Second Gymnastics Meet of the Season

 

Cali participated in her second gymnastics meet on December 1, 2012 in Evanston, WY. I took Cali to Evanston while Christian kept the boys in Rock Springs and they helped him cook pancakes at the ward Christmas breakfast.

Cali got 6th place and was beyond thrilled. She improved her scores by full points from her first meet to the second. For me, there is nothing better than seeing her excited, nervous, focused, and confident.

 

Her best scores came from her vault and floor routines, followed by bars and beam.



 

Bethany and Brock drove up from Salt Lake to see her compete, Brock loved every second of it!



 

I loved watching her get her first medal. When we went to Arby's to get some lunch before we drove back to Rock Springs, she paused before we got out of the car and said, "I better leave my medal in car, I don't want to look like a show-off."

 

 

Grandma Vicki and Grandpa Carl also drove up from Salt Lake and enjoyed sitting some good old fashioned bleachers, just like the old days!

Hair Do

 

Since going back to work (and for some reason I cannot wear a ball cap) I have struggled to balance my hair-do's between workout sweaty, mom comfy, and work appropriate. After a particularly sweaty morning, and no time to wash and dry and style (I did manage to shower), I came up with this creation. Please send your suggestions my way or tag me in your Pins on Pinterest!

Bro

 

A couple of weeks ago Carter's best little friend, Brogan, spent some time in the hospital. Carter and I stopped by for a visit, and the two friends immediately began an elaborate football game on the Xbox. When it was time to go I had to pull Carter out of the hospital bed, both boys had cozied up controllers in hand.

Brogan ended up staying a few nights at Primary Children's Hospital but has since recovered and he and Carter have been reunited!

If I Were a Mind Reader...

Not exactly what I thought was on Cali's mind, but pretty close. She downloaded an app to my phone and spent several unattended hours in the back seat of the Pilot reading everyone's mind.

Magic

 

On a dead end road in Castle Dale, Utah, Caleb discovered the magic and majesty of hitting a cat tail really hard on the road. The seeds blew around in the wind while he discovered that he was magic!

"I Caught a Fish"

 

The weather over the Thanksgiving holiday was unseasonably warm. I'm beginning to think that this global warming thing is making fall holidays more fun. On the Friday after Thanksgiving Christian, Brandt, and my dad took Carter and Caleb fishing at Millsite, near Ferron Utah.

Ever since our catching-fish-in-a-barrel experience/excitement at the Emery County Fair earlier this year, Caleb has been obsessed with catching fish. On more than 1,000 occasions he's been heard to say, "I caught a fish!" This expression is usually the result of him picking up a toy off the floor, getting a cup out of the dishwasher, pulling his blanket up to his chin, putting his shoes on. In essence, "I caught a fish!" became his final punctuation mark at the end of nearly every phrase.

He was so excited when he finally, for real, CAUGHT A FISH!

 

Carter was a little relectuant to touch the slimey fish, but Caleb picked it right up and handed it to him. They promptly walked to the neighbor's yard and fed it to a mother cat and her hungry kittens.

Christian also "caught a fish". This nine month old wriggly wiggler was strictly a catch and release...back to his mommy of course.

 

This is What We Do After Thanksgiving Dinner

 

After Thanksgiving dinner, like a every other normal family in America, we raided my dad's costume closet and chased each other around like maniacs. I think my kid's exact words were, "Grandpa, take us up to the high school and put on masks and scare us!"

Being chased by masked relatives is fun and terrifying all at the same time. Caleb could not figure out Brandt's ugly baby costume and studied him for a while before Brandt, upon request, resumed chasing him.



 

Caleb thought this one was "Hulk Smash!" There was no way I could convince him that it was a mask from the movie The Mask staring Jim Carey. So, we all just went along with the "HULK SMASH!" scenario.

This is something that will no doubt come out in a counselling session sometime later in life. I can just imagine them describing their grandpa as a terrifying Green Goblin...Well, they asked for it (see specific quote above).

 

 As if masked foot races weren't enough, we also hit up the batting cages...literally. Christian gave Carter some tips on hitting while Brandt and Caleb crouched behind the guard. Later, Christian would use his own tips to awe us with his crazy baseball hitting abilities. Let's just say Brandt's motto became, pitch and duck...quickly.

 

I think that everyone ran, scared, pitched, and hit their entire Thanksgiving feast right off. Luckily there were desserts and left-overs waiting for us back at grandma's house.

Giving Thanks

 

There is this really delicious holiday sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas. At times it is overlooked, even by the semi-dedicated bloggers. The holiday, is called Thanksgiving, and is one of my favorites.

This year we spent Thanksgiving in Castle Dale with the Peacocks. Cali got to move up to the "adult's" table and I sat with Caleb and Carter at the kid's table. My Grandma Zora and Aunt Mari joined us for dinner, and we had a great time talking and eating...but not at the same time, of course.

 

 

 

Cali's First Gymnastics Meet

 

Saturday November 10, 2012 was Cali's first gymnastics meet. She was very nervous for days leading up to the meet, but calmed down as she started her warm-up. We both learned a lot from our first meet. She learned how to manager her nerves, improve her confidence, and what she needs to do to get better. I learned that an iPhone camera doesn't really capture the moments very well, and I need to help her get her hair under control. Apparently points are deducted from your score if your hair flips around and you touch it.

 

I couldn't help but notice that some of the other level three gymnasts were the same height as Cali's legs...

 

 

Birthday Boys Gone Wild

 

These two little men were born one week shy of four years apart. In fact, Caleb's original due date was Carter's birthday, but he ended up coming a week earlier. This year we were in Castle Dale on Caleb's birthday so we decided instead of having two parties we would have one big party for both boys.

It started on Friday afternoon {November 9th} my parents came from Castle Dale. They braved the crazy snowy weather and arrived just in time to see Cali's Veteran's Day assembly where the school choir sang some patriotic songs. After school we had dinner, and then the boys dived right into the presents! Who doesn't like reaching into a huge sack of presents?

 

After a few presents to get the night started off right, we headed over to Legacy Gym for a Nerf gun war. We rented this new little gym in town and it was worth it, for sure! They provided the guns, Nerf gun course, guns, ammo, black lights, lasers, and glow-in-the-dark face paint. We provided a bunch of wild kids, and things got crazy!



 

I spent most of the night chasing kids, getting shot to death by boys (big and little), getting thrown onto the mats, managing the cutting of the cake, and making sure most kids were returned to their parents with all their limbs. Did I say things got crazy? Total understatement!

 

Caleb got so sweaty and thirsty from running around I found him in the back room sipping on several Capri Sun's. I made him get back out to the war, his soldiers needed him!

 

The chaos was just on the verge of anarchy, but everyone loved it!

 

Alexis' Baby Shower

 

My brother Brandt's wife, Alexis is having a baby in January. We can't wait for Baby Kate to join our family. On Caleb's birthday we made a quick trip to Castle Dale to hang out with family for the afternoon and attend her baby shower. As sisters we often wondered who Brandt would marry and if she would be able to handle the four Peacock sisters. I am so happy that Alexis is in our family, she fits in perfectly and is a true sister. Not to mention she can handle Brandt, which is a pretty awesome task!

Little Brock has a funny habit of sucking in his lip like an old man. It made us laugh and laugh all afternoon. He's going to have to keep up his antics if he wants to continue to have all the attention on him once Kate gets here!

  

My best girl holding my best baby-sitter's baby boy... Bethany, how did we/she/he get this old!

 

Caleb's Birthday

 

It is hard for me to believe that it was three years ago that this little boy came into our lives. He has changed my life in ways that I could have never imagined and was not always ready for. He is sweet and mean and kind and agressive all rolled into one little body. He keeps me sufficiently humble, and just when I feel like a parenting pro, he develops new skills and abilities that keep me on my toes.

I've often wondered how it must feel to have a spirit much bigger than a body. I know that this boy has been who he is since the begining of time, and I have the great privledge and challenge to direct him through this life.

We started off his day early in the morning with some Cowboy Donuts, his very favorite treat. We then jumped in the car and drove to Castle Dale for the day. Every time someone told him "Happy Birthday" he would smile from ear to ear and bat his eyes while sweetly moving his head side-to-side. It was pretty funny, so we sang to him at least 20 times!

 

Trying to get your fingers to cooperate while you show someone how old you are, can be challenging. He's working on his fine motor skills.



 

If donuts are the best, then donuts on fire are over the top. He blew out his candles several times!



 

Thumbs up for birthdays!

 

Cups

Christian and I have recently become obesessed with watching episodes of Duck Dynasty. If you haven't seen this gem of a reality show yet, you should. Seriously. Watch. This. Show. 

In one episode the crazy Uncle Si throws a giant fit because he can't find his tea cup. In every episode this guy is constantly drinking iced tea. He even goes swimming with his tea cup. Christian and I laughed and giggled about how stupid it looks to carry a cup everywhere you go.  

No sooner had I made fun of Uncle Si than I realized how I must look carrying my green drink cup around with me. Carrying it into work isn't too bad, it's the carrying it out with the green sludge in the bottom that is the worst. So, I make it a point to stop by the bathroom on my way home and rinse it out.

When I realized I was washing my cup out in a public restroom sink, I immediately felt a closeness to Uncle Si that I was not ready for. I understood how he felt when he lost his tea cup and I vowed never to make fun of him again.