Homesteading

I'll bet you're wondering where we've been. Well, let me tell you about it. You see, we've been at the Homestead. What? You've never heard of the Homestead? Wow, I can see we've got a lot of ground to cover. You may want to get a snack first. I'll wait... Okay, it all starts about 100 years ago. That's older than my mom, or dad, or grandma or even grandpa. My great-great-great-grandpa Edwin Marion Whiting and his wife Anna Maria started a little sawmill up in the mountains in Arizona. This was in accordance with the Homestead Act of 1862. They got 160 acres of land and built some cabins and lived up in the mountains. This is a picture of them on their 50^th wedding anniversary. They had several children, one of whom was my great-great-grandpa Earnest. This is a picture of him with his wife Beryl on their 50^th wedding anniversary. Anyway, in 1948 they decided to have a reunion with all of their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Our grandpa was there but he was only 4 years old. Now, almost 60 years later, we still have reunions there. There's lots of trees and sticks and mud and cabins and cousins and dirt and flowers and horny toads and snakes and bugs and mountains (well, there's actually only one mountain). But the thing that is the most plentiful is probably rocks. Here's some rocks I found and here's the cabin we stayed in. Here's the sand castle Mama built for us. We splashed in mud puddles. We hung out with cousins. We tried to avoid bossy girl cousins. We played in a real old army jeep. We crawled through tires. And sometimes we just stood on stumps. We did so many other things we can't even remember them all! But our adventure isn't over yet. We still have the Holbrook leg of the journey to experience. More to come!

Two Tall for Their Own Good

The Crunchers thrive on two things: rides (wagons, bikes, strollers, shoulders, cars, etc.) and naps. They frequently combine the two activities to save time for plenty of toilet paper shredding and banana smashing later on....
and hugs. Plenty of time for hugs. I told them they won't get tall without hugs, and they believed me. Oh, and grapes make you tall, too (once again, combining two activities.)

Then Cole got the idea that ears could make you look taller. Grant got some hairspray to help them stay in place.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Austin!

Happy, happy birthday,
From both of us to you,
We wish it was our birthday,
So we could party too - HEY!

Thanks for building a great fort for us, and for teaching us about hoses, especially. We've learned a few new tricks since then (as shown in the following post.)
Thanks for showing us your wagon, and we loved your bat. Maybe we'll learn how to use one of those on each other, too, like we did the hose. We're so lucky to have such a crazy and funny Grandpa!
We love you! love, the crunchers

A Dampening of Spirits

We took the boys out into the yard this afternoon for some bucket time. Everything started out just fine. Grant had the hose and Cole was happy to hold the cup.

Unfortunately, trouble was brewing. Cole accused Grant of not holding the hose right. We've been trying to teach them about patience but so far Cole isn't getting it. He yanked the hose away from Grant and tried to do it on his own.

Things went downhill from there. Grant tried to retake the hose but Cole was adamant. A minor scuffle ensued. Then, Cole discovered that if he put his hand on the of the hose it would spray out erratically.

Grant didn't appreciate the facial dousing, but rather than simply move away, he threw a tantrum.

It took motherly intervention to quiet his hysterics and a wagon ride seemed to help, although he still looked rather sullen. Cole was magnanimous in victory, if a little smug.

Finally, each boy posed for a photo and all was right with the world.

Bye!

Taking Care of Michelle.... and Grant

That smug look on Cole's face is for just one reason: He and Grant have been given the ultimate responsibility of watching over Michelle, solo. We tried to give them some instructions, but they already thought they knew it all (figures.) "Michelle's easy," they said, "stop worrying about her." But we forgot to warn them about.....

Grant. Now, by this time Pop and I were long gone to the Temple, but it's pretty obvious what's going on here. Grant (naturally) passed out from exhaustion in the early evening, and so the huge job of entertaining Grant and Michelle fell on Cole, and Cole alone. But he didn't let us down.
He does look worn out. I noticed he has the phone, there, probably trying to call us for help. "What do I do with 'em? I already gave 'em an apple, can I just put a Disney movie on to keep them busy?" But since we couldn't have our phone on, we're glad he went ahead and did that very thing. So, no major issues.
On a side note, Cole got a banana off the counter all by himself, peeled it, and then gave half to Grant and ate half himself. I'm guessing that's what happened, since they both had a banana in their hand, and I had nothing to do with it.

Prequel to Preschool

The Crunchers get a little impatient when wagon rides go beyond 2-3 minutes, and there still isn't an evident destination. (Like a rock pile, or pirate ship.)

"Are we there yet? Don't make us get out of this wagon head-first and get bonks again, like Grant did yesterday. We'll do it, too, don't think we won't. Grant, go ahead."

50 yards down the road.... good enough for a botanical close-up. Can everyone say Taraxacum officinales? (That's Dandelion for all you non botanical types.) Preschool stuff. I think they're ready for lab coats.
Then a quick rain dance. (Actually, post rain dance.)
Then a walk home, and a chance to eat that peach, finally. You can learn to do a lot with a peach in your hand (also preschool stuff.)

Taking Care of Michelle's Feet

Grant went the extra mile on "Taking Care of Michelle" today. His timing was perfect on the quick foot rub while she ate her cereal. (All that dancing for the show (http://nephi-story.com/) her feet get real tired.) I'd say Grant is warming up to Michelle. Just a guess.

Then Michelle shared her peach, and the boys told a few jokes.

Well Wishes from Wheel Washers

Well, you probably think we're just sitting here, going to tell about our boring weekend. Well.... Wrong!!! We're going to tell about our exciting weekend!
First of all, we've been begging to be added to the chores chart. (We're not just babies, anymore, and we're tired of mooching off Mom and Dad.) So here's our first real job: washing a wheel.Preparing to do the job is just as important as the job itself. So, first, we got water everywhere.
With that done, we got into scrubbing. "We're gonna wash that grease right out of the wheel...." (It was a sing along.)
OK, now Grant - you go. Maybe a little water in your hair would help that nap head, too. (Calm down, all you Don Imus fans - we didn't say "nappy head.")
Form is also important. Always carry a bucket with a determined look on your face.
All done! Just look at that shine! Hard work really is good for your complexion.
But not so good for your hands, just ask Ma. Ever wonder what happens when you put a nail through your finger with a nail gun? Two words - Tetanus shot. No, three words - swollen, too. (That's all - 3 words. Nothing else can be listed, this site is rated 'B' (Boys.)
Well, that's all folks! Another adventure filled weekend indeed. (Who needs trips to Sea World with jammies like these!)