Green Thumb

We've been really focusing on rhyming words with Jocelyn.

We found out at her parent conference that she did not quite get the skill.

Dog = "Bite"
Cat = "Meow"

Eye = "Pie"

And she's really been doing great since we have been practicing.

Rhyming everywhere we go.

So I thought of this little rhyme while we were out planting our new flowers for a garden area.

Green Thumb = Mean Bum

This boy is funny.

I wrote this post back when Jack was 3, almost 4 - just about the same age as Jocelyn is right now. He still is a riot. It was fun to reread the silly things he used to say. 

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This boy has been cracking me up lately. At times I have to hold back the laughter so as not to hurt his little feelings, but he's truly a riot. I don't know what I love most about this age. Let me rephrase that. I don't know what I love most about this boy at this age. He's just pretty awesome all around, BUT his daily conversations, confused remarks (due to his age), and story telling skills are definitely up there on my list of favorites.

1. At the park one morning.
J: "Hi, I'm Jack. What's your name?"
Little girl: "I'm Jessica."
J: "I have two balls. Do you want to see them? I'll even let you play with them."
Little girl: "Okay, then let's go on the swings."

2. Me to Jack after dropping off sister.
"We have to go to Michael's later after our walk so I can get some fabric for your costume."
40 minutes later as we're getting into the car...
Jack: "Are we on our way now to that dude's house so he can make my costume?"
Me: "What dude?"
Jack: "Michael."

3. "It's not perfect but it will just have to do." (Afton's shorts)

4. As we're driving along, out of nowhere he says, "I'm getting REALLY tired of being called Jack-A-Jack and Afton being called Sally. My name is Flash."

5. Afton reading a restaurant sign on the strip, "What does BJ's spell mom?"
"It is the name of someone who the restaurant is named after. It doesn't really spell anything other than a nickname."
Jack chimes in, "It doesn't say BJ's. It says pj's, like pajamas. Geeze you guys."

6. "I couldn't finish my work today in preschool today mom. It's because I hurt my leg on the trampoline last night, and that one time, 14 years ago when I was a baby."

7. "I've done that before mom. I been on a submarine before with grandpa. We went, zooooom, down to the bottom of the sea, and I caught like 14 crabs. Then I bought them up and laid them all out on the beach. I told them to stay still, so they did. Then zoom, down again. Like 150 more crabs. Grandpa and I really did do this. I'm not telling a fib. This is a real story. I didn't do it with grandpa Jerry. I did it with your daddy mommy. I really did." Sidenote: My daddy died when I was just 5.

8. "I am going to write a letter to Mrs. Higley." 

Afton: "You can't.  You don't even know how to spell her name."

"Yes, I do. It's D - O - S - E. She'll know what that means."

9. "Afton, you're silly. This tunnel doesn't stink. You don't have to plug your nose."

10. "I don't know how to eat fast."

11. "Please don't call me that. I am Flash."
Preschool ART teacher - "But it says your name is Jack."

"Fine, then you can call me Mr. Jack Flash."

12. "Smiling is the worst."

13. "Mom, what's an ankle?... oh, I thought that was just a giant skin pimple."

14. "Okay, now I can really hear you mom."

15.  Jack- "Mom, what's the name of his kind of gun, a Sugar Shooter?"

Me - "No, I think it's an assault rifle."

Jack- "Oh yeah, the SALT rifle."

Cupid

Jocelyn was so happy that she gets to have a Valentine's party this year.

She has no idea what it means exactly because she has never had one, but she was just excited when Jack and Afton were talking about their parties from previous years. And now she gets to be big like them too!

Her little mind is going to explode when people give her candy and hearts just because... she will totally freak!

She loved her homemade bow and arrows from sticks we found in our trail behind our house. 

She loved that we took pictures in our fairy garden area. 

She loved that she was the only one taking pictures and not her brother and sister. 

She will love the preschool class party that will surpass all of her wildest expectations. 

But most of all, she will love telling her big brother and sister all about it.

Joey

Jack had no idea who Joey is.

Neither will his friends.

But, Afton keeps saying it... not sure how she's seen it. Hoping she's just overheard her dad and I saying it from time to time.

But, these are going to be so cute.

His pants are too short and I didn't realize it until we started taking pictures or else THIS ONE was a perfect "Joey."

"Alright mom. This is enough. You are crazy."

Messages of Love

I've got Pringles cans all over my house. Great sale at Costco and my babes are loving it.

I thought I'll save these for something.

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Earlier last week when we were reading our scriptures, Jack said that he didn't know how to actually look things up in the scriptures. "You always just find it for me."

I thought I'll have to fix that.

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With Valentine's coming, it's important that we focus on showing love. Especially in our family, because that is where it seems to lack the most, unfortunately.

I thought how can we remedy this, and quick!

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An FHE on messages of LOVE, equipped with old Pringles cans, individual activites to find messages of LOVE, and a hope, and a prayer, that it will help our little family be more loving towards each other.

Making our heart jars.

We will open our heart jars on Valentine's night and hopefully see how much we truly love each other. 

Jack chose ice cream sundaes for our treat. 

Today, the following day after our family home evening, she writes a message of love to me. "No peeking yet momma."

Simple Picnic

First, we were just going to have a simple picnic...

Which required lots of fruit snacks. (5 packs to be exact)

Then it turned into a tea party, with fancy red cups.

It ended as a real rager, with Sofia stealing all the popcorn, Mickey and the snake talking the whole time while watching Cinderella, and Jocelyn just giving up all together on eating.