J’s Birthday

J turned one.

I tried all day to get a great picture of him looking at the camera, but he was too speedy for me.

He loved his chocolate cupcake.  And the sparkler entranced him.

 

Here is a little about him, he…

crawls

cruises holding onto furniture

will scream for any fruit, but especially loves watermelon and blueberries

will eat anything I give him, even collard greens and kale

hates milk

loves to wrestle with B-man or other babies

loves to dump things out of containers

says a few words, “yes, mom, ball”, and maybe “B-man” today

can nod and shake his head with amazing clarity

loves the bath and is learning to love the pool

I love this boy, and I am so grateful he came to our family!

June 27, 2010

 

June 27, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

Another week has come and gone relatively quickly. Most days we were able to hit the pool. We also had a friend who invited us over for dinner several times. That always helps the days to go more quickly.

 

B-man protecting his blocks from J’s little hands.

Tuesday was a day for visiting teaching. The visits both went really well. Later B-man went to the dentist. It went really well for getting a couple cavities filled. He loves that he can watch “Mr. Magoo” while he is getting worked on. That night I took the boys to mutual. We had a class activity and worked on writing letters to the missionaries from our ward. It was supposed to be an entire Sunday lesson, but we were instructed to move to an activity.

 

J and B-man love playing with these blocks on the landing of our stairs.

Wednesday I decided to go to the farm. We picked blueberries and I was so excited that J fell asleep and took a decent nap in the stroller. Despite the very bumpy ride and heat. We then went to the corn box, and J loved it! He was so happy playing and trying to hog all the corn to himself. After coming home and going to the pool I happened to notice a big black thing on B-man’s chest. Turns out he got a tick at the farm that had hung on all during the pool. I didn’t have time to think about it, and just took that sucker out. I was so brave, and I guess B-man was brave too. I hate ticks, and we have had way too many this year.

Thursday was J’s birthday! I can’t believe it has already been a year. The time has gone so quickly. I didn’t do much for his birthday. I did get him a balloon, and we tried to sing to him a lot throughout the day. I went to lunch at a friend’s house. It worked out perfectly because I had a doctor’s appointment and the woman that was watching the boys was also at the lunch. So I ran to the doctor’s and she took the boys back to her house and put J to bed. The doctor’s appointment was super quick, but was further away than I normally go. I then picked up the boys and took them home so that we could have a nice quiet afternoon. That night after dinner we sang to J and enjoyed some cupcakes. J LOVED his and pretty much inhaled the whole thing making a delightful mess. It was a good moment for us watching him love his treat.

Friday was relatively quiet. We went for a long walk in the morning after breakfast. It has been so hot, (almost 100 degrees) and has been too hot to ride a bike. So B-man pulled his bike out in the morning to ride. It worked out really well. I think we will do it more. Later that day we went to the pool and spent a great time there. We even packed a lunch. B-man thinks I am the greatest mom when I pack snacks, then when he sees how lame our snacks are compared to all the other kids I am not as great. After the pool we went to a local restaurant that B-man had earned a free kid’s meal for being great in school. I ordered and paid fast so that we could minimize the time there. B-man was thrilled with being able to go though.

Saturday we went to a few garage sales, and didn’t really find much. We also hit the pool. After J’s last nap we ran out and did a bunch of errands that I have been meaning to do. The weather was ridiculously hot, but the boys were pretty good sports. Then we came home for dinner and bed.

Today was our Stake Conference. The two hour block was slightly brutal, but we made it through. J was being a stinker and bit me so hard on my thumb that it is still sore many hours later. I don’t think he was trying to bite me; I just got in the way of his toy. After church we let J finally open his presents. It was a good time to do it because both boys then spent a big block of time playing with his new books and toy. J’s main tactic in opening the presents was to hold onto the paper and shake it vigorously. If he ripped off a piece he would promptly hand it to B-man to hold. I think it is so fun to watch kids open presents. We then went to dinner at the Beehive advisor’s house. It was a great chance to finalize some plans for the next couple of months during all the summer craziness. We then came home for a bath and bed.

We love you all!

R, M, B-man, and J

June 20, 2010

June 20, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Father's Day!  We are so thankful for the wonderful fathers and grandfathers that we have in our family.  We have such great examples of fatherhood to follow.  I am also grateful for M; we certainly have been reminded of how much he does around here since he has been gone.  And he does a lot!

The strategy of this week has been to stay busy.  Especially during the evening hours when it is usually the hardest time of the day and it would be easiest for me to miss M.  Monday we had a pretty normal day.  We went to the pool for a little and then after the pool we went to a friend's house for FHE and dinner.  It was an effective way to pass the time.  I did the lesson for FHE on the story of the "Ten Lepers" and being grateful.  We got home and the boys went immediately to bed.

Tuesday morning I went to an awards ceremony for all of the Kindergarteners.  Each teacher gave out an award to each student.  I was expecting the awards to be slow and painful, but I was pleasantly surprised and they went fast and were done quickly.  B-man got an award for excellence and hard work in the Language Arts.  He has made SO much progress this year.  He started the year not able to write his name at all really, and now he can write two sentences together!  It's been so fun to watch him improve.  After school we ran some grocery errands and then stayed pretty close to home.  We have been talking to M during the day.  That makes it fun for the boys, but hard for us to get any important conversations done.  That evening my friend came to dinner at my house.  Her husband was working late and since she has been so great about keeping me busy I thought I would return the favor.  After leaving her house we then went to mutual.  I stayed only a few minutes since I had all the kids.

Wednesday was a crazy day.  I went to go get blood drawn, but the lab didn't have the order.  I then spent a lot of time on the phone trying to get my doctor's office and the lab to actually work together and get it figured out.  I was frustrated and really didn't want to go to my next appointment without getting it done.  Of course I was also embarrassed about it because I was the one that had lost the original lab order.  It was just all around frustrating.  That afternoon I went back to my friends for dinner.  I can't explain how nice it is to have the hours of four to seven fly by quickly.  It is such a relief!

Thursday was beach day for B-man at school.  He had a great time, but apparently he did a lot of running around because when we were walking home he kept asking for me to slow down because his legs were so tired.  Actually he was slightly mad at me for not driving to the bus stop.  I just thought it would be nice to walk in the lovely weather!  Later that afternoon we had two children of a friend come over.  Their mother was sick and it was a great chance for B-man to have people over.  The kids all played really well together and I was even able to work on dinner while they were over.  After dropping off the kids back at their house we came home for dinner.  We then changed quickly and went to the pool for a quick trip before heading back home for bed.

Friday was the last day of school.  B-man got a little teary and sad in the morning getting ready for school.  For him, not having school just means that he doesn't get to see all of his friends every day.  While B-man was at school I went and visit taught one of my women.  She is from Cambodia, and I was so excited to take her the article in the Ensign about the church in Cambodia.  Sadly though she can't read English and so could only look at the pictures.  I was also sad to see that the Conference talks are not being translated into Cambodian.  They have a lot of other languages though...  When B-man got home from school we took some pictures and then went with the other "bus stop" moms for a fun lunch.  After lunch we went to visit another woman (she wasn't home and I got her message late) and then headed to the pool after J's nap.  We had a great time at the pool.  It was a nice hot day. 

B-man in the morning of the last day of school.

Saturday morning I went to a few yard sales.  With the boys in tow it is not nearly as convenient or fun.  B-man was super excited about the two light sabers that we purchased.  One has been in his hands ever since. B-man has clearly decided which one is Darth Vader's and which one is Obi Wan Kenobi's.  Later that morning we went to the pool for a nice long swim.  It has been hot and humid during the weekend, and it was nice to have the pool.  J doesn't mind the water as long as I am holding him.  I am working on getting him comfortable with the floaty toy so that I don't have to hold him the entire time.  B-man loves the pool.  We had to go home for nap time, but decided on a quick dip just for B-man right before dinner.  After the second quick swim we went to CiCi's pizza for dinner.  B-man was thrilled.  It went surprisingly well for being by myself.  Both J and B-man ate a ton of food, and it was east to keep them happy. 

Today has been another busy day.  After breakfast I spent some time getting ready for a Beehive presidency meeting.  I totally forgot that it was Father's day when I planned the make-up meeting.  But thankfully two showed up and we were able to get things organized for the summer.  After the meeting we mostly played and read books.  Worked on dinner a little and then finished getting ready for church.  Getting out the door with all the church stuff is such a pain.  My church bag is so heavy and such a pain lug around. Church was interesting.  J was super wiggly so we had to keep getting up to leave.  Of course Sacrament meeting went longer than usual too.  I told B-man that if I had to leave that he should just sit there and be quiet.  I was a little skeptical though. But each time I left he just sat!  It was wonderful, I even double checked to make sure that he wasn't just being sneaky.  I was so proud of him.  Sunday school is always just a waste for me.  We spend the time roaming the halls trying to get J to fall asleep.  Today during opening exercises he finally fell asleep.  It didn't last very long, but it meant that we could at least have him be happy for part of the evening.  After church we came home and started working while J was eating some of his food.  We then rushed over with our veggies in tow to dinner at our friends' house.  The time went quickly, but it was nice to be distracted. 

M is having fun too.  He finds the places so exotic and interesting.  He'll have to fill you in on the fun things that he has been doing.

We love you all!

R, M, B-man, and J

Trash Day

Tomorrow is trash day. After getting the boys in bed I prepared the trash to take it out. I will not reveal what I found in the trash bin, but let me just assure you it was VILE! In fact it was so vile that I put the bag back down and had to sit and strategize about what I was going to do. Leave it there? Nope the problem would not go away. Take the bag (and problem) out through my house? Not that appealing. Double bag the offending things? I would risk contamination of myself, but I knew the house would be protected. I decided it was the best course of action. I double bagged. It was tricky and I wished several times that I had plastic gloves. Actually a bio hazard suit would have been nice. The trash was cleared. There was still a bit of a problem with the bin. Nothing that a bit of bug spray couldn't cure.

Let me just say right now, that in our house trash is a clearly male responsibility. (Don't worry there are plenty of tasks that are clearly female jobs.) I will never take that for granted again.

June 13, 2010

June 13, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

Most of this week has been back to the usual grind. Monday I worked around the house, and when M got home I headed off to the dentist. I was so nervous, but came away with a clear report. Hurray! Then when I got home M headed off to a P.T. appointment. While he was away I tried to get dinner on, and J was apparently hungry because he started having a major meltdown which led to a motherly melt down too… Yikes. Thankfully by FHE things had calmed down a little. We talked about stranger danger and what do if somebody tries, or forcibly takes you with them. B-man was a little too shy to scream and kick when we were practicing, but I think he got the hint.

Tuesday I got some shopping done. That night I had mutual. We worked with the girls on finishing some camp things. When I got home M ran off to a meeting with the Bishop.

Wednesday morning M and I went to a little award ceremony for B-man at his school. He had been chosen by his teacher for a special “Citizenship” award. It is handed out quarterly, and they donuts and juice for all the families. B-man was really excited at first, he loved his donut, and then it got kind of long and boring and he was just done and wanted to go back to class. We were certainly pleased that his teacher had chosen him for the award. That night M had more p.t. and then he also had a presidency meeting after the kids were in bed.

Thursday was a fairly slow relaxed day. In the afternoon we spent some time at the pool. It was finally reopened and hot enough to enjoy being there. Then we came home to work on dinner. That night M went bowling with his friends at a new bowling alley that was just built nearby.

Friday was a fun, busy day. B-man had a fun day at school. They did a practice lunch and he was so excited to get to eat in the cafeteria. After school he came home and later that afternoon I took him to the dentist. We knew he needed a cavity filled, and we took him to a Pediatric dentist (that also happens to be in our ward) for a consultation. Turns out that he has more than one cavity. He is going to need a lot of fillings; hopefully he will still like the dentist afterwards. I felt like telling the dentist “I promise he has been brushing twice a day!” But apparently he needs to be flossing. Who flosses when they are five? Seriously. After our traditional pizza dinner we dropped off B-man at the Primary party. Then M and I went to a dessert party for Young Women leaders. We had a great time chatting, and ended up being a little late to pick up all our children.

Saturday was a very busy day. It wasn’t supposed to be that busy, but somehow it turned out that way. We first woke up and cleaned the church. Then I went garage sale shopping. While I was away M went and did some shopping for his trip with the boys. While I was gone M started cutting B-man’s hair and discovered a deer tick that was stuck on his head. Our area of the U.S. has the highest rate of Lyme disease in the nation, and we know of two people in our ward in the last two weeks that have been diagnosed with it. M was pretty concerned so as soon as I got home he took him to a doctor in our ward to take out the tick. Deer ticks are tiny! They are seriously the size of a poppy seed. The doctor had some special tweezers that were perfect for removing ticks. The doctor also gave M a prescription for some antibiotics. It was really just a precaution, but we decided to fill it anyway. So when they got home we went straight to Costco to fill it. Costco was crazy busy and took way longer than we thought it would. When we got home I immediately started cooking things for a barbecue we would be going to later. I made potato salad and a tart cherry cobbler. M took B-man to a birthday party, then ran to the bank, and then went back to get B-man. When they got home we had barely enough time to finish the preparations and get changed into better clothes before heading to the party. The party was hosted by some friends and was a great success. Right as the hamburgers were in the middle of a cooking a HUGE thunderstorm blew in, and all the kids and adults had to come running in to the house. We were able to get the kids to have a picnic inside and eventually the storm blew past and we were able to head outdoors again. Everything was wet, but people still had a great time playing badminton and the kids loved running around outside playing with the water guns. J loved crawling through the grass. Sadly, B-man and I were both bitten by some nasty gnats. Once we left we put the kids to bed and worked on a few things before heading to bed.

Today has been a good day. M had meetings this morning. I was supposed to have the Beehive presidency over, but I guess none of them got my message, and so nobody came. I guess we will work on that next week… We went to church and after the Sacrament we left leaving B-man with some friends. I then drove M to the airport. J had a good nap in the car while I drove. The rest of church was pretty uneventful. Once home from church we ate, and read some books before it was time to get ready for bed.

We love you all!

R, M, B-man, and J

**Also noteworthy this week is J's screaming. He does it all the time while eating, even if he has his mouth completely full. I have no idea how to get him to stop. He also loves watermelon so much that he has to stuff his mouth, have he hands full, and some on his tray or he will be very upset.

June 6, 2010

June 6, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been a great week.  We have been able to do a lot of celebrating.  Monday was M’ birthday, and we were so excited to be able to have him home all day for Memorial Day too.  We started off the day with a fun breakfast.  We let M sleep in a little too.  That afternoon M and B-man went to the pool for a nice long swim.  After cleaning up lunch and getting J ready I met them there and we got J into the pool for the first time.  He wasn’t exactly sure if he loved it, but he was a pretty good sport.  He HATED it when he got splashed by bigger kids.  After the pool I came home and got J to sleep for a nap.  I then worked on a tart for M’ birthday.  When the guys got home they cleaned up and then we headed over to some friends’ for dinner.  They had recently moved and it was fun to see their new house.

Tuesday it seemed a little strange to have to be back in school.  But we got back to our normal routine.  I had a doctor’s appointment and everything is looking good.  That night I had mutual.  We worked on some things for camp.  During mutual I started to feel really gross, but just assumed it was normal pregnancy grossness.  When I got home I headed straight for the couch to lie down.  I assumed that I would feel fine soon.  I was wrong.  It ended up that I had the stomach flu, which is very different from pregnancy sickness.  It wasn’t fun.

Wednesday I stayed in bed all day away from people while M ran the house.  I was so grateful that he could take the day off and help out.  It made such a difference and by the end of the day it was clear that I was not sick anymore.  While I was hiding out M took the boys to a fun birthday lunch.  B-man thought it was such a fun trip.  That night M headed out for more visits with the EQ.

Thursday was back to business as usual.  B-man had a big field trip with his class to the farm.  I went and picked strawberries, and saw him with all of his class.  I was happy to go home as it was a very hot and humid day.  I was feeling weak but much better.  I tried to get caught up on things around the house.  Although I think I am forever behind.

Friday was another pretty normal day.  I worked on a few baking projects and did some grocery shopping.  That night we went swimming, and then went to a friends’ for dinner.  They had a tub of water set up on their front porch and the boys had a great time playing with the water toys that were inside of it.

Saturday morning I woke up in full project mode.  We were hosting a birthday party for M at our community pool.  The hope was that the weather would be good and we could play inner-tube water polo.  I did a hit a few yard sales first thing in the morning, but then came home early to work on things.  I mostly had some cooking and organizing to do.  When I got home we had just enough time to get organized before heading off to Costco to buy the last few things that we needed on food.

Then we c ame home and found out that our pool had blown something in the pump and nobody would be allowed to use it all weekend…  That was slightly bad news, but especially bad when you are supposed to be hosting a pool party!  So we went into scramble mode.  We did have a chance to go to a fun lunch for M’ birthday.  We like to take advantage of all the fun free birthday things…  When we got home I worked on the food while M figured out what we were going to do.  We came up with a plan.  We were pretty sure we could get into a different pool.  It would be crowded and we couldn’t play inner tube water polo, but we would at least be able to play water games.  We got the food done, and things organized, and then I went to collect the babysitter with the boys.  Once the babysitter was at our house we just loaded up the back of our car with all the food and took it to the clubhouse for the party.  We then met the guests there, and decided at the last minute to try a different pool that we were pretty sure would be emptier.  We just didn’t know how it would work getting twenty people inside.   When we got there, getting in was a breeze!  We just walked in, and the pool was very empty so it was perfect.  Someone asked the lifeguard right as we got there if we could use inner tubes, and he said it was fine with him… So then M ran back to our house to get all the equipment for the game.  That left me to run some water games. 

We played a few games, did a relay or two and by that time M was back with all the equipment and we were ready to go.  After some debate, and finding a tool we were able to split the pool in such a way to keep the few children there safe and still be able to play.  M and I were both so happy to be able to play water polo.  And actually I think all of the people that came were really glad that we got to play too.  Everyone was such a good sport about all the water games.  We had both been a little stressed about having such a big party and all the last minute changes, and we were so relieved when everything came together and people had a good time.  When the pool closed, we went back to our clubhouse and fed everyone.  After eating we played a game of reverse charades, and by that time we had to be out.   I cannot explain how great it felt to be done, and to have it be a great success.  Everyone wants to play again soon, now that we know where we can play!   We came home and tried to get things under control before sitting down for a few minutes and then going to bed.

Today has been a good day.  M had no meetings, but we were both working on lessons.  Church had some excellent testimonies, and only one that the Stake President had to cut short.  It was an awkward moment for everyone I am sure…  I taught in Young Women about Virtue.  It has been fun for me to study and learn more about the new value.   After church we came home and had dinner.  Leftovers from the party, but it was delicious and easy!  After dinner we read and played a few impromptu games before making wishes for M.  J was entranced by the candles.  Then it was time for bed for the boys.

We love you all!

R, M, B-man, and J