Of Me and Mine

In such a short time...

2012-02-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

...he has gotten so much better. I introduced the black keys to him on this song, and he's picked up the idea already, exploring with them on other songs this keyboard offers. When things like this happen with him, I often think to myself, "What am I going to do with this kid?" I am constantly amazed at what he figures out by himself.

Oh, and since I took this video a few days ago, he can now play along with the music (at a slower tempo) with no mistakes.

He's one fabulous boy.

Beethoven

2012-01-19T11:36:00.000-08:00

We have this keyboard. It plays really fluffy samples of popular songs, but my kids love it. The latest and greatest thing to do with this fluffy keyboard is try to play along with the fluffy songs, so here you go...

Life with my kids

2011-11-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a while, I know.

Sorry, but life has been real busy, and it doesn't look like it'll be slowing down. It probably won't slow down ever again.

Jesse

The first year of his life has been a whirl. He's a screecher, an eater, and a sleeper. He's totally engrossed with his motor skills, not very interested in his communication skills (except screeching), loves toilets, wires, trash cans, and pulling everything off the kitchen table, and so much dang fun to have around. I love one year old kids. From one to two years, my babies have all been dream children, and I fall into the trap of thinking this is how they will always be. Now, I'm just enjoying this time when he is peaceful, content, and really enjoys having me around.

The other day Jeriah had requested a bowl of warm water to warm his hands up after being outside for a while. I put some warm water into a mixing bowl and put it on the table for him. He warmed up his hands and then walked away. A few minutes later, I hear splatting sounds. I look over and Jesse had pulled that bowl off the table. As a result, he was soaked, shocked, and screaming, and I had a flood quickly spreading in all directions. Before I was done cleaning up, Jesse immediately went back to pulling stuff off the table. I guess he isn't so quick to learn cause and effect. Oh yeah. And the next day he did the same thing with a cup of water that Jeriah had put snow in to make slush. I then had a screaming (and slushy) baby, who quickly went back to terrorizing items on the table, again.

Lukas

He is almost four, and will very soon have his precious blankets taken away for good. It's a coming of age thing to my kids, and a ruse to get them to stop sucking their thumb to me. This worked like a charm with Jeriah. Lukas only sucks his thumb with his blanket, so take the blanket away, and fingers crossed, the thumb will then be left alone. He knows how to count to 100, knows his shapes, can write his name but not always in the right order, and almost always reads the letters of words to me, only he reads them from right to left. He is completely potty trained, including nights. He likes splashing excessively in the bathtub in almost cold water, lying around the house clinging to one of his blankets, getting his own cup and water when he's thirsty, folding towels, and deciding what he's painted after he's painted a picture. He still takes a nap almost every day. He does a fairly good job of keeping his interests separate from his big brother, even at the cost of being yelled at for not doing what big brother wants him to. He cuddles wonderfully and his huge chocolate eyes dance when he's happy.

Jeriah

He will be six very soon, and then very soon after that he will have the opportunity to get baptized. I'm realizing how quickly the next two years will fly by. He is in kindergarten and loves it, even though he does have homework almost everyday. It's fun work, and I enjoy doing it with him. He is working on his reading skills and tries to read signs as we go by them in the car. He still doesn't remember to write the lowercase letters smaller than the uppercase letters, though, but that will click at some point and it won't ever be an issue again. It's not really an issue to me, but his teacher cares.

He tries desperately to create things in reality that his imagination tells him he can, like robots, cars, boats, remote controls, houses, fires, etc. This creates problems when he begs to be taken to the store to get wire, metal, wood, plastic, and whatever else he needs, and doesn't seem to understand how complicated these things are. After his requests are repeatedly shut down, he eventually resorts to making them with an exorbitant amount of tape, cardboard, paper, and toys. Sometimes household items are also subjected to his creativity. And then the family is required to step around his massive creation for days, or move it from place to place without disrupting it's zen, until Mom says she's throwing it in the garbage (sans toys and household items of course).

Today, he decided he wanted to make a robot. He gathered a few items, taped them together, and then demanded that I give him some oil to pour in this hole because robots need oil. "Kitchen oil will do, Mommy." As if I am supposed to say, "Well, that OK then. Here you go." Sorry. No oil for little boy. Then the problem of how to get his robot to move puzzled him, and he decided he needed some wires for electricity. "Mommy, can I have some wires please?" Ah, no. "I don't have any wires to give you," shrugging my shoulders in defeat. "Mommy, we need to get some wires from that wood shop me and Daddy went to when we got those pipes." And, he got a no again. Seeing he was not making any progress with me, he fell back to the final tactic: "I'll just wait for Daddy to get home."

Final Words

Despite all the times I am in the depths of despair because I can't keep things and brothers from getting broken, spilled, hit, thrown, trampled, dirty, and bloody, I still find peace again knowing that these kids of mine are the most special, cool, intelligent, handsome, and loving kids on the face of the Earth (sorry everyone else, but it's true). I get to live with them every single day, all day long. How could I not feel privileged to be in their midst?

It's when I realize that this moment is what matters, not what this moment could possibly mean in about ten years. It's when I can step back and personally revel in their accomplishments, see the joy they take in learning from their mistakes, and watch with my heart instead of my eyes. It's when they look at me in the middle of hot tears, and I know I love them despite all.

That's when I glimpse eternity.

It's Not Just For Girls

2011-09-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

Who ever said this was only what little girls do?

Jesse is now officially 10 months old. This is his latest trick and as you can see, he's ecstatic.

To Daddy

2011-07-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Videos!

2011-06-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

Aunt Tatum is pretty scary.

And Lukas is pretty funny.

Oregon Visit

2011-06-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

Let me just say, I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful family in Oregon! I went there about a month ago, just me and the kids, mainly to show off the latest addition to our family, and I always get itching to go on a trip in spring after being cooped up all winter long. So, we packed up and went on our way.

The goal on the way there was to make it to Mary's (Jeriah's cousin) baptism. We had a very small window of error in how long it would take to get there, and I kept calling Taylor to see how much longer we had. Then I would adjust our speed accordingly. We made it there with 15 mins to spare! And how wonderful to be a part of such a special time.

We crashed at Dallin and Tatum's house for the week, which was so much fun! They have a little girl, probably the most adorable girl I've ever seen, and she loved having little boys around to keep her company.

Jeriah and Lukas had the opportunity to spend most nights having sleepovers with their Grandma and Grandpa. Then Jeriah went and stayed with his other cousins for the rest of the week. He had a blast! I wish we lived closer so we could have sleepovers more often.

Here are a few pictures from our trip there...

At Aunt Charisa's for a day of play, and play they did.

With Grandpa Gibb, they got to go on the train and go on this little ferris wheel.

At Aunt Tatum's house.

We put these cuties in this little bike trailer/stroller, and they did not like it at all! At least until we started moving.

It's finished!

2011-05-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

I'm going to call this the Window Quilt. And I finished it today! And Jeriah is sleeping with it tonight. And I must say that I am kind of proud of myself for pulling this off. There are plenty of mistakes, but they aren't mistakes that will make the quilt fall apart or anything. They are because it's only my second quilt ever, and this is a whole lot better than my first one!

Artist or Scientist?

2011-05-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

Jeriah has moved on from learning about planets to learning about our bodies. He draws everything he learns, and I must say I am impressed with what details he remembers. The below pictures are the circulatory system and the skeletal system.

(I'm sorry this first one isn't better quality. If you want to see his details, you can click on the pictures to see them bigger.)

Self portrait:

Do Unto Others...

2011-04-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

The kids spent an entire three hours outside. Doing what, you say?

This...

Crouching down in one spot torturing a poor ladybug. Oh, they didn't think they were torturing it. They thought they were taking care of it, much like their mommy takes care of them.

Jeriah carefully pulled up a pile of grass and put the ladybug on top, giving it something to eat.

He covered the ladybug up with a pile of dirt, so it could play in the dirt.

He got some water and put the ladybug in it, to give it a bath.

When I told him that ladybugs don't eat grass, they eat bugs, he ran over to his dirt box and started digging. When he found a worm, he ran back over to his precious ladybug and said, "I'm going to kill this worm so the ladybug can eat it!"

I found out that there is an arsenal of ladybugs in that area of our backyard, so I'm looking forward to many more hours of uninterrupted time to myself, though I'm sure the ladybugs wish they had picked a different backyard to live in.

New Exercise Routine

2011-04-22T18:16:00.001-07:00

5 Months

2011-04-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

He is big for his age. He is very happy when he's happy, and very angry when he's angry. He is loved by both Jeriah and Lukas and they are always aware of him. He always gets a good night hug and kiss before they go to bed. He has started solid foods now and loves it. I think he'd probably rather just eat solid foods instead of nurse. He brightens up the room when he smiles. He's working on getting more coordinated with his hands, sleeping all night long (two nights in a row now!), and rolling over.

This is our Jesse. Adorable. Happy. Loved.

Recent Project

2011-04-07T23:18:00.000-07:00

This is my latest project. Jeriah really needs a blanket all his own, so I decided to just make one for him. This quilt has been pretty fun to put together so far and I am very excited to finish it. Jeriah is really excited for me to finish it. He has asked me multiple times if he could get under it, and talks about how much he likes it. I can't wait and apparently he can't wait either.

Squeals, Gurgles, and Giggles

2011-04-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

Where'd he go?

2011-03-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

After looking around the house trying to find my little Lukas, I finally look at this pile of toys in the living room -

The things little brothers tolerate.

Dinosaur Tails

2011-03-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

In my recent blog perusing, I found this tutorial on how to make these adorable dino tails for little boys. They are just perfect and darling and I could totally see my little boys wearing them.

I figured I had enough scraps from projects past to complete this, so I dug everything out and picked what fabrics I wanted to use. Then I got to work.

My end product...

Dino tails in action!

This is supposed to be their best dinosaur face. They may need to work on that a little.

It has been a blast watching these two with their tails. They wiggle their bums, roll around, shoot fire at each other, have tail fights, etc. I highly recommend finding some scrap fabric around your house and taking an evening to put these together. They have provided us hours of fun in our house.

Vegging

2011-03-17T19:03:00.001-07:00

Our next door neighbor has introduced us to the wonderful world of VeggieTales, and it has been so much fun listening to my kids reenact the stories, songs, etc.

If you don't know much about VeggieTales, they are very humorous yet also teach virtues. I, the adult here, really enjoy watching them with my kids. I highly recommend them if you want to have silly songs and jokes running around your head all day long.

Speaking of reenacting...

Look what I made today!

2011-03-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

My good friend, Julie, came over today and showed me how to make one of these cool car seat covers. Isn't it cute?

I am so happy to have one because we have always tried to cover the car seat with a blanket, but if the wind blew, it always flew off. We also bought a cover that stretches across the car seat and has a little opening that velcros down, but the baby grew out of that pretty quick and we had to take it off.

Whoever came up with these covers is a genius. I love it!

Grateful for Grandparents

2011-03-06T13:45:00.001-08:00

Taylor's dad came to visit with us for a little while recently and we had lots of fun with him. He did a lot of babysitting, dishes, holding baby Jesse, reading books, and entertaining the kids. We felt very lucky to have him here and I very much enjoyed watching the relationship between Grandpa and my kids grow. We have a ton of snow here (go figure) and Grandpa had great ideas to build things with it.

Here are a few pictures of the things Jeriah and Grandpa did together...

Snowman

Snow Train

Snow Cave/Tunnel

Another thing that Grandpa decided was he wanted to outshine the other Grandpa (my dad) by building a water rocket. Grandpa Jankus built kites (that didn't ever really fly) and we went on trips and he drew pictures for my kids. Grandpa Gibb wanted to be the favorite grandpa, so he spent his weeks here building this rocket that he swore would fly and it would be the highlight of his trip here.

This was the first attempt.

Didn't look so hopeful, but then...

So, all in all, things went well, my kids very much enjoyed having another adult here to play with them, and I got a very appreciated break from having to haul all my kids around for small trips down the street, from doing the dishes every day, from having to eat all the leftovers myself, and a lot more.

Thank you Grandpa!!!

PS - When are you coming back?

Starring the other two

2011-02-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

Amateur dancers Jeriah and Lukas have their debut on the blog Of Me and Mine.

Dancing to "Down By the Riverside."

Lukas uses his prop with finesse and Jeriah choreographed the collisions perfectly.

Starring Jesse

2011-02-10T21:05:00.000-08:00

Another movie starring Jesse. I know, I know. I'm pretty enthusiastic about his little smiles and giggles, but I figured some of you might be interested as well. As you are watching, keep in mind that the sections where I'm not tickling him are the ones where he was having no real interaction from anyone, except the camera. I wasn't prompting him or holding up cue cards or anything of that sort. He's just a happy kid who likes to talk.

And we all adore him. He seems to adore us as well, so it's happy all around.

Honesty

2011-01-18T20:44:00.000-08:00

Today, Lukas decided to play with our calendar on the wall, the kind where you can put a number card in a pocket for each day of the month. His latest thing has been putting the number in the pocket each day when he wakes up, but tonight he wanted to put the 19 on Wednesday. I finally got him to realize he would want to put a card in tomorrow so he might want to wait. Well, then he decided to dilly dally in putting that card away, which resulted in one corner of the calendar falling off the wall while he was holding it up.

He froze into place and started crying and yelling for me to help him, afraid that if he moved the entire calendar would come falling on top of him. I knew if he let go then it would hang by just one corner and it would be all right, but he just wouldn't agree to that. I was feeding Jesse and couldn't just come running to help him out, so Lukas and I had this little conversation...

Lukas: "Mommy, I need help!"

Mom: "I can't help you right now, but you can just let go and it will be just fine."

Lukas: "NO! I NEED HELP!" followed by another bout of panicky crying.

Mom: "Well, you can just let go and get down, or you can stand there and keep crying about it."

Lukas: "I want to keep crying about it!" followed by more crying.

Well, he proceeded to stand there and do what he wanted, which was cry and cry until I was able to get to him.

And I had to laugh.

It got me thinking though. I realized today that he has this ability to be honest with us about how he feels and he wants to be the one in control of his feelings. For instance, if he's cranky and either Taylor or I try to make him smile or laugh, he will give us a tiny little smile but then he will start crying again because he doesn't want to be happy yet.

Another story.

Lukas and I were in the car and Lukas had dropped his toy on the floor. He couldn't get it, and I couldn't get it, and that caused him to be upset. Not crying or anything, but just scowling. Well, I began playing peek-a-boo with him to get him to forget about the toy and be happy again. He put up with it for a little while, but he finally said, "No, Mommy. I don't want to." I asked him if he wanted to be sad, and he promptly said, "Yes." I said OK and left him to his sadness, which didn't last very long. It never does.

He seems to enjoy his emotions. He seems to enjoy feeling them, no matter if they are happy or angry or whatever. If he's feeling it, he wants to feel it and not be distracted. And I think that is amazing. I think it's amazing that he can be so honest with us about how he feels, or wants to keep feeling. He does not push his feelings away. He wears them proudly.

Lukas is an amazing little boy. He is so joyful and happy. It's clear he wants to do good things and make others happy. If I make a sad face, he will come to me and give me a hug. Then he says, "You are happy?" before he walks away. He puts up with Jeriah's bossiness so much better than I expect him to, and he can still stand up for himself when it really matters to him. They hardly ever fight, and that is in large part due to Lukas.

It's a gift he has, and I can't wait to see what good will come of it as he grows up.

Video of Jesse

2011-01-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

I know not everyone is partial to watching the little antics of newborns, but when you are the mom then every little thing is absolutely darling. So, these are a couple of things I got on video that make me smile every time I watch them. And I've gotten chewed out by the grandmas to start posting something of Jesse so they can enjoy him too. So, this is for the demanding - oh, I'm sorry. I meant loving, adorable, kind grandmas. Enjoy! :)

PS: In the second video of him sleeping, you will want to turn the volume up.

Jeriah's Latest

2010-08-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

Jeriah has been practicing his letters quite a bit lately. This latest accomplishment I thought was really cute because he wrote this when his Daddy was on the way to Oregon. This is the sign that says...

Welcome to Oregon

(Wugum tu Oeigin)

Pretty cool, I'd say.

This next one I don't remember much about, except he was trying to write his name. I don't think I need to translate. He did a really good job on this one, of course I could be a little biased in my opinion.

Post-Post Surgery

2010-07-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

On Friday last week, when all the pain meds from his surgery wore off, Lukas absolutely refused to eat or drink anything. He even refused to swallow his own saliva. After 24 hours of trying everything to get something in his mouth and watching him become more and more lethargic, I called the doctor to tell him the situation. He told us to take Lukas to the hospital for a liquid IV and they'd watch him for 24 hours. So, we ended up taking Lukas to the hospital because of dehydration. Well, 24 hours went by and there was no change, except Lukas looked a lot better from having liquid in him. He was still very tired and what energy he did have wore off quickly, but he didn't look like he did when we brought him in. He still refused anything offered him. Finally, after a very long 48 hours or so of the IV and forced pain meds, Lukas decided to start drinking. After that, he didn't stop. He ate and drank just about everything the nurses gave him like there was no tomorrow, and kept asking for more. Finally, he was allowed to come home and now he's back to his normal self again.

Lukas had his week post-op appointment today and all is well. I learned a few more things at this appointment that I thought were interesting. Turns out that Lukas' adenoids were so big that his airway was only about 15-20% open. His tonsils were also so big that they hung down the back of his throat, causing him to not pronounce certain sounds very well.

Since he's had all this work done, we've noticed some acute changes in Lukas. First off, his speech has noticeably improved just in the past few days and he's making sounds he never did before. This is in part to being able to hear himself better, and being able to make his mouth do what he wants it to do. His voice is also higher, which the doctor said is normal. It will return to his normal voice when everything is healed. The other most relieving thing for me is that he can breathe when he sleeps. I sometimes walk into his room just to hear the silence and watch him be so peaceful. It's just a miracle to me.

The surgery and the recovery period were very stressful and tiring, and I would not wish that on anyone. I wondered quite a bit through it all if we should have done this when Lukas was so young and not able to be reasoned with. If he was a little older, we might have been able to skip the two day hospital stay. But now that it's all over with and we are back to normal life, I see the immense blessing it is in Lukas' life and therefore in the lives of our whole family. It's wonderful to see the improvement and feel like Lukas can now speak and learn and sleep the way he's supposed to.

I'm also grateful for the inspiration that led me to have him looked at more closely. My mother calls it the "mother instinct" and tells me all the time to never ignore that instinct. I think she's right.

Surgery Day

2010-07-22T12:58:00.002-07:00

Today was Lukas' big day. He went in to get his tonsils and adenoids out as well as get tubes put in his ears. All in all he did very well and is now recovering.

I just want to say that I'm so glad I have Taylor. This whole thing would not have gone as well had he not been here to help advise me and help with Lukas.

I was told by the doctor a few weeks ago to just go to the hospital the day before surgery to get Lukas preadmitted. I don't recall him telling me to bring Lukas along, but they could have said something about it. I was planning on just going by myself, but Taylor convinced me to take Lukas with me. They did need to see the little guy so I'm glad I brought him along. The nurses there told me to put this numbing cream on the top of Lukas' hands an hour before we went to the hospital and gave me a kind of tape to put over the blob of cream to hold it in place. The cream was to numb his hands so they could put the IV in easily. I had planned on doing it while Lukas was still asleep since we had to be at the hospital at 7:15, so I set my alarm and went to sleep.

I got very little sleep last night. I couldn't stop thinking about today, what was going to happen, how it was all going to work out, how long it would take, how Lukas would respond, etc. When I did sleep, I dreamt about putting that cream on his hands and getting to the hospital over and over again. When the alarm went off, I dutifully got up and got ready to put that cream on his hands. He was fast asleep and I successfully got a good sized blob on one hand. I was in the process of putting that tape on his hand when he jerked and pasted a blob on his face, which then ended up on his blanket and from there he woke up really mad. I had to get him up and cleaned off to try again, and Taylor came to my rescue. He held Lukas' hands while I put all that stuff on them. Lukas wanted it off, but we convinced him that the doctor will need to take it off so he left them alone.

We made our way to the hospital, our whole family together. We got our room, got a nurse, and Lukas got his first dose of pain medication to help in getting the IV in his hand. I was doing fine, all the way up until the nurse was preparing and inserting the IV. I am not a fainting sort of person, but I had a really hard time dealing with them putting the IV in Lukas. I got real hot, sweaty, clammy, nauseous, and lightheaded. I finally told them I was getting faint and I had to leave the room to lay down somewhere. I was a little embarrassed since I am really not like that and I really wanted to be there for my son. After thinking about it though, I attributed it to the fact that I am pregnant, I haven't had much sleep for a few nights so I was very tired, and the stress of it all was getting to me. After I rested for a few minutes and calmed down, I was fine the rest of the time. They wheeled Lukas out and we waited.

The doctor came in a little while later and gave me a report. He said that Lukas did fine, that he had a lot of gunky fluid behind his ears, that both his adenoids and tonsils were huge, but now that they were gone Lukas should be a much happier kid.

They had warned us that some kids wake up from anesthesia angry, and apparently Lukas was one of those kids. They called me back to help calm him down and but he didn't get calm for a little while. He was a wild sort of angry. He tried his hardest to tear himself out of my arms and every time he got a look at the IV in his hand he got even more angry. The nurse tried hard to keep his IV hand away from him since he had already tried to tear it out a couple of times. The nurse finally gave him some more morphine and he eventually fell asleep in my arms. After that he was just a little confused at times but he calmed right down with some love.

We stayed in the hospital until about 1pm for observation. I didn't have any idea that we would be there for that long and I am so thankful that Taylor was there to help out. Lukas is now home and doing fine. He is asleep and not snoring, which makes this mommy happy. I'll know that all this drama was worth it when he's fully recovered although I think this whole ordeal was harder on me than Lukas.

Is this just a stage?

2010-07-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

I don't understand the destructive aggressive nature of boys. Jeriah has this drive to randomly and unexpectedly run into people and ram them with his head or simply knock them over, namely me and his brother. We have talked about it, demonstrated it, taught it in every way I know how, that it's not OK to run into people and knock them over. I'm fed up! Two minutes after we talked about it AGAIN today, Jeriah shoulder butted Lukas and knocked him into the corner of the door, which rebounded and hit the poor kid a second time.

Throwing, hitting, breaking, taking things apart, tackling, arguing, yelling, chopping, kicking, and more... What's the deal? There's very little softness, understanding, caring. There are days that I feel I'm just a constant referee, stopping disasters before they happen, enforcing rules, and generally keeping the destructiveness in check through a lot of arguing and timeouts. I sometimes find it difficult to play with Jeriah by wrestling or tickling because I'm usually the one that gets hurt and has to stop. And it doesn't seem to matter how many energy expelling activities I have planned for the day. His energy level doesn't seem to waver. He just gets more hyper and more belligerent.

Are all four year old boys this way? I think I need a padded room with a lock on the outside so he can just go in there and throw himself around until he's exhausted.

Who said that two year olds were terrible? ;)

The season for surgery

2010-06-28T12:20:00.001-07:00

Lately, Lukas has been suffering of all kinds of health issues. It started with strep throat a few months ago and he has gotten a myriad of things since then. He's currently recovering from the stomach flu where he upchucked almost everything that went into him for about four days. His pediatrician said when the immune system is taxed, like with strep throat, then kids can keep getting sick until the immune system can catch up, and that's all he said about it. That may be true, but now I know better than to believe everything doctors say.

In the midst of all his recent sicknesses, I noticed one of his tonsils was huge. I didn't think anything of it for a while, thinking it would go back down after his immune system "caught back up". It never did, and in fact, his other tonsil started growing too. When I looked into his mouth last week, they were so big he barely had room in the back of his throat.

I began doing some research on enlarged tonsils and that's when I came to the conclusion that he needed to get them looked at. He gags on his food quite often, he coughs a lot, he snores, he's had a runny nose for a while now, ear infections, eye infections, bad breath, and more. I had other excuses for all those things and considered them all separate instances, but then I began to think maybe they were all related somehow.

So, after getting a referral from his doctor, we went to the ENT doctor today. He looked at Lukas' mouth, in his ears, and up his nose, and felt around a bit. He asked a lot of questions about how Lukas was eating, sleeping, breathing, and feeling, and commented on how big his tonsils were. They use a scale of 0-4, 0 being the smallest and 4 being the biggest where the tonsils are touching each other. Lukas' were classified as a three. I learned that when tonsils are huge, the adenoids are most likely enlarged as well, and enlarged adenoids can press against the tubes behind the ears (I don't remember the actual name) not allowing them to drain properly. Apparently, Lukas has a lot of gunky fluid behind his eardrums that the doctor said had been there a while based on the color of the fluid. So he tested his ears. We learned that his eardrums were not vibrating normally and that fluid was causing Lukas to not be able to hear very well. The doctor said it's as if Lukas is walking around with his fingers stuck in his ears. Life is muffled for him. Poor kid. The fact that his ears aren't draining also plays a part in all the infections he's been getting so they are all related, except for the stomach flu perhaps.

Now we know. Apparently pediatricians are supposed to be able to tell if there is a lot of fluid behind the eardrum, but no doctor ever said anything to me so I had no idea. I had to take Lukas in to his pediatrician specifically for his tonsils before they would give me a referral. They had looked in his ears and throat so many times over the past few months and I'm a little peeved that they always told me everything looks fine. But, whatever. We are getting it taken care of now.

The only bad thing about knowing now is the surgery that Lukas will have to endure in a few weeks. He will be getting both his tonsils and adenoids out, as well as tubes put in his ears to help fluid drain better. But hopefully after all this is over with, Lukas won't suffer anymore from walking around like he's got ear muffs on, have as many stuffy head colds and ear and eye infections, and have his gag reflex worked out so much.

I really hate the idea of my little two year old boy being put through something like this surgery, and the thought of it can bring me to near tears if I let it. It scares me, even though it's such a minor thing. I felt the same way about Jeriah being put under to get a crown on his tooth. I am not looking forward to the crying, the suffering, the pain, the waking up from anesthesia, etc. But, I know it's for the best so I will be a big girl.

During quiet time today

2010-06-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

This is a "message" he wrote to his cousin, Matthew, today during quiet time...

Having trouble? Here, let me help -

HA HPE OOU [TSJ] MAFU KUM TU [PFS] R HAES LADR
Hi, hope you [had a good song] Matthew. Come to [PFS] our house later.

The brackets are the unintelligable parts to this, parts he doesn't even know how to interpret.

Still, impressive I'd say.

Two Big Boys

2010-06-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

One of my boys used to be a little boy, still in a crib and imprisoned. Now that little boy is in a big boy bed and choosing to obey the rules, all on his own. He's now a big boy.

I was a little apprehensive the first night he had his bed and stayed by his door waiting for the inevitable shriek of victory at being set free from his bars. I became a little confused when I didn't hear anything except a little rustling as he shifted around to get comfortable, like he had been doing this his whole life already and it was no big deal. His older brother took a few days of testing every nook and cranny of the rule to finally settle down and stay in his bed and go to sleep, so I didn't really know what to do with this instant conformity.

I thought, "Well, naptime tomorrow will be different. He'll finally act up and not sleep."

I camped by his door during naptime the next day, and again, nothing.

I was beginning to get a little frustrated. I had this whole thing planned out. I knew how I was going to deal with the disobedience, and because he was not doing what I expected, my whole plan was ruined.

For a couple more days I waited for the realization to set in, that he was free and could get out of bed and play if he wanted to, but he either never realized it, or simply didn't care. I know I should be grateful, and I am. It's just that I was thwarted, and I don't like to be thwarted.

Now my plan has been put in reserve for the time when he does finally decide to test it. It might be my imagination, and possibly my hope that he will allow me to enforce the rule that he's so kindly complying to, but this feels like a dormant volcano that is going to erupt unexpectedly.

For now, he's being such a big boy.

Puzzle Takes Precedence

2010-05-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Taylor and I began working on a puzzle a while back, and we didn't get it finished for a few days. Rather than possibly mess up the puzzle, I decided to make a "table" using the benches and the floor became our chairs. The kids thought it was great fun to eat like that, and they didn't mind that the puzzle was more important to us than eating at the table.

I'm not ready for this

2010-05-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, after Taylor puts Lukas to bed, I hear his door open. Confused, I walk over to see if Taylor went back in for something, but I find the little boy standing by his open door, just peeking out.

Shocked, I pick him up and put him back in his crib, only to find him doing the same thing within the next five minutes!

When Jeriah did this, it was obvious that he had climbed out of his crib because he'd make a ton of noise doing it and could never keep quiet even if we didn't hear him climb out. We also very quickly moved him into a big boy bed when we discovered he could escape.

For a few days, I thought Lukas wasn't getting out of his crib. I wouldn't hear anything, his door stayed closed, and I assumed all was good. Then he started sleeping in, and taking 3 hour naps. I got suspicious. Yesterday, I walked into his room because I heard he was awake. He was in the process of climbing back into his crib. So, he CAN get back in.

Now, I'm suspicious that he's getting out of bed, very quietly, and reading books or whatever, until he climbs back into bed to sleep. He's a very proficient climber so I'm not afraid of him hurting himself. And I'm not ready for him to be moved to a big boy bed, although that might be the best option now.

I don't want to encourage this behavior because I don't want a huge fight on my hands when he does get more freedom with a big bed. The rule has always been that you don't get out of bed until Mommy or Daddy comes and gets you.

What would you do?

Icky, Gross, Disgusting Ants

2010-05-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

I looked out the window and what did I see...

...thousands of ants crawling all over our sidewalk.

Taylor was out taking pictures of them so I went out to get a closer look, which meant the kids wanted to come too. I know the picture below looks like we are bad parents letting Lukas come out and be so close to the ants in bare feet, but these ants stayed in this spot the entire time. They were busily crawling all over each other, for no apparent reason, and not roaming anywhere else. Taylor even touched them to see what would happen, and they didn't pay any attention to him. It was very odd.

I couldn't stand the thought of having so many ants so close to our house, so I had to kill them all. I know, I'm an ant murderer. But either I risk having them crawling all over my kids at some point in the future, or I strike first and beat them down.

Mother bear coming out in me, I suppose. Needless to say, they no longer exist in this realm.

Bundle of Love

2010-02-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

Mom: It's time to go take your nap.

Jeriah: NOOOO! I don't want to go to bed!

Mom: I'm sorry, but you are exhausted and you need to sleep.

Jeriah: No I'm not! I'm not tired! I don't want to go to sleep!

He fought it for as long as he possibly could, telling me he wasn't tired all the way until...

Guessing Game

2010-02-24T17:18:00.000-08:00

I walked into our living room and found this on the floor. Take a look.

What is it?

Really look hard. Make up a story about it if you want to. Then, go look at the answer below.

AND THE WINNER IS......

A Flamingo! Can you see it? No? Well, let me help you out a little then.

Head
Wings
Body
Tail
Legs
Eggs
A Plate

The Flamingo, that lived in Florida, was eating F eggs (because he didn't have any teeF) and in this picture Jeriah was in the process of looking for number Four to add to the egg pile. Get it now?

Family Crafting

2010-02-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

We've wanted some things for a little while now, and with doing preschool with the boys, I decided to craft with them and make those things we've been wanting. So, we made lacing cards and placemats!

Lacing Cards: Get two foam sheets with sticky backs. Get a pattern on the internet. On one foam sheet, trace the pattern on the front of the sheet. On the second foam sheet, trace the pattern on the back of the sheet. Cut them out, take the paper off the back, and stick them together. Once they touch, they are stuck on forever, so be precise. Use a hole punch to punch out the holes and decorate it however you like. We used foam letters and just stuck them on.

Placemats: I used 11" x 14" posterboard, but it can really be any size and shape you like. Cut 1.5" borders out of construction paper and tape/glue them on the edges (I used double sided tape and it worked great). Then use stickers, or whatever else you want, to decorate the middle. Print out the names and tape/glue them in the bottom corner. Then, go get them laminated.

Our boys really had fun doing these. I know I'm not a crafty person (I cringe when I have to do crafts at family reunions, as the family well knows), but when there is an opportunity to make something with my kids that is functional and educational as well as adorable, then I just can't help myself. I guess I'm learning to enjoy what comes from my head and many hands.

Growing Pains, again

2010-02-14T20:37:00.000-08:00

I decided today that it was time for Jeriah to grow up. He's four on Tuesday, and to me that's old enough to go without a blanket, which will in turn (hopefully) keep him from sucking his thumb. The logic with this is he only sucks his thumb when he's holding on to his blanket, so take the blanket away and ta da! No more thumb sucking!

That poor appendage (his thumb, not his blanket, though we could go into how bad his blanket is too) is a shriveled mess. He complains that it hurts when it cracks and bleeds, yet he continues to abuse it multiple times a day. He talks about not sucking his thumb, on occasion, but when it comes right down to it, he just can't keep that thumb from his mouth.

His teeth are suffering. When he smiles you can see how his teeth are forming so he can fit his thumb in there. His top teeth have an arch to them which forms the perfect gap, the perfect size for his mangled thumb.

So, today, I sat him down and talked to him about how four year olds don't have blankets anymore, and he's about to turn four so he needs to say goodbye to his blanket. He agreed, not really knowing what he was getting himself into. I folded it up real nice and Jeriah gave his blanket a hug and a kiss and I put it somewhere safe so it wouldn't get hurt.

Then it was time for bed.

He did really well while we read the story, said our prayer, and sang a song. He told himself over and over that there is no more blanket because he's growing up. I was proud of him for that. And then the real "Time to go to bed" part happened, and he tensed up. He had no idea what to do with himself, how to relax, and he whimpered a little. I said goodnight and left the room.

I didn't hear anything for a few minutes, and then the whimpering started getting louder and louder until it was obvious that he was trying to get my attention. I decided to be nice tonight and go in his room. He asked for everything he could think of, OTHER than his blanket. That told me he was really trying to do this. My good brave little boy was really going to attempt to sleep without his blanket! I guess a little fibbed peer pressure works.

Well, after going into his room multiple times to say "No" to most of his requests, I did say another prayer with him, told him he could do this and I know it's hard, but he's growing up and sometimes we have to do things that are hard, gave him another hug and kiss, and then the clincher...

"Now, listen. I cannot come in your room again tonight. You can cry and call out to me all you want. You go right ahead. But I just can't come back in. You are going to have to work it out. Heavenly Father will help you if you ask him to, but I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

I didn't hear from him after that. Something about telling him that he can cry if he wants to takes all the fun out of it for him, and he never does.

So, here I sit, a proud Mama, because my little boy went to sleep without his precious blanket. Which means he probably went to sleep without his thumb as well. It's a double whammy, and he made it through!

Moral of the story:

Lying to your children can sometimes be a good thing - Namely that when you are four you can't have a blanket anymore. I just made that up, if you didn't know that already.
Telling them they have permission to do something they thought was manipulating you, really throws them off - Like saying he could cry if he wanted to.
Hugging and kissing and encouraging and praying really works when you are trying to stick to your guns.

I love being a mother. I love getting to know the personalities of my children, not only so I can exploit them in order to get them to do what I want, but because I know what is important to them, and I can help them feel like they are accomplishing things in life. We will see how it goes tomorrow during nap time and bedtime (I'm not expecting Jeriah to take a nap tomorrow), but he's taken the first step and when his birthday comes we will be able to celebrate his accomplishment as well as his age.

Smiling Today

2010-02-11T08:45:00.001-08:00

I have exercise induced asthma, and I've had this since middle school. I also made the really stupid mistake of smoking in high school, which made the asthma worse and kept me from playing in the basketball games in college. I had a hard time even completing practices. I eventually stopped playing basketball because it got too hard to breathe. I divulge this information so you have a frame of reference when I tell you that yesterday...

I RAN A MILE!

I ran the whole mile, and didn't throw up, or have an asthma attack, or pass out, or die. I haven't been able to run around the block for almost ten years, and yesterday I ran a whole mile. This is probably the biggest accomplishment for me in... well, I can't remember when I felt so accomplished! I started daydreaming last night about being able to tell people, "Oh, I run 5 miles a day" like it was no big deal, or being able to complete a whole triathlon all by myself rather than be on a team, or maybe even run in a marathon. These things were not even options in the past. But for some reason, running a mile has broken a barrier in my mind and now the possibilities seem endless!

I want to go right back to the gym and run, and keep pushing myself until running a mile is no big deal. I want to eat healthy and lose weight so I can accomplish even more.

I want to be able to tell you, soon, that I ran two miles.

It's Time

2010-01-27T16:25:00.000-08:00

I had a brainstorm a couple of weeks ago, and this is the product of my storming brain. I made organizational scheduling hanging pockets, for lack of a better term. My kids have gotten into the habit (well, to be honest, I'm the one who got them in the habit) of watching a movie every morning to take up the hour or so of time where we don't have anything else to do. I get to relax, and this is the main reason the movie watching has been so hard to let go of.

I really don't like that my kids watch so many movies, but most of all I don't like that I am the one encouraging it. So, it's time to change.

There are three times on this hanging pocket thing and in each pocket for that time will be a card, or item, or do-hickey of some sort, representing the activity for that block of time. For instance, starting at 9am we will have school-time and in the pocket will be a card with a picture of the subject we will be learning about that day. Then 9:30 is room-time, and most of the time the kids will bring something into their room that is an extension of what we learned about in school-time. 10am is then an activity and each day has a theme...

Monday - cleaning and laundry day

Tuesday - service day

and so on.

So, that's the plan. It will take preparation for each day, which I can see myself wanting to quit doing, but I did it this way so Jeriah will be excited for what else he will be pulling out of the pockets and I won't want to disappoint him.

I'm kind of excited to get started!

Effective Discipline

2010-01-17T17:30:00.001-08:00

Dad: Jeriah, you have had a very hard time obeying today. Do we need to give you a punishment?

Jeriah: Yeah.

Dad: Ok, what do you think we should do?

Jeriah: Can I have a marshmallow? I want a marshmallow.

Dad: Hmmm. Ok, you can have one marshmallow.

A few minutes later, I see about ten marshmallows in Jeriah's hand.

Jeriah-isms

2009-12-16T11:44:00.001-08:00

Sorry, I can't help myself. Jeriah is at an age where he says things every day that make me chuckle, and everything he says is so completely honest. Here is another one from today...

Me: Jeriah, please go put on your shoes.
Jeriah: Nope.
Me: Why not?
Jeriah: Because you told me to.
Me: So you won't go put them on because I asked you to put them on?
Jeriah, grinning and skipping away: Yep!

Deja Vu

2009-12-12T22:18:00.000-08:00

I remember vividly what it was like to wake my mother up at night when I had a bad dream. I'd make the dreaded trek out of my bed, sneaking through the dark, scared so bad I could barely move, but the idea of comfort from my mother outweighed the threat of whatever could get me in the shadows. Then I'd get to my mother's bedside. The fear almost overtook me, and if it weren't for the intense desire for the world to go back to normal, I would have stood next to that bed all night.

Reaching out a trembling hand and calling as softly as I could, I'd touch my mother gently until she woke up and asked what was wrong. Just to hear her voice made my world of fear disappear. I'd get a hug, I'd be told everything was all right, and then I'd be sent back to bed.

That happened often, and I still remember quite a few of those dreams and the terror I felt. But getting to my mother was worth all the fear I felt along the way.

This brings me to early this morning. For the first time ever, I was woken up very gently by a small hand touching my shoulder. When I rolled over, I saw Jeriah just standing there looking at me, really uncertain. When I asked him what was wrong, I felt that familiar feeling of comfort of when I went to my mother, only this time it was me doing the giving. I was so glad I could be that mother for my son.

The only difference was it wasn't a bad dream that brought him to me. He had been wearing a strip of medical tape on his thumb to help him remember not to suck it, and the tape had come off. He'd been trying to get new tape and put it on himself, but he didn't know how. Even though it wasn't a bad dream, I felt his immense relief when I gave him a hug and told him it was ok, he didn't have to wear the tape as long as he didn't suck his thumb, and to go back to bed.

And being on the other side, being the mother, now I know how my mother felt.

Goofy

2009-12-08T23:15:00.001-08:00

Jeriah has been learning about planets lately, ever since Taylor bought him glow-in-the dark stars and planets to put on his ceiling. His favorite one is Jupiter because it has a big red spot on it and it will "crush you" if you try to land on it. So, today, we taped on the wall each planet in order and when we got to Pluto he said, "Mommy, where's Goofy?"

I'm still chuckling over that one.

Deprived Child

2009-12-05T11:34:00.001-08:00

We walked into Walmart the other day and went through the Christmas aisles to look for decorations. Jeriah saw a bunch of little Santa ornaments all lined up in a row and said, "Oh look Mommy! Garden gnomes!" I didn't correct him.

Have a chuckle. I did.

2009-12-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

After putting Jeriah to bed:

Jeriah: Mommy!
Me: What?
Jeriah: I want to give you a kiss.
Me: You already did.
Jeriah: No, you kissed my nose! Duh! (Ok, ok. The "duh" wasn't there, but it was certainly implied.)

About an hour before lunch time:

Jeriah: I popped the balloon and now my finger hurts.
Me: Why did you do that?
Jeriah, whimpering: Because I'm hungry!

Brushing his teeth the other morning:

Me: Do you want any help today?
Jeriah: No thank you Mommy. Mommy, can you go please?
Me: Why do you want me to leave?
Jeriah: Because then I can put bigger toothpaste on my toothbrush. When you are here I have to put on littler toothpaste.

December Candy Traditions

2009-12-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

It is a Gibb tradition for the women of the family to make Christmas candy the day after Thanksgiving while the men take care of the kids. We have a lot of fun cooking and dipping and chopping and make so much candy it can barely fit in a grocery bag allotted to each family. Every year, we fine tune the candy recipes so they are better than the year before, and everyone gets what they want.

After a minute of thought the other day, I decided that it's not really fair that the kids don't get to participate in the candy making of the season. So we went to the store and bought some almond bark and pretzels, I dressed my boys up in aprons, and we dipped until there was none left. I can't tell you how much fun they had doing it, and they were able to keep thier fingers out of the chocolate until it was bowl-scraping time. Lukas got just a smidge of chocolate on the pretzel, Jeriah did much better, and I caked it on. You can really tell who did what pretzel, and I was so proud of their candy making skills. I know, chocolate dipped pretzels might not be officially called candy, but it's very much at their skill level, so we'll call it candy. Maybe next year we will try something a little more challenging, like, say, Almond Roca.

Oh! Peter!

2009-12-01T17:50:00.001-08:00

Jeriah has been enthralled with Peter Pan for weeks now and today I decided to make him some paper hats. He now has an indian hat, a Captain Hook hat, and a Peter Pan hat to help his imaginary world. Actually, the Captain Hook hat is mine. As I was making it he kept saying that I was Captain Hook and he won't wear it. I guess I'm the nasty pirate that is trying to ruin his world and he's the mischevious boy who thinks everything is a game, which I guess is just about true. The sword fights can become pretty serious as we battle out who is the better man.

It's hilarious listening to him watch the movie because he quotes just about every line that Wendy has. I should make him a Wendy hair bow and nightgown, just so he can put his little hands together and say, "Oh! Peter!"

Parenting Styles

2009-11-16T07:22:00.000-08:00

Dad: When you ask Mommy nicely, by saying 'Please', then Mommy can give you what you asked for. When you don't ask nicely, then Mommy can't give it to you.

Jeriah: But we can ask you!

Words of a toddler:

2009-09-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

I'm more and more amazed at what little children say, especially my own. I love little kid logic, or reasoning. Jeriah talks constantly and we have had some very entertaining conversations. I can't remember most of them, but here are a few snippets of things that made me chuckle:

Jeriah had been complaining of something hurting. When I asked him if it hurt anymore, he said in all seriousness, "It'll feel better when I'm happy."

I can't forget something that my niece said when she was about 4 or so. She walked up to her mother and said, "Mom, how do you spell Mom?" Her mother said, "You tell me. How do you spell it?" My niece thought about it for a second and said, "C-O-W."

Jeriah had a favorite toy spider that streched when you pulled on it. One day we were running errands and he had that spider riding in his cup holder to keep it safe. When he picked it up to play with it he streched it a little too far and one of the feet broke off. He whimpered and said, "I don't like this spider. It's sad and crying because it's broken." Then he threw it to the back of the car without a second thought.

There was a period of time where Jeriah insisted that everything made him happy. During this time I had to threaten him with the loss of a privelige, namely getting a toy taken away, and if he talked back to me about it then he'd spend some time in his room. He said, "Mommy, I'm happy to put the toy away and go to my room. I'm very happy to go to my room. I always go to my room. I like my room." Then he continued to do what he wasn't supposed to be doing as if that argument solved the problem.

Today when he got up from his nap, he looked at me with a huge excited grin and said, "Mommy, I have hiccups in my mouth!"

Trip to Florida

2009-08-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

We went to Florida to visit family and had a blast. It was hot, muggy, buggy, and altogether delightful being surrounded by family we don't see nearly enough. Here are pictures that document some portions of our time there...

We had fun going for walks together and taking pictures. This is my Dad with his permanent appendage - his camera.

These girls are cousins of our boys. K and M are die hard dancers in the making and it shows in everything they do -

Us enjoying time together -

Because of the heat, we spent a lot of time at the neighborhood pool, which our boys enjoyed with enthusiasm, especially Lukas. He is a water fiend. The pool had a long and scary water slide with a four foot underwater plunge at the end, and Lukas could not get enough. He loved everything about the water.

K went to the aquarium with us and showed the boys how to touch the stingrays in the touch tank -

We also went to Clearwater Beach together, where Jeriah learned the joys of running away from waves and not running fast enough -

While we watched and stayed dry -

Everyone else played in the sand and water -

Grandma bought Jeriah a giant Bugs Bunny balloon from a street artist on Clearwater Beach. He really did like it, I promise. -

Thunderstorms greeted each night with spectacular lightning shows -

And then it was time to come home -

The Garden Update

2009-08-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

For those of you who care to know, our garden is doing GREAT! I can't be happier, especially since I am not a gardener and this is my first full blown garden. This pic of Jeriah by some of our home grown produce makes me so happy... *sigh*. What you don't see in the picture is the raspberries the boys go eat every morning as part of their morning ritual, the peas we picked today but also ended up being swallowed before we got to the door, and there's only one lone strawberry on the table I managed to save for about five minutes.

"Our kids will never do that..."

2009-08-08T20:30:00.001-07:00

Last night Taylor and I decided to watch a movie. We put it on just after Jeriah went to bed. About halfway through the movie we had to take the DVD out and clean it and consequently it was pretty quiet for a few minutes. I heard a small bump inside the bathroom and looked at Taylor.

"What was that?"

"I didn't hear anything."

"I think it was Jeriah. Maybe he's been watching the movie."

"Our boys wouldn't do that."

I walked over to the bathroom and there was our 'perfect' little boy, standing just inside the door, patiently looking at his fingers and waiting for the movie to turn back on. He didn't even know I was watching him until I took his arm and started leading him back to his room. But even then, when he knew he was caught, he cried out, "NO NO! I need to SEE!" And when I put him in bed and covered him with his blankets and told him that if he got out of bed again he'd get in real big trouble, he said, "But I need to watch!"

I walked out of his room chuckling merrily to myself because, well... it's confession time. Mom, I used to sneak out of my room when I was a kid and secretly watch movies you and Dad watched while we were supposedly asleep. I guess this is payback for my behavior growing up.

At least we were watching something pretty kid friendly.

Da Garden

2009-07-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, Moms. These are for you.

Here are some pics of our flourishing garden. It took a little while to take off and grow because we had a ton of rain and cool weather until the end of June, but it's doing great now. I only hope it gets all produced before the weather turns chilly again.

This is our pumpkin plant. It's growing like crazy and I'm excited to have some pumpkins!

Yellowstone trip

2009-07-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

I apologize right now for the massive amount of pictures I seem to have added to this post. But it was a three day trip and we had the camera with us the whole time, so I think I'll let the pictures just tell most of the story.

On the drive there... there's just something so adorable about sleeping babies -

Our campsite was basically next to the lake. It was beautiful -

Wild flowers in the field behind our tent -

We saw animals all over the place -

And people crowded the animals just to get a picture (*ahem* we would NEVER do that) -

Lukas fell in this river and had to go most of the day without his clothes -

We drove the bottom loop and saw some cool things -

Old Faithful during the rain -

This pic below is called the Grand Canyon. It was breathtaking, in more ways than one. Switchbacks down to the top of the falls, about a mile, and then you had to climb back up. Whew!

It rained on us and we had to move our tent to a different spot of ground for the second night of camping, but this greeted us after the rain passed -

The day we drove home, we went south to drive by the Tetons. This is a picnic area we stopped at for lunch, and I didn't want to leave. It was so beautiful -

The Tetons, with a rain storm, lightning and all -

And now we're home!

Dirt and Plants

2009-06-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

This house provided us with some old free wood that I decided needed to be put to good use. So, I built a little dirt box for the boys. This dirt box was to keep them out of my garden that was forthcoming (as you can see in these dirt box picts), and so far it seems to be working. Lukas is by far the most interested in dirt activities. I've found dirt in all the wrong places on this little boy. He's tried to see how it felt piled on top of his head - a few times. He has even walked away from that box with a dirt mustache, which told me he has been sampling the fare as well as playing with it.

Why do boys love dirt so much? I don't have a clue, but I'm sure glad we have some.

These next pictures are of our newly planted garden. I do have plants growing now, so I'll have to get some updated pictures on here at some point, but I was so proud of all the hard work Taylor and I put into this plot of land that I just had to take pictures. It was full of crabgrass and roots, and tilling it was an all day thing. I think my back is still recovering.

Outside!!!

2009-06-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Spring brings such wonderful times outside. Taylor and Jeriah went to DI (Deseret Industries) a little bit ago and came home with a remote control truck. We've also gotten a few other toys for the boys to play with outside, like a shovel and rake, buckets, balls, a tee-ball set, plastic horseshoes, trucks, etc. Most of the items came to us either free or were extremely cheap, and now they have their own plastic tub of toys to demolish at their own leisure.

Jeriah is serious about the remote control car. He runs around the patio, holding the controller and making the truck chase him around. When Jeriah puts the controller down for any reason, Lukas is right there trying to take over and figure the thing out. But he never gets the chance because Jeriah just can't stomach having Lukas touch the precious toy. I did get a rare picture of Lukas actually playing with the truck, shown below.

Jeriah also got a new bike. Taylor bought him the bike while the kids and I were visiting family in Oregon, so when Jeriah got home he had an exciting and new toy to play with. He's gotten it down, all except the braking part, and pedals around the patio happily whenever he gets the chance.

Surprise, Surprise

2009-06-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

We have kept Jeriah in diapers during naps and bedtime since he was potty trained, thinking he would wear them for the next few months before we wean him off of them for good. We ran out of them about a week ago and only had Pull-Ups as substitutes.

Mom: Jeriah, we don't have anymore white diapers. You have to wear the car diapers for naptime today.

Jeriah: Car diapers? I put my potty in the toilet and the cars don't go away.

Mom: That's right. If you keep them dry, the pictures will stay on your diaper. If you get them wet, the pictures go away.

So, we used the Pull-Ups for naptime. And bedtime. And naptime. And bedtime. And we are still using them. Why? Because he has woken up dry and clean every single day, wanting to go potty in the toilet. No more dirty diapers first thing in the morning. I just can't believe it! He even woke up in the middle of the night crying out that he had to go potty, which he did, and promptly went right back to sleep. When he woke up in the morning, he quickly went to the toilet and, well...

Such a pleasant surprise for us. This is a huge accomplishment, not for me, but for him. We had nothing to do with this step of potty training. Every morning I'm waiting for him to be wet, and he's not. I'm just not used to this. To have a child absolutely and completely out of diapers and using the bathroom all on their own, wow! Wow.

I had no idea he was capable of going all night and staying dry. He had been soaking his bed almost every morning for the past while, and now I'm sure it was because he had the "baby" diapers and felt too comfortable in them. Switch them out and voila!

Yay for Jeriah! This makes me very very happy. If you can't tell. :)

I Forgot One!

2009-06-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

OH! and we have peppers, too. I can't believe I forgot about those peppers! I'll keep you posted on the progress of our garden as it goes along. I kind of feel like it's another baby and I am so proud of each of the little accomplishments those plants are making. The broccoli and cauliflower showed their pretty little heads today and they are just the cutest baby leaves I've ever seen. *sigh*. I think I went out to the garden three or four times today just to look at those leaves.

Cinnamon Rolls

2009-05-31T18:22:00.001-07:00

I made cinnamon rolls the other day and shared them with a couple of people, as well as my family. The day after I made them, I gave some leftover ones to Jeriah after lunch. Then he said to me, "Mommy, you did a really good job cooking those."

Wow! I was really surprised, and flattered by the praise, and proud that he said that sentence so perfectly. I think it's his longest and most "adult" sentence yet.

The Past Month

2009-05-31T17:52:00.000-07:00

Is life back to normal now? I think so. So I'm attempting to resume my blogging responsibilities because I know all the world is anxiously anticipating my next blog entry.

In the last month, I have done a couple of things.

I participated in the Canby Gator Grinder with Charisa on May 9th. We were a relay team and I biked. My goal was to get a better time than I did last year and I had worked for that goal through the winter. When I started out on the course on race day, my shoelace was beginning to get caught in the gears. I had to pull over and fix that before it became a real problem. The White Truck that follows racers to be sure everyone is doing ok pulled up next to me and asked me if I was okay. After I got my shoelaces tucked in, I got back on and pedaled, hoping there wouldn't be any more setbacks.

When Charisa and I arrived at the Swim Center before our race, we could see our breath it was so cold. By the time I got on my bike to ride the course, it was about 45 degrees still. Since I have exercised induced asthma, cold weather kind of aggravates my lungs. So, when I got to the "big hill" I had to walk up it. It was sure a bummer, but I was struggling to breathe so I thought walking up the hill was the safe idea. That was another setback, and I was hoping for no more.

At the very end, the part where you sprint your way home, I was changing my gears so I could get the most power out of my bike. Then I heard a clank and my pedals had no power anymore. I looked down and my chain had slipped off the gears, right at the end! What's funny about this is while I was not pedaling and just coasting down the homestretch, a volunteer who was there to cheer everyone home looked at me, very confused, and yelled, "You are almost there! Keep going!" I chuckled. My family was there cheering me on close to the finish line and I pulled over to let my dad put the chain back on the gears so I could have a glorious finish going as fast as I could.

So, even with those three major hiccups on my leg of the race, I got a time that was 8 minutes better than last year's time. Wahoo! I reached my goal, even through the obstacles.

Last week, we planted our garden. It took about three days of hard labor, but it's finally in. I'm excited to see the little plants turn into big plants and get some fruit for our labors. I'm loving this house and all it offers our family. Spring and summer are my favorite because of all that comes from the warm weather. In our yard and garden we have raspberries, strawberries, apples, plums, peas, beans, tomatoes, squash, cucumber, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, corn, and pumpkin. Here's hoping it all grows well and we actually get some veggies!

Pictures coming soon...

We Did It!

2009-04-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

It's been a little over a week now and Jeriah is successfully using the toilet on his own, both "1" and "2", without any accidents. Whew! I am amazed at how good it feels to have that largely out of the way, and that I don't have to change his diapers. Now the trick is to teach him that using other toilets, not just the home toilet, is just fine. Hmmm... how to do that...

I am also somewhat proud of myself that I stuck to it and accomplished this thing that I really really didn't want to do. I was motivated by exasperation and frustration at spending so much on diapers and knowing that he was capable of not wearing them, but when the going got tough I just wanted to quit. It was a tough week of controlling myself and not showing my frustration at all the messes and setbacks, and instead just encouraging him to do better next time with a smile on my face. Now, I'm taking my hands off and letting him ride on his own. I'll take care of the messes if they happen, but I'm not really helping him anymore. It's his responsibility now. Yay! I feel like I have accomplished something monumental, and what a feeling!

Mental Manipulation

2009-04-16T08:09:00.001-07:00

After Jeriah got his Thomas the Train underwear wet again, the following conversation happened...

Mom: Thomas told me he doesn't like to get wet. He doesn't want to be worn if he's just going to get pee pee on him.

Jeriah: It makes Thomas sad.

Mom: Yes. It makes Thomas sad to get all wet. So, he said when you go potty on the toilet then he'll be happy to be worn again.

Jeriah: Thomas is happy!

Mom: He will be when you go potty in the toilet. So be sure to put your potty in the toilet so you can wear Thomas again.

He went underwearless for about an hour, then I heard, "Uh oh! I have to go potty!" Then Jeriah jumped up, ran to the toilet, sat down, went potty, and said, "Mommy! I did it! Thomas is happy now!"

I was so giddy with happiness that it worked. I thought, "He's got it! Now we're getting somewhere." I do feel a little guilty for doing this to my son though, lying to him. It got results, once at least, and I guess you have to do whatever it takes to get them to go on the toilet, right?

It's time...

2009-04-14T11:38:00.001-07:00

I've started potty training Jeriah, again. This is about the tenth time I've attempted the trek, and I've always turned back after it got rocky. This time though there will not be any turning back. Rocks, blizzard, screaming wind, whatever... I'll grit my teeth and we will get this done! Grr.

Yesterday was the first day. I put him in his big boy underwear and did not give in to his demands to put the diapers back on. He messed in his pants all day. Finally, by the end of the day, he was a little more concerned about his messes.

Today the morning was very rough. He had used up all his pants the day before so he didn't have any more to wear. After about an hour of screaming and yelling for his pants, and everything else he could think of to scream about, he finally calmed down and we took a different track. I talked to my sis-in-law and she gave me some sound advice.

Have a potty chart where he can add stickers whenever he goes potty in the toilet, then after a previously decided number of stickers are on the chart, he gets something he really likes. Right now, the number of stickers is 5 and if he gets 5 stickers on the chart, he can go have ice cream on a stick (a Dilly Bar).
When he goes potty in the toilet, give him his pants back. When he goes potty in his pants, take the pants away.

After we established that reward system, Jeriah has used the toilet twice before nap time so there are two stickers on the chart. Still some messes on the floor, but there is progress.

He's very excited about the Dilly Bar.

I Need a Team!

2009-04-01T08:42:00.001-07:00

Ack! I only got on my bike three times before it started snowing again. It's winter here, all over again. I thought it was spring!! Bummer.

I've signed up for a triathlon here in Idaho, but I don't have a team yet. Anyone want to come join me here in August? I'm completely serious. I need a swimmer and a runner. Or, you can do both if you want! It's a great opportunity to push yourself and feel like you have really accomplished something. If you want info, let me know and I'll get it to you.

The countdown is on for the Canby Gator Grinder in May. The triathlon is in about a month and I'll be driving the long trek all the way to Oregon, with both kids and my bike. I'm really hoping the weather clears up again and I can get out on the roads before then. There's only so much training that can be done in a gym. Even still, I'll be kicking the training up a notch so I can be in tip-top shape come May.

Happy April!

Birthday Boy

2009-03-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

Jeriah turned three - over a month ago. I know. I'm very late getting these pics up. Grandma, you don't have to wait any longer. You might want me to explain these pics though. He really did like your gifts. We were just trying to get him to smile. Canned smiles apparently require quite a bit of practice.

This is the closest we could get to his normal smile. Ah well. We tried.

These books are a daily part of his life now. Thanks!!!

Jeriah called to say thank you...

Video - Lukas Learning to Walk

2009-03-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

This video spans about a month's time. The first segment shows him not wanting to perform for the camera after I caught him taking a few steps on his own. Then, the rest... well, you'll see.

Something New for Easter

2009-03-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

What a cool idea. Check it out...

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/03/silk-dyed-eggs.html

First Ride

2009-03-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

I found some ladies in our ward who are cyclists and they took me out for my first real ride on my new bike today. I can't tell you how awesome that was. We rode for about an hour, up and down and all around town. They were so helpful and kind to my inexperience, and went so far as to offer to ride with me every week. One lady even gave me her bike trailer for free so I can tote my kids around town!

I feel amazing. I feel so rejuvenated. This is most definitely the sport for me. The reward of feeling so energized after a really good ride is enough to make me want to ride every single day, challenge myself to make it up hills that are very difficult, and stay in really good shape so I can keep doing this.

I also can't say enough about the support I've gotten from Taylor. He's been so amazing while I've tried to get back in shape and get out of the house to ride my bike. I think he understands my need for this and has unselfishly taken over some household duties while I go do my thing. Thank you Taylor!

Catching Up

2009-03-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

How ya'll doin? It's been a while.

It's because I've been waiting on Lukas. He's learning to walk (finally!) and I'm trying to get video of him. I saw a video on a friend's blog where she put together clips of her daughter learning to crawl and you could see the crawling getting better and better. I wanted to do something like that, so I've been waiting for Lukas to get the hang of it. I think he's pretty much got it now, but whenever I get the camera out he plops right back down on the floor and crawls to me to see the camera. Crawling is still faster so he resorts to that when he really wants to get somewhere. So, stay tuned for the upcoming episode of Lukas learning to walk.

Jeriah turned three since we last talked. I've got pictures and video of that as well, but I haven't uploaded them yet, obviously. That is yet another episode in the saga that is our lives.

Ok, ok. I can't blame my lack of blogging totally on Lukas. What's really happening is I'm trying to get back to real life. I had strep throat a little over a week ago and Taylor turned into both mom and dad for about three days. He took care of everything and I laid around feeling terrible but still happy that I didn't have to think about what to make for dinner. (Just as a side note - be careful what you wish for. I had been wishing for a break, some time to myself and without responsibilities, for about three weeks prior to my bout with strep. Welp, I got my break.) Now I'm back in the world of mothers and wives with responsibilities galore.

So, that's about it for now. Until next time...

Training

2009-02-19T20:02:00.000-08:00

Training is a common word in my life these days.

Personal Life - I'm currently training for a triathlon in May. I am on a relay team with my sis-in-law and my responsibility is biking a grueling, very hilly 12 miles, while she gets to swim for 9 minutes in a pool, then get a rest, then run for a piddly, flat 3 miles. ;) Just kidding. It's impossible for me to do the swimming and running (too much lung work) so I'm very grateful that she's willing to do this with me and let me do the biking part.

So, I've started working out and going to a spinning class. I can't wait until the weather is warm enough for me to take my brand new bike out for a spin. It's been very sad seeing it just sit in our garage over these past couple of months. I long to get on it and go.

Working Life - I write help topics and create training videos for a software company. Recently I was given an addition to my responsibilities. They are creating new training documentation and I'll be in charge of the documentation for the videos. I've got to figure out how to do this, first of all, so I've been doing quite a bit of research. I've got to train myself before I can help others train effectively.

Motherhood - I am constantly trying to train my children to behave with respect and kindness, and to have softer voices. Sometimes it works, but usually I'm repeating myself 20 times a day. And most of the time I am being trained by them on how to be more patient.

Wifehood - Well, I guess in this category, I'm the one being trained by my husband. I try to train him, but it usually ends up with me just being stubborn about holding my ground even if I know he's right.

So, there you have it. Training all day long. But I don't mind. I love to learn.

The "bbbbrrrrrr's" "ggrrrr's" and "kkkkttt's"

2009-02-13T19:57:00.001-08:00

I have found that little boys thoroughly enjoy any and all sound effects and proceed to add them on to every single thing they do. Jeriah has sound effects for something so simple as closing an imaginary door. When we play together, what I do is not adequate unless I add a sound effect to illustrate further what I am doing. He doesn't care what the sound is, just as long as it happens.

During our sojourns together, Jeriah and I have sat in our living room and gone to the car wash, the store, the library, church, and today we even sang in the church choir complete with choir books (an Incredibles book and a butterfly book), a stage (the couch), and a pianist (Lukas sitting in Jeriah's little chair playing the toy piano). After we sang our first song, we sat down and said a prayer. Then we stood back up and sang again, and again.

His imagination is truly endless. I am constantly impressed that he can create anything from what he has around him. If there is no toy or other household item that fits his requirements, he just uses air and his sound effects to fill it in. About a week ago he picked Grandma and Grandpa up in his arms and carried them to his room, but they were just the empty air he was holding in his circled arms.

Taylor and I have looked at each other and chuckled at Jeriah because sometimes it seems as if the sound effects have a mind of their own. Sometimes they escape along with some random movement from Jeriah, and then he will go back to what he was doing.

I find it difficult to follow along with Jeriah, to keep my imagination going. My limited adult mind is just too slow and lazy to think about anything other than reality. How sad is that? So, I've determined to try and expand my imaginative mind and I'll use my three year old son as my teacher. He takes my hand and leads me down his road and encourages me when I just want to sit down and get back to the real world. But those times when I have come into his world have now become some of my most precious memories because I get to know him so well, how he thinks, what he knows, what he really enjoys and remembers from things we have done. And I also realize how individual he is. Jeriah truly is a special being, a joy, and so full of love that it boggles my heart.

Computer Fun

2009-02-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

This is Jeriah's first time using the keyboard for real.

Typical Lukas

2009-02-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

These two videos really show Lukas' personality.
I just realized that not everyone will see what I see in this video of Lukas in the high chair. So, keep an eye out for his sneakiness...

And this next one really shows his ability to express himself. This is his impatience and we get it quite a bit from him throughout the day...

Library Times

2009-02-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

So, we went to the library today for Storytime and I'm pretty sure most moms out there are usually attentive to their children while in a public place, but I'm still a little surprised at how many times my children have been hit or pushed by others while enjoying the library children's area.

Today Lukas got a swat from another boy about his age, just for the heck of it apparently. The little boy just ambled right up to Lukas and swatted him in the head as a friendly hello, or that's the only reason I can come up with for his little boy action. The mom was looking at books not 5 feet away, and not looking at her son. Lukas was as surprised as me and he looked over at me wondering why he just got bonked in the head. It wasn't hard enough to make him cry though and for that I'm grateful. The boy's mom looked over just as he was about to swat Lukas again and intervened by saying, "No, no. That's not nice." Then she picked him up and took him away. Whew! I felt better. Mother Bear subsided.

Other times in the past, Jeriah has been pushed down, hit hard enough to make him be scared of the other children, and had books and other items snatched away from him. Lukas doesn't have awesome balance and sometimes a slight push can make him topple over. He has been pushed over by other children his age countless times, sometimes just for the heck of it. Maybe they get a power trip over being able to push the little guy down. Who knows. He's also had little girls take an immediate liking to him and consequently they try to stake their claim on being able to order him around. He just looks innocently at them and does his own thing, and those little girls continue to boss him around as if he were their personal live doll. He has also gotten kisses, his hands grabbed and then used to tow him around, and faces have appeared not even an inch away from his face as little girls fawn all over him. He is cute, but come on girls! He's a little young for you. Jeriah doesn't get this treatment. He gets the rough and tumble crowd most of the time.

Some of you may be wondering why I take my children to the library at all if they are subject to all kinds of kid-like violence. Well, they still love going, and I am always right there with my kids to break up anything that might get too intimate. I do, however, wonder at how many kids feel so comfortable laying their hands on a stranger in either harshness or kindness. And at how many moms seem so clueless about their kid's behavior. Most of the time the kids that are hitting or shoving are the kids whose moms aren't paying any attention to their whereabouts. Those kids are really smart and know they will get away with it because mom isn't there to scold them. So they take liberties and have a ball trying to be bullies, at surprisingly young ages.

It's a study of interest to me now. What makes kids feel comfortable treating other kids that way? What drives them to hit for no reason? Why do they take strange pleasure being in control of another random kid's actions, as in Lukas' case with the girls that want him to be their doll? And why are mothers not aware of what their child is doing? Do they not really care as long as they aren't crying or making anyone else cry? Or do they really not know?

Storytime is a favorite place for both Jeriah and Lukas and we won't stop going. I have, however, felt the desire (but have never acted on this desire) to pull a mom aside and tell her that her child is a bully, rampaging through the throng of other little children. Or at least tell her she needs to keep a better eye on him in public places. But then I check myself. I know that I just might be in her shoes one day and my judgements are very ungrounded. I don't know anything about these people, their circumstances, the challenges and issues they are dealing with. Then I begin to feel charitable to these moms who are raising children who can be difficult. It's not like mine are never difficult. Also, my children will go through much worse in the world and it's not the end of the world if another child is mean to one of mine. Every person has challenges, every child has challenges, and I don't mean to judge. I struggle with the overprotectiveness that all mothers seem to have about their children. I even struggle with my "Mother Bear" side when Jeriah unintentionally hurts Lukas. Wouldn't it be great if every single little boy and girl treated my boys with the utmost respect and love all the time and they never ever had to deal with any kind of pain or disappointment?

No, I know that would never do. I hope that if I end up being one of those moms one day, one of those moms that has to chase her child around the library keeping his hands off of every other kid in the room, I hope other moms give me the benefit of the doubt and trust that I'm doing my very best at raising my children up right, even in the midst of dealing with hard and frustrating issues. I have gotten negative comments from strangers at times about my parenting skills, and those comments were never welcomed or asked for. I felt completely judged. I would hate to ever make another mom feel that way.

So, at the library, when a mom realizes that her child had just hit or shoved one of mine, and she looks at me apologetically, I just smile at her and say "It's ok." Then, I feel for her in my heart because she probably feels worse about it than I do.

Apostrophe Catastrophe

2009-02-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

This article I found on another blog and I thought I'd share. What do you think? Should apostrophes be banned? I just have to chuckle.

Things I've Done

2009-02-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

My friend had this list on her blog and I thought it was great. So, I copied it and decided to see how many of these things I have done in my life. The items in italics are the things I've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15.Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19.Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow man
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Gone without food or water for 24 hours or longer
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Stayed up for 24 hours with NO sleep at all
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma - won't do it anymore though. i faint too easily i guess.
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - NOT on purpose though.
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Changed a light bulb
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car- twice now
83. Mowed the lawn
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Been to the Caribbean

The Bread Making

2009-01-31T19:35:00.000-08:00

There's something about making your own bread that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that bread is sometimes called the staple of life, and being able to successfully produce it is empowering. At least to me it is.

I double the batch everytime I make it. I'm giving you the single batch recipe but the pictures reflect the doubling. Oh, and I'm not very good at taking pictures of food, so just bear with me. :)

Honey Wheat Bread

Proof:
1 2/3 cups warm water
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
Whisk together and let activate for about 5 minutes, or until it blooms or swells.

Whisk into yeast mixture:
1/4 cup germade or farina (you can get this at Winco in the Bulk Foods).
1/4 cup cracked wheat (also at Winco in the Bulk Foods)
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp salt
You can also add a handful of whatever else you want, whether it be sunflower seeds, oatmeal, flax seeds, etc.

Add:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup gluten flour (also at Winco in the Bulk Foods)

Mix well and then knead till dough is smooth and elastic. Kneading the dough until it is the right consistency is very important. I use my mixer to mix and knead for me. When all the flour is mixed in, I set my timer for 8 minutes and let the mixer knead away. I don't add any more flour than the recipe calls for, so the dough I get is still somewhat sticky but by the time 8 minutes is up you can tell that it has been worked enough because it pretty much stays together and has a certain consistency to it. Try it out a couple of times and you'll see what I mean. If you have to knead by hand, of course adding more flour is necessary, but use as little as possible and knead for as long as you can.

This pic is what my dough looks like after 8 minutes is up. I put a little flour on my hands and scrape the sides and make it into a ball. Then I grease the bowl and put the dough back in, cover it and let it rise for about an hour, or until it is doubled in size.

Form dough into a loaf and place the dough in a greased bread pan. Let it rise in a warm place until the dough is above the top of your pan. I don't cover the dough when it is in the pan. That way it can rise above the rim without anything hindering it.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Take the bread out of the pan as soon as the bread comes out of the oven and let it cool on a rack.

A few other tips I have learned...

If you are baking more than one loaf at a time, you may need bake it a little longer.
You want the bread to sound hollow when you tap on the top.
If you aren't sure if it is done, then remember that it's better to undercook it than overcook it because toasting slightly doughy bread is yummy, but trying to find a way to eat dry bread is more of a challenge.
Cut the bread with a serrated knife.
As you are cutting a slice, and your goal is for the slice to be an even thickness all the way down, focus on the bottom of the loaf where you want the slice to end.

If any of you have any other tips, feel free to share! Enjoy!

All right, I've gotten questions...

2009-01-30T12:26:00.001-08:00

I've gotten a few questions from people about bread. Whether it is cheaper to make your own instead of buy it, how to make good bread, how to make healthy bread, and so forth. Well, I do NOT profess to being an expert by any means. I know what works for me and my family seems to enjoy my attempts. So this post, and the next one, will be dedicated to bread. Wheat bread, I might add.

To answer the "Is it really cheaper to make bread?" question, I'm going to stick my neck out and say I think it most definitely is. Maybe that's because I can't stand buying bread that is full of corn syrup and the only kinds that are made with brown sugar or honey and mostly wheat are the $3.00 kind. I don't have a real breakdown of cost, but all of my ingredients for this bread are from bulk items or wholesale prices. So, yeah... cheap, healthy, and yummy.

Now, I'm going to attempt to reason my way through why I think it's cheaper. I have not added up anything, broken prices down, so this is just what I've come up with in my head. I have a ton of wheat stored away. My ward has a wheat grinder that anyone can use at any time. So, I use that grinder about once a month and store my ground wheat in either the fridge or the freezer. I've been told that it stays fresher that way. I also buy honey at Sam's Club which is for a pretty good price and lasts for at least fifteen loaves of bread, maybe even more. All my other ingredients I buy at Winco in their bulk food department for basically pennies. Yeast can also be found in a brick pretty cheap at Winco. So, paying $3.00 for a loaf of bread, and going through two loaves a week, that's $6.00 a week when I'm making one loaf for probably about $1.00. You can get bread in the store for that cheap, but most of the time it's the kind that tastes like cardboard or is so full of fluff that there's no nutritional value to it.

The recipe I use for my whole wheat bread is from a friend of mine in Oregon. She got it from a grainery, I think, after she tasted their whole wheat bread and convinced them to give her the recipe. There have been a few friends of mine who have made this same recipe and all our breads come out different. I'm not really sure why (see, I'm not an expert), but still, they all have come out good. This bread is made with all whole wheat, honey, and cracked wheat.

The next post will be the recipe and my process for making this bread. I invite others to comment on how they make bread, whether it be whole wheat, rolls, or other kinds. I love to make bread and am always up for good tips and ways to make better bread, and I'm sure other readers would benefit from your input as well.

The Ship Sets Sail

2009-01-23T18:35:00.000-08:00

I have finally decided to take myself seriously. Writing, both technical and creative, is something I know I can do and possibly get really good at. Being still really new in the professional world, I don't know much but I can feel that I've got the capacity to learn it and be a force to be reckoned with. Is that bragging? Well, I don't mean it that way if it is bragging. I had an epiphany about a week ago that this will be my profession and then the whole road opened up to me. I wasn't intimidated by all the things I will have to overcome and learn, but instead was very excited and ready to get going.

I have been accepted to an online writing forum, Liberty Hall, where you can post your work for others to hash it out and tell you what's wrong with it, or what's right. There are challenges with strict rules to follow to help get the mind juices flowing. There are people who have written and published a lot of things and write for their livelihood, as well as beginners like me, so I'll get a lot of good feedback. There's lots of good advice for how to get your stories published, and how not to.

I really love to write. Any of you who know me pretty well already know that. So maybe one of these days far into the future, you will see my name at the end of a story somewhere and think to yourself, "Hey, I know her!"

Ode to Bath Time

2009-01-19T17:53:00.000-08:00

Bath time is great
Bath time is fun
Oh how we love it
Every day let's have one!

Do you like them when it's cold?
Do you like them when it's hot?
Do you like them when you're with someone,
Or maybe when you're not?

(inspired by Dr Seuss)

First Hair Cut!

2009-01-19T17:48:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to get their hair cut today. It was Jeriah's first time getting his hair cut by someone other than me, and it was Lukas' first time ever. The look on Jeriah's face here is the same look he had the entire time the lady was cutting his hair. She kept commenting on how good he was to stay so still, but I think he stayed that still because he was so out of his element that he had no clue what else to do. But she was so impressed with him that he got a little cup full of peanut M & M's.

Then it was Lukas' turn and he did much better than I thought he would. He just had this look on his face like "I don't have a clue what is going on, but alright, I'll be good." He kept turning his head so we told her to go ahead and use the clippers on the side. He tried really hard to be brave, and very nearly succeeded until she brought out different clippers for his sideburns and neck. Those clippers very nearly made Jeriah break his vow of stillness when she first turned them on. They sound horrible. Loud and obnoxious, and evidently too scary for Lukas to handle. So, he cried and lunged for me to get him away from what was happening all around his head. But she was able to get finished pretty quick and then it was all done! Yipee!

I must say that I think I have the two most handsome boys in the entire world. But, I guess that's a given. I am a little biased.

Indian Boy and Monkey Boy

2009-01-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

Indian boy's hair is so long now that I was able to pull it back. Apparently he liked it so much he decided to keep it pulled back the rest of the night. Isn't he CUTE??

Monkey boy jumps, runs, kicks, screams, laughs, hits, throws, makes inhuman noises, swings, wrestles, sings, jumps, runs, kicks...

You just gotta love this adorable kid.

Jeriah's Lovely Prayer

2009-01-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

Dear Heavenly Fader,
Dank dee for this day.
Dank dee for de fun we had.
Dank dee for Mommy and Daddy and Yukas and Jy-iah and Ganma and Ganpa and Uncle Kayen and Uncle Cameron (he still talks about the truck and trailer that Cameron used to move us here) and Nemo and Max and doors and trees and Elmo and books and Jesus and birdhouse and... quite a bit of other people and things.
Peas bless dem.
Bless us with dye spiwit.
Help us sleep good tonite and have good day tomowuw.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Update on the "Big Boy Bed"

2009-01-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

It's a success! Well, so far anyway. We took the crib out of Jeriah's room and decided to just go for it. So, he has moved over to his big boy bed and tonite he went right to sleep! Amazing. It seems that the key with anything is always consistency, no matter what you take on with kids. I did the whole not talking, looking, giving him any attention, etc. thing and just put him right back in bed when he was violating the rules I decided were going to be in place. Tonite is the third night, and poof! He sleeps! There are some real experts out there and friends, family, and the internet are extremely valuable tools. Thanks to all who helped me in my confusion before starting this. It was more of a journey of the mind than in reality. I'm hoping potty training will be the same.

Speaking of potty training, if any of you out there have any wonderful ideas to help the process along, I'm all ears. It's one of my most feared aspects of kiddom and I keep putting it off. I just want to get it over with! Diapers stink... no pun intended.

Speaking of diapers stinking, literally, I seriously can't believe that Lukas can survive cooped up in his room after he messes his diaper. I can smell it all the way in the living room and when I walk into his room... Whew! I just about topple over with lack of fresh air. I am one of those moms who gag while changing her own kids diaper. I have about 5 candles in his room that I have used on occasion when it's especially bad. I really really really hope that isn't a lifelong trial with him. He doesn't seem to care, but I don't think I would be able to take it, let alone his wife!

I'm serious about any ideas about potty training my other, much milder, son. OK! Enough of talking about putrid stenches coming from my offspring.

How was everyone's New Year's?

Big Boy Bed, and others...

2009-01-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

Today was a day of changes. I guess I started the ball rolling by rearranging the furniture in our living room.

Then, Jeriah decided to continue climbing out of his crib during nap time so Taylor and I had a long talk about what we were going to do about it. We decided it was time to move him to a big boy bed and make it SO exciting by getting special sheets, letting him help daddy set it up, talk it up for the rest of the day... that kind of thing. We left his crib in his room and the plan (suggested by my good friend) is to put him in the crib for the night if he gets out of his Thomas the Train big boy bed just once.

While we were looking online for places that have Thomas the Train or Finding Nemo bedding, we looked at a dining table with chairs on Craigslist. It was only $40 and looked pretty nice for that price. We have talked about getting a new table because the one we have got a little warped and wobbles. Plus, we can't really expand it and it's a little small if we want anyone over for dinner. We went and looked at the table before we went to Target to get Jeriah's sheets and decided to get it. I was pretty surprised they were selling it for $40. It's not in bad shape at all and is in just good enough shape for our family with two boys.

So, now we have a new (to us) table, Jeriah has a new bed, and our living room is different.

A Lukas Look Back

2008-12-31T09:46:00.001-08:00

Taylor keeps posting videos on his blog and lately he got one on there of Lukas. He had just learned to crawl and it's just adorable. Check it out here.

Hmmm... What do we think of this?

2008-12-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

Doctor Backs Picking Your Nose And Eating It

Picking your nose and eating it is one of the best ways to stay healthy, according to a top Austrian doctor.

Innsbruck-based lung specialist Prof Dr Friedrich Bischinger said people who pick their noses with their fingers were healthy, happier and probably better in tune with their bodies.
He says society should adopt a new approach to nose-picking and encourage children to take it up.

Dr Bischinger said: "With the finger you can get to places you just can't reach with a handkerchief, keeping your nose far cleaner.

"And eating the dry remains of what you pull out is a great way of strengthening the body's immune system.

"Medically it makes great sense and is a perfectly natural thing to do. In terms of the immune system the nose is a filter in which a great deal of bacteria are collected, and when this mixture arrives in the intestines it works just like a medicine.

"Modern medicine is constantly trying to do the same thing through far more complicated methods, people who pick their nose and eat it get a natural boost to their immune system for free. "

He pointed out that children happily pick their noses, yet by the time they have become adults they have stopped under pressure from a society that has branded it disgusting and anti social.
He said: "I would recommend a new approach where children are encouraged to pick their nose. It is a completely natural response and medically a good idea as well."

And he pointed out that if anyone was really worried about what their neighbour was thinking, they could still enjoy picking their nose in private if they still wanted to get the benefits it offered.

Here is the source: http://www.davesdaily.com/bizarrenews/pickyournose_04-04.htm

The past few days

2008-12-23T12:18:00.000-08:00

Taylor and I are trying to get the kids to learn how to give gifts and this year is our first year really trying it out. Taylor had a wonderful idea of immortalizing our hands using plaster. It is a gift for me, from my three men. Jeriah and I held hands while keeping them dunked in setting gel. He did really good actually. He only cried and fought to get his hand out a couple of times. Our hands turned out wonderful. They are on the left side of the picture. Taylor and Lukas did it next. It's really hard to keep a one year old's hand still, so Lukas kept wiggling around and kind of made a mush out of the gel. But I think their hands are beautiful and the imperfections of Lukas' hand helps to remind me that he is my baby, small, innocent, and loves to explore. If it was perfect, it would somehow be not as special to me.

Also, I was blessed to finally get my road bike! I can't tell you how excited I am to have this bike. I haven't taken it for a spin yet, since there's about 2 feet of snow on the ground, but I go look at it, play around with it, dream of where I'm going to ride, etc. I can't wait. I've signed up to be on a relay team for a triathlon in Canby, OR in May, and I'm going to sign up for a sprint ride here in town this summer. I can't tell you exactly what it is that draws me so to cycling, but I love it. Maybe it's the speed, the wind in my hair, the ability to get out in nature and be in total control over where and how far away from home I go, the goals I can set for myself and then accomplish... yeah, that doesn't really describe it. I never would have thought that I'd be into cycling. I mean, it's just a bike, right? We all learn to ride when we are kids. What's the big deal? Maybe to me it's kind of like why people are driven to climb mountains.

Speaking of snow... we have lots of it. Maybe it's just normal life here for Idaho people, but to me, I've never seen this much snow unless it was a blizzard that closed everything down for a week. We have about two feet now. I looked at our forcast and we are going to get at least one more foot by the end of the week. It snowed for the past two days straight and finally the sun came out today. Yesterday I went outside and shoveled our driveway and sidewalk at about 11am. I then cleaned off our car, the white one (oh, can't really tell which can you? the white one is the closest one.), and went to run errands (you can see how much snow landed on our car since then). By 5pm or so there was another 6 inches and if we wanted to take the car anywhere we would have had to shovel again. Taylor shoveled today, and we will have to shovel again, and again, and again... I think shoveling is going to be just a fact of life. It's so cold here that the snow doesn't melt. Every time it snows, it just adds to what is already there. These pictures don't really show you how much is there, but it'll give you a good idea.

The weather outside is frightful...

2008-12-17T20:41:00.000-08:00

We had a snow "storm" blow through here last weekend and it was kinda fun. We watched the snow blowing around and around, watched as it piled up on our cars and lawns, got out our hot chocolate and sat around under warm cozy blankets and pitied all those who don't get to experience the wonders of blizzards.

Not really.

It wasn't a blizzard.

Jeriah got to really and truly play in the snow for the first time ever. He looked like Randy from A Christmas Story...

I don't know... you compare and see what you think. At least Jeriah was able to move his arms.

We also went for a drive around town and watched as the snow blew across the roads and fields nearby. To me it looked like dry ice, or a fog machine. Taylor has a video of it on his blog here. Ignore the corny woman that somehow made it into this video.

The weather is going to be in the minus degree mark for the next week or so. I think people are insane for choosing to live in places where the temperature goes below 0 degrees (I guess that means our sanity is to be questioned). One thing I am grateful for is the snow is very dry. It's very light, like feathers, or big pieces of dust, and when you walk in it, the snow billows out from your feet until you pack what's under your feet. So driving isn't too bad. Not like Oregon. Taylor has more videos of what driving is like in Oregon when it snows, which is why everything closes after an inch or so of snow.

Now we have about a foot of snow, we are going to get more, and nothing is closed. It's a strange world.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-15T09:22:00.000-08:00

Snow is on the ground, good feelings in the air, and gifts given in all forms. I love this time of year.

One year old!!

2008-12-09T17:45:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Lukas's first birthday yesterday, for the second time. Over Thanksgiving we celebrated it with the entire family, but we felt an intimate setting closer to his actual birthday was also in order. We made cake and got him a present. He's now officially one year old!

Before the cake came, he was pretty content.

Blowing out the candle scared him silly...

But he got the hang of this cake thing pretty quick.

After cake came the opening of his present. We had a good time trying to help him figure out how to open his present, but he just wouldn't tear the paper. He didn't get it, and lost interest after a couple of minutes. We did finally get it open and I think he likes what he got...

From this past year...

2008-12-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

This clip is from our trip to VA last March. Jeriah and Daddy are singing together and Jeriah had just turned 2.

Over the summer it was fun to get the cousins together and play in the water at the Grandparent's place. Here is a funny clip of how much Jeriah likes the sprinkler...

Feeling Better Now

2008-11-18T17:42:00.000-08:00

I just want to say now, after that last, and very dramatic post, that things have settled into a nice routine and life doesn't feel as hectic as it was last week, though it still is. Thanks for the encouragement from everyone. It helps to know that there are people out there who have gone through the same thing and that my issues are temporary and common.

Everything my kids do is amazing to me. Jeriah is picking up new words every single day and says those words more correctly than he did yesterday. Lukas is doing what one year olds do best, making sure he is in whatever room everyone else is in and getting in the middle of things, much to the dismay of his older brother at times, and sometimes mother, too. But the adorable and lovable card is played so much and so well that all I can do is oogle at him and make the gushy cooing sounds that mothers make to their babies.

Today's Comedic Drama

Jeriah is the self-proclaimed parent of a nondescript (as in gender-neutral) baby doll and takes that responsibility very seriously. Today his baby had quite a few naptimes and before one of those naptimes he was singing to and rocking his baby. Then he was in the process of laying this baby down in his crib when Lukas came bursting through the door, as fast as his crawling would let him. I'm in the other room, and I hear, "NOOOO!! GET OUT! BABY'S GOING TO SLEEPING!!!!...... LUKAS!!!!!" Good thing the baby doesn't care whether or not there is screaming when it's trying to go to sleep, though apparently having Lukas in the room would disturb it.

Lukas didn't pay the slightest attention to this screaming rant directed at him and continued irritating his brother further by picking up a toy and playing with it like he planned on being there all day.

"LUKAS!! AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The incoherent screaming started, and I took that as my cue to go disengage one of my sons. When I got there, Jeriah was facing toward Lukas but had hold of his baby through the slats of his crib because he had been in the act of laying the poor sleep deprived thing down. I calmly picked Lukas up and told Jeriah it was all right, everything is fine, and his baby will get to sleep just fine whether we are in there or not. Jeriah calmed down and then continued his naptime routine with his baby like nothing had happened. Then, finally, laid his baby down, came out of the room, quietly closed the door, and came up to me with an 'i'm so proud of myself' look and said, "Time for baby wake up!" Then walked right back into his room to get the poor thing out of bed.

I just had to laugh.

Stressed

2008-11-13T17:19:00.000-08:00

life has been a little too stressful for my own good. i've taken to blaming it on my husband, which he doesn't deserve. this is my typical day...

wake up at 7am, whether my body achingly rebels or not
get kids breakfast, with all my will to be cheerful
play with kids
put lukas down at 9am
play with jeriah, get some housework done
get lukas up at 11am
get lunch for the kids
play with the kids until nap time at 1pm
try my darndest to relax, but usually feel guilty for not working, so sometimes i'll work instead
get kids up at 2:30-3:00
play, get snack for kids, get dishes done, do other housework, get dinner started
feed kids dinner at 5pm
get lukas down for the nite at 6pm
give jeriah a bath at 6:30 and to bed by 7.
go straight to the computer and work until 10 or 11.
go to bed after work, and wrestle with myself to get to sleep by midnight or one in the morning because i just simply can't relax.
then start the whole thing over again at 7 am whether i got any sleep or not.

all the while not losing it, not getting upset, not complaining, trying desperatly to not think about myself, keeping a smile on my face and my spirits high for my kids sake, and trying to teach them manners, rules, correcting behaviorial problems, dealing with tantrums and whining, etc.

i've perpetually not gotten enough sleep, and my brain is overloaded. we are in the predicament of both working from home, taylor not having an office other than our room with his laptop, not having much money and therefore it's more work at home to make ends meet, on top of everything else. everything has changed for us and will change again come January when he goes to school. by the end of each week i'm screaming for a break, to go have some fun, to have some "me" time, and yet i still have kids to tend and be happy for. it's neverending.

i adore my family and i want so bad for taylor to go to school and do well and have us support him in this. i haven't been very supportive lately and instead i've been very selfish in my thinking towards him. he does work hard, is doing his best, and i have no right to be critical of the little things that he does. all too often, i have days where all i can think about is, "what about me?" everything then gets in my way, every little thing adds onto everything else until by the end of the day i've had it, because i'm just too tired or stressed and all i want to do is forget about my responsibilities for a little while.

i live for the moments that make me happy, most of them being with my husband and laughing and playing and teasing and having a general good time. that is the best antidote to my stress. second best is just going off to be alone and eat some ice cream and read a book or something for an hour or two. and i love watching the ways my kids interact with each other and seeing their relationship strengthen.

i wouldn't change taking care of my kids. i love taking care of them. i love diffusing the conflicts that happen each day and seeing the love they share with me and each other. they are wonderful and nothing could keep me happier than knowing i'm the mother of my sons.

i would change having to work. i'm not a career woman. i'm a stay at home mom. i work, and do my job well because it is a major source of income for our family and we need to keep our family fed. i do enjoy this work and feel proud of my accomplishments, but in this circumstance it's hard to do it all. i have to work. i have no choice in the matter. some days, i'm going against the grain when i sit in front of my computer to work instead of doing something for me, to help me unwind from the day. i don't have time to unwind, so i keep getting more and more tightly wound, then get mad when taylor doesn't see that and help me make it better. like he knows what to do. i've got solutions to everyone else's problems, but none for me.

sorry for the rant, and the very personal insight to my life right now, but maybe someone has some suggestions for me. maybe someone has some encouragement who has gone through this before. maybe i can get over this without putting a deep rift in my marriage and therefore my life.

Lukas' New Accomplishments

2008-11-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

Things Lukas has figured out and accomplished in the past week:

He can stack one block on top of another.
He can use the furniture to walk around the room, though crawling is still faster.
He can put the triangle, square, and circle blocks in the right holes.
One bottom tooth has finally broken through. His first tooth! Wahoo!!
He can eat an entire meal by himself now with finger foods.
He can use a sippy cup by himself, until the drink gets too low and someone has to help him tip it higher.
He can put a ring on the stacking rings toy.
He can put the toy phone up to his ear.
He can push a toy car across the floor.
He can stand by himself for about one second.

It's lovely to see all this happening, though it seems to be happening way too quick. Once his tooth started coming through, something in his brain clicked and he all of a sudden could do these things. Maybe with the next tooth he will start walking.

WATCH OUT FOR THE HUNGRY BLUE CATERPILLAR!

2008-10-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

We had fun today with the Hungry Blue Caterpillar...

MOVING IN...

2008-10-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

well, we made it. we have moved in, been here for a month or so, and are still alive in most ways. the finances are struggling to keep ahead of the game, but we are pushing ourselves to make sure things work. i am working at home and doing well with that. i've got my schedule down so i get between 3 and 4 hours a day in. right now, it's what is keeping the bills paid and i'm grateful for that.

i'm actually surprised i like it here this much. it's pretty (something i never thought i'd say about idaho) and people are generally nice. our ward consists of only a few blocks of the neighborhood which is a little strange to me. sometimes i feel like i'm living in a fishbowl and everyone will know what i've been up to because they see me leave my house and then come home and bring in the groceries. good thing they can't see what's in the bags. :) we have been welcomed warmly by our ward and i am anxious to see what calling i will get so i can be put to work and get to know people better. it's sunny here most days and that is very nice. i guess i didn't know how much i really liked the sun. or i forgot. oregon has sun for the summer, but i'm not used to it being cold and sunny at the same time.

the boys are also doing well. jeriah is learning how to "talk" with lukas and keep him away from the toys, or at least go into his room and close the door. the talking usually consists of yelling "NO!" at lukas until he starts playing with something else. lukas is anxious to start walking and loves it when taylor or i help him walk around the house.

as far as friendships go, i don't really have any yet. no one i can call out of the blue to chat, hang out, go to the park, etc. i'm starting to feel the lack of contact with moms my age. i'm not the type to be outgoing and find someone to be my friend, and the mother's room at church was always a good place to find women to talk to while we were nursing our babies. i don't do that anymore, so i'm out of the loop right now. i didn't really ever feel this lack before because i was surrounded by friends and family in oregon. now, there's no one i know and friendships take time and effort. i'm glad i've got my best friend with me wherever i go and that he is so supportive. it makes transitions so much easier.

Flight of the Conchords - Albi (The Racist Dragon)

2008-10-11T18:23:00.001-07:00

RECENT ACTIVITIES

2008-09-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

we have had a lot of fun lately at a few places we've gone. on a warm day, we tried to go to the wilsonville water park, a park that has fountains and such for kids to play in for free. we didn't realize that they turned the water off after labor day so when we got there we were pretty disappointed. we had promised jeriah that he could go play in some water so then we decided to go play in the river. the rivers out here are the swimming pools. there aren't any public swimming pools unless they are indoors. so there were quite a few people at the river when we got there. jeriah had a blast throwing the rocks into the water and watching them splash. that's what he did the entire time we were there. a couple of times taylor tried to get him into the water, and he'd only go as far as his waist. he still thought it was a blast and wanted to go back to the river. it's the one place he's allowed to throw rocks.

we also participated in a free 5K walk/run. taylor found out about it online while we were trying to figure out what we were going to do with our saturday without spending any money, and he found this "Family Fest" in tigard. it's an annual event that happens over a couple of days and ends with fireworks. the entire thing is free and geared towards families getting out and doing things together. so we decided it'd be really fun to do the 5K together. we got t-shirts and breakfast out of it, as well as a very nice 3 mile walk through parks on a beautiful sunny day.

we were invited to go swim in the columbia river with taylor's best friend and his family and friends. i mainly sat on the sand and watched as taylor tried once again to get jeriah in the water, but he was content to stay on the sidelines and play in the sand. i also really enjoyed watching him because he looked so dang cute in his little froggy lifevest. :)

FUN AT OMSI

2008-09-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

a while back, we went to the OMSI and walked around their exhibits and fun places to play. i had never been there before, but it is a blast. there is so much to do there! it's a place that teaches kids about all the different aspects of science while providing really cool and fun things to do. we really could have stayed there all day. we didn't get to really see it all, and we left at 4pm. it was really fun for the adults too. i highly recommend going there, even though it is a little pricey.

the magnifying glass was meant to look at the insects. we had more fun looking at each other.

here jeriah is brushing all the dirt away from the dinosaur fossil.

this was part of the playland for the kids. jeriah could have stayed here all day long.

petting a live snake didn't even phase him.

playing in the "ball room". here you can create your own scenerios for the ball to go through, or just throw them around the room like a lot of kids were doing.