3 Boys and a Princess: June 2015

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Picky, picky!

I think that like most kids, the Crack Monkeys are somewhat picky eaters. Scott and I are constantly trying to get them to try new foods, but for the most part, they know what they like and what they don't.

For my dad's birthday, we had several family members come into town, including my cousin and her wife. They're the adventurous type, especially when it comes to food. On the day they were leaving, we all got together for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant called Oh Mai. It has really good pho noodles, and Scott took me there for dinner once (the vendors at his work often take him and his co-workers out to lunch, and this was one of the places they liked to eat at).

I'd hoped the kids would like something there, but it was a bust. The only thing they liked about the pulled pork sandwich we ordered (it was the only thing they'd consider) was the bread. And, they weren't too thrilled about the aromas that filled the restaurant either. But, they gave it a shot, so I really can't complain (although I had to take them to McDonalds' afterwards because they were "so hungry!").

Hopefully, as they grow older, they'll get curious and more brave. There's so much good food out there, I don't want them to miss out on it!

Family gathering at Oh Mai. See you later, Joan & Tamara!
We love you guys!

Monday, June 22, 2015

Karaoke Night

Vanessa had her quarterly piano recital tonight, which was called Karaoke Night. The students played a song of their choosing, as an accompaniment, and volunteers sang the lyrics. Vanessa ended up choosing "Let It Go" from Disney's Frozen, which she was really excited to play; she worked really hard at memorizing the intro, and getting the pace steady and strong. I was really impressed.

Originally, we had planned for her best friend to sing with her, but she ended up unavailable for tonight. And, I would have sung, but I had another root canal done today, so my mouth refused. Luckily, several of the other students happily volunteered to sing, which turned out great!

And, once again, we forgot to take pictures and videos. In case you didn't notice from the lack of pictures. My brother teases me all the time that my iPhone is so neglected, lol.

In any case, YAY for piano!

The Electronics Ban

A week ago, I instituted a ban on all electronics for the youngest 3 Crack Monkeys. They were constantly fighting over the computer and their tempers were short anytime someone would interrupt their time on their iPods. It happened on a day when I came home from a second surprise root canal, and all I wanted to do was sleep. Not the best day to get on my nerves, but it happened.

Specifically, the yelling from Jeff and Vanessa over whose turn it was on the computer; it was so loud that it woke me up from my nap. Cue my "crazy eyes" and the Crack Monkeys knew they were in trouble.

So no more iPods, computer games, YouTube, Xbox or PS4. They were devastated and a bit hysterical, but I'm so done with it. Whatever happened to "playing"? Obviously not today's definition of playing, but what I used to do as a kid?

Even as a teenager, summertime was something to look forward to. In Hawaii, there were beaches to go to and outside to explore. When my family lived on a coffee farm, and if we weren't outside picking said coffee, there were pigs and chickens to chase, mango trees to climb, and coffee trees to get lost among.

When we weren't living on the farm, we'd be playing hide-n-seek, kickball or dodgeball in the street of our neighborhood. We lived on a street that sloped, so it made the games even more intense because we had to make sure the ball didn't go rolling down the hill. When the sun went down, we came home dirty and tired from playing and exploring.

I sound like and old fart, but I miss those days. I want my kids to have the same kind of memories that they'll remember fondly.

Anyway, the ban was put in place a week ago. This is what the Crack Monkeys have been doing since then:

Ethan loves Legos; whether it's a specific set or just
something out of his own imagination, it's guaranteed
to keep him busy for awhile

Our neighborhood has a gated community pool. We've spent
most of our days there in summers past.

Torturing the dogs. It's like a daily requirement or something

Playing board games. Currently, they're hooked on
Monopoly Junior and the Disney version of Headbanz.
I love listening to them laugh as they play.

I'm an avid reader, so whenever my kids pick up a book,
it makes my heart happy. Ethan immersed himself in this
book series, while Vanessa stuck with her My Little Pony
chapter books. Jeff loves reading the Friend magazine, which
is helping to improve his reading

So, far, so good. The house is a bit more calm and quiet. I was worried for a bit because they seemed so dependent on everything electronic, but they've proven that they can "survive" without it. It's for the rest of the summer (school starts up again near the end of August), so here's hoping that they can stick with it.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Happy 70th Birthday, Pops!

My dad turned 70th on the 16th, so we threw him a party to celebrate. It really was an awesome party, not because it was held in an equally awesome park and the whole neighborhood came, but because it turned out to be a mini family reunion.

My cousin, his wife, and their son, as well as her mom, drove from Nevada. We hadn't seen them for about seven years, so it was great to see them. My other cousin and her wife also came; I've been friends with her on Facebook for a couple years now, but we'd never met face-to-face, so it was exciting to meet her. Both are lovely women and so hilarious! You can tell we're related, lol!

We had my aunt (my dad's sister) and my cousin and his family drove from California, and Scott's mom, sister and her husband and son joined in for the fun.

Also, my oldest brother flew from Hawaii to join the festivities. It's always great when he comes. Unfortunately, his girlfriend was unable to come; she's as much a part of our family as my brother, so were really sad that she wasn't here. But, we're staying with them for our vacation to Hawaii in August, so we'll have lots of time to bug her....hopefully, not too much, though, ha.

There were also people that we grew up and knew from Hawaii, who had since moved here to Utah; the party gets a lot louder when we get together. And, of course, there were friends from Utah that were only too happy to come. It was such a great gathering of friends and family!

Happy Birthday, Pops! Love you to the moon and back!