Aunt Kara's Bed and Breakfast

One thing Grant and Cole were really anticipating was a visit to Aunt Kara's house in Kaysville, UT. (Aunt Kara was Sue's room mate for 3 years before Evan came into the picture.)
" Are we there yet? "
Grant fell in love with Aunt Kara's hair, first.
Then Cole fell in love with her treats.
Then we had a huge party and all of Sue and Evan's friends had a reunion at Aunt Kara's. (There's gettin' to be a lot of kids at these things.)
Then they used Aunt Kara's mouse to do a crime scene investigation (look close for what looks like an outline of... SCOOBY! Yes, it's Scooby's head.
Grant got a little too comfortable, and forgot that we only empty toilet paper rolls at home. As punishment, he had to wear it on his head for the evening. Thanks, Aunt Kara! We love you!

BEATA Update

All in one weekend, Cole was able to *BEATA chicken, kitty, and goat! Thanks to Uncle Ken, and his mini farm in Perry, UT, many new members were added, and treated affectionately.
A little too affectionately, perhaps. But this is a mommy kitty, and we all know mommies of any type have impressive amounts of patience. These kitties have a club of their own: KALM (Kitties Affectionate to Little Men.) Otherwise, there's no way this situation could have ended scratch free. NO WAY.
*Boys for the Ethical and Affectionate Treatment of Animals
PETA bad, BEATA good.

The Purple Ear Club

If you are a regular reader of "Crumb Crunchers" (Hi Mom in NE Arizona!) and have been wondering why we suddenly dropped off the blogosphere, we have been visiting Ma's family in Idaho and other friends in Utah. We're recovering from the trip but rest assured that we have lots of great pictures. Here's a sneak preview while we get the rest ready for blogification.
That's Cole's ear after he fell and bonked the edge of Grandma's coffee table. Fortunately it didn't bleed much and the only lingering effect is a purple ear. Anyway, we're home and we'll be posting more photos soon.

"No Dogs Allowed"

I never bought any food this week since we're going to the blessed land of Utah/Idaho the beloved, on Friday. Evan really took me to heart when I said we need to eat everything in the fridge. (We had hotdogs left over from a laurel class party last week, so that explains having such a processed 'semi-meat' in the fridge in the first place.) He took it too far (as usual) by having them for breakfast, of all things. (And yes, those are drill bits as table decor.)
So Evan introduced the boys to this fine American, traditional food. With usual (and wise) skepticism, Grant did the smart thing.....
...and gave it to Cole to try first. But Cole made sure to hold his hand so high that Grant couldn't force it on him.
"Nice try, Dad. If we're going to put something past these sacred lips, it's going to be good, like rash ointment or an old bottle that's been lying in the road for 3 months. Now get this outa here."

Pioneer Children

As the Pioneer Trek for our Stake approaches (a week from today) it's been getting a little crazy. Since I have been helping out on the trek committee, and put in charge of all the lanyards, these little discs (most of which were cut out of our wood pile) have become favorite toys. The boys have managed to spread them from one end of the house to the other. As Evan would say, "you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a lanyard around this place." Here the boys are fighting for a coveted spot sitting in a box full of lanyards.
Courtenay is helping me with the project, thank goodness, and Grant isn't too sad about her coming over, either
At one point, Cole took a nap, and Grant disappeared. After awhile we thought, "hey, where is that noisy kid?" 'Cause he makes noise no matter what or where or why. Aha- of course! He found some white chocolate chips. Notice the untouched box of raisins, there. Who needs raisins (unless you're going to cover them with white chocolate, then that's the only time.) Grant, you just never mind why we have those. We only eat healthy food around here. Like popcorn.... by the dump truck loads! That's more like it. Cole woke up for that.
See, here's proof that Grant really does just stuff his cheeks like a chipmunk. I don't know where he gets that, with such perfectly cultured parents, and all. Oh well,

A "Fry for All"

To our loyal Crumb Cruncher following, we're sorry about the hiatus. We've had 'bloggers' block.' It's different from just plain old 'writers block' because it doesn't just involve a lack of words, but more importantly - a lack of pictures. There certainly hasn't been a lack of adventure, so rest assured - the Crunchers have been at their crumbiest (and Brigade at their bucketest, too.)

Quite an exciting weekend as Grant the 'Elder' (though not in an official capacity any longer) reported on his mission, so we ventured off to the Ridgefield ward, then skipped the rest of church for yummy sandwiches at 'Z' Land. We finally got to meet the infamous Killians, and most importantly - our adopted Aunt Michelle - moving in on July 6th. The boys tried to be charming, didn't talk about themselves much, & were able to identify their ears on cue. On Monday, Papa 'Z' filled them full of fries (and nonsense) at Burgerville. Then Grant offered to take Aunt Hannah for a ride, but was edged out by another man with more hair, and a bigger wagon.

Crash and Burn

The boys got a chance to take their new wheels out for a spin today. They cruised on over to Missy Moo's house to offer her a ride.

Cole thought he'd impress her by pushing the wagon up the hill but that mostly just gave Grant a chance to break the ice and tell a few especially amusing anecdotes about kitties.

Cole, however, is nothing if not determined.

He finally makes it into the wagon only to find out that three really is a crowd. Poor Missy Moo discovers that the only thing worse that sharing a wagon with one stinky boy is sharing a wagon with two stinky boys. You can almost hear her thinking, "Please tell me this is all a bad dream."

Grant: "This was more fun before Stinky Cole joined us."
Cole: "I'm NOT stinky!"
Missy Moo: "Ugh! You both stink."

Cole lures Grant out of the wagon by telling him that the tire looks like it's out of air. Of course, these are solid rubber tires, but his ruse has the desired effect.

Cole adjusts the seats to a more comfortable arrangement but then...

MAJOR FAUX PAS! He accidentally sits in Ms. Moo's delicate lap.

Repeated apologies do little to assuage the righteous indignation Missy Moo feels at this violation of her feminine personal space. She vows to walk home.

Grant comes through and saves the day with a pretty flower, a kind word, and a gentle touch.
Cole was last seen heading down the road less traveled.


And that has made all the difference.

Wagons Ho!

We had something of a revolt here this week. It centered around this little wagon that the boys received for their birthday. It's a great little wagon for holding blocks, or books, or blankets, or bottles, just about any 'B' word you can think of... except boys. Oh, they'll get in, but they have trouble getting out, and for some reason, Cole always wants to push it sideways.

It's also not a particularly comfortable seat and if both boys want to get in: Trouble, with a capital 'T'. That handle that folds up over the top is another source of contention. Cole tends to want it out in front and Grant tends to want it folded over the top. Again, it's fine if only one boy is near it but when both boys are together, trouBle, with a capital 'B' this time.

Today I solved all of those problems with a "big boy" wagon.
It's got two seats (with seat belts) that fold down flat in case you have some serious cargo to haul.

The boys weren't too impressed at first but once they figured out that Cole could push while Grant rode, they were happy as clams.
We tried to get Grant to push but he gave me a look as if to say, "What is wrong with you? Can't you see that I'm trying to get a free ride?" Ultimately, Grant was content to ride and Cole was more than content to push.

And in the end, that's what happiness is all about.

"Z" Adventure of a Lifetime

(To the tune of "Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime")

Oh what do you do at Zabriskies' house when they are out of town? Throw things off the decks,

or just break our necks while running into a tree? Is that what you do? So do we.

Oh what do you do at Zabriskies' house when they are out of town? Do you just have a seat, or rub someone's feet, or run down the ramp so steep? Is that what you do? So do we.

Oh what do you do at Zabriskies' house when they are out of town? Do you landscape the yard, or spin something hard, or chew on a tool with tines?

Is that what you do? So do I.

Food - The Root of All Evil

We started the day with a nice cruise. We ended the cruise with a nice snack. It all went 'down hill' from there.

Cole eats about 10 times faster than Grant. We can't even confirm chewing between bites - food just disappears. Grant savors every bite. That's right - those 'full' looking cheeks arent just fat, they really are 'full' because he keeps food in there, like a chipmunk. So, here's the problem: Cole is out of animal crackers, but does he look sad?


He lists his options:
a. cry
b. ask for more (whine)
c. steal some

(He doesn't waste too much time thinking about his options.)

Woosh. His fingers are as fast as his mouth. Problem solved.

Now, what are we to learn from all this?

a."They'll be the best of friends, someday."
b."you hurt the ones you love."
c."Look out for #1."
d."Do unto others..."

Afterall, as Sheri Dew says, "This life is a test. It is only a test."
(I prefer multiple choice.)