My Three Little Piggies

Here's what your kids can do with a left over palate of pavers....build themselves a house of bricks! While a wolf couldn't blow it down, it interesting how it kept migrating up our basketball court and increased in size each time. Last night we finally had a huge clean up pow wow, which took us quite a long time. While it seemed like a fun creative idea for them, at first, I'm not sure I would suggest it. When it comes to building and Ethan, I'm always a sucker!

Ethans Zoo Report

For two weeks Ethan was preparing for his zoo report by picking an animal, researching and writing about it, and creating a habitat, from a shoe box, to display it in. Ethan picked a King Cobra! The teacher was very specific that they were to make these THEMSELVES. Of course, that was a bit hard for my micro managing personality, but Ethan did well. He painted the inside of his box and then cut out clouds and trees from construction paper. Then he gathered grass and glued it to the bottom. He also glued twigs from some our plants along the back, used rocks and a small piece of wood he held down with duct tape. I did help him with the Cobra. We printed a picture and then glued it to card stock and cut it out. He took pipe cleaner and attached it for the tail. He was very proud of his creation.

The entire Kindergarten displayed their boxes in the cafeteria, for all the parents to come see. They all sat down at tables and had their reports in front of them so they could answer questions. Though Ethan's wasn't the BEST ( obviously some parents couldn't help themselves), you could never tell by the huge smile and gleam in his eye as he anxiously anticipated every person's reaction to his box as they walked by! What a great idea. I love his Kindergarten!

April Fools!

Ok....So another April Fools day has not gone to waste around here! I was stressing a little about what jokes I was going to pull this year, because nothing was coming to me! I'm sure that sounds silly, but it's one of my favorite days! It's the day I have free reign to be mean! Luckily my fun friend, Tamzen, called me the night which must have sparked something, because I had some doozies! So here's just a few...

I texted 3 of my friends pretending I was texting Ben (but accidentally sending it to them) that said something like,

"I'm so sorry for fighting this morning. I just love it here, and will miss all my friends. But I will look at the silver lining of things, like finally being able to wear my sweaters, having a sabbatical from family, etc. I love you and will follow you where ever you want to go", etc, etc!

Well you can imagine the texts I go back.

They went a lot like this,

"Ummm, I think you meant to text this to Ben. Whats going on?" or

"Ugh, are you moving? I'm so sad". One of my friends, Trina, thought it meant we were moving to California. I don't know where sweater wearing fit into that. I think she was just hoping!

Another joke I played on my friend Holly. She lives in Texas, but is possibly moving. We have been foolishly hoping that we could live by one another again someday. So I texted her telling her Ben's business wasn't doing well, and that we were looking at a job in Dallas. She fell for that one. I couldn't' believe it, because she is the biggest trickster of them all.

The biggest doozie was a conspiracy with my fellow April Fooling buddy, Tamzen. We collaborated to trick her husband. I had accidentally texted him the night before thinking it was Tamzen's number, which set up our joke perfectly.

I texted him, making him think I was tyring to text Tamzen, telling her that an old (mutual) friend of ours was in town and wanted to come over for lunch. That sounds harmless, right? Well he is a guy. When he got the text he thought I was trying to pull one on Tamzen, so he just kept texting things back like, "It's just two friends having lunch", etc. I kept raising the stakes, saying things like, "Well, he said I looked good, etc!" Finally, he realized that this could possibly be real and told me to call Ben. Tamzen told him the joke was on him, and that we were both in on it!

Thanks Tamzen for our fun April Fools Day many, many years ago at BYU that has fueled my joking streak for all these years! Nice to finally collaborate again!

A night with an Old Friend!

Last Tuesday, I get a text from an old friend that he had invited me (on Facebook) to a concert he was doing in Gilbert. When I finally got on Facebook and realized it was family friendly, we dropped everything, and headed out to Gilbert to see him.

Ben and I hadn't seen him in 12 years. He was in my ward my Sophomore year, and always brightened up our apartment with his singing and piano playing. My Mom came to visit once, and she thought he was the coolest guy. He has amazing talent. His songs are very catchy, and have a lot of feeling and emotion in them.

The kids loved his performance, and were excited to get signed posters, etc from him! He told them he hated practicing piano when he was little, but was glad his Mom made him! Thanks for that plug, Kevin!! We bought a couple of his CD's and they have been playing in the car since! You should google him! (Kevin Burdick) You can listen to his music before you download it!

Thanks Kevin for the invite, and making us feel like we just saw you yesterday!

Its nice to know...

So the other day Aubrie is outside playing in the backyard, with her brothers, and then she suddenly comes inside and starts putting my eggs, that are in the carton, away in the egg bin. I'm thinking, "That's random!" Then she proceeds to cutting up the egg carton. This is what she made with them. When I asked her where she got that idea, she said, "The Friend!" It's nice to know that she remembers what she read in there:)

Ethans Zoo Fieldtrip

Ethan had a field trip to the zoo last week. He was so excited. He kept going over all the things he needed; "Mom I need sunscreen, and I need to wear my class shirt, and I need a sack lunch, and don't forget that you are coming!" I wonder how many time Ms. Nebel drilled them on that? He was so excited that I was coming on the bus with him, and so was I. Like I said before, I like being with my kids on the bus on their field trips! It's another window of their life I get to see first hand!

When I got on the bus I was surprised to see that there were several people from church there. It was nice to chat while the kids played. Sometimes our chatting took over supervising as the teachers started telling our kids to sit down, etc. Ooopps! We Mom's don't' get as much socializing as we need I guess!

When we got to the Zoo, we had free reign to go and do whatever we wanted, except rides, gift shops, etc. A friend from another ward, who has a son in Ethan's class, came too. So our two groups paled around!

(Ethan took this picture. He was so funny, calling everyone over, and then positioning us just right. He is my creative leader!)

The trip was short, but perfect, since it started to get hot as we were leaving. The kids had a great time, and I enjoyed checking out the new aquarium! We got to pet some sting ray and starfish, feed birds, see a peacock open his feathers (not pictured), pet and feed a giraffe, and had a special treat in the monkey area; a new baby monkey! Sooo cute!!!!

1st School Carnival

The week after Spring Break was a little crazy. Besides parent/teacher conferences the PTA was preparing for the first school carnival that Saturday. I spent one lunch selling tickets and wristbands, and also volunteered to run two of the kids teacher's booths. (That was wordy!) Anyhoo, my Mom came and helped with Sophia. They had several raffles, a lot of games, and rock walls, jumpers, etc for those who purchased a wristband. I didn't buy a wristband for Sophia, because she was too little, but the games kept her occupied. She kept winning most of them, too. There was one where you had to roll a ball just right to get it over a bump, and not roll back. There were these older boys who kept trying it over and over, and then when Sophia did it she won on the first try. The boys couldn't believe it. That was actually Aubrie's teachers booth. I had to work it later that day, and I had fun with it. It was usually the little kids who did the best, because they didn't roll very hard.

The kids all had a fun time, but we were all ready to go by the time it was over; it was hot! I can't believe this is the only picture I got. Oh well!

More school news!

This afternoon I had Boston's student-lead parent conference. He led me through much of his school work, and then showed me some activities he does in the classroom everyday. One of the things he showed me was a letter he wrote, today, about this school year. I was surprised to see how much detail he had written, and the things that were important to him. Today reminded me how excited he gets over learning and doing well in school. He couldn't get his report card fast enough, and he couldn't wait to show me all the things he had done. After school, he had to ride his bike home alone, but the gate was closed that lead to our part of the neighborhood. I told him he could take the long way. He was a little nervous about it, especially since he didn't have his siblings going with him. I told him he was a big boy now, and that I knew he could do it. After few minutes of thinking about it, he took me up on it, and off he went. I watched him bike away and realized that he is a big boy now. I sometimes forget that because Aubrie is the oldest and I put most of the responsibilities on her. But Boston has been stepping up a lot lately; playing with Sophia and trying to help out. He has always been such a responsible little boy, I just need to remember that now he is a responsible BIG boy, that can be trusted with much more.

Aubrie didn't have a parent teacher conference, but I have been surprised by the fact that she actually has been caring about her grades. She has been talking about how she hopes she does well, and has been trying to pump her teachers for hints on what her grades will be. I realized I had been micromanaging her a little too much, and decided to back off. I'm beginning to slowly embrace the Love and Logic philosophy of let them learn independence and responsibility now, when it doesn't matter as much if they fail. It's quite Heavenly to let go, I must say! She gets her homework done without me hounding her, and stays on top of her assignments on her own. If her report card isn't laced with A's, who cares? It's not like my straight A's in grade school got me anything. It's more important that she loves learning, and now she does! Right now her love is Math, Science and Writing. She told me she hates the Science test, but LOVES learning about it! I'm beginning to see a lot of me in her. Hopefully she does something with it! LOL

Oh, I'm sure she would want me to mention that she got 2nd place for the 50 yard Dash this year. She did better without me there cheering her on! It's actually quite impressive since most of the girls at school tower her with their long legs.

Is it really 4th quarter? ( my letter to Ethan)

Is it really 4th quarter? It seems like only a few months ago I was dropping my baby (Ethan) off for Kindergarten and trying to hold back the tears! Now he is almost done. Today I had my final parent-teacher conference with Ethan's teacher. She had nothing but good things to say about him. I know I won't remember it all, so here's for you Ethan, when your reading this in our blog book one day!

She said how much she has enjoyed having you in her class. You keep her laughing, and know when it's appropriate to be funny and when to cut it off! She said that you are a born leader and that everyone loves you. She said that is a good thing, because you are a good leader, setting a good example for all to follow. She said you have an amazing imagination, and pay so much attention to detail in everything you do. She said you are doing great in your academics....one of the brightest in the class. She also said that your class is the best she has ever had, and will be sad when the school year is over. So how lucky you were to have such an amazing class and great teacher for your first year of school? I'm so happy that Heavenly Father helped me make the right choice and put you in West Wing. It was a hard choice, waiting to the last minute, but I know it was the right one! Remember Heavenly Father is always there to help you make the right choice. Mom loves you and is so proud of who you are! Always stay true to that!

Back to Life and the Pinewood Derby!

Ughhh!!! I think I'm really a kid at heart, because I dread when school is in. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about learning, and school! I loved school as a kid. I would hide my sicknesses from my Mom when I was sick so she wouldn't make me stay home. The school was worried my Mom was neglectful when I was sent home with 104 temperature. They called frequently, over the next two weeks, while I was out for PNEUMONIA!!! Maybe that's why I feel like a kid now, because I didn't act like one when I was one. I just love the freedom of having the kids home. No schedules, no running everywhere. Weird coming from someone who is obsessed with organization, huh? There is no sense in it, but the fact is I like having my kids with me. (Ok, maybe a 3 day school week would be perfect for me, because I do need some days to get get stuff done and stay organized.) So there it is, and here I am back to school and anxiously waiting summer.

So far, not so bad. Monday was the typical Monday. Family night was good. We mainly read from the scriptures, on things that help us be an eternal family. I wasn't sure how 30 minutes of scripture chasing would go, but the kids surprised me. Our Stake had been working on memorizing the Family Proclamation, again. We hit a wall last year on paragraph 5, so this has been good to get us rememorizing and finishing up. I really have a strong testimony of that statement from the brethren, and see its relevence more and more as each year passes by.

Tuesday was a great day! Sophia had the neighbor kids over to play. Sophia LOVES them. She asks for them every day. What a blessing for her to have friends next door. It couldn't' come at a better time, when Ethan went off to school and left her with no one but boring old Mom to play with! Tuesday night was the Pinewood Derby. I told Boston to remember that it didn't matter if he won anything and that it only mattered if he had fun. I knew he was so excited and I didn't want him to be let down. The Pinewood Derby was much more fun than I expected. I was impressed at how nice the track was, and how professional they treated everything.

All the kids hanging out at the finish line!

I thought the firetruck was the most orginal design!

The first race was amazing. All three cars were going the same speed. It was soooo close; within hundreds of a second. (Boston's car wasn't one of them)

When they put Boston's car up there to race, I kept praying that his would reasonably keep up with the others. Then his took off ahead of the rest. Boston isn't much for wanting to show too much emotion, but I saw a little smile creep up on his face.

I was happy that he won that heat. After that heat, I was busy chasing after Sophia and trying to catch up with some friends. I heard him announced as the Wolf first place winner!

I didn't' realize what Boston had placed overall until it was announced. Boston was trying not to smile too much, when they announced him as the winner... "The youngest kid in the troop, Boston Pribyl, won first place!"

After the prayer, all the boys were wanting to race him. I was happy to see him enjoy himself. Afterwards, we went out for ice cream. I asked Boston how it felt to be the winner. He said, "It was cool! It was like I was famous for a few minutes!" He then asked me something along the lines if he was gloating too much at the church. How cute is that? What kid his age cares about something like that? I think I'm having an epiphany.....doesn't like to smile when they win, worried about gloating.....hmmm....sound like anyone else in this family? Well now I'm gloating (only because it's a family journal of course).....CONGRATULATIONS BOSTON!!!!! YOUR THE CHAMP!!! (enjoy it now, because now the pressure is on! lol)

Obviously Ethan, Aubrie and the Cat were excited for his victory, too!

The rest of Spring Break

The rest of Spring Break we just chill. The kids had play dates, and I spent time in the kitchen. Boston also had his first football game. It's really funny how he recently got so into football. We never mentioned it or tried to persuade him to try it out! Besides piano/ music, we like to let the kids go for the things that they are interested in....no pressure! Like when Boston tried Karate for two days! LOL Of course, when they decide on something, we are there supporting them 100%, but there is definitely no coercion. So when Boston got this "football passion" it really took us by surprise. He really enjoys the sport though, and likes watching it. (I think Ben cried the first time he sat down to watch a game. LOL) While I was a bit hesitant to give up Friday nights for his 7:00 football games, I'm now looking forward to see him do something he loves so much.

Saturday Ben spent helping Boston with his car for the pinewood derby. Boston had been asking him to do it since they gave him the kit. I think it was over a month ago. Ben had to help him cut it, and so Boston was waiting on him. Saturday was the last day to work on it, since they had to turn it in on Sunday. (No working on the Sabbath! Wait, does carving out a chunk of wood to make weight count as work? LOL) Boston new just what he wanted. He new the shape, the color and even had set some stickers set aside from Tilly's to decorate it. I was actually surprised how quickly they were able to make the car. Truthfully, I was a little stressed out that Ben had taken so long to start on it, because I thought it took forever. The longest process was waiting for the primer and paints to dry. Besides that, it was a fast process. Can I say what a relief that is, since I have to go through this 5 more times! I have to say the final product was pretty sharp looking.

Saturday night Ben and I got our date in. We went looking for a table and a dresser. Did I mention we sold our baby furniture? I think I'm more sentimental than I think ( or want to be). I was trying to keep back the tears as I watched them drive away with it, thinking how 10 years has quickly flown by. I remember how excited Ben and I were when we brought that home, not knowing what to expect, but anxiously anticipating the day that Aubrie would arrive. Now it's 10 years and 4 kids later, and another chapter closed in our life. Ok, back to our date, before I have to dry off the keyboard. We were happy to see that the table we want is still where we left it, and are still in the market for a nice white dresser for Sophia. Currently her dresser consists of baskets on the floor.

After the furniture shopping, we had a nice dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Carvers. Ben and I first went there when we were in College. Back then that was like a whole days salary for us. I think we have been 3 times since. I think I like that place most because of the memory it has for me. Lucky for me, their food is excellent, too! I have to say that the average age of the customer is a little bit older here, than the one in Provo. I kept telling Ben I felt like someone dropped me in the movie Cocoon! Seriously, only one other young couple in there. After dinner we saw Bounty Hunter and headed home to be with the kids before they went to bed. Sometimes we just miss them and want to get back to them....and other times we are hoping they are asleep when we get home!

Mexico Day 3&4

Tuesday we all slept in, and missed the low tide. Aubrie wasn't happy about it, but I was glad to get some sleep! We hit the beach first, and the kids found the friends they had made the day before. Around noon the college crowd starting coming out of the wood works and on the beach, so we headed up to the pool. They weren't being disrespectful or anything, but I noticed that all the families had headed out and up to the pool. This time I went back to the condo for Sophia's nap, and just as I got her down, the kids and Ben came rolling in for a break from the sun. We had breakfast for dinner, and then went down to the beach to enjoy the sunset and some more swimming and hot tubing. We didn't go in town for ice cream, but instead made cookies and enjoyed a night in.

I told Aubrie I would wake up really early to go find sea life in the rocks, Wednesday. She first woke up at 5 and I told her it had to be light outside. When it was finally light outside, she ran to the window to find that the tide wasn't low. I felt bad, since it was the last day and I hadn't gone out the morning before. When we finally got up and going, Aubrie looked out the widow and to her excitement saw that the tide was receding. We hurried out, just her and I. We ended up finding a starfish, brittle star, crabs, and even found a baby stingray. We were so close to catching it! We stayed out until the tide came in. When we came back to shore, we had a bucket full of fun things.

We put everything back, once the final sand bar was covered, except the starfish. Ben took all the kids out on the wave runner. (Boston and Ben pictured)

Aubrie took the starfish out with her then, to make sure it was far enough out, that no one could step on it and break it. She is so respectful of animal life!

Wednesday turned out to be the most beautiful day! The temperature was awesome and the breeze was perfect. We could have stayed on the beach all day! Typically, the kids get sick of it after awhile and ask to go to the pool (the boys get itchy). Wednesday they wanted to stay and play. Of course that's the way it goes; when you want to stay they want to go, and when you have to go, they want to stay.

Boston had fun being buried in the sand, Aubrie and Sophia were having fun in the water, and Ethan was enjoying the sand and laying out with Boston.

In case you were wondering, those are french fries on his eyes!

Around 10 we headed up to the hotel to pack up and check out.

We hit the beach for a bit more and then hung out at the pool, and had lunch there. I had the most yummy quesadilla's and nachos. I then got a Pina Colada (Virgin of course) and sat pool side. HEAVEN!!!! While at the pool area, Ben and I met some college LDS kids. Apparently there were 120 of them vacationing there for Spring Break. I told Ben I knew there was something different, and more respectful about those boys. ;) We finally headed out around 2:00. I so wish we could have stayed another day!!! So did everyone else! (Sophia not too happy about having to leave)

We definitely will be going back soon. Everyone had a great time!!! It's nice that our family is getting to the point that everyone can enjoy themselves. While I do miss having a little baby at times, and I hate seeing my kids grow up so fast, this is a very enjoyable stage. Can I just keep them them like this for a few extra years?! Really!! Does it get any better than this?!!!

Mexico- Day 2

So the sleeping arrangements didn't end up like we thought they would. Ben ended up with Sophia and Ethan in one room, and I ended up with Boston and Aubrie. That was a fair deal, since we both had a crazy sleeper (ie Boston and Sophia). I'm talking feet in your ribs, face, etc. I don't understand why Boston ends up like that. When we check on him at night he is upright, and when we wake him up in the morning he is upright (same with Sophia). It's a mystery! Anyway, Monday morning I wake up to Aubrie saying, "Mom, Look! The rocks are showing!" The tide was so low that there was a huge sandbar and then rocks, and then another sand bar. It was amazing. When we were in the Bahama's I remember being able to walk out really far, but there was still water. Aubrie was itching to go out, but Ethan was in his normal comotose state, so I opted to stay behind while Ben went out with Boston and Aubrie.

When I finally raised Ethan from the dead, and got him fed, we headed out only to meet up with a shivering Aubrie & company heading for the hot tub. Apparently they were finding all sorts of cool things out there, and she went diving for some big shells. I wasn't about to head to the pool area when I had this beautiful sight before me.

I headed out on my own, while Ben took the the kids to the hot tub. It was so amazing looking through the rocks and seeing all the beautiful shells. After being out there for about 20 minutes, Aubrie and Boston joined me.

At one point, Aubrie stood on this rock and started to shake it. The next thing I know Aubrie is screaming, "Mom! Look, and octopus".

I didnt' have anything to catch it with besides a huge shell we had found earlier. We scooped it up with that, just as a couple with a cup came by and offered it to us. We quickly put him in that, and within seconds he inked. After showing him to the people around us, and checking out their finds, (ie starfishes, shells, and even a stingray) we hurried back to put him in our bucket and then headed to the pool to show the rest of the family our find.

The people at the pool were loving the octopus, and watching it ink. When we went back to the beach, Aubrie and I realeased him as soon as the tide came in.

The rest of the morning we enjoyed the beach. The kids quickly made friends. Boston threw a football around with some boys, Ethan had a boy come ask him if he wanted to build a fort in the sand (that's like asking him if he wants icecream), and Aubrie made a friend to pal around with.

The whole family had fun on the banana boat, and bargaining with the locals for bracelets, sunglasses, etc. All the kids got bracelts with their names on it, except for Boston. He got one that had the Volcom, DC, (etc) symbols on it. He also was dying to get these sunglasses, and bought two pair (one in black and white). That boy seriously cracks me up! The girls got their hair braided. Yes, I said girls. I was amazed that Sophia sat still for the lady. Why will she sit still for a stranger yanking on her hair for 20 minutes and give me trouble for 2!? I loved that she was cooperating.

Having their hairbraided isn't only a fashion statement, but is actually quite practical. No worrying about fixing their hair to try to keep it out of their face all week. I do need to remember to hit their scalps with sunscreen as soon as they get it done next time. Ouch!

When we weren't at the beach, we were at the pool. The kids made friends there, too, and had fun doing crazy things on the slide and hanging out in the hot tub.

By early evening, the kids were baked, and ready to come in for the day. We hit town early for dinner (Burger King) and let the kids play while Ben ran for some groceries. Then it was our Thrifty Stop; same flavors all around, except this time Sophia got her own:) When we got back, the boys watched movies and Aubrie and I played games. An amazing day 2!