Cash's Latest

We are just so blessed to have this happy little guy in our family. Cash is now five and a half and is just growing up too fast. Although he's growing taller and stronger all the time, he is still the same little boy he's always been - with a love/passion for life and fun. He loves to play, play, play. We call him the energizer bunny sometimes, because he definitely has the happy energy to allow him to keep up that tough schedule of play, play, play too. We find it comical that one of the first things he asks his dad on his days off work is, "So...what do you want to play with me today dad?" His happiness and energy is contagious, he always has a big bright smile and bright attitude. We are so changed and often bored without his excitement and entertainment each day. We miss him so much and can't wait to have both the kids back home!

There's that big, happy smile we adore!

Speaking of growing, I have to add that Cash is such a good eater. He eats such a good variety and even asks me to make him things like stew. What kid asks for stew? And the reason...because it has carrots. He loves carrots and lately he tells us his favorite vegetable is broccoli (mac & cheese is his all time favorite meal though). We keep telling him all these healthy foods will make him big and strong like his dad (who he just idolizes) and he just can't get enough. He loves to go work out in the garage with Ty too and likes to show off that he can do pull-ups now, along with his sit-ups and push-ups.

I love these pictures because they show so much of Cash's personality. He is so silly and thinks he's so cool. He definitely has us laughing all the time. And they show his double-jointed fingers that we can't enough of.

Cash is cracking us up lately with all his new facial expressions. He has discovered a new found talent of raising his eyebrows and uses his talent as often as possible to add a bit of quirkiness to whatever he's saying. He also loves to crack us up by trying to tell us jokes. These usually don't make any sense - but it's just funny the effort he continues to put into them. For example: Cash - "Knock knock." Mom - "Who's there?" Cash - "A snake on your head". Ty told him a joke the other day that we now hear about ten times a day - Cash loves it. It goes: "What would you do if you got swallowed by an elephant?.....Run around until you get pooped out." Oh, how that makes Cash laugh.

Cash loves to go fishing. I'm sure he'll always be his dad's fishing buddy because they both just love being out doors, getting fresh air, relaxing, and hoping they'll hook a big one.

Cash is always happy to tease and trick us. Lately he's been playing a lot of jokes on us followed with an "I was just tricking you Dad." I'll have to read him the story of "the boy who cried wolf again" and see if it leaves any kind of impression :).

Cash loves to play in the water. He'd take three baths a day if he could and especially loved playing on the trampoline this summer with the sprinklers running under it.

I know you've seen this picture before, but is one of my all-time favorites of Cash. Again, just another example of the way he keeps us laughing.

Cash is still pretty competitive. He loves playing any kind of sport and loves to win. He has a hard time understanding that it's okay when we don't always win, not everyone is perfect all the time right? Wrong - according to Cash. We're working on that one.

Cash tells us he wants to be a missionary, a policeman, a fireman and lately, a sea lion feeder. I find it encouraging to see the way Cash truly wants to be good (unless we're talking about teasing his sister- ahhh). He genuinely feels bad when he makes mistakes and he suprises me with the things he is grasping in regard to the church and the things we're trying to teach him. I'm pretty proud of the fact that he always tells everyone that he wants to be a missionary when he grows up.  I hope he sticks to his young guns and remains worthy to be just that. 

I have to record an experience where Cash truly shined and was such an example to me: Our Stake was challenged to be better missionaries and we were asked to make a special effort to invite a friend to church on a particular Sunday. Then all of our meetings on that Sunday were especially designed to teach and encourage those that might be visiting us. So prior to that Sunday, in Primary, we really beefed up our effort to encourage our kids to make these invitations - who better to invite their friends to Church than such pure and sweet kids who seem fearless to do such things right? Well, that was exactly what Cash was. He came home from Church that day, we had lunch, and he took a nap. Just after he woke up from his nap, we went outside to play a bit and while I was sitting there watching the kids, he started walking over to our neighbor's house. I shouted out to him to come back and when he got closer, I asked him what he was doing. He responded by telling me he wanted to invite Kathy, our neighbor, to Church (and he even had our little paper invitation, that had been passed out in Primary that day, in his hand to give her). I thought he would have forgotten all about it but the message really sank in for him. So we went to our neighbor's and invited her to Church. But seriously, I thought - what a little missionary. Children truly can teach us so many things and I know I was taught by Cash's example that day.  I was so proud of him.

Cash loves to go to Primary. As soon as Sacrament Meeting is over, he books it to his Primary class all by himself (and has since he first became a Sunbeam). He's usuallly very careful to remember to take his "scriptmures" to class and on the rare occasion that he forgets them, he will go to the Library by himself and ask for a copy to take to class. Since I'm in Primary, I get to witness his desire to participate and answer questions. He always has his hand up and is so proud of himself when he gets an answer correct. I love to see him learning and wanting/loving to learn about our Savior and His Church.

In addition to being a missionary, Cash tells us he wants to be a policeman and a firefighter. Yikes - some dangerous jobs - those will keep his mother worrying. And of course lately, (in relation to our Oregon Coast trip I think) he tells us he wants to be a sea lion feeder. And he doesn't just want to be one of these things, but all of them - at the same time :).  He's such a hoot.

Cash loves to tell us bed-time stories. Cash has always pretty much stayed up until we go to bed (he thinks he's going to miss out on something if we try to put him to bed earlier and never ends us going to sleep until we do anyway...so...to compensate, he still usually takes naps) and it has kind of become tradition for us to tell eachother bed-time stories. Ty takes a shower right before bed and so while he's in the bathroom, Cash will climb into bed with me and we'll take turns telling eachother stories. He even occasionally gets to hear some from daddy when he's done in the shower (who always has such creative and scary stories that Cash loves) before we make him go get into his bed. Cash has some pretty creative ones himself too that he tells us.   It's a lot of fun.

Cash loves to feel the baby kicking and will just randomly put his hands on my tummy to see if she'll kick him.

Cash is completely facsinated with money right now. He loves getting his quarter each day for doing all of his chores and is always telling us what he's going to buy with his money. His new favorite store is Kings (which has a pretty good selection of cheap toys and some quater machines that the kids love) and he always talks about going there with his money. We even regularly hear him in his bedroom at night, after we've gone to bed, clanking his coins around and counting them by flashlight.

Cash's first day of Pre-School, 2011. He just had to wear his sun glasses. He looks like such a stud-muffin. We often call him that and sometimes, when I'm finished with his hair in the morning, he'll ask, "Do I look like a stud-muffin?"

Hilarious story that I just have to record:

This summer we attended one of Ty's co-worker's weddings. It was followed by a BBQ-type reception and we enjoyed our meal with many of Ty's other co-workers - most of whom drink alcohol. We had just sat down with our food and Cash said he wanted apple juice to drink. We told him there wasn't any apple juice but that daddy would get him a pop in just a second. Cash was very disappointed and kept begging for apple juice. We couldn't figure out why he was making such a big deal out of it. While we got all settled with our food, Cash wandered back over to the food tables (where we figured he'd look for apple juice, find there wasn't any and return to our table). In that same instant, I happened to realize that our friends' plastic cups were filled with beer, but to a child it would perhaps appear that they were filled with apple juice. Upon realizing that this is probably why Cash was so adament about having apple juice and not believing us that there really wasn't any (when he could "plainly" see our friends with "apple juice"), I quickly explained this to Ty and told him he'd better go grab Cash. As we turned to look at the food tables, we could see Cash just starting to return to us with "apple juice" in hand - looking rather pleased with himself. Oh, how Ty's co-workers laughed and laughed as they saw Ty take the beer out of Cash's hand and lead him back to the tables to pick out a pop instead - they teased Ty and asked him how in the world he explained that one to his son. Cash was so upset which sadly only added to the hilarity of the situation. We had a good little follow-up talk about that one on the way home. :)

Some of the funny things Cash has said recently:

"Whatever!" and "Yeah right Mom." - I keep thinking he shouldn't be talking like this still for a few more years :)

The other night we went to Arctic Circle for ice cream and Cash asked why there were so many cars driving around. Before we could answer the question, he said, "I think some are just drivin' and some are out making girlfriends." We just laughed, thinking where does he come up with this stuff?

That same night while we're sitting there eating ice cream, I suddenly smelled a terrible stench and asked Cash if he farted. He just looked at me and admitted with a mischievious sneer, "Yep...twice." What a boy!

No matter how hard we try to correct him, Boise's football team, to Cash, is the Boise "Steak" Broncos.

One day, as we were driving in the car, Cash brought up the topic of what happens to us when we die. He said, "I don't want to turn into a skeleton." I thought it was so sweet the way his little mind works and tries to figure things out. I tried to put his mind at ease with the happier parts of what we know will happen to us after we die.

Later that week, Cash had caught yet another grasshopper in a jar, and we were trying to explain to him that he would want to release it later that day so that it didn't die (like the last couple he'd captured). He asked me, "Will my grasshopper be resurrected?" Another teaching moment presented.

Out of the blue one day, when I asked Cash to do something for me, he replied by putting his hands together in front him, bowing, and saying, "Yes, your magesty." I laughed so hard that of course he does it more often just because he knows I get a kick out of it. Vanna has caught on too and I often have both my kids responding to my requests with, "Yes, your magesty." Don't I have them trained well? :)

Cash likes to give us ultimatums (perhaps I do that too often myself and that's where he gets it from). He'll say "This is your two chances." But what he means is, "This is your two choices or options." and then he'll proceed to tell us what they are like he's in charge. So funny.

In Cash's prayers lately, he usually always includes the following phrase, "Thank you for this opportunity." He never states what that opportunity is, but its funny how grown up it sounds coming from him. It also reminds us that perhaps we're a little too repetitve in our own prayers when we say things like, "We are grateful for the opportunity...."

Wow - this kid keeps us hopping, smiling, laughing and completely worn out but oh we just love him so much. We are grateful for such a good boy and for the spirit he brings into our home. We can't wait to have him fill it up again with his energy. Love you buddy!!!