Gratitude

Allow me, if you would, to give you a brief rundown of our past TWO weeks:
Day before Thanksgiving: Tanner gets pinkeye
Day after Thanksgiving: Preston gets pinkeye
Tuesday after Thanksgiving: Boys are almost all better, but I get the stomach flu. Hard core.
A few days later: I am almost all better, but Nathan gets a bad cough along with a cold.
A few days later: Nathan is home sick recovering, and Preston gets the stomach flu.
Next day: Nathan goes back to work....
That night at 4:30 in the morning: Tanner starts throwing up.
Today: It is noon, both kids are home, and I am still in my pajamas.

Oh, and also of some importance is the fact that this past Monday we began the arduous task of potty training Preston Dean. In all honesty, other than Monday (Day 1), he has done fabulous. The kid has a bladder the size of China, and needs to pee approx. every 4 hours. Seriously. None of this going 3 drops every 15 minutes.  The real amazing thing? He woke me up a 4am (just before Tanner woke up puking) saying, "Mommy, I need to go potty!" Needless to say, this is not something I have ever experienced. Still working on the ah, "Other" part of potty training, if you know what I mean. But I think he's done a darn-tootin good job this week. 

Nevertheless, with all the illness and everything else, I woke up with rather a 'woe is me' kind of attitude today.  Nathan leaves January 2nd for Salt Lake and will be there 6 days a week for training to fly THE JET! And I will be here.  And, this is one of those years where we have no Christmas parties to go to--other than the ward one.  And, dare I actually admit it? I am really disappointed that my parents aren't coming up to celebrate Christmas with us--especially since my kids are sad about it, too.

***Interlude: Pause blogging to attend to Preston, who just yelled "Mommy, Tanner throwed up!" Turns out somebody didn't make it to the toilet. Cue: collect rags, soapy water, Lysol wipes, a garbage can, and some disposable gloves. ***

But, where there is much to feel sorry for, I need to write things to be thankful for, because otherwise I lose sight of the positive. Here it goes:

*I am grateful that we have a warm house. That Nathan and I, who disagree on much, can agree that we both like a warm house. Being sick and/or stuck at home is no fun, but it's much more doable when you're not freezing.

*I am so grateful that our washer and dryer work, and that they work well. When we went through a nasty stomach bug back in 2007 in Orem, the washer broke, and I had no way of cleaning our vomit-covered laundry. Not only that, but I am well armed with odor-killing soaps, and other tricks of the trade.

*I am grateful that I am around cross country athletes, especially after races like the state meet. What the beef does that have to do with anything you ask? Because many times the athletes are retching and puking their guts out. And after being around it so much, I no longer get light-headed and nauseated if someone tosses their cookies. I am okay with it, and that is a huge step for me.

*I am so grateful for all the disposable gloves that I have from couponing. It makes cleaning up the messes so easy, since I am not grossed out by touching it. Sorry, I know that's graphic, but I'm being grateful here!

*I am grateful that Nathan has a job. And that when he is home, he is helping with the kids, the cleaning, the cooking, you name it.  And if I announce that I am leaving to go running for an hour, he gladly sends me out the door.

*I am so grateful that Tanner knows to throw up in the toilet. Most of the time he makes it. It makes for a lot fewer messes.

*I am grateful for friends who say, "Call me if you need anything," and they mean it. And I do call them.

*I am so grateful to live near Nathan's parents. I always know that I am not alone, even when Nathan is gone.

*I am grateful that Preston thinks it is fun and exciting to wear underpants, and that he is willing to sit on the little potty for sometimes 45 minutes at a time.

And with that, I am going to have to sign off. Apparently when you're the mother of two little boys who are potty training and puking, you can't spend all day blogging. Go figure.

Parenting thoughts....along with some Pictures!

Tanner jumping off the diving board in swimming lessons this past summer. He was absolutely terrified initially, but soon he couldn't get enough of it. I love this picture.

What's that? You didn't know that I actually have three kids, and that one of them is a girl? Her name is Cambree, and, well, she technically isn't mine. At least not all the time.  I think Tanner and Preston pretty much consider her (and her little bro, Bridger) to be their siblings from another mother.  Love this girl! And her family!

 At the Tillamook cheese factory enjoying some ice cream. FYI: it tastes eerily similar to the Tillamook ice cream you buy at the grocery store. For some reason though, all the cheeses, butter, etc at the actual Cheese Factory cost about triple what they do at WalMart. So much for the idea that buying it right at the source would be cheaper.

 What trip to the cheese factory would be complete without a pic in the baby loaf bus?




So it hit me this week. How overwhelming this whole parenting thing is. Now, don't misunderstand that to mean that up until now it has been a cakewalk. Because it hasn't. But the majority of the HARD stuff has been obvious. Sleep deprivation. Sick kids. Loneliness and boredom from being a single parent. Dealing with the cleaning and the bickering and the 'please oh please oh WHY won't you eat your dinner?"

But for some reason IT hit me like a ton of bricks. If these little people are going to learn manners, it will be from me. If they are to learn how clean up and the value of hard work, it is going to be because I teach it to them. If they are going to grow up having memories of traditions and family trips and family home evenings and parents at their important and even not-so-important events, it is going to be because of me. Now obviously it is not all me, because I do have a husband and he is their daddy too. However, he has to be gone. A lot. Thus, leaving everything up to him might not be the best idea.

And so it is that I sat down last week for 45 minutes and played with Preston while teaching him shapes. And I taught Tanner how to can grape jelly as well as some jam. And tonight instead of shooing the boys out of the kitchen, I let Tanner do the dishes. Even if he did get water everywhere, and used a whole lot more of it then was needed. And you know what? I showed him a few tricks on dish washing. Is it sad that I can list off the things I have done in the past week that have made me feel like I am doing okay as a mother? There are times that I feel like giving myself (and Nathan) pats on the back for going above and beyond, and there are other times when I silently want to hang my head because I know that there is so much more I could and should be doing.

 This little man's first time to the beach. And....it was cold! Next time we'll hit either Hawaii or the Atlantic....or at least we will at some point in our lives!

 Tanner's first day of Kindergarten.  LOVE this picture of my boys.  Oh and I love them too.

Tanner modeling the shed that NATHAN BUILT. Just in case you missed that last part. Nathan built this shed. All by himself (umm, well, okay, with a little help from his dad and from Jeremy across the street).  He drew up plans and bought supplies and even went and scrounged in the scrap piles at some construction sites.  I confess, I was less than nice some weekends when he would promise me he would be out there for NO longer than 3 hours, and then would be out there from 10am till 7pm.  Now that it is done though? I am so proud of him! And I love how much it has cleaned up my garage!

Bomber Cross Country!

 At Tomato Street Grill with Coach Kerr and Coach Bartlett.  Jay (aka Coach Barlett) and I agreed to split a meal, which was basically a pizza with salads for each of us. Needless to say, he filled his obligation and ate his half, while I daintily ate a whopping one piece. 

 Coach Kaleta (aka Mary) and me, shwoing off our awesome Richland coaches polos.  We. Look. Awesome. We were roomies on the Spokane trip, and it ended up rather funny.  I am usually the one who is more quiet, cool, and reserved, whereas Mary loves, LOVES to talk. And laugh. A lot. She however, had a 13 hour day at work that particular Friday, and was BEAT after her 2+ hour drive to Spokane. Somehow the whole dinner/coaches' poking fun at each other (sans Mary, who was on her way up), had gotten me really hyper. REALLY hyper. Sufficeth to say, Friday night Mary was the quiet one, and I was bouncing off the walls. Almost literally.

Oh yes, and here we have half of the reason we actually went on the Spokane trip. It was the Regional Cross Country meet, and both our boys' and girls' teams qualified to go. Unfortunately, out of that meet, only 2 of our girls were left to go onto the State meet. 

I have never gotten any "coaches" pictures during my whopping 3 years as a coach, so I insisted on getting some during this overnight trip.  Back in September when I took the job as assistant coach at Richland, I could not have even begun to fathom how much I would love it, and how much I'd love the kids.  The ironic thing about it though, is that I worked at the State cross country meet as an official, not as a coach for Richland. And......for those who were not aware of it, the Pasco (and Chiawana) teams are the ones who pretty much put the whole meet on. So, I spent the day with my Pasco homies.  There were times during the day that I had to stop and remind myself that I am not a Pasco Cross Country coach anymore--I am at Richland now. Halfway through the day I actually left my post at the Finish line and went over to the Richland tent to talk to the coaches and our two girls who had just run. I have to say, it was the strangest feeling--and hard to describe--going from being around my Pasco clan, to suddenly running over to my Richland clan. 

Glimpses of Fall

Tanner and Preston with Grandpa Hall's giant pumpkin!

Tanner announced a long time ago that he wanted to be "an airplane or an airplane pilot" for Halloween.  I left Nathan a website with instructions on how to make a plane. He never actually looked at it, so Tanner's costume is all Nathan's brainchild.

Being the stingy wife I am, I did not give Nathan permission to spend ANY MONEY decorating our trunk for 'Trunk or Treat.'  He insisted it needed decorating, so he made do. This is Nathan's 'baby' costume.

September thoughts

***Wow. So hard to believe that the last time I blogged was during my funk. My rut. I could not be further from that right now. I heard it said the other day that we as humans are like pendulums. If you're a person that gets really happy and excited for things, then the flip side is that you're probably prone to falling pretty low when you're having an "off" time. Other people who are just kind of in the middle and never all that happy, but also never terribly sad. I laughed and said, "Yeah, it's call bipolar disorder. Or manic-depressive disorder." But the other person insisted that it was just human nature, and the more I think about it, I might have to agree.  At any rate, thank you so much for all your kind words.  I feel more blessed than I deserve as of lately.

***Has anybody out there heard the song, "All Your Life" by the Band Perry? I am loving that song right now. It's one of those that just makes me go, "Where has this song been all my life??"

***For the first time since Preston has been born, I was able to attend the General Relief Society broadcast! The cross country schedule was cutting it REALLY close, but I made it. 20 minutes late, yes, but there nonetheless.  I, like so many others, was blown out of the water by Elder Uchtdorf's talk.  I don't remember the last time I was this stoked for General Conference. Especially because I have several projects on tap to hash out during them.   You see, my innattention to thinga really comes out during Conference if I don't keep my hands busy.  In high school one year I made jewelry during one session, and got more out of it since I wasn't falling asleep than I ever would have just sitting there.

***Speaking of projects, we are making a whole bunch of changes to our downstairs/main floor!  Rugs have been moved, painting has been started, color has been selected for the cabinets. Now I just need to convince Nathan that he DOES want to do something around our cabinets that he thinks he doesn't want to. Cue: my friend's uber talented husbands who happen to be amazing with stuff like that due to the fact that they work in construction.

***Tonight I was helping Tanner go through some of his art projects from preschool. I always feel a little bad for 'forcing' him to pick out things that we can toss (HE gets to pick, I don't throw anything away without his permission!!).  But then I look at Tanner's dad and grandpa and their neverending piles of paper, and I pat myself on the back for teaching him a life skill that genetically he might not be accustomed to. Anyway, I pulled out some of his Halloween decorations from last year. Now, I am kind of turning into a home decor  fiend, at least at my own house. I'm not going to win any awards, but I'm having a blast dressing up our house. So I confess, my first thought when I saw all the projects that he was so excited to put up, I thought about how it wouldn't look fancy and elegent. It would look childish and homemade.  And then I remembered a pumpkin I made when I was in preschool. It was fingerpainted, it was something like 2 feet wide, and well, I did it in PRESCHOOL.  Every fall my mom would put up fall/Halloween decorations in our living room windows that you could see outside the house (she did it with all the holidays--not just Halloween).  She seemed to always do it when I was at school, and seeing the holiday decorations up--specifically, the ones that I made--always made me so happy.  It meant a lot to me.  I don't know if my mom even knows that I liked it so much. At any rate, once that memory popped into my mind, I quickly realized that my kids aren't going to remember my decorating skills and how coordinated the holiday decorations were. And that is okay.  So, if you come into my house and see a pumpkin made by a preschooler, along with some other art projects on display, know that it isn't because I didn't have the money to go buy something fancier. It is because sometimes it's not about what everyone else thinks, but rather, about how important my kids see they are to me.

***Today after either breakfast or lunch, as Preston was clearing his dishes, he hollered, "Thanks for the meal mom. It was so yummy!" Man I love that boy. Despite the fact that he can get out of his crib now.

Self Worth

It is one of those weeks, no, one of those years where I feel downright insecure.  And it's not something I proclaim on facebook, and while some of my friends hear bits and pieces, the truth of the matter is that I'm struggling. I've hit a rough patch, and I know in the end I will come out fine, but some day are still tough.

I am so grateful for Nathan, and the rock that he is for me at so many times.  Whether I am elated, just-burst-into-tears, furious, or taking out my frustrations on him, he loves me and is always there. Always.  I am learning just how blessed I am that I have such a good man.

In the midst of it all, there have truly been some angels among me. Seemingly small actions that others' have done have buoyed my spirits more than one could ever imagine.....although some seemingly small actions have  also cut to the heart and hurt deeply.

It's not one big thing. It's a million little things. And I really just needed to get that out and say it.

Readers Digest version of last 8 weeks

My two handsome little men.  And, a family shot from Easter. YES I (gasp!) took my kids to church in shorts. I know, straight to hell for me.  I didn't buy these outfits intending for them to be church outfits, but they ARE their Easter outfits, and I figured they were nice enough to wear to church. Holy backlash from other people in the ward. Yes (sigh) I should not care what other people think. But, alas, I do.

Re-cap of our spring happenings sans pictures:

Nathan: building a shed in the backyard. All that remains on it is finishing up the trim, building the door and attaching it, and painting. It is looking pretty good! Summer flying is underway, which means he is gone a lot. But, with the weather finally decent enough to go outside, it isn't too draining.

Me: Well......I have two half marathons in June within two weeks of each other. Crazy, I know. Oh, but then add in the fact that a week and a half ago I rolled my right ankle really.really.really.bad, and it is in bad shape. I may not be able to run for awhile, but by golly, I am planning on at least attempting my races! 

Tanner: Played T-Ball this spring which was umm.....interesting. Picture a whole lot of 3-4 year olds trying to play T-ball. No score is kept, there are no "outs," and well, the adult to child ratio out on the field is something like 1:1. It is rather chaotic and pretty amusing. Last weekend Tanner graduated from Preschool! I can't believe that come Fall I will have a Kindergardener. Seriously. It blows my mind.

Preston: What can I say? Having a two year old is the best of times. It's the worst of times. He talks, he sings, he prays, he keeps us entertained and we love him to bits.  Like his brother, he loves the garbage truck, helicopters, and airplanes.  He also loves pineapple and candy. And he is still in a crib, which I love.

Reverse Psychology

I don't know why I have been thinking about this blogging post so much lately, but I have.  So if everyone else is completely bored by it, that's okay. Apparently this post is more for posterity than for you my dear readers.

When people see my "mini store" at my house, the most common comments are things like, "If I had that much________________ [chips, candy, crackers, ice cream] it wouldn't last three days!" Or, "I can't keep that stuff around, I'd eat it!" Or, my personal 'favorite', "You are so lucky that you're so skinny and can eat this stuff!"  Well, dear friends, I have a little secret. The secret is called my mother.

Growing up, candy, cookies, etc, were never off limits to us. And believe me, we had lots of them. One cupboard always had cookies in it. The pantry was chock full of food, including candy, chips, popcorn (and healthy stuff too mind you. NOBODY puts a balanced meal on the table like my mother. NOBODY.) And, while I think my mom probably was a bit stricter when we were very small, I don't ever remember the "junk food" being off limits, unless of course it was close to mealtime or during a meal time. My brothers' friends and my friends loved coming over and gorging themselves on all the foods that were strictly forbidden and never stocked at their own homes. My brothers and I thought it was hilarious. After we would go trick-or-treating (mind you , this is above the age of 4 or 5), we could do whatever we wanted with our candy. We weren't limited in how much we could keep, and my parents certainly didn't make us part with it, or give it away while we were in school. No, we were given free reign of all that kind of stuff.

My mom's goal was for us to learn self control. To not grow up seeing food as the enemy.  My brothers never really were (and still aren't) huge candy fans. Truthfully, most of their Halloween candy went to their sister who begged mercifully for it. I AM a candy fan, I admit, though I am not one really likes baked goods--especially cake. I do not like cake. And that has nothing to do with this post. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Anyway, I thought my mom's whole idea was fine and dandy, but I didn't fully realize the wisdom behind it until later on. When I got to college, it wasn't exactly fiscally sound to give myself a cupboard of candy, nor did it really occur to me. However, a few things happened that first year. For one thing, that was the first year in three or four years that I wasn't doing cross country. There were some other issues health wise that I dealt with, but those aren't too relative to this thought. But what I was shocked to find myself doing was going and buying candy just because craved it, and then eating it all. Binging. Gorging myself. And one day it all made sense.

In America, most of us grew up always having food to eat, so we don't exactly gorge ourselves when given a meal. However, sweets are off limits to most people. Any diet regime involves ridding one's home of all calorie laden foods. And then, when the dieting or weight-conscious individual can't take it anymore and can think of nothing other than the food they are prohibited from eating, it becomes too much. Binging insues, and the diet is over.

And so, my happy home always has candy. It always has cookies. It always has yummy things.  But I am noticing an interesting trend. Tanner will usually ask for a treat once a day. Not twice a day, once a day. And I get down the treat basket and let him pick one. Sometimes when he has been extra good, I offer him two. But he always said, "No Mom, we only need one treat." Even when I had their Easter baskets sitting on the counter, they weren't touched by either child! I never said, "No, don't touch these!" Granted, I didn't say, "Go ahead, eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner!"  My kids ask for seconds and thirds of things like eggs, peaches, and applesauce, but they are okay with only one treat! (OK in all honesty we're still working on Preston, but he is getting MUCH better).  And that, my friends, is my little secret. I have candy, and once a day, I also let myself have some. I don't limit myself to one piece--unless I only want one piece.  But I don't eat it all either, because I don't want to. I don't need to.  So, in answer to the question, "How do you have all this junk food around and not gain tons of weight?" The answer, ironically, is that I don't eat it BECAUSE I have it around. How's that for reverse psychology?

Sunday Thoughts

I've had a few thoughts mulling around in my head this weekend, and thought that I might actually make a valiant effort to put them somewhere that I wouldn't forget.

.....I don't consider myself a lucky person, but for whatever reason, I seem to have a knack for finding good deals on meat lately. Two days before Christmas, I happened to be at Albertsons when they were having an in-store special of 99 CENTS for boneless skinless chicken breasts. This weekend I was at Albertsons (different one this time), and managed to get myself some ground beef (85/15) for $1.40 a pound. Since we were down to our last pound of hamburger, I bought 15 lbs. I frequently get good deals on things like diapers, deodorant, toothpaste,etc, but a smokin' hot meat deal? Especially when we're running low on meat? That is pretty amazing.

.....I absolutely love my salad shooter. Funny story: my parents gave my Uncle Brent a salad shooter back in like 1990. He recently married, and he and his wife were getting rid of things, and the salad shooter was one of them. I took it, and I have LOVED it. Cheese grated? No problem. Carrots shredded? Piece of cake! Today was some Hershey bars that I needed grated for some cookies. And to make it even better? I have taught Tanner how to use it, and he is happy to do so.

.....I am spoiled rotten. When we were engaged Nathan wrote me a letter in which he said something to the effect that I would be his queen, and he would try to make me as comfortable as possible. Now, being the whiner I am, I felt that I had been gypped when we lived in Orem and I was working, I was basically a single mom, and well, life.was.hard. But fast forward to today, I am realizing that I wasn't gypped. I was just ungrateful. I can count on one hand the number of times in our marriage that I have scrubbed bathrooms, because he does it. He folds laundry with me. He takes the kids so that I can go to Zumba, go shopping, go running (if I go with a friend, he often takes my friends' kids too if their husband is working). For heavens sake. I recently went to Portland with some friends, and Nathan's grandmother passed away during the week prior to my trip. Nathan let me go on my trip while he alone took the kids a)on a plane to Utah, b)rented a car, c)drove 3 hours to Emery County Utah, did the funeral, meals, and everything else by himself. I have done the same trip my myself with the kids. By the end? I was cursing Nathan (he COULD NOT convince SkyWest to let him off for my uncle's funeral) and about to have a nervous breakdown. Nathan helps me with everything from canning to changing poopy diapers to making an Excel program that calculates my runners' times in a cross country race. Yeah, life is pretty good as the queen.

....I don't consider us to be extravagent people who buy a lot of 'wants.' But I don't think either of our laptops would qualify as 'needs.' I have discoverd something though, since we each got a laptop, and we aren't bickering over who is hogging the computer, who has spent too much time, how we're going to do multiple things on ONE computer, etc. The thing I have discovered? The expenditure of our laptops (both of which were Black Friday deals, one in 2009 and one in 2010) could very possibly be the best money we have ever spent in our marriage (other than our fancy mattress. THANK YOU stimulus money!!). I cannot tell you how peaceful and happy our lives have become since we became a multi-computer family. Even now as I type this, I am sitting on our bed, and Nathan is right next to me on his computer. Some might consider this pitiful and pathetic. I call it the greatest discovery ever.

.....Did I mention I am helping a friend train for a half marathon? It is going.....a bit slower than I had anticipated. She made it 4 miles a few weeks ago....and then had excruciating knee pain. So, a knee brace and a good pair of shoes and some easy-on-the joints time 2 weeks later, we are about at 3 miles as how far she is up to during one continuous stretch. I think I am learning more about coaching and human potential and motivation than I imagined I would.

....I have a new calling in our ward. I fulfilled my 1 year nursery role, then enjoyed a month long hiatus from having a calling as I quietly stayed under the radar. No more, however. I am now the Valiant 9 primary teacher. Nine year olds. It is pretty much the funnest calling ever. I've been using a token system to get the kids motivated to come to class, pray, be good in sharing time, participate, etc. The kids seem to enjoy it. I never had any desire to be a primary teacher, but it is just turning out to be a really neat experience, and I'm loving learning the primary songs. Between singing time and my own little personal singing time with Preston at home, yours truly is getting pretty good on those Primary songs!

....I really love asparagus. And I love that my kids do too.

....I am loving having a ton of pureed vegetables in my freezer that I can randomly throw in foods to 'up' their nutritional value. My latest gem? My whole wheat waffles which are **amazing**. I put in some pureed zucchini-yes I know that sounds like the nastiest thing ever-and I think it makes them taste even better. Or maybe they just taste better because my kids gobble them down, and seeing them eat something with vegetable in it that they love so much just warms my heart.

....I am ready for Spring. I want warm weather. I want to spend days at the park. I am ready for canning jam and planting our garden and trying out the waterpark in Hermiston. This spring, Tanner is starting T-ball. Summer will include soccer and swimming. I am excited.

Child of God

When Preston was still a small baby, I had several very disinct impressions that I should sing to him. I found this impression rather unnerving and just plain weird. You see, I don't sing. I can't sing. I can't wrap my brain around the thought of torturing some other poor soul to the unfortunate experience of hearing myself sing. But....the feeling was persistent and so I gave in.

We've gone through a whole bunch of songs. The Goodnight song (adaptation of a song from my friend Brook), Multiple primary songs, and just little fun songs. For a while, Preston was obsessed with "I Love to See the Temple." He also really likes "Two Little Hands," and "Child of God." I have finally convinced (err, forced) Nathan to singing him a song before he lays him down. Thus, Preston is constantly sung to.

Initially, it was awkward. Strange. NOT natural. But it has been over a year, maybe even close to 2 years since I started. And now, it is just part of our routine, and it is something I enjoy. On Sunday evening we held Family home Evening (which is not a weekly thing at our house, but we're working on it). Rather than just singing the songs, we invited Preston to please sing with us (Tanner isn't invited....he is usually told that if he DOESN'T sing, he doesn't get to partake of the treat). And, Preston did just that! He joined in and sang and it was so neat!

Tonight Preston did not have a positive 'going to bed' experience. He chose to lash out and smack his mother, which was not a wise choice on his part. However, after all was said and done and taken care of, I rocked him and sang several songs just like I do every other night. Only this time I asked him to please sing with me. Hearing his little voice sing "I Have Two Little Hands" and 'I am a Child of God," and even "Twinkle, Twinkle" was one of those sweet experiences that just doesn't leave the mind. A 'tender mercy' if you will. For a few moments, I felt how much love our Heavenly Father and our Saviour must have for their precious children that they entrust in our care, and how close to the Spirit these tiny little people really are. Tomorrow I will feed them. Remind them. Wipe their tushies. Drive them. Laugh with them. Discipline them. But through it all I will love them with all my heart.

Bragging Rights....

Words that Preston uses AND knows what they mean:

Humidifier
Piano
Nursery
Treadmill
Fire Engine
Zumba
Airplane (big surprise, eh?)
Helicopter
Scissors
Carseat
Coupon (another big surprise, I know)
Scriptures
Asparagus
Blueberries

Yeah, so my 2 year old is pretty much a genius. Hmm, maybe genius isn't the right word....smooth talker might be more like it.

So....speaking of Preston. He is in that stage right now where he is really getting an idea of the whole "independent" thing (Dr. Harvey Karp discusses this a LOT in Happiest Toddler on the Block). One thing he really likes to do is put his own pants on. Or at least give it a valiant effort before asking for help. Last week, he put on his own pajamaa pants....or at least TRIED to put them on. This is what ended up happening:





I don't remember the last time I was literally rolling on the floor laughing. Bad Mommy....bad, bad Mommy.

Lord, give me strength...

It's just been one of those days. Allow me to delve deeper onto exactly which one of those days it was.

Early early morning. Nathan kisses me goodbye as he leaves for his trip.

Watercolored today. Preston spilled his cup of paint water all over. Sometime later, he spilled Tanner's cup of paint water all over.

Lunchtime. Tanner spills his cup of bright reddish Crystal Light fruit punch all over the table.

Playdate at my house. My darling baby dumped out half the contents of my box of Wheat Chex onto the counter.

Waving goodbye to playdate. I look down just in time to watch Tanner write in beautiful blue ball point pen all over our white wooden porch column which was just freshly painted last summer.

Naptime for Preston. I had a to-do list that was so long I am starting to be in denial of its existence. I go to pop in a dvd for Tanner to watch, since Preston was napping and because I had made Tanner put away ALL of the toys and sort laundry, partially in punishment for drawing on the column. The dvd player won't open, and I discover that it is jammed. Instead, Tanner watches a VHS movie while I completely take apart the dvd player and attempt to fix it. Surprisingly, my attempt was fruitful, as were my efforts in hooking it back up. Unfortunately, nothing pertaining to the dvd player was on that horridly long to-do list.

Dinnertime. I get a call from my mother in law asking if I will please take my 4 year old niece and 2 year old nephew for the night and most of tomorrow, as their mother has just given birth to twins, and my in-laws must work at the temple starting at 5am Wednesday morning. Of course I would love 2 extra children, since I am doing such a fab job with my own two.

Post-dinner time. I am on the computer briefly and Tanner walks in while broadcasting, "Mom, look at my hair!" It is stark white, which can mean only one thing: Baby powder. My intuitions are correct, and for whatever reason, water is everywhere on the 2nd shelf of the changing table, as is powder. Mixed together? A wonderful paste. I hurriedly clean up all the mess, get Tanner showered and cleaned, and everyone in jammies.

Bedtime. My niece and nephew arrive. Tanner goes right to sleep. Preston and niece and nephew do not. At some point though, they do. I need to get things crossed off my to do list. I need to. But I have absolutely no energy. I wonder why.

Thoughts on Driving

Apparently I need to work on my driving skills, as evidenced by the things coming out of my 4-year old's mouth.


(Driving in the rental van on the way to my cousins' house in SLC last night)

TANNER: Dad, you are such a great driver.
NATHAN: Oh? Well thank you Tanner
TANNER: Dad, I am going to give you ice cream. Since you're such a great driver.
BONNIE: What about me? Am I a good driver?
TANNER: No. You're a bad driver.
BONNIE: Why?
TANNER: Because you're not driving
BONNIE: But sometimes I drive, so I am a good driver, right?
TANNER: No.
BONNIE: Why is Daddy a good driver?
TANNER: Because he goes fast.
BONNIE: That doesn't mean he is a good driver. It means he is a fast driver. So, I am not a bad driver. I'm a slow driver.
TANNER: No, you're a bad driver.
BONNIE: Why?
TANNER: Because you hit Daddy's friend once on the freeway. Remember that little boy?

***For the record, I have NEVER hit anybody, and he was spouting off completely false information here!


(Today at lunch)
NATHAN: Tanner, is Mommy a good driver?
TANNER: No.
NATHAN: Why not?
TANNER: Because she drives slow on the freeway.

Thought for the Day

My new year's prayer...

Dear Lord, For 2011, all I ask for is a big fat bank account and a slim body. Please do not mix up the two like you did last year. Amen.

Non-resolutions

I hate the concept of New Years Resolutions. Kind of like how I hate the concept of having sex on your wedding night. Not because goals (or sex) are bad, but because they're just things that you "Should" do according to the world and the calendar. So, while I have been thinking about goals I would like to accomplish, I shall refrain from calling them "New Years Resolutions."

One thing that Nathan and I have struggled with for the past few years, and especially recently, is cleaning. Now, I understand that I am not going to be receiving much sympathy, considering that I have a husband who a)cleans the floors, b)scrubs the bathrooms, c)cooks dinners, and d)willingly helps fold laundry. Nevertheless, I am REALLY.BAD. at being a good housekeeper (my mother is not suprised by this ONE.BIT.) Not because I can't clean--mind you, I consider myself to be a great cleaner. A little too great, if you will. I get more hung up on getting every little thing cleaned and organized, and in the process end up either 1)distracted, or 2)in a bigger mess than I started with. My goal has been and continues to be to do better at this, and about making a cleaning schedule.

I want to be better about 'religiously' (yup, pun intended) reading scriptures, studying the Gospel, and 'filling my spiritual cup.' I am a better person when I do, a happier mom, I am much less narrow minded.

Teaching my children. Our FHE's could be better, and my conversations with Tanner could be better. I am realizing how crucial it is to teach my children all I can before they leave the house, or just before the world gets hold on them.

Menu planning. Need I say more?

Being outside and having more family activities. I want to see the state of Washington as a family. I want to go back to the San Juan Islands. I want to go to Disneyland. Heavens, I even have the desire to go cAMPING!

My half marathons--yes, you read that right--I am hoping to do two this year! And afterwards, I hope to plunge heart and soul into cross country. I want two things for my team this year: To have fun, and to be good.

ANd, last but not least, we always have room for improvement with our budget and money mangement.

Alright friends, there it is. You know what I"m working on.....now ask me about it and make me feel bad if I'm slacking! :-)

Christmas

We celebrated Christmas here in Pasco, and it was very enjoyable. We went with some friends to actually cut down our own tree! It was a 10 ft tree that only fit in our entryway (because of the vaulted-stairwell).








We had done our traditional Black Friday shopping, and had gotten a few gifts for each other, and a lot for the kids. I was excited that so many stores has pajamas on great deals, since my kids really needed new pajamas. And, to make it even better, I have kids that get super excited about pajamas.

Our awesome living room....for those of you who haven't had the privilege of seeing it in person. It looks better in person, but you get the idea. If you would like to see it in person, please accept this as a personal invitation to come on over.



Christmas morning it was just our little family until around 11am, when Nathan's parents and his younger brother Derrick came over. Another brother of Nathan's (Darrin) came over with his wife and son, and we all finished opening gifts. Afterward, we had lunch and then the games began--literally! We put on a movie for the kids (one of the many that they received for CHristmas), and played some Ticket to Ride. It was such a fun day!

Nathan and me opening a gift that was addressed to both of us.

I got Nathan a new pillow, a book, a thermos for his trips, and a nose hair trimmer....which he had specifically asked for! :-) He got me a stepladder (which is AWESOME to have in our 'grocery store' of a garage), a food processor (LOVE IT!!), a crock pot that is bigger than our current one AND it latches shut (LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!), and I think both Nathan and his parents gave me oodles of socks. I had wanted socks, and I am thrilled with them!



Derrick, Darrin and Connie. Such party animals.





Most of Nathan's siblings came into town that weekend since our nephew Matthew was being baptized the Monday after Christmas. Nathan's sister Kiersten and her six kids stayed at our place. It was pretty fun living at Party Central with that many people! We had SO much fun with them, and they introduced us to yet another fun game--'Dominion.'

Uncle Derrick chillin' with his homies. My kids love Derrick, and he is way fun to play games with. I tell Nathan that if I had my way, when Derrick gets married they will live right next door to us and I will be best friends with his wife.


Preston and Kinsley (Kiersten's youngest) having some quality cousin bonding time. Gotta love the sippy cups and binkys.