Being Groovy

On Saturday the boys and I went out to lunch at Wendy's. It was a nice change of pace for us - we got kids meals, but there was no play place so we actually all sat together and ate. Of course there was music on in the background and both Peter and Ammon started bouncing to the beat. Pretty soon Ammon was totally into the dancing and he started doing disco moves at which point he said to me, "Look Mom, I'm groovy!" I guess they learned about "groovy" dance moves at school. What a riot!

Back Yard Fun

These pictures are out of sequence since this was actually the Friday before Easter. Ammon had already been out of school the day before due to Spring Break so we were needing something fun to do. Aunt Rebecca came to the rescue! She went out to the backyard, cleaned off the slide for Peter and built a fire. Peter was so happy to be outdoors and to conquer the slide!


I knew Daddy would be proud to see Peter going down head first! (Although it makes for an interesting landing since Peter hasn't spent a lot of time outdoors and is still aprehensive about that scratchy grass!)


There was lots of fun for Ammon to rediscover in the backyard too! We are just so excited for the weather to be warming up and make this outdoor play so pleasant!


Ammon's favorite part of the day was eating smore's! We also had delcious hamburgers that Rebecca grilled up for us. It was a really great way to spend the afternoon. Later that night we were able to go to cousin Kate's birthday party! What a fun day.

We Miss You Daddy!

The only thing that could have made our holiday better was if Andy had been here. We missed him a lot. He wanted a picture of the boys in their new clothes. I wasn't sure whether or not I should buy them - it seemed like a lot of money. Andy's response was, "If they were girls you wouldn't even question whether or not to buy them Easter outfits. Just get them!" So I did, and aren't they cute!

Easter Morning

Instead of doing baskets, the Easter Bunny got Ammon a toy wheelbarrow and a pail and shovel for Peter. But they still were appropriately filled with fun goodies and easter presents. Ammon was just giddy with excitement that the Easter Bunny came. The Bunny always hides the eggs we dye and so he had fun hunting them down. We had daddy on the phone for a lot of our morning when we first went up and found what the bunny had left us. Then Grandpa Joe helped Ammon find the eggs that weren't as easy to locate. We had breakfast, put on the new church clothes, and went to church.

After church Ammon and I played the new game he had gotten. It was fun. Later in the afternoon Katy and family came by for a while. That ended up being lots of fun. Grandma Lynn did an amazing egg hunt in the backyard for the kids. There were probably close to 75+ eggs. The eggs in this hunt were plastic eggs and each child was assigned two colors to find. It was an absolute blast!

Later we had a nice dinner and put the boys to bed. It was a great Easter.


Ammon had fun discovering goodies in his wheelbarrow. We especially liked the game he got.


Peter got a toy phone in his pail. I wasn't sure if he would like it - he likes real phones, but so did Ammon and Ammon never cared for the "phony". But Peter was THRILLED with his new toy and had tons of fun playing with it all day.


Ammon was in the middle of his egg hunt when he somehow realized that he had a chocolate bunny. Well, you can see the delight on his face!


Peter enjoyed having candy too! Here he is chomping down on a whopper.

Dying Eggs

Saturday evening was time to dye the easter eggs. Ammon helped with the whole process starting with putting the white eggs in the pot to boil them. He helped put the colors in each of the cups and then helped add the water (I did the vinegar). He LOVES dying easter eggs and had so much fun doing it just the way he wanted to. You can see that he pondered very carefully just what color to use for each egg.


He was also very careful because he didn't want to break any of the eggs. Dying eggs is serious business - at least to Ammon, and he did a wonderful job!


All that careful, hard work paid off! Ammon was quite pleased with his finished product. After they dried, Aunt Rebecca helped him put stickers on his eggs. Then we put them away in the refrigerator where the Easter Bunny could get them to hide.

Easter Egg Hunt

We went to the Easter Egg Hunt at South Jordan City Park. Katy met us there with Carolyn, Kylie and Isaiah. Kylie and Ammon are the same age so their hunt was together at the far right end of the field. The age groups got progressively higher to the right. The hunt was scheduled to start at 10:00. It was crowded, and, especially in the age group we were in, there were 1-4 parents (lots of Grandparents) attached to each child. It would have been nice if parents would just let their kids stand there by the line instead of cramming in all the kids AND adults waiting for the hunt to start. Once Kylie was there with Ammon, I stepped out of the crowd and took some pictures from the other side.


A few minutes before 10:00 we heard a commotion. We looked down the field and there were kids in the oldest age group running onto the field as the people in charge were waving their hands to stop! But once one kid was out there getting eggs and candy they were all out there. The trickle effect started and soon it was not only that age group, but the group next to them, then the group next to them and so on down the field.


Pretty soon the reaction reached Kylie and Ammon. They ran out and immediately found some eggs for their basket. I snapped a few pictures and then I noticed both of them standing literally on mounds of candy searching frantically with thier eyes. I realized that they were EGG hunting. Most of the eggs had already gotten picked up so I ran over and explained to them to pick up the candy! Soon they were filling their baskets again and having a great time. Afterwards Carolyn and Ammon were excited to show off their loot!


The whole thing was over in a matter of minutes. I think the hunt was done before 10:00 when it had been scheduled to start. We had a blast, though, and it was a great kick off to our Easter festivities. While we were waiting for the hunt to begin, the Easter Bunny came through and talked to people in the crowd. Afterwards we were able to go meet him and take a picture!

Can't Fool Me

The other day Peter was banging on the railing with his hand. I thought to myself that he would probably like to play drums. With Ammon we would take a bowl and wooden spoon, turn the bowl upside down and let him bang away. He loved it! So I did that for Peter. His reaction cracked me up. He immediately took the bowl, turned it the RIGHT way, used the spoon to make a stirring motion and put the spoon to his mouth as if he were eating.

This just pointed out to me a key difference in personality between my two boys. Ammon has always been an experimenter - a problem solver. Peter, on the other hand, is an observer. He knows from watching the people around him the way things should be. It's fun to see them each being their own person.

Repentance is Sweet...

... repentance from a 4 year old even sweeter.

Last night after washing out yet another pair of poopy underwear Ammon was laying in bed and I was talking with him. He started talking about the Holy Ghost and how it is a scary monster. I explained that the Holy Ghost is actually a helper for Heavenly Father and Jesus and that he helps us know what good choices we can make and helps us know what bad choices to stay away from. I explained that the Holy Ghost can "talk" to us, but that we don't usually hear him like a voice, but more of a feeling.

Moments later Ammon erupted into hysterics literally sobbing saying, "I made a bad choice - Daddy does not make a bad choice. He makes a big boy choice. I want to be like Daddy. I made a bad choice!" He just kept going on and on with these sorts of comments. I was so stunned - he was feeling so bad! It took me a moment, but I realized he was upset about pooping in his underwear.

The fact that he felt he had made a bad choice seemed to go along with the conversation we had just been having so I explained to Ammon that when we make bad choices we can say a special prayer to Heavenly Father to tell him we are sorry and ask him to forgive us. Then we can ask him for help to not do it again. I asked Ammon if he wanted to say a special prayer like that. He said he did, so we prayed together. After we said the prayer Ammon had a huge grin on his face. I asked him if he had a good feeling inside and he said he did. I explained that the feeling he had was the Holy Ghost. It was a great experience and teaching moment for my adorable little boy.

I Remembered...

The way funny thing that Ammon has been saying lately is that whenever he wants to do something that I tell him he can't he says, "But Jesus told me I could". Once he gets on that argument, he sticks to it. I am kind of at a loss as to how to refute him with that one...

Where Did THAT Come From?

Ammon does and says so many cute things that I can't keep track of them all. Last night at Joey and Krista's house he wanted to go over to the slide. I went out with him once, and shortly later he slipped out the door by himself. I knew where he was going, but he didn't have permission and it was getting dark out, so when he got back I questioned him about it. "Ammon, why did you leave without asking me? How can I know where you are?"

His eyes got big and he patiently explained, "But Mom, I went to see my best friend Moon."

That answer caught my so off guard that I just couldn't stay mad. Since when is the moon his best friend? LOL. Actually, he has always loved the moon from the time he was old enough to notice it - probably Peter's age. I guess I just didn't realize that it was his best friend.

The fun thing about Ammon is that he is jus so surprising with the way he phrases things. The other day I was sitting at the computer working on something and he came in the room and stood next to me. He very politely asked, "May I please join you?" How adorable is that! Who knows where he learned it.

I know there are so many other cute things he has said just in the last two or three days, but my mind is blank right now, so I guess that's it for the moment.

Peter Remembers Daddy

Well, poor little Peter has been Daddy-less for more than 1/4 of his little life, and really doesn't know the difference. So, when he saw Andy this past weekend he didn't necessarily recognize him or know who he was. It was understandable but kind of sad. Andy tried to reach out to him but Peter just stared at him with a blank look on his face. Until...

Andy refused to let Peter react this way. "Oh, no!" He said. "You know who I am!" He pulled out his cell phone, put it to Peter's ear and started talking to him. Immediately recognition started to show in Peter's eyes - he knows that voice - he listens to it, on a cell phone, every day. It was so funny to watch! After that, Peter was totally warmed up to Andy.

A short while later Andy hopped out of the car for a moment to get something and Peter immediately starting shouting after him, "Da Da Da Da Da Da!" It didn't take my little boy long to know he loves his Daddy and wants to be with him as much as he can.

3 Unexpected Experiences

We just got back from Andy's graduation, and it was great! It was so wonderful to have our family together again for those few short days and especially in celebration of Andy's wonderful accomplishment. Peggy and Derrick were great travel companions/helpers, and I think my parents enjoyed the break from their long-term house guests.

Three little things that caught me off guard on our trip:

1 - At graduation I actually cried as we all had our hands on our hearts and we listened to the music of the Star Spangled Banner. It really brought home to me what an arrival Andy's graduation is for both him and me. We both have a great sense of patriotism and I am so proud of him for his willingness to serve our country in such a direct way. I realized that our family is offering our husband and dad to our country in both his time and our risks. I understand that if I have to stand and listen to that song play while his body lie prematurely in a casket, that it is a choice we accepted beforehand.

2 - Andy had a wonderful firearms instructor who supported him above and beyond the call of duty. This instructor also happens to be LDS. Here in Utah it seems that everyone is "Brother" or "Sister" so and so and we know that about each other, but when we run into other church members in their professional capacity we generally call them by their professional name. With that in mind, I had my turn to meet Mr. F and wanted to appropriately respect his career accomplishments by acknowledging him as he is known in the work place. Before I opened my mouth, however, he reached out, shook my hand and very gently said, "Sister Shadel, it is so nice to meet you." I was literally speechless at the intimacy in that introduction and was struck, as I never have been before by the sacredness of our relationships here on this earth as brothers and sisters. I realized that he was so eager to meet me, not as a student's wife, but as a Sister in the gospel. It was a great eye opening example to me.

3 - Along similar lines, I was touched when we attended the small branch in Artesia. Having grown up in a ward that easily had ten to twenty missionaries serving at a time, I have only just heard missionaries prayed for in a ward setting when they are getting ready to leave. I was touched, when on an ordinary Sunday, the branch included in their opening prayer, a blessing on the Elder they had out. They prayed for him by name. It was sweet to hear and I thought how fortunate that Elder is to have so many people praying not just a prayer that generically includes him, but one that is specifically for him as he serves the Lord.