The Underwear Band

I just love it when Daniel and Elizabeth are getting along. They are absolutely adorable when they aren't screeching at each other and leaving hand-shaped welts across each other's backs.

Today they decided to start their own band. Clad in their best duds (yep, underwear only) they each grabbed a guitar. Lizzie's was a purple pencil and Daniel's was a piece to the t-ball set their Grandma had just sent a few days before (so much for t-ball). They each picked a guitar pick. They both used a pony bead for this which Daniel knowingly explained to his sister was called a Playing Pin.

Then they got down to work. They jammed for a few mintues, warming up I assume. Then Daniel turned teacher and tried to show Lizzie how to hold the guitar correctly. She, being 3, never really understood, but she stood there patiently and listened to everything he said.

Then the show began. They both turned on their voices and turned up their electric guitars (I learned this an instant later) and they let out the loudest and happiest squealing I think I have ever heard. It kinda had a tune, the squeal's pitched changed several times in any case, and they were both rocking to it like it was the hottest thing on the planet.

Ah, sweet music.

Daniel's Lego Birthday

On May 10th Daniel had his very first "friend" birthday party. Around our house, the kids get a party with friends on their 5th, 8th, 12th and 16th birthdays. I asked Daniel what theme he wanted for his birthday party, and after some "Spongebob" and "Construction" comments he finally decided on a Lego party.

We invited 5 kids (only 1 was unable to come) and Daniel's siblings were there, too, of course. We had pulled out our huge tub of Legos for the kids to play with while we waited for everyone to arrive. Then we played a few Lego themed games. The first was a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey type game I called "Place the Lego person on top of the Lego Pyramid." Then we played a game to see who could build the tallest Lego tower.

Then it was time for the cake. Daniel blew out the candles and then opened his presents while I dished up the cake and ice cream. He, of course, did get Legos from some of his friends.

After the goodies had been devoured, we opened the bubbles machine we gave Daniel and the party moved out on our deck. While we waited for parents to arrive, the kids danced through piles of bubbles. It's a good thing that it wasn't raining at the time!

And...Cut!

I've been waiting years for the inevitable Cutting of the Hair episode that each family seems to go through during the children's toddler/preschool years. So far my kids have not even touched the scissors unless it was to cut paper. Maybe they figured since their grandfather was a hairdresser, all the hair cutting was taken care of.

Well, that all changed yesterday.

I came upstairs yesterday afternoon to find a trail of hair from the bathroom to the kitchen. Then I encountered Elizabeth and her then-long-now-short hairstyle. "Daniel did it!" she happily remarked when I asked her about her hair. I could tell she didn't do it herself because it was mostly the back that had been cut (not the places she could reach herself). Fortnately for me, Daniel seems to have a bit of his grandfather in him. He did a fairly good job of cutting her hair (no large chunk at the skull or anything for him--it was mostly a straight line at about shoulder length). Thank goodness for that. I cleaned it up the best I could--remember, I'm not the hairdresser in the family so it isn't the best haircut she's ever had--and now our long-haired princess is a short-haired Lucy Pevensie from Chronicles of Narnia (at least, that's what I told her once she realized her long locks were long gone).

What precipitated this hair-cutting episode? I blame their father. This weekend he decided to give the boys military-style shaves. So Daniel, fresh from his own haircut session, decided it would be fun to pass it on to others.

At least he didn't try it out on Grace.

A Heavenly Sabbath? I Think Not!

Yesterday I was hoping for the idyllic Sabbath reverence from my children. This usually isn't very hard to achieve either. Usually they are remarkably well-behaved at church, and we are working on improving their behavior at home. But yesterday...well, instead I was awarded with a scene straight out of Nanny 911 (before Nanny Intervention, that is).

It all began when we tried to find seats at Stake Conference. Because they were calling a new stake president and Elder Holland would be officiating, the outgoing stake presidency decided to broadcast the conference in every room in the stake center and also in the local high school auditorium across the street. Of course by the time we arrived the stake center was overflowing and only place we could find seats was at the high school (and we were early). And the only seats available at the high school were the ones on the back row at the top of the stairs.

So, of course, most of my kids spent the entire 2 hours escaping into the aisles. They ran up and down, pushed each other to get out and fought over whose turn it was to speed down the steps and hop back up them. When we weren't scolding them for being out of their seats, we were telling them to keep their voices down. Ammon and Ben couldn't keep their hands to themselves (in their opinion tickling each other was a great way to pass the time). And all of them had to go to the bathroom more times than I thought was humanly possible. I finally took the younger kids out to the car to wait because they were so disruptive that no one near us could focus on Elder Holland's remarks.

After Church wasn't any better. I sent all the children to their rooms, hoping they would take a nap and give me some peace and quiet. But they wailed for nearly an hour before calming down. Once I did let them out of their rooms, they began to pick on each other and fight over toys. At one point I had Grace crying in my arms, Elizabeth hanging on one leg as she wailed, Daniel pushing on my other leg as he screamed at me in anger and Ben crying in frustration in the other room. (At least Ammon was blissfully silent during this particular crisis.)

Somehow we managed to get through to day without any broken bones, but I doubt our Spirits fared as well. So I made a Family Ladder.

The Family Ladder consisted of 6 rungs, numbered 0-5. One the left side of each rung was a list of Behavior Expected for that level, and on the right was a list of Privileges Earned. We started with the basic behavior for Level 1 (kids dressed and minding their own business) and worked our way up to Level 5 (obeying instantly and doing all work without being asked). Level 0 was the level for negative behavior (like whining, arguing, complaining, hitting, etc.) and the "privilege earned" was extra or nasty chores--one for each level they had dropped. Once the extra chores were completed, the child could climb the ladder back to where they had been before the infraction.

I introduced the Family Ladder right before dinner. The change was instantaneous. Suddenly my children were begging to be assigned their chores. They were asking each other what they could do to help. They were obeying instantly!

HALLELUJAH!

The Family Ladder continues to help today as well. I know that soon it will lose its newness and they won't be so enthusiastic. But at least I can get a few days of peace. Hey, maybe it will still be working when next Sunday rolls around. Oh, I do hope so.

Imagination Runs Wild

As an adult, it takes me awhile to remember to use my imagination. For me a rock looks like a rock, there are no monsters hiding in my closet, and there's not much you can do in an empty field.

Not so for my children. They are gifted imaginers.

After a doctor's visit for Daniel (and that's another story entirely), I needed to stop and feed Grace. Near the doctor's office, nestled between the very large Bellevue Regional Library and a dozen or so skyscrapers (each at least 18 stories high), there was a small field. The perfect place where the other children could run around while Grace nursed. Once we pulled into the parking lot, though, the excitement in our car increased because the place was actually a baseball diamond.

"Hooray! We can play baseball!" shouted Ammon. His brothers and sister hoorayed with him. I wondered if Ammon had secretly stashed a bat and ball in the car (which, by the way, he has done in the past). But as the children scrambled out of the car, I noticed they only had two toy lightsabers and each other.

But it was enough.

Ben stepped right up on the home plate and pulled out his lightsaber. It became the bat. Ammon strode to the pitchers mound and Daniel and Elizabeth spread out behind him. Then Ammon threw the ball. The imaginary ball, that is.

Ben hit the imaginary ball and took off for first base. I watched Ammon and Daniel chase the imaginary ball down, catch it, throw it to each other and try to tag Ben out. Then Daniel was up to bat. His grounder went through Ammon's legs and Ammon chased it down while Daniel slid into first base. Then Ammon had a turn swinging the bat. He, of course, made a home run. Elizabeth chased after her brothers and practiced sliding onto base as well.

The wind was blowing their hair, dirt was clinging to their legs, and smiles were on their faces. And all because of their imagination.

It brought a smile to my face, too.