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!)

Name That Stain!™ Results

We have been very gratified by the response to our first installment of Name That Stain!^™ There were some creative guesses and some traditional guesses. And the correct answer is...

Tutu Mocha Frost nail polish!

Kudos go to Laura, who guessed a cosmetic substance (mascara) and to Ken who had my personal favorite suggestion of what it looked like ("Gonzo the muppet, diving toward the left... without arms or legs") and to Gary whose clean up solution involved the most trips to the hardware store and resulted in adding more staining fluids to cover the original stain.

Personally I thought it looked like the Hawaiian island of Molokai.Especially if you flip it over and rotate it slightly.

Thanks to all who participated. I'm sure we'll have many more Name that Stain! episodes in the future. Meanwhile Ma is working on a follow up called Clean that Stain where she'll test several methods of removal. We'll be comparing the efficacy of acetone, acetone-free nail polish remover, windex, vinegar and maybe dynamite. If you have some home-grown remedies of your own, please let us know.

Braveheart Brownies

Grant and Sue have an important announcement. Introducing....

Scottish Rebel Bars

Well, we just took Laura's original recipe and added butterscotch chips on top. They're delicious.

You can almost hear William Wallace shouting across the river at Stirling, "If ye survive the battle aheed, ye'll be up to yer sporrans in glory, and in these delicious cookie bars!"
Then he used his own sword to cut up the first pan to hand them out to his most trusted advisers. And the rest, is history.

Name That Stain!™

In what is sure to be a recurring feature, we at Crumb Crunchers^® are proud to introduce the first installment of...

Name That Stain!^™

The rules of Name That Stain^™ are simple:

1. View the photograph of the stain. (see below)


2. Post a comment with your best guess about what substance/activity caused the stain.


3. Offer suggestions of how the stain might be removed.


4. Include opinions of what person/place/thing/verb the stain looks like.


5. After a suitable period of time we will post the best answers and include the correct answer.

Today's stain comes courtesy of Grant, who got into something and managed to spill it on the light colored carpet in our bedroom.Note: The penny is not part of the stain, it's just there to indicate the relative size.

Taking Care of Michelle

Cole and Grant are growing up, and taking on new responsibilities every day. For example:

They've proven responsible enough to feed themselves with a spoon. (And by responsible I mean at least some goes in their mouths, instead of all over the place.) A spoon can be a dangerous tool, and has often been used for evil purposes in the past. (Flinging, for example, hitting, smearing... "for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.") However, this is nothing compared to the most major responsibility they've been trusted with, by far...
Taking care of Michelle! They've been so busy, no time for getting dressed, even. Just straight to work, starting with their first piano lesson.
Then they opened gifts from Chile! (There was time for each boy to get half dressed this time.) Michelle is the incredibly talented friend of the Zabriskie's who has come up to be in the show "With Mine Own Hand" http://www.nephi-story.com/ (of which Ma and Pop are in the stage choir) and will be with us until mid-Aug. We feel like we've won the lottery (if we even knew how to play it) getting to have her because she's so fun. She just returned from serving 2 missions - a 4 mo. performing mission in Nauvoo, followed by a mission to Chile, and has one semester left at BYU (secondary ed - health/chemistry.) That's right, folks -talented, smart, funny, and beautiful. So, as you can see, she needs special care, and for this we've delegated to the Crumb Crunchers. They promise to take good care of her, get dressed daily, play with her, and Grant has promised to stop acting shocked every morning when she appears.

An Unexpected Reunion

While looking through photos for the shed blog, I came across this one and realized that we neglected to post it last week.While waiting in the check-in line at the airport while returning home after our trip to Utah and Idaho, I noticed a man already at the counter who looked familiar. When he turned to the side I saw that it is my cousin Adrian, who also lives in the Portland area and was returning home after visiting his mom, who lives in Provo. We were booked on the same flight. We caught up on family news and resolved to get together more, meaning more than never, which is how many times I've seen him since we moved up here. Anyway, he was a great help with the boys, especially after our flight was delayed several hours and we took turns chasing them around the terminal.

A Confession and a Resolution

Recently we posted a photo showing our newly immaculate garage. Some of you who may have seen our garage prior to the clean up must certainly be wondering, "What did they do with all of the stuff that used to spill into every nook and cranny of that garage?" As the following photo shows, it's just been relocated. Which is not to say that we are without plans with regard to the eventual disposition of this detritus of our lives. Some of it will go into the potting shed I built a few years ago. It's an 8'x12' wooden structure located just north of the trees in our backyard. When I completed it, with the cedar floor, electric lights, wood panelled walls, and cedar shake roof with skylights, Ma declared that it was too nice to put tools in so it's been mostly unused, except as a backdrop for photos. Our friend Alex, an aspiring professional photographer, has used it several times. Now Ma has relaxed the shed use policy to include tools. Her previous work as a garden product sales manager means that we have had quite a few fertilizers and pesticides in the garage. It's kept us from allowing the boys to play out there at all. We are now going to put the tools in the potting shed but we didn't want to contaminate it with all of the chemicals. Thus, we needed a new structure to hold the carfentrazones, glyphosates, and pyrethroids.
Enter, the new shed. It's nothing fancy, actually it's the least expensive building for its size that Lowe's sells. I think it's similar to one that my parents have in their backyard. On Thursday I built the wooden platform to serve as a foundation and I started putting the shed together but I reached a point where the instructions said that the remaining steps should only be started if there was sufficient time to complete it in one day. There wasn't sufficient time so I stopped and finished on Saturday. The boys were helpful, if you redefine the word "helpful" to mean "not helpful at all". I think we managed to get all of the nuts, bolts, and screws away from the boys before they were eaten but the kit came with a small bag of extras so it worked out just the same. Here I am starting on the roof. And here's the final product:Now we just need to get everything moved off the lawn before it rains...

For the Love of Blankie

Well, in case anyone is wondering what our blogging problem is these days, let me try to explain:
Of course, we were too caught up in the garage project to take a before picture, but most of you know what we were up against. So, we actually let the boys drag their blankets around on the newly painted floor (for now) and walk around barefoot. Before, we put them in body suits and protective eye wear. Now, I did tell Pop this could be his wood shop, but I'll keep him busy with non sawdust producing projects for as long as possible. For example, look how clean this activity is!
In reference to our "moral of the blankie story," it appears that #3 - (Don't be upset if the love of your life gains 10 lbs) was the most popular. Grant has decided to embrace the concept, as seen here. With an extra 10 lbs, you just can't pick up and carry your true love as easily, but you can still push it around and cuddle just fine. That's what's important, anyway.
Cole and Grant have really taken to their new poolside life. Getting in and out is their favorite part. (I'm just glad they don't need our help to do it.) Instead, my job is to sop up all the water all over the dining room and kitchen, lay towels around to prevent slippage, and (most importantly) give good hugs when when they still go crashing down, because they only have one speed: running (recklessly and with marginal coordination.)
Or better yet, Evan can entertain them with all his silly games, new hairstyles, dunks, splashes, sounds effects, and faces. These boys love their daddy.

Welcome to our _ool. (You know the rest.)

The moment we've all been waiting for...... it's been over 80° for two days in a row...
It's big, it's wet, it's slippery.... (no, not Pop)
The pool is officially open!
Opening Day was a huge success, attended by all nearby residents (4 in all.)
Uh oh - the bathtub may have permanently lost its appeal (especially if Ma keeps supplementing with boiling water.)
Grant was enjoying every moment, but it just seemed like something was missing. Hmmm... Blankie!
After who knows how many attempts to demonstrate to Grant that he could either have blankie or be in the pool, we finally gave in to his incredible persistence (and high pitched screaming that puts any girl to shame.) "That they may learn from their own experience..." (Do they have to try everything?!) Cole was happy to help.
Suddenly, nice soft blankie became 10 lbs heavier.
...and was rendered useless - just a big soppy blankie blob.
But Pop saved the day (we have two of everything at our house.) No questions were asked, he was just happy that Blankie was resurrected.
Many morals can be drawn from this story:
1- A blankie in the dryer is worth two in the pool.
2- Don't let your addictions dampen your spirit.
3- Don't be upset when the love of your life gains ten pounds.
4- As a parent, pick your battles. (especially when you have a backup plan)
5- We often obsess about things that ultimately don't make us happy anyway.

We invite our readers to leave a comment with a lesson they have gained from the blankie in the pool parable.

Grandpa's House 'O' Fun™

Welcome to Grandpa's House 'O' Fun™!

When you visit Grandpa's house you get to take Grandma to the park.She'll push you down the slide!Grandpa will turn on the water for some splish-splashin' fun! Grandma knows how to splish and splash too.Grandpa will find a bucket that's just your size.*Only one passenger per bucket, please*

(Be sure to help keep each other properly hydrated)
Later, you can dry out on the Rocket Swings!Grandpa is a certified personal coach/trainer/tour guide/cheerleader/carpenter/piggy-back/tickler/mechanic/grounds keeper/comedian/snuggler.
Check out our full line of sporting equipment.Don't forget to get the whole gang together for a family photo on the lawn.
And when the moon comes out, grab your blankie and go for a ride!

Grandpa's House 'O' Fun™ is a registered trademark of Grandma and Grandpa. All rights reserved. Void outside of Idaho.