Thursday, July 26, 2012

Pioneer Day

I've given some thought to how Pioneer Day ought to be celebrated, if it is supposed to be more than a stake-wide barbecue.  I've seen a ward celebrate it as a recognition of genealogy, inviting members to tell the story of how they personally, or any ancestor, learned about and accepted the gospel.  I've also seen a ward celebrate in true Utah colors - celebrating only the successful journey to the Salt Lake Valley and honoring the sacrifice of those who walked the plains.  
Our celebration this year was awesomely secular.  
Zeke got his face painted:
 Ben ate a giant slice of watermelon:
 And we had a squirt gun fight on the front lawn.  
Ben got the worst of it because he could only push the trigger with his thumb while the gun was turned about facing the wrong way.  Zeke and his pump-action soaker gun didn't help either.  

Sunday, July 22, 2012

First Day of Nursery

This handsome boy started Nursery today.  Can you believe it?  18 months old!  He did very well and only got grumpy in the last 20 minutes or so.  He pouted a bit and then cleverly saved himself by making a stinky in his diaper.  Mama came and whisked him away to spend the last 15 minutes of church in Primary.  

It seemed like such a good idea...  
He insisted that I help him put the boots on (they're Zeke's boots) and then he cried and refused to move his feet.  Ben does not like new shoes.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Fourth of July

 On the Fourth, we got all patriotic by traveling to the suburbs and visiting with family.  My parents do a flag raising and lowering on the Fourth that may not exactly follow military protocol, but is still pretty great.  Someone gave Zeke a hammer and told him to pound in the stakes.  He was very happy with the responsibility.        
The trumpets came out for the Call to Colors, played by Grandpa, Kiwi, and Mike.  In the past there would have been a good deal of bragging, trash-talking, and "warming up" on very high notes prior to the bugle call.  This year the players griped about valve oil and sticky valves, and opted to conserve their lips.  The Fine Musician music was quickly found after that and they played some kickin' Christmas music and a little Alexander's Ragtime Band (which would have been really good with a trombone).
At the flag lowering, I played Taps on a trumpet (with all 3 valves down).
Zeke stayed up for his very first fireworks show.  He sat with Grandpa most of the time, but came to see Mike and I after fifteen minutes or so and asked if we could stop it now - it was too loud.  I think he really enjoyed the fireworks, but he was tired and he was trying to tell us that he needed to go to bed.  We made him stay until the end of the show anyway.
Big thanks to Grandma who stayed home with sleeping Ben.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Dress up

Somewhere in one of the library books we borrowed a story came up about dress-up.  I've never told Zeke about dress-up, and I certainly didn't teach him how to play, but he managed to play anyway.   

One random Wednesday, Zeke came to find me and Ben with two gigantic socks on his hands (and arms and shoulders).  He told me they were Daddy's socks and that he was playing dress up.  I followed him into my bedroom and watched him assemble incredible outfits while pulling most of Mike's clothes out of their neatly folded positions in the drawers.