Fantastic Five

Our "little bit, care bear" turned 5 today! She woke up to her big happy birthday poster and 5 balloons in her room. She woke up at 10pm when I was putting them in there, but doesn't remember it. Then she went upstairs to homemade blueberry muffins. This kid loves blueberries! She was sad because Sekoya was already gone to school and Daddy was at work. She blew out her candle and then started to cry. Talk about breaking her mamma's heart! She didn't even eat one bite of her muffin! She got to talk to Daddy on the phone which made her feel a little bit better. Then off to preschool to share treats for her special day. Right after preschool we went to McDonald's for lunch with 11 of the special people in her life! That made her day a little better. She also got to pick the dinner menu- homemade macaroni and cheese.
I told her we would celebrate with a big party later in the week when all the family was home. She was concerned that she wasn't going to get a cake or anything. So mark this as a big FAIL as the mommy!

Just a regular girl

The other day while I was doing Sekoya's hair for school she asked me-"Mom, how am I supposed to be just a regular girl with a name like Sekoya?" I told her she was far better than just a regular girl. I think she is having a little bit of stress about her name because she also asked me if it was legal to change your name and how to do it. I asked her if she was wanting to change her name. She told me-"No, I just don't know if Sekoya is a good name for when I am grown up."

Firsts

Cute kids after church

Showing off the new 'do'

Morning cuddles in Mom's bed

Nixon cut his first tooth while I was away at Gooseberry and he got his first haircut this morning, right before church. I have wanted to cut it for a while so we could spike it all over. I finally just grabbed the scissors and started chopping. It turned out so cute and makes him look even bigger than he is. Even though I can hardly believe that he is 6 months old already. I have really failed at documenting his first few months of life! I am going to do a recap just for my own purposes.

1 month: At one month Nixon was sleeping longer at night, but still not all night. We tookhim on walks whenever it was warm enough. He is super easy-going. After the umbilical cord and circumscision came off he was able to get into a real bath and LOVED it. I was still in my post-partum haze and can't remember much more.

2 months: During his second month of life Nixon started sleeping through the night from 10pm to 6AM. Awesome! He is getting on a sleep/wake schedule that I can count on and life is getting into a groove with three kiddos. I think this was when he had a first, genuine smile. He also took his first car trip to St. George to see Grandma Carol. I still had that dang post partum hanging around. I sure wish I could have a baby without that!

3 months: I think this was when he first laughed out loud. He also took his first bike ride in the bike trailer. We were still taking lots of walks and he loves being outside. He loves to play peek a boo. I think his favorite toy is his burp cloth. He likes to put it over his face and just sit there. He also likes my version of itsy bitsy spider and patty cake.

4 months: Nixon took his first camping trip, first trip to the lake, and first Razor ride. I also started feeding him some baby food this month, but he didn't like it too well. I decided we would try it again in a couple months. He also started rolling from his belly to his back. We were never able to witness this because he would do it in bed right after he woke up. He loves his swing and his bouncy chair, but most of all his sisters. He lights up any time he sees either one of them.

5 months: I can't remember any milestones this month. He just continues to be such an easy baby. We get more smiles and giggles out of him each day and his personality comes out even more. He did start mimicking me waving to him and is trying to figure that one out.

Showing he really does know how to roll.

Gooseberry

Class picture with smokey the bear and Elle the elephant


Watching the blacksmith

Doing the do-se-do with dad

Bedtime!

Holding worms at the ecosystem workshop

Antelope horns at the wildlife workshop

Measuring trees at the forestry workshop

Sekoya and Bricklee

Making a twisted rope

It rained for a little bit

throwing the atl latle (spelling?)

Fire Safety

This explanation of the field trip was taken from a blog of someone who did not grow up in Richfield.

What is Gooseberry? Our school district for the last 32 years has taken the entire third grade class camping overnight each September. It is held at the Fishlake Forest Service campground called Gooseberry. (As a bit of local education... you don't say it as two seperate words. It is not "goose / berry" is it more "goozberry".)

This year the class arrived around lunch time and had a scavenger hunt. They then made headbands by pounding leaves and berries onto cloth strips with rocks. The rest of the afternoon was spent circulating through different classes such as archeology, orienteering, stream ecology, etc.

Dinner was spent with any parents who could make the trek up the mountain. After this we enjoyed a demonstration from a blacksmith. He made mini axes and a leaf pendant that would be given away by drawing. The kids loved that.

All of this is leading up to the highlight of the whole two days.... Annie Bangs. You are not a true resident of Sevier County until you have experienced Annie. I've heard lots of versions of the legend of Annie Bangs but basically a little girl lived in a cabin at Gooseberry with her family a long time ago. During a very cold winter the entire family freezes, but Annie. Some versions of the legend have Annie being raised by wolves. Despite the version told, a few points are the same.... Annie still lives in the mountains of Gooseberry. Being raised as a wild animal, she has no social skills. She loves the color red and thus whenever she is seen she is wearing that color. She is drawn back to Gooseberry out of curiousity whenever she hears the sound of children.....

Each year the experience is basically the same. All the kids turn out their flashlights and the lights of the campground are put out. A ranger tells his version of the story of Annie Bangs around the flickering light of the fire. The tension builds. It is dark. It is cold. The students then go into the clearing in the middle of the campground and sing the "Annie Bangs" song to draw in Annie. It is a horrible song that goes something like, "Annie Bangs.... you have the cutest little Shiny Fangs"..... (I'm not kidding here). Just when the tension is at it's highest, you will start seeing glimpses of someone in a red dress in the trees. It is pretty freaky even when you know it is really one of the High School track team in a dress and mask. Sometimes Annie will charge out of the trees and get kind of close to the kids. They all scream. Some cry. It is traumatic. The kids love it.

Well Annie Bangs was REALLY scary this year. Maybe they figured that these kids are used to more violence in their world as this year they had THREE Annie Bangs appearing at different times out of nowhere. She buzzed THROUGH the crowd, brushing up against people. She leaped picnic tables and threw metal garbage cans. She even grabbed one child and ran off with him for about thirty feet. It was really freaky. It sounds absolutely barbaric, and really it kind of is. The kids scream and some cry. But the kids wear the experience like a badge of honor. Their siblings and many of their parents have all experienced it and survived, and now they have, too. It is the Sevier County rite of passage.

One year Gooseberry got rained out and a whole class did not get to come. Over the next few years the parents of those students brought them up to Gooseberry as an older child just so they could experience the legend of Annie for themselves.

I'll agree it's strange, but it is part of living in Richfield. A strange part, but part of it just the same.



More fire safety workshop

Mapping workshop

Sekoya decided she wanted her dad to go with her to Gooseberry. They would pitch a tent and sleep in it since dads aren't allowed in the girls' cabins. I was really sad and bummed that I wasn't going to get to share this with her. At the last minute I decided to go at least go up for dinner. I packed an overnight bag just in case. Actually, Sekoya had a really hard time deciding who to stay with her. She was so concerned over hurting one of our feelings.

More to come.....

Best show and tell EVER

This praying mantis was what Katera took for show and tell today. She said her teacher told her it was the best show and tell of the whole class. She was really proud. We caught this guy after church on Sunday. I was worried about keeping it alive for two days in a jar. After searching google for what to feed this creepy crawly we caught a moth and a black widow, which were quickly devoured. After school on Tuesday we opened the jar to set it free. Katera wanted to hold it even though she was a little scared. She watched as Jason and I both held it then let us put it in her hand. She was really brave until it got a little scared and started really crawling all over her hand. It's front legs have some pretty prickly hairs that felt like it was pinching her. After some screaming and crying we put it back in the grass. That was the end of our bug adventures for the day. I'm so glad that my girls aren't "girly girls" and like to catch bugs and worms. I weeded the entire yard last week and Katera wanted every worm that I came across in the wet, muddy ground. She even filled a little container with mud and kept them for half the day.

Little Man Nixon

Preschool 3rd edition

Yay Preschool!! Today was Katera's first day of preschool- for the third time! She started preschool as a 3 yr old and she is too young to start Kindergarten this year so we get to do it again! She has been so sad that all her friends from last year are now in kindergarten. She keeps asking to play with them and gets so disappointed when I have to tell her that they are all in school. So today could not come fast enough. She was up and ready for school by 8:30 with an hour to wait. That is pure torture! This year, after some preschool drama, we have her in Miss Paula's class. It is within walking distance and she is in our ward so Katera is very familiar with her. She has been doing preschool for at least 20 years since she taught my little sis when she was just a little pipsqueak. I am super excited for Katera to have her for a teacher. I know she will have a very fun year.

I can't believe how grown up she is getting! She really is ready for kindergarten on the intellectual level. She is super smart and will probably be reading by the end of this year. But she is almost a head smaller than everyone her age. I also had to think about the future and what it would be like to have her be the youngest in her grade. I could just see the fights we would have about her not being able to date when all her friends are. We will have plenty of disagreements without that being one of them!

On a different subject.... just the other day I had to explain to her in full detail how to get "new wheels" on the car. We had just passed a tire shop and she asked if my car needed new wheels. She has quite an analytical thinking process so her brain started going. She asked about 20 questions about how we get the old wheels off, why we need new wheels, how do we get the new wheels if our car's wheels are off, and on and on and on! I have had to explain many other things in full detail like this to her. Hopefully that need to analyze everything will help her succeed.

Soccer

This year Sekoya decided to play soccer instead of softball. This choice worked out really good for me since softball season would have been right after Nixon was born. Not to mention how cold the spring was! It would have been very hard for me to watch her games with a tiny, new baby. It has been a different experience for me to watch her play a sport I know nothing about. I never played soccer as a kid. The first couple of games were a little tough. She did not have the endurance she needed to run up and down the soccer field for 20 min at a time. I think she was a bit frustrated with not knowing what to do and ended up in tears a couple of times. I am so proud of her though. She has stuck with it and improved so much through the first half of the season. I am still not sure she will be the athlete that I hoped she would be, but she is having fun and I will support her no matter what she chooses.

The cutest spectator in the crowd! He is always so happy at her games. He loves to be outside and surrounded by lots of action.

A day at the park

The first day Sekoya went back to school Katera was so bummed and bored. She asked to go on a picnic. We went to McDonalds and got a happy meal to take to the park. We tried to get some friends to come with us, but they had other things to do. I told her I was sure there would be other kids at the park she could make friends with. Boy was I wrong! There was NOBODY there. I felt so bad! She still had fun introducing her little brother to the fun things at the park. This was his first time on the swing and slide. He loved every minute of it!

Spotting deer

Jason's work adventures

Seattle dinner cruise


Golf in California