Missing 'The Little Apple'

We had a splendid time at my parents in Manhattan, Kansas for Christmas this year!

We had a very traditional 'white Christmas', as it started to snow Christmas Eve and continued through Christmas Day. AWESOMELY FESTIVE!

We'll definitely have to post some shots of Ike sledding for the first time! Stay tuned!

As soon as I get those photos transferred to my computer, I will get to posting them...

If you think TJ looks dazed in this photo...well, he is dazed. He is suffering from croup & has had a rough couple of days (it goes without saying that mom also has had been a tad sleep deprived! I'll have to own up to my moment of resulting idiocy in a separate post...oh, the suspense!)
Thanks again for hosting all of us, grammae & granddaddy!

As always, your hospitality knows no bounds!

Thanks also for gearing us up with K-State apparel so that we can still feel connected to you though we're several states away now...

Both Ike & TJ love their powercat purple gear!

Ike keeps wandering around the house saying stuff like, "I want to go to grammie's house and have a party!" He misses everyone! It is cute

HO HO HO!!!

From ours to yours:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


By the way, nothing says Christmas "JOY" to Ike like a bag of fruit snacks.

It's job security for Ike's dentist.

Ike is sporting his Granddaddy's hat - you can't appreciate it in the picture, but the bulbs light up.

Third time's a charm

Despite two separate previous attempts at getting Ike to sit on Santa's lap, we had resigned ourselves to the fact that Ike wasn't going to get close enough to get a candy cane, let alone let us snap a quick picture. Still, it's fun to catch the moment if you can.

Alas, at our neighborhood Christmas party this year, Ike finally turned the corner! He really was excited, giving Santa a high five and then sitting on his lap for a few minutes.























He even responded to Santa's big question with "CHOO CHOO TRAIN!"

We think the fact that our neighbor Ron had Santa duties (and Ike likes Ron) made a difference. He didn't have any idea it was Ron, but just seemed more comfortable.

TJ, as photo evidence shows, was not too keen on the whole operation. We'll give TJ a couple of years to warm up to 'the bowl full of jelly'.

Unjustly behind bars

90% of the time TJ is up before Ike. So, we get him dressed & ready for the day & then await the awakening of his big bro.

When Ike does stir, TJ usually gets relegated to Ike's crib for a few minutes while we get Ike all dolled up.

This morning TJ seemed absolutely delighted with his "sentence."

I'm thinking of trying all day confinement to Ike's crib....

Then I actually might get something crossed off my to-do list, eh? ha ha ha

That reminds me of the words to an Aerosmith song that Todd is always singing to me: DREAM ON!

New bath attire?

For those of you who don't know...Tucson has felt a little bit wintry this week.

You know...frosts overnight & highs in the 50s-60s.

It has been most delightful!

But, our little native Arizona sons have had some shocking moments.

And, mom has also had some shocking moments with the boys' solutions to their newfound dilemmas (i.e. being chilly instead of overheated).

It's too cold for the bathtub, eh Ike?

Don't worry mom. Naturally....I'll just wear my hat!

I had to literally wrestle Ike to get the hat off so we could shampoo.

Trust me when I say....wrestling Ike these days is not an automatic win in my column.

He is one strong AND stubborn spirit!

Hmmmm....I wonder where he comes by that streak...??

BUSTED!

I went to change a diaper on TJ earlier today & arrived back in the kitchen on this scene. It looks like this is the beginning of the end for our gingerbread house. Ike managed to snarf down the top of the chimney & all the candies along the ridgeline before I could put a stop to it.

HO HO HO!!

Our little TJ is usually brimming with good cheer.

I don't think I ever appreciate that enough!

Did you know Arizona is playing Nebraska in a bowl game this year?

It does simplify matters....as I can just wear red & be in support of whomever I please (we do have a divided house...)

Hope your holidays are filled with jolly-days!

Luminaria Lunacy

Todd & I didn't walk through our front door from Hawaii until Friday afternoon.

It was my mom's last night with us.

Though we were a little beat & the boys seemed tired, we decided to go check out the luminarias at the Botanical Gardens. After all....we did have some free tickets, and far be it for a Powell to let a free ticket to anything go to waste!

Well, it was not our finest night.

Ike refused to even touch Santa, let alone sit on his lap. Ike also refused to sit in the stroller. Thus, we were maneuvering the double-wide for no purpose...which is not easy on crowded narrow paths.

One funny story: for the luminaria event, we had to park at a church down the road & get shuttled over in an airport transport van because of inadequate parking on-site.

Last night (Saturday) we left the house to attend our ward Christmas party. All the whole way to the church Ike was saying, "NO VANS, MOMMY! NO VANS!" Apparently, he was more traumatized by the Botanical bedlam than I thought.

NO VANS, IKE! I promise! (Well, at least until next Christmas season....)

Hawaii Day 5: Thurs, Dec 4

All good things come to an end, as they say.....

Here are a couple of final shots.

The big island has tons of volcanic black lava rock. People for decades have collected white coral rock from the seashore to use for 'island graffiti'.

It was only fitting to add Ike & TJ's names for posterity.

Once back in the rat race of regular life, we're hoping to call up images such as this one of Todd chillin' in his hammock...

'HANG LOOSE', as the Hawaiians are fond of saying!

FYI: Most of the other couples from Todd's company whom we traveled with ended up staying several extra days.

Needless to say...they don't have kids at home in diapers!

Hawaii day 4: Wed, Dec 3

Todd had some more work mtgs in the AM.

For the rest of the day, we got out & about a little to do more exploring.

We saw a "lava tube" and got several souvenirs.

It goes without saying, there was yet another gorgeous sunset!

The evening topped off with a full-scale luau with a live band.

The weather was perfect.

Here is a group photo shot with several of the couples in Todd's company. Nice people! Todd's boss, Fred, is on the far left with his wife.

Hawaii day 3: Tues, Dec 2

I haven't really been too public about the fact that I now have a "seizure disorder". My first seizure was on the morning of TJ's birth. I now have to pop pills every day to prevent further episodes. JOY.

I love being a doctor, but have a strong distaste for being on the other side of medicine.....especially when my diagnosis prohibits me from fun stuff, like scuba diving!

Oh well, I did snorkel. And, I saw tons of brightly colored fish.

We used our waterproof old school camera for most of the day, and who knows when/if we will ever get this film developed, but enjoy one shot of the shoreline from our boat with our digital camera.

We barely got back from the water adventure in time to shower & head out to the temple. It was such a great experience. We had to read English subtitles as the session was in Samoan.

When we emerged from the temple, there were some native Hawaiian members there greeting everyone on the steps, serving up a drink they called 'rice cocoa' and 'sweet bread'. It was delightfully friendly and fun....'the Hawaiian Way' as they say.

The one lady's name was something akin to "Pu-ah-na-ko-ah-lani." I asked her if she went by a nickname and she looked at me like I was retarded and said, "Oh no, people call me by my real name!". It took me about 5 times of her repeating her name before I even could attempt to utter it.

Hawaii Day 2: Mon, Dec 1

We tagged along with some couples from Todd's company bound for the northern part of the island.

What a scenic drive!

And, what a diverse place!

Did you know the largest cattle ranch in all of the U.S. was at one point located on the big island?
The northern shore was much more tropical & lush relative to the location of our resort, but it was also drizzlie...which didn't do my hair any favors...

Much of the drive reminded me of the Philippines! I kept wanting to turn to Todd & provide running commentary in Tagalog.

We did pick out a Hawaiian Christmas tree for our living room.

It's too bad the logistics of getting it home were too overwhelming to see that venture through....you'll have to use your imagination....

We did stop & get an obligatory photo with the famous statue of King Kamehameha, who is credited for uniting all the Hawaiian islands under one rule.

Every summer the statue is honored with hundreds of leis on his birthdate in June.

We chose to honor him by eating mango sorbet from the little shop across the street from his park :-)

That, in part, explains my stubborn 20 pounds that I have yet to lose post-TJ...

I simply have no self control!

Hawaii Day 1: Sunday, Nov 30

For those of you that don't know, Todd's company hosted an executive leadership retreat on the big island in Hawaii.

It was hard to leave the boys behind.

Here I am upon arrival, pestering my mom back on the homefront to see how the boys are doing.....oblivious to the gorgeous views.

Thankfully, I did loosen up as the week wore on. It helped immensely to know they couldn't have been in better hands.

Thanks again, mom (or 'grammie' as Ike calls her.)

By the way, this morning when we dropped my mom off at the airport to head back to Kansas, Ike asked where grammie was going.

I told him that she had to go home and take care of grand-daddy. Ike simply said, "No, mommy....I NEED her!"

My sentiments exactly!

What you won't see on our Christmas card...

We had another disastrous attempt at photographing the boys together. Above is BY FAR the best picture from our efforts. Even bribing Ike with candy had limited effect. At least it was memorable...UGH!

Deck the Halls

Last year we purchased a little Ike-proof Fisher Price nativity and also a santa sleigh with reindeer.

This year, TJ is enjoying the investment, too! See how the little guy is devouring Rudolph? Well, he likes red meat, what can I say? HA

Is it just me, or does it take longer every year to 'put up Christmas'??!?

Thanks for the 'TANK'

So, one of my coworkers was telling me how their baby (who is almost the exact same age as TJ) is underweight.

Though their kid is not one yet, their pediatrician told them to feed him anything he would eat...even ice cream, etc.

Well...TJ is NOT suffering from lack of caloric intake, or inadequate weight gain.
In fact, he is such a good eater, we've started to refer to him as 'Tank'.

'TJ the Tank'. It has a certain ring, eh?

Well, on this Thanksgiving day, I feel thankful for the 'Tank' & for the 'General' too.....my favorite peeps on planet earth!

Morning chill....

Hmmmm....what to do when your A/C is still on in November...

(What can I say? The days are still too warm for mom's taste....)

But, the mornings have a too much of a chill in the air for a little guy's thin Arizona blood....

Thank heavens for garage sale finds!

TJ stays quite toastie with his new breakfast gear!

And as a bonus: he does look especially cute all winterized!
In case you're wondering, all our socks are stowed in Ike's room (& thus, there is a little disparity in coverage).

But, since Ike just stirred, it is lookin' up for TJ's toes! We'll get right on the footwear.

As for the big fella, Ike refuses to put on any winter gear.
He must have some Kansan in him after all!

Two peas in a pod

Well, here is another "then & now" series. It is TJ in the top photo...Ike in the bottom.

Ike is actually a little bit closer to the year mark in this photo than the last...but he is status post haircut numero uno.

Why is that both of our boys have been obsessed with the household appliances? Our dishwasher door is still jacked up from 2008. Ike would insist on 'climbing aboard.' Here's hoping the GE can survive the second round of assault & battery!

Purchase Regret

Here is TJ pulling books down off the shelf faster than I can possibly replace them.

Just for fun, I think I will post a picture of Ike from back in early March of 2008. He is more or less the same age then that TJ is now...wreaking the very same havoc...obeying the very same universal law of entropy...

This flashback photo of Ike actually nicely illustrates what I mean about TJ suffering from relative alopecia.

Still, being hairless doesn't seem to inhibit TJ in any way.

But, back to the title of this post....

Ike has a board book you'll see him reading here in this last photo...he loves this book!

Granted, he doesn't love it quite as much as "The Baby Danced the Polka."

But, then again, how could any kid love any book more than Ike loves that one?!

Still...this other option must also be read at least daily.

It is titled "I Love You Stinky Face".

It is actually a pretty cute book. There. I admit it.

Still, I object to Ike uttering the latter two words when he thinks he is being sweet with me.

That, simply, is why I'm sorta sorry I ever added this book to our home collection. I long for him to drop those additional two words that don't exactly do my ego any favors....

High Class

Occasionally when I am feeling spent (or plain lazy) & I don't want to cook, we hit the town.

Unfortunately, we sort of have a restricted list of outing options, as we've been reluctant to take the boys to any kind of sit down establishment.

Here is our usual repertoire:
*Chick-fil-A drive thru
*IN-N-OUT drive thru
*Wingstop take out (Todd LOVES chicken wings, did you know that?)
*Rosati's thin crust pizza take out

Over the weekend (before the otitis media blind-sided our little guy), we were feeling totally adventuresome. We went to a sit down restaurant!

What is our new joint, you may be wondering? SUBWAY.Oh yeah baby, we are nothing if not high class! Still, we unloaded the whole crew, went in & dined. Royally, I might add.

Ike looked like he was a cheeto at the end of his bag. Good thing I don't buy those regularly, or our whole house would have to be redone in bright orange. It is too bad we didn't capture that on film for ya!

P.S. TJ is better. He is still not 100%, but the fever has lifted (& so has his sour mood!)

Blondie!

Several of you have been teasing poor TJ about his hair (or rather, lack thereof...) So, what can concerned parents do? Well, naturally, we got him a wig so he won't feel so self-conscious. HA! I AM kidding! But, isn't this shot hilarious?

Needless to say, we're having a hard time putting Halloween behind us.

Ike is still roaring at perfect strangers (sans lion costume) & we're still having way too much fun with the dress-up box!

Bopsy Twins

In case you were wondering: NO, I have no illusions about having our holiday family photo shoot being smooth or uneventful.

We'll be lucky to survive it.

I was really optimistic about trying to get the two boys captured in their matching jammies. Well...in the beginning I was...

Reality quickly took over.

It is a real wonder that no one fell out of Todd's office chair.
We thought maybe playing some home movies on Todd's computer would help.

But, it backfired. Ike would only smile at the computer screen & not the camera.

On the plus side, TJ was more free with the smiles.

But...TJ got distracted. He had to switch by necessity into survival mode with his bully of a big brother by his side, who seemed keen on kicking him out of 'the throne'.

I wish I could say this last shot was a loving hug, but it was more like a pro wrestling tackle.

Why didn't I take a class on how to photo shop? HELP!!! How will we ever get an acceptible family photo for our Christmas card??????

Our bruiser...

I got two of these little sweat pant outfits for TJ at a garage sale.

Doesn't he look sweet?

They are perfect: stylish yet comfy...and warm, though we hardly need that as it isn't exactly winter in these parts...

Our little TJ is right in the middle of the bell curve on all the charts, but he just seems bigger to me than Ike ever did at this same stage...

It made me laugh the day I had him dressed in this outfit, as he seemed especially inclined to tackle Ike.

What can I say?

The power of suggestion...

It is football season, after all!

And hey....when the referee isn't looking, how about a late hit or two? a false start? holding? roughing the passer? facemask?

Wish you were here to enjoy the game!

It is hard to be fair as an officiator, I have found.

90 year split

TJ was sure enamored with grandma great's walker! I'm sure he wishes we would order one in his size :-)

How can I stay mad?

I just put Ike down for the night for the FOURTH time. I wish he had an on/off switch!

One good thing came of our late night, though.

Trying to wind Ike down at one point, we watched photos from the weekend in slide show format on my computer. It is actually the first time I'd seen most of the shots.

At the visitors center at the temple there is a large Christus statue, which Ike has dubbed "Big Jesus". There is a nice recording of various scriptures that can be played for you.

There are also various other paintings of Christ and statues of Christ there for your viewing pleasure.

As we were watching the photo recap of the weekend, I asked Ike, "Which was your favorite, Big Jesus or Little Jesus?" (as 'little' Jesus is what he dubbed this smaller statue)

Ike just looked at me really thoughtful and said, "Well, Big Jesus talked to me, but little Jesus held my hand."

I guess the jury is still out on his favorite means of communing...

Ike's wish for you today: That you can feel buoyed up not only by reassuring spiritual verse but also by the embrace of seen or unseen loving arms through all of life's rough spots!

P.S. Ike is obsessed with Jesus's "owies" & how he can help make them better. I keep telling him to just concentrate on not making them WORSE. :-)

Oh....tempting....!

We did a babysitting swap this last weekend in order to attend sessions at the temple.

I was sort of dreading our turn with the 5 kids. I mean, I'd been sick most of the week and still wasn't 100%.

It turns out that having all 5 was 200% easier than just having our own 2. I mean, Isabel is now 10 & it was like having a personal nanny in our midst. She was owning TJ & all his needs.....

And as for Ike, he was following his older male cousins like a little puppy dog, so we just had to look out for Pearson as the exemplar. Piece of cake!

Ever since Friday night, I have been fantasizing about having a full-time nanny. Ahhhh, if only that were in the budget :-) But, I don't want to work full-time & miss these years entirely, chaotic though they are. I really just want 30 minutes to myself here & there...but I'll have to settle for downloading some songs from Mary Poppins & my sweet dreams.

Dinosaur Brothers...

Our efforts to photograph the boys in their respective dinosaur pajamas devolved into a tickling contest. I think we can safely say we are all winners in that contest.

Is it November already????

Even TJ is in shock. I mean, he meant to be walking by 10 months of age, but he may fall shy of his goal! Where does the time go?? That is OK, though...bi-ped or not, this tyke is happily on-the-go!

Draggin' Dragon

TJ was tired before we even left the house for our trick-or-treating extravaganza!

But, he was a good sport!

We got his costume second hand & it didn't come with a label as to what it was. About half of the people we ran across called TJ the cutest dragon they'd ever seen. The rest (including Ike) were convinced he was prehistoric.

After all, there are dinosaurs at the golden arches here in town & at the childrens' museum....two of Ike's favorite spots. Why would TJ want to be anything but a T-Rex??