Veggie Tray vs. 3 Cousins

The veggie tray didn't stand a chance.

(Josh, Michael, and Christian, taken at Sara and Taylor's right after Christmas. My camera was dying and fuzzy, but that's artistic, right?)

P.S. (A couple days later). Apparently the fuzziness makes it difficult for folks to know what exactly is happening. The children are not excited to devour the vegetables, but to pile them all up in the dip.

Gary's Hapt Birthday

Gary recently had a major-milestone birthday, so I wanted to try to celebrate in a milestone-type way. Obviously the first step to festivity was letting Josh pick out a bunch of stuff for the party, since he really knows what he's doing. He picked out a card about golfing (Gary doesn't golf), a banner, some Spiderman plates, and some party blower thingies (you know, where the paper inflates and blows out). As soon as we got home from the store Josh started searching the sacks for the stuff, but my secrets were safe because Gary didn't understand a thing he was saying. (Imagine a distraught 2-year-old asking over and over, "Mom, where da bwow-ons (blow-ons)? Bwow-ons, mom, where dey?")

Luckily Gary's birthday was on a Sunday, so we got to have birthday breakfast as an everyone's-awake-family. Noah had his first pancakes, and absolutely scarfed them. Gary and Josh apparently liked them, too. Here is the banner Josh chose for Gary. I thought it was pretty great, and it hung there festively for a couple of hours before Gary's brother Taylor asked, "Is there any reason why Gary is having a hapt birthday?" Sure enough, the birthday was hapt. It was made in China exclusively for Wal-Mart, so it screams quality. No, I'm not taking it back and getting a new one. I enjoyed Gary's Hapt Birthday quite a lot.

We had a grand birthday buffet (that was the intent, so don't tell me if it wasn't), and then our favorite chocolate cake. Woo-hoo, Gary's getting a lot of candles these days! (Nephews looking on.)

Don't worry, though, photographic evidence shows he didn't have to blow out the candles alone. Michael and Dereck are shown here, but Josh was doing the same thing from across the table.
Then it was time for Giant Boggle. (The red paper has a Boggle grid on it.) Three of Gary's brothers and one of his sisters came with their families, and so did one of my sisters, so we had a full house. You would think playing Boggle wouldn't work in these circumstances, but we had a great time. I wasn't getting any original words, but for some reason Gary and his brothers are really good at it. But where is Gary?

He's in the back, quietly beating everyone.

Noah loved having people around to pay attention to him. I know Martha's closing her eyes here, but she's still beautiful.

Then it was pinata time! The pinata was giant lips, if that's not apparent. Josh and Michael took the first surprisingly hard whacks at it. This was right down their alley.

Here's the shot I got of Gary's turn.

When the pinata finally broke, low-fat granola bars and Tootsie Rolls (one item befitting Gary's age, and one item for the kids) came spilling out. Noah was taking advantage of the situation as much as anyone. A couple minutes later I retrieved a piece of Tootsie Roll from his mouth. It was so much fun having everyone together, I wish we had some darling group shot, but alas, there is none. Wait, the Boggle shot is darling in a studious way . . . regardless, I have no conclusion because I don't know exactly what Gary thought. I hope you had a happy birthday . . . I love you, hope you have a very Hapt year!

Motrin-High Moments

Both of my poor little kiddos were sick last week. I'm talking fevers over 103, chills (little kids with chills is so sad), sore throats, and all that goes with it. After two hours and $40 the doctor determined that although it seemed like they had strep throat, it was not strep throat, so I just did my best to help them feel comfortable while they recovered. It's interesting how kids are when they're sick. One moment Josh would be sobbing while trying to soak his aches in the bathtub, and the next moment the Motrin would kick in, and he'd be hyper. He'd run around crazy and you'd never know he was sick. Then all of the sudden it would start to wear off, and he would start crying half-way through a sandwich he was eating. So sad.

It seemed the whole week was all about survival at the time - the only place I went the entire time was the doctor. I was starting to talk crazy and see mirages by the time I actually left the house on Saturday. However, we did have some good times, brought to you by the makers of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Josh and I made cookies, and for the first time, I made something with more than 4 ingredients and he was an actual help. At first I wanted to make cookies and bring some to people, but then I realized that would be like giving small pox infested blankets, so we just made a half batch and ate it all ourselves. Josh was really proud of his cookie-making, and replicated it here with play dough. Josh tried painting for the first time (under my watch, anyway), and it wasn't a disaster! You can actually tell how careful he is trying to be in this picture. You can also tell that he is becoming Skinny-Bone Jones, as Gary calls him.

Josh and Noah got a bounce house thingy from my sister for Christmas, and it has saved winter so far. Josh really uses a lot of energy in that thing. Noah doesn't mind being bounced around, as long as he has some balls to chew on. He actually thinks Josh is really funny, and doesn't like being outside while Josh is in.

It didn't take long for Josh to realize that the crib makes a good diving board.

As for me, I was pretty proud of myself for making a week's worth of meals without going to the grocery store. One night it was taking me forever to make dinner, and I was thinking about how much the Iron Chefs and Rachel Ray can do in an hour compared to me. Then I thought "Iron Chef Moms" might be a good show. You have an hour to make the best meal you can, all the while holding a 22 pound baby on one hip, with the occasional toddler hanging on your leg begging you to put on a show or informing you that he just peed on the counter (Don't worry, Got Clorox). Good TV, right? Who will pay me for my idea?

On Friday night, just when I thought I was about at my breaking point and Gary was going to be home late, someone came over and brought us fresh-baked bread and a couple of kid movies. Saved! We immediately sat down to watch the movie and eat the bread. Thank you so much . . .we made it!

2009, Potty-Train Josh's Behin'

I know, I'm choosing a short-sighted theme again. But I want it SO bad right now! I feel so trashy letting him run around with a bare-bum and sticking close to home so I can do so. He can totally do it all by himself as long as he's bare, but put something on him and, oh, yucky.

He was ecstatic to pick out his new underwear, and each one he pulled out of the package elicited a new round of, "Oh! Woah, ho, ho, ho!" He wanted to put them all on at once, but in this picture we settled for just a few pair at a time. (You like his "cheeeese"?) Too bad this excitement didn't extend to keeping the underwear dry . . . Giving him a book does get him to sit there. Here he brought with him his "BYU book," which is actually the program to one of the football games. This whole scenario was his doing.

So I hope I accomplish my goal early in the year . . . I can work on all of my other ones as secondary goals. Does anyone want to swim in the brine with me when it gets warmer? I've never been swimming in the Great Salt Lake. Maybe next year I'll have the vision to choose a broader theme.

Don't Fence Me In

Have you ever paid a ton of money for something you don't really want, and in fact makes you want to cry? Medical stuff probably tops my list there. But, it's necessary, so you pay up. Except medical stuff usually leaves you feeling better in the end. I'm not so sure about my latest sad-but-necessary expense - the fence.

My backyard wasn't fenced when we moved here. It didn't need to be, though. All there was behind there was a big field, just perfect for throwing rocks, catching butterflies, and watching huge flocks of migrating birds resting on their way to their destination. The road to the new high school will cut right through all of that, practically touching my backyard and making it possible for my toddlers to get in the way of teenage drivers. So up goes the fence.

November of 07 was a gorgeous month, just perfect for playing outside. That's when we moved here, me trying my hand at the stay at home mom bit for the first time. I didn't know anyone, was intimidated to meet people, and had no clue what a woman and her toddler should spend their days doing. Not having a reciprocal conversation, that's for sure. So, we went out into the back yard, and there was the salvation of my sanity. Since none of the yards were fenced, we had open communication with the neighbors and their children. Turns out the two houses next to me hold lots of kids, including one boy exactly Josh's age per household. Also, the moms of those children are amazing women who immediately made me feel comfortable and broke the silence of my days with great conversations.


Then, late May of last year, I had a new baby. Not only did the new baby require a lot of sleep, it was hard to plan ahead to get out of the house and do things. Never fear - just go out into the back yard. There I could chat with neighbors while our kids played and run from any of their yards to my own back door to check on my baby. I didn't have to stress about when people would be home or when Noah would be cranky, Josh and I just both had friends right out back. Then in the evenings Josh would go outside and run around with the kids, only stopping for dinner. He'd be exhausted and ready for bed, and usually we'd get a little neighbor-chat in while gathering the children for the night.

Now I'm all fenced in. They just finished yesterday. As they were putting in the posts I would look out my back door and see our yards all partitioned up, and I kinda teared up a couple of times. I'll miss the quick hellos, the kids running back and forth, the ease of socializing with a baby sleeping in the house, the impromptu talks that inspired me, the glimpse of an adult in the midst of a chaotic kid-filled day, the after-school chats with the 7 and 10 year old girls a couple doors down, and oh, goodness I have to stop because I'm crying for real.

I am grateful my kids will be safe from the road and from running away. I am grateful we are blessed with the funds to put it up. I am most of all grateful for the wonderful neighbors who welcomed me here and made it a good thing to have a communal back yard in the first place. I know I will still see everyone, it will just take more planning.

I guess I'll have to buy a bikini and sunbathe a lot. Don't know why else I need a 6-foot privacy fence.
Josh and his friends next door.

Starting to close in on us . . .

It's final.

You Need To Choose A Theme

You really should. Let me explain. It all started New Year's 2004 when my friend Jason mentioned that someone he knew found yearly themes to be effective, like "____ Free, 2003" or "____ More, 2004." Jason, my sister Sarah, and I all declared the year's theme to be, "Date More 2004." Ever efficient, Sarah even printed out a sign with our theme on it and posted it in our room. Man, did we ever date more in 2004! Not only was there a mad flurry of dating, all 3 of us started dating the person we would marry, although we didn't realize it at the time. (Maybe Sarah's first date with Dave was in 03, but I'd say 04 was the crucial stuff.) Here's how it's gone since then:

2005, Husbands Arrive - My friend Rachel made this one up, and even gave all of the girls in our Relief Society Ring Pops with the theme attached. Worked for me! (And for many others . . . Rachel is a genius. Don't mock the method.)

2006, Pick Up Sticks - I started the year as the teacher of 54 kindergartners and pregnant. I was so busy this was all I could think of on the fly, but promised myself I would think of something better later on. Never did, but I'm proud to say I accomplished my goal. I picked up a few sticks here and there, when necessary.

2007, Closer to Heaven - I felt like I'd been so busy I'd slacked on some important areas of life. Hope I did okay on this one . . .

2008, Having This Baby Would Be Great - I started out the year pregnant . . . it's hard for me to think past that sometimes.

2009 . . . Nothing is firmed up, I need help deciding. I 've thought of, "2009, Stop Living Like Swine" (We're not that bad, but I'd love for my house to be clean and organized!), "2009, My Family Shall Dine" (Be a better meal planner . . . I'm not so terrible, but variety is good. With Friends We Will Dine? Inviting people over would be nice.), "2009, That Body is Mine!" (Workout and eat right . . .) (Variations - "Order is Mine," "New Couches are Mine", etc.) Um, others . . . "Chocolate Divine"? "Cosine or Sine?" "Swim in the Brine"? "Mediocre is Fine"? "Tree is a Pine"? "My Light Will Shine"?

What should I do?