Youth

Youthful Energy

My children are balls of energy.  And confidence.  The other day, Dash sat at breakfast and with an absolute straight face, he announced his belief that he could beat me in a mile race while running in the 8th lane.  He meant he would be running in the 8th lane.  That's too blatant a challenge to be ignored.  So, that afternoon, while Brandan taught summer school, the kids and I headed over to the high school track.  I took my GPS watch, and a baseball cap and sunglasses, just in case.  I convinced Dash that we should both run in the 1st lane and I planned to beat him soundly without putting out too much effort.  After all, I had already worked out that morning and it was a hot afternoon.  And he is seven.  I guess I forgot that my children have been taught since infancy to compete.  That son-of-a-gun child ran a 7:33 mile! And that's not all.  Colt wore his flip flops over to the track, but at the last second he decided to join the race and run around the track barefoot.  I figured he would jog around a bit and then get bored, or hurt, or hot, or tired.  Colt ran a 9:36 mile barefoot! He's five.  Sport and Sis participated as well.  Sport placed himself strategically around the track in push up position and acted as a human hurdle.  Sis threw rocks at us from the sidelines.  I believe she ate some as well.

Girlish Looks

Last weekend I took a group of girls over to Green River for a Regional Youth Conference.  Not once, not twice, but three different times I was mistook (accused?) of being one of the Youth.  A 14-18 year old girl.  The first incident occurred when I tried to sign in at the leader table.  Later, when my service group leader asked all the drivers to step forward for their directions, I was instructed that only leaders need come forward.  The final straw was later in the afternoon, when I was standing on the sidelines of the games (like all the other leaders who happen to be over 5' 1") and the Green River Stake President sympathetically asked me if I was having a good time.  I spent the remaining part of the afternoon in the van and during the dance that night I made my face a stern look of disapproval in order to avoid being asked to Cupid Shuffle with a 15 year old boy.  I would love to take it all as a compliment, but I'm afraid it might just be a result of my juvenile clothing and hair.  I like sweatshirts and ponytails, okay?

Young at Heart

Brandan is an incredible father.  Much of his success comes from the fact that he is willing to play with his kids.  I don't want to downplay the work that goes into playing with 4 children, but, seriously, I think Brandan enjoys the games as much as the kids.  And that's why we got him a new baseball mitt for Fathers Day.  I think he really loves it.  He has spent much of the last week breaking in the leather and playing catch in the backyard. 

Breakfast in bed.  Dash came into our room at 6:15 Sunday morning and whispered to me that he had woken up all the kids and they were waiting to bring in Dad's breakfast.  

Brand's Fathers' Day mitt.  With breakfast out of the way early, they were all able to be in the yard throwing around a ball before 8 am.

This is the note Sport wrote to Brandan during Primary.  10 years old, 6 feet and 400 pounds, but he loves to go run.

Colt's note.  10 1/2 feet tall, 5.2 pounds with red hair just like Colt.

Dash's note.  Ninety percent of his answers include the word basketball, but he also mentioned that he and his Dad hate stretching.

  

Beginning, End, and Lots of Stuff from the Middle

Spring!!

For much of the Spring, we hosted a couple of different moose.  This guy split his time between our yard and the neighbors.

One day, Sis tried her hand at applying mascara.  She needs a little more practice.

I'm super proud of my first runner's toenail.

Dash finished first grade off strong by reading the entire Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  Sis followed his example.

Sissy reading Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, a family favorite.

Sis's other interests include shoes, especially fancy high-heeled shoes.

Sis has to work hard to look that good, however.  This shot doesn't begin to do justice to her daily bedhead.

At the end of May, we drove over to Casper to watch the State Track Meet.  It was awesome to see Dan, Jill, Boe, Kamber, Upton friends, and our new hero (a kid from Rock Springs who currently holds the fastest 800 & 1600 combined time in the nation).  Per their usual, the kids have become fanatic track fans this spring.  This is the long jump pit they made on the driveway by hauling sand out of the park playground.

The boys came up with a new version of basketball.  Brandan played the whole game while kneeling and ended up with skinned knees and feet.

Several times a day, Sport disappears and can be found scaling the pantry shelves to reach the best snacks on the top shelf.  When he finds something particularly good, he will shut the door and enjoy a rare moment of privacy.   

The weather has been awesome for lots of walks and bike rides.  This was a rare moment when Sport and Sis were getting along and actually holding hands.  Usually they are fighting over space and scratching each other or pulling hair (to be honest, Sis does all the scratching and hair pulling and Sport does a lot of crying).

Dash on the last day of first grade.  Dash had a really successful year.  He blew his teachers (and parents) away with his state test scores.  We are so proud of him!

Two days after Dash finished school, Colt started pre-kindergarten summer school.  I was really reluctant to send him because we miss his company so much, but he was so excited.  The last couple of months I have come to realize what a great little peacemaker Colt is in our house.  One of the many examples: during a craft activity at a play group, Sport became upset (mildly put) because there were no more sharks to paint, only fish.  Colt reasoned with him for just a minute and then willingly gave Sport his shark, the last one and the craft Colt really wanted.  Later that week, Sport snapped his shark in two (surprise, surprise) and Colt immediately consoled him with the promise that he would break his own fish.  How can I keep such an amazing social example to myself?!  

Also this spring, Brandan finished his Masters Program with flying colors, coached Junior High track, and went to several high school basketball camps in his new position as 9th grade coach.  In our spare time, the family has been exploring the local hills and helping the beavers build dams.

Spoiled

I hope I'm not the only mother in the world that gets exhausted by Mothers Day.  What with the early morning breakfast in bed, and subsequent sheet change, and numerous Mothers Day activities planned by beautiful and well-meaning children, I'm usually ready for all the merry-makers to go to bed.  This year, my birthday fell just two days after Mothers Day, so I've had about all the spoiling one girl can take.

Here is a look at some of the reasons my life is so great.

Mothers Day

The kids loved putting my breakfast on a tray (cookie sheet) so much they insisted I eat Sunday dinner off a tray as well, even though I was sitting at the table with everyone else. 

Sport's answers to the questionnaire provided by the Primary.  His paper is signed Bolt because he had a substitute teacher and she thought this was his name.  I suspect she thought this because that is what he told her.   

Colt's answers written by himself! I especially like that his favorite thing to do with me is play freeze tag.
I make a fabulous "it".

Dash's answers.  In several notes now Dash's favorite thing about me references the fact that I pay for everything.  Hmm....

Another note from Dash.  I love him never ending too!

Our Mothers Day included a little gift from Mother Nature herself, about 4 inches of snow.  Brandan and the kids went outside to play that evening.  Favorite Mothers Day gift - not having to help build the snowman. 

A few Mothers Day stories:

Breeze: The kids all gave me a package of M&M candies provided by the ward primary.  On Monday, I was sneaking a few pieces when Sissy caught me.  To keep her quiet, I passed a few her direction, but she caught me again a minute later (my sneaky skills need work).  Frustrated at my large portions, my 18 month old daughter yelled out - "Hey! Dose are mine!"

Sport: To keep Sport occupied, I suggested he show me a few tricks on the trampoline.
He excitedly exclaimed, "Like backflips?"
"Sure" I said.
His shoulders slumped and with a sad little voice he replied, "Me don't know how to do backflips."

Colt: Before bed, Brandan had all the kids tell me something they love about me then he took a turn himself. The following conversation took place.
Brandan: Our mother is the prettiest mother in the whole world.Colt: How do you know?Brandan: Because I've seen all the other mothers and I know she is prettier than they are.Colt (skeptical): Really? Even California Moms?

Dash: After carefully arranging all my eating utensils and Mothers Day cards and notes on my tray, Dash said,  "I love doing all this nice stuff for Mom.  Too bad we can only do it once a year."

Birthday

The boys colored me these pictures of all my favorite NFL and NBA teams, which, coincidentally, match their favorite teams.  And Dash and Colt also each gave me a quarter from their Piggie Banks.

Sport drew me this picture of he and I holding hands.

Dash and Colt typed me this letter which is dated 5-3-14.  That's way before Brandan even realized it was May and my birthday was that month.

The kids and I getting ready to blow out the candles on my cake.  The cake was a huge disappointment to the boys who expected something with a picture at the very least.  Sis got a little confused when the other boys licked the frosting off the bottom of the candles.  Our number one candle now has a large chunk bitten off the bottom.

Spring Break/Easter 2014

We love being closer to family! This year we hosted Easter at our house with the Clayson family.  At one point we had 17 people sleeping in our little house, but I think we all had a great time despite the intimate knowledge we now have of each others nightly smells and noises.

Our Spring Break was the week before Easter Sunday.  One morning we woke up to find plastic eggs scattered over our front yard and a note taped to the car declaring "You've Been Egged!"  The kids were so super excited to gather up the eggs and fight over the candy (the true Easter spirit).  Brandan and I were really touched by the thoughtfulness at a time when we could use a boost.

Dan and Jill, Boe and Kamber, Cam and her kids were all scheduled to arrive Thursday evening, but before they pulled in the kids and I met some friends at the school playground.  It was a rough play date.  Sport and Sis were petrified of our friends' puppy.  They thought they were safe huddled at the top of the slide, but that dog is talented.  She easily climbed the stairs, crowded in line, and enjoyed a ride down the slide.  In the meantime, Colt was showing off on the monkey bars and made a bad grab.  He ended up on the ground, minus one tooth.  Later, Dash and his buddy were messy around with rocks and Dash caught one with his head from about one foot away. At this point, we gave up and came home a bloody mess.

Dash and Sport walking home from the playground.

Colt's first lost tooth!!

 On Friday, in the company of the cousins, we took a walk to the high school gym, dyed Easter eggs and stuffed plastic eggs with candy in preparation for our own egging adventure.  We had so much fun when someone "egged" us, we decided we want in on the other side of it.

Dyeing eggs.

Stuffing eggs for "egging".

Getting ready to egg some houses.

The kids were excited and horribly nervous to go out egging.  The first house we stopped at was a pretty clean stop.  The kids tiptoed from the car to the house, spread the eggs over the lawn, and then sprinted away.  The second house was trickier.  It was only about 9:30 pm and  this house has some teenagers, and an exercising Mom.  When know because we could see her.  In fact, all four windows of the split level house were lit up with blinds open.  The Mom was on the ground floor running on a treadmill about 10 feet from the window.  We decided to brave the dangerous situation and instructed all the kids to stay away from the light of the windows.  Things were pretty good when the adults noticed Andrew, with ice in his veins, sneak up to the window where the Mom was exercising, place an egg on the window sill and then slip away completely undetected.  As we sprinted down the road, a couple of kids let out sobs of relief.  Despite the anxiety, everyone loved the experience.  It was for sure the best part of the weekend.

Saturday brought Easter egg hunts, and most importantly...Grandma and Grandpa!

Sis at the Easter egg hunt in Fort Bridger.  She made a haul!

The hunt in the back yard.

Sister finding more eggs.

Cousins!!

General Conference

Saturday morning we woke up to a special visitor!

We had been told about the moose in this area several times, so I was disappointed last fall when I never saw one.  That all changed this last weekend. 

The kids loved watching the moose, but they were equally impressed with the other wildlife in the yard that morning.

The boys named this little guy Fred.

All our company left in time for us to focus our attention on General Conference.  Brandan had a track meet that morning, but the rest of us enjoyed listening to the speakers.  The older boys were really dedicated to filling out their General Conference worksheets this year and I was impressed with how long they stuck to it. Not that they paid full attention or were close to quiet (I think our tv volume was only a couple notches down from full blast), but they did a good job.

On Sunday, the boys asked if they could set up tents to sit in during Conference, sort of like a King Benjamin and the Nephites scenario.  Except our tower is a cedar chest (treasure chest as Sport calls it) with a 19 inch television on top.  

Yesterday we had our bi-annual General Conference Report Family Home Evening (before watching the NCAA championship game, which we did before we all went to bed in tears because a) it was really late and b) Kentucky lost).  

We held our FHE lesson during dinner and it went like this:

Dad: Welcome to Family Home Evening.  Glad you could all make it.  We'll turn the time over to our Mother.  (that's how we always start)

Me: We are going to tell each other what we learned from Conference.  (Sis is busy throwing food on the floor, so I skipped straight to Sport).  Sport, what did you learn during Conference?

Sport : Nofing.

Me: Alright. But did you see the prophet and hear him speak?

Sport: Nofing.

Me: What about the songs? Did you hear any of the songs during Conference?

Sport: Nofing.

Me: Okay.  Thanks for sharing.  Colt, what did you learn from Conference?

Colt: I learned that crosswinds can be really dangerous.  

Me: Crosswinds?

Colt: Yeah, you know, like tornadoes.  They can do damage.  (This comes from Saturday morning session when two of the speakers talked about tornadoes.  Colt is really scared of "big wind".)

Me: And the people in those storms prayed and Heavenly Father kept them safe, right?

Colt: Ummm...sure.

Me: Okay, Dash what did you learn? 

Sport: Hey! Me want a turn!

Me: Oh, well, what did you learn Sport?

Sport: (rolls his eyes back in his head and thinks) Me don't know.

Me: (Sigh) Alright, Dash.

Dash: I learned about how that guy had to put a heavy load in his truck to get it out of the snow.

Me: Right! Sometimes Heavenly Father gives us heavy loads to carry to help us be better, stronger people.

Colt: Like rocks?

(Sissy dumps her bowl on the floor)

Brandan: Great job everyone!

For the record, Brandan learned from Conference that the way we spend our time determines who we become and I really loved President Utchdorf's talk on gratitude and Elder Bednar's talk on the grace of the Savior.

March

Brandan - Brandan has been spending hours and hours working on his last class to finish his Masters.  I know he is ready for it to be over, but, really, the whole family is looking forward to May.  The kids want their Dad to have more time to play basketball and wrestle and I want to throw away the thousands of scrap papers scribbled with Brandan's writing stacked all over the house that I haven't dared trash in case he needs those notes later.  In addition to his class, Brandan is also plowing through the school year and has started coaching Junior High track.  In his very limited free time, he is working towards his goal for the year of listing one new carving a week on Ebay.  So far, he has managed to keep up and has sold everything he listed.

Candie - I am currently treating a large cold sore which, I believe, was largely brought on by my Young Women's calling.  I actually really love my calling, but it seems like I'm always a step behind.  (Apparently, not having a camp director called by March 1st is a cardinal sin.  And don't even get me started on camp fundraisers.)  I have also taken another turn teaching Colt's preschool on Wednesday mornings, so on Wednesday afternoons, I have a headache.  We did some fun things, though, including finger painting different numbers of raindrops onto umbrellas (U is for Umbrella!) and making homemade volcanoes (V is for Volcano!).  Finally, I am in the 13th week of the P90X workouts and regularly reward myself with large desserts (Thus, failing at my year long goal to eat less sugar.  2015, however, is looking bright.)

Dash - Dash is rapidly becoming an expert in all things sports.  He has checked out most of the sports books from the school library and the first thing he does most mornings is look up the NCAA rankings.  He follows the rankings like the stock market and when his team drops down the list he gets as depressed as a wall street trader on a down day.  I recently met with Dash's teacher for Parent/Teacher conference.  In the national tests, Dash is ranked in the 99th percentile in Math and Reading.  Amazing!  His teacher is impressed with his writing as well.  His last writing assignments was a nonfiction story, so Dash wrote about the time Brandan tried to break into the ball closet at the Junior High gym with his credit card.  We're not sure if we should be proud of his writing, or burn his story to destroy the evidence.

Colt - Colt is also an expert in his own field.  Colt loves animals and regularly picks out lengthy library books on different animal species which take hours to read (he doesn't mind, but someone else struggles). He only has to hear a fact once to commit it to memory.  For instance, Colt has recently taught me that the Black Mamba snake is the most poisonous snake and you can tell the difference between a jaguar and a leper by their spot patterns (in case you want to impress your friends, the jaguar has a black dot in the center of the brown circle).  We have also recently realized that Colt is a math genius.  I would say he takes after his father (mother), but Dash takes full credit for his training.  At dinner the other day, Colt said, "I know what 30+30+30+30+30 equals.  It's 150."  We asked him how he knew this and he gave the following explanation.  "I know that three 3s is 9 (or 3 30s is 90) and then the 90 to 100 takes up 10 so that would be 120 and then 2 plus 3 is 5 (20 + 30 = 50).

Sport - Ninety percent of Sport's day is spent on his head.  The child is always propped up on the couch with his feet in the air.  I've seen him watch an entire movie that way.  Sport's other interests include dancing the Cupid Shuffle and reading Piggie and Elephant books, a series he found at the library.  Our local library stocks about 12 of these books and we always have at least 4 checked out.  Sport has memorized most of them so when he asks you to read one to him, what he really means for you to do is hold the book, turn the pages and prompt him if he gets confused.  Hopefully he is able to completely teach himself to read because he has recently announced that he will not be going to Kindergarten...ever.  You see, earlier this month, Colt got his Kindergarten immunizations and Sport decided if that's the price you have to pay to go to school, he's not interested.  Sport also makes a point to randomly remind us that he doesn't get sick and therefore doesn't need shots for any reason.

Breeze - Breeze had a really hard month.  She went a solid eight days battling a fever and dehydration and the rest of the time with a yucky cold.  Actually, she passed her illnesses around some.  Fifteen of the 30 days so far this month, someone in the Madsen family has had a fever. However, for Breeze, being sick had its upside.  When she felt so terrible, it became important to her that we understand exactly what she needed, so she started talking!  She went from whimpering sadly "up, up" (translation: cup) earlier this month, to boldly declaring this morning "I wan bed " (translation: I want bread!).  She does have some manners.  At dinner she will throw her empty bowl at you, but then she will sweetly say, "Mo, pees" (translation: More, please).  Her favorite sentence, however, is "Hep me! Hep me!" (translation: Help me! Help me!).  She first screamed this when she had locked herself into the bathroom, but I hear it most often now when she has climbed onto a surface too high to get back down on her own.

Sis likes to pick out her own clothes.

Breeze likes to watch movies on Daddy's phone, but she accidentally touches the screen and then gets frustrated when it interrupts her movies.  After restarting it for her one too many times, Brandan came up with the solution to make her wear mittens while she watches movies.

This was day 3 of her fever marathon.

School Projects

Dash (and by extension, me) have been busy with school projects lately.  Due less than a week apart were two poster projects.  The first was a Starboard which as supposed to be a collection of pictures of Dash and his favorite things.  The other poster was for the 100th day of School.  (Is it just me, or do we celebrate everything now?)  For this poster, Dash was supposed to attach a collection of 100 items.  We decided to draw a football field and include all 100 yards.

Dash's family was invited to attend school the afternoon he presented his Starboard.  Dash did a great job telling very detailed stories from his life, and Colt piped up to correct him when he didn't feel he was getting things quite right.  This is a picture of Dash and Colt in Dash's classroom with some of Dash's school buddies.

The infamous posters.

 Last Wednesday, Dash came home with a note announcing that his school would be celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday the following Friday.  (Are you starting to see my point?)  The kids were encouraged to dress like a Dr Seuss character.  Sigh.  Luckily, one of Dash's buddies suggested they come as Thing 1 and Thing 2.  His Mom sent me a text Thursday night and we both agreed to not try and outdo each other and keep things homemade.  Like Dash really had a choice.  

Thing 2.  I tried dyeing Dash's hair with Kool-aid.  It took on a faint blue coloring, but the bad news is it still has a faint blue coloring.  Sort of like a bad dye job on a grey haired Grandma.