Saturday, August 25, 2012

When Obi-Wan-Kenobi Makes the FAMILY TREE...

You've GOTTA take 100 pictures!!!
 
This was taken the night before.  Oh!  The anticipation!  The boys started calling the pinata 'Kenobi, and after the entire experience, Tyson said that " Well, 'Kenobi is part of our family tree, now."  So we made sure to include him in our family album.  Enjoy!
 
'Kenobi & the birthday boy!

The Birthday Buddies WITH 'Kenobi

Tyson holding the light saber WITH 'Kenobi

Emmett laughing in the background, and Tyson pretending to attack me with 'Kenobi.

The reality of trying to take a family picture WITH 'Kenobi

The only picture Emmett looks "good" in with 'Kenobi, and he's still acting crazy because he's pretending to be fighting bad guys WITH 'Kenobi.

Miles with Obi-Wan-Kenobi

The END of Obi-Wan-Kenobi.  : )  But boy was it FUN!

My friend Elizabeth, A.K.A, THE PINATA MASTER, was my inspiration and moral support throughout the process of making our b-day pinata.  She makes it look easy, but it's really a lot of work, and she has the pinata makers Heaven of supplies in her craft closet.  : )  Liz told me to come over "for an hour or so" and I took ALL 3 boys with me because Mitch was still working and Tyson's birthday was the next day.  Well...6 hours, 5 bathroom breaks for Emmett, 4 nursing stops, 3 more layers of paper machet, 2 food breaks, and 1 pinata later, all of the finishing touches were done--the felt eyes, the felt hair, the cape, the colored tissue paper, etc.  I was AMAZED at how he turned out.  He looked EXACTLY like the picture of the Star Wars Lego Obi Wan.  It was AWESOME, and my boys had so much fun ransacking Liz' house with Sal & Mia while we focussed on our pinata project.

Proof that we MADE him ALL THE WAY.  : )  It was my project idea.  It consumed my week.  Oh, yeah, and it consumed the week for EVERYONE ELSE who helped me, too.  Mitchell & my mom are so NICE to put up with my hairbrained ideas.  Fortunately because of their genius ideas, he took the right shape and turned out great.  It took about a week to make our awesome pinata--we dried him in a warm oven and everything trying to speed up the process.  We stayed up all hours of the night, and basically there's no way I could have ever done it by myself.  I have amazing family and friends!  It was so fun to make a pinata!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Red Spotted Toad

We had an eventful morning.  The monsoons brought us a new friend.  We were up bright and early at 6:30am and I thought there would be plenty of time to get ready for school, but we ended up rushing anyway, because we got to spend an hour with this cute little RED SPOTTED TOAD.
 


 Tyson got to catch it with his dad.  Mitch had Tyson watch it while he got a jar and then we waited for Emmett to wake up and see the wonder.  Mitchell also did a little bit of Internet research, and we confirmed that our buddy is NOT a frog.  He's a cute little red spotted TOAD.


Aerial view
 

Emmett made sure Miles got to participate, too.  Haha!  I could only handle about 10 seconds and then I had to get the toad away from the baby.  : )

 
Papa helped us release it before they carpooled to work.

 
Tyson knew it was the right thing, although a few tears did sneak out of his eyes because he REALLY wanted to keep it.  All day he's been asking me if we can sell our goldfish and use the tank for a pet frog.  Anyone want to make an offer on a hearty, 5-inch long goldfish who has lived for the last 6 or 7 years?  : )  

Luv my Cuzin

I sat down to blog about something else, and just couldn't resist these pictures.  Erin took more pictures of our babies on her camera, but I didn't take the same pictures as she did because I was the one jumping up and down behind the photographer to get the babies to look at us.  Haha!
 
 
Miles & Hudson
 
This is what happens when one baby is in a straight-jacket and the other isn't--the wrapped up baby turns into a foot-rest, or teddy bear...whichever seems to be most comfortable for the other kid. : )



As soon as Miles saw Aunt Erin for the first time, he started GRINNING.  She would talk to him and he'd giggle and sometimes act shy.  It was SO FUN to watch them interact.  When he finally met Hudson for the first time, Miles just stared and stared.  He stared at Hudson when we sat next to him during the funeral, and when it was time to nurse Miles at church on Sunday, he wouldn't have a thing to do with eating until he stared at Aunt Erin & Hudson for about 10 minutes.  It was so funny.  We've been in the mother's lounge with other people before and he's never cared that anyone else was in there, but when Aunt Erin and Baby  Hudson were, he just wanted to look at them.  It was so darling.  We kind of wondered how the babies would react to each other.  When Hudson was being born, it was at a time when Miles wasn't smiling much, but when I told him, "Hey!  Your cousin is in the hospital trying to be born RIGHT NOW!" he immidiately smiled at me as if he understood exactly what was happening.  He did it again about a week later when my parents came back from VA.  My dad talked to him and told him he'd been hanging out with his cousin, Hudson, and Miles grinned.  My dad and I have had a "baby theory" for a long time that the veil is still thin for the babies as they're transitioning into life in this world and we wonder if maybe they remember hanging out with their family and friends in Heaven before they came here.  We wondered if maybe that time period would be getting "fuzzy" for Miles since he's getting older.  We weren't sure how he'd react.  In his own little way, I think he recognized his cousin Hudson because he just wanted to keep staring at him.  Haha!  Part of me wonders if Miles thought Hudson looked totally different in a baby body than he did as a Spirit.  It was almost like he was thinking, "I just can't put my thumb on this, but I think I know him." 
 
 
Although it was a sad occasion that brought Erin in town to be with family, I am SO HAPPY we got to see her and my adorable nephew.  I appreciate Hudson, because he's given me a new perspective on life.  I feel like I see the world in a different way and while I felt like I appreciated kids in general, and my Borden nieces and nephews, I feel like I can appreciate them all more now.  There were times when I'd hear other people talking about this kid or that kid and I'd think in my head, "Oh, well, sure that's kind of a cute thing they did, but it's no cuter than what Tyson & Emmett do."  But now that Hudson has been born to my sister, I can hear other people talk about kids in their family and appreciate it more.  The day Hudson was born, it's like a light bulb went off in my head and all of a sudden I GOT IT!  They talk so much about those kids because that is their BROTHER'S kids, or their SISTER'S kids, and THAT IS SPECIAL.  Special in a way I had never known before.  I love my nephew Hudson and the lessons he's teaching me.  I'm so glad I got to squeeze on him and kiss his little cheeks, and change his diaper, and rock him to sleep, and let him hang out with my little guy.  These days are so fun. I am so grateful for my life and the blessings that Heavenly Father has given me and my family.
 
Miles has a Borden cousin the exact same age that he's yet to meet.  I wonder how he and Merrill will "kick it off". : )  I hope it's not too long before they get to see each other, too.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Taylor Jordan...more commonly known as ELDER GUAPO

I love my little brother Taylor! I still remember the day he was born. When I held him for the first time at the hospital I was so excited and I remember looking at him and saying, "Wow! I have a brother now!" Life as we knew it was different--it would never be the same. All of a sudden, my dad had his very own "Sonny boy", and Uncle-Cousin Dave would sing Taylor's theme song at the top of his lungs, "Taylor Jordan, Taylor Jordan, Name-Sake of the Precious ONE!" Except the "one" part sounded more like an obnoxious "WUUUUAAAAAAN!"  Taylor was always special--he made car noises as a baby and it amazed us. :)  He could SWIM the entire length of our full-sized diving pool in ONE breath when he was just 18 months old.  I remember worrying that having a brother would mean that he would terrorize us and embarrass us in front of friends.  That never happened.  Except one time in high school, I had a friend with really bad acne, and Taylor DID ask him why he had ant bites all over his face.  He was a little kid, though, so I couldn't necessarily be mortified.  The only terrorizing I recall came much later, when I was pregnant with Tyson.  Taylor would make orc noises just to irritate me and no matter how I would demand him to stop, he never would until I said "Please." 


I started getting choked up about Taylor venturing on a 2 year mission at least a year and a half before he left.  This is his Senior picture.  Taylor is such an awesome kid.  He has a smile that brightens my day.  I can't tell you how many times he would turn a bad day around for me.  Just merely SEEING my brother would make me happy. 


This picture was at his open house before he left.


The centerpiece for his table was a rocket and a prodigious sign.  A lot of Taylor's high school friends were already on missions or off at college, so we had to explain what it meant.  Taylor was always known for using crazy, big, words as jokes.  A lot of his jokes had recurring themes, which made them even funnier...such as his usage of the word prodigious.  And as for the rocket--launching quality rockets is one of his hobbies and he would invite my boys and the kids he home-taught to watch and participate in the launching events.


My boys adore their uncles.  (They have excellent uncles on both sides of the family.)  Upon arrival at my parents' house, Tyson and Emmett would immediately start searching around for "Tayer & Beebs".  Taylor's name has evolved from "Tater" to "Tayer" to "Taylor"...it's a process.  For a while Tyson couldn't tell the difference between "Taylor Tots" and "Tater Tots".  The boys would just LIVE for attention from Taylor & Heber.  Taylor has such a tender heart for little kids--he wouldn't ever say no to them and he would play whatever random imaginary game they wanted, and he would run around the house with them, and he would roll them up in blankets and unroll them on the couch, and they would giggle and scream and have so much fun.  As Taylor's mission call to Guatemala approached, we weren't sure if the boys really understood what was happening.  But one night Tyson prayed, "And please help us to have fun...even without Taylor..." and it just made me cry because it was so sweet.  And Emmett would hug Taylor a little bit longer than usual and not be so crazy, and we knew they knew in their little minds that even if they didn't understand how long 2 years is, that they could tell a mission is a big deal. 


The night Taylor got set apart as a missionary was really sweet.  We had a special dinner and family home evening where Taylor shared the entire talk he had prepared for his farewell, and then we went around the family circle and told him how much we loved him and wished him luck.  Then about 9pm the Stake President came over to set him apart.  President Anderson had some inspiring words and stories and shared how one of his sons was explaining to the other why their dad couldn't read their bedtime story that night, and his little boy said something like, "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Taylor!"

This was the group who got to be there to see the moment Taylor turned into "Elder Tenney".  Erin was with us listening on the telephone. : )

Our last night with our brother before he left in the morning.  We all just wanted to spend every last minute we could with him before he embarked on this exciting adventure.  We also sat around talking about his blessing and the special things that were said in it so that he could try and remember.


My boys fell asleep before we left...I think that was a blessing for me, actually.  I probably would have bawled if they had to say a formal/final sort of good-bye to him because they adore him so much, and I want them to have GOOD memories of missions.  If anything, I want them to remember this time in a good way so that it will imprint the desire in their hearts to want to grow up and serve a mission like their uncles, and father, and grandpas, etc.

Taylor got to ride up to Utah with Mom & Dad.  I know they're so proud of him.  I'm glad they got to drop him off at the MTC.

Deej!"  Haha!  I've been doing a lot better since I've taken that advice.  I think his advice helped me drop Tyson off at Kindergarten, too. 

Now we're on to the fun part of the mission where we're getting stories from Taylor, who was nicknamed "Elder Guapo" in the CCM.  We get to Google "tuk tuks" and wish we could ride in one, too.  We get to brag that he's eaten horse already.  And now my kids pray for the poor kids in Guatemala to find food for their families Tyson remembers to pray for their dogs with only 3 legs, too.  We're so proud of our Elder Guapo and know his smiling face is bringing joy to people out of the country the same way it would bring joy to our hearts every single day.  We love you, Taylor!  Thanks for serving a mission and being a light unto the world!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Miles Wazowski

 I love this outfit.  When he wears it, we call him "Miles Wazowski".    Grampa T got him to smirk a smile at a surprise visit at the park this day.  It was mid-July after a summer movie. At that point smiles and smirks were pretty rare from this fella, but he's smiling more every day.

Don't you want to pinch his chubby cheeks? 


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Spidey Eats Free


For several weeks leading up to the 4th of July, Carl's Jr. played a commercial advertising that "Spiderman" would eat a Western Bacon Cheesburger for free.  Tyson was very aware of this commercial and he was begging for weeks to take him down there to get his free sandwich.  When the day came, we found out that only the first 50 at each location would get the free food, so we decided to not take any chances and we hurried on down there before the lunch rush.  Well...no one wants to eat a cheesburger for breakfast, and Tyson was the first in line that day.  Haha! 


Waiting for his delicious sandwich...


 Staring longingly at the picture of the free sandwich to be (he knew EXACTLY which menu item was part of the promotion, he pointed to the picture and said to the cashier, "I'm hungry for THAT one, with the bacon on it.")....


 His happiness was worth all the effort!

Emmett didn't have a full costume with bulging muscles, but his Spiderman T-shirt got him a free burger, too.  Is it just me, or are those sandwiches as big as their faces?  Mitch and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this morning with the boys.  We both just wanted to FREEZE that moment in time--it was such a classic Borden family outing with the boys. 

YUMMY!

What a Good Helper



It's been like magic.  Ever since Tyson has been going to Kindergarten, Emmett has been a better helper.  It cracks me up how much this little tyke has "worked the system".  He's only 2 1/2, and he's been known to say, "No, don't throw the toys away.  TYSON will clean them up." Or he'll say, "No, you do it.  I'm too tired."  But all of a sudden he's the BIG BROTHER when Tyson is away, and suddenly he's not so tired anymore and he's willing to help more often!  He always likes to add his own SPIN on how it should be done, though.  Who else would have ridden a long board to put the dish rags away?  Only my Emmett.  I sure love this little guy.


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

First Day of Kindergarten

How did he go from THIS


to THIS?


My first boy is going to Kindergarten today.  He's so cute!  He's actually been worried about going.  He was worried about what the room would look like, and he was worried that he would miss me and that he would miss Emmett.  Just the other day he told me that he wanted me to volunteer in the classroom and "just sit in the corner stapling papers the whole time".  : )  But despite all of his fears leading up to this moment, we were ready.  At the store when we were shopping he told me and Mitch, "That's not what I'm thinking.  I'm looking for the right style."  He did like the backpack we got him, though.  This morning he was all set with a Lego Ninjago t-shirt, and a Star Wars Lego backpack.  Inside of his backpack he even had his homework finished from Meet the Teacher Night--complete with a bag of things he likes to share with the class, such as a dead cicada bug.  : )


This is such a huge milestone, and while I know that he's still "little", I feel like he's all grown up, and I wonder how the last 5 years went by in the blink of an eye.  I wonder if we really cherished every moment like we should have.  And I hope we taught him all the things he needed to know to be successful up to this point. 

I hope he listens.  I hope he loves learning and does well.  I really hope he makes friends and doesn't play alone on the playground.  And then I also hope that I won't get a call from the Principal's office any time this year.  Haha!  There's such a variety of hopes, fears, and emotions that go into a day like this.


Mitchell and I were laughing that Tyson bent down just like his teacher.

We all had a special breakfast as a family--Hootananny Pancakes--requested by Tyson.  And then we drove him to school in our new MINIVAN and wished him luck.  Emmett was a little sad he didn't get to stay, too, and Tyson said that he wanted to walk by Miles on the way in. : )  I did really well not crying in front of him, because I didn't want him to be scared.  I did choke up a little as we said good-bye and I told him I loved him and reminded him to be a good boy and to listen to his teacher.  Mitch had to coach me along as we walked out of the school.  The tears would brim and he'd say, "Nope!  Not, yet!  We've got to get through the front doors!" or "Wait!  We haven't made it to the van, yet!"  Haha!  I'm glad we got to drop him off as a family.  It was a perfect start to this new chapter in our lives with a kid in Kindergarten!

We all love you, Tyson Jax.  Hope you have a great first day at school!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

We Love Chick-Fil-A

I'm a proud supporter of Chick-Fil-A.


I have been planning to write this post anyway, but I'm choosing to post TODAY, because this happens to be an important day for Chick-Fil-A.  About two weeks ago, some friends and I decided to meet our local Chick-Fil-A.  It was a busy day for us and I almost didn't go, because the get-together was sandwiched in-between doctors visits for Kindergarten shots and the last day of swimming lessons.  Boy, am I glad we fit it in!  We always have had excellent customer service at Chick-Fil-A, and on this specific day the workers offered us an awesome and impromptu "Backstage Tour" at the restaurant.


All the kids got a lanyard with a badge that read, "Back Stage Pass:  All Access".  They got their very own Chick-Fil-A hat, and put on special shoe covers. Aren't they adorable?!


The tour started in the front of the restaurant and our guide told us about the history of Chick-Fil-A.  We saw pictures of the first Chick-Fil-A ever made, and we learned a little bit about the founder.  One of the things I have ALWAYS appreciated about Chick-Fil-A is that they're closed on Sundays so that their employees have a day for worship and family time.  It's like one last remaining shard of what the olden days used to be like, when all of the shops were closed on Sundays.


We got to see where all the food gets made and learn about how they wash their dishes and use special gloves for when they work with meat.  We also learned that they use name brand products, like Heinz, and Hershey's so that their foods always taste the same at every Chick-Fil-A.


One of the best parts:  THE WALK IN FREEZER!  Can you believe they got to go inside?!


 At the end of our tour, each member of the group got to make their very own ice cream cone behind the scenes.  What an awesome way to end our day.  We sure love Chick-Fil-A!

S. Truett Cathy - Founder and Chairman, Chick-fil-A, Inc.
S. Truett Cathy
Founder and Chairman, Chick-fil-A®, Inc.
“I see no conflict between biblical principles and good business bottom line.”
- S. Truett Cathy, Founder/Chairman, Chick-fil-A®, Inc.
Who doesn't love Chick-Fil-A? It's popular. It's trendy. You feel healthy when you choose to eat there instead of somewhere greasy, like McDonalds. The children's play area is fun. The food is delicious. And the founder isn't afraid to stand for what he believes in (even if the world tries to tell him what he can and can't believe about marriage). The company treats their employees and customers with equal respect no matter their religion or sexual orientation. Why can't this society do the same for S. Truett Cathy, and allow him to have Christian beliefs whether or not he owns a huge business? Apparently in this society you can only have freedom of religion and a solid Christian stance on moral issues if you own a tiny business that receives NO lime-light? That's not right. I'm proud of the owner of Chick-Fil-A for staying true to his values.

Go eat there today!