Livingston Life And Times: 2010

Hey everyone, it's me again. This time I wasn't gone as long, but a lot has happened anyway. To start, the kids enjoyed their visit to the Rose Garden to watch the Blazers play an intra-squad scrimmage. They also really liked their trip to Everett to go see The Wiggles in concert. It was a good show and they enjoyed it, although Tyler and Trevin didn't show it much. Caden, of course, loved it. We also enjoyed seeing our good friends the Marshall's, who let us stay at their home. We sure appreciated their hospitality.

The kids got lots of candy as they went trunk-or-treating last Friday and Saturday night. We went with Leslie and Eric to their ward's, then they went with us the next day, to ours. And when you have five kids, that equals a lot of goodies for dad; I mean the kids. Trevin got to go on a school field trip to a pumpkin farm, and he and Carol had a lot of fun. Two Sundays ago the kids had their primary program, and they all did an outstanding job. The kids also had another cousin return home from a mission, about 10 days ago, as Nathan got back from Florida. Carol and the kids got to go greet him at the airport.

We are all looking forward to the upcoming holidays and look forward to seeing family we haven't seen a while. I'm sure there are things I have missed, but if I remembered them all, that would just mean it would take longer to get to the funnies. So here you go...

Caden likes to play Duck, Duck, Goose and he was trying to play with just me and him. He wanted me to get up and run after him, so I did and when I caught him I said to Carol: “Look Mommy, I got me a goose.” Caden began to pout and then he said: “I’m not Mia Goose.”

The kids were in the process of getting ready for bed one night and Trevin ended up on the couch in his underwear. Bailey shouted: “Mom, look at Trevin; he’s being immodest. He’s on the couch in his underwear.” Trevin smiled big and said: “I have my socks on.”

We play a word association game to get the kids to listen to General Conference a little better. We have certain words that are attached to different snacks. If they hear it, they get the snack. It’s still a little advanced for Caden, so he was going to help himself to a raisin, which had “The Spirit” attached to it. I stopped him and said: “You didn’t hear anything.” He replied: “Yeah, he said raisin."

We were at the table and I was just about to ask someone to say the blessing when Caden leaned over to me and says out loud: “You’re a bonehead.” He repeated it a couple times, then I calmly asked him: “Who taught you that?” Then, much to everyone’s surprise, especially Carol’s, he replied: “Umm, Mom.”

Tyler saw the Wiggles when he was about three, with his cousin Caleb. After the show, with a little luck they happen to run into two of the Wiggles, Jeff and Murray. So a day or two before we were going to see the Wiggles this time he said to us, in all seriousness: “I wonder if Murray will recognize me?” We had a good laugh, then Carol said: “Tyler, do you know how many kids Murray sees?” He replied: “Yeah, like two Tylers a month.”

Trevin has reached the age of trying to develop a sense of humor, but it is a big work in progress. The other night he said to Tyler: “Knock, knock.” Tyler replied “who’s there?” Trevin: “Poo poo.” Tyler: “Poo poo, who?” Trevin paused and you could see the wheels turning; and then he said: “Horse-cow.” We were all stunned at his brilliance, and he got a good laugh at himself. Like I said, it's a work in progress.

Wiggle Time

Hiding behind the couch

Welcome home, Nathan

Having fun at the airport

Giddy-up Horsey

Lots of pumpkin pie filling

Where did I put that tissue?

Drivers beware!

Waiting for the Wiggles to start

More illegal driving

So, do you need a napkin?

Ah shucks...

Not a Mets fan, but it kept him happy at the store

Not so happy about his haircut

Blazers game

Playing in the rocks

Oh, how cute. Tyler even did this pose on his own.

OK, so it’s been forever; I know. I can’t possibly recap all that has taken place since I last updated the blog. But I’ll try anyways...just kidding. But here are some of the highlights. We had a good summer, but didn’t do anything major. We built a fire pit in our back yard, which the kids really enjoyed, especially making smores several times throughout the summer. I introduced the kids to Capture the Flag, and we spent many evenings playing that this summer, as well.

In August, we went to Eugene for a weekend to visit as my brother Scott and his family were in town from Utah; including Isaac, who returned from his mission. We decided that this would be a good opportunity for the 4 oldest kids to get their first taste of being away from home. It was with much trepidation (more on their part) that we left. They were just going to stay a couple of days, but ended staying the entire week. It was good for everyone, except maybe Ammon, who was quite bored without his siblings around.

Of course with September here, the kids have started school. Tyler is in 4th grade now, Bailey in Second and Trevin started kindergarten. They are doing very well and all enjoy school. They even help out by making their own lunches every night before they go to bed. It was a little tough for Caden at first, but he has gotten over it, thanks to the Wii and his mother’s iPhone. But of course we read to him every day, before he has those privileges.

Coming up, we are looking forward to General Conference this weekend, and then later this month, we are taking the kids to go see the Wiggles. They are all quite excited. It should be a lot of fun. We also get to go see the Blazers play a team scrimmage this Friday night, thanks to some passes from the Priebe’s. They will all enjoy that, for sure. Overall, we are all doing well and thankful for the many blessings the Lord has provided us with, including a more blessings in the employment department. And yes, Carol and I finally got our own cell phones. And yes the iPhone 4 is amazing and it has changed our life. Well, that’s a pretty lightweight recap of the last two and a half months, but at least I have some funnies stored up (and pics, too), so enjoy!

Bailey noticed a wedding announcement in the recycle pile and asked Carol if she was really throwing it away? Carol told her yes and then I said: “Don’t worry Bailey; we’ll keep yours when you get married.” Then Carol told the kids about the different ones she still had from family members. Bailey then asked: “Will you keep ours when we get married?” Apparently, she didn’t hear me. Carol told her yes, but then Trevin said: “They’ll already be dead by then.” I questioned him, and he said: “I think so.” Bailey then replied: “You can’t say that unless you’re sure they’re going to be dead.”

The kids were playing in the playroom and Caden came into my room and said: “Dad, we’re trying to attack Tyler.” I said: “You are, huh?” He replied, “Yeah, cuz he’s annoying.”

Carol and her mom took the kids to OMSI, a scientific museum, and they have an unborn Baby display, where you can see what real babies look like during the development process. Carol said that some of them during the first few weeks are pretty creepy looking. I said a lot of them are creepy looking. Then I said: “and some of them, when they’re born, are still creepy looking. Bailey then said: “You mean like Ammon?”

Carol and I talked about getting iPhones for a long time, especially the new iPhone 4. In our many conversations, we mentioned that it would not be fun to take all 5 kids to go sign up for the service. In August, we were discussing the possibility of leaving the kids with my parents for a few days. Bailey said: “You guys should go to Blackberry or Verizon or something.” We laughed, then she said: “What? I’ve been listening to your conversations that ‘we need to go when the kids aren’t here.’”

Ammon was walking around in just a diaper and Bailey said: “He looks so cute in that outfit.”

I caught Tyler in a pick and then he went to wipe it on the ground. I said: “You better find that booger and clean it up with a tissue, or I’m gonna pick one and make you eat it; from someone else’s nose.” Bailey heard and volunteered: “Pick mine. I have the driest boogers ever.”

Tyler told Carol that they watched a video in Primary called “A Pioneer Miracle.” She asked him if he liked it and he said: “Yeah, but I knew they weren't gonna die, because it was called ‘A Pioneer Miracle.’”

I asked Caden one morning: “What do you want to do?” He replied, referring to the Wii,: “I want to play sword fighting with not you, so you don’t cry.” This response came because we had played another time and when I knocked him in the water he started to pout. So when he knocked me in, I began to fake cry, which he did not enjoy.

Tyler has the ability to scream at a very high pitch. I often tell him: “Stop screaming like a girl!” So I had him pinned down and was tickling him and he was really letting it go. I said to carol: “Lets record this and show all his friends that he screams like a girl” Tyler replied, while still laughing: “They already know.”

We have been talking about getting another twin bed, so Caden move out of the Toddler bed, as he is really outgrowing it. So we were telling him that each of the kids would move to a new bed up the proverbial seniority ladder. We said he would get Trevin’s bed, unless Trevin wanted to keep it, and then he would get Bailey’s bed instead. He then said with a very concerned and incredulous look on his face: “In the princess bed?”