26 December, 2009

its not about the gifts

Its about Family and those you love,
and the time spent with them
Tis' the seasonspending time at Grandma Ruthie's and Grandpa Val's

Aunt Margaret :)

To grandmothers house we went
Christmas morning
Grandma, Bud, Isabella and Papa came to our house!
Kacen and daddy driving us through the lights at Thanksgiving Point
Cousin Party

24 December, 2009

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Christmas Eve Dinner with Marta, Kelly, Bud and Isabella. We had a wonderful time.
Presents, the kids had a blast with them!
A pogo stick, a Hop ball, puzzle, bubble blower, and little fairies with Abbi fairy wings.
And Paul and I got the game Catch Phrase from his Mommy, Thank you!!
Now we just need to schedule a game night with some wonderful people.

The children opened their traditional Christmas Eve pajamas and set out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. Santa is scheduled to come within the next few hours, given that the children are asleep ; )

Looking forward to more time with family tomorrow....
its 1:30 p.m.
I am still in my pajamas
laundry has been started
dishes are half way done
the girls room is cleaned
the children were fed breakfast and lunch
but i feel like i haven't done anything
i am busy feeding my six month old for the forth time today
I havent been able to play or be with the other children
I feel very frumpy
my children need baths
the floors need sweeping, mopping and vacuuming
getting out of the house is needed for sanity

22 December, 2009

so grown up

I talk to Alona like a grown up, a lot more than I should. I was telling her not to be sad or unhappy at Christmas time. To just be happy with her family, with the gifts that she did get and not unhappy for any particular reason or for not getting as much as any one else. She is a child that gets really unhappy about things. She doesnt enjoy school as much as she should. At a Christmas party a few weeks ago she got the movie Hercules, it was not a present that she had asked Santa for, she was very sad. No matter how much I told her that Santa was saving the good present for Christmas she could not be cheered up.

So last night I wrapped presents, the presents that I bought and had to wrap and write from Grandma and Grandpa Price cause I spent the money they gave to us on gas to get to and from their house and to go to their house for Christmas. And the presents that are from one of our family members to the other. We had picked names out of a hat and that person gets to be extra "nice" to the person that they picked and then they get to wrap a present for that person. The present that they get to wrap most likely will come from a bag of toys from a toy swap at church a few weeks ago.

I was talking to Alona telling her not be sad on Christmas, no matter what, that she should be happy for what she has. I think she is a lot like me, and that the speech was for myself as well. I told her how I get sad too, seeing all the things that I would like to get her and her sister and brothers, but cant. Seeing and hearing about family members and friends getting their children oh so very nice things, and I cant.

Alona answered me, "Mom the presents under the tree are all ready enough for me." That was the best thing that I could have been told, I needed to hear it, from my child. I hope her mentality stays that way after they are opened. I have a hard time with wanting to give my children things. As a small child I didn't go without, but before I became a teenager, my parents and brothers were taken away. I believe that being without my brothers and parents, not having them when i needed them growing up has to do with my feeling that I can't be without things or have my children or spouse be without.

My children did get one to two gifts that I hope they enjoy. Alona's easy bake was on sale at target last month, yay! Abbi and kacen's two gifts came in the mail from toys r us. It is so difficult to go Christmas shopping with four children in tow. One cold morning (-1 degree f, 1:30 a.m.) I ventured to Walmart for stocking stuffers so that I could go without the children and go while the baby was sleeping. The baby didnt sleep long, Paul called me not too long in to me being at the store to tell me to hurry home, the baby was awake and very fussy.

I am trying to not be jealous of the kindness that others get from people, and just being grateful for what I do have. And if you aren't being visited at Christmas, it is not because we don't love you, because truly I love everyone and wish I had better contact with everyone that I know. Maybe family or other friends could visit more often to our home ; ) We have nothing left in cash until payday, we are starting to pay student loans next month and are trying to only put necessities on the credit card. We have an almost three hundred dollar payment on student loans, which may not seem like a lot to some, to us it makes everything a very tight squeeze in our budget and I am grateful that we can make it fit.

21 December, 2009

so tired and busy

So its almost 11:00 at night, and the kids MIGHT be asleep. The girls were sure that they weren't tired and begging to stay up with Mom. They came out while I was finishing getting Jesse ready for bed. The girls behaved and were quiet while Jesse was being laid down. Going in to the boys room I could tell, Kacen needed to be changed and cleaned up. So after laying Jesse down and telling the girls again, to lay down I cleaned up Kacen, put him down and talked to Paul for a moment on the computer and gave in to blogging. So the girls might still be awake in their beds and I am going to be awake for a while longer.
This morning Jesse was nursed, the older children were fed, got dressed, then Jesse gets fed baby food. He really does not like baby cereal. Trying to get him to eat is a task, I found out that he likes vegetables especially sweet potatoes with any kind of meat. Jesse's put down while I try to get dressed and then we took two hours running errands, bank, post office and grocery store. We get home and Jesse is hungry, I feed him while the other kids were fed taking up 40 minutes with Jesse, I managed to sneak in a shower while the baby is with Paul in bed and the older ones are playing with the pillows from the couch and then ran to the library to pay the fine on a movie we cannot find. Come home and need to nurse Jesse and feed him baby food again. I took twenty minutes and finished making Christmas cookies and did a sink full of dishes while he was in the exersaucer. Then we went around the neighborhood and took the rest of the cookies that we made for them. The children had a lot of fun. Each of them carried a plate of cookies and then when they delivered their cookies they got another plate from Mom to give away. We came home and had dinner, got on our pj's, brushed teeth. I bathed Jesse, he gets very messy while eating, he tries to eat with his fingers in his mouth. I tucked the three in bed and then worked on Jesse.
Abbi has started a combination dance class. She really enjoys it and tells everyone about her teacher Michelle. She is fun to watch, she is very shy and watches the other children to catch on to the dance moves.
Alona has started taking piano lessons, and has a keyboard at home now to practice on. Her teacher was very impressed with how much that she retains from one lesson to the next. Alona is also in girl scouts and this past week went to an Elderly home to sing carols to them. She gets to start selling Girl Scout Cookies next month.

The days leave me very tired, and by the end of the day, its not even close to finished. I am looking out across the living room at a pile of clothes that need to be folded, debris from playing with couches and many other misc things that need to be taken care of, not to mention the dishes and dinner that are waiting to be cleaned up. And, shhh...I need to be Santa, presents are waiting to be wrapped. My night will be almost as busy as my day :) One of these days I will get a nap!

13 December, 2009

why did they do that??

I got our girl scout cookie order forms!
I got them on Friday December 11th!
I'm ready to get up and go sell some cookies...
The official date for selling is January 16
and we could get in to trouble for doing it before then.
I am too anxious for this
More anxious for cookies than Christmas

08 December, 2009

A Deer of a story

We were invited to Laura's home (Paul's sister) for Kellie's (our niece's) birthday. It just so happened that her birthday fell on a Wednesday and of course Paul had thanksgiving off so we made a trip out of it. We decided to drive up there on Tuesday night after Paul got off of work and drive straight through to Colorado Springs. We were officially on the road at 12:22 am Wednesday morning and arrived in Colorado Springs at 8:12 am. that same morning less than eight hours for over 530 miles. Laura texted us that morning asking how close we were, I responded with oh about 5 min away, we were just trying to find our way to her street. She was shocked, I guess we made it there in record time. And our children were asleep all but the last 30 min of the drive, talk about Heavenly!






That day was wonderful, we had a nice breakfast cooked by Laura when we arrived. Alona and Kellie were able to go to the store to pick out the cake for her birthday. When they came back we had a nice lunch and ate the cake with the table fully decked out in princess attire. The girls loved it! Then Kellie opened her gifts, we waited a little while until Paul woke up and then went skating at their local rink. The children really enjoyed themselves, Alona skates all on her own, Abbi held on to the sides and Mommy helped Kacen go around three times before everyone was pooped.
Then we went to Louie's pizza the children savored the moment of going there with their cousin Kellie family that remembered all the details more than a week after they were home. It was so nice to spend time together there. Cousin Kellie got a really cool princess radio that everyone was so excited for her to share.
The next morning was a nice breakfast of cinnamon rolls. Laura treated us so nice while we were there, fed us so well! Abbi now asks for cinnamon rolls for breakfast at home. Jesse loved playing with his cousin Delia on the floor, it helped him learn to roll having someone he really wanted to get to. The children played outside a lot and played with uncle Brian, he kept them entertained. Brian is like a really TALL older child. They have a play room at their house my children would go in their with Kellie and play for hours. So many things to do in their play room I loved it. In the mid-afternoon we had thanksgiving dinner, it was delicious Laura! She did a wonderful job and made it look so easy. After dinner we took a stroll around the cul-de-sac and then got ready for the long drive home.

We were so blessed the first time around on the long drive, I knew at least something would be off on the drive home. We stopped and got gas, got drinks and headed out of town. A little less than three hours in to the drive we made a pit stop for Paul and I and started back on the road. Another 5-10 minutes later we were coming around a bend in the mountains (of course, we were in the rockies ;)) and right in front of head lights was a deer, a doe staring straight at us. She missed the bumper, went in to the front of the van, on to the hood. The breaks were hit immediately, Paul turned the van just the right ways to get it stabilized during that the hood flew up on to the windshield, the deer flew off of the vehicle. Paul rolled down the windows and looked out them to be able to pull off to the side of the road, he is amazing to have been able to get it there. I am so thankful to have a husband who is an amazing driver and also is so stern on having everything being as safe as possible for his family. Not only did we come out alive, our children didn't even stir.

None of the children were awake during the incident, Alona woke up after we had pulled off to the side of the road, Abbi and Kacen woke up an hour in to and the baby just a little bit later. We called the insurance first, and then called the police. The police showed up with an entourage, an ambulance and fire engine. The paramedics just came to my window and made sure that we were all all right. The fire fighters were there to clean up all the antifreeze that was leaking on to the side of the road. And then about 2 1/2 hours in to our stay in the van in twenty degree weather (I am so glad it was not below zero like it is now) the tow truck driver showed up. He had a flat bed tow truck that the van with all but Paul still loaded inside was hoisted on to. We rode that way all the way to a motel in Rifle, Colorado about five miles back. Yeah the tow truck wouldnt move us any closer to Utah, but they would move us back :) I texted my sister during the accident we also called Kelly, Paul's stepdad, who we all fondly call Papa. He had a van, there was hope of us getting home!

The tow truck driver took us to a motel six right off of the freeway, where he wrangled a deal for us. A bed room with two double beds in it for the price of one where we could stay until we got there (3:30 am) and leave at check out (11:00). Our children were jumping all over the beds and super excited when we got in the room, it took them over an hour to fall asleep. I was able to sleep for an hour and Paul stayed up so that he would be able to be awake when Kelly came to rescue us. Kelly really came to the rescue, he drove all morning. And got there right at check out 10:50 am! And drove us all the way home. He is an amazing man and we are truly so grateful to him, we would have been stranded in Colorado if it weren't for him. It was a very long drive with four children that were wide awake, picking on each other, ornery irritable, hungry and well just tired of being in the car while awake. They were good sports! It was a beautiful trip home as well, we saw so many things that we were not able to see in the dark night on the drive there.

Our van was totaled by the deer it was estimated to cost 4500 in repairs and almost the same estimate for labor on the van. We are very lucky to have had full coverage, we are very lucky to have had cell phones, seat belts, family and blankets. The deer busted the radiator and all components that made it work. So the more than three hours in the cold, were just that Cold.

We now have a new van after two weeks of going with out a second vehicle, a very rough, humbling two weeks. And this past week I was happier than I have been in awhile, Paul has been waking up at a normal hour. We were able to use that time to look for a new van and buy one yesterday! I am so thankful to Mandi for watching Alona so that we could take the extra time that we needed to bring the van home. It is a 2000 Toyota Sienna XLE, it is white and has power doors! I can push a button and the doors open and shut from my key ring, also can push a button and the doors lock and unlock. The other van did not have those features.







Shes waiting for us to pick her up :)


05 December, 2009

half a year has gone by

Jesse is six months old today, time sure does fly. Most don't believe that he is six months old when they look at him. He has barely gained a pound in two months, definitely not from lack of trying on my part. Jesse spits up a lot after practically every feeding. I am happy that he is gaining i just wish it was a little more. We have tried to feed him baby food in between nursing, and he starting to catch on and not choke or gag as much, actually starting to swallow. During our stay up in Colorado visiting Laura and her family, Jesse started to roll over from back to tummy and so is now able to roll all the way over. In the week since we have been home he took it to the next level and is non-stop rolling. He is mobile! He loved playing with his cousin Delia, loved playing tug of war with her crinkle book and just touching her. Was pretty cool for him to have a baby his size on the floor with him.
He has a new fascination with his feet and toes and we have to wriggle them away from him when he needs to be changed.
Jesse is a very happy baby, Abbi loves to sing her songs to him and she does so with such enthusiasm that he just cracks up, he just laughs and laughs! He breaks out in big smiles when playing peek-a-boo and when he sees his Mommy.Here is a picture of Jesse on our long ride home from Colorado after Papa picked us up. Much too long for him. He would start crying, so he would get fed and be happy but when he needed to be put back in his car seat, he was so not happy. It was a rough ride for him and the others. He was a good sport.

04 December, 2009

28 November, 2009

We fought the deer and the deer won


Only picture we got of the van.

14 November, 2009

It all adds up

the stress of children...

Kacen has been potty training now for over a month, but still 90 % of the time poops in his underwear. I have to watch him like a hawk and try to predict when he will need to go. And sometimes I am off, like today with the timing. And for the majority he waits till I'm not watching and then goes in his underwear. It usually happens while I am feeding the baby, I'm a little distracted and don't pay as much attention to him at that point. And when I go to help him clean up or catch him in the act, even when I am really nice about it, he says, "you made me sad". He sees that I am unhappy with his choice and feels bad inside, and so I make him "sad". Even when I am so calm and nice and help him clean up. Maybe he is sad that he made mommy sad.

Saturdays is the day for the children to clean their rooms, mainly just picking up after themselves, their clothes and toys on the floor. It is so drawn out that it causes so much stress. I have to sit in their room, if I leave they play and take hours and hours to even pick up one item. When I am in there I try positive reinforcement. Sitting in there means that I am not able to get anything else done, just sitting in there with them. Frustrating when it takes ten minutes to get them to pick up one thing.

By the time that cleaning their room is finished and I have already cleaned up a messy three year old and his clothing, I am getting worn down. It starts at 9 am on Saturdays and is usually to this point by 1:00. Lunch is in the oven and so we try to do something fun while we wait. We make a craft or do something together, today it was making Indian headdresses. They are all interested in different things, Kacen is super excited in just playing with the glue, Abbi wants to make her own thing and it was cute this week, she wanted to make a "belt" for her cousin Kellie. Wish I could take a picture of that, but my camera is broken. And Alona is my big helper and helps draw and glue shapes while i cut them out. And of course I am nursing a baby 3-4 times by this point and taking care of him, he is such a cutie. He now grabs everything that I am holding takes it and puts it in his mouth! Seriously adorable.

We then have lunch, and then more starts.

They ask for treats, which is fine, they get a treat if they eat their meal. But Abbi has in the past two or so months decided that her food just has to "disappear" and she will get to have that treat. Cause then Mommy will think that her food has been eaten. So I walked out of the room to do something, Abbi runs back in and exclaims that her food has been eaten. So I go look and it has all disappeared a little too quickly and I know that something is up. I tell her to show Mommy where her lunch is, she needs to bring it back to the kitchen. She goes down the hall to go get it, I think that she has hidden it in her room, but I didn't see her make the detour, into the boys room where Jesse is sleeping. Having been laid down just 30 minutes earlier when we were doing crafts. I see the light on in the boys' room and hear the noises, Abbi had hidden her food in the boys' closet behind a box. She had to climb in to their closet, reach behind a box and get her burrito. The box fell out of the closet everything dumped out. With the light, the noise from the closet and Abbi, Jesse was wide awake and crying. His nap was not long enough and my break, the quiet time didn't get to happen.

I dont know how to talk about treats with them when the result will be hidden food and treats dont happen after that anyway. I believe that Abbi's Halloween candy is going to last a very long time.

I took Abbi in to Paul, it was time for him to be getting up for work soon. I was almost at my breaking point, I needed help. She is in there for a minute with her dad, lunch was finished, clean up from the craft needed to happen. The vacuum couldn't suction up the big pieces of paper. I should have just cleaned it myself. Instead of cleaning it they wanted to jump on couches, run around and other such more fun activities. And that point was reached for me, I couldnt take it anymore, clean up time was done, quiet time in their bedrooms.

They had their quiet time, we played with play-doh and we got OUT of the house to get stress relief :) took daddy a drink and got myself a drink too, a caffeine fix is nice every once in awhile. I bribe them to sit in the van while I go 10 feet away, the little ones don't know how to get out of their seat-belts and they can see me through the window. They get the choice of half a caramello bar or 1/3 bag of Swedish fish for sitting quietly for 60 seconds. Oh how I wish they had drive in convenient stores here in Utah County, then I wouldn't resort to bribery. We even went to wal-mart and found Alona some boots, I also picked up some disposable diapers from the baby section, put them in the cart, but then by the time that I got to the check out and the price was adding up with the things that I had to pay, I was thinking... I don't want to pay 15 dollars for this! I slid them under the checkout (sorry store workers) and decided to hurry run home and wash the cloth diapers before he ran out. (we had one clean one left). The relief of not having to hurry and wash diapers was not worth the $15 for me.

Don't get me wrong, I love my children. I wouldn't trade them for the world, they are the best. Two children are much different than four and a husband home at the end of the day is so much different than a husband that cannot get to sleep when he gets home at midnight, but can get to sleep usually by the time you are waking up and then goes to work when he wakes up. My trials have changed so much in the past three years, they seem to have quadrupled. And its just nice to get some of it out there, because I am not able to change anything at this time.

It is very hard to get through the day, when they are all home all day long, when i know there is no end in sight, no help to look forward to. I break down at least once a year living here, so far away from family, knowing that during long dreary days I cant just go to my sisters house or go visit a grandparent. I know I would be a different person if these options were there for me. I even lived with my sister last year during my break down and was such a different person for quite some time after coming home. The only thing keeping us here, Pauls job...we would need a job up north to be closer to family. And that doesn't seem to happen, we are STUCK here. We have been stuck here for a long time. This is the longest that we have lived anywhere in our married life, and the most miserable that we have been. Forgive me for being so open and honest, I seem to do that a lot, seems like I am typing to a screen , so easy. And I don't know who all reads this. And I dont mean that everything here is so miserable, just that the struggles here so much outweigh the good parts

07 November, 2009

poor baby

Jesse spiked a fever this morning.
he sleeps a lot
and is very hot

Abbi is getting better though, YAY! Day 5 for her, so just right with the turn around time.
Alona still just has a cough and Kacen might be getting sick, I'll see soon.

06 November, 2009

back 2 tummy!!

Jesse starting doing it today!

05 November, 2009

turn of events

I woke up this morning and i was in a sweat, my fever broke :)
my body aches are mostly gone :)
my cough acts up, just when i talk to much (more than two sentences) or try to talk to loud

I am still a little weak and feel like i need a nap half way through the day
have ringing in my ears and a slight headache
i still need to take things easy, i am not quite myself yet
but i am on the mend
food doesnt sound so horrible any more
which is good,

Because Abbi needs me better, to take care of HER.
Abbi now has a yucky fever
aversion to food
and is very tired

04 November, 2009

it goes on, and on, and on, and on

Well, the flu that is!
I still have it, it has been five days with symptoms that keep expanding and are ever so horrible. reoccurring fever, body aches, my itchy throat that turned in to a cough and now losing my voice. I thought that i was feeling better, then paul felt abbi, she was hot. I felt her earlier, she felt normal to me! Well thats cause i am hotter than my daughter that had a high fever. We think Jesse has a fever too, Alona is the only one still claiming, "I'm not sick!" Thank goodness and Kacen is feeling well too! I might take them in to a pediatrician tomorrow and see if anything can be done for them, nothing was able to be done for me.

Today keeping Abbi home from preschool, she and Kacen were so restless, I had to do something! They were doing community helpers this week, police officers today in her preschool, so I decided to keep her on schedule and it was so nice to have their attention on something so i didn't have to try to raise my voice since they would have been wild and rough housing otherwise. First their was a coloring page for each of them and then a cut and paste paper for Abbi (I have a social studies workbook, but dont know how to work the scanner for kacen to get a paper) there was a policeman on one side with other pictures to cut out and then she was supposed to put the papers in the right places on a piece of construction paper to show what a policeman does. But on the other side was a postal carrier, and she did that on Monday in school, so she choose that side instead! I turned off my phone and let her practice dialing 911. (Not like I can use it, unless im texting) She really enjoyed that! Then we had police officer hats and badges that we made. That was a lot of fun and they really enjoyed that! We also talked about police officers and the things that they do and to go to them for help.
and Here is a picture or two of Jesse from today

I just love the naturally spiked hair and those blue eyes

01 November, 2009

sickness

i feel horrible, but better than at midnight last night. Cold chills, almost 103 fever, itchy throat, cough, weak muscles. Paul threw me in to the tub last night where i screamed at him that it was freezing though he says it was quite hot to him and helped me to bed. Felt tired and muscles in legs were weak while trick or treating didn't think much of it until about 11:30 when the chills and heat came on strong. Ibuprofen makes my fever go down for a few hours but it then comes back full force. When the medicine is working its down to 99 when its not its between 101.5 and 103. Hopefully I get better and don't need to go in to the doctor.

Visiting teacher took the girls to church, didn't want them to miss their last practice before the primary program next week. It wouldnt be good for me to go to church in my condition. So glad I found someone to take them. It was Jesse, Kacen and I at home. When I couldnt take it anymore, I woke Paul up and he helped while i got my fever down again :) thankful for canned spaghetti sauce and paul's willingness to help when he is able. Just wish i could have a nap, help with the kids and house...but mostly a nap! :)

*** I went in to the doctor, she says its probably swine flu and i am going to be sick/contagious for 7-10 days. there is no treatment just symptom control when you have had it for more than 48 hours. so i will feel horrible for a while and can hopefully get a little better each day.

30 October, 2009

Parades,costumes,storytelling and pumpkin guts


Both girls dressed up for school this morning. Abbi had trick or treating in Preschool she went around to the High School teachers in her class and went trick or treating to them. She loves preschool and has lots of fun. There were three princesses, three Cinderella Princesses, very popular a few spidermans too. I should have taken a picture of the back of her head she lets me play with her hair without much complaint, just a few little mom that hurts, are we almost done?.. in the sweetest voice. Her hair and well Abbi was beautiful. She had so much to tell me when I went to pick her up.

Alona's Halloween parade at school was at 12:30. I didn't realize it until I came home to check the clock saw what time that it was and then looked at the paper that was sent home. abbi gets out of preschool at 12:00 we were on our street at 12:15, but stopped across the street cause there was a winder dairy truck handing out free samples. Kacen and Abbi picked out strawberry milk and filled their glasses a few times. They were there to get sales and were very persuasive. Sign up only purchase so much, which you would normally buy at the store anyways and they give you a free cooler and norbest turkey, very persuasive. So we got in the house after 12:30 and I picked Kacen up out of the van and brought him in to the house to use the bathroom, changed the baby and ran right back in to the van, drove to her school in 60 seconds and when there was no parking, parked in the red zone. Went in through the gym and we were there with time to spare. The parade hadn't come through yet :) Alona was skipping and hopping along through the parade and was such a joy to watch.
Last night (Thursday) was the Halloween party at our church. They all dressed up before Abbi got her costume on she decided that she wanted to take pictures in the extra spiderman mask that got handed down to us and they all wanted to take pictures with Jesse. So we have two spidermans one tigger and a witch.


Today a little after 5:30 we went to the school for the storytelling festival many children including Alona have practiced their story for weeks, learn their story in detail, how to tell it, make it better and being critiqued. Alona did a fabulous job, I am so proud of her, there were other children older than she was that were up in front of everyone with their books, looking at it when they wanted a hand in remembering what to say. But Alona, the youngest in her group stood up there, had the longest story of them all and told it so well. A few times she went in to telling a part of her story and realized that she told a piece of it out of order and so she filled it in with another piece of the story that would fit their or added in a creative piece form her imagination and just kept going. She can do some amazing things, especially when she puts her mind to it. I thought that she would need some help or hints, she was silent a few times trying to think of what went next but then she came through with amazing strength! What a great story teller, what a great imagination, she had people laughing at the parts that she told from the story she picked. The way she told it.. I was so glad I was there.

Trick or Treat Smell My FeetWednesday Night Activity with Dad home. First they colored and glittered their little pumpkins and they took out the seeds and carved the BIG one :)
"I just want to scrape the sides, I don't want to get messy"-Alona"Mom, I want to get some pumpkin guts"-Kacen. He was happy to stick his hands right in there.Abbi loved using the utensils but didnt mind getting messy. And was thrilled that she got to use the pumpkin knife.