Live List

We've been tackling our family "Live List." My sister introduced me to the concept of making a "Live List" which she read about on Kelly Jensen's blog. A Live List is kind of a bucket list of things we would like to do as a family for the season. I've become semi-obsessed with the idea. Having a visual list on the fridge is a constant reminder to make time for the fun stuff. I am a good planner, but have I always penciled in family adventures on our calendar? Our Live List ranges from activities to hikes, to parks, to new kinds of food to make/try. This list is a work in progress. No, we haven't finished everything on our Live List yet, but we've really enjoyed spending more time together doing things besides chores and housework. Below are 7 things we've done from our Live List:

LIVE LIST

• 1. Go to the Clark Planetarium in SLC.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

I'm proud to report that this year, my birthday request wasn't "alone time" which is all I wanted last year. Instead, I wanted to do something all together as a family. It seemed like many other people in Salt Lake County had the same idea to go to the Planetarium on a Saturday. It was extremely crowded. It's a free Planetarium and it seemed like the exhibits were geared more towards older kids. I'm not sure if I would go again, but we still had a nice time. The highlight was definitely the movie. James has asked a couple of times since we saw it when that movie is coming out, so we can watch it again. Andrew and I were the meanest parents ever because we didn't let the kids get something from the gift shop.

• 2. Try a new restaurant. I don't know that this should really count because Andrew and I have had this restaurant before, but the kids haven't. As part of my birthday celebration, I wanted to eat at "Crack Shack" in Salt Lake City.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

This time, I didn't get the spicy sandwich that I learned had a bit too much kick for me. Instead, I got a chicken sandwich with an egg and you better believe it will be my go-to order. Not too long after going to "Crack Shack," we learned that "Crack Shack" is opening a new location in Lehi which was music to my ears. I have plans to go there with a friend immediately when it opens.

• 3. Drop off a treat to Elder Ditto. 

The only picture I have of this is a picture of the mission office door. The first time we tried to drop off the snacks, the mission office was closed, so we came back another day. While we were at the store buying some of Elder Ditto's favorite snacks, a stranger stopped us and gave each of our kids a $1 bill to buy a treat with which they were pretty excited about.

• 4. Go swimming at the South Jordan Rec Center pool.

Saturday, March 12, 2022

Our kids love the water! They swim with floaties and cherish their independence in the pool. The lazy river, whirlpool, and slides keep them busy and wear them out. Walking to the car soaking wet in winter temperatures was shocking for the kids and me. Note to self, maybe we should bring a change of clothes next time. The kids are starting swimming lessons, and I'm hoping they'll be floatie-free soon. We have a pass to the rec center and should really utilize this excellent pool more often.

• 5. Send all the Ditto missionaries letters/cards.

March 21, 2022.

There are currently 5 missionaries serving in the Ditto family. For family home evening, we worked on cards/pictures for the missionaries. We sent mail to California, Colorado, Peru, Argentina, and Utah. We had James tell us what to write on each picture he drew and what he said to the missionaries was hilarious. Hopefully, the mail brightens their days.

• 6. Go to the Hogle Zoo.  

Friday, March 25, 2022

We've always liked and listened to the song, "Going to the Zoo." The week leading up to our zoo trip, we listened to this song on repeat and when it was finally time to go to the zoo, we had it blasting in the car. "We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo, how about you, you, you? You can come too, too, too, we're going to the zoo!" It's quite catchy and gets stuck in your head easily.

It was the perfect zoo day. The temperature was in the 70's and it was gorgeous! We arrived at the zoo right when it opened at 9:00am. Obviously, we rode the train and the carousel. There were so many animals to see! The monkeys were especially active and funny. The lions were right up close to us. The kids started roaring like lions at the exhibit (which you can kind of see in one of the pics) which cracked me up as well as some strangers nearby. The gorillas happened to be eating their breakfast and it was fascinating to watch them devour huge pieces of lettuce. The polar bear kept flipping and it felt like he was performing for us. We caught part of the Seals and Sea Lion Show and the kids got to see all sorts of tricks. We wanted our zoo day to be extra special and told the children they could pick out a stuffed animal. I thought they would pick a typical zoo animal such as a monkey, elephant, gorilla, giraffe, etc, but I was wrong. Both the kids picked snakes. James got a rattlesnake that makes noises when you shake it. You may notice the snakes in the first zoo pic above-- don't let the snakes fool you. They are not scarves. Apparently, when we looked at the snakes, they made quite an impression on the kids. This zoo day goes down as one of my favorites.

• 7. Have Grandma Langlois over for dinner. 

Sunday, March 27, 2022

We invited Grandma to join us for Sunday dinner. As per usual, Grandma brought the kids a plethora of treats. We asked Jess and Chris and my mom to join too. Grandma was able to meet baby George. Grandma didn't stay long and frantically dashed home to watch the Oscars. (Poor planning on my part. I've never watched the Oscars and checking when that aired didn't cross my mind.) Izzy got to hold George and it was the sweetest! James was heartbroken he couldn't hold George (Stupid cough). 

A lot of the activities on our Live List are free for the kids because they completed reading logs through PBS kids and in return got several free passes to museums, etc. (James got in free to the zoo, and the movie at the planetarium was also free.) I can't wait to get to more items on our Live List like the Living Room hike, the Alpine Slide, ice-skating, bowling at BYU with a necessary stop at the creamery after, and more. There is so much to live for year-round. After talking to my sister, I learned 3 upcoming things on her Live List are: Go to a daffodil festival, go to a baseball game, and start a clothesline. No matter where you are, or what season it is, making a Live List can help you realize what your area has to offer year-round, even during your least favorite season (Take that, winter). What's on your LIVE list?

The Homey Ditto Home

Our house is starting to match my style. We've done a few projects recently which have made a drastic difference.

1) Playroom: We got a fun, whimsical rug for this room. It adds a playful vibe to the space. My sister found the rug, so shoutout to Jill. We (mostly Andrew) also hung a gallery wall in the playroom with pictures from our latest photoshoot. Hanging the pictures was daunting and we had already put it off once after a night of failed attempts. Andrew did a wonderful job measuring all 8 photos ensuring that they were centered on the wall and exactly 2 inches apart. Using command strips to do the hanging proved to be much easier than nails. (We tried both.) The morning after we put up the gallery wall, Izzy excitedly proclaimed, "The pictures didn't even fall down!" Apparently, even she could tell we're novices. We rewarded ourselves with Cold Stone for finishing the gallery wall. It was kind of a headache to do. It was totally worth it though. The room is pretty elegant for a playroom. I just love it! For my birthday, my mom and sister got me a kid's table and stools. The kids love this table and use it all the time. It really finishes off the room nicely. 

The blue star rug is from Wayfair. The table and stools are from IKEA.

The frames are from IKEA and were $9.99 each. We ordered the pictures from Costco.

The room has been transformed. We've changed out the curtains, curtain rod, and flooring. I also painted the baseboards.

2) Kitchen light fixtures: We replaced the lights above our kitchen island as well as the light above our dining room table. When Andrew took down the old light fixtures, I noticed just how dusty they were. Oops, I should probably be embarrassed to admit that. I tell myself that maybe I would have liked the previous lights more dust-free, but yeah right. The new fixtures make a world of difference. Our ceilings are so high which made the light installation extra tricky. Changing the island lights seemed to be a 3-person job and fortunately, my dad was able to lend a hand. He brought his ladder and stabilized it while Andrew tinkered with the lights. In order for Andrew to be able to reach the lights, we had to put the ladder on top of the counter which was precarious. In my Mom's words, "Rick, you can't be falling and breaking your back!" Andrew risked potential bodily injuries and his back remained unbroken. Phew! Finding pendant lights that were long enough felt like a never-ending chore. After browsing the web for hours, I finally just decided to spend more money than I wanted on black pendants from Lightology. I didn't know I married an electrician, but Andrew is a self-taught master!

Close-up. We got the light from Amazon and it's significantly brighter than our old one.

3) Yardwork: Our yard will be our never-ending-project for the next several months/years. Last week we removed 2 poky, unattractive bushes as well as a pine tree. (I think the pine tree was starting to die and am sad we didn't get a pic.) We had dirt delivered to spruce up this area. We used all of the dirt and need to order more. The curb appeal of our house is infinitely better now. Our kids really enjoy being outdoors which makes it easy for us to get work done. I got a text while we were outside working on this project to go meet my new nephew, George. I jumped at the chance to meet this sweet boy and came over a hot, sweaty mess. James and George have birthdays 1 day apart. So thrilled George lives 2 minutes away.

He's so tiny!

Our house continues to move in the right direction and is feeling homier by the second. Come see for yourself! 

Birthday Boy!

When having to patiently wait for the arrival of your birthday is the hardest thing in your life, you're winning. James has been dying for it to be his birthday. The day before his birthday, he kept trying to move the day along, "Is it time for lunch yet?" "Can we go to bed yet?" I think at one point during the day, some tears were shed. James continuously listed off several more gift ideas until I reminded him that I had already purchased all of his presents. 

While James was asleep on the eve of his birthday, Andrew and I decorated his room. Andrew hung the streamers and I blew up 25 balloons. Not all children would sleep through this madness, but James did. There were a couple of scares when James started moaning and I fled the scene immediately, but it remained a surprise until morning. James woke up ecstatic and spent much more time than usual in his room on his birthday.

Note his pajamas. James is spunky and likes to wear pajamas that don't match most nights.

For breakfast, James requested pancakes. He got to open his presents from Grannie and set off to play with his new remote control car. I scheduled an appointment for James to get the Covid-19 vaccine since he's eligible and now 5 years old. Oh happy day! James dislikes getting shots, but he did better than last time. To help James forget about the shot, we got doughnuts on our way home which are his favorite. He surprised me with his flavor choice and picked a lemon raspberry doughnut. We tried a new show and James is now obsessed with Spiderman on Disney Plus. 

In the afternoon, we met 2 of James' friends (Harrison Hendricks and Elijah Bradshaw) at Luv 2 Play in Sandy.  It's an indoor play place with slides, balls to jump into, blocks to play with, things to shoot, etc. The reviews online were good, but I was definitely disappointed by the size compared to other places we have been. For the price, I expected it to be much bigger. The good news is that the size didn't matter to James. He could have stayed all day and was sprinting around like a mad-man. We were there for 2.5 hours and James wanted to stay even longer. When Izzy peed her pants on the slide, that was our cue to leave. James is already plotting what he'll do next time we go back. 

The kids played hard and definitely worked up a sweat. James requested a bath in my jetted tub. He also picked that we have Chick-Fil-A for dinner (which I may have encouraged). After hosting people for dinner multiple nights in a row, I was relieved to have a break from the kitchen. James got lots of clothes for his birthday. He's a growing boy. He also goes through pants at a rate that's hard to keep up with. He's constantly on the move and gets holes in his pants rapidly. We also got James a marble run set. He has been playing with that nonstop.

Showing off some of his new clothes.

Bio for James

James has a zest for life. He's very enthusiastic, energetic, and excited. I often hear big thuds and find him rolling around. He's constantly moving. James is intelligent. He likes chapter books and can sit through an entire chapter book in one sitting. I recently hosted primary activity days and it was book-themed. James asked if he could share his favorite book with all the 9-11-year-old girls which made me chuckle. He mentioned The Boxcar Children Series. He also enjoys listening to me read Ivy and Bean, Magic Treehouse, Junie B. Jones, and PJ Masks. He asks Alexa to play him stories throughout the day. James knows his letters. A proud parenting moment for me this week was when he asked how to spell my name and wrote out Jenna. James knows a ton about the Old Testament (more than many adults) and enjoys listening to Scripture Scouts.

James likes preschool most of the time. He's even started a "Clean Team" at preschool and he's the head of it. Who knew wiping things down with rags could be so entertaining? I guess bossing people around is pretty great. Izzy and I recently got to join James and his class on a field trip to the Firestation. James couldn't stop grinning and asked me to take lots of pictures. Later at the library, James picked a Curious George firefighter book and has told me he wants to be a firefighter.

James has the sweetest heart. At preschool, they've been trying to catch a leprechaun. After several attempts, they finally caught the leprechaun and he left treats. James saved some of the Rolos the Leprechaun brought to make sure Isabelle got one. He is the best big brother.

James loves to help work outside and boy could we use the help. Today we removed 2 hideous thorn bushes and a tree. James worked alongside Andrew, piling the new dirt into the wheelbarrow. James will eat almost anything and it feels like he snacks constantly! Tonight he had 3 bowls of soup. I swear he eats more than me! He appreciates my cooking. James is quite the builder and loves legos and magnet blocks. James also has a goofy and silly side and likes to make people giggle. James is super good at riding his bike! We go on bike rides often and I'm always surprised at how speedy he is. James still adores his 3 blankies. He is a well-rounded little boy.

Birthday season has come to a close (after James' bday dinner with my family tomorrow). Andrew, myself, and James are all older and wiser. Isabelle keeps saying her birthday is next week. Hate to break it to you honey, but it is going to be pretty tough to have to wait until July. We sure loved celebrating our Jamesy.