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!

What a talk!

I am always a little sad when General Conference comes to an end. It feels like Christmas night, it's been a great day and I don't want it to end. This past weekend has been wonderful. I was able to watch all 4 sessions but Thomas took a nap during today's afternoon session, so I was able to really sit down and listen to what the speakers had to say.

I have to say that Elder M. Russell Ballard's talk really touched me. I felt like he had written that talk especially for me. I need to stop rushing around so much and enjoy the little moments. I have no reason to be rushing around. I have a great life and a hard working husband that allows me to stay at home and raise our beautiful children. I am so blessed.

Addiction is a terrible thing.

I just realized I have a horrible problem. I am addicted to these rice snacks. Why do I think I have an addiction you may ask? I just found myself fighting over a bag of them with my 3-year old. Maybe I should have figured it out last night when I was dumping them into my mouth to make sure I got all the crumbs out of the bottom of the bag? Better yet, I should have realized it was a problem when I excused myself from the check-out line at Target because I forgot to stock up on them for the weekend. They are intended to be a nice healthy snack but when you can't stop eating them, it becomes a problem. I think I have to blame it on nursing cravings - so much worse than pregnancy cravings!

All Is Well

Today Clara turned 4 months old. Time is going so fast. I just want to slam on the breaks and make time slow down. She is such a great baby. She is happy, sleeps well, and very social. We are all so in love with out little girl.

We celebrated by going to the Doctor for her 4 month well check. When we took her to the 2 month appointment, she was 11 pounds 14 ounces and 22 1/2inches. She was in the 80th percentile for weight and height and 90th for the size of her head (her hair must have been included in that measurement). Today she was 13 pounds 5 ounces and 25 inches long. She has dropped to the 50th percentile for weight and is in the 75th percentile for height. I am glad to see she is starting to slow down on the weight gain. She was really piling it on for a while.

She did have to get some shots. It was so sad, she just cried and cried. I picked her up to comfort her after the pokes, but she was still pretty upset. I put her down to get her dressed and Thomas came over to comfort her. I was SO GLAD I had my camera to capture this shot of them. I had to take it fast without Thomas knowing because I didn't want him to move. He had such compassion for her.

Overall, the visit was fine. The doctor said she was "perfect," but we already knew that.

You can see how concerned he is and how upset she is in the picture. What a great big brother!

Does this picture say fear or what? I told him over and over again that he was not going to be seen by the doctor, but he was still a little apprehensive about being there.

Something to add: While we were at the doctor, he was playing with my cell phone to keep himself occupied. He took the cell phone and put it in the pocket of his cargo pants. I had forgotten he had it.

After the appointment, we went to story time at the library. Thomas was sitting on the floor with all the other kids and I was sitting on the back bench. He was sitting so quietly and really paying attention to the librarian. Well, he reaches down into his pocket and pulls out the phone. He then opened it up and aimed it at the librarian and took her picture. Then he folded the phone up and stuck it back into is pocket. He was so casual about everything. I can only imagine what the lady was thinking and what the other moms in the room were thinking.

He later told me that he thought the librarian was pretty. I guess he wanted to remember what she looked like.

Pigs Flew Today

Those who know me know I am not a "lets go work outside kind of gal." I like being outside on nice days, but it usually consists of sitting in a lawn chair sipping ice water. I am trying to broaden my horizons. I am trying to get into this whole yard work thing.

We planted our garden today. It's done, now I just have to try and keep it alive and growing. I am trying to stay positive about it.

I was really glad my mom came over to help. She had some great pointers and helped me with the placement of the veggies. I would have never thought to plant the things on vines along the edge so they could grow out and over the pool. I think she also had a good laugh, she knows I am not into this kind of stuff. I am trying. I want Thomas to have the experience and I also want to have a garden.

This is what Clara did while we planted everything. She was fine just sitting in the doorway watching us.

We planted tomatoes, squash, strawberries, melons, beans, herbs, peppers and cucumbers.

I am really excited about my tomato tree. I bought it from the every-so-chic QVC. I had heard of them and wanted one and was really excited when I was flipping through stations one night and saw them demonstrating it. We'll see if it really works. I have my fingers crossed.

Cirque Du Clara

Clara has recently found a new snack, her feet. She loves to roll around on the floor and suck on her big toe. I am amazed at how limber she is. She is just a big ball of rubber! It is so cute to watcher her grab her feet and guide them into her mouth. She is growing up way too fast!

Prep Work

Steve and I have been talking about starting a garden. We have been talking so much about it that I decided we better just get it done, or it is not going to get done this year. We are still working on our backyard (hey, we've only lived here 4 years. Cut us some slack) so we didn't really have a place to dig a garden, so I decided we would try to make a planter gardens out of kiddy pools from The Wal Mart.

Thomas and I went shopping for our vegetables and dirt. It was a gorgeous day and we had so much fun shopping for all the things we are going to attempt to grow. He had a blast pulling the little red wagon around the place. He loved the nursery.

I loved the conversation on the way to the nursery, it was the best part of the day...

Thomas: where are we going
Me: We are going to the nursery.
Thomas: I don't want to go to church.
Me: No, it is not that kind of nursery.
Thomas: What is it, mom?
Me: We are going to the plant nursery. This is where they take care of plants and we buy them. Just like the church nursery takes care of you when mommy and daddy are in classes.
Thomas: but I don't want to go to nursery.
Me: We're not, we're going to the plant nursery.
Thomas: oh...but...

The conversation went on for a couple of minutes. How do you explain homophones to a 3 year old? I guess it's not even really a homophone because they are both nurseries, just different types. None the less, it was a difficult conversation that he was having a hard time buying in to.

When we got home I started the task of punching a gazillion holes into the bottom of the larger kiddy pool. It took quite a while, longer than I wanted. Thomas tried to poke the holes with the huge nail I had. I wasn't to thrilled with the idea of him playing with sharp objects so I had him play with the dirt while I did the holes.

After I punched all the holes I told him it was time to start filling the pool with dirt. I gave him his shovel and put him to work. He was so willing to help and such a good worker. I didn't have the heart to tell him we were going to be dumping all the dirt out in the morning to put the compost and potting soil in.

Always fun at Grandma's house

We went over to Grandmas house today. We dropped Clara off and Thomas and I went to the nursery to pick out vegetables to plant in our new garden. When we got there, she had just left to run a quick errand, so Thomas and I were exploring outside while we waited for her.

I remember as a child going to my Grandma and Grandpa's house in Glendora, California. I thought they had the most massive yard. There was so much to explore and so many things to do. As I got older, I realized the yard was not as big as I once thought it was. But, I found that the things that would entertain my cousins and me for hours were still entertaining. I miss that place a lot and I miss my Grandma even more, especially this time of year.

Taking Thomas to Grandmas reminds me of the fun I use to have at my Grandma Helen's. He loves to play in her backyard and is always finding things to get into. He would be completely content if we spent everyday over there playing. Yesterday he found quite a few dandelions and had fun blowing the pods everywhere.

I had fun finding this...

This bird has built a nest in one of my Mom's planters. It just sits there when she walks out there. She knows my mom, and she knows not to be frightened of her. She is afraid of me. I kept trying to get a picture of her, but she would keep flying away. I finally took one from standing inside the doorway.

This is what she has been protecting. I think it is so cool. I am anxious for the little birds to hatch. I can't wait to see them. I was able to get this picture by just sticking my camera up over my head and into the planter, so I didn't disturb anything.

Our Kid Is A Genius

All people think their kids are smart, but seriously, ours is (insert the "we're not bias or anything" comment here). There have been two different incidents the last couple of days that have really impressed me.

On Saturday we had to go at Steve's office to feed Clara. We were on that side of town and she needed to be nursed so we stopped by and he showed me his new office and I was able to feed her. While we were there, Thomas was playing on the white board. I asked him to draw me a circle - AND HE DID! I was blown away. I know he knows all his shapes, he will walk by something and tell me it's an oval or a diamond. He will even tell me how many he sees, but I had no idea he could draw them.

The second thing happened yesterday. He has recently started to play games on the computer. He loves to go to PBS.org or playhousedisney.com. I will set the computer up for him and then he plays while I check my email or work on something else. He has gotten really good at using the mouse. He knows how to navigate around the sites and also switch from game to game.

Yesterday he was playing a painting game on the Curious George website. The game consisted of mixing colors and then painting a picture. The picture he was painting was one of the dogs on the show. The game gives you 4 colors and then you mix them to get the color you want. He had yellow, blue, red and white. I sat and watched him mix all the colors to get gray. He then painted the dog on the screen.

Me: Oh Thomas, that is a nice picture you are painting.

Thomas: thanks

Me: Hundley is cute.

Thomas: Mom, that's Sharky.

He was right, Sharky is a gray dog on Curious George. He knew to mix the colors to get gray. Maybe that's not too impressive, but I thought he was pretty smart to know to mix them to get that dark a color.