Burger Cook Off

Resurrection tried a new fund raiser this year and we just had to try it.  It was called TriFest.  It was a Burger Cook off and Inflatables during the day and a beer garden at night.  The boys entered the Burger Cook off on a team with Andy and Paps.  The name of our team was RRR, which represented three generations of Rudolph men cooking.

This was a family affair.  Mommy made the whole team matching aprons and decorated our tent.   Grandma cleaned and prep the toppings. Andy and Paps focused on the recipe and Lucas and Adam participated in every way allowed.  We all sampled burgers throughout the summer to perfect our recipe.

The day of the event it happened to be 101 degrees out so it was miserable, but we had a good time.  The boys helped grind the meat.  They helped flip the burgers on the griddle and they answered the judges questions when asked.  Lucas was the team captain.  He told the judges that we made a Rudolph Rub BBQ Burger and the secret ingredient was Rudolph Rub, but that recipe was a secret.

The boys played in the sprinklers to stay cool while the adults stayed in the shade as much as possible.  The boys had their hearts set on winning the contest but we prepared them for the worst case scenario.

When it came time for awards they asked for the team representatives to come up front.  There were three teams and of course the rest were headed up by adults, but the boys looked adorable.  We won 1st place and the boys got a trophy and $200.  They were so excited!!  They donated their money to the Disney jar for our next vacation and proudly display their trophy in their bedroom.

It was a day to remember to see Paps, Andy, and the boys all cooking together!

Lucas Interview

Lucas is wears his emotions on his sleeve.  When he is happy, he just can't contain it and will be talking a mile a minute with excitement.  When he is mad, everyone around him knows it.  He feels all his emotions strongly.  He has a very kind, sweet side that no everyone gets to see, but is very present.

Lucas loves cooking and has started making his own recipes.  He specialty right now is stir fry.  He likes bacon, mushroom, pea stir fry the most right now.

He continues to love all electronics and video games.  We limit screen time to 30-60 minutes a day and he takes up everyone and tries to get even more. 

I interviewed Lucas and here are his responses.

Age: 6
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Food: Spaghetti
We he grows up he wants to be a Chef.
Favorite Animal: Snails
Favorite TV Show: 7D
Favorite Movie: Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Favorite Thing to do: Wait around and be sciency
Favorite Book: Tyler Florence story books
Favorite Video Game: Computer games with levels
Friends: Tod, Jac, Max, Asher, and Will
Favorite Place to Visit: Grandma's
Favorite Place to Vacation: Disney World
Favorite Disney Ride: The are all too fun to just pick one!

Silly Adam

I thought it would be a good time to do a blog post on each of the boys to update everyone on what they have been up to.  Adam is a little guy (44 in ~ 38 lbs) with a big personality.  He has never met a stranger and loves to tell stories and play pretend.  He will frequently introduce himself and then follow up with, I'm Lucas's "brodder".  Adam loves to be silly and is very proud of it.  I find myself frequently saying, "There is a time to be silly and a time to be serious."  Basically, anytime Mommy is asking him to do something it's time to be serious. He is full of energy and loves to do things his way and at his speed.  There is no speeding this boy up and although he is full of energy is only speed is extremely slow!  Although I'm frequently frustrated at his speed and he says that I'm always fussing at him, I envy his ability to just sit back and have fun and not feel like he needs to be on a schedule.  Hopefully, he will keep this trait to the extent that he isn't as schedule driven as his parents.  He definitely brings laughter and joy to our house everyday.  

 

He loves Star Wars and has since he was a toddler.  He recently asked me "Mom, you know Star Wars is my life, right?"  He plays Star Wars with his light sabers and costumes. He plays Star Wars with his Legos.  He plays Star Wars with his Star Wars Angry Birds.  He plays Star Wars with his action figures and numerous space ships.  He frequently asks us to read him Star Wars books and he likes to watch Star Wars the Clone Wars.  He LOVES Star Wars!  

Adam also just loves to play. I swear he can make up a make believe story line and play pretend with two tissues.   He plays with his utensils at dinner, plays with food, plays with his shoes, anything he can get his hands on.  He has lots of toys and gravitates toward action figures because he can play pretend the most with them.  He doesn't like to do chores, do crafts, read books, or take a bath because he always wants to play.

Adam is very brave and will many times talk about protecting his big brother from the bullies at school.  He wants to be a Scientist Inventor, when he grows up, in order to make the world a better place.  He recently wrote his Kindergarten a letter in response to a postcard he received.  It said, "If there are any kids who have no one to play with, I will play with him or her."  I was so touched that his was the first thought that popped into his mind.  He frequently asks me about my Mom and what she used to do with me and where she took me. etc.  He talks about her so much that his Pre-K teacher thought that she had recently passed away.  I had to explain that he had never met his Grandma Patty as she died about 18 years ago.  It's amazing how he can see how much I love her and still do and he picked up on those unspoken feelings.  Adam is very caring and thoughtful.  He uses this to his advantage as I many times find him giving me extra hugs and kisses right after he has disobeyed me in an effort to make up for his behavior.  Unfortunately, it normally works ;)

Adam has many detailed plans for his future.  He wants to marry Ava (adorable little girl in the picture below).  Beginning in Pre-School he wanted to marry Alayna, my best friends daughter.  He talked about their wedding, the house he is going to build for them, their kids (If Lucas dies and he has a son, he wants to name him Lucas, if it's ok with his wife.), their jobs, etc.  During his Pre-K year he decided Ava was the girl for him.  Ava's Mom recently got married, so Ava returned his feelings, which made Adam very happy.  They had a pretend wedding at school and Ava brought him a gold ring.  When it came time to say "I do", he ran away and said that his Mommy had told him that he couldn't get married until he was bigger.  Adam really wants to be a Dad, probably because he's got such a good one!  He is always asking about family and how people are related.  Family is very important to him already and he knows he wants one.  He frequently says, "when I have kids I'm going to ....", normally this is his way of criticizing my parenting, but I love that he has such a vision for his future.  I hope he continues to have a vision and make plans long into the future.

 Unfortunately, Ava is not going to Resurrection and Adam is very sad. He frequently talks about Ava and wonders how they will be able to get married if they are not in school together.  Ava's stepmom and I took the kids to lunch one day this summer and it was a hoot.  Adam asked to wear his fedora and perfume.  Ava wore a dress and pearls.  We met at a Chinese Buffet.  The kids hugged and giggled just like they were on a date.  They sang songs from Frozen and ballroom danced at some point.  Ava gave Adam a few peaks on the cheek and by the end of the lunch, I caught Adam kissing her cheeks as well.  When it was time to leave they both gave each other a bear hug and my little heart just broke for them.  I told Andy I think I took Adam on his first date and witnessed his first kiss and here I thought we were just going to lunch. 

Here's a few more random Adam facts:
He does not like to eat vegetable at all.  We can some times force broccoli and peas.
He recently had his first hamburger and loved it.
He eats everything with ketchup, chocolate, meat, veggies, fruit, pasta, everything!
He doesn't like to sit and do school work or color or write or anything that has to do with learning.
He loves to dance.
He has a great ability to tune out anyone telling him what to do.
He is in a defiant stage right now, where he does the opposite of what we ask
He adores his big brother and his cousin Noah!
He doesn't like going outside because he is sensitive to bug bites and easily sunburned.
He loves video games.
He loves Disney World.
He is donating all his chore money to our Disney fund so that Mommy and Daddy don't have to work so much.
He loves staying home so that he can play!

I did a back-to-school interview with Adam and here were his answers.

Age: 5
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Food: Grilled Cheese
When he grows up he wants to be a Scientist.
Favorite Animal: Farm - Chicken; Zoo - Gorilla
Favorite TV Show: PacMan
Favorite Movie: Mater's Tall Tales
Favorite Thing to do: Play
Favorite Book: Aniken to the Resce
Favorite Video Game: Kirby's Epic Yarn
Friends: Ava, Waylon, and Brayden
Favorite Place to Visit: Zoo
Favorite Place to Vacation: Disney
Favorite Disney Ride: Astro Orbiter

1st Day of School

The boys had their first day of school today.  Adam started Kindergarten with Mrs. McBride and Lucas started 1st grade with Mrs. Meyer.  Andy and I both went to drop them off.  As we were going up the steps, Adam yelled behind him, "Mom, you don't have to go up with us, I know what we are doing!"  I was ready to let them go on their own, but I wanted to at least get to say good bye. As I hugged Lucas, he began to cry so Andy and I walked him to his classroom.  He was just nervous about a new teacher, new class, and new routine.  He started taking deep breaths on his own and put on his brave face as we left.   We then went to check on Adam and tell him good bye.  Mrs. McBride said he came on in, hung up his stuff, and was already playing.  I interrupted his playtime with the legos to ask him to tell me good bye.  He gave me kiss and went right back to playing. 

Andy and I both went to pick up the boys as well, so that we could get a fresh perspective.  Lucas said his day was great and that his only homework was for us.  He got 20 blessings and all in all seemed happy with his day.  Adam was very nervous and said he did some bad things and he was scared to tell us.  We assured him that he wouldn't get in trouble and should tells us.  "I licked my finger and wiped it on something that wasn't mine. Then Mrs. McBride used her mean voice and told me not to do that again", he explained.   Every time we asked how his day was he answered, "Great, except when she used the mean voice!"  Adam was a little disappointed that he didn't get any blessings, but said he rose his hand a bunch!  Blessings and reminders start in a few weeks!  I was glad he didn't like the mean voice and took her seriously because this means that he is likely to listen to his teacher.

We celebrated a successful first day with ice cream and the boys almost fell asleep on the way home.  We are very excited to have both of the boys in this great school and for all that they will learn this year!