Paper Airplane Fun

Fun flying.
Ready, set, fly!Good form Pete.
Looking for the bugs.
Holding the bugs.
Flying for hoops.

Peter and his friends Josh and Josh had fun at play group today. After about an hour of running up and down in the house I decided that enough was enough. Time for some constructive play time. We sat down and colored blank sheets of paper and turned them into wild flying machines! Yesterday the weather was in the 70*'s and today it was in the 50*'s, but we didn't let that stop us! We braved the coolness outside and let the wind carry our airplanes! Great form boys! I loved the throw from over the head and behind the back! Whatever works! The only thing that interrupted the flying fun was the potato bugs in the dirt. It was like a beacon of light to the boys and they were all fascinated by the rolly polly guys. But I veered us back to flying, the action of running and moving was lost while playing with bugs, and we needed it to keep us warm. Our airplanes took us to the neighbors where they were all determined to fly them into the basketball hoop! One of the Josh's lost his to the roof there, poor guy. But Max didn't mind sharing his. The second hour was definitely better than the first today, at least for me anyway. Gotta love playgroup!

Things to do

Rich called me this morning. Never know what to expect when I get a call from him. Need a favor, just called to say I love you, we got a million $ in the mail today (still waiting for that call), or some other random thing. Today it was this.
"Hi, how's your morning going?"
"Great! Spilled cereal all over the floor mixed in with lots of fighting and crying - already..."
"Sorry about that, but I called because You were on my list of things to do today."
"Oh really, what for?"
"I needed to remind you that you need to order things to make birthday cards for the office."
"I know, I've been waiting for you to help me with that"
"I don't care what, it just needs to get done."
"OK"
"Alright, I love you, talk to you later, bye!"
"Love you too, bye"

I took a sick day yesterday, and need to do some major catch up today. This is just One more thing to think about amongst the regular chaos. Just needed to vent it out. Why did I volunteer to make ALL of the birthday cards for his office again? (He sends them to each patient for their birthday. I said I'd buy stamps and stuff to make some. Now I'm committed.) The things we do for the love of our lives...

Sunday Duds

These are the kids new church clothes. They were so cute today, if I do say so myself! So I wanted to share it with you, and would they pose for a picture? NO! So the familiar saying around our house is "YOU GET WHAT YOU GET AND YOU DON"T THROW A FIT" so I'll be grateful for what I got, and Rich reminded me that they'll wear the clothes again on another day. I got Max clothes size 24months, but the pants are rolled twice at the bottom and once at the top! And to brag a little I spent $30 for everything! As opposed to the around $100 for the reg prices! Good job to me!

PS-Rich is 'supporting' me in my crazy idea to buy WHITE pants for the boys...

The Outlets

Today we had a fun day. We drove up to Park City to the Tanger Outlets and did a little shopping. (Thanks taxes) We all needed something! We walked around the outlets for like 5 hours (with the three kids!) and got everything we needed. New church clothes for the kids, summer maternity clothes, and a little more. The weather man said the temp for Saturday was supposed to be 70*. But I don't think that was the prediction for Park City. We weren't thinking though and ALL of us dressed up in full summer gear! Shorts, Tees, and sandals. And we were COLD! But we didn't let that ruin our fun. We found GREAT sales! In the morning we had the kids help clean the basement which was - a disaster. They did so well, Rich splurged and gave them each a dollar. At the outlets they held their dollar bills proudly in their hands almost the entire time, wanting to spend them. I was actually proud of Peter for not loosing it! Sophie ended up saving hers - for Disneyland... (more details to follow on that one!) and Peter bought tic tacs with his at Walmart on the way back home. It was a long, but great family day. The kids were really impressed with the mountains as we were driving up and we made some tentative plans to do some hiking this summer.

Webkinz

Rich went out of town this last week (again!) and brought home a great present for the kids... They have been wanting Webkinz since their cousins had them, but I haven't been ready for them. Webkinz pets are stuffed animals that you can play with and take care of online. Rich decided to earn daddy of the year and bring one home for each of them. Peter could care less about the online features and just carries his snake "Slither" everywhere with him. It is really cute and uncoils long enough for him to tie around his waist, or hang around his neck. Sophie takes a little more care with her kitty "Pinky Pie" and loves the online games and pretend things she can buy online for her. And the funny part is that Rich has come home and played Webkinz with her everyday at lunch. They (Rich) will sit there for an hour and play games designed for 5-8 year olds to earn Sophie more Webkinz cash. It's been a fun week. I wanted to wait and post this with a picture of the kids with their new precious Webkinz, but my camera is going down hill fast and I don't use it that much anymore. Just wait, I AM GETTING A NEW ONE...

Grandpa Great

Grandpa Great, as he is fondly refered to, had his 85th birthday today. Rich's mom had a great idea to make him a book that included letters and drawings from his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My kids had fun with this, especially since they know him pretty well. He lived in the apartment on the house for quite a while during our time here. He does great magic tricks, like pulling quarters out of ears, and he always had an ample supply of animal crackers in a jar on his counter. And he was never at a loss with a great story to tell about his exciting life. He remembers everything! Names of people he knew more than 20 years ago! And vivid details of things he's done and places he's been. Amazing, I can only hope for half of his great memory when I am his age (and now too!) He has since moved (full time) into his new wife's home across town. We miss him, but still think about him often. Rich wrote a nice letter I wanted to remember full of some of his great memories with his grandpa from his childhood. Things that we don't want to forget. Here is his letter.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA GREAT!

Dear Grandpa,

I have so many memories with you that really made me the person I am today and that allowed me to receive the blessings I have today.
Some of the best ones are from my earliest memories of you and my dear Grandma!!! My favorite vacations were to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. I had so much fun playing on the slip and slide, watching Popeye, drinking small amounts of orange juice out of the little blue cups, sleeping to the tic tock of the grandfather clock then suddenly being awakened by the big DONG of the grandfather clock, collecting grasshoppers off of the back of the house and shooting them through the fan (I don’t think you were there for that memory), and so many others.
As I grew and you and Grandma moved closer to us I had fun spending more time with you. I remember the one on one time I had with you on our trip to Washington. I loved sitting in the back seat and feeling like a king as I ate exotic cheeses and summer sausage to my heart’s content.
Later, as Grandma grew sicker, I came to know a sweeter, gentler Grandpa. I loved watching you care for her and showing me what love really is.
Thank you for all the memories and the legacy you and Grandma have left for me and my children. I don’t know if you’ll ever know the impact you’ve had on so many lives.

Love,
Richard

The long awaited hair cut!!!

BEFORE: bushy, long, full, stragly, a mullet...

AFTER: short and sweet

Max had his first hair cut today. And it was about time! It was getting TOO long, but I think it actually passed that phase months ago, I was just the regular procrastinater. But now I am so glad I did! It looks so much better! And I did it at home myself, in the kitchen. I usually cut hair (I do Rich, Sophie and Peter too) in the shower for an easier clean up, but figured Max would do better strapped in his highchair. I tried to cover him up with the plastic cover-up - but that was too much of a distraction. It worked better to just take his shirt off and clean him off after. And we needed snacks. We fed him everything from cheetios to BLACk licorice! Yes, he LOVES BLACK LICORICE!! Strange, I know. But whatever keeps him happy while cutting his hair! And it worked. He thought the buzzing of the clippers was SO funny. He wiggled a lot, but wasn't fussy at all. I think he looks a lot more like a boy now, and a little less like a baby. And it makes him look a little more like Peter. So for all of you that have been telling me to just do it already, the deed is finally done!

Busy Week

What a fun and busy week! Rich's sister, JoAnne came to visit Friday and stayed a week! Her kids are getting so big! Kaylee is close to 9yrs old, Justin turned 5yrs old while he was here, and Allison just turned a year old! We had fun playing and staying up way too late, including our kids! We are so glad we got to visit with them and wish them luck on their stop-and-go-drive to Washington DC to meet up with Shane and live for the next few months while they prepare to move to Turkey (gobble gobble!) They'll be there for a few years!! Shane is in the DEA. How fun for their whole family. But we will miss them!

We love you guys!

Sophie's drawing

Sophie made me come downstairs with her, with my eyes shut so I could see her surprise! She had been busy at work drawing animals! When she first showed me, the picture had a sheep, turtle and a horse. All of which she had never drawn before! She was so into it and wanted to do more, so I kept suggesting, and she kept drawing. Not too bad for a 5yr old! I was so proud of Sophie, and she was even prouder of herself! Good job Sophie, we love you!!!

If you can't read/tell what they are from left to right, top to bottom-sort of: horse, potato bug, spider, dog, butterfly, kitty, dog, giraffe, kitty, catterpiler, worm, turtle, bunny, sheep, snake, ladybug, ant and cow

Blue Feet

Grandma wanted everyone to make a letter or picture to put into a book for Grandpa Great's birthday, so we got busy today. Peter was so cute in tracing his own hand and writing his own name (it was actually legible and straight!!) And Sophie drew a nice picture of her with Grandpa Great with a nice little letter. But I was at a loss for what to do with Max. I ended up stamping his feet on a piece of paper. Way cute right? And it actually worked! I stamped his little fat feet on my ink pad and brought the paper to his feet. Then came the washing off. Not so good. I wiped and scrubed and tried everything. But as you can tell (from the pictures that were impossible to get), his feet are still blue from the ink!!! I wonder how long that will last? At least it is just on his feet and not on his hands too!!! I didn't think hand prints would work out very well! But the picture is cute and sometimes that's all that matters.

PS-notice one binki in his mouth, and one in his hand? That's the new trend... I thought I would try to ween him off it soon, but I've changed my mind. I'm not ready to deal with it...

Discovery Gateway Children's Museum

We drove right by the museum while driving around looking for it when we first came! How'd we do that? www.discoverygateway.org is where you can learn all about the Children's Museum in SLC. Discovery Gateway. WHAT FUN!!! We went in the middle of the day and I could not believe just how busy the place was!!! Kids, parents, and strollers were in every square inch of the place. But that didn't stop any of our kids from having a great time! We went with a hug group. 20 people in all! JoAnne and her kids, Kim and her kids, Karolee and Derek (Macie was sick), me and my kids, Steve & Cyndi with Shelby, and Aaron came too! We all met there and played for three hours, going on 30 hours... We were all exhausted by the time we were done. But check out all these fun photos of our busy day... these are from the website. Gives you a good idea of how cool everything is!
I was impressed with how age approprite and engaging everything was!

Max LOVED the water that he could barely see over the edge, but really he loved everything! He would cry moving from one place to the next. He was having so much fun, as long as I was right by his side.

The helicopter out of the roof was really cool! Too bad it was so windy and cold out there!
I loved watching Max teeter around doing what he does best, exploring!
I couldn't keep my eye on Peter enough. I was sure we would have lost a kid while we were there. Namely Peter, Justin, Sam or Thomas. But we left with nothing lost except our binki. (I had a spare in my purse, thank goodness!!)
OK, I think the ball area at the front of the museum really was Max's favorite. He loves to throw things!! He picked up a ball and randomly threw it in any direction he could. Over and over. Sophie was such a big girl and loved the play kitchen and play baby area the best. She was my helper too when I couldn't find Peter. Gotta love big sisters!
The infant area was great. Well confined and yet still fun. All our babies enjoyed some time in here.


Peter's favorite area was the construction area. He spent most of his time there.Uncle Aaron was a great guy to have around. He is an awesome uncle!! PS-Happy Belated Birthday!The dress up area was fun too, the kids kept getting lost behind the curtain! Sophie waited the whole time to walk through the gift shop at the end of our day. So patient...

Cousin Birthday

Rich's sister, JoAnne, is in town for a week with her three cute kids. Well, yesterday happened to be Justin's birthday. He's her middle child. And he turned 5yrs old. So everyone came over to celebrate his birthday (and Aaron and Grandpa Great's birthday's too). He had a great Transformer cake that all the boys were crazy over! And after the cake was demolished (none for Rich when he got home from the airport - he was in Alaska this weekend on business) the kids headed outside for a fun spiderman pinata!! Grandma had it all organized, and from youngest to oldest, they all got blindfolded - and one swing with the bat with Grandma guiding the swings. By the end TJ (the oldest allowed to take a swing) cracked it open and all the kids went for it! The day was fun of fun and celbration. There were so many Ford's there. I was thankful the kids could eat outside in the sun. That sure helped with the crowd control! 38 bodies! And there were 12 missing! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd belong to such a big family. Our gatherings are wild, crazy, busy and full of love! Besides the Transformer cake there was a German Chocolate cake, and icecream. NO leftovers!
The birthday boy goes first!!!
Grandma's guidence of the bat missed with Sophie and the pinata swung

back and bopped her in the head! Oops!
Toys, Candy, take it while you can!!
Sophie with two of her big cousins Kaylee and Natalee

Close Cousins

There must have been 'something in the family' a 1 1/2 years or so ago because 5 out of the 8 married couples in the Ford Family got pregnant within 7 months of each other. And this is the final product! 5 cute babies! Max (Jan.27th) was the first followed by Ben (Jan.30th), and Allison (Mar.31st), then Macie (Jul.20th) and Shelby finished up the group (Aug.16th). They are all mobile, either crawling or walking, and they are so adorable! A few attempts at words, and they are all enjoying cheerios and more! They are at such a fun age, and this was the first time they were all together at a family function. I really wanted a picture of them all together and I was happy to just get them all squished on the couch together. Smiles were optional!

Pictured above from left to right:

Ben (14 months), Macie (9 months), Shelby (8 months), Allison (12 months), and Max (14 months).

PS-THANKS FOR THE PICTURES CYNDI! My camera decided to die on me just at the moment I was trying to take the picture! It said it was a battery problem, but my camera has issues. We bought it when Sophie was born. So it is 5 1/2 years old, and has 3 mega pixels. We NEED a new camera! Luckily lots of cameras were clicking away and I could use these from Cyndi. Did I mention I need a new camera...........

2 Wheelin' Fun

Ever since Sophie has noticed some of her friends (same age and older) riding bikes WITHOUT training wheels, she has been determined that she could do it too. She keeps asking me, but I refer this one to her daddy. I don't know, for some reason this seems like a daddy daughter activity to me. Well today is BEAUTIFUL outside!! And he had a little extra time, so how could he refuse??? He took the training wheels off... And they had a great time out there together! I also have decided that 2 wheels means helmet time. I haven't been too concerned with the training wheels on, but now it's time to go to the store and pick out a way cute helmet for my brave dare devil darling. She was kind of disappointed that she didn't get it down pat today - in the first try. But knowing Sophie, when she sets her mind to something, she'll do it! And sooner than later I'm sure. We'll keep you updated.

Marble Fun

Ever wonder what we do all day??? This is it, at least this week anyway. The boys especially LOVE to play marble towers. Pete got it for Christmas 2 years ago, and it was a wise investment. I build it up, and they put the marbles down. Max LOVES it because we hear lots of 'WOW's out of him while we play. It's one of his few words, and yes, I count wow as a word. When pickin's are slim you take what you can get. I try to pick up the mess and put it away at the end of the day (well I have them do it) but it magically re-appears the next morning. But it's OK, it's lots of fun! Especially now that I'm not too worried about Max and the marbles. We've done it enough that he knows the marbles go in the toy and run all the way down to the bottom. And then we do it all over again. Peter likes to put ALL the marbles in at once. It makes for a great race, and usually a stuck marble or two. Max will plop the marbles in at any location. Top, middle or bottom of the track. As long as it rolls down, he doesn't care. I do occasionally find one in his mouth, but he knows the routine. I squeeze his cheeks, and out pops the wet marble into my hand. Then he usually grabs it and puts it back down the marble tower. It's a good system. But back to my boys and the fun they both have with this awesome toy. And one of the best parts is that there is no fighting! There is enough track and enough marbles to make everyone happy! Isn't it great to be a kid.