Sunday, December 27, 2009

Husband of my heart



(this was taken while we were engaged)


So the hubbie left this morning bright and early for Phillidelphia. (I'm trying this with one hand while I hold our youngest so it may be short.) I miss him already but 4 days shouldn't be that long right? He went to the annual Modern Language Association conference to interview for tenure track positions starting in Fall 2010. Marshall (WV) is today then he's got 4 others scheduled for therest of his stay- BYU, Frainklin and Marshall (PA), U Mass. Dartmouth, and Trinity (TX). Remember to keep him in your prayers. Good luck Zach and come home soon!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Happy Gold Digging




Mom: Gabe go get a tissue, you have a buger (on his finger)
::pause::
Gabe: I don't need one mom. I put it back

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Bambino's Baby Blessing



A few weeks ago Zach's parents drove all the way down here from Massachussets for the baby blessing of our youngest son Mac Attack. Zach's father is his name sake so I'm glad they made the 12 hour trip to be with us. Since we aren't traveling this Christmas those 3 days are the extent of our contact with the Northeast Hutchins this year sadly. Zach actually had to bless the baby twice, the second time in the bishop's office, because the first time he did it he forgot a key phrase. The second blessing starts out, "Our Father which art in Heaven by the power and authority of the Melchizedek priesthood by which we hold..." but other than that it is similar in nature.




Baby Blessing: Kenneth MacLeod Hutchins

December 6, 2009

Take One (sacrament rendition)

Kenneth MacLeod Hutchins, we gather here today as thy brethren in the Melchizedek priesthood to give you a name and a blessing. The name by which you shall be known is Kenneth MacLeod Hutchins and we say to you that this name is also a blessing. You have been given the names of your father and one of your grandfathers and we exhort you as you go throughout your life that you will remember the men you represent and that you might after the manner of the prophet Joseph Fielding Smith honor that name and always seek to live after the example of righteousness and love which has been given you. We bless you that you will seek after the spiritual blessings which our Father in Heaven has bequeathed to all of his children, through the light of Christ. That you will seek after the blessing of healing that you will be a healer, both physically and spiritually to those around you through your faith; and that you will be given the blessing of knowledge as you seek; that you will have a true knowledge of the gospel and be one who “kens” or Kenneth spiritual things beyond our mortal understanding. These things we bless you with and say unto you in the name of Jesus Christ your Savior, amen.


P.S. To all you faithful friends and family that blog: I am probably reading your blog still but I can't comment because I'm holding the baby at night.

The kidos


So before I lose any MORE these little scraps of paper that are floating around my house I want to make another "kids say the darnedest things" entry.

I officially induct David Hyrum into the verbal portion of our family, welcoming him to this segment of my blog. He has enough words to at least make intelligible phrases if not short sentences. He's also a big fan of anything with a motor and that has the capacity to move large amounts of dirt. So much so that at meal times he can be seen taking his spoon full of meal-time-goodness to his mouth and saying, "Scoop, Release " like any excellent excavator.
This morning when Zach was helping him pray Zach said "help us be reverent", and DH repeated "help us be rabbits". Yes, well I suppose that is important too.He's a fun little guy to hang out with that David. When we were doing puzzles the other day I instructed him to "spin it" so it would fit. He obediently turned the piece and then hopped right up and started to spin himself repeating "spin, spin, spin".

Gabe :
When David Hyrum tried to commandeer the coins from Gabe's piggy bank Gabe told him, "David, you can't have those. They are for buying a house after daddy finishes his dissertation." Hate to tell you Gabe, its going to take a few more pennies than that to buy a house. A sweet thought none the less.
Sometimes when Gabe gets very upset over something he can't have or do he starts to cry and through his tears he lets me know, "mom, you did not say the right thing. You made a bad choice." I try to keep a very straight face as I explain that dad and I are the only ones that can say that.

Best one yet doesn't even come from our family, its a guest appearance by a sunbeam in our ward. A little girl named Lucy. At the store her dad was buying deodorant and she said to him, "I know what that is. Its armpit polish." How about it, any one's armpits been shined lately?

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Tell and Show




As my preschool aged child, Gabe, approaches his second "semester" in preschool his teacher has informed us that they will beginning "show and tell". A skill that requires some mastering when you are 3 1/2 years old. I'm sure Gabe won't have too much difficulty telling, its just the sharing part that perhaps he may not be so keen on.
That being said, I was struck lately by the order the holidays happen to fall in America, namely Thanksgiving then Christmas. During the month of November many of us spend a few moments contemplating what we are grateful for and how the Lord has blessed us. We may journal or blog about such insights which may in turn spur some gratitude in our readers. The telling. There is value in this and I think it is a wonderful exercise to look for ways Heavenly Father has touched your life for the good.
In December however, it is the time of year where we get to Show how grateful we really are. No matter who or where you are there will be opportunities to give, donate, help and serve some portion of the population during this part of the holiday season. These opportunities may exist all year long but they are especially prominent during the Christmas season since people tend to be in the giving spirit, or Spirit of Christ. To paraphrase Pres. Monson, "Opportunities to serve may be limitless but they are also perishable." So in the spirit of bridging one holiday to the next, I am telling YOU that I am thankful for the opportunities to give and serve that seem to fall in my lap during this time of year. At church we've already had a chance to sew bags and donate gift cards to children arriving in a halfway home. It is so easy to see your own blessings clearly in the light of those who have less. Perhaps that is why we all love this time of year so much. So folks, enjoy the Show!



(If you read the above post, you will realize that these pictures have nothing to do with what I wrote about. Then you may think to yourself, she just wanted to post those because she thought they were cute. You would be completely right. Your next thought should be, blogging is often just another way for parents to brag about their children and sharing pictures is a shameless conduit of unstated pride in ones offspring. You would be completely right again.)

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Results


(No, Zach doesn't have skin cancer; it's a trick of poor lighting and our camera's flash.)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Most of you guessed correctly. Baby #1 David Hyrum #2 Gabe #3 Mac
I suppose that wasn't much of a challenge. Perhaps Amy Jo (Zach's sister) should post pictures of her 6 boys as new borns. That would be a real stumper.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Name that Newborn



Baby #1

Baby #2
Baby #3

Its funny how new borns all sort of look alike, especially if they are brothers. I realize that many of you have not even met baby Mac yet but by process of elimination if you can guess David Hyrum and Gabe then you'd know who the other child is. Any guesses as to who's who.

And I promise, I'll stop posting baby pictures soon.... well probably... maybe... we'll see.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Third Child

Gabe has been very good with the baby so far. He tells me quite often that he likes the new baby and asks to hold him.

This is our family trying to take some nice pictures Sunday morning before church. HA! If you have ever tried to take a picture with two small squirming children and asked them to smile, you will know approximately how this event went.


On Sunday we gave Mac his official "first bath". I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to because his chord hasn't fallen off yet. I told Zach that, but he shrugged it off and cleaned the child up for church anyway. I went back to getting ready and putting on my make-up until about half way through the bathing process I remembered I should be taking pictures of this milestone for the scrapbook later on. I run to get the camera. Opps! That's what happens when you're the third child. Sorry Kiddo. I'll try to do better.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Kenneth MacLeod Hutchins

Please welcome into the world Kenneth MacLeod Hutchins, the newest member of our family! Alana's water broke at 1:30 AM this morning, and Mac was born 10 hours later at 11:31 AM. He took a while coming, but Alana only needed 3 pushes to get him out, something we are all grateful for. He weighed in at 7 lbs even, and stretched to 20.5 inches long. We love him!






Sunday, November 1, 2009

38 Week Old Pumpkin


This is my costume. It took all of 5 minutes to cut out of construction paper and tape onto my orange maternity shirt. If you will notice, the shirt does have short sleeves. In case you are not from around here, it was 75 degrees outside when we went! Yuck. Also take note of the stylish green "stem" on top. As the title implies, I'm just 2 weeks away from my due date so this pumpkin and my mid section will hopefully soon be parting ways.


If you cannot recognized the two cuties in costumes, it is Buzz Light Year and Woody from Toy Story. A movie neither one of them have actually ever seen. They've gotten some pretty good mileage out of the costumes though, wearing them at every opportunity over the past month.
Overall a good Halloween. Gabe had to be the mouth piece at the door but David was able to say thank you for his treats. Zach actually did more work to earn the candy reward than either one of our young trick or treaters. He pushed them up and down many a hilly drive way until Gabe decided to call it quits. I guess riding shotgun in the double stroller was just too much for him. Perhaps he'll have more stamina next year.

Monday, October 26, 2009

A Love Story


Want to hear all about how Zach and I met and fell in love? Listen in this Thursday at 1:40 PM EST on NPR. (I'll post a link to the podcast for those of you who can't listen live.)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Two Kids



Whats the difference between the two "kids"? One loves to eat vegetables and one loves to eat candy.




Yesterday we went to the North Carolina State Fair. Thousands of people drive from all over NC to participate in this annual event with its over sized pumpkins, barn yard animals, arts and crafts contests, and fried EVERYTHING! Not just fried dough or potatoes. You name it, we can fry it in the south: coke, bacon, Twinkies, candy bars, oreos, all manner of meats and vegetables, corn bread etc.



High lights of our venture included a dirt bike stunt show, giant turkey legs and watching David Hyrum ride his first roller coaster unassisted by an adult. Every time the little dragon came around the corner both boys were thrown forward.As a mother on the side lines I'm having second thoughts about putting my one year old on this semi-safe contraption.



David Hyrum still LOVES anything motor. He is thrilled to find tractors to sit on, school buses on the road, and all things construction. I'm guessing its a little boy phase but its lasted a good 10 months now. Gabe went through something similar and isn't completely out of it yet.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Sgar and Spice




So we fed the missionaries tonight and I made them some pretty standard fare- spaghetti with home made meat balls, salad, and a cake with chocolate frosting. Nothing fancy, but it fills the stomach. But apparently mine is not the first or even second house they have sampled my deserts however. We gave a pie to the bishop's family a few months ago and then a pie to another family last week and where did these pies end up? Being served to these same elders. Does that say something about my deserts that people just want to give them away? Hummm.... I'll just have to come up with something really scrumptious that people can't bare to part with, any suggestions?

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Snips and Snails and puppy dog tails


A package arrived in the mail the other day from Mom H.- Thanks Mom! Ain't it cute.



(The baby sweater is on top of one of Zach's sweaters. Our babies always look tiny when he holds them too.)

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

A Shepherd in Israel




This month in the October Ensign there was an article by Elder Daniel L. Johnson entitled "Me? A shepherd in Israel." In Luke 15 Christ tells the parable of the lost sheep saying, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing." I immediately thought of Doctrine and Covenants 18:10 saying, "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;"
I love thinking of Christ as a shepherd figure watching over us and leading us in the right direction. He is not the only shepherd however. In Ezekiel 34 God is chastising His under shepherds for not doing a good job feeding His flock. Well, who are my sheep that I've been assigned? Those I visit teach, the girls in activity days, my family... Are there any that are lost? In our stake we have been specifically counseled to go seek after those that are less active this year and try to help them find their way back to church. A number of people came to mind and more have come across my path since.
"We are shepherds watching over Israel. The hungry sheep look up, ready to be fed the bread of life... Our task is to reach out to those who, for whatever reason, are in need of our help."
President Thomas S. Monson, Nov. 2006 Ensign
We invited a couple over for dinner a while ago where the husband is only partially enjoying the blessings of the gospel. He was at church this past Sunday with his wife and stayed for two hours, I'm not sure if that was in any way due to us but hopefully it helped. I've exchanged some emails with friends that have fallen away. Have they come back yet- no, but should I give up- no. I even found out that my OBGYN was baptized a member of the church but now no longer attends. What can I do for her? I think the key phrase is, "until he find it." It can't be a one time effort and must involve real love.
"May we remember our responsibilities as shepherds so that we can give a good accounting to the Lord regarding our stewardship over the sheep He has assigned to each of us." (Elder Daniel L. Johnson, same article)

Saturday, October 3, 2009

I See the Sea



One of the reasons I love my husband is because he teaches our 3 year old words like:
Homonym. Do you know what a homonym is? If I am quite honest with myself, I had forgotten too. Homonyms are words that sound the same but mean different things and are spelled differently. For example:

Sea and See
Too and Two
I and Eye
Red and Read
So and Sew


You get the picture. Two that Gabe came up with on his own after Zach had explained it were:
High and Hi
Bye and Buy

Gabe wouldn't be able to spell them for you, but he knows they sound the same and mean different things. I wonder if he'll remember what a Homonym is on Monday.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Kids say the darndest things




Its been a while since I posted anything funny that Gabe has said so here are a few recent nuggets. As he has mastered the English language his funny ways of turning a phrase have become (sadly) less and less frequent. While David Hyrum is beginning to have some words, most of his cuteness is still in the things he does instead of the things he says. He also still uses a few baby signs for the words that are hard to say, like "thank you".


As we were going into the street Gabe reached up his hand and asked, "mom, will you guide me?"

At preschool the other day Gabe abducted a toy from a fellow play mate. The little girl told Ms. Jan the teacher and Ms. Jan went to talk to Gabe- "Natalie said that you took her medical bag from her, is that true?" (Gabe)"Oh no, Natalie is just confused." (Poor thing)

In his prayers he has taken to putting the word "Beautiful" before every request and every expression of gratitude. "Thank you for the beautiful day, the beautiful house, help us have beautiful strength, help us to be beautiful happy and beautiful healthy..." I'm thinking he doesn't exactly understand the word beautiful yet but it sure is cute.

After much personal pondering, out of the blue from the back seat of the car Gabe announces, "So much people came to my birthday party; not very many people came to daddy's." (This is quite true, I'm sure there were 25 people that came to Gabe's party and my sister's family couldn't even make it to Zach's. It was a very small affair.Gabe's birthday party was months ago in May and Zach's was in August, he said this early September.)

When David Hyrum folds his arms for prayer he will often say, "more, more" after his "amen" indicating that he wants us to pray again. I whispered some words to David that he could not repeat and Gabe let me know that "David is praying in his heart."

Thursday, September 24, 2009

The Fellowship of His sufferings


This entry is dedicated to those in Zach's family who are suffering right now from their many physical afflictions, and to anyone else who is suffering on the inside.

I started a book called A Disciple's Life written by Bruce C. Hafen. It is the biography of a Neal A. Maxwell, a former member of the quorum of the 12 disciples. It talks about his battle with what would eventually become terminal cancer (leukemia). There are some beautiful things expressed about what this experience teaches him. Elder Maxwell had written and spoken often enough about this "special suffering". Twenty years before in a book he wrote called All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience he says that afflictions come to us because an omniscient Lord deliberately chooses to school us.The very act of choosing to be a disciple... can bring to us a certain special suffering..."
Hafen includes a quote by Anne Marrow Lindbergh which reads, "I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and a willingness to remain vulnerable." It is not simply in suffering that we become Christlike, it is what we choose to do and learn with our trials that refines the soul. Elder Maxwell lets his suffering give him a "feel" for what other people taste in their sorrow and deepens his understanding of the atonement of Christ. "The more I learn and experience," he said, "the more unselfish, stunning, and encompassing His Atonement becomes! When we take Jesus' yoke upon us, this admits us eventually to what Paul called 'the fellowship of [Christ's] sufferings." (Philippians 3:10) Then if we are meek enough, our suffering "will sink into the very marrow of the soul." May we all strive to have this attitude in times of trial.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Whats in a Name?




Juliet:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Zachary a derivative of Zachariah from the Hebrew name זְכַרְיָה (Zekharyah) meaning "YAHWEH remembers", or God has remembered. (This was the name that Zach's parents chose after 10 years of trying to have another baby.)

Gabriel is from the Hebrew name גַבְרִיאֵל (Gavri'el) meaning "strong man of God," or simply "man of God". Gabriel was one of the seven archangels in Hebrew tradition. He appears in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, where he serves as the announcer of the births of John to Zechariah and Jesus to Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the Qur'an to Muhammad.

David from the Hebrew name דָּוִד (Dawid), which was probably derived from Hebrew Hebrew דוד (dwd) meaning "beloved". David was the second and greatest of the kings of Israel, ruling in the 10th century BC. Several stories about him are told in the Old Testament, including his defeat of Goliath, a giant Philistine. Jesus was also descended from him.

Lately we've been thinking about the name for our third boy. We have two that have made it to the short list now: Raymond Frank and Kenneth MacLeod. They are both family names.
(Raymond was my uncle who died trying to save a drowning child and Frank who was my paternal great grandfather who immigrated from Poland to America. Kenneth is Zach's father's name and MacLeod is Zach's middle name which is also found in his family history. We would probably call the first one Ray and the second one Mac so as not to be confused with his grandfather.)

Zach prefers to see what the child looks like before we make our final decision- so sorry mom H., can't help you out with the sweater name tag just yet. Since neither name is set in stone yet I'm just curious about feed back and if there is a really great name out there that we have overlooked.

P.S. If you want to look up your own name go to: http://www.behindthename.com/name/david

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Super Cool



Gabe's retro metal superman lunchbox- cool



Zach re-dying his hair back to its natural color less cool



White eye liner and those bangs- definitely not cool (scary! Alana 16 years old)



Gabe- Super cool!
Gabe is starting his first day of preschool today and I don't know who is more excited, him or me. I know he's going to love it over at Ms. Jan's and I'll be glad to have some one on one time with David Hyrum which he doesn't get nearly as much of as Gabe did. Good Luck Gabe!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Creating



This past week our family got to go to North Carolina Beach for a little R&R under the sun (well clouds mostly) and enjoy time with my sister's family and my folks. We only stayed a few days but that's enough to need a vacation from your vacation when you have small children to watch out for. One of the high lights of our trip however, was getting to watch a sea turtle hatching Friday night during the full moon at high tide. (The picture I've posted is a little deceiving since the hatchings don't usually happen during the day.)I suppose the theory is that between the moon light and the gravitational pull the little sea bound turtles just instinctively know where to go once they break out of their shells on the beach. No one knows exactly when the hatching will take place, roughly 58-59 days after they are laid, but avid nature lovers sit around the nest during the full moon, protecting it from ignorant pedestrians and waiting for the big event. We, on the other hand, had my dad call when the sand started to sink in so we could walk down. (You are supposed to be very still and quiet during this whole process and David Hyrum couldn't quite make the cut so Zach had to take him back early.) Gabe however wanted to stay and so we sat for an hour waiting for the sinking sand to become emerging baby turtles. As requested, he was very quiet and respectful during the hatching despite the multitude of sea fleas that were out for the kill. This is the second time I've been able to watch a hatching and you can't help but feel like its a little miracle that you are watching, much like when someone gives birth.
This got me thinking about creating. Watching some of Heavenly Father's creations in progress has a neat way of leading us to reflect on that aspect of His eternal nature. I was reading a talk by Elder Oaks that lent itself to my musings:

Brigham Young gave us some practical advice on how to do this. “The
difference between God and the Devil,” he said, “is that God creates and
organizes, while the whole study of the Devil is to destroy” (Discourses of
Brigham Young, p. 69).Remember, our Savior, Jesus Christ, always builds us up
and never tears us down. We should apply the power of that example in the ways
we use our time, including our recreation and diversions... During my lifetime
I have seen a strong trend to displace what builds up and dignifies the
children of God with portrayals and performances that are depressing,
demeaning, and destructive.


The powerful idea in this example is that whatever builds people up serves the
cause of the Master, and whatever tears people down serves the cause of the
adversary.
Dallin H. Oaks, “Powerful Ideas,” Ensign, Nov 1995, 25

Some other choice gems I've come across:

Heavenly Father... is a God of creation and compassion. Creating and being compassionate are two objectives that contribute to our Heavenly Father’s perfect happiness. Creating and being compassionate are two activities that we as His spirit children can and should emulate.

The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty—and I am not talking about the process of cleaning the rooms of your teenage children.

You might say, “I’m not the creative type. When I sing, I’m always half a tone above or below the note. I cannot draw a line without a ruler. And the only practical use for my homemade bread is as a paperweight or as a doorstop.”

If that is how you feel, think again, and remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination. But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fullness of joy.4 Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things.

If you are a mother, you participate with God in His work of creation—not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them. If you are not a mother now, the creative talents you develop will prepare you for that day, in this life or the next.

You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.

What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.

If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it.

The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Happiness, Your Heritage,” Liahona, Nov 2008, 117–20

So what are we waiting for?

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

There is Sunshine in my Soul Today


There is definitely sunshine in my soul today because I'm married to this guy. Wonderful husband and superhero father. Its his first day back at school so he likes to make an impression on all those incoming freshman in his English class. Nothing says, "WAKE UP KIDS its back to school," like his banana yellow coat pictured here.


This past weekend we celebrated his 26th birthday (August 20th) with some family dinner and gifts. On the menu was a Cafe Rio pork salad -yummmmmmm.... A recreation of a Utah restaurant favorite, as anyone who has visited BYU can attest to. I can't wait till that chain comes to NC but for now, the homemade version is an excellent substitute. Zach says its, "the best thing I make," even though I can't claim much of the glory except for following the recipe cards.



Dinner was followed up by the traditional German chocolate cake which he's requested 5 years running. He now has two little helpers to blow out his candles so we had to light them twice. Next year he says he might want to put in a different order for passion fruit chocolate cake he had in Brazil. It has a fancier name than that, but its not coming to mind since I don't speak Portuguese. (Just when I was getting really comfortable at making this cake)


This was his "big" gift, being comfortable while he finishes his dissertation. Up until now we've just been sitting in a folding chair. I'm sure it will be well used in the years to come.



Happy Birthday Hun! I think your tops!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Sleep tight

Here in the Hutchins' household we have had some cute moments lately with our little sleeping angels. They are always angels when they are asleep. (When they are awake it is sometimes an entirely different matter.)





The first picture is Gabe in his "mouse nest." That is what he likes to call it when he gathers (and steals) as many pillows as he can get his hands on and stuffs them all into one pile- preferably all on top of him. I'm guessing he got this idea from a children's book but I can't remember which one. You can see a tiny tuft of hair sticking ouf of the latest nest he built in David Hyrum's crib. He is asleep and sweating profusly under all those pillows in this 90 degree weather but it didn't seem to bother him.


A few days later I found David Hyrum sleeping serenely in his crib with an entire roll of toilet paper around him. I guess I put the porta-crib too close to the TP dispenser and it seemed the perfect amusement before retireing to la la land. Most of the paper is under the blanket I threw over him. It is now being used from a big pile on the bathroom sink one piece at a time.


I may have saved the best for last. This is the close up. The next picture is what you saw when you came in the room.




In the afternoon David goes to sleep around 1:00 and then Gabe had his reading time and a short video before going to his own quiet time. Since they share a room at night David Hyrum takes his nap in the porta-crib in the bathroom so Gabe can play quietly in their room with toys. Its usually quite messy when quiet time is over but he is very good to only leave if he has to use the rest room. The other day I guess he couldn't quite get his shorts back up after using the loo and decided that he was too tired to try. Zach walked in to find a mess and a full moon peeking out around the closet door. Gabe had setteled in there, half naked, and decided to take a snooze for the remainder of quiet time. (I'm sure if he were old enough he would be quite mortified that I was sharing this with the world so lets just keep this between us, ok?) Sweet dreams!