The Great Chew-dini

 Announcing the new, incredible, astounding Chewdini.

Originally Ben named him Chewbaca, Chewy for short, but after several successful escapes he was renamed Chewdini after the great escape artist Houdini. 

 Chewy is a cute teddy bear hamster and is much more playful and fun than our other hamster.  He doesn't bite, unless you are the nurse vet and have to poke, pull, and squeeze him. 

Benny can't stop loving him.  He has the cage open and is constantly petting and cuddling him.

What Boys Do

 Most of the time I really don't want to know what the boys do.....
Oh sure I hear them up there when dad's tucking them in. How can you not hear them?  I hear the war cries and bed jumping and wall crashing.  But I've long since accepted that this is a part of being a boy and I will relinquish my opinion.  Frankly I'm just glad it's Rusty in there being the pillow Ninja, not me. 

Every night the boys get a look and ask dad if they are going to have a pillow fight or not.  It doesn't happen every night, but it does happen a couple of times a week.  I see the joy in their faces when I tuck their sweaty little bodies in afterwards and hear their approval in the simple words, "I Love Dad."  How is that he beats them senseless and they love him all the more :)  It must be a boy thing.

Well this is a rare glimpse into the madness.  Rusty took the camera to Father's and Son's campout and when I was loading the pictures I came across these beauties.

 I think it is obvious that any sense of humor my boys exhibit comes from their father- it's a good thing he's around or we would all be oppressively sober.

It's a strange phenomena that happens when I see my husband pillow fighting with my boys or dancing with my girls.  I love him more than I can imagine.  I feel so blessed to have such an amazing husband who loves me and my children. Who keeps life fun. Who guides us and inspires us. Who strengthens and lifts us. I can't imagine life without him!!

Look at the joy on Ben's face- it says it all!

The sound of music

This last year we have been very blessed to have an amazing piano teacher for Lauren and Dallin.  I've always wanted to play the piano and never have, so I was thrilled for them to have this opportunity.  They've both learned so much and are really doing well in developing and sharing their talents. 

At the culmination of the year their teacher held a recital and award ceremony to recognize all the hard work and effort of the students.  Lauren and Dallin received the second to highest trophies for their work and participation. They received points for practicing, performing, taking the state theory test, memorizing 10 songs and playing them for a judge at Guild Auditions, and participating in an Ensemble group (which will perform in June.)

Ms. Davis takes piano very seriously and pushes them hard.  She is kind, but not the really "lovey" type. She tells them what to do and expects them to do it- she doesn't mince words. If they aren't doing something correctly she tells them. They've had to get used to her style, but it's been good for them.
It has been a challenge for them to get out of their comfort zones and do these activities- there have been plenty of tears of frustration and fear, but I'm proud of them for sticking with it.  I just can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear them plunking away the same old tunes on the piano over and over. I know I shouldn't live vicariously through my children, but since they begged and begged to take lessons and never complain about practicing I figure it must be a win-win. Right?

They Say It's Your Birthday- Na, Na, Na, Na, Na, Na

The year has turned! Just as tax day is the official end of the year for many business, in our home we have an alternative year cycle.  Dallin's birthday marks the change from an even year to an odd year or vice-versa.  This year he turned 10, which means Lauren will turn 12 then Kate will turn 6 and Ben will turn 8.  So we began the even year cycle. 

The kids wanted to do gifts first thing in the morning so before we even had breakfast we began the exchange.  First up the "pets" gave Dallin some shorts, diving sticks, and Reeses.

Kate gave Dallin a watch

Ben, Lauren, Mom and Dad all gave Dallin some spy gadgets. 

Lauren, always one to put in some creative energy, made Dallin a really cute pop up dragon card with ribbon fire.  Where did I get such a clever daughter?

So after gifts and Toaster Strudel for breakfast we made use of some free tickets to the Scarborough Renaissance Fair for a great day exploring, playing and celebrating.

Dallin was selected to participate in a Celtic battle demonstration where he was "tagged" after being killed by Boomer's superior swordsmanship

We checked out several fun shows- falconry, glass blowing, carillon bells, a living chess match, and fire whips to name a few.

Then each of the children decided to try out the "stocks" and, of course, they insisted on being photographed.

After all that excitement we grabbed Totino's Pizza for dinner and then partook of an interesting cake.

You'll notice I said "interesting" not delicious or enjoyable.  It was a bust.  Dallin wanted a whip cream frosting and the recipe I found wasn't very good- in spite of high reviews on All Recipes.com.  Oh well, Dallin was so sweet and suffered through it for awhile until finally I pushed him and he admitted he "didn't prefer it." Which at our house is the code word for I don't like it.  :(  He just didn't want to make me feel bad. 

What a good guy.  Dallin is such a blessing to our family.  He brings balance to the force (ie Benny and Kate).