"No! By Self!!"

Ethan has become ever more independent lately, as 2-year-olds tend to be. He has really been trying our patience, this week especially. He has to get in his car seat by himself, buckle up by himself, turn off the faucet himself after washing his hands, turn on the dishwasher, turn on or off lights, turn on his music, go up and down stairs without help, climb down from the changing table, get in and out of the tub, and the list goes on. If we happen to infringe on his freedom, gets upset and says, "No! By self!" and has to undo whatever we did and have to do it again himself (he will even climb up on the changing table just so he can get down himself if we don't let him do it in the first place). We must need to learn a lot more patience. We just hope we learn our lesson soon because sometimes it seems ridiculous!

We celebrated Kyle's birthday on Monday with a birthday pie (since Jen forgot to buy carrots for the carrot cake she planned on making). Rather than use 28 candles Kyle thought it would be fun to use binary. A true engineer.


We went to Jen's mission reunion on Friday night as a family. It was fun seeing so many familiar faces and showing off the kids. We hadn't been to this reunion for about a year and a half. It is hard to believe that I will have been home for 5 years in July. My mission president has been a General Authority for nearly 3 years so it has been fun to hear him speak of some amazing experiences he has had with several of the apostles. He also shared with us how the members of the 12 are how you would expect a grandpa to be when they are enjoying free time. In fact, he said he and Elder Oaks were in an airport recently laughing about a funny list online about General Authorities and peanut butter cups. We found it and posted it below. It is really quite funny, and fun to know that those who it is about like it too.

Top Ten Ways General Authorities Eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cups:

10. Paul H. Dunn: "I remember back in WWII that I ate a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Back then, they were big enough to live on for a week. Being the only soldier to have survived the battle in my brigade, I really didn't know if I could eat it or not, but I remember my fallen buddy's words as he died in my arms: "Paul, if you just take one bite at a time you can tackle anything." So I took that giant cup and, breaking it with the bat Babe Ruth gave me after I struck him out with two outs in the bottom of the ninth in the seventh game of the World Series, proceeded to wolf down the tiny morsels."

9. David B. Haight: "Imagine 70 years ago on a rough road between Idaho and Logan. There were no Circle K's, no 7-11's. You had to bring your Peanut Butter Cups with you. Ruby and I split one for the first time in 1937. . ."

8. Dallin H. Oaks: "The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup challenges us to consume. >From the beginning there have been three steps in eating a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. First, remove the wrapper. This is best done quickly, by turning the cup over, grasping the outer fold and pulling away from the bottom, Second. . ."

7. Joseph B. Wirthlin: "When I was young I would sprint to the corner store, buy a Reese's and run my hand through my hair before taking it down in one bite. These days I don't sprint, and I have no hair, but the peanut butter cup remains."

6. Richard G. Scott: "If you have not eaten a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, I plead with you. Eat one now. Enjoy the chocolate, the peanut butter. Do not delay. If you have thought, "That's not for me", I plead with you to reconsider. Of all foods I treasure, this one was the first."

5. M. Russell Ballard: "The time has come when members of the church need to reach out to our friends and share a cup, a peanut butter cup. It is not enough to raise a chocolate bar, it must now have peanut butter."

4. Thomas S. Monson: "I remember I ate my first Reese's Peanut Butter Cup when I was a tender lad of eight. My mother came up to me, and with a loving twinkle in her eye, asked, 'Tommy, are you eating a Reese's?' And I would invariably smile up to her, 'Yes, Yes, I am.' 'But Tommy, did you know that Sister Jensen next door hasn't eaten a Reese's Cup in years?' My young mind thought upon the plight of my neighbor* Tears were shed. Hearts were gladdened. A cup was shared."

3. Boyd K. Packer: "In all my years, I have always eaten my Reese's Peanut Butter Cups the same way - the established way we have been instructed to eat them. There is a far greater evil in this world, though - those who believe they can eat their cups in a way unconventional to the time-honored manner. We must be true and faithful and eat our Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in the customary and recognized approach as it has been established."

2. Neal A. Maxwell: "I intentionally initiate the delicious design of deglutition of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup by nibbling a negligible nit of the culinary creamy cavalcade. It is exclusively through small entities that the great things are fabricated."

AND THE #1 WAY* J. Golden Kimball: "H---, Heber, I'll eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup any d----- way I want!"