CTR

Ben, showing his friend a CTR ring:
-Look, Daniel, this is my Choose The Right ring. But now, if I put it in this evil cup, when it comes out, it is going to be changed into a Choose The Wrong ring! Mwa-ha-haaa!!! See? Choose the wrong!!!

Scripture Scouts

The boys usually listen to Scripture Scouts when they're falling asleep. A couple nights ago Ben fell asleep quickly, but Neal was awake a long time. I heard him trying to wake Ben up, so I went in to see what was going on. He had been listening to a Scripture Scouts song about the Second Coming, and he was saying, "Ben! Jesus coming!" He was very excited, with a huge smile on his face. I explained that he shouldn't wake Ben up, but he wanted to tell Anda, so we brought her in, and he repeated the good news. I talked to him for a minute, and at one point he told me, "Jesus have wings, for fly."

Clean Room

A few weeks ago (before the bunk beds), Ben spontaneously decided to clean his room. We were doing something else, and he was quiet in his room, and after a while he asked me to go see something. I was absolutely shocked. Then we showed Anda, and she almost fainted, too. Especially since the bunk beds, Ben is now very desirous to keep his room clean. Not sure what prompted the change, but we're not complaining!

Also, today was Parks Appreciation Day, so when we finally got up we drove out to Blueberry Park to help spread mulch and stuff with the ward. On the way there, I was joking around with the kids and stuff, and Ben told me, "You know, Dad, all the other dads aren't so silly all the time, so could you just be like the other dads?"

Ben Goes to Work

Ben likes to copy me. He frequently changes clothes to make sure that our clothes are as similar as possible. If we go out somewhere, he watches me to see how he should dress: if my coat is unzipped, his will be too. A couple weeks ago as I was getting ready for work, he was careful to mimic my every move. He got dressed in work clothes, too. Then he wanted to come with me to work. So he came and drew on some papers in my office for a bit. It only took him a half hour or so before he was bored out of his mind. But it was fun.

The bunkbed process beginning to end.

Ben's Answer to Prayer

We had family home evening about prophets tonight. We got off-subject (of course), and Ben asked why did Heavenly Father make us that way. Anda said that he could ask Heavenly Father and listen really carefully and maybe he would hear an answer but not right away. Ben went to the toy room and said I'm going to be in here thinking, don't bother me. He came back out a minute or two later and said he got an answer: Be good and listen to your parents. I asked him what his question was, and he said it was: Heavenly Father, please help me think of an answer.

Neal Stories

Ok, so it's been a while again since our last post. Anda and the boys spent 6 weeks in Latvia visiting family, and I was busy with work. They got home the day before Easter, so they all slept through the festivities (jet lag). But today I wanted to add a few stories about Neal.

When we were in Latvia at one of the grocery stores, Neal saw a tank full of live carp. He was fascinated by them. He saw them gulping or whatever it is they do with their mouths, and said, "Fishy talking to me!" He stared in silence for a while more, and said, "Me eat fishy! Take him out and break him in half!" Maybe it was funnier in person, but I about had a heart attack.

Today after church we were outside in the sunshine. Ben went back inside after a while, of course, but Neal loves being outside. We ended up over by the woodpile under the deck, and he was gathering little pieces of wood for his fire, giving them to me to put in his wagon. He found an old dirty furnace filter back there, and threw it down on the ground while I was walking over to the wagon. When I returned, I asked him if he had thrown that there, and why. His response: "That no loves me!"

Today Anda and I were lying down after church, and someone had closed our bedroom door. Neal came and knocked, and I said "Go away!" Neal yelled back, "Me no bad guy, me Neal!" So we let him in.

You already know that Neal loves to vacuum. He vacuumed a bunch of cereal that Ben had spilled. Then I saw him walking around with the thing where the dirt goes (it's a bagless vacuum). He walked into the bathroom, and opened the little door that gives access to the pipes for the jets in the tub. (Not a very clear explanation, but I'm not really sure why that door is there anyway. It's a door in the side of the tub.) Anyway, he made as if to dump all the dirt in that little hole, until I asked him what he was doing. So he turned around and saw me and pretended he hadn't been near the tub. He dumped the dirt in the garbage can.

So anyway, Neal is talking a lot more now, and he is getting to be a lot more fun. So look for more Neal stories in the future!