Fishing, Fishing, and More Fishing

After several unsuccessful attempts at taking the boys fishing (unsuccessful in that we never caught anything), Dave located the right place and the right bait (combination of Cheerios & Power Bait). The boys both caught their first fish at Vivian Park in the Provo Canyon about a week before school ended. Since then, we've been fishing pretty much every week. Now, as much fun as it is watching the boys get so excited when catching a fish, I will have to admit that this very pregnant, uncomfortable and heat avoidant Mama is not a fan of fishing. Maybe when 85 degrees doesn't feel like 1000, and sitting in a camp chair doesn't feel like sitting on a pile of rocks, I will enjoy it a little more. But having said that, the boys are addicted and it's adorable. I gave them the option last week to either go to the outdoor pool to swim or go fishing again, and of course they chose fishing.

Here are some pictures from their first catch. Unfortunately I wasn't able to be there for their first catch, but since then I have been in the front row putting Cheerios on hooks as they cast and reel, cast and reel, cast and reel.

Rainbow Trout stuffed with lemon pepper and butter. MMmmmmm.

The boys loved the fish!

And here are some from just a few days ago:

I think he loves fishing.

Farewell Kindergarten!

It is slightly upsetting to know that my oldest child is going to be in 1st grade next year. How on Earth did he grow so fast?! Mrs. Bair, Cruise's Kindergarten teacher, had a small awards ceremony for the class, nothing too fancy, but it made Cruise feel super special. I am so grateful that once again, Cruise had an amazing teacher. She went above and beyond anything required of her and just loved each of her students so much. I feel so blessed to have had Cruise in her class and to know that there are teachers that really care about my son and helping him do his best. If I could have one wish right now, it would be that Mrs. Bair follow him through each grade until high school graduation.

Somehow Jett made his way into the picture.

Mrs. Bair, the Aides, and a little more than half the class.

Cruise qualified for Summer school this year and last minute I pulled him out. I felt like it was the best thing to do for him this year since he started in-home ABA services with the Medicaid Autism Waiver program. I figured having his school at home with a one-on-one tutor would be more beneficial and it would allow him the afternoon to set his own schedule and just be a kid. His ABA tutor comes from 9am-Noon Monday thru Thursday and then Saturday. Friday is our family day since Dave has it off. After ABA, we use his visual schedule and put together his day using the pictures. He loves it and it makes him feel like he is in control of his day but makes it predictable. I also have a special activity planned each day for the boys to do. Last week we talked about birds, so we made bird feeders one day, made a lifecycle of a chicken mini-poster another day, etc. So far, things are going really well and he is getting used to the new ABA schedule. And to tell you the truth, I have really liked having that kid around. When Jett takes off to play with his friends, Cruise is usually hanging out with me and we get to talk and play a lot together. But I also think Jett likes having Cruise around more too. The two play a lot together and have a lot of fun playing in the pool and jumping on the trampoline. Cruise even taught Jett how to pump his legs when swinging, so we are currently trying to sell a bunch of stuff so we can buy them a nice swing set. So far this summer is going better than I had expected. I think I expected the worst, but the boys are usually pretty good and help me out a lot. And luckily I have access to A/C and popsicles.

Good Day Sunshine!

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Now that the sun is out and the weather is nice, we have been able to start visiting the Thanksgiving Point farm again. We love our Thanksgiving Point passes! All winter we go to the dinosaur museum, which the kids don't seem to ever get tired of, and during the summer, we get to visit the other awesome places like the farm and the children't discovery gardens.

Dave has been working some more on the treehouse. He put in a bridge between the two platforms, which is really nice and the boys love it!

The other day I was taking a break in my room and heard the boys quietly plotting. All I could see out my bedroom door was them walking past carrying pillows & blankets. A minute later I decided to see what they were up to. I got to the top of the stairs and found them snapping on helmets, sitting on top of all the pillows. I told them, "Guys, the pillows aren't going to slide down the stairs. Someone is going to get hurt." Jett responds, "No mom, we got helmets! We not going to get hurt!" Now, by this time of the day, I'm too exhausted to care, and I mean, they did have helmets. But this was the end result:

It also got hot enough to pull the pool out! I couldn't believe how hot it got! The boys were really excited about it and now throw their trunks on as soon as it gets warm enough during the day. 

Yep, Jett pushed Cruise. He can dish it, but can't take it.

Cruise really wanted to swim with his two most prized possessions: his bird hat and his Teddy.

Poor Teddy.

Welcome, Tooth Fairy!

Cruise lost his first baby tooth yesterday! It's been wiggly for awhile, but yesterday he got off the bus clearly distraught. The bus driver informed me that Cruise was upset about his tooth. After inspection, I determined that it was definitely ready to come out! I brought him in the house where he complained about the tooth hurting, so I got him a popsicle and asked if he would like me to pull his tooth. He reluctantly agreed to getting it pulled, so I prepped for the grab and yank technique I perfected back in 1st grade. I guess you could say I was the unofficial (and unlicensed) classroom dentist back in the day. Girls would come to me with their wiggly teeth and I'd escort them to the girl's restroom during recess where all I needed was a paper towel and a good grip. Voila! Many girls returned home with Tooth Fairy bait in hand. So I guess you could say I'm a tooth-pulling expert.

It took me some time to get a good grip since the last time I had done this my fingers were much smaller. I finally got a grip and out came the tooth! Cruise reacted with excitement and horror all at once. I've never seen such a conflict of emotion! But after the bleeding stopped and my explanation of what Tooth Fairies do with baby teeth (give them to babies of course!), Cruise got insanely excited and ran around the neighborhood showing off the new gap in his mouth.

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Before bed, Cruise came up to me and asked what Fairies eat. I told him they eat what we eat, just smaller portions. He asked if they liked fruit snacks and finished his letter to the Tooth Fairy, complete with his tooth taped to the paper. What's the going rate for teeth these days? I guess $1 is pretty good, right?

Pablo the Snake

Cruise has asked and asked for a pet snake for awhile. In fact, he even prays about it. One night, Cruise's prayer went something like this:

"Dear Heavenly Father, thank Thee for this day. Bless the snakes and that Mommy will buy me a snake. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

That prayer alone made we want to break down and buy the poor boy a snake, but luckily Dave balances out my over-emotional decisions. However, our compromise was that if we found a decent sized and calm Garter snake, we could keep it as a pet. So luckily Dave found one the other day doing yard work. We went to D.I., found an old fish tank, went to the pet store and purchased a screened lid and some frozen baby mice (eww) and went home and set the little guy up. Oh, and Cruise named him Pablo. Cruise loves him.