house guests

My folks arrived here last Monday night. It has been great to have them here and the kids certainly love having the extra attention and audience.

(My Mom reading a book that Aunt JA sent for Liv's birthday--already a favorite)

My Aunt Pat (my mom's only sibling) was in town last week, as well as both of my cousins. We had everyone over for dinner on Wednesday and Friday nights and it was fun to have a mini reunion of sorts.

Here is Liv having a little visit with Aunt Pat:

My folks with my cousin Bob (lives in Mesa) and Aunt Pat:

My cousin Jackie and her husband Mark were in town for a work conference and were great to play with the kids on Friday night. The kids showed off their tricks in the pool after dinner. I love this sequence with Tosh...

Ready:

Jump!

Land! (that had to have stung a little bit):

Mark and Burke:

Hewitt's cannon ball:

Tosh, Hewitt and Jackie:

I always end up with several silly photos of Liv each week. Here she is after getting into some Fun Dip she discovered in Hewitt's untouched Valentine's box:

Liv never really took a pacifier, but loves to pretend with the play one for her baby doll:

She just figured out how to pedal herself around this weekend. She sure is growing up. Liv is talking a bit more all of the time too. I have recently noticed that if she hands me something she will say, "Here go, baby." This is so hilarious to me because obviously this is what I say to her! (I love her tongue in this shot):

We stayed busy this week with swimming lessons, doctor and dentist appointments, and lots of hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. Rob won four free tickets to the circus (through work) and took the boys on Saturday afternoon. They had a great time although the show got a bit long for Tosh (the show lasted about 2 hours and 15 min). Liv and I stayed here with Grandma and Grandpa and enjoyed a little rest/nap time.

My parents will be here for at least four more weeks. The crazy thing is that we are going on vacation next weekend so we will actually be in their home while they are in theirs. I think my parents probably need a break from me trying to "police" them about diet, etc. :) My mom's treatments seem to be going well and it is really great to see her feeling so much better from when we just saw her last month. Thanks for reading!

Good Day Sunshine

Tamsen asked me to do the blog today. She's been slaving away all day making it a great Father's day for me (sleep in, breakfast in bed, waffles for brunch, little nap after church, roast beef/mashed potatoes/etc. for dinner, world's best chocolate cake for dessert) and is doing the dishes at this moment, so it's good for me to get off my rear and contribute to the family a little bit.

We also played charades tonight with the kids; Liv isn't quite yet getting it, but at least likes to take her turn going up to the fireplace and doing something in the spotlight. All in all, a GREAT father's day for me - thanks, Tamsen for all you do for me and our family! JED.

So, life on the home front is going pretty well. We are pretty much officially into the summer now, as it's been over 100 every day for the last few (and the forecast is to remain that way...I think until October or late September). Granted, it's not the humidity of late July/August yet, but I'm thinking we really are getting used to this warmer weather, because it doesn't seem that bad...we'll also see once we have our first 110+ day, too.

This warm weather means we are in full-on swim season, though, which is a good thing for us. It kind of starts around early/mid-May, but now we're at the space of 1-2x/day. We're grateful to be able to have a convenient pool. Tamsen took some pictures this week:

Liv: "If I didn't have these darn tubes, I'd be ready to go under, people!"
Liv looking cute

Tamsen and I both really like this face, but we're biased

Burke jumping off the wall (have we mentioned that we're still not giving him enough ice cream?)

Hewitt's turn:Tosh is still a little squeamish about going off the high wall, but he really is a little fish:

Liv hanging out with me:

The dress-up bins have also been popular this week - it helps that we've been busy over the last little while trying to get ready for Grandma and Grandpa Dunning to stay with us. So I think we have a knight, a nurse and a Native American golfer here:

I mentioned the Dunnings will be coming to stay with us - Tamsen wrote on their Caring Bridge site that it is a 'tender mercy' as she's been thinking a lot about her Mom and that whole situation. We are grateful to have them come and stay with us while she receives treatment from a doctor in Scottsdale...we appreciate all the prayers and thoughts for her and are hoping that things will go as well as possible!

We've been busy trying to get the house ready for their arrival, so this week we moved my 'studio' up to our bedroom (and rearranged our bedroom to accommodate all the new stuff), cleaned out closets, and cleaned and organized both garages (so they have a space to park). Tamsen actually painted the room they'll be staying in, so the lovely purple is no longer a part of our lives - the room is now like the rest of our house. We're excited and hope things will be comfortable.

So that's been our life this week - get ready for family, swim a little. We had some friends over for dinner on Friday, so that was fun, too.

I'm grateful today to be a father and have been thinking about some of the things I love about my kids:

- Burke is a good kid, he really is. He's bright, knows what is right, is generally kind to his siblings, is respectful to adults and is getting to be more and more responsible. We had a bit of 1:1 time yesterday running some errands and I appreciate his thoughts (always willing to share them) and questions (always lots of them). I'm grateful he tries to be (mostly) obedient. We had some friends over on Friday and Burke just wanted to hang with the adults...not sure if this is an oldest child thing or a sign of maturity, but it was fun to chat with him later about how 'funny' and 'cool' our friends are.

- Hewitt is our self-entertaining wonder. Today after church, for example, we get home and he just disappears to the play room, which is something he does just about every day. He's always imagining or playing something. He's a sweet and sensitive kid, too - this week Tamsen found a (I think) roach in our family room. I was of course scared to death, but we decided that Tamsen would pick it up and flush it down the toilet (it was kind of mostly dead, this roach). Hewitt asked us to take it outside, but we flushed it anyway...he started crying and said something like, "What if I was a bug? Would you just flush me?" I should add (this is something we don't want to forget) that Hewitt, when he is on the verge of tears, looks up to the ceiling to try and keep the tears in. Sweet kid.

- Tosh is...what can I say about Tosh? He's just a good boy. He's actually had a few breakdowns this week (which is very unusual for him), but these were followed by voracious downings of whatever we'd serve him (i.e., more waffles than anyone else in the family ate, large dinner portions, etc.), so we're thinking these were food related. At any rate, he is honestly a little angel most of the time and is trying hard to keep up with his brothers - he really makes us laugh a lot. A couple of funny stories: today at church, where he wasn't being super reverent, he came up to Tamsen with a piece of paper he'd written his name at the top on, and said, "Write: 'Tosh gets to be the president right now! To get unlimited access for everybody.'" This might not mean much to many of you, but he's referring to a computer game our boys play - Pirates of the Caribbean. For some reason, they all have this pipe-dream of 'unlimited access', which, of course, gives them more access to boats, weapons, etc. to have an even more interesting experience. It costs like $10/a month, so we've had lots of discussions about why it's not a fiscally responsible thing to do, so they only get to play the free version. At any rate, it was funny to us because a) he obviously referred to/remembered Hewitt's desire to be president from last week and b) he's thinking about unlimited access. At least he'd give it to everybody if he were president. When the kids sang Father's Day songs today during sacrament, Tosh made a very big point (literally, he pointed at me in a big way) to me when singing 'I love you.' It was very sweet. One last thing that I need to capture (for posterity) about Tosh: he is one enthusiastic kid. One of the things I love best about him is if something exciting is happening, we says/lets out a 'Wooo!' (with a glottal stop). I don't know quite how to describe it, but if you are lucky enough to see us in UT, OR or CA in the next few weeks, hopefully you'll get the opportunity to hear it - it literally brings a smile to my face every time, even just thinking about it.

- Liv is a little monkey. We are thinking of getting rid of our bar stools so she no longer does her favorite thing, which is to climb onto the bar, swing her legs over the sink, turn on the water, wash her hands with the liquid soap while getting her feet wet. She hasn't fallen in a month or two, so I'm thinking we just let her do her thing, but Tamsen gets a bit more stressed about her safety. She is sweet, understands everything you say to her, and pretty much says nothing back (other than very basic things - Mom, Dad, baby). She calls Burke 'Booh' (not sure how to spell - vowel sound like 'foot'), Tosh 'Ta', and Hewitt 'Yeah Yeah' (that's my favorite - I just think it is very funny...with her, his name evolved from 'Hoo Hoo' to 'Hee Hee' and now this). She is a sweet girl who I'm trying not to spoil too much, so I'll lay her gently on the tile floor if a tantrum starts so she doesn't bang her head too hard. One funny thing about the language: I think she thinks she says more than she really does. Tamsen and I were talking today about how I should start speaking to her in/teaching her Spanish, since she already understands English well and is still not saying much. So when she woke up from her nap, I talked to her in Spanish. It was hilarious - she smiled, looked at me funny and spoke back to me in what sounded like her trying to speak in gibberish, if that makes sense...not her normal 'Liv English', but something different. We'll see how the language lessons go. We're glad to have her in our family, at any rate.

I was able to be a mystery conductor in Primary today, which was fun - I was hidden behind a sheet and none of the kids knew it was me. As a reward, our Primary Chorister (who is also a super balloon lady) brought be this guitar as a gift. Blessings!

We hope all is well with you and this post wasn't overly boring. I lastly want to thank my dad (and Tamsen's dad) for being great dads. We appreciate all you have done and do for us. Have a good week!

forgotten gems

I just discovered some favorite photos that I took last month and never posted. Tosh's asthma was really acting up mid-May, and he was needing nebulizer treatments every 4-6 hours. I started a treatment for him one morning during Sesame Street, and when I came back in the room I saw that Liv had climbed up next to him to snuggle:
These two are such good buddies and are so sweet with each other. They really look out for each other --and are often partners in crime :). I took a few more photos before realizing that they were holding hands!

Love it!

hewitt for president!

Hewitt announced the other night that he's decided to throw his hat in the ring and run for president. And why not? He designed a flier that he wanted to mass copy, roll up with a rubber bands, and leave on driveways:

I know the writing is small, so here it is:
Hewitt Peterson...famous...like a President.
Who will vote him? Well see about that!

Hewitt as President (pointing to self portrait)
hint: check the square on the back

Hewitt as President
We will be voting on this Saturday. You can be there if you want. So you can tell your friends to vote too. I'm going to be president if everyone votes me. I will be happy if everyone votes me. I'm going to be very angry if you don't vote me.
SO be there SOON!
(I never get enough of this kid.)


Last weekend when we were going through our closet, we went through my old costumes from my singing/dance groups. Liv took great interest in a pink sequin belt (she thinks that anything pink belongs to her). Tosh found that it made a great headband:

And have you ever seen a pirate look this fabulous?
Tosh has really started to enjoy drawing and "making books." I love these guys he drew this afternoon (and he had a long story to go with it).

Burke had Cub Scout Day Camp Mon-Wed. He had a grand time as expected. They actually go later in the day because it is so hot, so they were gone from about 2pm to 10:30pm every day. I have to mention how QUIET it seemed without Burke here in the evenings! Rob went up on Tuesday with the boys and said that he had fun too.
Hewitt and I went on a little date yesterday to the wedding reception of his former preschool teacher, Shirley. She was widowed about four years ago and just got married to a widower that lost his wife about two years ago. They each have five children, but *only* eight are still living at home. The bride looked absolutely gorgeous and happy, and I literally started crying when I saw her from across the room.

Hewitt and I had a nice time together and we enjoyed walking around the gardens at the reception hall. Hewitt still loves to be photographed and at each stop would suggest a photo.

Liv started crawling out of her crib this week. The first time she did it was after a nap and I was in the kitchen when she walked down the stairs and announced, "hi!" She did it the next morning and afternoon so I figured it was time to get the toddler bed out before she fell (although she is such a monkey and seems to be agile and have no problem getting in and out, although I've never seen it myself). The toddler bed has been a bit of a headache and I realize that I've been very spoiled. Liv has been sleeping about 12 hours a night (without waking) from about three months. She also goes down for a nap (and bed) without a peep. Liv went to bed great the first night in the new bed, but then kept getting out of bed the first time she tried napping. I am NOT ready for her to give up naps (and neither is she since she still naps for about three hours). So, now I give her one shot at the bed and if she gets out, then it's the crib for her! She loves her new bed though, and you can tell that she feels very grown up:

Another first for Liv is that she has gone potty on the toilet a few times! This is very exciting as it was at her request. I'm not in any rush to push the potty-training, and certainly not until after our big trip in July is over...

It was nice to see my sister and bro-in-law one night this week and to be able to visit for a couple of hours. I took the boys to a summer movie on Wednesday morning (Ramona and Beezus), and besides that we did lots of swimming, some cleaning and mostly hanging out around the house. I am going to need to get a bit more creative this week to keep all of the kids (and me) entertained. Have a great week, and remember that we welcome visitors! You know, our pool is the perfect temperature right now :).

closer to 40 than 30 (so i'm reminded)

I spent the beginning of the week finishing off Tosh's cupcakes from his birthday on Monday, and have closed the week by eating much of a brownie trifle for my birthday on Friday. I told Rob that I just wanted ice cream Drumsticks (instead of a cake or dessert), but then just had to use my new trifle bowl... I think I need to take a break from sugar starting tomorrow :). Here is a cute shot of Tosh helping me make the trifle:


The last day of school for Burke and Hewitt was Wednesday. I attended a little kindergarten program/graduation for Hewitt that morning. Here is Hewitt with one of his best buddies (Jason):
And one with his teacher, Miss Narmont:
We found out on Wednesday afternoon that both Burke and Hewitt will be going to a new gifted academy that is opening this coming school year. It sounds like it will be an amazing opportunity that we just couldn't pass up. The boys are excited to be in the same program and Rob and I feel good about the decision. This will be Burke's 4th elementary school! I am thankful for kids that like to be challenged and that make friends easily.

So summer break is officially here. I have to admit that Thursday went by fairly slow (the entire house was cleaned, piano finished, etc. by 10:30AM!), but I know that it is going to fly by from here on out. I took the kids to a little splash park on Friday. Liv helped to get herself dressed in her swimming suit. Don't you love her little buns on her head sticking out of the leg holes?
Here she is eating a fudgsicle all by herself. Can you tell that we're in the 100s outside already? It's getting pretty warm. Thank heaven for water and A/C. I had a nice birthday and weekend (besides our garage door breaking and having to park outside in the hot). I met Rob for dinner on Friday and then we did a little shopping before returning home to eat dessert with our older boys. We did some organization around the house on Saturday (our master closet looks fantastic!), went to a fun BBQ/birthday/swimming party, and then attended a beautiful wedding reception last night.

My sister and her husband will be here for dinner tomorrow night. Hooray! They haven't been to our home yet, and I am always thankful to be able to see her (even if the visit will be brief).

I was grateful for all of the birthday wishes I received. I am so blessed. I will share with you that my birthday wish is for my mom to be able to receive cancer treatment from a doctor here in the Phoenix area. Hopefully we will know if she is accepted soon. Lots of prayers and fingers crossed! Thanks for reading.