Christmas and beyond...

Yogurt and toast for breakfast...

Tyler is a trinket carrying kid--you know the type. The kid that always has at least one, usually a handful, of small toys/treasures/trinkets that go with them everywhere. Tyler is that kid, and always has been, though what he chooses to carry around changes everyday. The other day Jeremy and I came across a video I took years ago of Tyler on the day he was getting his front tooth extracted. In the video he's lying on his back in the dentist chair, an oxygen mask covering his face, eyes towards the ceiling where a movie is playing, with his arms dangling over the side. Then the camera follows one of those arms down to a small hand that's tightly clutching a little toy 4-wheeler.

This is the kind of trivia about Tyler that I'm afraid I'll forget someday, so yesterday morning I took a picture of the things he had brought down to breakfast with him. After breakfast he was coloring, so he set his trinkets amidst his coloring supplies.


A small toy penguin.
A bottle of Spider-man hand sanitizer.
A toy car from a box of Cheerios.
A baseball pen that Alexis gave him for Christmas.

You know, the essentials.

In his stocking this year Tyler got a watch, which he has worn very responsibly every day since. He constantly informs me of the time, though he's never been taught how to read a watch so his pronouncements aren't usually correct. But in my opinion, that makes it even better. He's very into numbers lately and has also taught himself the concept of adding and adds things all the time.

So, Christmas. Christmas with kids is really the greatest thing ever. Christmas makes me want to have a million kids so I never have to experience a Christmas morning without children ever again. Fortunately, reality always hits the day after Christmas.

And this year I especially loved Christmas because it was on a Sunday, and after opening presents and eating omelets we headed to church where we got to talk and sing about our Savior. That was my favorite part of the day.

As I was going through my pictures to see which ones I wanted to share, I was overcome with an intense amount of pride in my children. It's simply spectacular to watch your children grow up and become their own person. I know mine are young still, but everyday I get glimpses into the person they are shaping into, and it's really incredible. I feel so blessed to be a parent, but even more blessed to be, specifically,
Alexis' parent,
and Tyler's parent,
and Ryan's parent.

But the real blessing, the best present that comes from the Christmas season, is that I get to be with them forever. Families ARE forever. That's why I celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, because He gave me that chance. He gives me that chance every single day.

Here are those wonderful children with some of their (more tangible) Christmas loot:

Alexis got a hair feather and lots of clothes/accessories for her doll.
And lots of clothes for herself, and books for her brain.

Tyler got a building kit with a real hammer, nails, wood and glue.
The perfect gift for this kid, who wants to be just like his dad.

Ryan got more cars than he can count.

(especially if you include all of Tyler's new trucks that he steals everyday...)
A fistful of cars is all this kid needs to be content.
(If only that were actually true, I'd get a lot more done around here.)

And Jeremy and I got time to be together, time to be with our children, time to be with my family and with his family, time to enjoy the day. And really, in this stage of our lives, time is one thing we often only dream of having, which makes it a nice gift to be given.

before Christmas...

At the beginning of the month this little precious niece of mine was born. She is so cute and snuggly and it's nice to have a baby to hold as much as I want, that isn't my own. I keep telling my sister how lucky she is to be able to lay around all day with a cute little lumpy baby on her. But then I remember that it's hard to feel that when it's your first baby. I think you have to chase other kids around to really enjoy doing nothing but holding a new baby. I know I didn't appreciate it when Alexis was a baby.

While growing up my family always had the Christmas tradition of decorating Gingerbread houses, except ours were always made out of graham crackers. Alexis kept asking when we were going to do it this year, and fortunately our kind neighbor gave us one of those kits that you buy in the store. It comes with the gingerbread pieces already cut, frosting already made, and different kinds of candy. I was never interested in buying one of those kits because it seemed like cheating to me, but after making it this way I may have a hard time going back to graham cracker houses. It was so easy! And on the last day of school a boy in Alexis' class brought in a gingerbread house kit for each student, so we had two to decorate. Evidently his mom bought enough for his sisters class too. 60 kits x $10 = an insane amount of money to spend on gingerbread house kits. But lucky us!


The big news of the month is that we finally cut Ryan's hair. I always put off the first haircut for as long as I can because it just makes them seem so grown up to me. And I was especially hesitant to cut Ryan's because he has curl on the fringes and in the back. But it had grown long enough that it was getting in his eyes, and his curls were mostly straightening out. I didn't expect him to sit still for the haircut but he amazed us and sat perfectly on the stool through the whole thing. In fact, I've noticed that he is a little less rowdy in general. But only a little.
I wanted it to be kept a little longer, but we aren't professionals and it ended up pretty short. I'll probably let it grow long before we cut it again, and hopefully his curls will come back. He doesn't know it, but he's more fortunate than his brother because he ended up with a normal haircut, nothing like what we did to Tyler at this age. Though Jeremy did campaign for the mullet...
Ryan has also started nursery, and it didn't go as well as I expected. But each week has been better, so there's hope. He just needs to learn how to talk and then maybe it would be more fun for him!

Alexis wanted me to take this picture to show how she feels about the Utes. Our kids have somehow become die hard BYU fans and have a developed a dislike for their rival, University of Utah. I'm not sure how this came about, Jeremy and I went to BYU and cheer for them in a game, but we don't ever talk about not liking the Utes. I think part of it is just living in Utah, they've learned from friends about the rivalry and decided to pick a side. Also, they are afraid that if they don't like BYU they won't be allowed to go in their Uncle Trent's room (I think he has a sign that says "BYU fans only" or something like that), and since that's where they usually sleep when we visit Jeremy's parents, they've gotten smart.
Alexis is such a help around here. We have our moments with her, they mostly involve getting her to focus on things, but she really does help out with Ryan a lot. And she's usually quick to do any favor that we ask. She and Tyler are both in gymnastics, and she's really started loving it lately. She is constantly doing cartwheels and bridges and handstands in our living room. She even likes practicing the splits, and is really close to being able to do them all the way. She amazes me with how strong she is, and can put up a good fight when she's wrestling with Tyler and Jeremy. Unfortunately she receives the greatest amount of my nagging and annoyance, but I'm really trying to work on that. Last night she asked if she could stay up late to work on a Christmas present she wants to make Tyler. I thought she would be able to do it herself, but she asked me to help her. I was a little annoyed at first because I had things I wanted to do, but as I sat there watching her and listening to her ideas, I was just struck with the thought that she is an incredible person and I am extremely lucky to have her in my life. She is growing up right before my eyes, yet I'll miss it if I don't stop more often and take those moments with her. So I'm grateful that she asked for my help and that I didn't just brush her off.

Tonight we received a package at the door that I let Tyler open. You know he was excited because he wanted me to take a picture of him, and he NEVER wants me to take his picture. In the package was a backpack for Tyler. Since he turned 5 in October he missed the kindergarten deadline, but I still didn't sign him up for preschool. Mostly because I felt like it wasn't right for us at the time, and partly because we didn't want to pay for it. I've never felt like preschool was necessary for either he or Alexis, and I like to keep them home with me for as long as I can. He is involved in a few other things, and while the weather was still pretty warm we did okay. I could tell he wanted to go to school and he was at the age where he was ready to have his own thing, away from mom, but I still didn't want to sign him up. But, finally as it got colder the days with him got a little rougher, and we decided that we'd enroll him in a preschool that a few of his friends go to. It's only two days a week, but I'm going to miss him. He's a good kid to have around, and I guess I'm having trouble believing that he is as old as he is. He is thrilled to be going, and I guess it'll be good for him to have some "school" practice before kindergarten starts.

Sorry for the annoying shadow...
Buying a backpack in the middle of winter online turned
out to be a really cheap way of getting a good backpack.

Now, onto Christmas...if only I were ready!

beware the emoticon

Well.

November just flew by! :)

(Ummmm, I'm not sure when I became such an avid user* of emoticons, but somehow I am. They can convey such emotion! A wink, a smile, a frown, a kiss, etc. I used to hate them, but now I love them. I'm changing so much as I get older that the next thing you know, I'll want to own a minivan!) (Please don't be offended by that all you minivan driving friends of mine.)

Anyway, here's what we've been up to.

I learned how to french braid my daughters hair! :D
Now I can add it into my vast hair repertoire. It sits alongside the ponytail and... and... that's it.

As the room parent of Alexis' class, I have had lots of opportunities to be in her classroom lately, mostly for parties. And the conclusion I've come to is that I don't generally care for most other people's kids. Horrible, but true. I like my kids a whole lot, and my most of my friends kids (now some of you are wondering which of your kids I don't like...), and my nieces and nephews, but beyond that I'm somewhat indifferent. I think it has something to do with the fact that most of them don't seem to find me funny. (And if I can't make kids laugh, what does that say about my sense of humor?) :'(

Speaking of nieces and nephews, over Thanksgiving my brother and his cute little family came to town. Their daughter is only three months younger than Ryan, and my kids LOVE her. It was so fun for all of us to have her around. And fortunately she's a fast learner because if she weren't Ryan may have accidentally killed her with all his crazy antics. :O

Isn't she cute? Except that it's REALLY crazy for me to see my brother in a miniature, girl version. She looks a lot like him, is what I'm saying.

Speaking of Ryan's crazy antics, I'm not exaggerating when I say he's insane. He is insane. He's constantly climbing on stuff, pulling stuff down, tearing stuff, banging on stuff, and wrecking stuff in anyway possible. :( It's truly amazing he hasn't somehow figured out how to burn our house down, though he is still young, he might get there eventually.

Tonight Tyler and I left the house for about 20 minutes. When I came home Alexis informed me of the earth shattering news that Ryan had been causing trouble. Later Jeremy showed me the following picture and said, "Did Alexis tell you what Ryan did?"
He explained to me that he found Ryan in the bathroom sink (his new favorite hang out) fully dressed, with the water running full speed, and the sink filling up quickly. My obvious question was, "And where were you?" I can ask him that because I also ask myself that question everyday. (Where were you, Lisa, when Ryan was dipping gigantic wads of toilet paper in the toilet?)

"At the computer." He was at the computer!!

Seriously, if you've been to my house you know the computer is approximately 6 feet away from the bathroom, and I'm not even exaggerating. So, in the most lovingly and light-hearted way possible I said, "Jeremy, I suggest you start listening more."

"But," he argued "water is like white noise. It just drowns itself out."

"Maybe," I said, "But when water is running and there is a one-year-old in the house, especially a one-year-old like Ryan, the sound of water running should actually sound more like a really loud alarm going off in your head."

But he's really cute, and really funny, so he's got that going for him. (I meant Ryan, but this also applies to Jeremy.)
See:

And see:
(He likes to make funny faces at meal time to distract us from the fact that he's not eating anything. I'm pretty sure he learned that trick from Alexis.) :P

And speaking of pictures (were we speaking of that?), Tyler hates having his picture taken these days. :(
It's basically the worst thing we could ever ask him to do and he pouts and tries to ruin the picture. Fortunately he's five and we're still a little more clever than him and we can make him laugh most of the time.

But did I tell you we took family pictures at the end of October? Here's a math problem, you solve for x where x=Jeremy's mood.

(Tyler hates to have his picture taken)+(Ryan can't stand/sit still)+(we drove 2 hours to our destination)+(we put a lot of time and effort into planning it)= x

That shouldn't take you too long to figure out. But despite all that, I think they turned out nicely and I'll share them soon. In the meantime here's a blurry family picture from this weekend to hold you over.

And this post is another one of those random, crazy sounding ones that I'll read 2 years from now and wish I hadn't sounded so dumb. But it's almost 10 pm, which is my new bedtime (oh man, I can practically see the minivan coming around the corner...), so I don't have time to change anything. ;)


*If you are an emoticon hater like my former self, don't worry, my excessive use of them in this post was just for fun and I won't do it again--I usually restrict my emoticon usage to texts. And even then, I only use the smiley face. :)

no tricks, just treats

The kids got so much candy yesterday that if I gave it all to Ryan he could literally eat his weight in candy. But you know, then he'd probably throw up and I just had my carpets cleaned, so I won't let him.
Jeremy started his current job last year, the day after Halloween, so we missed out on his company's parade/trick-or-treating fun. We were excited to go this year because I haven't been to his office since he started there and it was nice to finally see where my husband spends most of his day. That's also where most of the kids candy came from this year. There was really no need to go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood after that, but they wouldn't let us get away with not going.

Alexis wanted to be a princess, so I made her a fancy dress. She felt so beautiful in it that it made the work I put into it that much more worth it to me.

Tyler was a skeleton. He had his heart set on that for several months. I always think it's funny to see what kids choose to be. I have no idea why he wanted to be a skeleton so badly, but he had a specific look in mind and wouldn't settle for anything else. Fortunately we found what he wanted in the local classifieds for $5, because I procrastinated (as usual) and all the stores were sold out of skeleton costumes.

And Ryan was a pumpkin, a costume I made for Tyler when he was 2. He was very cute with the extra padding and his funny little run/walk. He had no interest in trick-or-treating, but he did love being outside and playing with any ball he found.
Also, while he is incredibly cute, the question I ask myself daily is, "Will I survive this child?" He is unlike any other toddler I've had. He is 100% constant motion and trouble. If there is trouble to be found, he will find it. He never stops moving and really doesn't sleep well, which means I really don't sleep well, which means I'm tired before I even get up and spend the day chasing him around. He also doesn't talk, which both my previous kids had down by this age. He screeches and screams, grunts and growls, and pulls on my legs when he wants something. He's also become a picky eater and rarely eats dinner. He hates vegetables, but does love fruit, fortunately. He's been extra clingy lately--if I'm holding another child, or even talking to someone else, he comes and whines at my legs until I pick him up. If I dare take a shower while he's awake you better believe I'll be paying for it with a huge mess to clean up.

But on top of all that, he is still the cutest little boy. He keeps my life interesting and I can't imagine what it would be like without him, nor would I want it that way. Plus, he's finally started giving me kisses when I ask for them. With his mouth WIDE open. And we all know there's nothing better than baby kisses, they make life worth living.

five!

Last week Tyler turned 5.
5!

Frankly, I'm not happy about it.

But he's thrilled, of course. He made a killing on his birthday, and asked for a BYU cake. It was fairly easy to oblige him that one request, but I still do not like decorating cakes. It's just not my thing, but as long as they keep telling me that I make the best cakes (which they do, because they are young and don't know any better), then I will keep at it. After that, I'll buy them a pretty cake.
Aside from the fact that Jeremy (who is totally Tyler's favorite parent) got stuck in jury duty and missed cake and presents, I think he had a pretty great day.

A week before he turned 5, Tyler was jumping around on furniture like a maniac and hit the back of his head on the windowsill. He ended up getting 5 staples for it, and the experience at the urgent care was the worst thing I've ever had to endure as a parent. I'm not exaggerating either. They had to give him a shot around the wound to numb it so they could put the staples in, and it was my job to hold him down. I'm not going to elaborate any more, I'll just say it was horrible. But the wound was deep enough that it justified it, I guess.
When we got home he acted as though nothing happened. He's funny though because he doesn't like a lot of extra attention, so he didn't like people asking to see it or talk about it. And when Alexis was around and we started to talk about it she'd say, "Please don't talk about it, it makes me feel weird." Which is exactly how it made me feel.

In fact, Tyler in general makes me feel weird. He creates a roller coaster of emotions in me lately. Mostly because he's trying so hard to grow up and I'm trying so hard to not let him. He missed the kindergarten deadline by a few months, but he wants to be in school so badly. I didn't put him in preschool for a few reasons, the main one being that I know this is the last year I have with him at home. Once he starts school I will not be his only influence anymore. He'll have a teacher that he spends part of the day listening to, and friends who will start filling his head with all sorts of ideas. So while we have plenty of days that are rough and make me rethink my decision to keep him out of preschool, for the most part I enjoy having him here. I like his company, I like to look at his cute face, I like to hear the funny things he says, I like to watch him play with/beat up on Ryan, and I like to be involved in every minute of his life. I am his mother, I think it's my right. So I'm soaking it in while I can, and next year I suppose I'll let him go to kindergarten (though I know it'll hurt my heart a little).


Tyler has been playing soccer this fall, and he's really good at it. He loves to be out there running around, trying to get the ball, and hoping for a goal. It's a lot of fun to watch him because he's very enthusiastic about it all.
It makes it even better that his good buddies Josh and Hayden are on the team. They are all a bunch of goofballs, and some days I feel really sorry for their coach because the three of them can act pretty crazy, but they are so cute it's hard to really get annoyed.

This last picture makes me laugh, because it just seems to portray them perfectly.

Tyler brings a sweet innocence to our family that I love. He's a companion to his sister, a guide to his brother, a sidekick to his dad, and an absolute treasure to me. I'm thankful everyday that I get to spend my days with him and that I get to be his mother--it's a real treat.

breakfast

Ryan loves green smoothies. It's basically the only way I can get vegetables in him since he's become a fairly picky eater. (Insert joke here about how someone so chunky can't possibly be picky.)

This morning I got us both a straw and we sat there guzzling it until it was gone. Ryan had a death grip on the cup, afraid that I would move it before he had his fair share.
If you've never sat nose to nose with your baby love while they are sipping out of a straw, you need to change that. It's possibly one of the cutest things ever.


It's also a lot safer than sitting nose to nose with them while they are eating anything else.

perhaps you can relate?

I will admit that Jeremy and I have not always been the best at Family Home Evening, but we're always trying to be better about it. Our problem isn't really setting aside the time (though some Monday nights seem to fly by with not even a thought of FHE), it's the planning ahead. On Monday evening I usually turn to Jeremy and say, "Do you have a lesson for Family Home Evening?", and 10 minutes later, he does.

Last night as we were attempting to have Family Home Evening, I realized how insane my family is. I'm sure the proper planning would make things run a little smoother, but I think that as long as my children are there it will always be a little interesting, and I really really love that.

The songs that are chosen are always one of these four (because we let the kids pick): Book of Mormon Stories, Popcorn Popping, Once There Was a Snowman, or Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam. And because I'm singing along, they don't sound too great. This week, as soon as Ryan heard us singing he headed to the front of the room and started leading the music.

We try to talk about what we have going on for the week, but Alexis always interjects with random information (like Johnny Appleseed's Birthday, and what day they are serving French Toast for lunch in the cafeteria), and Tyler gets too bored.

The lessons are crazy because the kids seem to be incapable of sitting still, and Ryan is really good at distracting them.

We sometimes have an activity, last night was "Don't Eat Pete", with Ryan trying to snatch all the "Pete's" off the board before we could play.

Occasionally we have snack, usually only on the weeks that I plan ahead.

After all that everything gets loud and crazy. Last night there were some practiced gymnastics moves, some wrestling, some mustache making with pointer fingers, and then Ryan removed his diaper and peed on my carpet.

Usually it ends with me shouting out, "EVERYBODY BE QUIET!", then we sing and everyone is quiet for 3 minutes while we pray. Once that's over the craziness continues, but at least then I can walk away from it all because we've already said the closing prayer.

While it may be tiring and loud I'm always glad we made an effort to do it because while we are around each other often, we aren't always making the effort to talk to each other and teach each other and play together. There truly is wisdom in the idea of Family Home Evening.

my part

This post may be more appropriate for Mother’s Day, but it comes from thoughts I’ve had lately, as well as a dream I had last night that left me feeling so grateful to be a mother.

Have you ever heard the phrase "What-e'er thou art, act well thy part"? It was inscribed on a castle in Scotland where President David O. Mckay, the ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, served his mission as a young man. It became his life motto, and I first heard it while reading about him several years ago. I’ve loved that saying ever since, and it passes through my mind often as I’m doing tasks related to the different roles I carry. Currently my most demanding (and likely, most important) role is that of a mother. Often the weight and sacredness of this role gets to me and I start to doubt myself and my abilities, and wonder if I really can “act well” my part. When this happens I begin to look around me and recognize the greatest blessing I have been given in helping me overcome these doubts, and that is the example of others. I’m blessed to have a countless number of good examples of motherhood all around me. My own mother and mother-in-law, are of course people I always turn to for advice, but equally helpful are my friends and sister-in-laws (who are also my friends). They are young mothers like me, and they help me learn how to be a good mother through their actions. I interact with them often, so I’ve seen the good and the bad in their parenting, and I know that like me, they are not perfect. But they each have their own parenting strengths, and it’s those strengths that I watch and try to emulate. I’ve never actually told these friends that I appreciate their examples, I know I probably should. But until I do, I want to remember the things I’ve learned from them so I’m sharing it here. Some of them don’t read my blog, some do. Some of them may recognize themselves in what I’ll say, and some of them may have no idea that I look up to them. And whether I’ve mentioned it in my list below, I recognize that I have something to learn from all of the good people in my life.

I have a friend who never raises her voice to her children. I find this absolutely incredible! She can convey disappointment and sternness to her children (when necessary) without yelling. Yelling isn’t effective anyway, but it’s a common response for most people (me!), and she manages to suppress this.

I have a friend who is the epitome of a loving mother. She listens patiently to the things her kids tell her, and genuinely laughs at the funny things they do. She never speaks badly about them, even when her children aren’t around. She always recognizes the good in each of her children.

I have a friend who seems to never run out of patience. She has some fairly stubborn kids, but she knows how to manage them and can outlast them because of her endless supply of patience.

I have a friend who is excellent at really playing with her kids. In their home they have lots of toys that encourage imaginative play, and she’s right there alongside them playing out these imaginary scenarios. And when they go to a park, she’s on the slides and the swings and the monkey bars with them.

I have a friend who fights for her kids. She knows the good they possess and makes sure her children always know it about themselves, even when others try to emphasize the negative.

I have a friend who just seems to understand how to raise a proper human being. She knows effective discipline and the life lessons kids need to learn. She also knows how to balance that with love so that she can maintain a good relationship with her kids.

I have a friend who carries out fun traditions for her kids, even if it creates a lot of extra work for her.

I have a friend who is just starting out as a mother, but recognizes every day what a blessing it is to be a mother. And she has the ability to laugh at the frustrating things that might make other mothers cry.

I have a friend who recognizes teaching moments when they occur, and because she’s prepared herself ahead of time, can utilize those moments completely.

And I have a friend who teaches her children the joy in serving others, because she truly delights in serving.

It would be easy for me to look at this list of qualities that my friends possess and turn it into jealousy, but jealousy is a useless emotion. It does not inspire me to become better; it only makes me feel bad about myself. I know that I have my own strengths, but I also have many weaknesses. So I use this list to inspire and encourage me, and to remind me of my goal:

“What-e’er thou art, act well they part.”

developmental

Yesterday I took Ryan to the doctor for his 15 month check-up. One of the developmental questions they ask at this age is "Can he feed himself with a spoon?"


I'm thinking of emailing this picture to the doctor.

new obsession

I don't think I've ever talked about music on my blog, I pretty much just talk about my kids, but now I will do both!

A few months ago I watched a video on YouTube of a band called Imagine Dragons performing their song "It's Time".

And I fell in love.



I'm not sure what it is that I love about this video so much, but it hooked me so I bought their album, also called "It's Time".

Since I bought it I've been listening to it basically nonstop at home and in the car. The best part is that the kids have also fallen in love with this band, so they request to listen to it all the time. Tonight when I picked up Alexis from gymnastics the first thing she said was "Will you turn on Tokyo?"

"Tokyo", that's their favorite song.



They played a free concert in Provo last weekend that Jeremy and I were able to go to. I was so desperate to go I even asked my poor brother-in-law to spend his first Friday night back in Provo for school to babysit. Fortunately he was kind enough to do it. And Jeremy, being the good dad he is, whipped out his phone just as the band was gearing up to play "Tokyo" so he could take a video of it to show the kids.

So, since these songs are coming in my ears and sticking in my brain constantly these days I decided to share. And I share because I care. About you and about Imagine Dragons.