Dad, all you do is 3d print stuff for us all day?

So, we got a 3d printer last week and we've been making good use of it recently.  Due to the covid-19 pandemic, I have been working from home for the last month and now as I work from home I can also 3d print stuff.

You have been very excited about getting the 3d printer. You were my number 1 helper putting it together and screwed in pretty much all the bolts.  You are always asking me to make stuff for it, and when we are printing something, you and Alyssa continually disappear for a moment to check on it no matter what else we're doing.

Today while I was trying to get some work done (I still the same full-time workload of classes and research), you said that we should get some of those firefighting robots from the youtube videos we sometimes watch.  Then you asked to watch some robot videos on youtube with me.  I said I was busy and had to work.  You replied, 'Dad, all you do is 3d print stuff for us all day!'  I was a little confused...  You continued, "Yeah you used to do other stuff with us, like watch firefighting robot videos on Youtube and now all you do is 3d print toys for us all day" 

Sorry buddy for being such a boring Dad and spending all my days 3d printing toys for you.  We'll have to get back to watching more YouTube together!  😁

Brothers!

You, Joel and Kent are all now old enough to play together.  It is so fun to watch the three of you interact.  You are old enough to know what you want and to communicate it and to build all your own legos, duplos etc.  Joel says simple sentences and can make his voice heard.  He builds basic duplo creations.  Kent is known as the 'destroyer of toys', oftentimes you and Joel shout at him when he comes to tear apart your creations.  He is getting better though.  This week he put his first two duplo blocks together and was visibly pleased with himself.

The three of you love to go outside and ride your bikes.  You love to play duplos and legos together and also to play pretend.  Sometimes you guys fight.  You are getting better are working with Kent and helping to find toys to distract him so that he stays away from wrecking your stuff and Joel's stuff.

You have also been teaching Joel things.  We are trying to get him to pee in the toilet and you have been good at explaining and demonstrating how it works.  We also overheard you teaching Joel in the bathtub, "Do you know what happens when you fart in the Tub? ... it makes bubbles."

You are just like me in a lot of ways.  You love to stay up late and work on projects.  You are my number one helper when I'm doing a project, like fixing the dryer, building shelves or assembling and using the 3d printer.  You are always coming up with invention ideas.  About two years ago while riding my bike around the river I thought, I should design a bike that can go on water.   I later discovered that someone already invented such a bike.  Last week on your first bike ride around the river, you said something along the lines of  "We should build a bike that can ride in the river."   That's pretty good that you came up with the idea the first time biking around the river.  It took me dozens of times.

You love to be involved and included.  Tonight Mom and Alyssa had to go do an errand and visit a friend's house and you were really upset that you couldn't go.  You came inside and lay down on your floor in frustration.  It was so cute to hear you explain to Joel how you felt and why you were feeling that way.  It is fun to see you guys as friends and brothers.

Staying at home and avoiding COVID-19

We've all been home for the last two weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  You've developed a good 4-yr old level understanding of the disease.  When we are outside playing with the neighborhood girl, I have heard you say " WATCH OUT she might have the CORONAVIRUS!"

Nana sent you all packages in the mail of something you could play with.  As usual, you were very excited for your package to arrive.  Yesterday, Alyssa's came in the morning, Joel's came in the afternoon and yours came in the evening.

Today you reminded me to call Nana so that we could tell her thanks.  You thanked her and said that yours arrived the earliest!  Me, mom and Alyssa all had a sudden realization about what you meant by saying you woke up early today!  You meant that you slept in!  For the record you are the one who generally goes to bed the latest and sleeps in the longest.  You love to tinker with duplos, legos or whatever at night before you go to bed and you hate to quit a project to go to bed.  In the morning everyone reliably wakes up well before you.   Some of us are done with breakfast by the time you get up.  But, your mother makes an effort to sit at the table with you while you eat and teach you letters and stuff.  This means she is at the breakfast table for like 2 hours a day.  You also eat the slowest!  We love you!

Tonight we made masks to protect ourselves (or for fun).  You are the king of PPE!

FHE by Taft

Today was your first day fully planning and executing an FHE.  You were very very very excited.  In in a kind of random hodgepodge planning session you explained to Mom excitedly about a dozen different ideas that you had seen in the friend in the past few weeks.  Finally the moment came for family home evening to start.  We sang I am a child of God, which both you and Alyssa conducted. 

You had us put on blind folds and follow the iron rod from your room, down the hallway to the family room. The iron rod was a piece of string about 1 ft long that you pulled each of us along with.  When we reached the end and asked so where are we, you explained we are here! 

You brought scriptures to each of us and asked us to share something we liked, or something we had heard of.  Alyssa shares first and then you threw tantrum because you wanted to go first.  You didn't want her to steal the show.  But actually she was really stealing the scripture I had picked.  She turned to the same page as me and read the verse that was highlighted in my page.  After the tantrum, this activity was over.

You setup a puppet show to teach something.  Like how God created animals.  It was very lovely.  Joel was laughing a lot, but Mom and I didn't quite get it. 

I just have big feet

After Taft's diaper had fallen off:
Dad:. These diapers haven't fit you for 6 months
Taft: I just have big feet.

His Spirit Warms My Soul

Doug and Amanda got married today. Taft was eager to see the temple and wanted to go inside. I took him in the foyer and showed him a picture of Jesus. I told him we can feel Jesus' love in the temple. I picked him up and he started singing/humming "I Feel My Savior's Love" and then he sang "his Spirit Warms my soul". Taft could feel the peace of the temple. I'm thankful I could spend that time with him for a few brief moments in the temple.

Actually

I made a lot of cookies today. You wanted to eat them all! We were having a snack with piles of cookies sitting around us and you repeatedly said, "Actually, cookies are good for me."

While praying today at lunch you said, "Please bless Joel, I knock him over."

I find it almost unfair to the other children that you are so funny. But I'm always laughing over something coming out of your mouth these days.