You're a turtle.

 Ephraim,

You are one of a kind. I could brag about you all day. 

You're funny. You put a lego up your nose and it really freaked you out. Good thing Jeff taught you how to plug one nostril and blow or else it might still be up there. 

You're humble. You hit the counter with a metal thing and had the consequence of running around the track. You went (and always go) the first time I ask. 

You're a real friend. Jeff was gone at a YM campout with Dad the last few days, you spoke often about how much you missed him. You and Meriden love to draw together and write each other notes. You and Russell have so much fun pretending that sometimes it seems like you're in another world. When Christian is crying  and I'm busy making dinner or whatever, you don't wait to be asked, you run to him and just start playing with him. When Estella cries you speak sweet and kind to her. 

You're hard working. You love to get your jobs done on your chart and you really work at it until it's done. You do a great job at unloading the dishwasher, cleaning the bathroom and even helping others with their jobs. While Jeff as gone you folded his clothes without even being asked. 

You're a turtle. You love to carry a backpack everywhere you go with toys, water a snack and sometimes even a change of clothes 

You're a picky eater. Oh boy, if its not hot dogs or pasta or a burrito you are probably going to struggle to eat it. 

You love maps. You carry around maps looking at them. We have a big interactive map that you love to study and learn the names of counties. 

You're a fast reader. Jeff and Meriden struggled to learn to read and every time you read I'm so surprised how fast you process the sounds and form them into words. You like reading. 

You're just super easy going. You need hardly any attention. I really have to make an effort to single you out because you're just super independent and happy to just be. 

You have a big smile with one big tooth right now. It's so cute. You give the best hugs and are just so sweet. 

Ephraim my heart is filled with love for you. I just really like being around you and I think you're just awesome. 

Love,

Mom

Read your first scripture!

  Ephraim you are so delightful. You are everyone’s best friend. You and Meriden love to listen to music together. You and Jeff love to climb jump and be crazy together. You and Russell love to imagine together. Estella loves how you push her around in a tote or a laundry basket. You love to pick up Christian and play with him and make him laugh. 

Today you read your first verse of scripture! 1 nephi 1:1. You read the words: in, and, I, the and was. You were so proud and colored each of throes words. 

You look so grown up now that you lost your front baby tooth and have a big one instead. You say the cutest things and are so forgiving. You are reading so good and even bring the book to me because you want to learn. You helped dad work on lava bags today in the láva lab. He said you counted to 35! 

You are such a great help for me when we’re cleaning the house. I just love you so much Ephraim!

Message to grown up self

 I hate my grown up self actually I love it. Hi my name is Joe. I love you self. I love yelling like this ::screams:: a shooting tongue 

Reach The Stars

Ephraim you’ve grown up so much. You say the cutest things. Last night we had gotten home late and you fell asleep in the car. You sleepily woke up as dad carried you in and as dad carried you in you said, dad, can you reach the stars? Then reached your hand up and said, “I got one.” This is Dad writing now. Even when you make me mad I can’t be made back because you are so cute. You say the cutest things all the time.

Ephraim Loves Jesus

We let Ephraim sleep in from his nap until 5:00 which is way too late. So after putting all the kids to bed at 8:30 at 10:00 Ephraim was just lying in bed wide awake. As I was turning off all the lights and locking all the doors I went in and check on him. The lights were off and he had both Meriden and Jeff's night light pillows on in his bed on the bottom bunk. I crouched down to give him a kiss and say goodnight when I asked, "What are you thinking about?" he replied, "Jesus has lots of light." I told him, "You're right, Jesus is the light of the world." Then he said, "Yeah, Jesus died." Then I said, "Then he came back alive right?" "Yeah, I love Jesus," Ephraim replied. I could tell he had those lights on and Ephraim was deep in thought. It makes me so happy to know that he has such a close relationship with Jesus. Ephraim keep close to your Savior Jesus Christ. He is the light of the world and the only way to light and truth and true everlasting happiness. I have a firm testimony borne of the Spirit that Jesus is the Christ and what the scriptures teach of him is true.

Ephraim is so cute I can't handle it sometimes. Usually every night he comes and jumps in bed with me and Im such a deep sleeper that I don't notice until a few hours later. Usually once he has smashed me into Cherise is when I groggily take him back to his tiny bed. He love the word tiny and it is so cute how he says it. Today as I was writing an article Ephraim was trying to take a nap on our bed. I jumped in bed with him and snuggled for a minute and kissed his cheeks. Ephraim has soft cheeks. Then as I resumed writing he fell asleep. Ephraim I am blessed to have you in my life. Even though you are 3 you have a love of music and animals and you have a very tender heart. Even though you can be stubborn at times. You are mostly potty trained day and night. You are the fastest so far to do that out of our kids. The worst words to hear when I am working is, "Dad, come and wipe me." We help you wipe properly and you yell that until we come. Cherise has trained you well. I love you Ephraim.

Love Dad.

youre talking more!

 A lot has happened in the last two months. When I took you to your two month check up at the doctor the doctor said that you would qualify for speech therapy. I called kids that count and they started testing you and confirmed that you qualify for help. A hearing specialist and a speech therapist come in and teach  me ways to help you to talk. What's crazy, is about a week before they started helping, you started talking or your own a lot more. You are now saying thank you in a much more understandable way and without any prompting, no you say this a lot, mine-  very necessary word to say to your two older siblings. You are doing so well. You say bubbles hungry and the word you say the most is always nana. You adore baby Russell.  you prefer to touch him in every way possible all the time. He is not  A fan  of your affection unfortunately.
 You're finally giving kisses. You only get them when we point to an area and say owie. When I ask for a kiss you still offer your cheek very freely. You figured out how to climb the neighbors fence and by climb,  I mean climb all the way up and down on the other side. And in  your mind there is  nothing you can't do. It will take you far in life that strong determination that comes so naturally to you. You are so sweet. I get comments constantly how white your hair is. In the winter it's blonde but in the summer it's white.  You are a 6:30 AM alarm clock. Almost to the dot you start crying right at 6:30. You learned how to climb out of your crib about a month ago. We now have you sleep in a little tent inside of your crib in order to keep you in bed.  You are so cute when you run with your short little rugs. Dad always says you melt horse little gizzard. You love to get wet and throw rocks in the water. Charlotte is still your favorite person.  I love you little Ephraim!! Love Mom 

Happy 2nd Birthday!

My sweet little Ephraim,

You have changed a lot over the last few months. You are so independent. There is nothing in your mind's eye that you can't do. If you're hungry, you push a kitchen chair from the dining room to the counter and help yourself to a banana, to which you generally only eat half, an orange, which you peel one small peel away and then attempt to devour what's inside through the one hole dripping juice everywhere, an apple which you frequently take a few bites and come back to it all browned later and continue eating it, at times only leaving the core left. Or, you'll open the pantry door, climb the shelf to get to some pretzels. You love to eat and almost always if you're sad, it's because you're hungry. Meriden and Jeffrey were so grouchy if they didn't get a nap but you do pretty well if you don't get a nap. You are happiest while you're eating or right after. You're kind of unpredictable when it comes to food though. Sometimes you love eggs other times you hate them. Same goes with beans, bread, carrots, cucumbers, and just about anything. You always love fruit though. Oranges and strawberries are probably your favorites. If you're eating something like an orange you'll try and shove as many slices in your mouth as possible. You used to like almonds but not anymore. When you're done eating you almost always start throwing your food on the floor and everything we've tried doing to get your to stop this habit hasn't worked... While cooking dinner you bring a chair to the counter and try snitching whatever food you possibly can.

You are not a talker. You are a grunter (and a pointer). Ever since you could make noise you've always loved Charlotte our pig and would make a noise similar to clearing your throat (similar to a pig snort) when you wanted to be heard. You now speak these words:
-please (peeees)
-thank you (eh uh)
-Daddy
-Mom (maam)
-baby
-banana (nana)
-ba (water, milk, drink)
-bye
-hi
-eyes
-nose (while reading scriptures if we say the word 'know' you point to your nose
-ears (while reading scriptures if we say the word 'year' you point to your ears

You love routine and after breakfast you go right to scripture power corner and start getting the book of mormons out. After scripture power you go to your room ready to get dressed. After you get dressed you look for your shoes.

You can climb so good! Any ladder, fense, chair, table, slide, couch, you can climb it all. It's pretty incredible! I always think where you might lack in desire to talk you far make up for in your physical ability. You run, hike, jump on the tramp... You'll put chairs next to each other in order to reach something. You love to climb the fence around the ponies and sit on top of Charlottes house for sometimes 30 minutes or more at a time. When we hike you run and trip and fall and get back up without it hardly phasing you about 100 times. You swing on your tummy.

You love flushing toilets, pulling a chair to the garage and opening the big garage door, dumping any bucket of toys you can get your hands on, you love playing in the bathtub.

You are an animal lover. Every time you see an animal you get so excited. Charlotte has been your best friend since you were about 8 months old. She doesn't share the same feelings for you though. When we see a dog you get so excited and run towards it wanting to pet it. You notice birds I don't even see. You love the ponies, and cats and every animal. You are already good at riding Sweetie and can hold on well.

You get excited when you hear and see an airplane or a train and say Mam! Mam! I think what you want to say is, Mom, do you hear that airplane? That is so cool! Look how high it is! I can't believe it. But with wide eyes and a big smile all you say it, Mam! Mam!

You are my first child to take a bottle and my first child to not take a binky. From the time I weaned you from breast feeding, you have taken a bottle of milk when you go to sleep. Last fall we realized that sometimes you would throw up after drinking your bottle. We started giving you almond milk after that. Sometime in January or February we tried to be much better about not giving you a bottle anymore so now we give you a spill proof sippy cup or water bottle when you go to sleep. You love snuggling up in your blanket going to sleep and almost always go right to sleep.

You are so tender and affectionate. Yesterday we were hiking up Covered Bridge Canyon and Meriden was lagging behind you ran back to her and put your arm around her waist and helped her walk faster. You give great hugs. When you hit you quickly will say sorry with a hug. Sometimes when we are sitting on the couch you will come sit next to us and put your arm around our back or grab our arm to put around yourself. Everytime we ask for a kiss you just turn your cheek to receive one. I think you have only kissed Dad once on the cheek and it was probably an accident.

You love Russell. You always get so happy when he is around and anytime you can you will lay on top of him smothering him with hugs and head pats. You give bones or knuckles like your Uncle Jeremy by bending your wrist like him and giving bones.

You play in the sandbox for hours.

We love you with all of our hearts. Your hugs are worth a million dollars.

Happy 2nd Birthday little one.
Love,
Mom and Dad