And Here's the Picture

Here's the picture we finally got yesterday, number 37 of 41.

So, I was recently chastised for not "setting doggedly to it" and continuing to write in my blog. I was flattered actually that the stories were missed. I've continued to write in the journal, so I'll try better to post some of the stories on line. Thanks everyone for reading.

7 December 2009, Monday

Jana has been feeling that life is too busy and that she isn't getting time enough to play with the kids. She's been putting specific times on the calendar to spend with the kids one on one or together. Today she baked cookies with Sam and Kaylie. She has found that making specific time to do what she wants has helped her feel closer to her family.

9 December 2009, Wednesday

On the way to scouts with Dallin, I picked up Josh for his first night. I listened to elementary school jokes in the back seat all the way to church.

11 December 2009, Friday

Kaylie had dance this afternoon and during her class, they reenacted the Nutcracker. Kaylie got to be Clara, since she was the leader for the day.

Kaylie gets a little grumpy after dance on Friday afternoons. Dallin said to Kaylie today, "You're not the boss of me." She replied, "I am the boss. I'm the boss of everything!"

12 December 2009, Saturday

Jessica was chosen to be Clara in the Nutcracker and did an excellent job. Katelyn and Lindsay also performed in cute rolls. Christy made several new costumes for the ballet, and did all of the alterations. She's been extremely busy.

Our kids did ok for the first hour and a half, but then I had to take Nathan and Kaylie out. Afterward, we got a couple of pizzas at Costco and went to Doug and Christy's for a few minutes to eat.

13 December 2009, Sunday

This morning I made breakfast with the kids while Jana was getting ready. I moved the stool Kaylie was kneeling on to get a measuring cup and she lost her balance and spilled the bowl of eggs. She was very sad even after I reassured her that it wasn't her fault. Then I said something wrong to Sam and he began wailing. Eventually, after we all had a break, I was able to pull things together and we had happy kids at breakfast.

We wanted to get a picture of the kids in front of the tree. Since we were getting them dressed nicely for church, we decided to squeeze that in to this morning too. We we pretty hurried but we got some really cute pictures.

Science Fair and Sammy Rides a Bike

Monday

I left work early today, since I had worked so much on Saturday. I first went to Costco to pick up the pictures I printed for Dallin's science fair project. Then I came home to see Jana working on a very nice poster board explaining Dallin's project. I ran down to the school to pick up the boys. We hurried home for Dallin to write a little bit in his science notebook and to get things ready to set up at the school.

We got there a little after 4:30, the time when we were supposed to set them up. I had forgotten the entry sheet so I had to scrounge one of them up. We finally got everything set and then headed home. What a stressful event this has been. We had the best intentions of not putting everything off to the last minute, but for some reason it didn't happen. It is mostly my fault, since I took charge of the project. Fortunately, Jana took over today and got me out of a big bind.

Tuesday

Tonight we went to the Science Fair. Kaylie was asleep and so I pushed her and Nathan around in the double stroller. There really wasn't enough room to do that. I looked at all of Dallin's competition for an award and I thought he had a really good chance at winning an award.

We went in to the gym for the principal to give out awards. There were 150 entires this year and only the 5th graders were required to enter. Each category and each grade got first, second, and third place awards. I knew Dallin would win something. But he didn't.

He cried a little and I was a little sad too, but it was probably for the best. We didn't follow the directions exactly, (though I don't think the other kids did either) and we put it together at the last minute. We really should have been more on the ball, but we've been so busy lately. The bottom line is that we didn't really deserve to win, but my competitive nature wanted too. I encouraged Dallin to congratulate his friends that did win. He was a very good sport and went out of his way to congratulate them. He's a super kids. I know that it was hard for him not to win, but that will inspire him (and his parents) to do better next year.

Wednesday

Today was late start day for the kids school. They played at the castle park in Renaissance. This afternoon, Nathan had his 6 month checkup. He's moved up to the 10th percentile in weight and the 60th for height. Dr. Rosequist seemed very surprised he was so interactive. She loved his eyes and chubby cheeks and his crazy hair.

Dallin had piano lessons today. He has really progressed and his teacher has started him on some more advanced books. He's doing two hands together now and is reading notes on the real staffs.

Thursday

Jana's birthday. I was running a little late and didn't have a chance to make a nice breakfast for Jana. She said that I can make it up to her on Mother's Day this Sunday.

Dallin had an African Safari day at school. Jana made some peanut glazed chicken for his dinner. When I got home, we all went to Red Robin for Jana's birthday dinner. We had a little talk with the kids in the car before we went into the restaurant. I asked them what they should do once we get inside. Sam immediately said "Don't climb under the table!" Dallin added, "Don't run around!" Once we reviewed the basics, we went in to eat. They were little angels. Well, mostly angels. Sam went exploring a couple of times, but otherwise, they did great.

After we got home, I took the seats out of the car and ran over to pick up Jana's birthday bike. When I got home, she rode it up and down our street a few times. I think she likes it.

Saturday

This morning, our neighbor and I took the Dallin and Sam to breakfast and then to a fishing clinic at the rec center. There were 5 stations where the kids (and parents) learned about fishing. Then we fished for a while. Sam caught a fish, or a fish grabbed on to the line that our neighbor had cast for him. Dallin's line jammed and we spent a frustrating time trying to get it fixed. Officers from the fish and game gave each of the kids their own fishing pole. It was a great morning and made me love living in Longmont.

We went home and then got ready for Sam's game. It was the first game I had seen of his all season. I've been so busy with Dallin's games. I'm surprised how many of their games had conflicting schedules. It was fun to watch him play. Then we ran over to Dallin's game. They did pretty well. Dallin had a great assist to a teammate who kicked it right in. He was starting to be a little more aggressive.

When we got home, I took the training wheels off of Sammy's bike and pushed him until he got the feeling of riding. It only took him going up and down the street a couple of times before he figured it out. After he got it he told me to "Go away, Dad!" he wanted to do it on his own. By the end of the afternoon, he had learned to turn pretty well. It was a completely different experience than teaching Dallin to ride. Sam's only complaint was that "people made the road too hard," after he had fallen several times. He always wanted me to let him do as much as he could without help.

Jana and I took turns riding the kids around the block in the bike trailer. Kaylie enjoyed the ride especially. Finally, Jana rode around the block with Sam on his own bike. He got nervous when an oncoming car got close. He crashed into someone's stationary car that was parked on the side of the street and left a scuff mark. I went and talked to the owners and they were very nice about it. They didn't mind at all and kept asking me if Sam was OK.

I put the screen door up on the back sliding glass door that Sam knocked out last night. It wasn't a big deal at all, and I'm glad we didn't scold him. He was so upset with himself for pushing it off the runner, and he came right upstairs to us and confessed.

Sunday

Mother's day. This morning Nathan slept in to 5 minutes before 6:00. It was wonderful.

The older boys got up at 7:00 and I started making breakfast. Jana wanted the apple streusel muffins and orange julius. Definitely a tasty breakfast. Sam couldn't wait to give her his gift (one of his special cars) and took it up to her. She was already awake and didn't mind the visit. She stayed in bed until breakfast was ready, and since I had so much help from the kids it took me quite a while. We had a lot of fun making breakfast for Mommy. They each helped with one thing. Dallin helped make the streusel topping and grated apples. Kaylie helped me with the ingredients to the muffins and Sam put everything in for the orange julius.

At church, Kaylie saw her nursery teacher on the other side of the chapel. She said "He's my woorshry [nursery] teacher. He loves me SOOO much!"

After church I made barbecued chicken with rice and sauteed asparagus. After dinner, Jana played Memory with the kids while I cleaned up and made cookies for dessert. It is exhausting to be a mom. I'm glad Mothers' Day comes only once a year.

Catching Up...

15 April 2009, Wednesday

Dallin walked to school on his own for the first time. Jana watches him until he gets to the crossing guard and then on to school. There are adults at each crossing and he is has been very responsible lately.

Today Sam called me at work and read his first book to me. It was the first "Bob Book" and he did a great job. He cracks up at the pictures. He is very excited and Jana has done a great job making reading fun for him.

Tonight, Dallin brought a fish home from school. He is very excited about it and named it Goldie. I think if the teacher had asked us if we wanted a fish to sign a form we would have done it, but just sending it home with the kids I think is a little presumptuous. Note to self: never, ever, give anyone a pet they didn't explicitly ask for.

18 April 2009, Saturday

During lunch, Dallin bit down on a sandwich and it pushed his tooth nearly out. He was holding it with a tissue while it bled a little bit and he yelled, "Here's my tooth!" and he was holding it in the napkin. It had practically just fallen out. We all did a happy dance since we were so relieved it had finally fallen out.

22 April 2009, Wednesday

Tonight I worked on Dallin's science project with him. He is growing crystals from salt, sugar, and baking soda solutions. We made the solutions tonight. Now we need them to evaporate. Dallin said that he wanted to be scientist when he grows up. I told him I thought that was a good idea. He has a lot of science skills. I also suggested he could be an engineer, but he just laughed. Funny how engineers don't get any respect from scientists, even kid scientists.

26 April 2009, Sunday

We had Stake Conference this morning at 10:00. That's about an hour earlier than our usual Sunday morning so we were in a hurry getting things together. At one point, only Nathan and I were the only family members not crying. It was a fun morning.

27 April 2009, Monday

After dinner we had family home evening. We played "Categories" for the first time as our activity. Dallin liked squirting people in the face with the hair-spritzer but didn't like getting sprayed. The rest of the evening he was sneaking around with different water bottles trying to get me back.

3 May 2009, Sunday

As usual, while Jana and I were talking to my parents, the kids got on their Superman capes and began jumping from their table onto a pile of beanbag chairs. Kaylie had her cape on backwards and stood on the end of it as she jumped off the table. She landed on the bare floor and had the wind knocked out of her completely. I picked her up and encouraged her to breath and tried to help her not panic. After she got a couple of breaths she said, "I need to jump onto the beanbag, not the floor-(y)." She always puts an extra "y" at the end of her words that end in "r".

Sammy Gets Glasses

Monday

Jana prepared a family home evening about Easter tonight. She gave each of the kids an easter egg filled with an item that represented some part of the week leading up to the resurrection. The last egg was empty, representing the empty tomb and the resurrected Savior. Sam was given the empty egg and didn't understand it was part of the lesson. He was pretty disappointed and said that he didn't like this game. Poor kid!

Wednesday

I woke up with Nathan at about 5:00 but put him back to bed. I'd been up a few times last night and instead of staying up to work as usual, I put in my ear plugs and went back to sleep. I woke up at 7:00 and Jana had already showered and was getting Sammy ready to go to his eye doctor's appointment. We found out that Sammy needs glasses. He has pretty severe astigmatism. His eyes were at 20/40 and 20/50 making him far sighted. He has his mother's eyes and is super excited to get his new glasses

Friday

Jana told Dallin he could walk home from school on his own. He did a great job. He hustled home without stopping to play and he walked from his teacher to the crossing guard on the school grounds to Jan, the crossing guard at the end of our street, to our house. He was very proud of himself and we were proud of him too. He is really becoming very responsible and is being very cheerful when we ask for his help. He is a great kid and it is a blessing to have him in our family. Jana and I are glad that he is the oldest because he is a bit more serious that his younger siblings and he is a good example.

Saturday

We stopped by Payless Shoes to get tennis shoes for the boys. Sam started liking some Airwalk skater shoes and when Jana told him they were "skater" shoes, he told Dallin and they both got really excited. Dallin ran over to his size and found a pair of identical shoes, then he asked "What are skater shoes?" Jana found a different pair that she liked and asked Sam to try them on. Sam again asked what kind of shoes they were, and Jana, the brilliant mother that she is, told him they were fast running shoes. Sam cried, "I want fast running shoes!" and once Sammy had a pair, Dallin wouldn't have anything else.

When we got home, we had a quick dinner and then we painted easter eggs. It is amazing to see how quickly the eggs get color these days. I have memories of waiting forever to get eggs colored when I was little, and now it seems to happen so quickly. Dallin wanted to paint his eggs with a paintbrush and after one false start, he did some interesting designs. Kaylie also decided to paint two of her eggs along with several of my fingers while I was holding them.

Kaylie's Birthday and Spring Break

Monday

Kaylie's 3rd birthday today! We had waffles for breakfast and then Kaylie opened her presents before I went to work. It was also the first day of spring break. From Dallin, she got a couple of dimes, some rocks from his rock collection, and a little airplane made from popsicle sticks. And from Sam she got a little foam fish.

Tonight, after a dinner of tacos that Kaylie chose, we had a Diego, Animal Rescuer cake that Jana made. I video recorded Kaylie blowing out the candles only to find that after all the cuteness, I had forgot to press the record button. We did it a second time, and she was still really cute.

Tuesday

The kids went to a friends for lunch and to play while Jana took Kayie to the doctor's. Kaylie got two shots and was in some pain this evening when I got home. Tonight, as I was getting her ready for bed, she was very sensitive about her shot. She didn't want me to even see the band-aid that was on it. She kept it covered with her hand while I changed her diaper and put on her jammies.

Thursday

Today, I took the day off from work and we went to the Denver Zoo as a family, since we couldn't go on Kaylie's birthday. It was a great day for the zoo. We had bad weather the day before and it was a little chilly, but it was warm in the sun and there were no crowds. We saw a little giraffe that had been born last Friday after the snow storm and was named blizzard. We saw a bunch of animals that Kaylie sees in her Diego, Animal Rescuer shows and she was in heaven. We had the double stroller, but even with that Jana or I was carrying one of the kids most of the time. Dallin did great and walked the whole way himself today.

We had ice cream at the zoo for a treat, and then we stopped at Del Taco on the way home. It was a long, tiring, and fun day for the family.

The "Lizzard" of 2009

Tuesday

Tonight it was a little chilly when I got home from work. Dallin did not want to got to practice. We got him bundled up and he finally made it OK. It was more fun to help out this time. I'm starting to feel like I'm actually doing something. Dallin is doing well, though he isn't nearly as aggressive as some of the other kids. I see a lot of myself in Dallin.

Wednesday

Today Jana went down to Costco after dropping Dallin off for school. She was running a little because she had to wait for some pictures to be developed. Sam complained of an upset stomach, but Jana didn't think much about it. She raced back to school to drop Sam off but when she got him in to his classroom, they had already left to get class pictures taken. Jana ran back to the car (which was in sight) to get the Nathan and Kaylie out so they could find his class. When they arrived they had already taken the pictures. Jana felt terrible that they had missed the class photo. The teachers checked and the photographers agreed to take the class picture again. Jana went home feeling slightly better.

Right as she walked in the door, the phone was ringing. The school called and Sam was sick. They had set the class up for the picture and right before they took it, he threw up on himself. Jana got the kids back in the car and picked up Sam. He threw up once more on the way home in an improvised bucket the nurse had made, and then he felt better.

Dallin had his music program tonight. I stayed home with Sam and the other kids while Jana went to the concert. Dallin has been singing Sound of Music songs the last few weeks and even went as far as to say "Mom, I want a Sound of Music birthday party next year."

Thursday

It snowed all day. I came home from work early so I wouldn't get stuck. Kaylie came down after her nap and said to me, "Mommy said there's a lizzard outside." Then she looked and said, "I don't see a lizzard!"

Saturday

I took the kids sledding for a couple of hours on the hill behind Altona Middle School. The hill was really muddy in spots, but we found a pretty good few runs and spent our time there when one other family. I didn't have to carry Sam bit and was proud of him. I had to carry Kaylie around the whole day and it was nice not to have to carry them both.

Shots and Potty Traning

Tuesday

Sam had an appointment today and had four shots in his thighs. He did not like his shots which made it worse of course.

Wednesday

Sam's leg was very swollen and warm today. He even had a fever and needed some medicine. He wanted to go to practice badly so Jana let him. The rest of his team has been playing together a lot, but Sam seemed to fit in well. He sat down a lot, either from tiredness or his leg hurting or being bored, we're not sure.

Saturday

This morning, I helped some friends move. When I got home I learned that potty training hadn't gone well at all. Kaylie started getting hysterical and Jana wasn't able to calm her down while taking care of Nathan. She seems afraid of the toilet. She did really well teaching her dolly how to use the toilet, but then she would hide and wet her pants. We'll have to try again when I can take the other kids away.

After lunch, Jana, Nathan, and Kaylie napped while I took the boys out to play soccer. Dallin is getting a little better and was starting to understand not to just kick it really hard but to try and work his way past me to score. Afterward we explored the culvert a little bit. We grabbed a bunch of cattails and pulled the fluff off of them. We also captured a little grasshopper and the boys touched him before we let him go.

Sam's Birthday

Sunday

I wrote in the journal and Jana and I planned out the month and the coming week. At about 9:00, Kaylie woke up and had thrown up in her bed. It was all over her sheets and blankets and the wall and clumped into her hair. We got her cleaned up and settled down in our room. We got the laundry going and wiped down the bathroom and her mattress with disinfectant. We just sat down again and she started throwing up again. This time, it was less stuff, but she needed new bedding and new jammies.

Monday

Rough night last night. Every sound Kaylie made made me think that she was sick. Dallin also started feeling bad during the night and Jana gave him a bowl. In the morning, the kids were feeling better, but we wanted to take things carefully with breakfast.

Jana told Dallin that he could stay home if he was feeling bad, but he wanted to go to school. As soon as Jana had returned home from taking him, and had put Nathan to bed, the nurse called and Dallin needed to be picked up. Not long after he got home from school, he started feeling better, but Jana wouldn't let him play. She made him rest on the couch the rest of the day.

Friday

After work, we took the kids to the dentist's office to help him with his picture for his ad in the Yellow Pages. Then we went home and while Jana decorated for Sam's party, I cleaned up and the kids watched a movie. After the kids went to bed, Jana wrapped presents for Sam. I'm not sure if you're catching a trend here, but as far as the birthday's go, Jana is the Commander-in-Chief.

Saturday

Sam's fifth birthday! When Sammy came down and saw all of the decorations, he said "Mommy! My birthday looks great!" Jana has been working hard on his party. Yesterday she made a Superman cake and decorated the house. Sam's friends started arriving at about 10:00. There were 10 kids counting Sam, Dallin, and Kaylie. While they waited for all of the kids to arrive, they colored pictures of Superman. Then they played pin the S on Superman. Afterward they went downstairs to run an obstacle course that Dallin and I put together. Once they made it all the way through, they got their very own cape that Jana's sister Christy made while she was visiting last weekend. Then they got a superman tatoo and while we got the cake ready, they played Superman-Says (like Simon Says). They had cake and ice cream and didn't get any frosting or ice cream on the carpet! And they ended opening presents. After the presents they went back downstairs to run the training course again.

Kaylie is funny right now. She stands behind the armchair when she goes potty. She tells us she is going, but doesn't like anyone to look at her. She is definitely ready for potty training.

Looking for Snakes

Monday

I didn't have work today. It was Presidents Day. This morning, I washed the car, inside and out. It was filthy and it feels great to have it clean again. The boys stayed outside with me for a little while and Dallin even washed his bike, but eventually they got bored and went inside to play. Kaylie stayed outside the whole morning. She played in the car and sprayed the wheels while I wasn't using the hose.

When I was done with the car, Jana took Dallin on a little date to run errands and get lunch at McDonalds. She stopped at the party store to get Superman decorations for Sam's birthday party. Sam wants a new blue Bionicle so badly. He gets so worried that they will run out of them at the store. He wants his birthday to be tomorrow.

Tonight, in an effort to apply the family home evening message from last night about personal prayer, I knelt down with Sam to help him say his prayers. He didn't know what to say, so I helped him with the words. When he was done, he looked up and said, "Where's the light? Where are the angels?" He was expecting a visitation like Joseph Smith.

Saturday

The boys and I went on a bike ride and explore. We rode to the creek behind the school and looked for snakes. We didn't find any, but we sure found a lot of prairie dogs and rabbits. We rode our bike down the dirt path past Sliver Creek High School and on to Altona. Sammy started having pretty bad stomach aches. He was getting tired and stopped every 20 feet to take a rest. Our ride took about an hour an a half. About 45 minutes longer than I was planning.

Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas! We know we are late, but in the spirit of better-late-than-never we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2008 was a very significant year for us… (drumroll please…)

Welcome Nathan Robert Jackson! Nathan was born on October 11th (the day after Dallin’s birthday). He weighed 6lbs 4oz and measured 20in long. He has a lot of blond hair and still has his blue eyes, which Mommy is hoping he keeps forever.

Dallin (age 7) lost his first two teeth and started First Grade. A new elementary school opened half a block from our house and he has had to change schools. He is a little inventor and armed with his electricity and chemistry sets he spends afternoons creating things (like bad-guy traps). He wants to be a rock star astronaut so he started piano lessons this year. He’s an excellent biggest brother and plays with and looks out for the other three kids.

Sam (age 4) began preschool this fall and loves playing with his new friends. He is progressing well during his reading time with Mommy. He loves coloring, riding his new bike, and dressing up as Superman. He got his first LEGOs this year and loves building with them or just studying the instruction manuals. He adores his big brother Dallin and never wants to see him upset. He’s a great big brother to Nathan and has the easiest time getting him to smile.

Kaylie (age 2) is our ninja princess. She can hold her own surrounded by boys but in the same minute, can be perfectly angelic. She loves taking care of her dollies and her stuffed animals. She likes playdoh, puzzles, and coloring. She has moved into a big-girl (twin-sized) bed and has given up her pacifier. If you ask her what her name is, she says, “Big Sister.” Kaylie is a very sweet girl and all the boys in the family adore her.

Nathan (age 4 mo.) is eating and growing and giving out thousands of smiles. He is a really happy baby, and since he started getting up just once a night, he has made Mommy really happy too. He rolls over and grips things to put them in his mouth. He is very ticklish and laughs when we change his clothes. He is such a precious baby and we are so happy to have him in our family.

Preston is enjoying his job at Google. They released a new version of the product he works on (SketchUp LayOut) this year. In the summer he gave the boys swimming lessons and took a class in firearm safety. He took care of the housework in order to avoid another 10-weeks of bed rest for Jana (she only had 2 weeks this pregnancy), but still managed to get out fishing with the boys. He still enjoys reading War and Peace, but vows to finish it by the next Christmas Letter.

Jana is super busy with her four little ones, but wouldn’t trade it for anything. She wouldn’t mind a little more sleep, but she hears that won’t happen for eighteen more years or so. She enjoys a monthly book club with friends and being able to go outside so much, even in the winter, especially taking Dallin and Sam ice skating.

We were grateful to receive letters from you and to hear how you are doing. We hope you have a great 2009!

With love,

Preston, Jana, Dallin, Samuel, Kaylie, and Nathan Jackson

Camping in the Loft

4 February 2009, Wednesday

Recently, Kaylie has started saying "Yes you are!" at the end of things she says to Nathan. For example, "You're the cutest baby! Yes you are!"

Dallin had his first piano lesson today. He is very excited.

9 February 2009, Monday

It was extremely windy today. When Jana took Dallin to school, our recycle bin had been blown over and so had our empty (fortunately) garbage bin. Jana pulled it up to the house and brought it down only when she heard the truck coming. By the afternoon, all of the bins that were left out on the street had been blown all the way down to the school yard. There was even a recycle bin the blew up our lawn and up to the porch.

10 February 2009, Tuesday

Today Kaylie told Jana that she didn't want her to love daddy anymore. She said, "I want to hug him first!" Jana replied that she could hug me first when I got home from work.

As I put Sam to bed tonight, I just sat down for a second on the edge of his bed and looked into his eyes. He looked back and I said, "I sure love being your dad." He smiled and said, "I'm glad I picked you."

11 February 2009, Wednesday

Nathan went to the doctor today. He was just over 10 lbs 8.5 oz (3rd percentile). He was 25" tall (60th percentile) and his head measured 40.5 cm (15th percentile). They're worried a little bit about his weight. He's fallen behind his growth curve. Developmentally he is doing fine. Dr. Rosequist gave Jana a referral to have his hypospadias and circumcision done down in Denver and didn't seem worried at all about the procedure. He's a happy little boy and eager to smile and laugh. He loves his siblings, especially Sammy who is the best at getting him to calm down. He is ticklish and laughs when we change his clothes. He is sleeping pretty well, going to bed around 7:00 and usually getting up only once before 7:00 in the morning.

Tonight while I was reading with Dallin, Jana put Sammy to bed. They sang songs and laughed together. When she left the room he said, "I love you so much my heart is going to explode."

12 February 2009, Thursday

Today Jana took Kaylie to the Dentist. She wouldn't let them in her mouth. She finally let them count her teeth as she sat on Jana's lap. This afternoon, Sam had his valentines day party at school. Jana brought some flowers for Sam to give to his teachers. He was emphatic that Jana bring them after school, when the other kids had left. Jana asked why, and he said, "Because Ms. Sarah and Ms. Pam will hug me!"

13 February 2009, Friday

Dallin has been begging me to camp with him. We finally decided that we could camp up in the loft where we keep the computer. This evening, I set up an air mattress and Jana and I tied a quilt over top using the kitchen stools. The kids and I set up sleeping bags and we read stories with flashlights and then I told them the "Purple Monster" story. Then Dallin told us a really, really long story, and Kaylie's pillow kept falling off the bed. Sam needed a snack, and Dallin was going to die if he didn't get a drink. There wasn't enough room for all of us on the mattress so I moved off on to the floor and then Sam and Dallin couldn't stop playing with their flashlights. Dallin got too hot and had to sleep on top of his sleeping bag, and Kaylie kept losing her water cup. Finally I asked if they just wanted to sleep in their own beds. They all got up and said that yes, that would be a good idea. So they all went to bed and were asleep in just a few minutes. We're going to have to practice a couple of times before we really go camping.

14 February 2009, Saturday

Since Jana cleaned the whole house yesterday, we were able to spend the entire day together today. After a sausage and pancake breakfast, we went to target. The boys spent their allowances on LEGO Bionicle figures. It was a very big day for Kaylie. Jana has been working her up to it for the last two days. She got to pick out a toy that she would trade for her binky. This morning she came in to my room as I was getting ready and said that she was going to give away her binky and be "a big, huge sister." She loves being Nathan's big sister. She finally decided on a doll-sized high chair to feed her babies. When we got to the check out, she began hiding the binky in Jana's shirt. But finally she let Jana give it to the cashier. She had a hard time getting to sleep for her nap, but by bed time, she was just fine. What a big girl!

Good Brothers

Jana took some great pictures of Nathan on his 3-month birthday.

25 January 2009, Sunday

Dallin had gave a nice talk in Primary about The Proclamation on the Family. He is doing a great job reading.

We had a video-chat with Bob and Tanya on the computer for the first time tonight.

26 January 2009, Monday

This morning, Kaylie came into the bathroom while I was getting ready and said, "Daddy, I have a big heart for you!" I love that little girl.

Jana and I did bills tonight. I finally moved from a paper system to a spreadsheet. One would think that someone like me, who works at Google, would have the whole thing automated, but there's something satisfying about writing down where everything goes. The thing that made me change is the miscalculations that inevitably come up and the hours spent searching for addition errors.

27 January 2009, Tuesday

I came home early so that Jana could attend the parent-teacher conference with Dallin's teacher. She said he is doing really well and is already reading at a 2nd grade level. He doesn't get in trouble (contrary to what he tells us) and is making friends with a girl named Daphne. His teacher told Jana that Daphne is shy and Dallin will ask the teacher questions for her. He a great kid and so smart. He's also been in a really good mood this week. I wonder if having a friend at school is helping out.

28 January 2009, Wednesday

I'm always impressed with Sammy and what he does when he gets a treat. He has to make sure everyone gets some of his treat. He doesn't try to hoard it or prevent other people from getting it. In fact, if one of his siblings complains that they didn't get enough of his treat, he will give them more. Especially Dallin. Sammy adores Dallin. His behavior makes me want to give him more treats. In fact, if I had to only give one kid treats, it would be Sam because I know he would share with Dallin and Kaylie. I think that Heavenly Father wants us to be like that. He want us not to hoard the gifts we've been given.

29 January 2009, Thursday

This boys got up on their own this morning. They wanted more time to play. I didn't have to wake them up or nag them to get out of the shower. Dallin even got out of the shower to get Sam's towel for him. He's really showing a lot of kindness lately.

Kaylie put her binky in her purse today. She thought it was so clever. She showed it to Sammy's preschool teachers Ms. Sarah and Ms. Pam. When I got home from work she showed me her purse too and then pulled out her binky and started laughing. I had to laugh too.

30 January 2009, Friday

Tonight Jana make a little pizza crust for each kid and let them put their own toppings on them. The kids had a good time and didn't complain a bit about not liking their pizza.

31 January 2009, Saturday

At lunch Dallin and Sam split the last piece of pizza from last night. Dallin inhaled his and then asked for Sam's. I asked Sam if he wanted his pizza, and he looked so worried and pinched his lips in thought. He kept looking between the pizza and Dallin. Dallin said, "He doesn't want to take the pizza because he knows I want it." I told Sam that Dallin already has his and that Dallin wouldn't be sad if Sam got to have his own piece. Sam asked, "Is that true Dallin?" and Dallin said he wouldn't be sad. Sammy said, "Then I want it!" He is such a thoughtful kid.