Pykles Family

Lincoln's Birthday

2011-12-18T21:30:00.000-08:00

Little man Lincoln turned 4 last week!
The boys came running into my room at 5:00am on his birthday SO excited that it was finally his birthday. (I am doomed on Christmas morning!) I promptly put them back in bed for a couple more hours but we did eventually have a fun party for Lincoln and a great day together. He made sure on his birthday to tell anyone who would listen about how he was "born while there was a snow storm, 4 years ago in New York, by Canada!"
Lincoln continues to make everyone in this house smile with his cheerful and confident ways. He is excellent at getting his way and has us all still wrapped around his finger. We love this little man and all the joy he brings to our lives.
Happy Birthday Lincoln!

The wind storm

2011-12-18T20:28:00.000-08:00

Most have heard about the crazy wind storm that hit Bountiful about 2 weeks ago but I wanted to add my 2 cents and get down some of our experiences.
The wind started in the middle of the night on Wednesday night and by Thursday morning early we had lost power and heat. Not knowing how bad the storm truly was I got my children ready for school, bundled them all up like normal, and then piled them all in the car only to realize that my garage door was electric and I didn't how to disengage it. I piled them all out and we decided to walk together to school (across the street)- again not knowing how bad it truly was. We only needed to be outside for about 2 seconds before I realized what a huge mistake I had made. The wind was so strong that it literally took all our effort just to stay upright and in fact did blow Lincoln right over on the sidewalk. I felt like a complete idiot and rushed my children back inside as quickly as I could. I would later find out that winds were being clocked at 120 mph in our neighborhood. AND I HAD TAKEN MY CHILDREN OUTSIDE!! Not one of my shining parenthood moments.
As the day continued we began to gather all of our emergency supplies as it became more and more apparent that we were going to be a long time without power and heat. The good news is we were prepared and it ended up being quite a fun day together huddled around the fire with nothing to do but be together and listen to the wind, which continued well into Thursday night.

Just about bedtime as we were all ready to camp out near the fireplace, our power turned back on and we were able to sleep in our own beds with heat in the house. Friday morning school was canceled for the day because they were still without power as was much of the neighborhood-including all of our surrounding neighbors. The sweet family across the street was still without power and had spent the night in their van (6 girls!) weathering the storm because they could not get the heat going in their RV. When we discovered them we quickly got them all inside and they stayed with us (RV plugged into the house for sleeping) until they got heat and power again on Saturday night. But the most memorable thing about Friday was our drive around the neighborhood to see what the storm had done. It was unforgettable and honestly I felt a little like I was in a war zone. The biggest destruction came from the huge pines trees (200 ft+tall) that fell. Most fell on power or telephone lines but many fell into homes, fences, roads, and cars. And they were everywhere. Somehow we did not lose any trees in our ward but we spent a long time on Thursday watching them sway and pull up by the roots. We were very lucky.

And then Saturday morning- people literally began to flood onto the streets with chainsaws, ladders, saws, gloves, and wheelbarrows. They started cutting and hauling and lifting trees from all the yards. Work that would have taken families weeks to clear away was done in a morning. And everyone was there to help. It was one of the most amazing things I have seen in my life. I can't really even describe the destruction and the disaster that everyone felt on Friday night. And then the determination and effort and the way that everyone pulled together the very next morning was truly incredible to be a part of. By Saturday night the streets were lined with tree debris nearly 10 feet tall on every sidewalk and every lawn up and down the streets of Bountiful.

When we got to church on Sunday morning we were surprised to find everyone gathering in the chapel for a special meeting that had just been called. It was then that we learned that more high winds were on their way and expected to hit us again by 5:00 that evening. Now the problem was those 10 foot high piles that would be blown into homes and cars and streets all over again. Because of this our meetings were canceled for the day and we were all sent to once again go to work and get all of those trees off the sidewalks and to a dumping ground by 5:00. That same flood of people again moved in amazing ways and for hours and hours again on Sunday huge truck loads of trees were taken to the dumping station. Mid-day the dump was full and there was still so much debris left, so they began to load the debris to the church parking lot. The rest of the afternoon we watched a line of trucks about 5 blocks long stream through the church parking lot with load after load of debris.
It is estimated that in our ward alone we lost over 50 trees and in our stake there were about 800 trees lost. Amazing numbers. Amazing to see that many trees on the ground. But most amazing- by Sunday night they were all cut and cleared to a safe place. And even more amazing, not one injury.
The wind came that night and only reached 70 mph this time- it was another long, sleepless night...but safe and everyone fared well.

I've always wondered what it's like after a natural disaster. It's an experience I'll never forget.

Here is what I learned:

Nature is incredibly powerful.
Disaster changes our perspective on what is important.
Going without reminds us what is important.
Disaster brings people together.
Disaster can bring out the very best in people.
Disaster reminds people who their neighbors are and how we should be treating each other.
People are amazingly resilient and hopeful.
Life moves on pretty quick

...and hopefully we learned what we needed to learn.

I really did get horrible pictures of it all because it just seemed to be the last thing that we were thinking about in the middle of the chaos, but these give a little glimpse of Sunday afternoon.

The Bloody Guy

2011-09-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

A recent Sunday conversation at the Pykles' dinner table:

Mom: "So Lincoln, tell me what you learned in your class today."

Lincoln:"Mom! It was so cool! Today we talked about that story about that bloody guy."

Mom: "Bloody guy?" (he's got my full attention now)

Lincoln: "Yeah, you know mom, the story where the guy gets all bloody and punched up and then falls on the side of the road. And then there is one guy who just walks right past him. And another big guy who goes clear to the other side of the road. And then there is this nice guy who brings him bandaids and helps him clean up all his blood. And then mom, the BEST part. Then... then they go to a HOTEL! I love that story mom!"

Mom: "Ah, the bloody guy story. Sometimes we call the Good Samaritan, but you did a good job remembering the whole story."

Lincoln: "Yeah, I really love it."

Mom: "Me too buddy. Me too." (I think I especially like it when you tell it.)

Beginning,Between,and End

2011-08-28T20:01:00.001-07:00

Life moves fast. Very fast. Here I sit at the end of the first week of school and wonder how these days..
.
came and went so quickly.
In all our reality our summer was very short because of the move. In New York school ends at the end of June and begins the 2nd week of September. Here in Utah by the end of June they've already been out a month, so starting at end of August really snuck up on us. However, the kids were VERY anxious to begin this year and finally start meeting people! And met them they have.
Great 1st day of school (don't they just look so grown up- aaahhh!)

Great kids, great teachers, and what seems like a very good school. I especially love that they all leave the house together, walk up the street 1 block to the cross walk, cross the street and walk straight into the school field. It is the best!
And we are slowly getting settled in our house, although at the moment it feels a little like a demolition site. Someday...SOMEDAY I will post "before" and "after" pictures, but for now we are endlessly stuck in that "between" stage where every project is begun but waiting for just a few more things to finish. And those few finishing touches never seem to come because in the meantime something new has unraveled and created a new project. Ah! the joys of home improvement and updating. Despite this, we are getting close on the big things and looking forward to maybe hanging a picture or two.
Lots of new beginnings in our future and that makes us all excited.

Fathers and Sons

2011-06-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

Fathers and Sons Campout: a first for Ben and the boys this year and a HUGE hit! Anyone would be hard pressed to convince my 3 boys that there is anything funner than a whole night camping out with just Dad. They had the time of their lives. And Ben lived to tell about it too! (He actually ended up having strep throat that weekend but a lot of Tylenol and caffeine seemed to be the wonder-potion for him. Camping with strep throat officially qualifies you for Dad of the Year award-ha, ha.)

But thanks Dad- they will never forget this!

Jamison turns 6

2011-06-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

Jamison was SO excited for his birthday this year. It was rivaling Christmas. Especially when Jamison bounded into our room at 5:30am on the morning of his birthday asking if he could open his presents. It took all the "niceness" I could muster at that hour to gently urge him back to his bed for at least another 30 minutes. Like I said- SO excited!

We had a great day. He did treats for his class at school and a great party at home complete with a cake full of candy. Jamison's order. This kid loves candy!

Jamison continues to keep our lives moving with his endless energy and enthusiasm for life. He is super athletic and his main goal in life is to keep up with his older brother. They are best buddies and every morning they head out the door ready to take things on together. And Jamison's favorite thing: a back rub from his Dad. He'll do most anything for a good back rub. Love you buddy.

Two lips?

2011-05-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we found ourselves with an entire Saturday open (largely because it was raining again). But these days an entire open day is truly miraculous and we've been feeling the sadness of leaving the area... so we found every piece of waterproof clothing we own, loaded up the car and headed to Ottawa for day to see the annual Tulip Festival.
I have to admit that the first few minutes of the car ride were some of my favorite as Lincoln tried to wrap his head around a "two-lip" festival!
Ben:" Are you excited to see all the Tulips everyone?"
Lincoln: "Two Lips! Two Lips? Hmmm- yeah, I'm excited!"
I can only imagine the images that were racing through his head. And I suppose it was a bit of a let-down when we introduced him to 1,000's of actual Tulips.

But they were gorgeous...

and the kids especially enjoyed the Korean 3D technology in the 'Tent of Nations'.
The surprise extra of the day was when we stumbled upon (Ben tried to drive in the private and heavily guarded driveway of the home! Oops, but our US plates got us off the hook) the home of the Governor General (Head of State) of Canada. We were able to take a tour of the home and learn all about Canadian government. It would be like taking a tour of the White House in DC. Emmy thought it was extra cool since she just finished her Canada unit at school- she filled in all the gaps for us.
I'm sure it will be our last visit to Canada for a long, long time. So glad we got to go one last time. It was a great day.

Easter sun

2011-04-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

Another Happy Easter! And Lincoln's little bare toes are evidence that the sun does eventually return to the North Country. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.

Now if I could just get them to stop having fun! ;)

Dreams for the future

2011-03-30T11:41:00.001-07:00

This was the conversation on the way to school this morning. I'm still laughing!

Ben: "Hey guys, look at those cool construction vehicles. That would be a cool job to do wouldn't it?"

Jamison: "Um sorry dad, but I'm going to be a circus clown when I grow up."

Ben: "A what?"

Jamison: "A circus clown!"

Ben: "Wow. A circus clown. When did you decide that?"

Jamison: "Last night. It's pretty much the most awesome job ever!"

Lincoln: " Me too, me too!"

At least they have ambitions!!

Life's Curve Balls

2011-03-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it- I'm a planner. I LOVE having a plan. I love knowing what is ahead of me. I enjoy preventing too much unexpected and feeling prepared. I know- it seems a little less than adventurous, but I am working on it! Apparently there seems to be higher powers that also had some tweeking and work in mind for me as well.

By defenition: a "curve ball" is a pitch delivered, intending to take someone by surprise, with a spin that cause the ball to veer from a normal, straight path. Life has once again presented us with a big deviation- a "curve ball" if you will.

A few months ago Ben was approached by the Church History Department (of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) to join their Historic Sites Team. A huge shift in his career, a big move and change for our family, and NOT in the current plan! Consequently-lots of anxiety on my part.

The last few months have been a time of deep searching for us. Searching for direction, searching for the right thing to do, searching for advice, searching for clear answers, and searching for peace. Gratefully those answers have come, much peace has come and we are about to head out on another...adventure! We feel very blessed and find much comfort in knowing that even though it wasn't in our plan, it is part of some plan. And following that plan is what we have to do.

So, the new plan?

We're moving to Salt Lake City at the end of June! Ben has accepted the job and is getting very excited about it all. We're all getting excited. It will be a big change but we're trusting a good one.

Look at me being adventurous!

Clayton's baptism

2011-03-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

Clayton got baptized this last weekend. It was a wonderful day and we were so glad that BOTH sets of grandparents made the long journey to be with us. Many, many thanks!!

Congrats Clayton- you look amazing! We love you!

Jamison's super power

2011-02-06T18:54:00.000-08:00

After church today Jamison's Primary teacher came up to me in the hallway, barely able to control herself between fits of laughter.
"I have a story to tell you about Jamison", she says.

Oh boy- here we go.

(teacher) "Today we were talking about the Priesthood power being restored to the earth. I asked the class if anyone knew what power had been given to Joseph Smith that helped him be able to restore the gospel to the earth. Jamison immediately raised his hand- 'I know, I know!' After I called on him, he proceeded to jump up on his chair, put his hands out in front of him like he was telling you to stop, and yelled 'The power to shoot fire from your hands!!'"

Wow.
Honestly, I have no idea where this stuff comes from. Fire from your hands?!

At least he's not shy....or reverent, or quiet...

Clayton's birthday

2011-02-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

Can't believe it, but Clayton's 8! He has been totally and utterly excited for this birthday to come. Counting the days since Christmas...particularly because it meant a friend birthday party and he will be getting baptized.

(I suppose a slight tangent to explain another qualifier for the "meanest parents" award would be appropriate here. A few years ago we decided that rather than feel like we were constantly throwing our money at huge birthday parties we would set the years the kids got to have one. Year 5, 8, 12, and 16 are the years for friends. The rest of the years, sadly come and go with just a family to shower gifts and attention upon them. These poor kids... Actually, it's given them something great to look forward too and our budgets a little bit of a break! It's a system we love.)

Anywhoooo...friends! 8 friends to be exact. Eight 8 year old boys. And sledding was the activity of choice. So 8, 8 year old boys on the sledding hill. If that doesn't incite fear in you, then you are braver than I.

SO, SO, SO much energy. But the boys had a great time- they all lived to tell about it- no bones or any body parts were broken- and the cake and hot cocoa was the perfect ending. Even the weather cooperated- sun came out and it warmed up to 30 or so. We all had a wonderful day and Clayton loved every minute.

The new "birthday":) suit that Clayton has been asking for forever! Doesn't he look great! Perfect fit Grandma.

And he is super excited to be a Cub Scout. Totally decked out. (Go Grammy!)

And yes, that is a finger splint that you are seeing in the pictures. Clayton had a run-in with a basketball at the church the night before his birthday. Didn't end up being too bad-just a few days splinted and he is good as new.
We loved celebrating Clayton. He is one cool kid and we love the energy he brings to our family. It feels like he is growing up so quickly. But he's such a nice, kind- GREAT boy (ok, I'm a little biased). Love you buddy!

BRRRRRRR!!

2011-01-25T06:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the kids were home on a snow day- ok, cold day. It was 35 degrees BELOW zero! A little bit of a hazard for kids to stand at the bus stop.
So, in light of feeling like we live in the coldest place on earth, we've decided to start keeping track of how many days in the winter we are actually colder than Antarctica.
So far... Antarctica=0, Potsdam=1.

On a lighter note, Lincoln has taken up singing lately. He can often be found walking around the house singing a "Lincoln" song. Lyrics by Lincoln. Tune by Lincoln. They are awesome.
This morning the song sounded something like this:

"I love Clayton, I love Jamison, I love Emmy, I love Abby (his horse), I love George (his other horse), I love Daddy, I love Mommy, I love Buzz, and I LOOOOVE (top of the lungs for full dramatic effect)..... Myself!!"

We love you too buddy!

January update

2011-01-10T06:33:00.000-08:00

Despite what it looks like- we did not skip Christmas at the Pykles' house. In fact, my favorite present-our new camera!- currently holds all the evidence of the wonderful Christmas that we had. I just have to figure out how to get it all off...Hmmm.

It got WARM here for a couple days around New Years so we headed outside- at least the boys did with Ben. Emmy was the last to take her turn with the stomach flu, which made a clean sweep through the house for the holidays. Fun!

Plus some first teeth lost for Jamison. He's always looking for a way to get one step ahead and 2 teeth at once doubles your return from the tooth fairy.

And- Lincoln's first "shiner". (Oh trust me-there will be more.)

As for "Dumb Head"? I hardly know how to make excuses any more- I just blame everything I possible can on 2 older brothers!!

Lincoln's 3rd Birthday

2010-12-21T17:50:00.000-08:00

Lincoln came to our family in the middle of a snow storm so I suppose it's only appropriate that his 3rd birthday started at 20 degrees below zero! BRRRRR!! You can see the cold...

We had a really fun day celebrating Lincoln. This little is boy is so full of LIFE! Everything is exciting, everything is an adventure, everything deserves full energy, and everything great gets a "THWEET!" (sweet) from Lincoln.

Yep- the horse cake got a great big "THWEET!"

His horse obsession continues, but he is also branching out to a new fixation with Buzz Lightyear- and actually if you just put Buzz on a horse then you have the happiest 3 year old on the planet.

Most days I'm pretty sure that Lincoln could raise himself. He is the most independent, determined little boy. He potty trained himself-let me know when he was ready. He's been dressing himself for months and can have a full conversation with anyone who will stop to listen. He keeps up with us all and always has a smile or giggle to stop us in our tracks for a hug.

The older he gets the more sure I am that he came because we need him- he is so loved by us all. Happy Birthday buddy!

2 Yellow Belts

2010-11-05T05:56:00.000-07:00

For those unfamiliar with Tae Kwon Do, the advancement to Yellow Belt...is a good thing! (something I just learned this last month too!)
Clayton and Jamison have been taking TKD for a couple of months now and taking to it very well. They really enjoy it and have surprised me at how hard they are working at this. I suppose I shouldn't be all that surprised that they love the kicking, punching, running and yelling that is TKD- but still...

So last week their "Master" tested them in front of the class to advance from white to yellow belt- and they did great. They're kind of like little robots doing their drills up and down the floor but it was really fun to watch and see them having such a great time.

I especially love to see them do it together. Congrats boys!

Halloween blur

2010-11-05T05:54:00.000-07:00

Halloween this year seems a bit of a blur- it came so fast and was over before I felt like I even got the last costume fixed right. Plus Ben was out of town so I felt like I was just in survival mode.
And to top it off, Ben and I officially entered the history books as the "meanest parents in the world" because we didn't let the kids go trick or treating on Sunday night (in a town where they really do trick or treat on Sunday)... so we were trying extra hard to help the kids enjoy the village, school, and friend parties.

In the end-the parties ended up being just the right amount of "fun" and the kids had a great weekend. Sunday night we locked our doors, shut off all the lights, and gathered in our bedroom with candles, board games, and caramel popcorn. It was a great night- and the kids have let us know that the "meanest parents" thing may be dropped by Thanksgiving.

(Emmy aka Athena, Jamison aka Race Car Driver, Clayton aka Master Ninja, and Lincoln aka Superman!) Whew!

StudentS of the month!

2010-10-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

Don't you love it when other people say nice things about your kids?!

Clayton and Jamison were both chosen as "student of the month" for their classes. They were highlighted for their Respect and Responsibility.

Way to go boys!

Emmy's 10th

2010-10-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

Emmalyn turned 10 this week and took 2 giant steps into growing up.
She came to us months ago asking for only "2 things"... 2 things that she wanted more than anything else in the whole wide world. Sounded like a pretty good deal to Ben and I...then we got the full story.

"I just want a room that isn't pink (said dripping with icky-ness), and my ears pierced."

Ok Em- that is one tall order.

We honestly had been talking about doing the room switch for a while and planned on doing it sometime soon because we need to move poor Lincoln out of a crib and into a real bed (good grief, that poor neglected last child).
So we were on board with #1. But, pierce your ears? What? For some reason this one knocked us off our feet. I suppose part of it is because I was so embarrassingly old (21!- ugh) when I finally got over my fear and pierced my ears. And also because she is our first and this whole pre-teen/tween stuff is coming as us very fast.

So, like the good push-over parents that we are, we agreed. All the while, having a "Holy Cow-when did she get so old, when did I get so old?" dialogue in our heads.

The room project was a blast and turned out just like she wanted it; i.e. a move into the other room, lots of color-lots of turquoise, and the smallest amount of pink we could manage. She is loving it.

And the ears...again a blast! We made a night of it at the mall with her two friends and I actually did NOT cry watching her sit and get her ears shot with a small gun. A success. And she looks darling...a little more grown up even.

So, the big double digit year came in with a bang for Emmy. I may seem to be dragging my feet on this whole "growing up" think, but I really am having a great time with it too. Emmy is such a great girl. I often just feel it a pleasure to be a part of her life. She is uber-smart, driven, and a perfectionist- I'm often running to keep up. But she is also so kind and sensative and aware and concerned for others-she has wonderful friends and makes them easily. She is always sticking up for the under-dog and making sure that life is as fair as it can be. I probably depend on her too much, but she is a great help and support to me often.
Watching her grow is truly a joy.
Love you Em!

Going NUTS!

2010-10-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning we all got up and found the sun shining, so we grabbed our jackets and headed outside for a walk in the woods before conference started. It was beautiful- the leaves are gorgeous. It was a whole lot more chilly than we expected but a great start to the day.

As we were walking, the boys began noticing that the trail was covered in acorns being dropped by the oak trees. Being perpetual collectors- bugs, rocks, sticks- they began filling their pockets with the acorns. They collected till every pocket was bulging. Meanwhile, I was wrapped up in figuring out a new "fun place outside" for the acorn collection. Ben, on the other hand, couldn't miss this opportunity to throw a little "learning" into the mix. Thus commenced the discourse on Native Americans and their resourcefulness with acorns- crack them, mash them, grind them, make a flour substance, and then pancakes and various other yummy acorn treats! Emmy even had "acorn knowledge" from a book she's been reading as school. What?!
And my boys, not being ones to throw away new treasures of knowledge were soon begging to go home and try it! What?!
Apparently I'm the one out of the loop.

After I finally convinced them that mashing and grinding acorns was probably not an appropriate Sunday activity we found a bucket for the acorns and moved on with the rest of the day. I honestly thought (and secretly hoped) that all would be forgotten by morning and that would be the last of acorn pancakes.
Silly, silly mommy.
Monday morning came and my boys were up early! They flew through their chores and were begging me for mashing tools by 7:30 am. What?!
But, honestly, how can you say no? So... I found my kitchen hammer and helped them bundle (even the cold couldn't stop them) and, much to our neighbors delight, I sent them out to mash acorns!

The result: a LOT of mashed acorns!
Turns out it's a lot harder than it looks. But it's official now: We've all CRACKED! We're NUTS! (ok, I'll stop now, but I bet none of you are arguing!)

Locks of Love

2010-09-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

Emmy started 5th grade this year which has meant all kinds of changes for her. First of all, 5th grade is Middle School here- lockers, changing teachers, after-school clubs... It has also meant that she goes to school an hour earlier than the boys, but she's been great about getting up and getting ready. She's been so excited about it all and seems to be holding it together well.

Then on top of all that Emmy decided she wanted to finally cut her hair. She's been "thinking about it" for a long time and she felt like with all these other new things she might as well change her look too. Even minutes before the haircut she still wasn't sure how much to cut off- she has loved her hair for a long time (and rightfully so-her hair is thick and soft and BLONDE-it's beautiful hair). Right at the very last minute she closed her eyes and said: "OK- let's cut enough so that I can donate it."

So she did it! 14 inches came off.

She looks absolutely adorable, and maybe even a little more grown-up too (but I'll be the last to admit it).
She's loving it. And she loved being able to donate her hair. Somehow knowing that someone else might get to enjoy it made it seem even better. I agree.
Just one question: Why does all this growing up have to happen all at once? Love you Emmy.

Summer's Last Hurrah

2010-09-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

A few days before school started we were able to spend one last (beautiful) day together and with our friends the Francoms. We took the Francom's sail boat up onto the St. Lawrence River and sailed across the channel into Canada. It was a gorgeous sail and the kids all took turns not only learning to sail but swimming behind the boat. So fun!

Once we were there we spent the rest of the day at Upper Canada Village which is a complete town restored to the 1800's with workers re-enacting and working the village. (It's actually the place where the church films many of their historic movies now.)
It was such a great day. The kids loved it-we all loved it!
Thanks Jeff and Kelly!

First Day of School

2010-09-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

School finally started here and the kids were SHAKING with excitement... up at 6:00 am, dressed by 6:10 and READY for the day. It was a long wait till 8:30.

(Can you tell it was a bit of a rough day for Lincoln. Everybody gone, all day- Mom was not nearly exciting enough, but we'll get through.)

Clayton's off to 2nd grade in Mrs. Livernois.

And Jamison into Kindergarten with Mrs. Varney. Incidentally, he informed me after the 1st day that he was "totally NOT excited about nap time" but he would do it because "Kindergarten was pretty cool."

Summer Whirlwind

2010-08-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

We're slowly getting settled back into home after our 5 weeks of travel out west.

It feels GREAT to be home.

Looking back, I'm not sure we could have packed anything else into our visit. And if you looked up "spoiled" in the dictionary right now you would find a cute, shiny picture of my 4 children- smiling with all their might! (We're currently undergoing some serious vacation-detox.) It seems we went from one party to the next, saw all the family and friends we could cram in, and hit a couple of amusement parks just for good measure. It was great - completely exhausting, but absolutely FUN! We're so grateful for the time we had with family and the wonderful memories. Thank you to everyone who fed us, housed us, entertained us, put up with us- we're so thankful and anxious to return the favor (since Potsdam is high on everyone's travel list)...so come visit!

OH! (ha, the reason we went in the first place) AND, Ben's dig went well. He survived the drama of some very interesting students and got a little further along in the research they're working on so I think he's pleased. He also had some good publicity that you can check out at www.ksl.com/?sid=11612499&nid=148 and the www.sltrib.com/sl trib/news/50008651-78/iosepa-pykles-desert-lake.html.csp. And we were all super glad NOT to be living in a trailer in Tooele- much better living arrangements this time around.

And because I love lists, I thought I'd record this summer-o-fun with a list of all that we actually did. Brace yourselves- it will make you tired just reading it!

TIME IN UTAH:

4 wheeling, horseback riding, backyard camping and cookouts, fireworks, swimming, swimming, swimming, fishing, movies, "Grandpa basement" movies, baseball games, exploring yummy restaurants (which we have none of in NY), shopping, Opera Festival-wonderful!, Lagoon, Gateway fountains, AMAZING family reunion, ice cream trips, temple trips, zoo, duck feeding, hiking, boating, tubing, sprinklers, seeing our good friends the Knights, cheese factory (ha-only in Logan, Ut), great visit with Grandpa and Grandma Godfrey, SLC Temple Square, SLC cemetary hunting, raceway in Tooele, 24th of July parade, Bingham Copper Mine, Cove Fort, dinosaur museum, Zion National Park, more swimming, and Tarzan at Tuacan- Awesome!!

...tired yet?

TIME IN CALI:

Visit with our good friends from Philly- the Judkins (love their new house), tidepools, San Diego Zoo, beach day, Legoland, sand castle competition (incidentally the kids and their cousins took 1st and 2nd in this competition-they were awesome- who knew!?), Mormon Battalion center, Science and Dinosaur Museums, and Rock Band with the cousins.

Yep, we did it all.

Thanks again! We love you all.

Clayton and Dad campout

2010-06-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

Clayton and Ben took a camping trip this past weekend with the Boy Scouts. They had to canoe and kayak into their camping spot, which was "totally awesome" according to Clayton.

They spent the next day canoeing down river about 6 miles and had a wonderful day. It was a great Dad/Clayton weekend.

Jamison PreK graduation

2010-06-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

Jamison finished Pre-K this week and they had a fun graduation ceremony. Isn't he just so handsome?!

I don't know if you can be an archeaologist if you can't say "archeaologist" (it's a mouthful-try it!)...but he'd do just about anything to be just like his dad.

Emmys 4th grade graduation

2010-06-24T05:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a big week around here- a lot of "lasts".

Last mornings to drag the kids out bed, last days of school (finally), and for Emmy, last days of Elementary school.

In our district the 5th graders go to the middle school so they have a big graduation and moving up ceremony for the 4th graders. I've been dying just a little that my little girl will be starting middle school- but it's been so exciting and fun for her. Following the graduation ceremony all the 4th graders follow their new principal in a procession line down the halls of the elementary school into the middle school for the official "moving up". It was a great thing to watch the excitement on Emmy's face and she looked so grown-up and beautiful. It's moments like these that the growing up seems to have happened overnight.

Congrats Emmalyn-we love you!

Jamison's 5th Birthday

2010-06-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

Happy 5th Jamison!

We had a fun day celebrating Jamison. He was most excited about this awesome squirt gun that he wanted SO bad. (I love that this was so entertaining to him.)

What we love about Jamison....

his absolutely contagious laugh
his mischievious side (except when we don't)
he wants to be just like his older brother
self-appointed body guard and translator for Lincoln
loves a good book and a belly rub
meticulous colorer- and when he draws he always has to have complete symmetry (we've got some cool Jamison art)
his first love is candy, followed closely by his 2nd and 3rd loves-candy, candy, and more candy! (He was totally excited about the candy on his birthday cake- which incidentally was a complete disaster- but he was thrilled cause of the licorice! Whew.)
there is nothing small, quiet, or timid about Jamison! Cha-Cha-Cha!!

Emmy goes to Battle

2010-05-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Emmy competed in the Battle of the Books! It sounds much more fierce than it was but she and her team put up a great "fight". Emmy and her teammates-the Rockin' Readers :)- each had to read 20 books and then go through rounds of questions while competing with other teams. Asking Emmy to read is like asking me if I'd like a piece of chocolate. No convincing needed. In fact I'm usually chasing her out of a book to go to bed, so she had the time of her life preparing. There was some stiff competition but they had a great time and are already planning for next year. Way to go girls! You were awesome!

Childrens Chorus

2010-05-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures of the kids final Children's Chorus concert. Emmy, Clayton, and I have had a really great time together and I'm so glad we made this work. They've grown so much and I'm so glad we got to do this together. Great job on your solo Emmy- love you!

Change

2010-04-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

I like change.
I do.
Change and I are friends.
Changes make me feel like I'm moving toward something--"growing", "becoming"...all good things.

And lately I've been feeling like a change was in the wings- a little restless. With the budget crisis in New York and Ben's job getting increasingly unstable we've been looking around for other possible jobs/avenues. Several of our friends have recently made a big move or career switch- sounds exciting right? And possible. And even on a much smaller scale, little changes we could make. Like a new fence. A swingset. Finish painting the rooms in the house. Hey- how about a haircut! Those were the changes that I had my mind wrapped around.

Well a change has come (as most of you know by now). And its defenitely NOT what I had in mind.
But the words of my favorite hymn have been coursing through my mind; today especially. They have given me cause to reflect and find peace.
"I loved to choose and see my path; but now, Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene-one step enough for me."

This change is terrifying, overwhelming, intimidating, and great all at the same time. Ben will do wonderfully. I know that with certainty. And we have both felt the amazing peace and resolution that comes from knowing that this change is right and part of a plan much larger than our ability to even understand. So, we go forth and do our best to do what is asked of us. And pray to "grow" and "become" what we should.

Easter weekend

2010-04-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

Our little Easter treat this year was the 85 degree weekend that blew its way into Potsdam. Of course we're now back in the 50's, but it was a WONDERFUL break from the cold and gloom and we played outside as long as we possibly could each day.

And the ever pressing Easter question: How do you eat your Peeps?

Apparently Lincoln is a head first kind of guy.

Minivan upgrades

2010-03-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

...just in case you didn't know (like me) that it's possible to lock your car doors with the keys still in the ignition and the car running- it is!

Friday afternoon we went to pick up Emmy from a friend's house and I left the 3 boys in the running car while I ran up to the door to get her.

Harmless right?

If I've done it once I've done it a hundred times. At least as many times as I've said to the boys "Don't get out of your seat belts. I'll just be one minute." But apparently most directions I'm giving to my kids these days are just suggestions- only to be followed if they FEEL like it (it almost has me crazy!). Anyhow- this time the boys decided to not only get out of their seat belts but to also get out of the car and run up and join me on the neighbor's doorstep. I immediately sent them back to the car and continued trying to hurry Emmalyn. When they appeared at my leg just 2 seconds later I was ready to pounce. This time, however, they were not laughing and giggling, instead looking like they knew they were in big trouble. That's when we discovered the doors locked, keys in the ignition, car still running, and Lincoln inside completely freaking out because he was left out of the fun.

"How did this happen?" was what I said as calmly as I could, but what I really wanted to scream was, "Could we possibly be anymore of a freak show!"...and "HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?".

And my boys response?... "We didn't want Lincoln to get taken by any bad guys while we did the wrong thing and got out, so we locked the doors when we got out."
Hmmm- how do argue with that?

You don't. Lesson learned by all.

And I didn't.

We just called Dad to walk home from work with his keys to let us in and Lincoln out. And we spent the next 10 min. making silly faces through the window at Lincoln who thought we were hilarious.

Hey Honda- I have a suggestion for an upgrade on your vans...

Baby Powder Anyone?

2010-03-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

You would think that the internal alarm would go off a lot earlier having already had three 2 year olds- guess not. And in my defense, it was precisely because the house was very quiet-too quiet, that I was a little distracted.

.

Who knew that baby powder stuck to everything it touched? Not I.

The positive spin on experiencing a 2 year old for the fourth time is that we've finally relaxed enough to get a real good laugh out of it all. He's keeping us on our toes.

HELP! and suggestions

2010-02-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

So...being the complete novice that I am in the blogging world, it occurred to me the other day that I should maybe be printing off a hard copy of my blog now and then. I do use this as my substitute for scrapbooking and journaling and all the other things I'm totally bad at, so I would really like to make sure it's permanent somewhere. Is this something that responsible "bloggers" do? And if so, HOW? I know that I can just print the screen but it seems like an awful waste of paper since the whole page prints with strange margins etc. and usually my pictures won't print. (Yep- I've tried) Or, is it just completely unnecessary to print your blog. Is saving in cyberspace sufficient?

Again- I'm a novice. Can you tell?

So for anyone out there who happens to follow our little family and has advice and help I would LOVE the input.

Thank you!

Clayton's birthday

2010-02-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

Clayton turned 7!

He was really into army stuff this year so an army tank cake and a cool tank toy and army dudes were his wishes.

Plus a few monster trucks thrown in there...he was one happy little 7 year old boy.

A few favorites about Clayton:

Clayton is high energy 99% of the time. (You try keeping up!)

He also carries an almost equal amount of enthusiasm for most things too.

He is Mr. Flexible man- can out jump, twist, flip us all on the trampoline. The fight in the winter is getting him to not do his "tricks" on the couches.

He's also got some crazy noises that he makes- we just call them "Clayton noises" around here, but to any outsiders they just sound plain wierd. And loud! Don't know where they came from and why they're here but I suppose some day we'll miss them. (Please don't ask to hear them!)

Clayton can out-eat anyone at our table. He packs it away and loves good food as long as it's not cereal. He hates cold cereal!

Clayton is a planner- likes to know exactly what is going to happen and when. It's all about having a plan and sticking to it for Clayton.

He loves to laugh and make others laugh. These days our family prayer time seems to be one big laugh fest-usually initiated by Clayton. Good times!

Clayton is very compassionate. He is quick to the scene of any injury and always the one to make sure that person is ok. He doesn't like to see people in pain and is always lending extra hugs and love- which we love.

Love you Mr. Clayton.

Ben's Book!

2010-01-29T19:19:00.000-08:00

Ben received a box in the mail yesterday, in which were 10 copies of his book! It is beautiful! He has worked so hard and for so long on this (over 6 years!) and now it's finally here. Hooray! You can see more at Amazon or at the University of Nebraska Press.

In the news

2010-01-23T04:25:00.000-08:00

Lincoln and I made the newspaper this week! The kids are sure we're famous now. I'm pretty sure we are too. The photographer caught us on our way to pick up the kids from school. Fun!

Clayton student of the month

2010-01-23T04:03:00.000-08:00

It's such a blessing when things come together for your kids. Especially when you've seen them struggle. Clayton is having a great year in school- due in most part to having such a great teacher. Last year was a struggle every day- so to see him happy and doing well feels really good to us all. I'm just so glad for a positive experience.

This week he was chosen as the student of the month for his class. Big time "bucket- filler" for Clayton. Yeah! We love you buddy.

The Bahamas and an Alen Invasion!

2010-01-14T18:40:00.000-08:00

Ben and I went to FL/Bahamas for the weekend. Ben had a conference that he was presenting at and then we took the weekend and went on a cruise together. We had such a great time. We had uninterrupted conversations, we caught up with each other, we laughed and reminisced, we got to go to the temple together, we planned, and we made some great memories. We were hoping for a chance to also enjoy the sunshine but apparently the Pykles are destined for cold weather-those who watch the news will know that it was the coldest it's been in FL this past weekend since 1939. Yep, 1939! It was so cold and stormy the second day that our ship was not able to dock. There were 30 foot waves crashing on the beach which meant we could not leave the ship or even go outside. And when we docked in FL on Monday morning it was 29 degrees- only 4 degrees warmer than Potsdam. Talk about crazy luck. HOWEVER- we still had a great time, ate great food- and Ben won the "Chicken-Leg" contest-doesn't get better than that, trust me!

the closest we came to the water
showing off the short sleeves we totally regretted wearing when it started to rain on our motorcycle ride around the island
the Orlando Temple

Of course the whole thing was made possible by favorite Auntie Liesl and James who were the absolute BEST babysitters in the world! The kids had a great time (when they weren't throwing up all over-this is called "going above and beyond" in babysitting) and the highlight of the weekend was "Alen Invasion". You can watch the magic below-HYSTERICAL! We have laughed till we cried and watched it again and again- thank you Liesl and James-you were truly amazing!

One word for this past weekend- PRICELESS! Thank you Liesl and James.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2009:

Our Christmas Eve tradition of acting out the nativity-joined by a few of the YSA's from China. They thought the whole thing was pretty funny but especially got a good laugh from Dad being the donkey. Quite frankly, we're all getting a good laugh. And the kids loved the matching, fleece pajamas. It was no small miracle that mom got that one done this year!

Christmas Sunday

And Christmas morning was great. Don't they look excited?! (maybe a little sleep deprived as our day began at 6:00am) It was a great day to just be together-good memories.

Lincoln turns 2/aka...(Doo)

2009-12-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Lincoln!

We had a great day celebrating Lincoln. It's so fun to watch him start to understand this whole birthday thing. He was so excited to open each present and got very good at "Mine!","Mine!" He's defenitely 2- and defenitely a quick learner in a house full of older siblings.

Lincoln loves animals and knows them all. He is fascinated by books or pictures of animals, but his favorite animal-hands down- is a horse. He's been saying "horse" for months now. So when we asked him what he wanted his birthday cake to be he promptly answered, "HORSE!" Of course. Thus the funny green cake, the awful attempt at a fence, and every plastic horse in the house. He LOVED it! Me, not so much, but he was one happy boy.

Here he is with his own little MP3 player-complete with headphones. Such a fun gift!

Funny little jumper... (this was hop-scotch on Thanksgiving day)

and bustin' a move- Hilarious!

One of the traditions in our house is that at breakfast on the morning of someone's birthday we all take turns going around the table saying what we love most about that person. It's one of my favorite little traditions-I hope it sticks. As we went around the table for Lincoln this year the comments were unanimous- "I love Lincoln because he can always make me happy." This is absolutely so true. Lincoln was sent to our family to keep us happy- to make us smile- to keep things light- and to always remind us that there are so many things to be happy about. He's our little happy gift. And for me, he reminds me every day that there is a higher plan for each of our lives and that the higher plan is ALWAYS better.

We love our little Lincoln.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood!

2009-11-19T11:46:00.001-08:00

It was 65 degrees TODAY in Potsdam...in the North Country. As soon as I figured that the thermometer wasn't broken I threw jackets on the boys (which they promptly threw off...because it was so HOT!) and headed outside. I finally got all the leaves and dead plants cleaned out of all my flower beds and the yard mostly ready for snow-cause I know it's coming. Jamison and Lincoln ate lunch out on the trampoline and Jamison suggested that after school we should all go to the beach. Oh, I love my little North Country kids that think 65 is balmy!!

It felt SO good to be outside and to be warm again. And it was just what I needed since I have procrastinated the yard work for too long. Thank Mother Nature for throwing this "yard work procrastinator" a line.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T04:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween !

(Ben and I got a good laugh from the fact that the carved pumpkins seemed to be a perfect representation of their creators.)

A pirate, a ninja, a knight in shining armor, and Nancy Drew (plus a few extras). As you can tell-it was COLD- and the kids were sure that I was the meanest mom on the block making them put so many clothes on-it made their costumes "all puffy". But considering the fact that the flu is currently making it's sweep through our house I felt pretty generous in letting them go out at all- I think more like, nicest mom! They had a great time.

Ben's Birthday

2009-09-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ben!!

I am one VERY lucky lady. Yep-they're ALL mine!

Even Lincoln had practiced singing for dad.

Day with Dad

2009-09-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday there was a district wide Relief Society Enrichment that was a full day event so Ben was left with the kid watch. Now on my typical "kid watch" day I get about as creative and exciting as some cleaning and organizing, followed by a good long nap for everyone, and maybe a quick bike ride. Not dad... he took the kids to hike a mountain. Wow! There are lots of reasons that Dad is the preferred parent but this one is right up there with ice cream after every meal. They had a great day! (And so did I!)

First Day of School

2009-09-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

Such excitement for the first day of school! Even Jamison gets a 1/2 day in the Pre-K program. The kids are having a great time and it's good to be back into the "swing" of school. (We did have an extra friend with us-the more the merrier.)

Emmy and Mrs. Caruso- 4th grade.

Clayton-1st grade means homework mom!!.

Jamison is all smiles for Pre-K.

And Lincoln was just plain tired after all of this- ME TOO!

Home Improvement-AARRGGHH!

2009-08-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

The house is finally painted!

Before...

After...

Can't believe we actually finished this project...it's been 4 years in the coming and we finally did it. (ok-so we still have a few touch-ups to do). It would never have happened without the push from our parents and of course, Brian Snee! You were amazing-many, many thanks.

The King and I-Pykles style

2009-08-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

We did it! We made it through another crazy Pykles family adventure. And a few days later I think we are actually very glad that we had this experience together.

This summer our community theatre did a production of The King and I. We tried out back in March and we really hoped that we would all make it in so that we could have the theatre experience as a family again. It was a bit of a scary experience because of the professional nature of the whole thing. The director is straight from NYC and comes here each summer to direct these shows because he is so impressed with the local talent-much of it linked with the school of music. So it was no small miracle when he accepted the whole family. (minus little Lincoln who was just too young). Ben was asked to play 2 roles- the ship captain, and Sir Ramsey, the British diplomat and the kids and I were royal children and wife. This was the perfect situation for our family because given our roles Ben and I were never on stage together except for one 5 min. scene and because of that we were able to always have Lincoln with us-being watched by one or the other of us. That relieved a lot of stress for us and truly made it a family experience. It ended up being TONS of work-a practice nearly every night since the second week in June and many days we found ourselves questioning why we had taken on such a big commitment. But... what a wonderful experience we had. The things we felt our kids gained-from the confidence, to the musical training, to the wonderful people we met-and then to be able to be on stage together (I suppose there will always be a soft spot for theatre for Ben and I). It will be something that we never forget.

The transformation to be Siamese was quite the process each night-spray tanning, black hair, and crazy eye makeup. Most nights it took close to an hour to get hair and makeup done for myself and the kids. Then... take it off each night and start all over again the next night. It was exhausting but the kids loved it!

I was so proud of my kids for seeing this through. It wasn't easy but it was so much fun and they were so good and patient. Jamison was the youngest child in the cast by 2 years and every night when he walked out on stage all by himself to meet the King there was an audible sigh. He was so little and small, but he did just what he was supposed to do and he did it every single night-just right. I was one proud mamma.
Great memories, great experience, great people , etc. etc. etc!

Weekend Canoeing

2009-06-23T17:58:00.001-07:00

We took the kids canoeing this past weekend. Oh boy! How many kids can you fit in a canoe?... AND not tip it over in the middle of the lake. It ended up being really fun but once again I've gained a greater appreciation for my own parents and what the words "family outing"/"family vacation" REALLY mean to a mom and dad.

NEVER a dull moment around here. And just for the record-we were in the water!

Jamison turns 4

2009-06-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

Jamers turned 4 this week. Can't believe how quickly the years seem to be flying by us. His birthday was busy day as we were getting Dad ready to leave out of town again but we invited some neighbor kids over for cake and ice cream and some back yard baseball with his new baseball equipment. Happy Birthday to my little buddy.

4 yr. old memories of Jamison:

"Mom, do I get to still be 4 tomorrow?" (me=Yeah, for a whole year.) "YESSSSS!"-complete with arm pump.
"Hey mom-this is my blue jet birthday, OK?"
"Hey mom-pretty good job on the cake. You did good."-said with all the casualness of the guy next door. (Thanks son)
Marshmellow mouth Jamison
Jamison is the most independent child (except for when he's not). He can totally take care of himself and often gets very frustrated when we step in and mess things up.
Jamison is ALWAYS cheerful. He wakes up cheerful-he greets you with a smile and a hug every day is an adventure. It takes a lot to get him upset or angry. He goes with the flow amazingly and is cheerful about anything and everything. He asks me a lot during the day "What can I do now?" As long as I give him an idea he's good to go.
Jamison's best friend is his big brother Clayton. I hope it is always this way.
Jamison is the self-designated protector and translator for Lincoln. When he's not doing this he's making sure to toughen Lincoln up with a good dose of brotherly torturing.
Jamison gives the best hugs-there is nothing small or gentle about them but they are full of him!

Quick Update

2009-06-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

A few updates on the kids: The 2 little boys keep me entertained-ALL day. This morning we received a fun package from Grammy-but never mind what was in it (thanks Grammy!)-they just wanted the box for high flying adventures! Complete with goggles!

Every 4 years at the kids school they have the Lawrence Ave. Olympic games. It's a lot like Track and Field Day that I was used to growing up- but here each class gets to represent a country of their choice and then they participate in "olympic events" for a day with their grade. These are pictures of the Opening Ceremonies which were absolutely fantastic. I was seriously so impressed. The kids all marched in a parade with their class-decked out in matching T-shirts, country garb, carrying the flag-and marched from their school through town ending up at the stadium at the high school for a parade of countries, Olympic oath and pledge, a speech from the mayor which officially opened the games, and the lighting of the olympic torch with runners bringing the lighted torch into the stadium. It was so cool and the kids loved it. I loved it! Both Emmy and Clayton got to hold the flag for their classes-a great memory for them both. This week we'll go watch them compete.

The 2 little boys and I have been having a lot of fun days in the garden-trying to finish up the spring preps. The boys have been patient with a lot of long mornings- Friday morning I decided to take a break for a minute from gardening and take them for a little bike ride. About 5 minutes in I looked back and they were both fast asleep.

I rode for about an hour and they both stayed snuggled and sleeping behind me-it was a great morning. They're keeping me young.

Gettin' Lazy!

2009-06-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

The entire month of May has blown past us and I find myself gearing up for summer. The kids have just 3 weeks of school left and they're getting anxious to be done. The wonderful news is that we will be STAYING PUT this summer. Ben has a couple of trips for work but the kids and I plan on going nowhere! Hooray. Our past summers are typically lots of travels-usually out west, which is no small journey. We're looking forward to days at the beach, gardening, bike rides, hiking...you name it-just no long trips in the car. Grandma Pykles was with us for much of the month of May and it was so fun to have her around. She did loads of gardening and helped us get so much under control.

Thanks Grandma!

A quick look at the last month begs the question: Where has the time gone?

Perhaps in a self-reflective way of answering my own question I have felt a great need for us to slow our lives down a little. I'm not quite sure how yet, but lately I have felt that we're bordering on craziness...too many nights of wolfing down dinner, rushing to the next activity or meeting, stressing the kids out with "hurry, hurry, hurry!"- and too little time spent laughing together, talking with each other, and remembering why we like each other. We're all on the cranky side and patience has been short. To me-all indicators that somewhere we got a little out of balance.Maybe summer will be the answer-but a review of our priorities has given me some much needed clarity. I'm afraid we've been missing the best part of this journey and I'm committed to doing better in the coming months. So, here's to the "lazy days of summer" from a mom who will do her best to make sure they're a little more LAZY!

Wearing a new hat

2009-04-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the first night of T-Ball for the boys and everyone was so excited. Jamison asked me all day long if it was time for baseball yet. About 30 min. before practice Ben called and let me know he would not be able to come home because of some things that had come up at work, so I tightened my bootstraps and prepared myself for a night of running back and forth between 2 different fields. It happens-no biggie. Ha.
When we got there I sent Emmy and Clayton to find out which team he was on and wait for instructions of where to go while I helped Jamison find his team and get settled. Just as I was walking Jamison to his team I see Emmy and Clayton running toward me yelling something and completely white-faced. When they were finally within earshot I hear them yelling, "MOM-you're the coach, you're the coach!" WHAT! Convinced that there was no possible way that I could be the coach since I had only signed up to be a parent volunteer at the concession stand, I got Jamison settled, left him with another parent-friend, and went to figure things out. As we approached the office I hear the guy in charge yelling..."and here's your coach Orange team, Mr. and Mrs. Pykles (read Mrs. Pickles of course)". Again, WHAT!! 10 little kids, mitts in hand, parents at their side all turn around to find...ME. It was one of those "fight or flight" moments and since the team stood between me and my car I decided it was time to put on the coach hat and coach some baseball. WHAT!!! I quickly sent Emmy to go watch Jamison play for the rest of the night and with little Lincoln on my hip I led 10 6 year olds out to the field for our first practice. 50 minutes later I sent them all home with a team yell and smiling faces and wondered how in the world I had ever pulled that off. But I had.
And they will be back next week expecting Mr. and Mrs. Pickles to coach them again. But this time WE'LL be ready (hopefully).
Lesson learned- NEVER,EVER,EVER check the concession volunteer box. Apparently because no one else checks anything, here in Potsdam it's code for COACH. And they don't even let you know beforehand so as not to spoil the secret code.

Happy Easter

2009-04-13T05:48:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter day. The YSA's were with us for the day and the kids love that.

Big smiles=large amounts of sugar

It only took 1 or 2 eggs for Lincoln to figure this whole Easter thing out: find the egg, shake it to see if it's got the goods, throw the egg on the floor to get to the goods, eat the candy as fast as you possible can, find another EGG!
I guess hidden chocolate could lead me to tearing the house apart too!

Lessons in Syrup

2009-03-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

So the funny thing about maple syrup is that the effort/ return ratio is NOT equal. Not even in the littlest way. In order to get 1 gallon of syrup you have to have 40 gallons (yep, you read that right!) of sap. We knew this going into it but I don't think we really understand what 40 gallons of anything looked like.
After 3 weeks of collecting sap and a freezer FULL of sap we needed to find a solution-and fast. I talked to as many people as I could about how to process the stuff and the more I heard the less I wanted to go through the process. Suffice it to say when people start saying things like: "It's takes days of watching it for hours-sometimes day and night.." and "I ruined my entire kitchen plus every pot I owned boiling it down..", you know you have gotten in over your head.

So being the city slicker that I am, I decided to call the High School who runs a sugar shack (there are so many reasons to have the syrup in a shack of it's own) and asked if I could donate about 30 gallons of maple sap in exchange for whatever amount of syrup they could make from it. They were very kind-took all of my sap-and even gave me a beautiful 1/2 gallon of syrup in exchange. The kids were a little disappointed that our syrup wasn't made from OUR sap but I walked away feeling VERY proud of myself, vowing to savor every last bite of pancakes from now on, and wondering what adventure we'd find ourselves in next.

Haircut time

2009-03-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

So that first haircut of all the baby hair is always a little traumatic for me. I guess it's just one more sign that they're growing up too quickly. It seemed particularly hard with Lincoln's hair because I love his white blondness. But it was time-he was always tugging at it, it was constantly full of food, and it hung right in his eyes.

(Check out the pose!)

So off it came! And since I can really only do one haircut-he got the Pykles' boys "DO"!

Sugaring (This is for you Donna!)

2009-03-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

We are making another attempt at embracing the North Country this spring and have tapped our maple tree. My mother-in-law got us started with the info. when she was out visiting this fall and has kept us fed with wonderful information about how to do this. So today the conditions were perfect-a hard freeze at night but warming above freezing during the day-we put in three taps and our 'fancy' buckets, and presto! Maple sap.
Of course the hard part is yet to come-the filtering, boiling down, and storing-but we'll keep you updated.
For now we're just watching it like a newborn (wondering if maybe we're too easily entertained), feeling pretty proud of our little backyard tree, and considering ourselves just a bit more 'local'.

Monday morning

2009-02-23T07:11:00.000-08:00

Last night right before bed Lincoln tripped and smacked his chin on a stool and bit a big hole in his tongue. We're talking-big hole! There was all kinds of blood and tears and pain. (We did take pictures which I will not post because they are GRUESOME!) After great debate and a phone call to Ethan we decided that since there was nothing to do for a gashed tongue we would just watch it ourselves and keep ice etc. going. But it defenitely made for a long night for Lincoln- topped with his usual early morning rising of 5:15. Why so early, I'll never know.
By about 9:30 this morning after all the morning craziness of everyone else he started to get extra crabby. I was nearing the end of sorting mounds of laundry so I just gave him his bottle hoping to get him through the last five minutes of my job until I could put him down. I guess by now he's figured out that waiting for Mom to finish can be very discouraging, so he promptly laid down and next thing I knew he was fast asleep amongst piles of dirty clothes. Now I'm just wondering if there's room for me down there and if anyone would notice if I took a quick one too!

Emmy's Essay

2009-02-04T05:58:00.000-08:00

This week Emmalyn was chosen to represent her 3rd grade class at a school assembly by reading an essay she wrote about "Tolerance and Diversity". I tried downloading the video clip of her reading but it was just too big-so a few quotes from her will have to do.
"Tolerance means accepting and Diversity means different, so together they mean accepting others that are different...You should just accept people the way they are because they can't change that they are different from you...you could just give a friendly smile. A smile helps me when I am sad...I think people should try to be more tolerant and diverse every day."

Needless to say we were proud parents.

Ah-blue frosting!

2009-01-28T10:28:00.000-08:00

Ok-so I'm paying for the blue frosting choice! A cute mess,right? It all looked so innocent and was Yummy!
But, oh man-you should have seen the diaper this morning. I'll spare the details and just sum it up in one word-BLUE!!!
(And whoa, what's up with the Mommy voice? Not my favorite.)
(

Clayton turns 6!

2009-01-27T19:11:00.000-08:00

Clayton turned 6 this week! We had a fun day doing presents, visiting his classroom with cupcakes and stories, and eating a Batman cake which had loads of BLUE frosting. (It was probably bought against my better judgement, but I suppose Mom's do funny things in the reduced bakery around birthdays.) The best part was that Clayton thought it was the coolest thing ever and since blue frosting never killed anyone then Mom earned a few, much needed, "cool Mom" points for the day.

It's great to watch Clayton growing up becoming such a great little person. We've defenitely had our ups and downs this year but having a day to focus on just him and all that we love about him was just what we needed.

A few things I love about Clayton:
*I love his energy. *I love that he is so capable and smart. *I love his natural abilities.*I love his ability to be friends with anyone. *I love his imagination. *I love his sound affects. *I love that he is his brother's best friend and playmate.*I love that he has brown hair. *I love how excited he gets when something new is in the air. *I love to watch him overcome his fears. *I love his compassion and concern for others. *I love that he always has a hug for his baby brother when he comes home from school. *I love that he sleeps with the covers over his head. *I love that he loves to be home and with his family MOST of all.

Favorite Quotes of the week

2009-01-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

Jamison: ...while playing Legos: "Hey, where are the destructions?"

Clayton: ...after taking a big fall onto his knees: "Mom, I think I'm going to need to be crippled."

Emmalyn: "Mom, there's ice on the inside of the windows and it's -15 degrees outside this morning. Did you know that we're close to the same temperature that they only have in the Artic?" (Ah-the North Country)

Jamison: "I miss Dad."

Clayton: "I miss Dad."

Emmalyn: "I miss Dad."

Mom: "ME TOO!!" (Ben's been out of town this week-Toronto-for a conference. We miss him.) Hey-maybe this is the secret to being the favorite parent. Leave everyone once in awhile so you actually give the kids a chance to miss you. I should try it.

Lincoln: UH-OH! (I think it can't be a good sign that this is only the second word he knows. We could be in for it. Oh wait, I have 3 boys-I'm in for it.)

Snowshoe Adventure

2009-01-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

We were able to take the kids snowshoeing on Saturday in the Adirondacks. It was a beautiful day with a fresh snow and the kids had a great time. Our guide was teaching them how to track snowshoe hares and they loved being animal detectives. When we were done we headed over to Lake Placid and took a tour of the Olympic Training Center-it was very cool and the kids are convinced that the bobsled is the new best was to go sliding.

My Little Enterprisers

2009-01-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

So today it warmed up enough to start snowing again and in a desperate attempt to fill a few more "vacation" minutes I sent the boys outside to play in snow. Of course I kept myself busy inside and was amazed at how well they were playing and not even knocking once on the door to tell me they had snow down their boots. After about 30 minutes passed (very quickly!) I was getting very curious as to what was keeping them so entertained-(I could hear them on the side of the house and knew all was well but hadn't ventured outside myself to see). About that time they came stomping up the back steps- snow shovels in hand, appearing to be VERY proud of themselves. Here's what followed:
Clayton: "Hey mom. Guess what? We shoveled the WHOLE driveway for you!"
Mom: (shocked) "Wow! You did that all by yourselves! And you did that without me asking? (even more shocked)
Jamison: "Yeah, yeah! All by ourselves."
Mom: More "wow's".
Clayton: "Yeah, so Mom, where's our money?"
Mom:(a little puzzled, but slowly clueing into their sudden burst of helpfulness) "What money?"
Clayton: "You have to pay us...just like you pay the guy that comes and plows it with his truck! So how much do we get?"
Jamison: "Yeah, yeah. Clayton said that if I didn't work then I didn't get money, so where's my money mom?"

So needless to say after I "checked" their shoveling job (which was actually just a lot of pushing the snow around to different spots on the driveway,but a great effort for a 5 and 3 year old) I ponied up and gave them each 1 dollar! Best deal I ever got on my driveway-and THEY were thrilled.

2008-12-26T20:10:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to educate myself in the world of blogs but I think I'm getting close. So in the attempt... a little post-Christmas journaling.

Despite the fact that it looks like a bomb went off in each room of the house our Christmas was wonderful. There were moments on Christmas Eve that my children had me convinced that this was indeed the longest day of the year. In fact, I almost served lunch and dinner immediately following breakfast so that we could "hurry-up" (Clayton's suggestion) and get to bed so Santa could come. And come he did-Finally! The funny thing is that it doesn't seem too long ago that I was lying awake, anxious for him to come, and now to watch it through the eyes of my children is so magical. It was such a fun day. Tunnels for Lincoln, airplanes for Jamison, Legos for Clayton, and an EZ Bake Oven for Emmy. Could you ask for more?

Tonight as we were driving home Jamison asked "Mom, can Santa come again tonight?" My exhausted "No. Thank heavens!" was probably a little harsh, but I tried to assure him that it was the wait that made Christmas so special and that we could have lots of 'good nights' in the meantime. Arriving home to the wreckage made that a true statement for him and indeed it has been a week full of 'good nights'.

We've been so blessed with some wonderful opportunities to reach outside ourselves this week-finding those that were lonely or in need of help and it has blessed us all to feel just a little more grateful for all that is ours.