For Mary

We did it again.

We made a crazy down to Cedar City and back in one day road trip and this time we took a few kids.

The three nieces who disappear whenever we get together as a family are on the back seat, Rach, Nay and baby Colter in the middle...
Madam driver, who wouldn't let anyone else drive the whole time, and of course, me who is not in the picture because I was taking it.

We did it all for my little sister Mary. She had her senior recital (Yay for her, she is so close to being done!) and we got to go hear her perform. She looked beautiful in a dress she and my mom made and she sounded beautiful.

Here's Mary and her sweetheart Terral. (good husband points, remembering to buy flowers)

All the sisters after the performance. Diane came over by herself because she resides southern while the rest of us are northern.

One with the girly girls. I'm still figuring out settings on my new camera, so the pictures aren't the best.

The proud parents.

We could have stayed home and watched the broadcast on the web, but then we wouldn't have had hours of uninterrupted sister chat time in the car (my favorite). We wouldn't have gotten to sample Terrals' Gnocchi Soup that he tackled for the first time because Mary asked him to (good husband points again), and we wouldn't have gotten to hug Mary and tell her what a good job she did.

Some sacrifices are worth it.

New Glasses

They're here! They're here! We're so excited that K's new glasses are done and he can see again. Well, he's been able to see with a VERY old pair of contacts, but this is much better. I think they look really good on him.

Dr Visit

Sometimes G will tell me that he has a headache or is dizzy and when I ask why, he says that he needs a drink.

We went to the Pediatricians office today to get H caught up on some vaccinations. When we were getting out of the car G told me that his head hurt.

I said "I'm sorry. I'll get you a drink in just a minute."

He replied, "Mom, I have a headache. When we go inside the Doctor will tell you there is something wrong with my head."

Potty Talk

*WARNING- if you don't like reading about bodily functions, don't read this post.-*




The potty is a frequent topic of discussion at our house. It has been for some time. Now that G is actually participating in that discussion we have heard some interesting new verb-ology.

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After he came out of the bathroom one time I asked him if he had pooped. He said, "Nope. I just peeped."

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He has FINALLY started participating in this whole potty training process and has actually almost mastered figuring out when he needs to go #2. He has come up to us voluntarily to tell us he needs to go a couple of times. I was talking to him about it to try to make sure he 'gets' it since he has NOT mastered going #1.

I said, "Did you have a feeling inside your body that made you think you needed to go potty?'

He said, "No. My poopy light just came on, but the pee light is empty."

*sigh*

I guess it doesn't matter if he thinks he's a robot, right? as long as the poop gets in the toilet and not in the underwear.

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The other day he was in the bathroom going potty. When he came out I asked if he had washed his hands. He said no. So I asked him to go back in and wash his hands please. He went back into the bathroom and stayed there for a few minutes. When he came out, I again asked if he had washed his hands.

He stopped dead in his tracks, looked at me with wide eyes and said, "Oh. I forgot."

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Today, I was telling G how proud I was that he's doing so good with potty training. I told him he was a star and he struck a pose and said, "I'm a rock star!"

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I can tell that potty training is not as big a priority for him as it is for me. He is just so easily distracted. Like when I sent him downstairs to turn out the lights and he came up like this:



Oh well. Baby steps.

Frames

Because of the previous post, we spent a lot of time on MLK Jr day looking for glasses for K. We did manage to have a little fun while doing it.

Old Glasses

Not a good idea to let an 18-month old get your glasses.

Food

We're trying to eat a little healthier at our house. (and by we I mean me mostly)
K braved the cold to grill some meat for me and he wanted some documentation of it.





Since I went all the way outside to take a picture I thought I'd share it.

H really likes food. He will eat almost anything we put in front of him. Well, half of almost anything...the other half ends up on his lap, or the floor, or in his hair...

G still doesn't like very many foods. We have added a few to his very limited menu (like almost any meat that is just plain meat, not mixed in any yucky casseroles or anything, but it used to be ONLY chicken nuggets. Yay for progress!) But he still makes dinner time a struggle. It takes FOREVER to get him to eat anything and he whines and complains about every. single. bite.





He keeps trying to negotiate with me. "I'll just eat this noodle and be done, OK mom?" I tell him it's his choice if he eats or not, but this is what's for dinner and he doesn't get anything else if he chooses not to eat it.





He has shown me he can survive on very little food.



H on the other hand can't seem to get enough. After he'd finished his first bowl of cereal this morning I didn't get to him fast enough so he just poured more by himself. Very resourceful that one.

Things we do to pass the time...

Play with grandma's new itouch

take random pictures of the boys





make messes while mommy's trying to cut coupons





decorate mommy's leg



Never a dull moment at our house.


OK.


That's a lie.


But we don't take pictures of the dull moments.

18 months

I love the age that H is at. I love watching, or rather hearing, him get language. I get used to his funny little words and figuring out what they stand for. Like how he says 'jsss' through clenched teeth and it can mean juice, or any other drink for that matter. If it has a little bit of a different inflection it becomes 'shhsss' and it means shoes. Then all of a sudden, one day, he's watching his big brother show off, then he turns to me and says, "Watch!" clear as day, then proceeds to do some silly little trick.

He really has got a fantastic little personality and it makes me so grateful to be a stay at home mom. I get to see those moments throughout the day where he learns something. I get to see him look at his big brother with complete adoration and then try to copy exactly what he was doing. I get to be the recipient of hundreds of hugs and cheek pats that fill my heart to almost bursting.

Some days I can not believe how lucky I am to be a mom. Especially the mom of these two special little boys.

Tradition!

I don't know why I'm writing this post. Two of my cousins have already done it and done it far better than I ever could. I suppose that the fact that I have a blog of my own means I must offer my own perspective to the world, so here goes. (If you'd rather read the really good versions you can read Emilie's here and Chrissy's here.).

Me, Emilie, Chrissy, Catherine

Once, a long time ago, in an extended family, (my mothers side to be exact) there were four cousins birthed over the space of a year. As time passed and we grew up we were sometimes close friends, and sometimes people who saw each other at the family Christmas party. The good thing about family though, is that you're always family, so even if months would pass where we didn't so much as say 'hi' to one another, eventually we would see each other again.


Eleven years ago we thought it would be fun to hang out during winter break. We were all 19 and at various stages of school and or work, so we got together and went to a matinee (the movie was Step Mom, because I know you were wondering). We played around in the mall and tried on silly hats, then went back to Em's house where we played games and laughed and laughed. Some of the things we said that night still make me laugh, and I know this because we repeat them every year :).

Something really clicked that year and we kept in touch better than we ever had. They all came down to see me in Cedar City that summer and we made plans to spend the New Year of the New Millennium in Disneyland. It was the first real 'on our own' trip for all of us. Catherine made the arrangements and the four of us flew out to California and had a marvelous time. That trip really cemented our friendship and I don't think our friendship would be as strong today if we hadn't taken it. But we did and it is and I am so grateful.


Our lives have changed a lot in the decade since that trip. We're all married with children now, but our husbands learned pretty quickly that 'the Cousin' New Years tradition was there before they were and that it wasn't going away. I'm happy to say they have all been very supportive of it and us. Sometimes we get together kids and husbands and all, but most of the time we like to just get the girls together, and our guys have been great about letting us go.


I feel like a giant when we walk down the street together, but then, my mom was the tallest in her family (at 5'4"!). When we get together it is almost like another group of sisters for me. I laugh so much with them.


We each have our specialties: I'm somewhat of an instigator. I get the ball rolling for a lot of our get togethers' because gosh darn it, I like these ladies and I like to spend time with them.


Chrissy is a born story teller. She can tell you the most mundane things about her life or her three kids but in a way that is hilarious and makes you want to hear more. I get excited whenever she has a new blog entry because I just know it will be fun to read. She is also uber talented in the sewing/craft area and I keep thinking that if I hang out with her long enough, maybe just a titch of that will rub off on me.


Catherine is so smart. Out of all of us, she's the only one who has had a career outside of motherhood and she just seems to know a lot about a lot of things. She knows just what she wants and is very good at just deciding things, which can be helpful since some of us can be really wishy-washy sometimes. She was the last of us to have kids, her daughter just turned one, so she helps puff up our egos by asking motherhood advice, which makes us feel important and wise.


Emilie is probably the most loving and accepting of all of us. She is always aware of the emotional health of our group. She studied Psychology in school and I think she sees us as her own personal clientele. Believe me, we give her PLENTY to analyze.


These little paragraphs really don't do them justice. They are all wonderful mothers and fabulous women and I am just so glad that I get to hang out with them.


Here's to Disney World in 2020 and decades more of one of my favorite traditions!