Bath time

This is what happens when you leave your 21-month-old to her own devices. I guess her babies (and frog?) needed a bath.

Bekahism #43

After tucking the girls in for the night ...

Bekah: Mom, I love you more than anything. I love you more than ... science.
Andrea: Wow.
Bekah: I love science a million batrillion and ninety-nine. I love you a million batrillion gazillion.

Ana-ism #16

I've decided that -isms don't have to be spoken. Case in point ...

The other day, Ana asked for a picture of an angry tiger to color. (How DID parents function pre-internet? Thank you, Google image search.) Here is her finished product:


See, she needed the tiger's mouth to be open "so I can draw a bubble and 'GRRR' coming out of its mouth." The only problem? The tiger actually faced this way:

The real, non-flipped picture.

So, logically, the "GRRR" is flipped.

Ana-ism #15

Driving home from the grocery store last night, Ana's looking out the window...

Ana: Dad, do you know why I'm looking at the sidewalk so much?
Seth: Um. No.
Ana: Because. I am just fascinated with sidewalks!

Funny girl

Miriam is at that grand age when she can communicate so much with so few sounds at her disposal (she is, after all, not even 20 months old). Here are some current family favorites:

• Whenever she sees Mickey Mouse--on her diapers, on the TV, on a book--she makes her piggy noise. Yes, my child mistakes a rodent for a porker.
• Her "I'm finished" signal when she's eating meals is "Ah mama," meaning "All done please, Mama." A while ago when I was out and Seth was on meal duty, he asked Miri if she was all done. Her response: "Ah mama ... dada."
• Miriam is wild about pumpkins. For the entire month of October and carrying on to November, she gets über excited every time she sees one of the gourds and exclaims, "Wah-co! Wah-co!" She even mistook Buddy's doghouse (Buddy is Grandpa Dennis' golden lab) for a jack-o-lantern. (Because it was dark outside and Buddy's orange heat lamp was on inside the doghouse.)
• Lately Miri gets very upset when she's missing someone in the family. After dropping Ana off at preschool yesterday, we drove home and unloaded from the van. As I shut the door to the garage, Miri realized that she was minus a sister and shouted,"ANAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
• Miriam calls her pacifier a "baba" because that's what we've called such cry-halting devices since Bekah coined the term in her babyhood. But Miri has added a new term to our lovey vocabulary: "uh-oh." That's how she refers to her blanky.

Yes, folks ... she IS a doll.

Costumes and trick-or-treating

From the time my kids have been big enough to talk, I've let them choose their Halloween costumes. Usually, their choices fit within a certain theme. (Although, not always, unless you could say the theme was "animals" that year.)

This year, we threw themes out the window. Bekah wanted to be Princess Leia. Ana wanted to be ... wait for it ... a walrus. Miri got to reuse the cow costume (which is reversible) to be a horse (since she always neighs VERY enthusiastically whenever she sees a horse).

The three hooligans on our porch before the neighborhood trick-or-treating.

As always, we trick-or-treated at all the Idaho Falls' grandparents' houses. First we visited Grandpa Wirkus.

Grandpa insisted they each take five pieces of candy. When Miri only got two, Grandpa had to put three more in the sack I held. "But Grandpa," I said, "she can't even count."

Grandpa Scott was helping Grandpa Wirkus put a new doorknob on his shop. While Bekah teased Miri through the screen door, Grandpa Scott sneaked up behind her.

Then we stopped at my parents' house.

Grandma was on the phone when we arrived.

While we stopped at home to eat a quick dinner and pick up Seth, Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dennis came over to borrow our computer to Skype with Cooper the Cowboy in Virginia. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures because I was busy warming up lasagna and making some last-minute flipper feet for Ana.

After throwing our dishes in the sink, we drove to Old Grandma's house to show off costumes and pick up some treats.

I told the girls we should have brought an eye patch for Old Grandma since she already had a parrot on her shoulder.

To see more Halloween photos, click here.

Ghoulish gourds

In case you've been living in a hole (or you just don't read our blog regularly ... but that's about the same, right?), you know that we have a thing for pumpkin carving. We like it. We do it every year. So, of course, we couldn't NOT do it again this year.

Ana with her pumpkin (the one with Mr. Potato-like features), Seth with his pumpkin (the vampire), Miri in the general vicinity of her pumkin (the mini one in front with random marker markings), Andrea with her pumpkin (the vampire victim) and Bekah with her pumpkin (with her likeness).

Thank you, Berretts, for donating the pumpkins. As always, Seth is the mastermind behind the pumpkin carving theme.

This was a 1- or 2-minute exposure. I love the light glowing through the puncture marks.

(To view other years' pumpkins, click here, here, here, here, here and here.)

Home wrecker

Seth volunteered us to feed the sister missionaries tonight. That's all well and good, but Bekah has dance until 5:15 and the sisters are due to arrive at 5:30. Since I can't whip up a dinner and table setting in five minutes, I knew it would take some pre-dance prep to get everything ready in time for our guests.

While Miriam napped, I finished making/baking the rolls, cut up lettuce for a salad and set eight places at the table. (In case you're counting, that makes five of us and three missionaries.) When I head Miri squawking in her crib, I got her and went back to work. I should have realized that my carefully set table was about to be ambushed by a 19-month-old.

I swear, juice is to Miri as blood is to a shark; she can smell it a mile away. Twenty bucks says I can't find that cup when it's time to sit down and eat with the sisters.

Shhh ...

That title's purpose is two-fold: (1) This post is about a Christmas surprise I'm creating (mostly) for Miriam, and (2) it's supposed to keep the kiddies hushed during church.

Here's a sneak peek:


Here's the inspiration. I about died when I saw her Jedi Quiet Book and wanted to copy it page by page, but it just didn't seem reverent enough for sacrament meeting.

old

Last night at dinner Andrea and I were telling Bekah about some of the cartoons and TV shows that were popular when we were kids:

Seth: And when I was your age, in about 1988 or so, there was this show I liked called-
Bekah: (Incredulous) Wait. What? You guys were alive in the nineteens?!?

Upon which Andrea and I fell about laughing. If anyone knows how to make you feel old, it's little kids.

Seth and Andrea in another 15 years or so

Pinning

I couldn't help but "overhear" all the hubbub about Pinterest, so I signed up. And it's awesome. Where else can you find great ideas like this?


Sure you could follow the link and buy one of these from some chick on Etsy ... OR you could sew one yourself. Or three. Or two sets of three (one for your dad and one for you).


I can't wait until my next family shoot with wee ones!

Ana-ism #14

Seth spots Ana at the top of the family room steps after we had tucked her into bed 40 minutes prior.

Seth: Ana, what are you doing out of bed?
Ana: I have to tell you something funny. ... My nose said, "Bubba." I didn't want it to; it just did.

Another furniture makeover

In days of yore, my father built this headboard:


It served my parents well. I remember some of the functional and decorative items that graced the headboard's shelves over the years: the alarm clock, a box of tissues, a jar of Mentholatum (that, I swear, lasted for at least a decade), journals, scriptures, novels, reading lamps and wedding photos. The bottom shelves are also hinged so you can store things inside the lower half of the box-like compartment.

Then a few years ago, my parents got new bedroom furniture. The bookcase/headboard moved to an extra bedroom in the basement for a time. When my mom mentioned their plans to haul it away, I asked if I could have it instead.

For months, it's been in our bedroom. And because I'm on this furniture painting/glazing kick, I decided to give it a makeover while Seth was hunting wild beasts all last week. Here's the end result:


The green in the back is a little greener than I had anticipated (if that makes ANY sense at all), but overall I'm quite pleased with it. Here's a closeup so you can see how the glaze gets all the little knots and corners to pop:


Ain't she a beaut?

Two are always better than one

Case in point:

Miriam says, "Please ignore my nap hair."

First hike

Yes, our family has braved the North Menan Butte and Cress Creek, but we had yet to take any kid on a real hike (minus in a backpack or wrap ... and when they're not putting their feet on the ground, it doesn't count). That changed at the end of August.

Grandma Scott and I had plans to go hiking, but we didn't know where. Then Grandma suggested that we try out something in Yellowstone. She had read about a short jaunt to Fairy Falls, and I wondered if Bekah could manage the 5-miler.

Since she was eager to give it a try, Bekah accompanied us seasoned hikers.

Bekah at the trailhead.

Bekah enjoying a Push Pop and looking up wildflowers with Grandma Scott.

Andrea, Grandma Scott and Bekah at Fairy Falls. Bekah was feeling a little tired and worn out on the way there until she heard the roar of the waterfall. Then she bounded up the trail to see it. That was followed by some very happy flip-flop-clad splashing.

Andrea by the base of the waterfall. If I had hiked up my shorts, I think I could have waded all the way across.

Bekah and one of her (many) poses by the waterfall.

After a lot of time spent at the waterfall and some nourishment, we turned around and hiked back out. It was hotter than it had been before and Bekah was feeling it, but she was a trooper and made it back to the car.

Since it's not a true trip to Yellowstone without a stop at Old Faithful, we stopped by to see the geyser erupt and check out the new visitors' center. At that point, Bekah confiscated my camera.

Just a sampling of the pictures she shot. (Of course, I stole the camera back for the one of Bekah in front of Old Faithful.)

I hope this is the beginning of a great and glorious relationship with all things hiking for Rebekah. My parents instilled this love in me, and I hope to pass it on to my kids.

To see more pictures, click here.

She's BAAAAAAAAAACK!

Just when I was lamenting the loss of our girls' imaginary friend, she made a surprise reappearance.

I had gotten out some cold weather gear for our trip to hunting camp this weekend, and Ana decided she needed to wear her winter hat on our quick trip to Wal-mart to get hot dogs. When we pulled into the garage, she told me, "Look, Mom! Water-Eye Weather-Goap is riding in the car!"


Silly girl.

Ana-ism #13

While playing T-ball in the front yard.

Bekah: I'll bat. Ana, you be the pitcher. Mom, you're the umpire.

Later ...

Ana: Mom, this time you be the pitcher and I'll be the vampire.

Bekahism #42

While at hunting camp, Bekah needed to answer the call of nature. Seth accompanied her to the latrine.

Bekah: But Dad, I don't want to. The bugs will get on me.
Seth: Bekah, they won't get on you. And besides, they're just flies.
Bekah: Do you think when I grow up, I won't be so crazy?
Seth: Crazy?
Bekah: You know, being afraid of bugs while going to the bathroom at hunting camp. Cuh-RAY-zee!

the cycle is complete

I know I don't blog as often as Andrea, but this was just too cool not to post.

Last night was Back To School Night for Rebekah. As you may or may not know, Bekah attends the same elementary school that I attended when I was a wee lad. As we walked down the hall to her first grade classroom to drop off her supplies and meet her teacher, I said, "Bekah, I wonder if you'll be in the same first grade classroom that I had first grade in." We stopped in front of the room, and sure enough, it was the same one. Cool!

We met her teacher, who told Rebekah to go ahead and find her desk so she could stow her supplies there. Bekah walked to one side of the room and started looking around. I said, "Bekah, wouldn't it be crazy if your desk was in the same spot as mine?" I walked across to the other side of the room to where I remembered my desk being, found the exact spot, then looked down at the nametag on the desk: Rebekah. That's right, not only is Rebekah in the same elementary school I attended, and not only does she have first grade in the same classroom in which I had it, her desk is in the exact same spot, even facing the same direction, as my desk.

Mind = blown.

Look out for the Wee-lass

Sadly, Water-Eye Weather-Goap seems to be a thing of the past in the Grover household, but I'm still amazed at how long she lasted. After Bekah had finished having her as a regular playmate, Ana picked up where Bekah left off and had WEWG be her imaginary friend for a long time.

I think because both girls are old enough to (usually) play nicely with each other, they don't need to rely on a fictitious friend.

However, just as Superman has his Lex Luthor, Spider-man has his Green Goblin and Martha Stewart has her Securities Exchange Commission, the big girls in our house need an arch nemesis. And so they have the Wee-lass. The Wee-lass levels entire cities and leaves destruction in her wake. She's terrifying. She's horrifying.

But she's also pretty darn cute, if you ask me. See for yourself:


But as Bekah and Ana have their own opinions of the Wee-lass, I thought I'd let them share.

Andrea: Who is the Wee-lass?
Bekah: Miriam.
Ana: Miriam.

Andrea: Why is she called the Wee-lass?
Ana: 'Cause she messes up all our setups and takes things from our setups.
Bekah: "Wee" means little and "lass" means one. So Wee-lass--"little one."

Andrea: You only call Miri the We-lass when she's ...
Ana: Messing up our setups and stuff.
Bekah: Yeah.

Andrea: So what do you call her the rest of the time?
Ana and Bekah: Miriam.
Bekah: Most of the time, Miri.
Ana: But the rest of the time, the Wee-lass.

Andrea: You only call her that when she's messing up your setups. So is she kind of like a bad guy when you're playing?
Ana and Bekah: Yeah
Ana: She, like, captures people.
Bekah: And eats them.
Ana: The people scream, "The Wee-lass is here!" Then they run all around the house. Away from the Wee-lass.

Andrea: Is there anything else you'd like to tell me about the Wee-lass?
Bekah: The Wee-lass always eats your earrings.
Ana: And the Wee-Lass always eats your necklaces. And then, if she doesn't want to eat them, she runs off with them.
Bekah: And if she doesn't want to eat them, she runs off and eats our setup people.

So consider yourself warned.

Ingenuity

What happens when this breaks ...

... and you're too cheap to buy one these?

You get creative.

See? I really don't need that $300 Kitchenaid. I've got my own mixing machine, thank you very much. Now if only I can teach Ana to whip and knead ...

Where am I?

Today on the Grover blog ("Patently awesome since 2007!"™) we're going to play a little game. It's called "Where at the 'I' am I?" (No, that's not a typo.)

Here are the rules: View the images below and try to guess where on the BYU-Idaho campus Seth and Andrea are.

Any guesses as to which building has this groovy ceiling?

Here's a more obvious location within the building.

Have you guessed it yet? It's the new BYU-Idaho Center.

By the way, slide down the banister at your own risk. They've installed speed bumps.

Okay, next building.

They're remodeling in this basement computer lab.

Outside a room in which Seth spent many-an-hour.

Any ideas? It's the Austin.

Where they have such posters as this. I'm still not sure how I feel about it ...

Here's an easy one:

One administrator told me he expected many girls to be proposed to in this spot overlooking the gardens.

Of course, of course. It's the Hinckley.

Another easy one:

This is the exact spot where Seth learned that Ricks would be becoming BYU-I.

The benches, carpet and art should give it away. It's the Taylor.

If this one doesn't blow your mind, you haven't been away from campus as long as we had:

The west entrance.

Not recognizable at all. We think this is about the spot where Andrea entered this building about a bajillion times throughout her freshmen, sophomore and junior years.

What the heck is this place?

The approximate location of the corridor/office where Andrea spent many early Monday mornings.

Finally! A recognizable feature on the completely remodeled building!

Thank goodness the Little Theater hasn't changed.

Andrea reliving a moment.

Andrea originally living the moment. (Oops. Looked like I kicked with the wrong leg in the re-creation.)

If you haven't figured it out by now, you never will. It's the Manwaring Center.

Hang in there! Just two more:

Seth expressing his feelings for his first college-level calculus class.

Yes, this one is trickier because that's the only photo we got for you. It's the Romney.

Last one:

Outside another door that leads to a bit of Andrea's past.

A few of the remaining pieces of the original building.

Yup. It's the Spori.

Thanks for playing! We hope you enjoyed the game as much as Seth and I enjoyed our self-guided tour on the nearly deserted campus. Because it's between tracks, all the labs and offices were closed. But I'm sure the few students we saw around campus enjoyed our gasps and laughs as we checked out all the new additions.