Party In the USA's Birthday

"So, do you guys know why we celebrate on the fourth of July?"

"Yeah, because it's Party in the USA's birthday!" (That was Josh. He knows a lot.)

I have some adorable pictures of us enjoying the fourth, but for memory's sake I have to state it was kind of a culmination of a fun yet pictureless weekend. Gary and I went on a date Friday night, and the kids stayed up late with the baby-sitter, the next night we watched neighborhood fireworks with friends (holy relaxed laws, batman . . . awesome to watch, though), and on Sunday we got together with Gary's family for a farewell barbeque for two of his brothers. So much fun at all of those things. Yet no sleep for days in a row for the chillins . . . On Monday morn (the fourth), Gary and I woke up and looked at eachother and said, "Do we really want to do this parade thing?" But the kids woke up too, so we threw on some clothes and went. They loved it and I felt patriotic for being there.

Noah and Josh were so excited to get these flags when the parade started. The shaker in Josh's hands is the reason he HAD to go to a parade on the 4th of July. He made it in summer preschool and planned out exactly how he'd shake it when he got to the parade.

Andrew enjoyed the parade from his stroller. He went nuts over the dogs and horses.

Josh loves this picture because it reminds him of when he got squirted by the firemen. Awesome.

Andrew was so excited to get ahold of the flags.

After the parade we went home to eat a yummy breakfast - at around noon. Gary played patriotic music on youtube as he prepared it, so I felt pretty American. (Actually kinda serious. I was singing Proud to Be An American to my kids - with the artist - and I got all choked up. What having kids has done to me, I tell ya.) Then we were all too exhausted to move. I think we slept and went in slow motion all day, until we were invited to eat a slice of patriotic flag cake with friends. That snapped us back in action. Oh, yeah, and there was some drama about nobody can eat cake until they get their hair cut that nearly left Josh at home, but that's not patriotic, so anyway, we dragged ourselves to the fireworks despite our tiredness. Why? We hadn't been in forever, and are used to being with extended family and weren't, um . . . so we went.

Waiting for the fireworks to begin . . . I don't know what Noah was pointing out at the time, but I love it.

The incredible light saber duel.

Gary thinks it's funny that kids all around us had a whole collection of huge glowsticks, and our kids got these. One was free, so we sprung for the other. They were in heaven.

Andrew was feeling a little restrained, so adorable shots were not in the cards.

They may be assaulted by the flash, but I think they're so cute . . .

And the fireworks were awesome! I'm serious when I say I haven't been for years and years. I've seen them from afar, I've seen the new huge ones people do in the neighborhood, but it's nothing like the big show. There's something like laying on a blanket with your four favorite people on a warm summer night seeing incredible colors burst all across the sky that thrills the soul. (Insert contented shimmy.)

The other kids were asleep, so Andrew got to wear Noah's shoes and backpack. He was SO proud and SO adorable. This was also the first day he started saying backpack. Add the hat and the cuteness level was off the charts.

So, to round out the week, we took the family to the racetrack on Saturday. We have a pass for activities that included that, so we figured, why not? We had no expectations, so it was fun for them to be far exceeded. The boys LOVED it, it held their attention for over an hour and a half. When the cars came out for each race we'd each call which one we'd be cheering for. We each won a couple, actually. Josh won often because he refused to choose until someone was actually in the lead. One time the car I chose had a huge lead, and Noah hadn't even chosen one. I said, "Look at my car, it's winning!" He said, "Yeah, but that red one is coming right up." It was not coming right up at all, actually. But then, at the last minute - it won. Wow, Noah.

Oh, and we didn't time dinner so well, so we were happy that they gave out free "metabolic bars" for the boys to eat while watching. Mmmmm.

Just two little boys enjoying their metabolic bars at the races.

So, it turns out to not be easy to capture a photo with a racecar in it. But I got one, have fun finding it. :)

The kids really, really wanted me to take a picture of the "broken car." Didn't get it until it was loaded onto the tow truck, but here it is. For some reason, this whole process was absolutely fascinating. Noah said, "This is not good, not good at all. "

This is how you get a picture of race cars - when they aren't racing.

Andrew thoroughly enjoyed the one and a half metabolic bars he chowed down.

Afterwards we went and ate BBQ - goes well with racing, right? Turns out the metabolic bars may have made the kids a little sick. Oops. Good thing I didn't eat them. :) So, quite the week. Explosives, racecars, BBQ - what's more American? Happy birthday, Party in the USA!

Laser Tag, Pregant Zumba, and Tidbits Galore

Didn't mean for this to get long. I just got out of bed to turn off our crazy possessed sprinklers, and decided to jot a few things. So much for jotting.

I wish I could publish my mental picture of Noah in a laser tag vest. It was nearly as big as him, in my mind I picture flashing lights by each ear that would have been on a larger person's shoulder. Josh had some free passes left over from a birthday party, so we went to play as a family a couple of weeks ago. We had the place to ourselves, which was perfect for Andrew to run around. Something about the fog, lights, and music really tickled his fancy, because he ran around laughing the entire time. Josh was super into it, and looked adorable in his gear as well. After about 2 minutes (can you believe it took me that long?), I realized hitting Noah was a cheap shot, and it became a battle between Gary and me. Very fun. Gary had the best accuracy by far, Josh second, me third. Awesome. Wish I hadn't left my camera at home, it was cuteness overload with the boys. With that and our free Macey's ice cream cones afterwards, it was a dream evening.

I'm starting to feel like my Zumba career is going to be on hold for a while. Okay, well, is. If my belly is ridiculous now (last time I did the class, the shaking looked sooo good :), I shudder to imagine what it will be in 3 weeks when I don't have anything on the schedule during Zumba time. I tried water aerobics for the first time yesterday, and while it was surprisingly difficult, it's amazing how much harder I will work for Enrique and Usher than for the Beach Boys. Love them, of course, but, you know. Also, people I knew went to Zumba, and we laughed together. Yesterday at water when I arrived there were 5 older ladies chatting and not listening to the teacher. I got in the water and did the exercises ALL BY MYSELF for the first 15 minutes. When we grabbed the noodles the other ladies decided to join in. Noodles make the difference . . . None of this is a major life change, I just think it's amusing. The contrast makes me giggle. I will get to know the water people and report back.

Andrew just up and rejected his binkie. A big shocker, being as he was extremely addicted. He cries every time we put him in bed now, and he has nothing keep him relaxed in church, etc., but he suddenly doesn't want it. It may have to do with teething . . . I guess this is a good thing, since he's 20 months. I won't have to fight the battle later. So far with my kids I have had one long-term addict, one young quitter, and one addict that threw it away himself. Variety.

I am working on a math class as part of my teacher certification, and while it's not bad at all, it's just one more thing. I'm getting terrified that I won't be able to earn enough relicensure points by next year when I'm up for renewal. You would not believe the amount of time and money it takes to keep this thing up. Suddenly I'm on a professional development rampage. A couple of weeks ago I went to a training in Salt Lake (civic education - so awesome!), and Gary took off work to be with the kids. I told him that Noah and Andrew really liked feeding ducks and going to the park while Josh was at school. He did both. Not only that, he pushed them on the swings at the park for well over an hour one day. Those little boys had their best days ever . . .

The other day a baby crawled on my floor and the tops of her feet turned black from my carpet. I had vacuumed it less than 24 hours prior and had it professionally cleaned in March. YUCK! I am trying not to worry about the carpet, because no use worrying about things you can do absolutely nothing about, but wow.

I am carrying this baby so high I can't breathe already. Not breathing has always come much later for me, so it's startling. On the upside, I can walk. And wear some large pants from before. I wonder how many times you can do this pregnancy thing before it feels the same. More than 4.

We went out with Dallin and Martha on Friday night and it was fantastic. We ate at Red Iguana (delicious, and I didn't even mind I was the only one not in on the Spanish jokes with the musicians), then walked it off at temple square. Great company, great fun.

All 3 boys are hilarious and active. They are on their bikes and scooters (yea for birthdays!) every chance they can get. Josh is actually riding a 2-wheeler now. Noah is really interested in space, and is determined to work hard in preschool so he can be an astronaut.  Andrew is suddenly trying to say a lot more words, and my favorite is "huggies." Not the diapers, actual chubby-baby hugs where he cuddles right into you. Yeah, it's worth it.

7 Stitches Oughta Do It

Gary observed that if you add up our childrens' ages, it's nearly 10 years altogether. And in nearly a decade of little boy-hood, we'd never dealt with stitches. Pretty good record, so it was pretty much a given it would happen eventually. The poor streak-breaker was my tender-hearted baby Andrew.

My kids were at a friends' house while I was at a no-kids-allowed health assessment (which I did very well on, but failed to earn the rebate because my waist circumference is more than desirable). Right as I was getting in the car to go home she called and asked, "So, did they take your blood pressure yet?" She said it seemed like Andrew would need stitches, and since she seemed so calm I expected it to be borderline. When I arrived at their house everyone was indeed very calm, Andrew was laying on the counter eating Smarties. But when the wound was uncovered, my eyes popped open wide. Um, yep, if you can see the insides of his head, the kid is gonna need stitches.

So, what happened? Apparently Andrew was playing with a toy golf club at the top of the stairs, and somehow fell down the stairs and bashed his head on a bookshelf. My friend heard the fall and ran up to see if he was okay, but he was just lying face-down with his hands over his head. When she picked him up his hands were full of blood . . . uh, oh. I feel so bad she had to deal with our little inevitable emergency, and that the baby-sitting duties were then extended for two hours . . .

We had a little totally-out-of-gas-while-the-baby-is-pulling-the-butterfly-bandages-off-his-dripping-head-wound drama, but once we arrived at the instacare they took care of us well. It was a sad time, as toddlers generally don't love being bound up, held down, and having their face covered, especially when they can feel a stranger sewing their forehead back together, but I got some really sweet snuggles afterward. The nurses that were holding him down (one being a pretty big guy) both remarked several times how strong Andrew is. Yeah, those 30+ pounds aren't just for looks, folks. Poor kid emerged from his bondage soaking wet, and wouldn't even accept a popsicle from the nurse. I was glad he still wanted to hug me, because it was pretty heart breaking to see him all terrified and screaming for me. Gary couldn't even stand the story, and bought him a new Diego coloring book to make him feel better. (It did. He sang "ego" for Gare.)

He was in pretty good spirits before the real fixing up began. The nurse put some numbing gel, gauze, and other stuff on his head right away, and with the hair and all the effect was actually pretty cute.

He ended up with 1 deep stitch and 6 on top. Pretty good gash for a little guy.

Gotta try a couple times to capture the damage. Yeah, he wasn't the most thrilled of kids at that moment.

Josh Was Right About One Thing . . .

I had a plan to announce the gender of my coming son by posting this picture, and getting excited that I get another one. But instead, I have no picture to post for such a cause, because for the first time - it's a girl. Feels weird to even type that. Josh called it two years ago, and his certainty actually made me feel pretty certain, too. Josh is pumped (perhaps even willing to not name her Solarica), Gary says he feels less tired already, Noah didn't care much until he was told he could protect her, Andrew just loves to say, "Baby," and I have mixed emotions.

I am excited! It will be fun to have another girl around here to be girly with. I forget sometimes I am a girl. However, being the oldest of 7 girls has given me enough girl experience to know it's fun. And after all the growing up stuff, someday I'll have someone who likes to talk on the phone and wants me to help when she has babies (I hope). I hope having a girl around will teach my boys more about how girls should be treated. And lucky, lucky little girl to have Gary as a daddy. He's the best at listening and giving hugs that make it all better, take it from this girl.

But . . . I am scared, too. What if she doesn't like me? What if she thinks I'm not cute or cool or whatever? What about finding modest clothes? What about her caring about modest clothes? It goes on and on. I have never once worried about these things with my boys. I guess the possible girl-hurts are just too real. I'll stop because this is a happy time. :)

So, little girlie, we are excited to meet you. You've got four awesome boys that are already set to protect you, and a mommy that is bawling right now because she just wants to be a good mommy. And also a Halloween costume mom bought 3 years ago on clearance. FYI, you'll be a cat.

The Blogging Dilemmazaa

I had a little help coming up with that title, though I'm not sure from which helper it came. It's catchy, though.

I found a piece of notebook paper from last summer covered in notes that were meant to remind me of the things that happened that week. It bothers me a lot that I never got around to writing out the full version, and now I don't know what most of them mean. That was only a year ago.

I just loaded my memory card onto this new computer. I can't believe how much my kids have changed since that card was started, and I wish I could remember the circumstances surrounding all of the pictures. That card is only 8 months old.

I love it when I capture the little things to remember later, like tonight when Gary couldn't find short-sleeved super-hero pajamas for both Josh and Noah, he put them in white t-shirts and brown lounge pants and told them that's what Jedi wear to bed. Noah was very proud to show me his awesome outfit, and my giggle returned just now when I went to put clothes away and saw my little sleeping Jedi.

Or the other night when Gary and I were reminsicing about the old days when all of the primary classes had different names and songs to go with them. I sang all of the songs, but had to admit I didn't know the Blazer one, and asked Gary if he knew. He immediately busted out with, "I'm a Blazer B . . ." with show choir enthusiasm. (Of course made up. He didn't know, either.) I hurt from laughing. You had to be there, but lucky me, I was. (Especially when he called his song "Some cheap Mormon tune.")

But blogging . . .  wow, when in the world? Get to the end of a day, I'm exhausted, the kitchen floor is sticking to my feet, and the clean laundry is becoming dirty from lack of attention. Even if that were ignored, just opening the computer seems like a difficult chore, much less forcing my brain to think of something to write. Ouch. Much better to stare into space until Gary makes me get in my bed. Or wait until a night like tonight when I started making bread way too late, then jot something down with no pictures. Darn it, I want to keep our little family history, but - the bread is ready. And that's the dilemmazaa.

And I Was Like Baby, Baby, Baby, Oh!

Actually, really just one baby, but I planned that for the title if we were having triplets and can't let go. Especially since Josh and Noah walk around the house all the time saying, "When I was 13, I had my first love." So, yes, a new computer (after a 4 month computer-less state) brings a chance to announce a new baby, which is not a surprise if you've seen me lately. My baggy-chic wardrobe is starting to not be enough concealment, although surprisingly, sucking in my abs is. Unless I want to breathe. So, on to the FAQ.

Due date? October 28th, October 22 by the ultrasound. I've been overdue once, though, and I'm not going to toy with my emotions by announcing anything earlier than October 28. So, as of now, 18 weeks along.

Do you know the gender? Josh claims it is a girl named Solarica. He decided this around a year ago. We shall see on both counts. (Maybe the name isn't awesome, but you would love it if you heard Noah pronounce it . . .)

Have you been sick? For about 6 weeks, terribly, more than I ever have been. The wonderful feelings of maternity collided with an episode of a malfunctioning gallbladder, so, yeah. Luckily, both problems gradually got better and better, and now I am blissfully enjoying my not-nauseous, pre-elephant state.

And that's about what I get asked. We are very excited to meet this new one. There is definitely room in our family for another one of these awesome kiddos we're blessed with. We feel a little overwhelmed with all of the things to do before baby's arrival, hope we have the capacity to pay attention to all of them, and all that, but, at the moment I feel no need to wax poetic. It will work out. And be great, even. Hooray for babies, hooray, hooray . . . (another song Josh and Noah sing a lot, somehow less popular than the Bieber one.)

Winter in a Nutshell

There aren't many nutshells around in the winter, but I dug one up today. Here's from the good old family update.

Our computer up and died a few months ago. So, no participation in internet whatnot. (This is Gary's work computer.)

Gary just finished the most brutal (long hours) legislative session so far, and we all survived. This year his area was especially busy because of all of the immigration legislation, so we almost never saw him. So, while the days all melt into single-parenthood wintery mush for me, there are some things that stand out. First of all, I got released from my calling at the end of January . . . yeah, the second time in two years I've been released from a presidency because the president has moved. So, now I will be doing something or other with family history. I'm sure this change of calling will free up millions of hours, sometime in the future. 

Also at the end of January, the kids and I escaped to St. George where I ran a half marathon. I ran with two of my sisters, and since we hadn't done much training for it we ran slow, but I ran the whole way, finished, and had fun. My dad, whose idea it was to enter, beat us by half an hour. My kids had a fun time hanging out with Deanne and Holly during the race (they still like the do mi mi song), and I enjoyed hanging out with them afterward. It was so fantastic to escape the winter blues with a trip down there!

Andrew's 15 month check-up brought two referrals to Primary Children's. The first was to the orthopedist for his bowed legs. The diagnosis . . . "You are one bow-legged dude," the doctor said. Luckily, he doesn't have problems with his feet, hips, or spine, so the problem will self-correct with no further intervention. His limp is still kind of sad, but he'll be okay. We were told the problem is likely a case of a heavy child walking early. Gary chuckled at that. The second visit was to the pediatric ENT for his perma-cold, sleep apnea, and tongue lesions. The tongue will be okay, but his adenoids have got to come out. That will happen Monday, and we are so excited. We figure what we spend on the surgery will be made up in savings on Kleenex. Cute little Andrew might finally feel well . . .

We're all into Jimmer-Mania around here, and though it might all end tonight (please don't!), it's been a ton of fun. Got us through the winter. I was going to send Matthew some Jimmer highlights, complete with a yell, for his birthday, but the computer went nuts. Too much to handle, I guess. You can look up your own, though, I'd recommend a little Jimmersion to cure what ails you.

It's been awesome to have Gary this week, maybe someday we'll get back into a family groove. We went to Preston for my sister's 30th birthday party at Pop N Pins lanes (decor not updated since Napoleon Dynamite). We had tons of fun, and Gary was impressed with my family's abilities to keep score in bowling (there is no electronic there). Gary with his silver spoon never had to use a paper and pencil when bowling . . . :) So, that's the last couple of months in a nutshell. When you see Josh he'll tell you about the badge he got when the policeman told mom to slow down, Gary will tell you about the rejected feral cat bill, Noah will demonstrate his Spiderman skills, Andrew will hopefully be done slobbering, and if you want, I'll dish about my gallbladder. Can't wait!

If You Were a Fly on the Wall . . .

I'd try to swat you. But if I missed, you might have heard the following.

A friend of mine: Noah, what's the biggest word you know?
Noah: Giant.

(After playing some type of hide-and-seek game)
Noah: Joshy, that's a great game!
Josh: I know, and it's so easy!

Josh was "reading" his scriptures while I was reading mine.
Me: Josh, what did you learn from the scriptures today?
Josh: Everything
Me: Wow, that's a lot of things.
Josh: Well, I turned a lot of pages.

Noah has had eczema all around his mouth for a couple of weeks now. It keeps getting worse and worse, but he won't let me put lotion on it, ever. Tonight he was looking in the mirror and said, "Look at my mouth, it's red." "I know," I said, "that's why you need to let me put lotion on it." "No, he replied, I need a wash rag." He got a wash rag, and rubbed his face so hard that the entire thing was as red as the eczema. You couldn't see the eczema anymore, because of the solid red. "There," he said, "it's gone."

Josh and Noah brought me some underwear one morning that was actually Gary's.
Me: Is this mine?
Noah: It will fit you, it's an 18T.

Me: Did you know that my mom and dad used to read me this story when I was little?
Josh: Uh, mom, we weren't there when you were little, remember?

Me: Josh, would you like a frozen burrito?
Josh: No thanks, I'd like a warmed-up one.

Noah: (While eating Italian sausage) This stuff is spicin' me up!

2011, Rhymes With Shmleven

Stop worrying about my yearly theme (I know so many do), January is not yet over. I have one, and shockingly, I've been working on it all year already.  Usually I mull over a long list of possibilities before arriving to my conclusion, but this year the rhyming flow was a little slowed by well, the year. Conditions do not promise to improve in the next several years. However, like any good MC, I have a few possibilities that all have merit. Here's where I started:

Hang out with Bergevin.
Make friends with wife of Devin.
Talk to cousin Kevin.
Cook with more leaven.
Visit Seven-Eleven.

Like them all. However, I have settled upon, "Attitude is a Choice, Thank Heaven."

I need to print it out and post it on my closet, and maybe see the results of '04. I've done okay the last couple of years, but it's time to step it up. Right after Christmas, faced with the reality that I would be dealing with my three adorable heathen by myself for a few months, I decided we would be happy anyway. Not blissful every second (A phrase I don't get is, "We're loving every minute." Really? Every minute?), but when the going got crazy, I would put it into perspective and be okay.

The thing about attitude being a choice is a lot of times it sure doesn't feel like a choice.  As I've been conscious of trying this month, this keeps going through my head. I've been keeping track of a few moments I wanted to remember (see last post), because they remind me of why I love what I do. No, I don't like living in disaster area, but when one is created, I can take a deep breath. I did pretty great at my goal for 29 days. Gary was impressed, and I was feeling pretty great. Then yesterday, on day 30 at 11 p.m. I had a little meltdown. I felt bad about that, and thought for a minute I was failing. But then I realized nope, I still have a choice. I could let that be that, or I could let it affect me the next day. I decided to have a good day today. Hooray for choices!

I don't want to sound heavy-handed, like I'm so put together and have it all figured out. I'm just saying this is a goal. Something I want to work on. There will be more day 30's, I'm pretty sure. But I'm shooting for the great 31's. Alright, 2011, work your magic.

Since I couldn't go hog-wild with rhyming, may I just mention a great story in the field of rhyme? Josh came home from preschool with a worksheet where he put that snail and shell rhyme. Say them outloud, and if you agree, you might be from Utah. Josh is.

Moments

(Remember when I wrote most of this a couple of months ago? Ah, well.)

There is laundry everywhere. On the table, on the counter, on the couch, on the floor. Breakfast is everywhere. Every carpet has been peed on within the last two hours. Toys have made their way to every corner of the kitchen, and there is milk, cereal, and other breakfast goo still oozing its way accross the floor, spreading farther and farther from the still overturned highchair. And in the middle of it all there is a mommy sitting on the floor hugging her perfect, chubby baby. He is giggling, having forgotten the sad incident with the highchair that made him cry. His big eyes look happily at the mommy, and she looks back adoringly at him, and it is simply the best. The mess around them disappears, and nothing else matters but the baby. Oh, how she loves him!

It's construction paper stapled into a circle, with crepe paper haphazardly attached. But when he holds it and runs, the streamers fly, and his eyes light up. "Look at my windsock, mom!" he exclaims as he passes by. The sun is shining, the grass is green, and the little blonde boy grinning at his homemade windsock makes me realize that happiness is a pretty simple thing, after all.

The lone man stands upright in front of the grave, his hands in front of him. Was it his wife? How long has it been? As I drive by on a busy day, this man seems to ponder the deep matters of life and death. The contrast seems so stark -have I stopped to truly appreciate my carload today?

 Painted rocks all over the back porch and kitchen, an abandoned mine in the living room. Another week of teaching preschool has passed, and remembering the smiles,  giggles, and amusing comments the activities brought makes me almost giddy, and for one moment I love the mess.
A little towhead in a soccer uniform and his small brother follow their father around the farmer's market, eager for their chance to carry a vegetable or two. The warm fall breeze just touches my face through the car window, and I lay my head back and change my focus to the infant sleeping peacefully in his seat. Content.

-we can run (I don't remember what moment this was supposed to remind me of. But I don't want to delete it, just in case.)

Last Month Was Such a Special One, Birthday Time For Andrew

I know everyone always says they can't believe their baby is one, so I won't say it. I can't believe my baby is 13 months old! The first year always flies by, but Andrew's first year was not really a whole year, I swear. One day Gary and I had this crazy idea to have another baby, and we didn't think much past him being born. And that was yesterday. However, somehow I have this hilarious chubby boy running around, and the calendar said to have a birthday party, so a month ago, we did.

Andrew loves pancakes and waffles - he downed two waffles once while Josh and Noah lingered over their one. So of course we had to make him blueberry pancakes for breakfast on his big day. Josh heard me saying I was going to try to make Andrew's party The Bomb, so of course he assumed the theme of the party would be bombs. He had a lot of questions about that until I put the blueberries in the pancakes, then he said, "Oh, I know, the blueberries can be the bombs." Exactly.

Josh had been planning a cake for a long while, and so had I. My version was from scratch, gourmet, and adorable. Due to all of the things we had going on that week, I was trying to enact my plan at the last minute, and was frantically searching for the perfect recipe when Josh brought me a chocolate cake mix from the pantry. We went with his plan. He actually "made" the cake while I chatted with my visiting teachers (and supervised). His vision had included sprinkles all over the sides, which he attempted to apply one by one before I showed him an easier way. Josh was pretty proud of what he'd done for his brother.

Since it hadn't been too long since we'd gotten together with family, and Andrew isn't real tight with kids his age, we didn't have a party exactly planned. However, I just had to have some people over to make things festive for my baby Andrew, and luckily we have the perfect neighbors for the occasion. They haven't lived here long, but my children just adore them. They have teenagers, so it's fun for them to be around little kids, and were up for our last-minute invite. I was so glad they came, they totally got in on the adoring Andrew thing, and having them there made it a party. I should have gotten an adorable group shot, but I feel pretty good about getting some of the birthday boy. And as you can see, he did enjoy himself.



Classic Andrew, "Oh!" He says it for many occasions.




Being the center of attention is a little awkward . . .

Right before Noah blew out the candle. We told him to help, and after he did he exclaimed, "It's not even my birthday."



Josh is making Andrew smile.



Andrew's present was immediately popular with everyone. Even me - after the kids went to bed that night, I figured out how to use the abacus to add numbers up to 999,999. Don't worry, Andrew's gotten plenty of chances with it since.



At Andrew's 12 month doctor visit he was 25 lbs, 6 oz., and 30.75 inches. He started walking just after turning eleven months, and is quite the climber. He even climbs onto the couch and drops himself off of the arm of the couch into his exersaucer. He is hilarious - always laughing. He loves peek-a-boo, chasing, tickling, playing cars, singing, and snuggling. Well, when he's tired he's a great snuggler, otherwise, he has to get up and go. He imitates everything we do. He'll put pretend to put on backpacks, brush his hair, put on a shirt, fight with a lightsaber . . . and get excited about all of them. This kid really melts my heart, he's such a sweet boy. Hey Andrew - love ya, kiddo!

Quick Fall Update

Thanksgiving was awesome!! It was great to get away and to see everyone. Thanks so much to C & C for letting us invade their home, and for playing with boys at the park. They loved it. Josh has come home with a variety of things he got from his cousins. For instance, he asks me a lot why "gooder" is not a word, and who Frankenstein is. His cousins know everything, according to him. We're almost back into the swing of things, just put away my leaves and scarecrows, which looked awesome buried under a foot and a half of snow when we got back.

 

I was feeling nostalgic for the good-old family updates, so I'll do highlights and lowlights from the last couple of months. Gary took me to Preston for my birthday, and I had a great time with my family. Gary and my mom both got me cameras, so I now have one, hooray! (One of them turned into clothes.)  I spent the next couple of days with my sisters, picking and bottling apples, and felt good about my 60 plus quarts. Then, due to a series of unfortunate events, they did not get processed. Do you see why canning makes me cry? No matter, I got my sister-time in. After that we did one million things, which were all good, and included Andrew's birthday and Halloween. I guess one of the million things had germs attached, because then we spent the first three weeks of November sick. In the midst of that, we were able go to Preston to have a family Veteran's Day dinner. Random, yes, but a lot of us were available to get together, and we have an actual veteran in our midst. And it was fun! Also in the midst of the sickness, Noah woke up one day and said he was going to wear underwear. And he has ever since, for about a month now. His accidents are pretty infrequent now, except right when we got back from Arizona. He was so tired he peed all over the carpet, everywhere in the house, for 3 days. Not his pants, just the carpet. Oh, well, I'll still count the potty-training-himself incident as a highlight. Wish I knew a good carpet cleaner . . .

 I just took a break from writing this to get on emailsanta.com with Josh. It is hilarious to watch how excited he is about Santa's reply. Also, Gary just said, "Who are you e-mel-ing?" He's consciously trying to aquire a Utah accent. Also we just had dessert that involves chocolate and a stick and a half of butter for 5 servings. So much for the trying to eat healthy between holidays.

 

P.S. Through a mistake of my supervisor, I was auto-terminated from my job at BYU Independent Study this week, and they won't re-hire me because of their hiring freeze. Cross your fingers and/or send up a prayer that I can get someone to be reasonable and do the re-hire.

Note a few months later: Got an email saying they eliminated the position. Life isn't all about money, right?

As Soon As We Get That Picture . . .

 . . . I can get set ordering my Christmas cards from Shutterfly. At first I imagined a lovely flower-filled September shot, then the realization came we might be looking at another fall picture, and now I'm trying to decide whether or not we should all wear snow boots. But we're doing it on Saturday! (If you have an opinion about the boots, feel free to share.)

I've been baby-stepping into this Christmas cards thing. At first it was just electronic greetings, then two years ago I made my first step into actually using the postal service with this card from Shutterfly. I have to admit I was proud of it, and looked at it way longer than someone should actually gaze at their own Christmas card. It was limited release - people who don't use the internet and family. Then last year, I almost didn't send, but I couldn't make backwards progress. I sent to the same limited release crowd, using a quick-print place for the card. I didn't love it like I did the one from the year before, but I thought it was a valiant post-partum effort.

This year, I was excited to find that bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010 . Hooray, back to the beautiful ones! If we go with the boots theme, we may go with this card. Or maybe this one.  I think this one is fun, if our family ends up looking good in color. Not always the case, but if it is, I like this option, too. And if we look sooo good, we might require this one.

As long as I'm in picture mode, I should mention, that yes family, I do want you to send me pictures. I have been making family calendars on Shutterfly for the last six years. At first, we just put one picture in per month, but now there is a huge variety of templates and backgrounds, making people like lil ol' me look like design geniuses. Also, you can keep track of family birthdays and anniversaries on the calendar, and the beauty is they save the dates for you year after year. Saved my new-baby life last year. Go here if you want to make one yourself.

And while you're digging up those photos, if any of you have pictures of Andrew during his first year, I want them bad! I've made Josh and Noah photo books from Shutterfly all about their first year, and they love them. I swear it is THE BEST way to get a crazy toddler to calm down, to sit down and look at their baby book with them. Problem for poor Andrew is that I didn't have a camera for half of his first year, so I'll have to depend on others. Shutterfly always has great promotions, so I've found the books to be quite economical. Make your own book here.

So, as you can see, I've got quite the holiday list going on here . . . is it possible to send more cards than before? Stay tuned.

Entering the World of Shirts and Ties

Every time I see a primary program (a program put on by children in my church) I tear up. I have been fully expecting to cry during Josh's first program for years now. The big day came on Halloween, and Josh dressed up in his new red tie. He looked adorable, and I was excited. However, after wrestling with Andrew for 2 meetings, ending up sitting in the very back of the congregation for the program, and facing an hour of wrestling Andrew AND Noah by myself, my enthusiasm was drained right out of me. I thought if I was lucky Josh would catch my eye long enough for me to smile at him, and we'd all make it through.

Right before Josh was to go up for the program, he said, "Mom, look at my lips." I turned, and saw lip gloss covering nearly his whole face below his nose. I said, "Oh, my gosh!" and he immediately was embarrassed - and started wiping it on his sleeve. Luckily there are so many kids in our congregation I'm sure not many noticed his sleeve, but had they looked, they'd have noticed he looked good. Josh started out the program with his arms inside his shirt, but not in his sleeves. I sighed and struggled to find something new for
Andrew to do. Then the children began to sing I Know That My Savior Loves Me. Josh sang with all of his little might, and when he saw me, grinned his million dollar smile. Everything else melted away, and I started bawling. This song is so beautiful, and is exactly what I want my son to know. The love that the Savior shows for the people in the scriptures is the same love he feels for Josh. And Noah, and Andrew. If they can truly know this, they're going to make it.


Here he is, fresh off his success of his first primary program. For some reason, after the program was over, all of the children received "Future Missionary" tags. Josh adored his, and displayed it proudly. He thought standing in the corner for this photo would be best.



Josh wanted Noah to have a turn wearing the badge.





I like these boys.

One night a couple of weeks ago, I was putting the boys to bed, and somehow we got talking about going on missions. Josh was interested in the fact that some missionaries walk, some drive cars, and some ride bikes. He wanted to know how he would find out what he would do on his mission. I told him the process, and he said okay, he could wait 14 and a half years. But later I went in to check on him and he was still awake. "Mom," he said, "I prayed to ask Heavenly Father what I'm going to ride on my mission, but he didn't tell me yet."

Noah, however, had no such uncertainties. He'll be serving in the rocket ship mission.

Did I mention I like these boys?

The Force is Strong With Us

Several months ago Josh planned out what he would be for the next several Halloweens. Star Wars characters for 4 years, and then when he's 8, a bush. It will be awesome because it will surprise people that the bush is moving. He absolutely remembers this schedule, so first up on the list, a Jedi Knight, had to be fulfilled this year. I looked into sewing costumes quite long ago, but it never got past the looking phase. So being in an emergency, I got on Amazon, filled my shopping cart with expensive yet cheap looking costumes, and . . . Gary said he was sure we could make them. But we had so much going on this week, Gary . . . No matter, it looked easy to him. So, we bought fabric, waited until the perfect time (the night before trick-or-treating), hauled out the sewing maching, and did it. And it was fun! Gary did the measuring and cutting (no pattern, just scaled down from some instructions online. Oh, yeah, scaled down because sadly/awesomely almost all Star Wars costuming described on the internet is for adults), and I did the sewing. It took us way too long, but we learned a ton, and got the last stitch sewn 10 minutes before we headed out the door. Mistakes abound, but our kids loved it, so we felt pretty accomplished.

Josh ended up choosing Obi Wan Kenobi specifically, and Noah insisted on being Darth Maul. I wanted my precious young son to be a good guy, so I suggested every awesome character I could think of . . . but it was always met with, "No, I'm going to be Darth Maul." We wondered if he even knew who Darth Maul is, but the second I found a picture of him, Noah said, "Yeah, that's Darth Maul, that's who I'm going to be for Halloween!" So, Darth Maul it was. Gary did the face makeup, and Noah loved it. As for Andrew, we decided to alter things a bit. Gary's vision was Luke Skywalker. When I went to put it on him his belly was too big, so we had to squeeze it together with a safety pin. I don't know why, but I think his too-big belly is so funny.

Before we got out the costumes to dress the kids, Gary put on Star Wars to pump them up, and boy did it ever! You should have seen the proud look on Josh's face as he donned his Jedi robe.  So, candy gathering we did go, and it was a great night. The rain dried up just right before we went out, so we got to watch our little kiddies excitedly going from house to house. These pictures are in the opposite order of how they happened, but switching them around . . . nah. (Come on, Blogger, you can make it easier . . .)



Let us begin at the end . . . young Skywalker enjoying candy, toddling around with whatever he could get his hands on.

Here we see the master of costuming pushing the Jedi carriage. The other spot was being kept warm for Darth Maul, who ended up riding after a while, too.



The epic battle . . . (darn teenagers, I can't even use the word epic anymore!)

I made them stop at this door for a photo together, but their general lack of focus indicates what was really important to them at that moment.

We were on our way to trick-or-treat at the first house when we realized Darth Maul was without shoes. Would have known it earlier if we'd actually looked at the pictures we were taking.

Aaah, I just have to kiss him all the time!

When we got home we had some hearty chili ready that Gary had made, and it was delicious. There's something magical about the family all together, the kids having fun, the crisp night air, the jack-o-lanterns, the leaves, the friends passing by, warm chili . . .The whole night makes me smile. And if you were here to see me do it, you'd see I have Kit Kat in my teeth. Mmmmmm . . .

P.S. Gary and I joked about opening up a Jedi robe shop on etsy. Our motto will be, "Your kids will love it so much, you won't even notice how crooked it is!"

Special Package, Baby Doesn't Sign, and Toddler Jumping Jacks

Today when we all went out the front door, Josh ran to the mailbox and took a dirty diaper out of it. He then ran to the garbage can and put it in there instead. I asked him if he had put the diaper in the mailbox, and while he said no, his face said yes. We didn't receive any mail today.

Josh was excited to tell me today, "When I stand on my tiptoes, it looks like I'm 5!"

I've been trying to teach Andrew to sign "more." Today when he ran out of food, he started saying , "Mo, mo." He's my child, so of course I thought it was the most adorable ever. My quest to teach sign has not succeeded, but Andrew's way works just fine.

Noah has to be Superman all of the time now. My kids being superheroes is not new news, but Noah now not only always has a cape on (real or imaginary), he be addressed as Superman most of the time.

I did an exercise video today for the first time in ages. I thought the kids would all be climbing on me, but I was wrong, it was just Andrew. So I did 2/3 of it. Josh and Noah were actually exercising, the whole time. There is nothing cuter than Noah's jumping jacks. Except Noah's jumping jacks while wearing a cape. While we were working out Josh said, "I'm going to be the strongest kid in preschool!"

We went to Coldstone to redeem birthday ice cream coupons for Andrew and me. The entire time Noah was walking in he was singing, "Shorty is an eenie, meenie, minie mo lover . . ." Andrew loved the ice cream, and started crying when we removed him from the store.

The impending change of seasons is making me feel yucky, but I guess it's better than a diaper in the mail. For the most part.

(Please do not say you love winter. I won't be able to handle it. I love portions of it, but I do not love being stuck inside the house with sick kids and no husband for months. And if I do go somewhere I have to find 4 pairs of matching socks. I'm working on a being happy campaign, trust me.) (Also do not suggest  I move somewhere sunny. It doesn't help the fact my situation is what it is.)

Just Start Writing

Oh, blog, I love you and you frustrate me. I love the idea of having my little family's history all written down. I love looking back at happenings and musings. I love that people can check in if they want. I'm frustrated that I never get a chance to write these days. And then if I do get a chance the thought is so daunting I actually don't want to. Because it has to be just so. Clever . . . only if other people think me tricking Noah into a nap is as clever as I do, otherwise I guess not today . . . And have the pictures . . . where to dig those up (no camera, really . . .) And since the task is great and the brain is feeling squeezy, I'll just write to an inanimate object. Or not so much object as  . . . I really don't know the classification of this new-century noun called a blog . . .

Phew, that's out of my system. Excellent advice from my 8th grade English teacher who suggested that if you don't know what to write, just start writing. She would probably recommend, then go back and delete it afterward, but guess what folks, I'm turning in the rough draft.

Because I want to remember how fun it was when we were an old fashioned family, and made caramel corn ("sticky popcorn," is the new name around here, I guess), and listened to the football game on the radio. Game stunk, popcorn was delicious.

Because I want to remember how my boys decided a fun activity one afternoon would be looking through cookbooks. They found many, many things that I have pledged to make. And these guys don't forget, I'd better get out my calendar. Then that night around the dinner table Gary said, "What should we do for Andrew's birthday?" Josh offered, "I saw a great cake today in a cookbook." And Noah said, "I know! We can get a present for him! And for me."

Because I want to remember the kindness of the neighbors accross the street that offered one day after church to watch our kids for a date night. Were they prompted by the sacrament meeting wrestle-mania? I don't know, but I do know that I ate barbeque with my man, and I said Gary looked good and he said I looked good and we both said we love being together.

Because I want to remember the puppet show I put on with Josh. Nothing fancy, 5 minutes of prep. Found the script in The Friend, used paper guys we already had, used bee stickers as leprosy spots . . . and Josh simply beamed. We did a repeat performance the next day. I haven't done anything like that before, but that million-watt smile makes me want to try a little harder.

Because I should report that Noah's destructiveness has decreased a little, unless you count running with very sharp knives. When I took one such knife away from him he cried, "But they're for b-tacking!" "Well, why don't you b-tack with a spoon?" I suggested. "Because they're not dangerous," was his reply.

Because little Andrew is walking, and is SO excited about his new skills. My other kids were excited to walk, but nothing like this. Most of the time when he falls it's because he's worked himself into a frenzied happiness that topples him. And this should be in a post of its own, all about Andrew, which brings back the feelings that made it so I almost didn't write any of this . . .but, haha overwhelmed feelings, it's too late, you lose this round!