A Free Gift For You

On Saturday we woke up to find a nice trail of ants leading to the jelly bean that had been inadvertently dropped under the couch. How ironic! I had just spent the previous 2 days cleaning the house. I guess it wasn't as clean as I thought. Due to that experience this was the conversation that Thomas and I had yesterday.

Thomas: Mom, why do we have ants?

Me: I have no idea?

Thomas: Why?

Me: Because Heavenly Father made them for us.

Thomas: So he just wrapped them up and gave them to us?

Me: Yes

Our week in definitions

de·light

[di lite] n 1. joy: great enjoyment and pleasure 2. somebody or something giving joy: somebody or something that brings somebody great enjoyment and pleasure

* Our children bring us delight!

dis·cov·er

[diss kúvvər] vt 1. find out about something: to find out information that was not previously known.
* Thomas was excited to discover all the different things his shadow could do.

train·ing

[tráyning]n 1. acquiring of skill: the process of teaching or learning a skill

* Potty training is not fun for moms or 3 year olds.

joy

[joy]n 1. great happiness: feelings of great happiness or pleasure, especially of an elevated or spiritual kind

* Thomas and Mom experience joy when they are together.

beau·ti·ful

[byootəf'l]adj 1. pleasing to senses: very pleasing and impressive to look at, listen to, touch, smell, or taste
* Clara looked beautiful in her new pink dress.

a·muse

ə myooz] vt 1. make somebody laugh: to make somebody smile or laugh or think that something is funny 2. keep somebody happily occupied: to keep somebody occupied or entertained by providing entertainment or an interesting task

* Mom was able to amuse Thomas during a fun game of hide and go seek.

re·lief

[ri leef] n 1. freeing of somebody from anxiety: a release from anxiety or tension, or the feeling of release, lightness, and cheerfulness that accompanies this

* Mom, Thomas and Clara experienced great relief when Dad returned home from his first business trip to Topeka, Kansas.

Thomas, Ducks and Unfortunately Pigeons

Thomas, for some odd reason, has a fascination with birds. Don’t get me wrong, I think birds are cute but I don’t consider pigeons fitting into that “cute” category. Pigeons are gross, they are ugly and they give me the willies.


Not Thomas. He LOVES them, and I am not exaggerating. When we see them in a parking lot he wants to chase them down and give them a kiss and a hug. He sees them and makes the same kind of sounds adult women make when they see a really cute newborn baby. There have been many times when I have heard him squealing with delight while looking out the window because he sees a pigeon that has graced our backyard with its presence. Little does he know how gross they are.


Thomas and I have started a new tradition. Every Thursday we go to story time, Sonic and then go feed ducks at the park. It is a lot of fun and I look forward to Thursdays because it is our “special day.” Today we had gone to story time and Sonic and it was time to go find some ducks. I was going to stop and get a loaf of bread because I had forgotten some from home. However, I chose to be lazy and just grab the Gold Fish crackers from the diaper bag. I did not think the ducks would be too picky.

I decided to take him to one of the little lakes around here. We opened the door and were immediately inundated with birds. There were Ducks, Pigeons and some little black birds that kind of looked like a cross between the two. Thomas was thrilled and I was totally disgusted (just with the pigeons). The birds were clamoring for those gold fish and Thomas was having the time of his life. I kept trying to get him to throw the crackers so the birds would not get so close, but he would not have anything to do with that method. He wanted them up close. They got as close as they could without touching him. They had no fear of him whatsoever, it was as if he had become the little Pied Piper of Pigeons. Believe it or not, this outing ranked right up there with Christmas for him…maybe even higher.

Eventually he gave out all his fish and it was time to go. He got into the car and kept telling me how much fun he had and about how much he loved the little birdies. What was I doing while he was basking in this glory? Hosing him down with hand sanitizer.

Holy Hickeys, Batman!

Sometimes I wonder if I have any common sense at all. (I am sure Steve wonders the same thing too) Yesterday morning Clara and I were playing. She is into the cute "grab your face and squeal stage." We were sitting on the couch and she grabbed my face and started sucking on my chin. I was laughing and having a fun time with her.

She eventually grew tired of the simple game, so I put her down for a nap and took the opportunity to throw my stinky self in the shower. When I got out of the shower I took a look in the mirror and had to do a double take. How lovely! Two little hickeys from my precious girl with the suction power of a Dyson.

The picture does not do them justice, I was having a hard time getting a good shot using the self portrait method.

I found this tip on Wikipedia.

Tips
In the future, get and give hickeys where they won't be easily found -- or don't get one at all!
Hickeys will usually fade naturally in a couple of days to a week. There’s no sure way to get rid of one other than waiting, so be patient and try to minimize and hide its appearance as much as you can.

If someone notices your hickey, play it off. The excuse of the "curling iron burn" is common, but it doesn't work because a burn and a bruise look nothing alike. Try a different excuse, one that would cause a bruise, like you got hit with a ping-pong ball or other projectile. People probably won’t believe you, but at least it’s plausible.

How can I use wikipedia with out ending with my favorite quote on it...

"Wikipedia is the best thing out there. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject. So you know you are getting the best possible information."

-Michael Scott

Clara : Mama

I have a confession to make, when I found out I was pregnant with a girl I was a little apprehensive. I already had Thomas and I couldn't imagine how a girl could be as much fun as a boy. I only had brothers, I was comfortable with the whole boy thing.

I have since figured out that girls can be as much fun as boys. One of my new obsessions is shopping for dresses. I love Hanna Andersson dresses, however I don't like Hanna Andersson prices. A good friend of mine (if your reading this Lorelee , "Hi") who has a couple of girls turned me onto buying the goods on ebay. Jackpot!

So this little blue flower dress was my latest find. I am proud to say I only paid $6.00 for it and I love it. The only thing I didn't like was it is made out of linen, so I spent about 10 minutes ironing it before church yesterday.

I thought she looked adorable yesterday, but I kept looking at her trying to figure out who she reminded me of. There was just something about the dress and the flowers in her hair that were ringing a bell.

I racked my brain and finally figured out who it was...

This little blue dress is now my favorite and will be referred to as Mama's Frock for obvious reasons.

This is what boredom gets ya

So today has been one of those days. I am BORED! This is the kind of boredom that we all get. You know the kind. There is laundry to be done, dishes to be unloaded, and floors to be vacuumed. I just can't get the motivation to get it done. Clara was up quite a bit last night, and I am tired!

So what do I do instead of my womanly duties? I play photo shop with my kids. Lately, Thomas has been on a photo strike. About 75% of the pictures I take look like the one above. This afternoon, we were all laying on the floor playing and I said. "Let's go play with the tri-pod and take some pictures." To my utter amazement, he agreed with me. The only condition was I had to let him take some pictures with the camera when we were done. I quickly went upstairs, threw a sheet on the floor and got the kids undressed. Here is what we accomplished.

I think Clara was just as tired as I was. She would not smile in the pictures. Usually she hams it up without any problems. She pretty much gave me the stink eye in every picture.

These look like the old 80's poses they use to do at Olan Mills. These are a little too posed for me.

I couldn't be live he let me get these pictures. He must have been delirious.

I was quite impressed with the pictures he took of Clara and me. I inherited my love of photography from my Dad, and now it looks like I have a little apprentice.

Independence

Recently, Thomas has taken up the interest in picking out his clothes and dressing himself. As you can see, he has quite the fashion sense. I let him dress how he wants to dress around the house but when we leave I try to put him in presentable clothes that semi-match.

He found the shirt he is wearing in a pile of clothes I had to give away. He had not worn this shirt for at least a year and a half, but for some reason it was just what he had been looking for to complete the ensemble.

Pin a bonnet on me and call me Rachel

For some reason, I am fascinated with the Amish. When I was 22 I had to opportunity to go on a church history tour with some friends. I think I was just as excited to go to "Amish Land" as anywhere else on the tour. I think the lifestyle is very interesting, and I also have quite a bit of respect for the people.

Quite a few years ago, Steve and I went to Delaware with some friends. We were staying right next to an Amish community. I was so excited to go to one of the stores they had. From what I remember, this was not your typical tourist store, it was a genuine store on Amish land. While I was there I picked up a cookbook. Inside the book there was a recipe for some rolls, I made them and they were amazing. I started making them all the time. Whenever we had a family dinner or somewhere to go, I was asked to make them. Eventually, got tired of making them and moved on to other recipes.

Recently, I pulled out the recipe and started making them again. I had forgotten how good they were. Last night we had the Sister Missionaries over for dinner, so I made them once again. They were a hit. There was only one left when Steve came home from work (the sisters needed to eat early, so he was unable to get home on time).

Here is the recipe.

Amish Rolls

2 tbsp. yeast

1 tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup warm water

1 tsp salt

4 to 4 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast and 1 tbsp sugar in 1/4 cup water, let stand for about 10 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients except flour. Mix well. Add 2 cups four. Beat 1 minute. Gradually stir in remaining flour. Knead until smooth and elastic (or just use the kitchen aid like me). Let rise until double in bulk. Punch down; make into rolls. Let rise in pan until double in bulk. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Take them out when they are golden brown. Spread tops with butter and serve with honey butter.

Honey Butter

1 cube butter

1/4 cup marshmallow cream

1/3 cup honey

Justification

What can I do? I have an adorable 3-year old. Then one day, I'm looking at him thinking about what a joy he is in life, about how my life has improved 100 times over since his birth. Then he does something with his finger, his nose and his mouth that brings me to my knees while screaming..."NO!!!"

I know I am not the first parent to deal with this issue. Heck, I taught school for 6 years. I know there are other rug rats out there that do the same thing. I remember standing at the front of the classroom teaching a lesson. Billy (name changed to protect the innocent) reaches up and picks his nose. As my stomach would turn, I would make a mental note..."don't let Billy hold your hand today."

I SO don't want Thomas to be that kid.

He is getting better, we use the code words "house rules" to remind him to stop and that seems to work. I would like to thank the episode of Curious George, Up A Tree, for that phrase. I guess because the man with the yellow hat says it to George, it is okay for us to say it to Thomas.

There is a benefit to all this though. We use to deal with asthma issues with Thomas. Up until this last year he was constantly sick with respiratory issues. He is growing out of it, just like good old Dr. D. said he would. But, maybe he is growing out of it for different reasons.

Check this out...

(if you have a weak stomach, sorry for the post and quit reading now.)


Top doc backs picking your nose and eating it

Picking your nose and eating it is one of the best ways to stay healthy, according to a top Austrian doctor.

Innsbruck-based lung specialist Prof Dr Friedrich Bischinger said people who pick their noses with their fingers were healthy, happier and probably better in tune with their bodies.
He says society should adopt a new approach to nose-picking and encourage children to take it up.

Dr Bischinger said: "With the finger you can get to places you just can't reach with a handkerchief, keeping your nose far cleaner.

"And eating the dry remains of what you pull out is a great way of strengthening the body's immune system.

"Medically it makes great sense and is a perfectly natural thing to do. In terms of the immune system the nose is a filter in which a great deal of bacteria are collected, and when this mixture arrives in the intestines it works just like a medicine.

"Modern medicine is constantly trying to do the same thing through far more complicated methods, people who pick their nose and eat it get a natural boost to their immune system for free."

He pointed out that children happily pick their noses, yet by the time they have become adults they have stopped under pressure from a society that has branded it disgusting and anti social.

He said: "I would recommend a new approach where children are encouraged to pick their nose. It is a completely natural response and medically a good idea as well."

And he pointed out that if anyone was really worried about what their neighbour was thinking, they could still enjoy picking their nose in private if they still wanted to get the benefits it offered.

Maybe Thomas is destined for royalty. Check out Her Majesty and also the Italian Prime Minister.

We will now be referring to Thomas as His Royal Majesty.

Seriously? !

Dear On The Border Waitress,



This is to inform you that walNUTS are nuts. I know you claimed to not know that there were nuts in our dessert, but you can't just "guess." Next time, walk your little self back to the kitchen and ASK! I know ordering dessert would in turn give you a bigger tip, but COME ON!


Thank heavens he didn't take a bite.

Sincerely,

Nut Boy's mom

I was Tagged

Gina Tagged me, so here goes..

10 years ago:

I was in my Jr. year at UNLV and I was working as a substitute teacher. I was getting ready to go to New York with my friend, Robyn, and was teaching Sunday School in my singles ward (scariest calling I have ever had).

5 Places I've visited:

These are the furthest places I have visited

1. Germany
2. Paris

3. London

4. Amsterdam

5. Connecticut

5 things on my to do list:

1. Finish organizing the office / food storage room

2. Get a picture of Christ for Clara's room, then it will finally be finished.

3. Potty train Thomas

4. Start my new quilt. I have had the fabric for a while, just not the time.

5. Clean out the junk cabinet in the kitchen

5 life time goals:

1. Raise great children

2. Continue having a successful, happy marriage

3. Become a professional photographer when the kids are older

4. Go on a mission with Steve

5. Become rich and famous, live in a mansion and drive a limo as a family car (anyone wanna play MASH?)

3 Bad Habits:

1. Eating too much junk food

2. Taking naps when the kids are sleeping instead of getting things done

3. Forgetting things

5 things you might not know:

1. Steve's mom and my mom were in the Stake Young Women's presidency together 20 years before we met. When we met, Steve could remember coming to our house for YW stuff, but I was too young to remember him.

2. I love to cook, sew, and do all the kinds of housewife things. I wear the Molly Mormon badge with honor!

3. I was born with an extra thumb
4. I have a very warped sense of humor

5. I love getting up at night to feed my baby - it is the only 1-1 time we have.

Okay - I tag Amy, Karen, Rebecca, and anyone else who has a blog and reads this before Monday at 2:47pm. GO!

Note To Self:

While trying to frantically finish the relief society bulletin, don't let Thomas play in front of the bathroom mirror with markers.

Broken Rules - Part One

There comes a time in your role as a mother that you discover that everything you promised yourself you would never do - you have done. Not only have you done it, you find you rather enjoy that what you said you would not do.

Steve and I always, always, always said we would never let our kids sleep in our bed. We were married for 5 years before we had children, there was no way we were going to let a little kid come in and change our views. Well, that rule went flying forcefully out the window while I was pregnant with Clara. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I was DONE (what woman isn't at 35 weeks). It was during this time that Thomas started the once or twice weekly tradition of making his way into our room around 4 am. At first Steve would walk him back to his room, only to have to repeat the process again after 20 minutes. After playing this game for a couple of nights, we gave in. Steve was working two jobs and way too tired to be getting up in the middle of night, and I couldn't get up and carry him back to bed. Thomas won.

Last night he made his way into our room. Steve was actually up trying to get his allergy cough under control and Clara decided that she wanted to wake up and eat at this time. So here it was, 3 am and the whole fam-damily is up watching Kathy Lee Gifford on a rerun of Jay Leno. Thomas thought this was GREAT. A party in the middle of the night!

About 20 minutes passed and Steve was done with his cough drop, Clara was done eating and we convinced Thomas it was time to go to bed. We all got back into our bed. Clara was in the bassinet right next to our bed and Thomas was in the middle of Steve and I. We were laying there quietly for a minute and then Thomas says, "We look like a family." He then rolled over to Steve, kissed him and said "I love you" and then did the same thing to me. It was so sweet. When things like this happen, I realize rules were meant to be broken.

The flip side that isn't so sweet... Thomas never did go back to sleep. We let him try to fall asleep in our bed for a while, but decided it wasn't working for us because he was flipping around like a fish out of water. We then moved him to his room where he read himself some books using his outside voice. When he got up and asked to go downstairs I knew that it was best to just go with him and have him take an early morning nap. I started writing this at 5:30 am while he was watching reruns of Curious George and eating powdered doughnuts. I am such a pushover!

Watch for Part 2 - What rule will I break next? Coming soon to a blog near you.

Not Again!

Thomas has recently taken up an interest in what day it is. It started last week when I was trying to explain to him what day we go to library. This was our conversation this morning.

Thomas: Mom, what's today?
Me: Today is Wednesday
Thomas: Oh, man...Not again!!!

Boots

Eating Edemame with Excitement

Last night I made orange chicken (okay, Costco made it and I just warmed it up) for dinner. I decided we would stick with the Asian theme and have edemame as a side dish. Thomas ate pretty much the whole package. He ate his, and then took my bowl and ate every last pod. He loved it and kept saying..."Mom, I love em-momny."

Score one for Mom! One more vegetable he will eat!

Six on Sunday

1. I place Clara in her bassinet while I take a shower so I can keep a close eye on her . I am worried Thomas will try to pick her up or bother her while I am in there. I found this truck in there yesterday. What a good share-er (not a word)! He is so anxious for her to be able to play with him. He loves her so much! This isn't the first toy I have found in there. This usually happens about once a week.

2. I love this picture. Clara was happy and loving life! Steve was talking to his Mom on the phone and she was just as relaxed as can be. She loves to be all spread out and free. I was able to swaddle Thomas while he slept until he was about 3-4months old. She can not stand to be swaddled, it only lasted a couple of weeks with her. She compromised with me and let me wrap her legs, but that only lasted a few weeks too.

3. Here is my family room wall I have been working on. I am almost done, from this picture it looks like I need to get out the level again. I am trying to find something to put above all the pictures. I want to do the vinyl lettering, but I don't want the old stand by "Families are Forever." I want it to be clever and cute. If anyone has any ideas, leave them in a comment. If I pick yours I'll send you a dollar - seriously!

4. Thomas found a baby caterpillar over the weekend. He was really excited about it. (To be honest, I don't know if it was a baby caterpillar or just a large meal worm.) He carried it around in his bug jar all Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. He wanted it to sleep with him in his bed, but we told him that they like to sleep on the floor. Luckily, he bought into that idea and had it sleep on the floor next to him. Yesterday morning, Steve and I were upstairs getting dressed. Thomas walked in with his bug and placed it on the floor. He ran out of the room quickly and determined. We then heard him putting on his shoes and opening the back door. About two minutes later he came running upstairs with a full hand of grass. He dumped it in the jar and then informed me it also needed a cracker. We then went downstairs and rummaged through the pantry to find some food suitable for his little buddy.

5. Here is our fat, chubby, squishy little girl! She is getting the most massive chubby cheeks and roly-poly legs and arms. I sure hope she grows into them by the time she is a teenager!

6. I found this toy while I was cleaning up the family room. Two questions: Where did it come from? and Why is my son playing with it? I think it is supposed to be a flower, but the manufacturers didn't do a great job creating it. It reminds me of a creature from outer space. For some reason anything "alien" related freaks me out. I know aliens are not real, but the thought of them give me the willies. The movie "Signs" sent me over the edge. Those green aliens with the almond eyes are so gross and freaky looking. When I found this toy it reminded me of them. I don't know what happy-wacky-kids meal had it as the toy, but the add wizards that came up with this one must have been smoking dope that day!