Goblin Valley and Mother's Day

Over my spring break, we decided to go visit Goblin Valley in Southern Utah, and go on a few hikes. Goblin Valley is a perfect place for little kids, with innumerable opportunities to climb and explore. Then we went on a hike through Little Horse Canyon. The boys did remarkably well, especially Evan, whose has mini-legs. We stayed at a hotel one night and enjoyed the pool, and had a great trip overall. Here are some pictures:

On Mother's Day, I received a hand-made book from Wesley.  On the cover, it stated "My Best Mom."  Here are my favorite pages from his creation:

 "My mom is scared of spiders."

 "My mom is 60."  

I suppose I remember the time when I thought my parents were ancient, but that last one still stung a little. Wesley's big hug after he gave me the book mollified my wounded pride a bit.  But then, when Jeff asked Wesley, "Your mom is the best mom ever, isn't she?" he paused thoughtfully and then replied, "Yes, but only on Mother's Day."  I guess it's nice to know that at least one day of the year I get my due.  I'll take what I can get.

Status Updates: The New Face of Journaling

For the past year, facebook has taken over as a means for communicating many of the priceless moments that I have as a mother.  It wasn't on purpose; in fact, it's a bit embarrassing.  However, that is the reality of social networking--it starts innocently enough, through a sincere desire to reconnect with old friends, but soon sucks you into its black hole.  

Not all is lost, however.  Below, I have copied and pasted many of the fun posts about the boys--I found it to be a great reflection of many of my thoughts and their antics over the past year.  Enjoy!

3/30:  I appreciate that my pre-schooler is learning his letters, I really do.  But the word he has chosen to learn how to write?  All over everything?  Representative sample below--take note of the "conversation bubbles." (I suspect his older brother had a hand in helping him to learn how to spell this one):

3/11:  Went into the kitchen the other day to find a total mess; I found this helpful note on the counter, written by Wesley (age 6; Evan is 4).

 3/8:  A simple joy in my life: Watching my 4-year-old attempt to eat an ice-cream cone. That's pretty high up there on my cute list.

2/26:  In the car today, the boys had a great time peeling off their shoes and socks, sniffing them and exclaiming, "Eeeewww! That stinks!" I've come to discover that such behavior is genetically programmed in males. It totally baffles me as to WHY though....

2/17:  When I picked up the boys from their grandma's last night, I asked if they had fun. Evan's response: "Yes, AND we ate WAY too much sugar!!!!" Ah, grandparents. Undoing parental discipline one trip at a time. :)

1/25:  Opened Tetris for the first time on my phone, and was trying to figure out how to rotate the pieces when my 4-year-old took it from me and said,"Moo-oom, you push THIS button," and then proceeded to play Tetris better than I EVER have. HE'S FOUR!!! What is going on??

1/21:  My 6-year-old at dinner: "MMMMM!!! Mom! You're the best cook EVER!!!" Why, thank-you, son. It took a lot of ingenuity and effort to cook that box of Western Family macaroni and cheese. :)

1/19:  Argh. Nothing like your four-year-old screaming "I want CANDY"!!!" for 5 minutes at the top of his lungs at Wal-Mart to ruin your day.....seriously, whose child is this? Does he think that works? Has it ever worked? Grrrr....

1/7:  As a mom, I try to be grateful for the small things, like my child throwing up on the laminate floors instead of the carpet. (When they're sick, is it bad that my thoughts are not of concern for my child, but rather, "Get them off the carpet, fast!!)

11/22:  A conversation with our kids about the government included an attempt to objectively explain taxes. Our six-year-old's conclusion about taxation: "I'm going to call it burglary. I like that word better."

11/10:  After my son whined and begged after I said no to something, I found myself saying, "You've already received my answer in that regard," instead of, "I said no!" I am such an English teacher weirdo. My kids are going to be total nerds.

11/3:  Evil is always compared to stealing candy from a child...well, paint me evil then. I have confiscated all of the best treats from my kids' Halloween loot for my own personal stash.

10/30:  My 6-year-old spent a good part of the day walking around vocalizing what sounded like very loud, forced laughter. When asked about it, he replied, "It's my evil laugh. It's the best evil laugh in the world." 

10/1:  I ran across some work from my 1st grader, and the subject was "If I was President." My son's lofty goal as president? "I would buy a cat."  Nice.

9/23:  One of my favorite things as a mother is watching my 6-year-old's brain working through the words of a book, and his eyes lighting up as he figures out the storyline on his own as he reads. The joy of reading--played out right in front of me. Love it!

9/17:  I caught my boys screaming and fighting earlier today. The problem? They were arguing about whether Batman's outfit was black, or blue and gray. I was happy to be able to say--for once--that they were BOTH right.

9/12:  My 4-year-old just had, for the first time in his life, a slice of white bread (as opposed to whole wheat). His response: "This tastes like nothing." Why yes, yes it does.

9/7:  Before my 4-year-old does something naughty, he says, "Don't look Mommy." That's a system that I can work with.

8/22:  My 4-year-old to my 6-year old: "If someone is mean to you at school I will come to your classroom and beat them up!!" I believe him, too. :)

8/15:  I know this might seem like a petty parental complaint, but it would sure be nice to be able to cut my 4-year-old's nails without him screaming bloody murder, struggling like I am indeed murdering him, and his delivery of well-placed blows and kicks.

7/24:  Ah, parades. The only place it's okay for kids to fight to the death over a piece of candy, AND to get all hopped up on sugar before 10 a.m....

6/3:  Bringing the boys home tonight, they insisted on lying on the grass and looking up at the stars. Sometimes it's good to have kids around to remind us of the finer moments of life...

6/1:  I just cut my boys' hair. It's a good thing that they are too little to care about looking like total nerds that have a butcher for a mother....

5/22:  My 3-year-old is obsessed with locking doors. As a result, he locks himself and others in and out of things all of the time. I've had to break into my own house, bathroom and van more times in the past year than my entire life combined.....

4/18:  Aaaaaaah. Warm weather. My lizard-esque circulatory system is rejoicing. On a related note, watching a nature program about reptiles, after the narrator said that they have to stay in the sun because they can't warm themselves, my five-year-old observed, "Hey! That's like Mom. Is she a reptile?" We had to answer that it WAS a possibility.....

4/3:  City-sponsored Easter egg hunt: I lost my 5-year-old and my 3-year-old tantrumed because he wanted more eggs. Oh, the joy of commercialized holidays. Love capturing the spirit of the Resurrection through toddlers fighting over candy, and a large, egg-dispensing rodent.

Animal Crackers and Storytime

The other day, Evan came upstairs and I noticed that his socks and the bottom of his pants were completely soaked. With a sense of foreboding, I headed downstairs to investigate. As soon as my feet hit the bottom of the floor my socks were also soaked through. There was a good inch of water in the bathroom, and the carpets outside of it were completely drenched. Further investigation revealed that Evan had stuffed an entire bowlful of animal crackers down the bathroom sink, clogging it, and then turned on the faucet. And I had, just two hours before, been remarking how little mischief Evan has gotten into compared to Wesley's antics when he was younger. Well, this one makes up for all of that missed time.....
This evening at dinner Wesley made up an impromptu story, complete with gesticulations, intense tonal inflections, and facial expressions. The story he created goes as follows (recorded as verbatim as my memory can serve): "Once upon a time, there was a GIANT marshmallow! And at dinner, he ate everything on the table, even the big things! He ate all of the big things all gone, and was very, very full. So, he went to his house. He has a great big castle, up in the sky. And he was so full, he went to sleep. The end."

The Campbell Boys--A Highlight Reel

For some time now, at the end of each day, I have made a point to jot down a moment or two of Wesley and Evan cuteness. I have decided to list some highlights from the past six months. Enjoy!

• 5/20: At dinner, Evan ate twice as much, twice as fast, as his big brother Wesley.
• 5/26: Evan made a game of going into rooms and slamming the doors. One problem: he can't open the doors yet, so he got stuck in the rooms and sometimes it was quite a while before Mom realized he was missing, and crying behind a shut door.
• 5/30: Evan pretended to be a frog today, and went around the house saying "Ribbit!" and jumping up with both legs. His legs are so short that the effort involved to jump was monumental.
• 5/30: Mom walked into the study to find Evan on top of the computer desk, squatting down, rocking back and forth, taking a poo. Of all places!
• 6/22: At dinner, Evan became involved in a game of peek-a-boo with his belly, lifting his shirt up and saying "peek-a-boo!", then covering his belling and asking, "Where'd it go?"
• 7/23: We lost Evan today. One second he was in the backyard playing, the next gone. Mom and Dad searched frantically for a full 15 minutes, their panic growing at each passing second. Mom finally found him in a neighbor's backyard, playing with the neighbor cat.
• 7/30: Mom found Evan trying to flush his soiled diaper down the toilet today. She got there just in time to grab the disappearing mass and haul it out. The entire time he was flushing Evan was laughing and saying, "Bye-bye poo-poo!"
• 8/2: We went camping this weekend, and on one trip to the outhouse, Wesley and Evan were there. Wes decided he needed to pee, and just as he unleashed a healthy stream into the hole, Evan's curiosity over what exactly was down that hole was too great and he stuck his head right into the flowing stream to take a look. He got thoroughly doused in Wesley's pee.
• 8/21: On the way home from Salt Lake today, Evan became so hysterical and angry over the fact that he didn't have any snacks that Dad pulled off the interstate and found a gas station to get him some M&M's. Evan then spent the rest of the trip chucking M&M's at the back of Dad's head, quite delighted with himself.
• 5/19: Wesley informed Mom today that if you eat a fish, it will swim around in your tummy and tickle you, making you laugh.
• 5/20: Today at dinner, Wesley started singing songs. We suspect it was to get out of trying his broccoli. So Dad struck a deal: Between every song he must eat 2 bites of dinner. Well, Wesley's songs became longer and longer, our favorite being a spontaneously composed piece about his love for popsicles, that lasted several minutes.
• 5/28: After helping Mom plant the garden today, a sunburn appeared on Wesley's bum crack. His pants never stay up, so that part was exposed all day as he helped.
• 5/31: Wesley was so excited about a quarter that he had found today that during his evening prayers, he inserted the word quarter before every statement.
• 6/3: After dinner today, Wesley went up to Daddy, patted his belly, and said very seriously, "Daddy, you have a big tummy."
• 6/28: In a moment of intense mother insecurity, I asked Wesley if he loved me. He said, "Yes Mommy, I love you," and then paused before adding, "except when I'm mad at you."
• 7/13: Wesley informed me that if we were to "have another Evan" (another baby) that we were to name it "Ungh" if it was a boy and "Geesa" if it were a girl.
• 7/31: I was in the other room as the boys finished their breakfast, and I heard Wesley teaching Evan how to say a prayer. Evan just kept saying "Amen" over and over, and Wesley insisted each time that he had to say "In the name of Jesus Christ" first.
• 8/21: Uncle Sam babysat tonight. He put them to bed and heard them talking and laughing for quite some time. He just figured they were lying in bed. After an hour and a half he decided to go downstairs and check on them. They were not in bed; in fact, they were up and had taken and entire toilet paper roll, and handful by handful, had dipped gobs of it into the toilet, and then flung the wet wads all over the walls and carpets downstairs.

Soccer and Delegates

Wesley has joined his first official sports team, a kindergarten soccer league; he had his first game this past week. It was held in a fierce Spanish Fork windstorm that was so intense it blew the goals over, trapping the poor goalies in their nets. He enjoys playing, even though it might not be the best match for him. He spends most of the time striking poses in his schnazzy soccer outfit, dancing around, and studying his cleats. Every once in a while he realizes that the ball just flew by, and briefly chases it. We're working with him, and it's a start. It is a lot of fun to see all of the kids just chase the ball around in a large huddle, tripping over each other and trying to grasp the concepts behind some basic rules.

In other news, Adena was just elected as a state delegate in the Republican party in the state of Utah. She ran against 6 other candidates, and won by a majority vote. In Utah, the delegates are elected to vote on which candidates get to run in the primaries. They have the power to ensure that certain candidates do or do not make it to the ballot; it's a unique process to Utah, and very exciting. Since she was elected, she has been called and pandered to by the various candidates, and has been busy attending meet and greets, dessert parties at candidates' houses, and other debates and events. She casts her vote with 3,500 other delegates at the state convention on May 8th. The biggest race she will be voting on is the U.S. Senate race against the incumbent, Bob Bennett. Currently, there are three strong contenders against him, it's just a matter of narrowing it down. Wish her luck!

More updates coming soon.

The Boys' Moments

Every night, I record any funny or memorable moments with Evan and Wesley. Here are a few from the past few months that are particularly amusing. Most are from Evan.

--At the grocery store, we passed the large bins that have candy and nuts that you can scoop into a bag and buy according to weight. As we passed by, Evan snagged a chocolate-covered nut cluster and as I was saying "No, no Evan--put it back!" he popped it in. After chewing for a couple seconds he decided he didn't like it, and spit out the partially masticated goo back into the bin itself.

--Today while I was on the treadmill, Evan was on the couch right next to it, and decided to tempt fate and lean over the arm of the couch to touch it. As I was saying, "No, no Evan, you will get an owie!" he fell over, landing on the engine compartment. As I struggled to get him off, the runner caught his legs and Evan, sprawled in paralyzed fright, was whisked under my legs and catapulted into the playroom. He was startled, contemplated crying, then went back to playing.

--Evan's transition to Sunbeams has been a rough one. In sharing-time his second week, the primary president told Evan to quiet down, because he was being noisy. Evan refused, so she picked him up and carried him outside. He screamed, flailed, and wriggled; then, he went to hit her right in the face. She intercepted his arm, so he resorted to kicking her. This tops the list; coming in second is when he decided to do somersaults in sharing-time, and when candy was briefly mentioned as a treat at the end of sharing-time for Valentine's day, he tantrumed until the presidency just caved and gave him his candy immediately, before all of the other children.

--On a trip into the canyon to start a fire and roast marshmallows, Evan asked over and over, for 20 minutes straight, if he could have his marshmallow right then. He probably asked 30 times. When we got there, he didn't want to wait until they were roasted, so stuffed a couple in his mouth right away while the rest of us patiently roasted ours.

--Today I noticed Evan scratching his bum with a pained expression on his face. So, I asked him if he needed to go poo-poo. He said no, that he had gone already, but that it had been, and I quote, "a spicey poo" so it had hurt his bum. Wesley confirmed the existence of spicey poo's, adding that sometimes he gets them too.

--At dinner, Evan kept laughing, which in turn sprayed soggy food all over the table. We asked him to stop, and he replied with, "I can't--my throat keeps making me laugh."

--At dinner, Wesley informed us that he was in love with a friend of his from school, a girl named Isa. He continued, heaving an exaggerated sigh then saying, "I'm SO in love with her!" Stifling laughter, I asked him what being in love felt like. He said "It makes me feel happy and excited." I asked how long he had been in love with her and he replied, "Oh, for a long, long time now! For a whole WEEK!"