Boo!

Happy Halloween! Pictures from our costumes for last night's ward Halloween Party (which I thought was a lot of fun and had quite a few impressive costumes).
Jeremy's favorite question of the night was, "Do you really own those shoes?" Yes, he really does. And not just for this occasion-he's had them for awhile.

My pretty pink haired witch. Who insisted on having a cape, so I scrambled to make one yesterday morning before school, then she threw a fit every time I made her wear it. It's for the best I suppose because it's so poorly made I would probably have to tell people that Jeremy made it-- just to save face.


Our orange haired punk rocker who won "Best Costume-Child". I haven't figured out if that's because most people were gone by the time they handed out the awards, but we'll take it. I think the orange Mohawk pushes it over the top. Tonight he'll be a dinosaur. The fact that he has two costumes, and won an award for one of them, has caused an endless amount of jealousy in Alexis. But, she wouldn't be Alexis if she hadn't already talked Tyler into giving her his trophy and the candy in it. This morning they were looking at it and he said to her, "Oh cool, will you share that candy with me??"

pee on the floor and other news

Just now, as Tyler and I were eating lunch, he asked me, "Mom, do I have a pull-up on or underwear on?" As you can imagine this sent off little alarms in my head. I turned to look at him and tell him he had underwear on, just in time to see that look cross his face. If you've spent any time at all around little kids, particularly when they are relieving themselves, you know what look I'm talking about. The look of "I feel so much better", which in this case was immediately followed by the look of realization that "I guess I'm not wearing a pull-up".

On Sunday Alexis wanted to help with dinner, and I told her no. So she said, "well, what can I help with?" As a joke I told her she could load the dishwasher. I thought she would scoff at the idea, but she literally jumped at the chance. She asked how to do it, I gave her some quick and basic instructions, figuring she'd be bored of it in a minute and went back to my business. Twenty minutes later Alexis is still there and most of the dishes are in the dishwasher. There are a few really amazing parts of this story.
1. She wouldn't leave until she was certain that she got every dirty dish in there.
2. The only thing she did wrong was turn the cups right side up instead of upside down.
It was possibly one of the cutest things she's ever done. She even put the silverware in according to category, like all the forks in one slot and all the spoons in another. And she's like her father, she washed off the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

Not that I would EVER consider doing this, but if I were to rank my children according to favorites right now, can you guess what the order would be? Even if I did play favorites, at least they've got each other right?
I love when they sit like this on the couch, and they do this quite often. They truly love each other and it makes me so happy.

In other news, it's snowing today. And I mean SNOWING! In my ever eloquent way I thought of how I could summarize my feelings on the snow, and it goes like this: Oh crap.

And to think, just days ago we were warm, playing here:
It's really a shame.

TGIF

It's been one of those weeks. Who knows what brings these weeks on? Change in the weather? Waking up on the wrong side of the bed? Colds?

But it's the kind of week where it seems the best I can do is turn the couch on it's front end and let them build a fort. And then leave it like that for two days. The kind of week where I just sit back, read a book, and ensure that no one kills anyone else.



Though yesterday morning the guilt finally got to me and I pulled out some Halloween wood cutouts and we painted them.
The beauty of underachieving, as I have done this week, is that when you do something completely normal you are treated as a hero.

This afternoon we're headed to St. George for some fun on the sand dunes in the Rhino. This quick trip has something for everyone. For Alexis, it's the swimming pool and the other little girl that will be there too. For Tyler and Jeremy, it's the time on the Rhino. For me, it's the company of my husband, the warm sunshine, and the lack of responsibility for fixing food. I suspect this trip is just what everyone around here needs! And maybe next week we can return to normal?


P.S. Mullets are only funny once (if then...)--so we brought this back!

this picture makes me smile

Get a good look at his hair because if everything goes according to schedule (when does it ever??), he'll be getting a haircut tonight. Can you guess what look we are revisiting?

is there a point?

Oh, the dishes.

Oh, I hate dishes!

Oh, how I procrastinate doing the dishes!

I have a rule, NO CLEANING THE KITCHEN ON SUNDAY (unless company is coming)! I would like to say that rule is because I try to keep the Sabbath day holy. I do try to do that, but that is not my motivating factor. No, I know I should keep it holy and not spend my time cleaning the house, but I use it more as an excuse, not a reason, for not doing my dishes. Makes sense?? I guess I mean I haven't quite gotten to the point of truly wanting to keep the Sabbath day holy, instead I'm at the point of "well, I've been given this day to not do dishes so I'm going to use it." I do hope to get there someday. Probably when there's just two of us left at home, or maybe just me ('cause the rule is that Jeremy has to die first when we're old--I could not rest in Heaven knowing he was down here having to be lonely and take care of himself), and there are very few dishes, that's when I'll get there. But anyway, my no dishes rule on Sunday makes for a lot of work on Monday.

It's kind of like how I bribe my kids with candy all the way through the Sacrament. They are sitting still, but they are probably not thinking about Jesus. BUT they are SITTING STILL!! And I figure if I can train them to sit still that will allow someday for thoughts of Jesus to enter. Right?? So that's why I have little piles of candy corn on my lap throughout the whole Sacrament. Though sometimes I only have one pile because a certain little boy has lost all his. Sacrament is a hard time for him.

Speaking of, today I have to take Tyler to the doctors, for his 3 year old check-up. The poor unsuspecting boy doesn't know, because I've been careful not to tell him. I can't decide if this is mean or not, but I know if I tell him, he'll ask if he's getting a shot. And he is at least getting a flu shot, and probably some other vaccinations that I don't remember right now. And at 2 o' clock! That's nap time! This will be a fun afternoon, to say the least.

Speaking of flu shots, what are your opinions on getting the swine flu shot? I have not made a decision yet, mostly because the opportunity hasn't fallen right in my lap (what are the odds that it will?), so I'd like to hear what other people think. Particularly you others with kids--those germ infested, disease carrying kids!

Perhaps I will make an apple pie today. I should tell myself that I cannot make a pie until I've cleaned the kitchen, but I don't know if that will work. Because, as Jeremy says, I'm going to do whatever I want anyway. And that is true! And what are your opinions on that?? (The pie making, and me doing whatever I want).

YES!! A crying child needs me, one more way to procrastinate the dishes! Oh, and the phone is ringing!! This could go on all morning...

3 and robots and cars and the last time I'll mention his birthday until next year

Well, the birthday is over. I begged him to stay 2 (I LOVE 2 year olds), but he didn't listen. However, I also love my three year old! And I love when my kids have birthdays! I didn't do a whole lot for Tyler this year, which I felt a little guilty about. But I got over that quickly because it turns out he was more excited about his robot cake than about anything else. I found a cake mix that included "edible pictures" to put on top of the frosting. He'd carry the box for this around the house for weeks, and yesterday when I finally made the cake he'd go into the kitchen, push a stool up to the counter and stare at the cake every few minutes. It was by no means a pretty cake, but I guess the fact that you could eat the robots made it cool. And he got to blow out his candles twice because the first time his dad told him to blow them out before we ever sang "Happy Birthday". It's possible Jeremy is becoming senile in his old age.


Here he's giving Alexis a thank-you hug because she gave him little Lightning McQueen and Mater cars. And then she picked him up, because she can apparently lift her own body weight. Can you do that? I know I can't.


I had to include this picture because it's the only one we've ever gotten that is close to showing a certain face that Tyler makes all the time. You probably can't tell unless you are familiar with it, but he's trying to suppress a smile. Jeremy makes this face too, though Tyler usually does it out of shyness.

After opening all his presents the adults started opening the boxes and taking the pieces out. I think this stressed him out, he was afraid of losing pieces. So he started making this pile in the corner of the room, arranging the toys, the boxes, the garbage, so he would know where everything was, and no one was allowed to touch it. He also gets this from his dad.

This picture I included because he just looks so old, and thin in it. What happened to my chubby cheeked, fat tummied, little guy?

So of course I had to look up pictures from past birthdays to see how he's changed. Tyler's 2nd birthday:

His 1st birthday:

And the original birth day:

So much has changed, but also so much about him has remained the same--like the fact that he makes our lives better. And I don't have to wait until his birthday every year to celebrate that.

3 year olds are still babies, right?

In just a few short days, this little man pictured above will turn 3. Being the sentimental mother that I am, and given that he is my youngest, it's got me to thinking--mostly about where the time went and how three years seem to just sneak up on me, but also about how motherhood is a funny, funny thing.

Before having kids, I had a plan for my family. I wanted four kids, all spaced two years apart. That is extremely similar to how the family I was raised in is, except most of us are even closer in age than two years. However, in making this plan I guess I underestimated the job of a mother. Kids two years apart (or less) is not as easy as it may seem, and I can only imagine what having four (or more) kids is like.

My plan began according to schedule (Tyler and Alexis are only 2 years and 2 months apart) but was quickly halted after Tyler was born. I love their age difference now, but when Tyler was a baby I wasn't quite sure we'd all survive. I've tried to decide if it's because I don't have easy babies, or if it's that I'm not a baby person, but either way, life was not pleasant back then. Thank goodness things change.

There's many factors that go into planning a family, but in my case personality has been the deciding factor. Some mothers worry less, some are more organized, some don't mind noise and chaos, some are more patient, and some can just roll with the punches better. And while I think I'm a fine mother, I know now I couldn't handle 4 kids within 6 years. It's just not my personality. I still hope to get to 4 someday, but it might take awhile. However, I can feel myself growing as a mother, becoming more patient and more immune to chaos. I suppose every one's growth rate is different and mine is just a little slower than I imagined.

Some days I lament that I'm not different, that I can't handle the same things other people can, and that I don't have 3 kids with another one on the way right now (as according to plan), but then I remind myself that if that were the case I very well could be in jail. 'Cause motherhood is a funny, funny thing. It can bring you immense joy, but it can also drive you a bit crazy and make you want to do things a sane person would never dream of.

So here's to celebrating the end of the 3rd year of my son's life from the freedom of my own home, rather than a cell!



p.s. He's still my baby, don't expect me to call him otherwise.

Carb Loading Conference Sunday

Our Conference tradition is to have homemade cinnamon rolls. Maybe someday they'll actually be done before the first session instead of right in the middle of it.

We also made pizza for dinner tonight. This picture might lead you to believe that I'm cooler than I really am. I can throw the dough up in the air, and most of the time I can catch it--but it in no way resembles a circle when I'm done with it. I mostly do it for the entertainment of the kids (and the entertainment of me). But it is a skill I'd like to learn. Anyone know how to successfully throw pizza dough??
Also, nostril shot!

Also, also, I loved Elder Holland's testimony of the Book of Mormon! (I'd link to it, but it's not up until Thurs.) And all the reminders to be more loving--something I definitely need to work on.

paiute

Welcome to October! There's a chill in the air BUT the sun is unobscured and shining. And my kids are bouncing off the walls. They spent the last three days in that glorious land known as "grandma's house". A place with minimal rules like, "no killing", and...that may be the only rule. I am thankful for that, I bet some grandma's don't even have that rule. As a result of their stay at grandma and grandpa's, today they are tired (from too much fun) and throwing plenty of fits. I'm not complaining though, I'm grateful my kids have good grandparents--on both sides--and that I have somewhere to send them when I want to go do something fun.

For awhile now Jeremy has wanted to ride the Paiute Trail, which is in the middle of nowhere. Or central Utah if you want to be more specific. It's a huge trail that people from all over the country come to ride. We talked to just about everyone we passed along the way, and met no one from Utah. In the three days we were there we rode about 180 miles in the Rhino. Our plan was to camp along the way, but we ended up staying in Marysvale. The first night we got a tent site in a campground mostly for RV's. It was much less adventurous, but I also didn't have to find a tree whenever I needed to pee and it had SHOWERS! Also, the next morning one of the campground workers mowed the lawn all around our little table and tent, while we were eating our breakfast! You don't get that kind of excitement while camping alone in the mountains.
The second night we asked the guy if he'd give us a deal on one of the cabins. He obliged, probably because no one was staying in any of them.

I have to mention that Jeremy did ALL the work for this trip. He planned it, he bought the food, he cooked the food, he packed the Rhino, he did EVERYTHING. I literally just came along for the ride. Here he is cooking one of the meals, and it was delicious!
The trail covers all sorts of terrain, and we went at a good time. The aspens were on fire with yellow and gold leaves!

The weather was great until the last day, when it got really really cold and windy. Despite that I loved my tour of small town America and spending some quiet time with Jeremy. And now I'm loving that it's almost time for Tyler to take a nap--he needs it more than any child has ever needed a nap.