Month: April 2009

For months, Truman has insisted on having a superhero party, and we began preparing before the big day we called ‘superhero training’!
We purchased this ‘red ranger’ superhero pinata months ago, and Truman was anxious to get it ‘stuffed’



Truman helped me make a list of who he wanted to invite, make the invitations, and deliver them.

And choose out the most important ‘heroes’ to come to the party

I made capes with each of the kids first initial on the back. (Wish I would have gotten a picture of all of them. There were 19 in all.)

The night before the party, we were finishing up getting the yard ready, when I came in to bathe the boys…it was then that I discovered our water main had cracked, and our basement had flooded. Awesome.
Recently my neighbor and I have been talking about life, and how in most crisis, if we stop and ask ourselves a simple question, it gives us a greater perspective on things, ‘Is it a real problem or just an inconvience?’ Luckily we’d just had this conversation, and it kept me grounded. I realize it was just that… an inconvience.
So anyways, back to the Party,
While everyone was gathering, Toph passed out the capes, and we played a riveting game of ‘Super, Super, Hero’ (duck, duck, goose).

Once most the guests had arrived, we welcomed everyone to superhero training, and had Roll Call.

Showed our muscles,

One thing superheroes are good at is working together as a team. The guest practiced working together by moving balls from one box to another.

The kids got their boxes, decorated them with pictures of themselves, and they were ready for ‘superhero training’

We divided into small groups and rotated through different stations.
*Spin Art
-Superheroes use their eyes, watch how things change.
-Superheroes are good at making choices, choosing 2 colors.

*Listening Game
-Superheroes use their ears to listen.
-Superheroes follow instructions.

*Masks
-Superheroes don’t want anyone knowing their secret identity!
-Superheroes are creative.

*Good Choices Game
-superheroes practice making good choices.
-Superheroes take turns.


*Sandbox
-superheroes exercise their body, and keep it strong.

(I think at one point there was more than 20 kids in the sandbox at one time….Definetly a good investment that sandbox was! The kids love it.)

Here are a few shots of the kids in their superhero garb:

Once we all learned how to be good superheroes, we headed to the front for Pinata.

A quick group shot, (which doesn’t have everyone in it!)

Then we ate cake and ice-cream (My mom made the cupcakes and cake for me. I had planned on doing it the night before, but instead was dealing with the awesome-ness of a flooded basement :)Thanks again Mom!)

and opened presents.

Then back to the sandbox for more good dirty fun 🙂

As you can see the day wouldn’t have been nearly as fun if I hadn’t had TONS of helping hands.







Thanks again to lots of family and friends for their help!

And Happy Birthday to our own little hero, Truester!

This post is a documentation of the day of Trumans Birth, celebrating his fourth birthday day.

Truman’s choice for special birthday breakfast? Birthday Oatmeal. What is it with these silly boys, we used to have a tradition of birthday doughnuts, but one birthday we let them have a choice, and now they’re going all healthy on me. Who ever heard of a little kid choosing birthday oatmeal over doughnuts? 🙂

Birthdays are days you get to choose whatever you want to do on them. All. Day. Long.
Truman chose to, watch PBS Kids

Play PBS Kids games on the computer

Talked to many loved ones

Played board games


Couldn’t wait for dad to get home to open his presents, so we did one with video chat on the computer

When dad got home we open presents

And played them


Got a birthday nap in

Then headed to Chuck E. Cheese’s (with Dad and Tuck. Mom and Elliot still are avoiding the germs 🙂 )

Eat a Birthday hot dog

Play Games

Ride Rides


Earn Tickets

and Head Home for some Birthday Cake and New Jammies.

Tucker said a prayer on Trumans’ birthday that just made me smile, ‘please bless Truman to have the best birthday known to mankind.’
I think it was pretty great for him, I would dare to even state the best birthday known to mankind.

Our Pediatrician told us one of the worst places we could take Elliot was to church.
Now wait, let me explain. She said this because there are so many sick people, and so many people who want to hold, and love little babies. So, we’ve waited to take Elliot to church until he is a little bigger.
Because of this, Toph and I have rotated who attends church, sometimes I will go for Sacrament, come home switch and he will return for the last half, or Visa Versa.
With all of the change up, often times messages don’t get relayed.
Like last week.
It was the last verse of the closing song of Sacrament Meeting, when I start to load the quiet toys into the church bag. It is then that I discover a little note hanging out of Tuckers scriptures. I pull it out, shocked to read that he was assigned the talk for primary– the next meeting. Which was starting in approximately 6 minutes. 🙂

I leaned over to Tucker, and quietly whispered to him, after the prayer,stay here.
He did. And he quickly wrote the following talk, and he drew corresponding pictures. Luckily for us, it was an easy topic. ‘My family can help me’. We were looking up a scripture, but then Tucker told me ‘no thanks on scriptures’, he informed me he felt a little nervous reading the scripture ‘with out much practice’.
Here is the talk he wrote. I think he did a great job.

I have a family, dad, Truman, Mom, Elliot and of course me.
My dad will baptize me someday.
My mom helps me when I get hurt.
Truman helps me clean my room.
Elliot loves me.
Heavenly Father helps me remember the gospel.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

We wrote it down, he drew the pictures, and he went off to primary where he did a great job sharing it.

Later I reflected gratefully that I had found the paper with the assignment, as Tucker loves to speak in public, and is great at it. But he hasn’t quite mastered the art of what is appropriate for church yet. I am sure Tucker wouldn’t have hesitated to stand up at primary and give a talk about just about anything. Including, but not limited to: bugs, lizards, bionicles, robots, you get the picture.
Yeah, it was good we found that note.

There is something about sharing your childhood with your children.

It brings out a magic in us parents.

For us lately, it has been through toys and books.

Toph and the boys have slowly been amassing a Construx collection from Ebay (I had never heard of these guys, but the boys love to build with them!) Some of the magic–
Toph and Tucks Creation


Toph and Trus Creation

That same day, Truman was feeling like a middle child, so we brought out a classic from my childhood, from back in the days when I was a middle child. ‘Noisy Nora’.
Unfortunately, Truman wasn’t up for reading it at first, so Tuck and I sat down, and soon Tuck was laughing up a storm.

We we’re having so much Fun, Tru had to get in on the action.

Reading it again, made me laugh. And transported me back in time, I could almost hear my brother Ryan changing the words from the book to tease me, “Emily, said her brother, why are you so…”

Ah. The magic.

To get that perfect picture of my boys to frame and hang for my desk, place on the fridge, and sent off to the grandparents and cousins. You know what I am talking about, everyone looking at the camera at the same time, no food on the face, or hair sticking up in funny directions, the things that seem to come with the candid shots?

Sundays seem like a good day to take pictures. The older two boys look presentable, and sometimes even matching. We’ve tried on a couple of occasions, now, and here’s the latest shoot.

A few of the pictures really make me laugh, like the one where the older two are supposed to be kissing Elliots head, looks like they are trying to eat him. Ha!

So, Grandmas and Grandpas, uncles and aunts…don’t be expecting anything in the mail real soon….

Today is My Mother in Laws birthday.

I asked my boys to share some of their favorite things about their ‘Grandma Phillips’
Tucker:
She’s a good grandma.
She likes to play with us.
She sometimes makes us feel better when we are sad.
Truman:
I love her.
I love her hair, it looks beautiful.
Every times she smiles, I smile.
And I am sure if Elliot could speak, he would say something to the effect of my Grandma is amazing. She loves me so much.

I think the boys said it perfectly….She’s just wonderful! Our very own Mary Poppins. And honestly, who is not going to love someone with all the magic, happiness of Mary Poppins mixed with the dancing skills of Dick Van Dyke, and the patience and heart of gold.

I count myself blessed to be part of her family.
Love you Mom! Happy Birthday!

With a spoon.

Can’t believe it’s already been 3 months of this sweetness….

My nephew Ikey is now 4 years old!

Ikey is Trus pal. They are close in age, and always have fun together!
He is enthusiastic, and always friendly to everyone.
Happy Birthday Ikey!
We love you!

Recently I have discovered a new favorite thing…a whiteboard.

This whiteboard is tucked in the corner of our office, and a few months ago that was all it was,and I had no idea how much I would begin to treasure this old whiteboard. You see, to help Tucker learn his ‘sight words’ I would occasionally, leave a silly sentence or a note on it for Tucker to read. Tucker thought it was fun, and soon began to leave little notes back. Soon Truman wanted to get in on the action, so I would leave him picture notes, and before I knew it, there were notes flowing back and forth between us. We now try to sneak notes, when we know the other is not watching, and it has become a fun little tradition and a treasured part of my life.

Now I look often to check for notes, and leave them there, always being surprised at what I find.

Sometimes I understand what is written, and other times not.

(Above msg. from Tru)
Either way, it is an unexpected treasure….