Bananas

I was sitting on the toilet this morning (okay- before you get all grossed out- I was sitting on the lid- the toilet was shut) blow drying my hair. Ryan wandered in started helping me. He does this every time I dry my hair- he'll either run his fingers through my hair or "help" me hold the blow dryer. It's kind of cute and it's just a moment for the two of us- so I always let him help me. This morning, he was running his fingers through my hair. I followed suit.

After a while though- I couldn't figure out why my hair was so sticky. It was only in a few places though- so I flipped my hair up and looked in the mirror. There was something stuck in my hair. I looked closer and I couldn't figure out what it was. I was thinking to myself..."Did I remember to rinse the conditioner out?" Then I happened to look down at Ryan. Who was holding a banana (Yeah... you know where this is going don't you).

Apparently just before I started drying my hair, Ryan had helped himself to a banana that was sitting on the counter in the kitchen. I don't really mind, since it was a good snack. But Ryan (being two) does not eat bananas neatly. He kind of squishes them. And he took his banana-y hands and ran them so sweetly through my clean hair.

I know that there are many ordinary household items that can double as something else. Like baking soda can be used as toothpaste, and avocado can be used for a face mask. I will share something with you. Bananas CANNOT be used as a hair gel. I promise.

As told to me by Ty's preschool teacher...

Ty's preschool class is working on their parent's names. The teachers want them to know who their parents are in case of an emergency. Pretty smart.

When it was Ty's turn, his teacher quickly got Shaun's name from him, but he just couldn't remember mine. He sat there and sat there, continuing to tell his teacher that he just didn't know. Finally Miss Jody asked him what dad calls mom. Ty perks right up and says, "Pookie"!

December Traditions

My kid's are scared.

Maybe scared is not the right word... they have a healthy respect for the power that is Santa. What they ARE scared of is the possibility that Santa won't bring them presents on Christmas. That's fear in it's most primal form.

As a parent, I have learned how to take their "fear" and harness it into ways that will benefit me. The origins of my Santa manipulation are rather innocent, only over the years have they evolved into something slightly more self-serving.

Let me break the scenario down: A random day in December 2010. A 2 and 5 year old fighting over the noise-making-toy-of-the-day. Mama pleasantly asks them to knock it off. Fighting obviously continues. Mama threatens time-outs, no desserts and corporal punishment in the form of push-ups. Fighting obviously continues. Mama about to have a nervous breakdown because of the screaming and noise making. Fighting has turned to crying. A worn down mama looking around for help and/or inspiration.

A-ha! Santa! Santa won't come to little boys that are fighting.

5 year old smart alack asks how Santa knows if they have been good or bad? Mama goes blank because kid's fighting kills brain cells. It's true.

But then Mama has a moment of inspiration. "The Elf on the Shelf."

My mom bought us this book and we had yet to try it out. The Elf on the Shelf is a book. And an elf. The elf sits on the shelf and watches what happens throughout the day, and then flies through the night to the North Pole where he tells Santa what he has witnessed. Then the elf flies back and sits in a different part of the house to watch the next day. The 5 year old totally didn't believe me. So I put Ernie (you have to name your elf) in the Christmas tree... and the next morning- he was sitting on a picture frame across the room. The fear healthy respect was then born, and every morning Ty and Ryan frantically search the house for where Ernie is watching that day. It's awesome.

I also put up my Nativity this week. I really want the kids to recognize the holiday for what it is- the time that we celebrate Christ's birth, even though Santa is fun. So, I grit my teeth and put my beautiful nativity set down where they could see it. Right under the TV. I told them the story of Christ's birth, and used the nativity pieces to act it out. The boys loved it. Though... I set the angel down for a second and Ryan scooped it up and started flying it around the room going "Buzzzzzzzz." Apparently something was lost in translation. The angel is NOT a bug. I went back over that part.

The funny part- I threatened the boys with mayhem if they touched the nativity. But every day something is moved to a different position. I never catch them at it... but I can tell that they are watching and thinking. I suspect that it is Ryan that moves all the lambs to crowd around baby Jesus, because during the story- he wanted to make sure that EVERYONE saw the baby Jesus. And I suspect that it was Ty that put the angel on the DVD player, because he pointed out that angels have to be up high so they can see when they need to sing. Though the jury is out on who added the Transformer to the scene in the stable...

They are such funny little boys. I love them so much. It's always more than a little overwhelming to me when I think about all the things that I need to teach them and that they need to know to get them through this life. But they are smart. And I think they'll do alright.

What Large Teeth You Have...

All three kids are teething at my house. How lucky am I? Ty's new permenant teeth are on their way up. Ryan is getting his two-year molars and Kate's front teeth finally pushed through the other day. It makes her look so old it throws me off.

Since I've already showed you Ty's teeth, and it's really hard to get Ryan to open up wide enough to see his molars- I'm only going to show you Kate's new teeth. Because of the way she plays with her tongue- I literally had to hold her mouth open and push her tongue aside so that we could get a picture of them.

A Little Snaky Lick...

Kate is part snake. She is so funny with her tongue. When she starts playing with it- you can't help but laugh. She sticks it way out to her chin. Then it goes skinny and sticks straight out. Then she'll leave it all in but the tip and wiggle it up and down. And she'll try to mimic you if you stick your tongue out at her. It's so cute. Hard to capture in a picture... but here it is!

Go Utes!

I don't know how many of you out there care about the BYU-Utah football game that was on last week- but we obviously didn't miss it. Shaun debated about actually going- but when we saw what the temperature was going to be (mid-20's)- he thought he could probably get by just fine watching it on TV. It was a pretty awful game. Up until the last minute- when Utah blocked a field goal that would have won the game for BYU. At the time Shaun was holding Kate- when the Utes blocked the kick- he leaped into the air and started shouting... It scared the CRAP out of poor little Kate. She started crying and wouldn't look at Shaun for a full minute. It was kind of funny... poor kid.

These poor kids don't stand a chance though- we started brain washing them early. Ty and Ryan's favorite color is red. Ty even went through a phase in preschool last year where he would ONLY paint with red, and if given the choice- he would only wear red shirts. Ryan is proving to be just as opinionated. Kate probably doesn't care, but she gets all the boy's hand me downs... so she's a Ute by default! Dad and Grandpa JB couldn't be prouder though!

Thanksgiving

I am grateful for a lot of things. Especially this year. When I think of how incredibly lucky I am- I am often reminded of the Grinch (stay with me for a second). Remember how his heart was too small? And when his heart grew two sizes, it broke the little x-ray machine that was looking in at his heart. That's how I feel each year, as I look back on all the things that I have been blessed with. I feel like my heart is near to bursting.

My life is so rich and full and shimmery (yes I said shimmery- I recently read that on a blog and I like it) with my family in it. Even amidst the emptying of the dishwasher, the picking up of the toys, the disaster areas in the kitchen, the constant rumply quilts on our trampoline bed, I still know we are living the days–the golden days–which we'll remember with fondness. When I step back, I truly realize how important my role is. What a glorious gift it is to be alive. I say that with all the zeal I can muster. I love that I am a wife and a mom. I also love that I'm a daughter, a daughter-in-law and a sister too.

We have definitely had our share of trials and hardships this year, but the end was truly more than any of us could have hoped for. We are happy and healthy.

This year, Ty's preschool had a Thanksgiving Feast! Ty was cast in the role of an Indian- which he was really excited for. He thought the Pilgrim hats were funny looking. He and Ryan have been running around the house in various parts of the costume- it's pretty cute.

Anyway- we spent this Thanksgiving at Shaun's parent's house. Jacki always makes us feel so welcome and fixes a great dinner for everyone- she never lets us help. Maybe one day my sister-in-laws and I will wear her down! Jacki even got us a Gingerbread house to put together one evening. The boys loved it- though I think they ate more candy than they actually put on the house.

Yes. I Put My Christmas Tree Up in November

I like Christmas. But December is BUSY!! It seems like I never have enough time to enjoy the season or get the things done that I really want to get done. So, the last two years, I have put my tree up in November- right around the middle of the month. And it's worked out really well for us.

My kids took a little vacation just after my birthday down to Grandma Janet's house (I told her back in June when I had Kate to start preparing for this little vacation), and I scrubbed the house until it literally shone! I hardly recognized it. The best part... it stayed clean for longer than twenty minutes!! And I pulled out the Christmas stuff. Shaun helped me put the tree up- but we left it un-decorated so that we could wait for the kids.

I pulled the ornaments out and just left them in a box by the tree. When the boys got home and saw them- they immediately started putting the ornaments on the tree. I was smart enough this year to NOT pull out the glass ornaments- so nothing that they were touching could get hurt or break (I'm getting smarter!!). And those two little stinkers decorated the entire tree themselves! How cool is that? Ty even pulled up a stool and put snowflakes on the upper branches. It looks pretty darn good if I say so myself. And the boys are so proud of it!

Just Goofin' Around

I love my kids. They are so funny. Granted I know that on any given day you could call me and I'd be ready to tape them to the ceiling fan- but I do love them. Please know that. I just had a few random pictures that didn't really have a specific post to go with them- but I thought they were cute. So...

Here is one of my three kids goofing off one afternoon. Yes that's a bandaid on Ryan's forehead. His toy alligator bit him in the tub the other night and gave him a pretty good little cut. I suspect foul play involving his brother, but the heretofore mentioned brother continues to deny it...

Kate's bow is courtesy of her wannabe hairdresser brother, Ryan. He decided the bow looked better down by her ear. I'll let you decide. I'm still leaning towards the idea that he has no future in this type of career...
I sat on the floor the other night to talk to Kate while she was hanging out on her little play-yard-thingy, and the boys thought that I looked like a chair. Maybe it's time to hit the gym a little harder...
And my three little naked ones! Aren't they cute!? One day they'll hate me for bringing this out for all their dates to see... Yeah... I plan on being one of THOSE parents.

All I Want for Christmas is...

Two bottom teeth! Yeah... I can't believe that I have a kid old enough to be losing teeth (without the aid of a baseball or a good fall)!! Sure enough though- the other day- Ty totally grossed me out by opening his mouth and pulling his bottom tooth clear down to his chin... And then wiggling the one next to it back and forth. Yuck! I got looking in his mouth and the permanent tooth is already pushing it's way up! We were in Salt Lake the other weekend- so Grandma Janet popped the first one out with her fingernail while she was looking at it, but the other one wasn't quite ready to make it's way out. So we gave Ty a few days to work on it, and then we sat down and started really playing with it one night. I gave Ty a wet washrag and let him kind of chew on it for a while after dinner, and then we started pulling. It really didn't take a lot, just a little pull and... POP! Out it came. Ty was super excited to put both teeth under his pillow that night for the tooth fairy. He looks so cute right now. I just can't believe that he's getting so big!

I'm Soooo Tired!

Kate loves her saucer. She spends a good portion of the day in it because she is so content. She really seems to like it when I teach Joyschool. I think it's because she can be up to see everything without being right in the middle of the action. I think. Don't know because she can't really tell me. Anyway, the other morning, I put her in the saucer while I was doing an activity with my Joyschool kids, and then sent them outside to play. I came back into the living room and found this...

She didn't even cry! She just... fell asleep!

Featuring Ryan Jay; Who Has NO Future As A Barber...

The boys were cutting up and gluing together a Thanksgiving picture the other day. They were both pretty content and quiet, so I ran to the bathroom. I was literally gone for about two minutes. When I came back, I noticed little hairs all over Ryan's highchair. And then I noticed his new haircut. He has three little bald spots right in the front of his hairline. Awesome.

Halloween

It was supposed to pour buckets this Halloween at our house. And as one that will be Trick or Treating with the boys... I opted NOT to get soaked. So we went down to Salt Lake (okay- and it's just way fun spending Halloween with the Halloween nut. Aka: Grandma Janet) and planned on taking the kids to the mall to do their trick or treating. It was totally packed- apparently a lot of people had the same idea. But the boys had so much fun! Their favorite was stopping at Mrs. Fields- they were giving out little cookies.

Anyway- here are our little monsters... Two pirates and a kitty.

Kate was so sweet- she didn't even make a peep at having to put on a costume. As long as she had her binky- she was fine. Even at the mall- she just hung out in the stroller- taking it all in I guess.
Okay and really- the tail was the cutest part of the costume...

Pirate Ryan... Who bawled the whole time I was getting him dressed. But once he was finished and ready to go- he was totally fine. What gives!?
Pirate Ty... He cut his lip the other day at preschool and got blood all over his costume. He told me it made him look more real. We also found out when I was getting the eye patch on that he has a loose tooth! The permanent one is already trying to poke through! I told him to eat lots of Laffy Taffy since a missing tooth was even more Pirate-y.
A couple of scurvy knaves if you ask me...

We had a lot of fun this year- I love seeing my kids so happy!

Scary Skeletons

Shaun's school does a Halloween parade the day before the kids get out for Halloween. And because all the big kids dress up- I like to dress up my little ones too. But I didn't want them in their costumes because they tend to spill... I know I know- live and let live mom. It's my anal-retentiveness showing.

So- I put them all in their skeleton jammies for the day. We started the day with Joy School. Then we went and had flu shots. I told them if they sat there and got their shots that I would take them to lunch. Which I did- we went to Arctic Circle and had corn dogs (exciting I know) and ice cream cones. And we were lucky enough to have Shaun join us! Then we followed him back to the school and we watched the parade.

The kids were totally exhausted by the time we were done and in need of a nap. But it was fun day and I'm glad I have pictures of the three of them as skeletons- they may never let me do it again!!

PS- I can't believe they make PINK skeleton jammies. How cute is that!?

Joy School

Because I'm not busy enough (Cough Cough), I decided it would be fun to have Ty in Joy School on the days that he's not in preschool. He's old enough that he's bored when it's just us now- so it's nice for him to have something else to do. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the concept- Joy School is a preschool that is taught by moms. We rotate each week and follow a lesson plan. Ty has really enjoyed it, and Ryan had a blast when it was at our house last week.

We were learning about the body and all the things that it can do. So I set up an obstacle course in the house (it had snowed this week) and let the kids run a muck. It was so funny to watch them!! One of the obstacles was to run around Kate's saucer three times- she sat there looking shell shocked afterward. Because this was last week- I also had the kids two days before Halloween. So we had a Halloween party and let the kids dress up when they came over. It was soo funny to watch out my back window when they were having free time- the dragon and the bee were swinging, the little skeleton was digging and the big skeleton, the ninja and superman were all playing soccer. It just struck me as funny.

Anyway- I am so grateful that they are all such great kids! It makes my turn so much nicer when I like them and don't mind doing things for them!!

E is for Elephant

Ty is having a lot of fun at preschool this year. The teachers are so cute with the kids and I love their curriculum. Each week is a different letter and number. This last week was E and the kids made Elephant masks. It was so cute- as they paraded out of the classroom, each had their masks up to their faces and made the mom's guess which kid was theirs. It was cute. And Ty had a lot of fun playing with it- we had to make several repairs to the trunk because he kept taking it outside and in the car.

The Joooooo

Since he started talking, Ryan has called his binky a "Joooooo." I don't know why. I don't pretend to know why. That's just the way it is. Despite it's odd name- Ryan loves his binky. When it was bed-time or nap-time, his face just lit up when you handed him his "Joooooo." But he's two. He's technically past two. And it was time to let it go.

So- we gave him a pair of scissors and his Joooooo, and let him have at it. Sure enough- he snipped the end off without thinking twice.

Of course after it was done- he sat there and gave Shaun a look that said, "What the crap did you let me do that for!??!" He stuck it in his mouth and tried to suck on it- but to no avail. He told us it was ick and that it had to go in the garbage.

Off to the garbage he trotted, Jooooo in hand. And he chucked it. Leash and all. I tried to save the leash since Kate could still use it- but he wasn't having it. He took it back from me and told me it was all ick. And off he went to bed. He didn't say a word about it until the next morning. When he went promptly to the garbage to fish it out. I had pulled it out the night before and put it with Ty's old binky.

I don't know why I save them. It makes me sad every time I see Ty's... I guess I'm just never ready for them to grow up. It's like it takes me by surprise. I know they're two. I know they're ready to give it up- but when it comes time to actually take the binky away... I have a really hard time with it. I even cried this time. Ryan has always let us baby him a little bit- it goes back to when he was in the NICU- he was always just this little baby- and now- it's like I just turned around and he's walking and talking and having opinions... Sometimes I wish he could just go back to being my little binky baby.

Forts and Such

The boys and their neighborhood friends were out back the other day and they built this fort. I really don't have a lot to say about it- but I took a picture because I loved their ingenuity. They sat back there and played in it for two hours!

4 Months

Our little Katie-bug (I know- you can gag if you want to) is four months old. And I know I already told you about her cereal and her tub... but I didn't really do an official post about it.

So. She is rolling over. And she LOVES her saucer. She'll hang out in it long enough for me to switch laundry or make dinner- it's heaven sent! I even took it to ballet with me last week and she sat in it for a good portion of the time! The boys have had a lot of fun with it too... Which is odd to me. It's not like they can sit in it or anything- but they sit and play with the little toys right along with their little sister.

It's amazing to me how much head-control she has. I feel like she is still such a little baby (I'm in denial- I want her to still be four weeks rather than four months) to be doing such things. She is also drooling like crazy- I keep checking for teeth- but there's nothing there yet. Kate also loves to laugh- her happiest time is at night. Right about when the boys go to bed (there could be a reason she's so happy- maybe she's feeding off of my emotions at the same time... :D ).
And she still has the prettiest blue eyes you've ever seen. They are just like her dad's- and I am so happy that one of the kids got them.

Pumpkins

I get so caught up in the day to day life of being a mother of three and a wife that sometimes I forget to sit back and actually pay attention to what's going on around me. Somewhat self-involved huh? Anyway- it's the end of October! Pumpkins are grown. Leaves are falling. And costumes have been readied.

The boys both decided to be pirates this year and have been parading around their pirate hats for about two weeks now. They wear them to breakfast. They wear them to play. And Ty even tried to sleep in his the other night. I didn't care- but it wouldn't stay on his head- so he had to sleep next to it. The boys now walk around saying "Arg" to anyone that will sit still long enough to listen.

Kate is going to be a cat this year and could really care less. She does not try and wear her costume around. And she seems less than impressed with all of her Halloween bows. Of course- she is only 4 months old... I'll take it in stride.

I was happy to get a few pictures of the kids in their Halloween gear though- Ryan has been such a pill lately with what he wears. What two year old cares what he wears? He isn't old enough to have an opinion. But there you have it- he refuses to wear anything with ghost on it. I didn't tell him that the "Boo" shirt shown here is semi-ghost-like.

Up

Growing up that is. Katelyn is four months old. She rolled over for the first time last week. She eats cereal. She sleeps through the night half the time. I'm about to move her into her own bedroom at night. She laughs. She smiles. She loves her binky half the time and absolutely throws fits when you put it in her mouth the other half of the time. She never spits up. She loves her mobile, and will fall asleep so sweetly in her crib if you turn it on for her. She just watches it spin and slowly her eyes will close.

Kate has a love/hate relationship with her carseat. In that she loves to hate it.

She is getting stronger and can stay in her Bumbo for longer periods of time now. Though she still gets frustrated with the toy in the tray... Maybe I should take it out...?
She spends probably hours in her swing. Best investment ever. We go through C batteries like water around here.

Four Months Equals Cereal

Katelyn had her first taste of the grown up world. Not that any of us eat rice cereal anymore- but it's the first step in a long line of new tastes and textures for our baby girl. She did awesome. After the first few bites- she started to recognize the spoon and would open her mouth when it headed toward her. Granted the cereal went everywhere once I put the spoon in her mouth- but at least it made it in without a fight! Her tongue doesn't understand at all.

Does she look full to you? She slept through the night the first night we gave it to her.

For Grandma Janet

My mom loves Halloween. And the love that once bordered on obsession when we were kids has now spilled over into/onto her grandkids. She bought the boys the cutest pajamas. Here they are modeling them for you. It's like a checklist for fall or something.

Pumpkins: Check

Skeleton shirts: Check

Halloween Jammies: Check

Thanks grandma!