discussing the novel “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” He read it in one day, no joke. He is a great reader, which is so good to see. So that’s a real quick update on us. There are a bunch of new photos at the end, but first, here come the laughs…

So, I was getting ready to make lunch on Conference Saturday and the kids were telling me what they wanted. Meantime, the LDS World Report was on in the background between sessions. Elder Richard G. Scott was on and he was speaking Spanish because they were discussing the new Spanish version of the Bible. The kids immediately noticed something different and started asking questions. I said: “That’s Richard G. Scott speaking Spanish.” Caden heard me (sort of), and still referring to the topic of lunch, said: “I don’t want spinach.”

I was wrestling with Trevin and I guess out of hopes I wouldn’t tickle him, he said: “Dad, kiss me!” So I gave him a big smooch on the cheek and he said: “Good job, Dad. Good listening.”

We were ripping out our garden and I came across a big worm. I pointed it out to the kids and Trevin asked: “Can I step on him?” I said: “No. Worms are good, we need worms.” He asked: “Do we eat them?” I said: “Well, you could if you needed to, but…” Before I could finish my explanation, Trevin interrupted very adamantly: “I need to.”

We’ve been letting Caden run round naked while we potty train him, because he always tells us he has to go when he’s in the buff, but not when we put underwear on him. We put him in one of Trevin’s long shirts to cover him up, and when he sits on any furniture we always wrap him in a towel, for the same reason. So the other day Caden had wrapped himself up in Trevin’s blanket, and Trevin called out to us: “Caden’s on my blanket and he hasn’t covered up his nakedness.”

Caden has been having some of his night fits again, recently, so when he was on my bed the other night I told him: “Caden, you’re sleeping in your bed tonight, and not ours.” Trevin was out in the hall and heard me. He came into the room and said: “Dad, Caden screams and wakes me up every night. Isn’t he a mean person?” Then he turned to Caden directly and said: “Caden, you’re a mean person.”

Caden recently saw me give Tyler a blessing when he was sick. So one recent Sunday morning, after I got home from meetings, Trevin reported that earlier that morning Caden put his hands on his (Trevin’s) head and gave him a blessing. Trevin, understanding the situation and wanting to teach his little brother, said that he asked: “Caden, do you have the priesthood?” But the explanation went no further because Caden replied: “yes.”

We were eating lunch on Sunday just before going to church and while I was preparing mine, I was recounting to Carol the new seating arrangement in the Bishop’s office for our weekly Bishopric meeting. Now that I’m first counselor Bishop wants me on his right side (but I wanted to stay where I was). Anyways, I told Carol how the whole thing went down earlier in the morning, and when I finally got all done, Caden, who was sitting at the table with the rest of the kids, says to all of them: “What is dad talking about?”

We have a belt that Trevin uses for church, but technically it’s still Tyler’s. Lately, Trevin has been using it with his jeans, too. So the other night he takes it off as he’s getting ready for bed, and then with a big grin on his face he puts it in his drawer. I said: “You’re gonna put it in there, huh?” He said yes, and then I let out a big gasp and said jokingly: “That’s stealing!” He smiled, and then said: “That’s not stealing. I just borrowing it.”

This last one includes a picture. Bailey loves to draw and the other day she showed me this one and explained that the picture depicted that there were only two bathrooms at school and they both had people in them, so she had to wait, but she couldn’t, so she wet her pants. This was not based on actual events, but I guess she thought it would be funny to draw it. The mind of a 6-year-old?????
Two Livingstons and two Birds in the cage
We miss you "outside"
Trevin kickin' it old school
Caden doing the same

Rock a bye baby
Oh, I can't believe that
That was so funny
Caden doing his hair
Now, where did I put my glasses?
We played the dress-up game for our Family Home Evening activity and everyone had a great time. I'm sure my siblings still remember, as I do, when we played this game as kids.



A break in the dress-up action...







See, I told you I had a tongue in there
This is not a good thing. I was a thumb-sucker, so I guess at least one of our kids had to be.


Every once in a while, I get real board and I need a little exercise, so I just start throwing the kids around. Here we see that Bailey is not wearing a wig.
Caden nearly hits the ceiling when I throw him

Tyler is a little too heavy to throw up, so I toss him on the couch

Stylin' Ammon