A CHILD'S REASONING

Today Jax has been having a hard time with the word "no" and not having 100% of his mother's attention.  After a few fits from the aforementioned child, I told him that he was not making good choices.  And added that he was not talking kindly to his  mother or showing that he loved her.  His reply was swift,  "Well, Mom, I think you're pretty, but you are not getting me any Fruit Loops." 

Gasp!  A quick trip to the pantry and a bowl and a spoon later, we have a happy boy.  I hope the teenage years go this smoothly :-)

JAXARONI IS 4!

I can't believe my baby is four years old!  Don't mind the time lapse here.  Jax turned 4 last summer :)  And he had waited for his birthday for months.  He just doesn't understand why Jase's birthday comes before his.  We did the traditional breakfast in bed and presents in the morning.  Then the party began with a huge blow up water slide, some Phineas and Ferb party decor, and lots of friends and fun.  It was a hit and Jax was happy.

But  let's be honest, Jax is happy all the time.  He brightens our day with kisses and compliments and lots of giggles.  This little boy is mechanical and silly and super smart.  I love his nighttime prayers.  They mostly go something like....thanks for God, thanks for Lehi, thanks for everything in the earth, thanks for Mom, thanks for Dad, thanks for Jase.  The prayer is simple and precious.  Just like my Jax.

So here is to a hundred more birthdays with my Jaxaroni.  You are my life.  I love your little hands that squish my cheeks, your help in the kitchen, and your love for Ramen noodles.  You are my bug catcher, my enthusiastic singer, and my cuddlebug.  I love you, GOT that!

SANCTIFY YOURSELVES

SANCTIFY YOURSELVES

Jeffery R. Holland

I have so many things to blog about.  There is Jaxon's birthday and the boys' first day of school and the backpacking trip to Coyote Gulch that Dustin and I were able do with the help of great babysitters at home.  But today I am prompted to share something else...

I cannot say that I have been struggling.  I have not.  For some blessed reason, my Heavenly Father has seen fit to lift me up and build my strength through the petty trials I have been asked to bear.  I say petty because they pale in comparison to the trials of my friends and family and even strangers. 

And so after offering a prayer of gratitude and asking for some guidance this morning, I waited.  I stayed on my knees and waited.  The spirit was strong, but no answer, nothing so profound as to stay that my prayer was answered.  It happens that way sometimes.

I showered, picked up the house a little, and sat down to facebook.  Imagine my surprise when this video was posted from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  It was inspiring, and it left me sobbing.  Have I seen the power of the priesthood in my life?  Most certainly.  I cannot deny it.  I have seen the priesthood save lives, heal the sick, and ease a worried mind.  The priesthood has given me the miracles I call Jase and Jaxon.  I am grateful to my husband and my fathers and the worthy priesthood holders in my life.

This was not the answer I was looking for, but the Lord knows best, and the spirit whispered to me,

"Lynette, your faith will demand the very best of you.  Sanctify yourself, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."

WHAT?!

Let me introduce you to my husband.  I call him Honey, and he calls me Honey.  We've "officially" dated since I was 16, and over the past 15 years we have created a relationship where I can finish his sentences, and he can pretty much read my mind.  No kidding!  So when we went shopping for Jase's birthday present, I felt good about our purchases.  Of course, Jaybird was a litle spoiled with a youth bow and arrow, camelbak backpack, pocket knife, flashlight, and all sorts of accesories to accomodate the avid camper.  It was a hit! 

What's that you say?  It doesn't look like my six year old is sporting his bow.  Well, that's because my "Honey" went to Cal Ranch while he was supposedly working and purchased a Cricket .22 rifle.  Then hid the said purchase in our pantry and asked Jase to grab him a snack.  A handsome little six year old emerged from the pantry with wide eyes and a package that in no way could be mistaken as a "snack."

  What's a  mom to do?  Except pack a picnic, head to the hills, and enjoy some target practice.  Looking back, I am sure my voice was running through Dustin's mind.  "It's probably not a good idea.  I don't think he's old enough...."  But I only said Dustin could read my mind, I didnt say he listened!

 

 My handsome boys :-)

 Look at these two, Papa Holm & Jaxaroni chillin' in the hills!

Who was the present really for? ;-)

JAYBIRD'S SIXTH BIRTHDAY

Ahoy, me mateys!  My little landlubber turned six (in April...have I mentioned that I'm a teensy weensy bit behind in blogging), and we all know what that means.  PAR-TAY, pirate style!  Cap'n Jaybird was more than excited for his birthday.  In fact, unlike most pirate who do not know Monday from Tuesday, this little man had been counting down for like six months!  I mean what is cooler than using both hands to show people your age...

So what do pirates do on their birthday?  They grunt and growl and show their muscles.

 They eat serpent legs (noodles w/ alfredo) and sailboats (mini hotdogs w/ cheese sails) and seaweed wraps (bacon wrapped beenie weinies) while slamming their cups on the table and yelling, "Down the hatch, me hearties."

 They insist on breakfast in bed in the Capn's quarters.  But while most pirates sleep in, our little pirate was up at the first crack of dawn asking the ship's cook why she hadn't brought his meal yet :-)

 And even though their bellies are full of good grub, they dig in to a delicious cake, which is most definitely a delicacy on a pirate ship.

 And where do you keep a bunch of rowdy pirates?  Why in the garage, of course!

 But what do you do with a bunch of rowdy pirates?  You make them walk the plank, and search for buried treasures, and fish for prizes, and pin the sword on Capn' Jack Sparrow.  At least that's what these pirates did.

 And you finish with bringing treasures to the Cap'n.  Of course, he's very grateful because this Cap'n has a mother who just so happens to be teaching him manners (I think).

So that's it, Jase.  Your birthday in a nutshell.  You have now officially belonged to me and dad longer than the five years we waited for you, begged for you.  It's funny how those years of sadness and longing have been swallowed up with laughter and little boy toys and snuggles and six birthdays.  You are everything I hoped and wished for.  And on each of your birthdays, I am the one feeling like the present is mine.  Happy Birthday, Jaybird!

EASY, CHEESY CRAFTS :-)

Sometimes a girl just needs some craft time, so when the fabulous Jodi James called me with an idea for some bunco prizes, I jumped on board.  We hit the local craft store and gathered up some cute material, colored gloves, and chocolate.  The results were too cute that I just had to share.  No one likes to clean, but with these beauties you can do it in style!

My next wave of craftiness came in the form of cupcakes.  Dustin's sister gave me the cutest book called "Hello, Cupcake!"  It has amazing cupcake ideas that are right down simple to do.  No special decorating tools, just a baggie and some candy.  I did these cupcakes for my young women, and they were a hit!

BLOG OVERLOAD

Stay tuned! I'm trying to blog a year's worth of posts in a couple of days.  Coming up next...birthdays, Kindergarten graduation, backpacking, and more.  Come on, you know you missed me :)

THE WILD WHITTS & DISNEYLAND

Clearly, I should have posted this in March when we actually went to Disneyland, but this way we can drag out the magic of Disney!  I also realize that this post would have been best seperated into days, but let's be honest, we're lucky that I'm even blogging!

This vacation started out as talk during a family dinner at Dustin's parent's house.  Soon enough, though, Dustin's sister had it all planned (she's a serious planer), and us "fly-be-the-seat-your-pants" kind of people were tagging along. 

Before we get to far into this story, let me point out that from the months of October to March, the Lawn Ranger family is bound by weather, more specifically snow.  So after packing up the van and programming the van's GPS (Dustin calls her Martha), we were set.  Or so I thought.  Snow fell that night and Dustin was stuck in Cedar plowing that darn white stuff while I tackeled the challenge of driving myself, my boys, and Aunt Shelley to Anaheim, California. 

By the sheer hand of Heavenly Father (and some serious help from my co-pilot), we made it safely.  I had booked a flight for both Dustin and Spencer so that they could sleep all the way to California after staying up all night plowing.  But their plane got stuck in Salt Lake, and they ended up driving and arriving the next day. 

Now that we're all in Anaheim, let's play!

 Hooray, dad made it!  I'm not sure who needed him more...the boys or mom!

 Jax enjoying a turkey leg.  He pretty much ate the whole thing by himself. 

 The wonderful thing about Tiggers are Tiggers are wonderful things :)  Especially to the Wild Whitt boys!

 Enjoying some playground time while the big kids ride the Grizzly Rapids.

 Which one is not like the others...

 You can do it, Jaybird

 Okay, maybe Jax can do it...

We talked the boys out of buying a souvenir at every store at the end of every ride by bribing them with these cars.  It was a store called Ridemakerz in Downtown Disney.  Finally, someone got smart and created the equivalent of Build-A-Bear for "boys" :)

 I think Dustin enjoyed customizing these remote control cars as much as Jase & Jax!

 This is Jax concentrating.  The wheels had to be just so, and the tongue definitely helps with concentration.

Okay, we're ready to go home.  Can you believe my kids actually said they were tired of Disneyland and ready for their own house?  Well, they did.  We packed up the van, the boys clutched their new cars, and Dad drove us home.  Oh, how I love the passenger seat!

THE JAZZ GAME :)

Dustin has been talking about taking the boys to the Jazz game for over a year, and this mom finally got sick of the talking.  After a little research and listening to Dustin whine about not wanting nose bleeder seats, I booked us some tickets about 16 rows back from the center court.  The boys LOVED it!  And when I say boys, I mean all three :)  They were spoiled at the Jazz store, ordering custom jerseys and stylin' hats.  They were spoiled with treats galore.  And they were spoiled with all the up- close and personal attention from the Jazz Bear.  But seriously, when you are as cute as the Wild Whitt boys, you deserve to be a little spoiled! 

PS--This game was back in January of 2011.  I've had some serious commitment issues with blogging....but I'm ba-ack!

Letters from K

Miss Kendra is pretty much our little girl. In fact, we should just call her Kendra Marle Whittaker :) She snuggles Uncle Dusty and always includes me in her prayers. The little sassy pants loves to come to our house, and she LOVES the Wild Whitt boys. In fact, she wrote Jase and Jaxon letters the other day. Her sheer honesty warrants that I record them on the blog!

Dear Jase,

You are just going to play with me, okay!
You are my big cousin...No, big brother.
You can babysit me and Jaxon if you want.

Love,

Kendra

Dear Jaxon,

Sorry you were being mean to me.
Your playroom looks beautiful with all that stuff in it.
Your hair is handsome and your eyes are pretty.

Love,

Kendra

Well, you can imagine Jase rolling his eyes (pretending to be too big to enjoy the letter) and Jax giggling a little at the pretty eyes part; but what they were realling thinking was,

We LOVE our Kendra!

JAYBIRD, OUR GENIUS

We haven't actually tested Jase for his IQ, but I'm pretty sure he is genius material. Three Peaks Elementary just hosted a Math-A-Thon for all the grades, K to 6th. All the students collected pledges for the amount of questions they scored correctly during the Math-A-Thon. I sent his package with him to school and picked him up at day's end. As usual, he jumps in the van and goes through his backpack, but on that day he informed me that he won the Math-A-Thon.

Well (trying to be a good and fair mother), I gently reminded him that there probably wasn't a winner and told him I was sure he did an awesome job. A few days later, he shows up in the van with a free pass to the aquatic center. I asked him if they had a drawing or something. I mean, why would Three Peaks give my child a free swim pass. It certainly wasn't for winning the Math-A-Thon?

My readers are probably assuming about now that my genius of a boy did not gain his intellect from his mother as I should have clearly listened to the handsome and excited boy that jumped in my van a week ago to tell me that he won the Math-A-Thon.

Oh, but not me. I filled out the paperwork for the free pass, and sent it back to Kindergarten. We certainly weren't turning it down. I just assumed that Jase won it from some sort of raffle. He is our lucky duck, you know.

Another week passes, and we get our monthly newsletter from the school. I look through the events and notice the name Jase W. in the Math-A-Thon section. I looked at it, looked at it some more, and finally realized that all this time my Jaybird was right. He did win the Math-A-Thon. And he didn't just win his Kindergarten class but every Kindergarten class in Three Peaks Elementary :)

I ran into his teacher a little later and told her the story. She informed me that I should probably listen to Jase. After all, he is usually always right.

BREAST CANCER BUNCOS

So, I'm spreading the word to as many people as I know. Don't miss the Kristen Branin Bunco Tournament and help her fight breast cancer! The prizes are amazing, the food is delicious, and the conversation will be fabulous :) Get a car of your favorite gals or guys together and head on over to Milford.

Saturday, April 2, 2011
Milford High School Small Gym
We roll the dice @ 1:30pm
Ages 16 & Older (leave the kiddos and germs at home)
$20 per ticket

We are talking Lagoon tickets, Tuacahn tickets, jewelry, purses, Rada cutlery, Scentsy, gift cards to Pastry Pub, Sizzler, Applebees, the Timberline, handmade quilts, photography sessions, and much, much more!

We also have four amazing raffle packages. Check out Kristen's blog for her story and more information @ http://www.breastcancerbuncos.blogspot.com/

THE VALENTINES BOX

When Jase brought his note home from Kindergarten asking that we send a Valentine's box any time from the 9th to the 14th, I felt chills of excitement run up and down my spine :) I absolutely loved that time of year in elementary school, and my mom was pretty much the bomb at making the best boxes. We're talking TVs, barbie cars, robots...whatever we could dream up! So, yes, I had big shoes to fill, but when Jase asked for a monster, I grabbed an old shoe box in the closet, and we got straight to work.

He was so excited as we pulled out our supplies and so nervous when he realized we were down to our last hot glue stick at the end of the project. And when I pulled out two wooden kitchen utensils to use for the monster's arms, his mouth practically dropped. He couldn't believe I had made such a sacrifice for "the box." I'm pretty sure it brought a tear to his eye :) Okay, that could have been an exaggeration, but the box turned out fantastic, and my Jaybird deemed it the best box in his class. The best part, though, was the perma-smile as we drove to Kindergarten, and the way he puffed out his chest a little as he walked into the classroom with his Valentine's LOVE monster.

Oh, but don't tell him I called it the love monster. That's officially embarassing to a five year old!