Time Out

Hunter set his own timer for time out. Not sure if it was an accident or if he feels like that's an appropriate time to serve for his naughty behavior on Christmas Eve. Haha

Binky Withdrawls

Adam has done a great job at avoiding the terrible twos. He is such a happy kid and so sweet and loving. When he turned 3 last week, we reached the end of his binky. He happily gave it to me in exchange for being a "big boy". He has only asked about it a few times and seems to be handling the separation maturely. The problem we are now having is, no binky means no naps. And no naps means multiple meltdowns daily. My happy little boy has turned into an emotional nightmare. I have asked myself more than once during his screaming hysterics, "is this really a better alternative to him having a binky?" With a binky, he will take a nap. With a binky, he will go to bed and stay in bed at night, instead of getting out of his bed multiple times for various reasons before he finally stays and falls asleep. With a binky, he will go back to sleep when he wakes up at 6:30 am after no nap for days and going to bed late because he won't stay in his bed. Sometimes growing up is not that great. Tonight, after he calmed himself down from his latest screaming fit, he told me, "I'm glad you took my binky away."  That made me so sad because I know it's been rough on him to learn how to sleep without it. Hopefully he will adjust soon because his demon screaming is kind of scaring me! I might miss his binky more than he does!!

Still Cute

I'm not quite sure when kids stop being as cute, but thankfully, Adam is still holding strong on that cute title, despite what he does (not that my older kids aren't cute anymore).  Today he called to me, "Mommy, come here!" I reluctantly stopped what I was working on and came to find him.  He pointed to the Christmas tree and said, "Look!" I found the tree falling over, thankfully being stopped from falling to the ground by our recliner.

"I didn't do it," he offered. 

Maybe I am just getting more relaxed with each child I have, but I didn't freak out, it just made me smile.  Or maybe it's just because I'm getting older & more tired.  If Jacob had done that when he was 3, I probably (definitely) would have overreacted a bit more.

Earlier today, he was playing with his super heroes and I snuck off to get some laundry started. He tracked me down in my closet and asked, "Mommy, why aren't you watching me play??" Oh, if that were all I had to do during the day..watch him play with his toys! He makes me laugh!

 

The older boys are still cute, just in a different way. Yesterday, I overheard Hunter and Jacob talking about girls at school.  I didn't hear the first part of the conversation, but apparently Jacob was saying something about how Hunter liked a certain girl.

"No," he told him, "I found a new girl.  She's hot."

I had no idea my 6 year old knew to call a girl "hot." We are still waiting for Jacob to come home and think a girl is "hot." So far, they are still gross and freaky to him.

Potty Training

I have a love/hate relationship with potty training. I love to see the kids master a skill and it makes me so proud of them. I hate the hours I have to sit with them on the floor of the bathroom while they sit on their potty chair and wait for the potty..sometimes endlessly. Adam has been ready to potty train for a while but has angrily fought me about using the potty. He insists he does not want to wear underwear & is perfectly happy in his diapers. The few times I have forced him to sit on the toilet, he has cried angrily and even taken a few swings at me. When I told him I would be so happy if he went potty in his toilet, he informed me in a bitterly angry voice that he did not want me to be happy! So we've been approaching the issue of potty training very lightly around here. We've talked about it a ton but I'm nervous to push it too hard when it makes him so upset. The other day he asked where his underwear was. When I showed it too him, I asked if he wanted to try wearing it the next day. I was shocked when he told me yes. I was even more shocked when the next morning, he hadn't changed his mind and he allowed me to put them on him. He wore them all morning and told me when he had to go the first time (it still took about 45 mins for him to produce). I was so excited for him. We left to run a few errands, I brought along a change of clothes and his potty chair, just in case. He lasted the whole time we were gone, but came home and had an accident right on the floor. I was happy to return him to diapers at nap time for a break. Since then, I have been giving him a little more pressure to spend some time in underwear each day and go on his potty. It's still not his favorite thing but at least he's complying. We have yet to reach the #2 milestone so that will be interesting. This morning I woke up at 5:45 to him crying. I went to his room and he told me he had to go potty I asked him if he wanted to go on his potty chair or in his diaper. I was too tired to push the potty chair if he wasn't interested. He said potty so I got him out of bed and took him to the bathroom. I was instructed to go get daddy so he could announce that he was using the potty, luckily Trevor was already awake. He asked for books, games, toys...I was like its 5:45 in the morning and still dark outside. Go potty so we can go back to bed! That never happened though. He did go potty after about 20 mins. He was eating his reward if a chocolate bar by 6:15 and then snuggled on the couch with daddy to watch TV. None of us have been able to go back to sleep. It's going to be a long morning and long day for Trevor who doesn't have the luxury of taking naps like I sometimes do. 

Penny Muncher

Adam had an interesting rite of passage tonight (sadly, it wasn't giving up his binky). He swallowed a penny. He was sitting on the couch next to me, playing while I checked my email. Both of us were enjoying a relaxing Saturday evening when he told me, "mommy I choked." I didn't even notice he had choked but instantly knew the penny was the culprit. I knew he was playing with one, but of course I never dreamed it would end up in his mouth. "Spit that penny out of your mouth!" I told him. "It went in my belly" he said. Ahhhh!!! Trevor walked in the door just as I was saying, "The penny went to your belly???" We looked up online what our next step should be. It said as long as he wasn't having any difficulty breathing the penny should pass on it's own in the next 24 hours. It's such a helpless feeling waiting for this foreign object to make its way through my 2 year old's body. I've never been so anxious for him to poop!!!

Library Trips

For the past few summers, we have been participating in the library's summer reading program. This year, Adam has wanted to bring books home just like his older brothers. I tell him to go pick out some books and he brings a few back. Well, I didn't realize what book he chose to bring home until it made the trip. 

It is called "On The Day His Daddy Left" and it is a book about divorce. Hahaha! I won't be reading that to him for his bedtime story! Poor kid would have nightmares. I told Trevor that now if we ever do get divorced, I will have a resource for our kids. Hahaha!

A New Superhero in the House

I usually leave the toy closet locked since the boys like to take EVERYTHING out at once and dump it all over the floor. Since it is summertime, I have been a little more lax about the door being unlocked. The fact that the entire contents of the closet still end up on the basement floor has not changed, but Adam has had the opportunity to discover something wonderful in the closet.

 

COSTUMES! He was coming to me every few minutes with a new costume to help him put on.

After about 4 costume changes, this turned out to be his desired outfit. A Wolverine mask, a Batman cape, a Ninja shirt and Pirate pants. He wore this exact costume for 2 days, even out to the grocery store. Jacob was so concerned that people would be laughing at Adam. I reminded him that he used to wear plenty of costumes in his day.

Here are only a few shots of proof:

Jacob in 2007. Same Pirate pants.

 

Apologies

Sorry to whoever's job it is to clean this window at Bath & Body Works. 

It was just too irresistible!

At least he was good while we were shopping!

Pedicures

I didn't have the heart to explain to him that (most) boys don't get pedicures or that his daddy would not enjoy seeing these pictures! At least I was firm when he asked me to paint his toe nails. I learned that lesson long ago when I compromised with Jacob by painting them clear, so no one would notice. Apparently that is not ok either!

Mother's Day

My boys spoiled me with gifts this Mother's Day. The best part was watching how excited they were to present them to me!

Hunter made this plate in class. He informed me that I was not allowed to put food on it, it was just for decoration.

He also made me this sweet Mother's Day card. I was a little suspicious about the drawing cause it looked like he had some help. He told me that Mrs. Knoles helped him.

Hunter is really good at melting my heart. His teacher told me she thought his card was SO sweet and she was going to copy it before he took it home to me, but she didn't have a chance to. I sent her this picture so Hunter can continue to melt her heart.

Back of the card

Jacob came home from scouts with this present for me. It is a recipe holder with this handwritten recipe:

 

Mother's Love

Dash of fun

Pinch of humor

5 cups of love

2 listening ears

dash of unselfishness

Mix well. Bake in trial for many years

 

Then a few days later, Jacob brought me a Mother's Day present home from school.

His 2nd grade class made a cookbook. He put it into place on the recipe holder he made me.

Here is his recipe. I made roasted potatoes one night and used rosemary from our plant in the back yard. Jacob was so shocked that I used the plant in our meal and that it tasted good. He asked me one night after I made them if I could tell him the recipe. He was secretly doing it to put it in the cookbook. So cute!

 

Trevor surprised me with flowers and a card and made me some yummy breakfast. Then I got to take a nap before church, which is one of my favorite activities and probably the best Mother's Day present of all!  We usually go to my mom & dad's for Mother's Day dinner but they decided to take this year off and go to Disneyland. I did miss a yummy home-cooked meal that night as I ate my frozen pizza at home for dinner. But I was glad my mom was able to relax and not stressing out preparing a family dinner for everyone.

Trevor and I are so blessed to have been raised by righteous and loving mothers. We are so grateful for all the sacrifices made on our behalf. Being a mother myself, it is easier to understand a little of what our mothers had to endure. They made it look SO easy! I still don't know how my mom could've raised 13 kids and Trevor's mom 6. That is a testament in itself. It takes a great woman to be able to handle all those kids!

Happy Mother's Day to our mothers!

We love you and hope you are having a nice, relaxing day celebrating your awesomeness!

A Death in the Family (the good kind)

Sometimes the death of an appliance can be a good thing. If that appliance is about 26 years old, it is a really good thing. Our 26 year old microwave FINALLY kicked the bucket. Trevor woke up one morning to find it aglow and rotating. Luckily it wasn't generating any heat. I was THRILLED when Trevor told me we needed to replace it!

Here is Trevor on his 12th birthday with his mom and the microwave.

 

 

This is the gaping hole I we had to stare at for 2 weeks while we waited for our new microwave to be delivered. I went to use the microwave more than once before realizing it was gone. It was a rough 2 weeks reheating all our food on the stove or in the toaster oven (which took FOREVER).

Here is the beautiful new member of our family! We had a fleeting thought of replacing all the appliances so they would match, but of course, Trevor's penny-pinching voice of reason took over and we just went with the microwave.

 

Tooth Fairy Update

 

She came...and she left some extra money, which has Trevor & me scratching our heads. I suspect Jacob may have had something to do with it. But how can we even approach this topic without giving away the secret? Enjoy the Tooth Fairy's unexpected, one-time generosity, Hunter.

First Tooth Has Finally Let Go

Well it took a lot longer than we thought it would, but Hunter finally lost his first tooth today. It has been loose for a LONG time. On Sunday, we noticed his new tooth was growing in rather far behind his baby tooth. I have been thinking we need to just get it out so maybe his new tooth will move forward more. I was telling this to my neighbor and long-time friend but told her it was too bad Trevor & I were both too chicken to pull it ourselves. It makes Trevor squeamish and it reminds me of all of my torturous cleanings & fillings in the dental chair over the years. She offered to pull it for us and I immediately headed over. She got it out in about 15 seconds and Hunter was very brave. He said it only hurt for a second. Now he is one excited boy, anticipating his first visit from the Tooth Fairy tonight. He has been dreaming of this night as long as Jacob has been losing teeth. I am excited because I know FOR SURE the Tooth Fairy is not going to forget to come tonight as she has a few times in the past for Jacob.

Sunday

Today at church, I had to leave sacrament to change Adam's diaper. In the mother's lounge, we can hear the sacrament meeting on a speaker. When Adam heard a man's voice speaking he asked,"it's daddy?" I told him no its not daddy. Then he asked, "it's Jesus?" I don't think I've ever heard him say anything so sweet!

Moving onto a less-sweet topic, my almost 6 year old, Hunter, was brought to me during the last hour of primary because he was "having a rough time." Apparently, his feeling got hurt, which happens quite often, so he was pouting and running around the classroom to get away from his teacher. She threatened to come get me and he shaped right up for a little bit. But then he started acting up again. She got up to come get me and he chased after her. Then he tried to run away outside so she tried to grab him. When she did, he was pulling away so hard he almost knocked her down. My eye witness told me she seriously almost went down. So he was brought to me. As I type this, it is so hard not to burst out laughing when I think of the situation and what his poor teacher was thinking when he tried to make a run for it out of the building or when he almost knocked her to the ground. This sweet teacher is a newly married girl who has not had the pleasure of having her own kids yet. We called her after church so Hunter could apologize but she didn't answer. I only hope that she was taking a nice recovery nap. I used to take one every Sunday after popping an aspirin while serving in the nursery as a young 19 year old. Talk about birth control!!

Sticky Fingers

I found these in Adam's pocket tonight as I was putting his shorts in the dirty laundry. My wedding ring and my emerald ring. Luckily we only left the house to pick up the boys from school today. That could've been SO bad!!

Unpleasant Awakening

At 2:45 AM, Jacob came into our room and told Trevor "there's someone in the house!" I woke up to Trevor flying out of bed & down the hall. I came out to see what was going on. Jacob told us he heard noise like someone walking upstairs (he sleeps in the basement). He came up to see who was awake and he saw the shadow of a man hunched over by the counter. Trevor had searched the house and found nothing but that Jacob has a wild imagination. He was a little irritated. I got Jacob back to his room after I searched the basement, per his request. I told him I'm sure he saw something that he thought looked like a person, but that it was probably his eyes playing tricks on him. Back in our bed, I couldn't fall back asleep for a while. I was a little spooked just thinking about the what ifs. Trevor was wide awake too. He left the room to watch TV and was never able to fall bak asleep. I fell back asleep sometime after 4. I'm sure it took Jacob a while to fall back asleep too cause he was conked out when I woke him for school a few hours later. We will all be turning in early tonight!

Blankie Washing Day

Adam can hardly stand to be away from his blankie for any length of time while we are home. It was time for a wash so I had him bring it to me. I set it for the quickest wash possible. Within 30 seconds after starting the washer, he was telling me, "mommy blankie ready!" He has been camped out in the laundry room ever since I started the washer 14 minutes ago, standing watch and periodically announcing "blankie is ready!" It is done in 4 minutes, but then we have to wait for the dryer. It has to be torture for a 2 year old to wait for a wash & dry cycle!

Unexpected Easter Visitor

We were anticipating a bunny visitor. Instead we got Wile E. Coyote. This guy was running around the neighborhood when Adam & I came home from running errands this afternoon.  Adam pointed and said, "Doggie!" I watched as it ran past me and realized that not a scraggly-looking dog, but a COYOTE!  I immediately turned around and followed it. I got it to sit still in this neighbor's front yard for a minute so I could take some pictures. Then it ran back past me again. I went home and told Trevor what I saw. He got the motorcycle out and took Adam to go find it. We were waiting outside for him when Hunter said, "Mom I see something down the street that looks like a bunny." I looked and sure enough, our little friend was back.  He was running towards us, but got spooked by a car and turned around to run the other way.  Jacob decided that he would run after the coyote to catch up to it. I had a little chat with him about what "wild animal" means.  We watched it run back down the street as Trevor & Adam rounded the corner and got a front row view of it running past them. They turned around and followed it out to the main road. I'm sure the poor thing was lost and stuck in the maze of the neighborhood.  He acted like he didn't know which way to go.  Either that or he heard that a bunny of some sorts would be roaming the neighborhood tonight, stopping by each house to drop off a treat. I'm sure that would be a very exciting thing for a coyote to hear.

We were able to catch up to our expected visitor at Fry's this afternoon. My friend told me he was there and we raced over. We visited the one at the mall, but the $20 price tag for one picture of my child next to their bunny was a little more than I could swallow.  Especially since Adam had a death grip on me while we went over to say hi. I decided it wasn't worth it if only 2 of my boys were willing to pose. Enter this entirely FREE (although a bit scary-looking) Easter bunny! One thing the mall Easter bunny has going for him, is that he is not as evil looking. I was determined to get a photo of all 3 kids and that creepy bunny. I informed Adam that he could sit next to the Easter bunny and avoid the lap. He seemed OK with that.  While I stepped back to take the picture, he was having trouble getting on Hunter's lap. The "sweet" Easter bunny offered to help him get up. I thought it was offering to have Adam sit on his lap, cause you know, the Easter bunny doesn't talk. Adam was not keen on this idea in the least bit and started to panic. Then I was able to interpret the bunny's message that he was trying to help lift Adam onto Hunter's lap. By that time, Adam was completely freaked out and wouldn't let the Easter bunny touch him. I had to go over and help Adam get on Hunter's lap. I successfully snapped some pictures and we are good for Easter bunny photos for 2013 just in the nick of time. Phew! The Easter bunny gave the kids candy and I was able to convince Adam to give the Easter bunny a hug. Baby steps. He gets braver every year.

Late Valentine

Hunter sat down at the counter after school and told me he was making a Valentine for his girlfriend (even though it s March).
"Who is your girlfriend?" I asked him, nonchalantly, suddenly realizing that someday, he may not be so forthcoming with girlfriend talk.
"I can't tell you," he told me, "it would ruin the surprise."
"How would you telling me who your girlfriend is ruin the surprise." I asked.
He shyly said, "Because you're my girlfriend."
Awh!!! (Maybe Trevor doesn't have to know). A few moments later, he handed over his Valentine & my heart melted for the 2nd time this afternoon. It read, "I love you because you are my true love." I think I might've blushed! It was so sweet & made me feel so special. I went over & gave him a hug & kiss. It was one of the best late Valentines I have ever received. No offense Trevor! Hunter is the most sweet & thoughtful out of my boys. He loves to make people feel special & is always making presents to give to someone special. He is going to make a girl very happy someday!

They're BAAA-AAACKK!

We thought they had moved on. Apparently they were just hibernating.

Hello old friends! We missed our pet squirrels!

School Carnival

We went to our school carnival last Friday night. It is the 2nd year we have attended and it is becoming a fun tradition. Last year when we went, it was FREEZING once the sun went down! This year, I made sure to dress my kids warmly. It was such a nice night and they were a little overdressed!

Jacob started off at this rock wall, just like last year (this kid does not like change).

He almost made it to the top this year!

There were lots of fun games and they loved winning prizes! I just did a basement cleaning and got rid of a bunch of junky toys. Now we have some more! Hopefully they will break soon so they can find their way to the garbage!

After watching Hunter win some candy, Adam decided he wanted to play games too.

The only problem is, the candy wouldn't last long enough. He would gobble it down and then immediately ask for more. We found the perfect solution.

This baby lasted for DAYS! It was a wise investment. Of course all the boys needed to have one so I had 3 suckers sitting on my counter for days before they secretly ended up in the garbage.

Pinewood Derby

Well, Jacob's first Pinewood Derby was kind of a flop. We were all geared up and excited, until his car started to race...it lost every.single.race. It quickly turned from an exciting and happy experience to a sad and knot-in-the-stomach kind. Trevor & I felt so horrible for him. After video taping the first few races, I decided it was better to put my camera away! Not only was he losing, but he was losing by ALOT. It was very sad and heart-breaking. 

Jacob wasn't so excited about all the losing at first. We discovered that the wheels had been attached incorrectly and it was slowing his car down once it came off the ramp. He came and talked to Trevor and I'm not sure what was said, but he went back to the front to watch the races and the next thing I knew, his attitude toward losing turned 360 degrees.

I had so many people come up to me and tell me how impressed they were with Jacob's happy attitude even though he was not winning any races. I couldn't have been more proud of him if he had won all the races.

Near the end, with a little secret "help" by a loving and wonderful person, his car was able to win a few races. I think every single person in that room was just as excited for Jacob finally winning a race as I was. When he won, I heard the biggest cheer of the entire night. All the other boys were so compassionate to him and were so happy that he actually got to win. It was such a nice feeling.

I may or may not have gotten choked up.

As soon as Jacob found out that everyone was going to leave with a trophy, he was all smiles.

We learned such a great lesson from him tonight and we are SO proud of him! We also learned what NOT to do next year with his car so this doesn't happen again!!



Edjumaction

Hunter just came home from school and brushed his teeth. He normally only brushes them at morning & at night so I asked him why. He told me a dentist came to school today & told them they should brush their teeth after they eat snacks at home. Then as we are eating popcorn, he goes to get the box. I told him to put it away cause we have some in the bowl still. He told me he was trying to see if there was lots of sugar in the popcorn. I pulled out the box to show him where it listed the sugar (less than 1 gram..whew). Apparently, the dentist was also educating them on how to see if there was too much sugar in their snacks. I guess that's the extra stuff all-day kindergartners learn with all that extra time they are at school, as opposed to half-day K. When I was 5, I sure didn't know what food labels were or that they even existed! All-day kindergarten didn't exist back then either so maybe that's why. Not that I think it's a bad thing, but having a 5 year old checking our food labels for too much sugar is kind of intimidating!

Letters

My boys frequently make drawings & cards for people. The other day, Jacob made a card for his aunt Tiffaney & her roommate Kathleen, who is often called Kath. I could not stop laughing when I saw how he spelled Kath.

Oh Geez

I have been after the kids this whole day to get their rooms & basement clean. It's pretty ridiculous that an hour chore tops, turns into an all day ordeal. I was sick of nagging them & sick of them fighting every time I try to get them to clean. They get along great until I ask them to clean. Then it is like World War III between them...every time they are asked to clean. It is so exhausting. I finally got frustrated enough & told them it was just best to get rid of their toys if they couldn't take care of them. I said they could find other things to do with their time than play with toys. Especially since clean up involves so much fighting & drama. I have no girls! I should not have this much drama in my house!!! After I made this threat, Jacob, the ever-manipulative one came to see me with this picture. "Mommy?" He asked, "would He want you to take away all our toys???" Then he told me he was going to leave the picture here so I could look at it and think about how He wouldn't want me to do this.