It's a rabbit, dawg

We rented Hop and watched somewhere between one and eight times in 24 hours. Leaning more toward the higher number. As in, the highest number. I've got my holiday list going strong and it is easier to keep pushing play right now rather than actually organize our day. A result of Hop Mania is dressing up like a bunny. Johnny came up with this bandana creation all on his own and Evelyn took it to the next level gangsta style. And Johnny with the tiger elastic around his face is so true to character. That boy will tie anything together and connect it to anything. I bought a package of animal noses and they wear them often and it was so classic to have him come up to me with the elastic tied around creatively. Love these kids.

It's a Christmas mouse in a Christmas house

Chewing on a candy cane. If you listen like an elf you will hear him crying to himself. Nibbling a window pane. Does anyone else know that song? My Christmas elves helped me decorate Nana's house while she was visiting Lance and Afton and Cosette in California. Evelyn and Davis were extremely adamant about placement of their ornaments on the kid Christmas tree. There is a high concentration of ornaments about 2 feet off the ground where these little hands could reach. Adorable. We also made our first gingerbread house. It was from a kit and it lasted just long enough for a picture and then fell apart and was consumed by all and the gumballs were confiscated to the best of my ability after I figured out what they were and spit out when I explained to Johnny that he couldn't eat them in front of his dad and even Scotty partook. So I finally got the story of why Johnny hates bubble gum. The smell of Bubblicious has always made him nauseous. One day, his little sisters, knowing this information, chased him with mouthfuls of the vile stuff. And he hid in the playhouse at his grandma's house and was attacked by hornets. So aversion plus trauma means our children think bubblegum machines are filled with poison.

Alphabet Work

Johnny has been working on his letters. He sat up the first day I had him start writing and he was so excited. "Mom! I can't believe I can do this!" Adorable. And then all of a sudden in Sacrament meeting last week, he wrote his name without any dots to trace and all by himself. My little boy is growing up! 

Chopped

I've been avoiding posting about my hair because I haven't taken any pictures that I loved. Yet, I chopped my hair and here is the proof. I totally had short hair in high school trying to be like Meg Ryan in You've got Mail. Or Sleepless in Seattle. Or One Fine Day. I can't remember which show. But I wanted it to be short. And I cut it a month ago but I thought she didn't cut it enough but after an hour in the chair, I was ready to say yes to whatever, so I walked away. I've since cut it again and love it but still haven't taken any good pics. This is from haircut #1 and it's all grown out right before haircut #2 but enough is enough. I'm in love with my short hair and I don't care who knows it!

Let us be Grateful!

What a great idea. Take a day, eat a feast, and give thanks for what you have. This year, mom hosted us and it was a celebration. Matheson grandparents joined Vineyards, Kalani, Weston, Collin, Mom, Jerry and us. It was a fun day of hanging out and cooking together. I misread my recipe and mom saved the honey whole wheat rolls, which I loved for leftovers the next week but ignored during the feast because it would take up too much room in my belly. Johnny and I just wrapped up a 21 day cleanse (No Sugar, gluten, corn, peanuts, soy, eggs or dairy) that may or may not have ended in a banana split at the BYU Creamery and may or may not have actually only last 20 days. Regardless, Thanksgiving was our first day back on everything and anything we wanted. What a day! Yummy food and definitely fun company. It was really awesome to watch Vineyards care for the youngest of the Canlas clan. They were good at what they were doing. I am stoked for them to welcome their first child to earth and what the heck does a Vineyard baby look like??? Johnny did some celery crunching in Grandma Jeanne's ear. That comes from trying to trick him into eating kale chips by asking him to crunch them in my ear. That may or may not have been a mistake. He loved the kale chips, but has created a habit of crunching in people's ears...Happy Thanksgiving, people. We have so much to be grateful for. Thank goodness for family, for love and for a warm home to wake up in and for food to eat. Bring on the sugar, gluten peanuts, eggs and dairy. I could go for the rest of my life without fighting for soy or corn, but everything else is definitely back on the menu.

Classique Nautique

We're back on our 2-3 baths a day schedule. It's no longer a fight to get people in the tub. Hallelujah!

Quotable Quotes

We live in an adorable cabin on a ropes course on Center Street in Provo. It was actually a cabin from the 1830s at Lehi Fort and was moved here later. It is cozy. There is room for us to put our bed and a couple of couches and the kids get the entire upstairs for their toys. We kept the carhouse style kid beds beside our bed so kids can sleep near us but not with us. Half the time, well, more than half the time, they are with us anyway. I went to move Johnny boy one night from our bed to his bed right next to ours and I must have been too rough with him because he exclaimed, "Ouch! You hurt my wing!" Hilarious because his favorite game to play is make-believe pet store where he is a bird and Evelyn tries to buy him for her pet. Totally awesome that he dreams of being a bird, too.

Johnny and I started our LLC when we were first married. I was working for Jeff Crook and had been thinking all day of clever names for our joint business while I knew Johnny was filling out paperwork that day. At the end of the day, I was ready to give Johnny my list of good ideas. He actually had already chosen the name, Johnchris, which I thought lacked imagination not to mention contribution from the other 50% partner - me! But it's kind of grown on me and apparently on other members of our family. Johnny boy often does something different with his hair or clothes and says, "Everyone will love it! I will be a new Johnny." Lately, he has been insisting that his name is no longer Johnny. We asked him what his name was and he said, "Johnchris." We must have been talking business too much around him. Then, today, when we left volleyball where I go play and all the kids play on the stage with other offspring of volleyball players, one of the friends said, "See ya' later, Johnchris!" Adorable.

I play tennis with a group of lovely ladies who have been playing for more than 30 years together at the BYU. They all know Grandma Covey and I feel very fortunate to be allowed to play with them. I am definitely the newest kid on the block. They compliment me because I will run down a lob and I'm tall so I'll jump to put something away at the net. Volleyball skills are very transferable to tennis. These ladies don't necessarily play the same way I do. But they are experts at location. They will put the ball where you cannot get it. It is fun to learn that part of the game. We play at the BYU tennis courts and some ladies are spouses of faculty, so they play for free but the rest of us purchase guest passes. You get a wrist band for your guest pass. I usually nurse Scott and run out the door to park at Brick Oven and run right over to play, then run straight home to nurse again. Instead of putting on my wrist band today, I saved it for Johnny, knowing that he would love it. His reaction never disappoints. He said, "I have 2 wristbands." He has a CTR band that he has left on since Primary class on Sunday. "Everyone will think I am too much awesome. Mom, I'm going to tell Dad that you are not a loser." Awesome. Too much Awesome. But don't worry, Johnny. I know I'm not a loser. I played doubles with Steve Young's mother today and she told me that I had wicked net skills. And she was an incredible tennis partner. Totally too much Awesome.

Pour some sugar on me

Sprinkles make everything better...I remember when Uncle Sterling taught me about the band with the one armed drummer. I knew anyone could do anything when I saw that guy play.

Happy Birthday, Johnny!

Johnny boy is turning five

A magical age we hear

His imagination is coming alive

He's been waiting for this day all year

We're celebrating at the magical fire pit

It's going to be magically cold

Come show that you've got true grit

Hot chocolate will help you be bold

We'll roast dogs and 'mallows on a stick

Then we'll go in for magical cake

You're guaranteed to see a magic trick

It will be fun, there's no mistake

Monday, November 12 

6 - 7 pm 

At our new house - the cabin by CLAS ropes course

Dress warm! Turn in and park anywhere

We attempted a fire pit, but to no avail. We will just say we are grateful we did not burn the cabin down. It was a great day. How can you go wrong starting your day off with a doughnut filled with candles? And a rainbow cake? With sprinkles? And getting showered with gifts? And a birthday hat? We started off making Johnny hunt for his presents hidden around the house. He played Hot, Cold and found each one. He was so excited. Then we spent the whole day putting candles into every meal and snack in between. And lighting and singing and blowing them out. We finished with the family party and Johnny loved every second. Happy Birthday, sweet boy. Your imagination is truly incredible. You are so good at sharing with others. Tom Felt was impressed you gave away your Halloween candy to everyone in the room even though you didn't have very much in your bag. You are kind and quick to forgive. And you are full of wonder at the simple joys of childhood like rainbows on the wall from my wedding ring and a pile of leaves in the front yard and using my phone to take pictures of your siblings. You are our Johnny boy. Happy Birthday, baby.

A typical day at the Coveys

Wrestling tournaments are a daily occurrence here at our house. And Davis actually does usually win.

Early Bird gets the worm

My dad taught me about early voting this year. So we did it. It was very quick and convenient and I felt no pressure come election day. I voted for the person I thought would help America be her best self. I use the same advice for marriage. Who brings out the best in you? Who inspires you to be better? Who do you trust to tell you the truth even if the truth is hard to hear? I do think America is courting the wrong person but I do concede that the perfect Bridegroom is on his way to rule and reign and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess His role. Until then, I do what I can in my sphere of influence. And I'm happy. I'm optimistic for the future of our country and world. And I'm grateful for the many rights I have. Including the right to vote.

Bros before Shows

That's a bold statement. Shows are a hot commodity 'round here. But these boys will wrestle and wear each other out and fight and apologize and share treats and share spots on the couch while watching shows and share ties to church. These pictures are on what we didn't realize but turned out to be our last Sunday in the carhouse. My visiting teacher called me today and asked if we wanted to live in a house in the ward and offered to let us rent the cabin on her ropes course property. Absolutely! We moved in tonight. Now the brothas and sista have more room to run around and a washer and dryer in the basement to make cleaning up a much easier task. Hallelujah! To quote the Vineyards, "Bendeciones!" And that's with a capital B. I have a testimony of visiting teaching. I got my best job from Jenn Foutz, one of my first VT. Camille got a job from that job. Catie and Carlie got jobs (and still have jobs!) from that job. Point being: Love your brother. And DO your visiting teaching.