Do You Have Enough Money For That?

A few days ago we were out and about with one of our neighbor friends who is 8 years old.  Jasper ADORES him, and if we are lucky he will come tag along with us on adventures.

Here's the conversation I overheard:

Kaid:  I'm saving my money to buy a cool knife at Big Five Sporting Goods.  I went there with my dad to buy stuff for my brother to go to Scout Camp and I told him I wanted it and he told me that he didn't have enough money to buy it for me so I had to save up for it by earning money.

Jasper:  Yeah, that happens to me too.  When I find a toy I want at the store my mom says, "Do you have enough money to pay for that?"  And I say, "No.  Probably not."  Then I smile and put the toy back.

They talked about how much some items they want to buy cost and how long it would take to save up for them.

Then they laughed while commiserating with each other about their lack of funds.  They seemed content knowing they both had the same problem.

A Leaky Umbrealla and a Spotted Dog

This morning I first took Jasper and his friend Jett to a "Let's Play Music" class  Jasper is starting the classes in the fall and can't wait.  We bought some tone bells a year ago and we love them.

Then we hit story time at Gibson Library. Miss Nicole always does a great job, and today was no exception.

The "Leaky Umbrella" song by Jim Gill was a lot of fun, especially since the kids played along with rainbow scarves. (See video above.) 

Jasper loved the craft (see photo below) since it involved one of his love languages...free reign of a glue stick.



The books we read today were:

• Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin

The kids LOVED singing along to the words in this book.

• Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd.         Here's a link about an activity to go along with the book.                                 
• Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox

Wiped Out!

There's something so peaceful about a sleeping child. 

Yesterday morning Jasper and I went swimming (after our bike ride) and in the afternoon
HE TOOK A NAP! 

How I miss the days when he napped every day from 1:00 to 3:30 PM.  Those days are fleeting around our house.  Luckily he still naps after a big swim. 

He hadn't napped for 3 days and finally crashed from 2:00 to 5:30 PM.  I went in at 4:00 PM and tried to wake him.  I even took all of these photos, but he just kept on snoozing!



I took a picture of his whole bed because I want to remember all of the things he sleeps with.
-- The Puppy Sextuplets (We had 3, bought 3 new one's to replace the original 3 and he managed to keep all 6).

--Stars and Fire Trucks pillowcase I made in a Quiltique sewing class a couple years ago.  The red stripe has JASPER stitched all of the way around it.

-- Pirate blanket I made him 5  months ago.  Surprisingly it took him a while to warm up to, but now it's a favorite.

--"Cars" pillow I made him last week with pockets for his cars to sleep in.

--Stripey sweater knit blanket from IKEA.

-- Green dino that goes with his bedspread.

--White Easter Bunny from Grammy Havens circa Easter 2010.

---BOOKS!  As many as he can lug up his loft bed ladder and fit in his bed.  We ALWAYS catch him up looking at books.

-- He currently has also been pouring over a box of 25 laminated nursery rhymes my dear friend Gayle Brown gave me at Jasper's baby shower.

Lunchbox

Jasper doesn't quite get the concept that we live in a very HOT place and that the only lunchboxes we can use have to be super-insulated.  We even use insulated water bottles.

Jasper is lost in the early 1980's and is in love with metal lunch boxes.

He wants to carry all of this goodies around in them wherever we go.  Which is a problem when it's 100+ degrees outside.

He wants to fill this one with treats and take it with him to go see Cars 2 in the movie theater again.

Do You Refrigerate Your Camelbak?

I just filled up all of the water bottles for our morning bike ride and put everything in the fridge; Even my CamelBak.

Am I the only one who does this?

Sometimes I just stick the reservoir in the bottom drawer of the fridge, but when we're trying to get out the door quickly in the morning it's a lot easier to just grab my preassembled CamelBak and go.

And as you can see, I also use the Podium Big Chill water bottles and I love them.  I do have to add a 3 or 4 ice cubes to each in the morning, but it is well worth it for ice cold water in the Vegas summer sun.

I love sipping the ice cold water when I'm riding, and taking the time to fill it up and add ice cubes in the morning feels like a lot of work when we're on a tight schedule.

My CamelBak sprung a leak after many years of abuse, so I now use my CamelBak pack with a Platypus Reservoir, and I only tell you this because I am really loving the Platypus.  I like the bite on the mouthpiece better and I feel like I can clean it out better since the whole top opens up.

Weehoo i-Go Trailer Bike

Last night Jasper and I went to REI to test-ride the Weehoo i-Go trailer bike.  I have been interested in it for a long time, and I think J is ready for it.  We've been going on rides with him in the bike trailer.

I don't like that he is trapped in there for 1 1/2 hours.  He's the one with all of the energy, so it would be nice if we could be exercising together. 

Jasper put me over the edge yesterday when he stuck his feet out of the bike trailer (while strapped in the 5 point harness) and rubbed his shoes on my bike tire.  Ummm, not cool J.  He actually wore a strip of rubber right off his favorite shoes.

He is ready to get out and get moving.

Tonight Mike came with us to REI so we could show him how much we love the Weehoo!

Jasper calls it "my new red bike."  Unfortunately it's not ours yet.

Time Out?

A few days ago I read a story from the July Friend magazine with Jasper about a girl who made a bad choice.

I asked Jasper, "What does Heavenly Father want us to do when we make a bad choice?"

His quick reply, "Go in time out."

I explained that He wants us to say we are sorry and repent. Jasper said, "And then go in time out."

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July!

(photo from July 24, 2010 Beaver, UT foot races)

Clean Hands...

I just read Jasper a story from the July Ensign that talked about having clean hands and a pure heart.

He asked, "Doesn't Heavenly Father want us to have a clean face too?"

Swimming Lessons Summer 2011

Swimming Lessons are done for the summer and we are having a great time swimming to beat the heat!
I made this little video with some photos of Jasper in class and then video clips of him swimming at the end.

Talent

In case you don't know, John Schmidt's son Spencer is also super talented.  He has a 4 songs out now, and more to come.  His debut concert is August 5th in Draper, Utah.

I have been a John Schmidt fan for 20 years now, and I can remember going to a concert of his when his son was just a toddler.  I was in student government with Paul Cardall and Paul was a big fan of John and his amazing piano playing skills.  Paul arranged for John to perform at a concert we sponsored.  Paul followed his dream and now is an accomplished pianist himself.  I have always admired Paul for following his dreams.

Thank you for the beautiful music!

John Schmidt has a new video that just came out: Michael Meets Mozart.  We love his video "Love Story meets Viva la Vida".  

We love John  Schmidt and felt spoiled when he came to play at the Henderson Events Plaza on Water Street (10 minutes from our house) last Spring for FREE!  What a treat for us.  It was an amazing concert and we loved it.  It was a bit tense when Jasper decided to make a run for the stage because he wanted to play the piano too.  :)

17 Days...and Counting

Jasper goes to preschool at Smalley Elementary Monday-Thursday, the same hours as morning kindergarten.

Starting tomorrow he has 17 days of class left!  Whoa!  That's coming up quickly.

I am already thinking -- what are we going to do all summer without a pool?  Play dates anyone?  :) 


Last summer we did 4 weeks of super fun and very inexpensive swimming lessons, which made June just fly by!  This summer our swim teacher is under contract for the novels she is writing and is not teaching anymore  :(


I am now in a mad dash to schedule my dental, doctor, visiting teaching and any other appointment I can while he's still in class.

Mike and I like go to the Temple and extra time one morning each month while Jasper is in school...so we only have two more bonus trips left until school starts.

I am excited for summer but feeling a little anxious because I already feel like I am behind on about a million things.

I've seen a lot of people who make "Things to do this summer" lists that look like a fun idea.  Any summer fun ideas?

A Tub in the Tub

Jasper's love of water never ceases to amaze me.

Yesterday we both went out to check on our tomatoes and other plants -- barefoot.


When we came inside I turned the water on in the tub downstairs so we could rinse off our dirty feet.


Before I knew it Jasper had discarded his clothing and was in the tub. He was actually in a dish tub in the bathtub.  I have no idea how he even fit those long legs inside the tiny dish tub.

He was having a great time in his mini-tub in a tub.


The good news is -- it's really easy to take unrevealing bathtub photos this way!

Let's Play Music Concert

Tonight Jasper and I took Rook to Will Schroeder's "Let's Play Music" concert at the Arrowhead Stake Center.

The last concert we attended was a Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband outdoor concert where Jasper and his friends were dancing around in the front row.  So I had a little explaining to do about the difference between that concert and this one.

Jasper did great.  He stayed in his seat and had a fun time quietly singing along to all of the songs he knew.

Jasper loved BINGO and Do Re Mi songs the best.

The big hit of the night was the "treat table" (refreshments) included Jasper's party food of choice -- cupcakes!                                                                                                             Will's younger sister Lyndsee was getting a little fussy, and the Ziploc baggie of Wheat Thins that Jasper smuggled in seemed to calm her down.  I told him only boys that share their snacks get to go to the "treat table" after the concert.  That was all the motivation he needed to share with Lyndsee.

Allowance

Last month we embarked on a new adventure in our family.... Allowance.

Jasper is 3 1/2, and I really didn't envision him having an allowance this young.

But for the last few months I've been frustrated when I took Jasper to the store.  I felt like he was asking for a million things.  Toys, candy, a new bike, a fish, you name it!

At times he strongly resembled the Octopus we saw at the Shark Reef two weeks ago.  Eight arms, all grabbing (and whining)  for things he wanted at the store.

Even I was getting bored of my "no" answers like...."We have one of those at home", "We don't need that", "We can't afford that", etc. Last month I tried a Love and Logic tactic of telling Jasper that he can buy whatever he can pay for.

While we were waiting, Jasper found an overpriced pack of Mini Oreos he wanted at the Pharmacy.  I smiled and told him he could get whatever he could pay for.   He handed the  Oreos to the cashier and said, "Umm, my Dad forgot to give me money today."  I quickly realized that this tactic doesn't work too well if your child has no money.

After Jasper and I got home Mike and I discussed and idea I'd been rolling around in my mind for a while.  We decided to give Jasper $1 per week allowance.

He can spend it on whatever he wants. He can spend it every week, or he can save it for something big.  In the future we will set some guidelines up for setting money aside for savings, etc.   Right now we are in the "test phase" giving this a whirl to see if it's a good idea, or if I am a first time mom who is way off track.

The plan for now is that we are not paying Jasper to do his chores.  We are focusing on the fact that doing chores and helping out is part of being part of a family.  His allowance is not tied to anything.

Our trips to the store are much happier and less stressful for me.  Jasper has lost the "gimmies" while we're shopping.  My favorite is when we are out shopping and Jasper sees something he likes and says,"I don't have enough money for this."  Or, "Mom, the numbers on the price sign say 350 ($3.50); I can't afford this, I my money starts with a 1 ($1.00)."

Today at the store Jasper rode around in the cart with a Thomas the Train ($13.50) and then eyed a $2.50 six pack of bakery cupcakes with sprinkles.  Jasper told me, "Mom, I can work it out to buy both of these things."  I said, "I don't think so, but you go ahead and talk to the cashier and see what they say.
"When we got to the register Jasper set the cupcakes and train down and decided to got for a 50 cent package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  I explained to Jasper that he could save his money to go towards the train and that he had a few mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups left in and Easter egg at home, but he wanted to buy them, and so he did.

The guy in line behind us was not thrilled that we took a little longer because we had a separate transaction.  I almost let his grumpiness sway me, but I went ahead and let Jasper hand the cashier his item and pay for it.

After Jasper ate his second Reeses Peanut Butter Cup I went to throw the wrapper away and he said, "STOP."  I asked why, and he told me that he wanted to eat ALL of the peanut butter cups.  At this point I realized he'd never eaten a pack of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, and didn't know there were only two in the package.  :)  He was so sad when I told him.

Last week he bought a completely overpriced tootsie pop at the gas station for 25 cents.  It seems like he mostly wants to buy candy, which I am not feeling too great about. We don't usually have candy at home, so maybe I shouldn't worry about that too much.  I am not sure.

I used to have a hard time if Jasper wanted a treat at the store, because it seems like everything he wants is overpriced or something I don't want to buy him.  For now I hope he will make some choices that aren't so great and learn a lesson or two.

I have had some people say, "Well, I didn't get that much money when I was kid", and a slew of other negative comments.  I hope that Jasper will learn a few valuable lessons along the way.  And for me, $52 a year is well worth more peaceful shopping trips.

Crying over the Croup

Oh what a night!

Nothing like an ambulance coming to your house in the middle of the night to get your heart racing.

Shortly after midnight Jasper woke up screaming, crying and gasping for air....and barking.  I mistook it for an swollen airway.  We had no idea what to do.  As as we started getting ready to head to the ER (as I was worried it was an allergic reaction) I called 911. He was so worked up that he was really struggling to breathe.

The sweet paramedics were here in 5 minutes, and of course by that time I'd calmed him down and he was half asleep in my arms on the couch in the living room. 

The paramedics told identified it as croup right away and told us to take him outside in the cold for 3 minutes then in a steamy bathroom and call the doctor in the morning.

I was so glad I called them, as it ended up and saving us a trip to the ER. And as a bonus, the paramedics coming to your house is FREE.  Which seems really weird in this day of costly medical anything.

I have no idea how he got this and I am feeling bad for taking him to church and unknowingly spreading this to anyone else, not to mention everyone he's played with last week and his friends at preschool.  I really had no idea he was sick.

We will check in with the doctor when they open, and for now hopefully get a little sleep.  I will leave you with a happy photo of J from one of our trips to the park last week, and we will dream of healthier days to come!

Fun Little Lizard - Husband Guest Post

This post is cross posted at Mike's Jeep Law & Resources Blog. I post it here because Angela really liked these pictures.


One of the fun things about getting out into the desert is that I am always amazed at how much life there is out there. I live in southern Nevada, so I know how little moisture there is out here, but there are a lot of plants out there, and after a relatively wet winter the hills are pretty green right now. The flowers are all in bloom as well, which is something that surprises me as well.

There are also a lot of lizards out there. This is not surprising. Most are very quick, and they run like crazy. This weekend, however, I spotted one that is camouflaged like none other that I'm used to. In fact, had it not been moving when I first spotted it, I likely would never have seen it at all, because once it stopped, it was very well hidden.



Don't worry if you can't see it. I was standing less than 10 feet away when I took the photo above and could barely make him out. I was afraid that when I looked away to put the telephoto lens on the camera that I would lose him altogether. Thankfully I didn't.



The irony of Mr. Horny Toad hiding in the tread pattern of my Jeep's tires, which had only been placed there moments earlier, is not lost on me. Click on the picture above, and you will be amazed at the manner in which this little lizard blends in with his surroundings. It is likely that I've walked past dozens of his cousins and just missed them entirely. As for this little fellow, I tried to move in for a closer shot, but he vacated the premises and I was unable to locate him again.

P.S. Jasper did try to tell me where the lizard went, but he was unable to follow him far.

Loving our Lilacs

Last week one of our lilac bushes began to bloom and now we are enjoying the beautiful blossoms.

I bought 2 little lilac bushes two years ago for 75% off, and let's just say they were on clearance for a reason.  They did not look well at all.

But I LOVE lilacs and decided to give them a try.

I only wished they bloomed more than once a year!

Mormon Well Road - Husband Guest Post

This post is cross posted with Mike's Jeep Law blog here. Angela was disappointed she didn't go on this drive after looking at the pictures.

My son Jasper has lived in southern Nevada for all of his three and a half years. In that time, he's had snow in his yard just once, and that was when he was just over a year old. He's seen snow when visiting family in Utah, but that's a lot of driving and he's only seen it a few times. As a result, snow is still very exotic to him.

This last week I decided to take Jasper on a ride on the Mormon Well Road. It runs across the Desert National Wildlife Refuge from US-93 (near Coyote Springs) to US-95 (north of Las Vegas). The night before we were going to go on this run, it rained all across southern Nevada, but I knew that it would have been cold enough to snow at higher elevations. The morning of our run, it wasn't surprising, then, to see that there was snow on the mountains we would be driving through. The only question remaining was whether or not the snow would be far enough down the mountains to interfere with our drive.

As we were driving up US-93 to the start of the road, Jasper noticed the snow on the mountains. He immediately got excited and began asking me if we were going to the snow. I truthfully didn't know, but I thought it likely based on the snow I was seeing. When we turned onto the Mormon Well Road, the mountain in front of us had a healthy amount of snow on it. Seeing this, Jasper was all the more excited and was convinced we would driving through the snow. I knew we would be turning before getting to that mountain, so I tried to temper his enthusiasm. However, it wasn't long until it became clear that we would be seeing at least some snow.

At this point, I knew we had another thousand feet of elevation gain, so I told Jasper that we would not be getting out at that spot. A few miles later, the snow was indeed getting deeper, and I let Jasper out to play a bit. Before I could get his winter coat on, he ran off to discover what he could discover. It seems that the first conclusion he came to was that he was cold. He asked for, and was promptly provided, his heavy coat.

I expected that the snow would continue to get deeper before it went away and so we pushed on. I had prepared myself to turn around if conditions were too bad, or if I found it difficult to identify the road but due to the trees and heavy brush it was pretty easy to identify where the road was and wasn't. I just drove through the gaps that were big enough for the jeep. We got to a spot where the snow was close to a foot deep (in places) so we got out to play again.

I am happy to report that my Jeep did a marvelous job in it's first snow action. My Cooper Discoverer STTs gave me great traction in the snow. Jasper was particularly interested in the tread pattern and very much enjoyed looking at the Jeep's tracks. Hopefully we'll get to the snow again soon.

Rockefeller Mine Road - Husband Guest Post

I have been surprised at how many good Jeep tracks there are near our home in the desert, but I shouldn't be. Most of the early inhabitants (except the native americans, of course) came to Nevada in search of shiny rocks and the many things you could buy with them. Of course, these miners went all over in their search, and left lots of roads behind them. Rockefeller Mine Road (Download KML file here) is one such road.

In order to get to this road, drive south on US-95 until you get to Searchlight. It's an old mining town that benefits from being on a major road. Turn left towards Cottonwood Cove, and this route branches off the main road shortly after the fee station for the Lake Mead Rec Area. You'll pass Harry Reid Road on the drive out there ... try not to stop, there are better things to see once you get off of the pavement.

The road is not difficult if you have a 4wd, high clearance, vehicle. There are a couple of places where the traction is a little iffy, but mostly this is just a rocky and sandy road, but more rocky. You should be able to make good time.

There are a lot of things to enjoy about this trail. The geology is varied, and there are great photography opportunities. There is the history cut from stone, wildlife galore (for a desert) and some strong stands of teddy bear chollo. These really are some neat cactus ... so cuddly looking, and yet so prickly. We also saw eagles and a pack of coyotes in addition to the predictable lizards and ground rodents. All in all, a great drive.

Cross posted at my husband's Jeep Law blog.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from our home to yours!

My talented friend Heather Smith designed Jasper's Valentine's for him.  She currently has a cute Valentine Bingo you can download for free.

Here are the links to Jasper's Valentine's from last year, and the year before that that I made using a template from Heather Ann Designs.

I am excited to try these hidden message hearts for an activity during Family Home Evening tonight.  It looks like a lot of fun, and Jasper loves ANYTHING to do with paint.

I love it when Mike happily helps around the house.  Nothing says I LOVE YOU more than waking up to the kitchen, living room, bathroom, laundry room and hallway sparkling clean and mopped.  Then to top it off he steam cleaned our shower that he already scrubbed a couple of days ago!  Whew! He is AMAZING!

Happy Valentine's Day to me!

Mean Maggie

Last night for Family Home Evening we had a lesson on "Love" and read a short story from the 2007 issue of The Friend called, "Mean Maggie."

Jasper really got into the story and decided that from the description of Maggie she sounded like one of his favorite bad guys, the Queen of Hearts in the Alice in Wonderland ride at Disneyland.

I think it was the shaking of the fists and yelling that made him draw the comparison.

Lesson learned:  If your Family Home Evening lesson REMOTELY relates to a ride at Disneyland you have a captive audience.

Valentine Making Mania

We are knee deep in the making of Valentine's.

Jasper has a Valentine party at school on Thursday and his assignment is to bring homemade Valentine's.  As you know, that is messy business...to say the least.

We're also having a Valentine's party at our home and I am going totally old school and asked the kids to make and bring a Valentine box and Valentine's.

So far Jasper wants to make a pirate ship, a spaceship or a container of chocolate milk.  I am not sure which one we will make.  I would like to point out that I am trying to work with Jasper's limited artistic ability, and yet still have him make them. This is quite a challenge.

One item that helps with this is the  Dot-a-Dot rainbow paint markers.  Jasper uses these at preschool and they are his favorite.


We buy them from Lakeshore Learning and they cost $15.  We're signed up for frequent flier club there which gives us 15% off everything all the time, and I usually only buy stuff when they have 20% off coupons, which brings the price down to $10.  You can also get them on Amazon too.   They are well worth it -- in my opinion.

I saw the idea to put paint in bottle lids and knew that would be a much better method than the tiny cups we normally use.  Jasper loves painting and swirling the colors.

Our kitchen table is now such a mess (CRAFT EXPLOSION as my husband would say) that we are eating in the formal dining room for the next two days.  I am opening up our craft zone for our friends to use on Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.






  
Why make a mess at your house when you can do it at mine????

My BRILLIANT friend Heather designed these cute Valentine cards with Jasper's photo on them and we are, shall we say, EMBELLISHING them.  After all - the assignment from school is to bring homemade Valentine's.

Next up, we still need to make our treats -- homemade suckers!