The Bailey Family

Indicative of This Week...

2012-02-09T20:38:00.001-07:00

Tonight, Isaac fell asleep on the kitchen floor. While I was making dinner. At 5:15. Pretty much sums up our week. One day, I'll get the oomph to do a real post. For now, just know we're busy potty training still (AWESOME again this week!), dealing with the return of the banshee, drugging up the dog (the vet knew just what to do for his back), TONS of laundry and dishes, and heading to the chameleon exhibit at the museum. Oh, and I finally did the total: combined loss of 8 pounds for the month of January. Woot! We'll make it back to "normal" size eventually.

The Only Good Thing About Today...

2012-02-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

Is that it has a definite ending point. Had good intentions of finally blogging the basement pictures... Had good intentions of posting some cute pictures of my kids... Had good intentions of recording everything I got done in January so I'd feel like my time was well spent... It's just not working out. It's not you, Blog. It's me. And the kid who is driving me crazy, the cold that has been kicking my backside, and the dog currently licking chocolate cupcake (which the OTHER kid smashed the heck out of) off the top of the table. *Sigh*

So. Stinkin'. Excited.

2012-01-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

Why, you may ask? Because Isaac only had one accident yesterday, and he's on track for zero today! This is BEYOND a record for him. Plus, he used a public toilet yesterday - an auto-flush one! Seriously, I don't think I've ever been so excited about anything in my life.
You know what's almost as exciting? Jonathan is jealous of the underpants. Not planning to potty train that one any time soon, but here's hoping that the jealousy works to make the next one a little easier...

Another Newsletter Post

2012-01-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

I always have good intentions of posting up-to-date pictures on the blog... The road to newsletter-style blog posts is paved with good intentions though, right? Here's the end of the Christmas photos:

Isaac was excited to get the kid version of Blokus. We now have 3 different versions of the game. The boys just like sorting the pieces by color more than anything else, but at least we've got tons of pieces for sorting!

Jon was seriously serious about the present opening business.

He got pretty good at it too. I think all the practice tearing up my junk mail paid off!

He was most happy about spending time with his daddy though.

So was Isaac.

AND a holiday isn't a holiday around here without either the zoo or the museum. We decided it was FAR too cold to brave the zoo, so we hit up the last week of T. Rex Encounter at the museum. The boys enjoyed it more than they had the last few times (the dino robots are less scary now that they're used to them). I think a good time was had by all. Isaac is now counting down the days until the chameleons will be on exhibit... Only two more weeks!

In case you were wondering, no, we didn't finish the basement this week... We tried hard, but it was pretty much impossible. We were all taking turns being SUPER grouchy. When Mark went in for therapy this week, he mentioned the bad mood, and was told that a few other patients were experiencing the same thing. Apparently, it's just something going around. Weird. Hopefully we'll all be back to our happy selves quickly here!

The basement may not have gotten finished, but we already started on the next project: the kitchen. Here's the thing with our kitchen - it pretty much needs a total overhaul. We sat down and started looking at what really needed to be done, and realized we shouldn't replace the sink (deep scratches, leaky faucet) until we're ready to replace the counter tops (installed wrong, cracked next to the oven), which we shouldn't do until we're ready to replace the cabinets (at least two are pretty much unusable), which we shouldn't do until we're ready to rip out and raise the ceiling (which is only 7 feet high), which we shouldn't do until we're ready to upgrade the electrical (currently not up to code). So, we're utilizing somewhat temporary fixes until we've saved up enough to redo the entire kitchen... It'll be a few years. We had some pretty urgent needs in there though, like a lock on the pantry door (the boys get into it all the time). Once those things are taken care of, it's just a matter of organization. Why is it that "just" organization sounds so easy?

In other news, Mark celebrated a birthday this week. He's officially too old for his long-haired driver's license picture now. Finally. We didn't have much of a celebration because we were all too grumpy, but I am DEFINITELY glad to have him around! He makes my life much less boring than it was without him. Sorry it's so belated, but Happy Birthday Mark!

Sweet!

2012-01-15T20:40:00.002-07:00

A whole collection of random thoughts for the week:

Basement - CARPETED! With carpet that isn't alive! I'm pretty stinkin' excited - can you tell? We got the painting done except for a couple places along the ceiling where I still need to touch up the cuts (my wrists and back can't handle it anymore though, so it'll have to wait). I broke the desk when we were trying to move it out of the room, so it'll need some repairing before moving it back in - which better happen soon, because it's blocking my washing machine... No pictures yet, because I want to finish it all before I post. Just know that it's pretty stinkin' fabulous, and I'm excited to spend time in my new basement.

Exercise - Nancy and I have finally gotten back into a walking groove - I think... We only made it 2.25 miles this afternoon, but it was Sunday after all. I've been working on my AM yoga again (I love Rodney Yee). Isaac enjoys it a lot. He was a little upset that I dumped Jillian Michaels though, since he's quite partial to her "30 Day Shred", but he's putting up with the change. He still giggles every time he does his version of Sun Salutes with me. Mark walks about an hour a day, divided, to/from work. He still seems to be enjoying it.

Isaac - Been ESPECIALLY sweet and helpful this week. During Jon's nap, he frequently says to me "Mommy, you look tired. Why don't we go up and snuggle on your bed and you can take a nap?" Then, he'll lay down next to me and pretend to fall asleep (I know because I catch him playing possum) - when I wake up, I tend to find him playing quietly on the computer. It's kind of weird to have him be so self sufficient! (Yes, he's allowed to play while I nap - we save up his computer time just for Jon's nap time.)

He's also been playing pretend in more helpful ways. One night, he wanted to go out to dinner, but I was already making pizza. I told him we'd have a special restaurant at home called "Mamacita's." I played my alter-ego waitress by putting on my apron and taking "orders" in a little notebook. Isaac thinks this is great, so now he asks to be seated every time we eat dinner. BUT he also helps bus tables and wash dishes - as long as I pretend to be the waitress. Fine by me!

Mark wasn't feeling so great tonight, and mentioned that his back hurt. Isaac told him to lay down so he could rub his back. Then, he went and brought up the whole bag of toy cars from downstairs to drive them over Mark's back to give him a better back rub. How did we get such a sweet boy?!

This week, Isaac informed me that he wanted to be potty trained. His motivation? He wants another brother... (I've said many times that I refuse to have another kid until at least one of these two is potty trained. I guess it sunk in who I was referring to.) Does he ACTUALLY want another brother? Yep. He talks incessantly about another baby brother. Is he ACTUALLY potty trained? Not a bit. He DID go two days doing pretty well. Then our schedule got interrupted, and I think that threw him off. We'll see how it goes this week.

Jon - Had a rough bout with a stomach bug this week. I cleaned a lot of carpet. (Not the new one) Luckily, this illness made him super snuggle-y. He spent pretty much every day this week just sitting on my lap. Unluckily, he was in a kiss-y kind of mood while snuggling - I ended up with the same bug by Friday.

He's started to learn sympathy - which is pretty darn awesome to watch. If Isaac is crying now, Jon will come pat him on the back and kiss his shoulder/cheek. It's so fun to see his personality really start to develop.

Started saying "banana." Only, it sounds like "lallama." He won't say it every time, usually he still just screams, but I always give him a banana when he actually says it. Does he eat it? 90% of the time he'll just try to put the banana pieces back together and back into the peel...

Spent what time he was up running around this week being chased out of the basement. He seems to be especially attracted to anything that could kill him. Or kill somebody else. Or both.

Discovered he doesn't like cherry tomatoes. I wish I'd gotten a photo of his face. Priceless.

Overall, it's been a good week. We accomplished a lot of goals (I even got the last of the super-80's-style contact paper stripped off the kitchen shelves!), we enjoyed our time as a family, and we ate some good food. The only thing more I can ask for this week is that we'll all feel better!

Computer Died...

2012-01-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

BUT, we got the new power supply today, so we're back in business.
Carpet is going in on Saturday!!! Woot! Just got to finish the second coat of paint on the walls and ALL of the trim (plus the repair to the drywall that the stinkin' previous owner decided to do a hack job on when he finished the basement). Oh, and figure out the new light fixture that turned out to be MORE DIM than what we had. I didn't know it was possible to get less light out of a new fixture than the ANCIENT one we had before... Almost all of the furniture is shoved into the food storage room though, since it's not carpeted. Mark is a master Tetris player, and we've finally discovered how those skills can translate usefully to real life. (No, S-boy, I don't think Ziploc baggies would've helped fit things better.)
We've been staying up way too late trying to finish the basement. I'm done. Going to bed earlier tonight - as in: before 11:30, hopefully MUCH before. And hoping that neither kiddo wakes us up at 12:30 this time either. Something amazing happened the other night though - I actually made it to REM sleep! For the first time in... I dunno... The sleep deprivation has made my sense of time falter... Pretty sure it's been more than two weeks though. Before the Spiderman sleeping bag became a fixture on the floor next to the bed. Before the nightly scavenger hunts in the dark for the lost stuffed animals that Isaac can't sleep without (that turned out to be IN HIS HAND the whole time). Before Jon decided to need to watch Mr. Rogers at 2 am in order to feel as though he was a valued member of the household. Uhhh... It's been awhile.
Isaac did fabulously in Primary this week, after a brief meltdown. He realized that Danny and Jason's grandma is the newest member of the presidency, and she was willing to sit by him. Made his day.
Jon still isn't sure about going to nursery on Sundays. I think it's mostly due to the lack of nap time. We have been reassured that he doesn't suffer from his brother's sleep issue - he pops right back to normal schedule on Mondays. Awesome.
One of my piano students kicked booty on the piece she's been working on. Made my day.
Got 5 loads of laundry washed and dried today. One still to go. All still need to be folded and put away... We MAY get to that before laundry day next week...
Finally got the title taken care of for the totaled car. Happiness all around.
Isaac had to retire his favorite green boots. They smelled SOOOOOO bad. He was okay to move on to his faux Crocs with Lightning McQueen on them. I was the one who cried over the loss of the boots, like the lame-o mommy I am.
Jon seems to be moving out of the "I-will-scream-at-everything-all-day-and-all-night-just-because-I-can" phase. Now he just screams about half the time. I'll take what I can get.
Sammy seems to have the doggy version of Alzheimer's. Seriously, I looked it up - it exists, and he shows signs. He's also started behaving BADLY - like stealing food out the the kids' hands (and mine) and jumping all the way on top of the table WHILE I'M WATCHING. He doesn't sleep well - I left his collar off for a week after bathing him so he wouldn't jingle in the middle of the night and wake us all up. He's plenty old enough for canine dementia in his breed. Which brings me to the point: Happy 12th Birthday Sammy!
The train commute still seems to be going well for Mark. It hasn't snowed yet on a weekday though, so we'll see if we're still okay with it after this week.

Does anybody else feel like it's been a long week already? I'm ready for the weekend!

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

How did we celebrate? By staying up until midnight? Nope - we attempted to go to bed early. Guess what though? Kids woke us up at midnight - they were rudely awakened by the city fireworks... I guess we can't grumble too much since you're SUPPOSED to not get any sleep on New Year's Eve. So, we rang in the New Year with Mark sleeping in Isaac's bed, trying to get Jon to go back to sleep, and Isaac in bed with me, trying to get him to go back to sleep. Isaac then got up for the day at the point that he decided the sun was up - which was WAY too early, judging by his mood this afternoon. I have no idea what time it actually was though, as I have developed the talent of sleep parenting - apparently, I told him he could get up as long as he left everybody alone and didn't eat anything... I have no recollection of the conversation. Mark reassures me that he's been privy to these kinds of interactions before.
With the new year, we had changes to our Sunday routine. Time change for church - all of Mark's meetings are now before our ward block. The boys and I dropped Mark off for bishopric meeting, then zoomed back home to get ourselves ready for church. Guess what? Neither of the boys have Sunday clothes that fit... I guess we're going shopping this week! I was proud of myself this morning though, because the boys and I made it to church in time for prelude today! Woohoo! That never happens. We're generally 10 minutes late. (Yes, we're THAT family...) The boys were better than usual today, which is always awesome when Mark is sitting on the stand. Keep in mind that doesn't mean we didn't spend some good time out in the foyer. Oh, and Jon totally lost the cap to a marker in the hole where the chapel doors lock into the floor... (I couldn't rescue the cap during the closing song, but I DID fix the door before prayer.) THEN, the coolest thing happened: Isaac went to primary and Jonathan went to nursery. Okay, so Isaac wasn't fabulous during singing time (he kept trying to hide behind me instead of sitting next to his teacher) and Mark had to spend most of church in nursery with Jon, but it's progress! Hurray!

For those who haven't been aware, 2011 was marked by utter chaos at our house. We've been working to get a handle on things for a while now, but we've still got quite a way to go. I'll post pictures of the finished products later, but here's some projects we've got going on at the moment, and a few we will definitely get done in 2012:
1.The "baby" room has been converted to the boys' playroom, and toys are no longer allowed to stay anywhere else in the house.
2. The old "playroom/tv room" is now simply a family room, with NO CLUTTER at the moment! :)
3. Replaced our kitchen table with two smaller tables that are hopefully a little less destructible (and won't give me splinters when I wipe them down).
4. Bought kitchen chairs to match the tables, since our old chairs were totally destroyed and we'd gone back to the folding chairs for a while...
5. Ordered carpet for the basement!!! If you've ever seen the old stuff you'll understand why this is so exciting - I'm not really sure what's living in that carpet, but I pity the guys who have to take it out and haul it away!
6. Attempting to paint the basement BEFORE the new carpet is installed. Are we crazy? Probably...
7. Replacing two of our bathroom sinks - the two that are rusty/leaking.
8. ATTEMPTING to replace two toilets. Offers of assistance welcome.
9a. Building a coffee table out of an old piano (the one Mike helped us rip apart).
b. Emptying the garage of pieces of said old piano so I can park the van in there again.
10. Replacing the current dog door with one that actually opens into the dog run - this one is a multi-part project that involves switching out doors, cutting holes in doors, and installing new doors/screens. It ought to be an adventure!

Here's to another year of exciting adventures!!

Merry Day-After-Christmas!

2011-12-26T21:55:00.002-07:00

I'm always impressed by those people who have a Christmas post published ON CHRISTMAS with cute pictures of their kiddos opening presents. I have decided, though, that they are CRAZY. And they must get up a lot earlier than I do... I'm pretty stinkin' proud of myself for getting this up the day after though, and not halfway into January, as has been my pattern!

Not how the day started, but this one sums up the best parts of Christmas for our family:

(Jon was freaking out because he couldn't get the giant box of brownie mix open. Little did he know that Mark had already made a batch, which was cooking as he screamed.)

No, Jonathan didn't climb up there himself. He was messing with the oven while we were trying to get something hot out, so I put him on the trash can just to keep him from burning himself. He loved it, since he got to play with the light switch that way.

Okay, on to the presents! Stockings - most loved part: PEZ dispensers.

After two years of searching, I finally found a travel size Hungry Hungry Hippos game! Now my boys can play it without me fearing for Jon's life. (He still puts EVERYTHING in his mouth.)

The big Santa presents this year were Leapster 2s - 1 for each boy. Isaac's came with a Wall-E game cartridge. They didn't win out over the PEZ though. Good try Santa.

See, that's the Thomas the Tank Engine PEZ dispenser... and the abandoned Leapster...

We found the EVE PEZ dispenser and couldn't let that one go. Isaac thought we were awesome for it. I'm glad that's all we had to do to make his day.

A very blurry GO-4. He was snuggled and came to church with us. I think Isaac MAY be sleeping with him again, but we've had to ban that, since he tends to fall behind the bed and cause problems in the middle of the night...

Little trucks! Jon liked making them drive over the Leapster. I'm glad it was good for something.

AND the end-all-be-all present: SPIDER-MAN! He talks and slings web. Um... Nobody saw that one coming. Grandma and Grandpa Bailey totally won with that one.

The Cars book is destined to be a favorite. The little cars are all over the living room (still) which is Jon's way of making sure he's marked his territory.

Our sweet next-door neighbors (the Italian ones) brought the boys each a little present with a teddy bear and some treats. (And in the background you can see the singing Christmas tree, which the boys played with NON-STOP since we opened the shipping box last week.)

After church, we had to wait for Mark to finish up his responsibilities, so the boys were STARVING by the time we got home. Luckily, Uncle Scott and Aunt Julie have magical powers of foresight and sent yummy crackers and cheese for them to devour upon arrival.

We got to Skype with our Cedar City family, which is always an adventure (the boys always take that opportunity to run around like maniacs). It was awesome to actually get to SEE Sboy and Kristi again after their deployment. Everybody looked happy and healthy - Mom even has the use of both arms again!

Dinner was with Grandma Sue and Marty. There was much enjoyment of our super fatty meal of fettuccine Alfredo (with salad, don't worry), brownies with whipped topping, and Abuelita (possibly the YUMMIEST hot chocolate ever). Then, Jon showed off his amazing powers of screaming all evening until he finally fell asleep. A good time was had by all.

As you can probably tell, our Christmas was fabulous. Couldn't have asked for anything more, except maybe a nap (ha, but we know better than to ask for the impossible).

Possibly the best part of Christmas this year was that Isaac really understood what all the fuss was about. He'd tell us all about how exciting it is to celebrate Jesus' birthday, and he'd help recite the Nativity story. I'm so grateful to have him help remind us why we do all of the silly stuff we do for this holiday!

Made My Day

2011-12-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

Isaac was in a fabulous mood at dinner tonight. I had planned to make squash soup and garlic cheesy biscuits for dinner, but I'd been delayed, and the only thing on the table for the boys was the biscuits. Isaac was sitting there munching on his biscuit, and said "Wow, these biscuits are really yummy!" Obviously, I was happy to get the compliment, so I said thank you to him, and figured that was the end of it. BUT he then went a step further with a compliment so awesome, it made me cry. After years of children throwing food on the floor, spitting it out because they don't like it, telling me how disgusting it is, how horrible a mother I am for trying to get them to eat it, Isaac looked me in the eye and said "Thanks for making such a yummy dinner tonight Mom!"

Yep. Pretty much made my whole day and then some. My kid is awesome. (For the record, Jonathan didn't eat his. I think he was full of snitched candy canes... And I was the only one who ate the soup. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.)

2011 at the Bailey House

2011-12-18T21:47:00.002-07:00

For those of you joining us because I sent out my blog address in lieu of a Christmas letter this year, here's the highlights, with a link to blog posts about each happening:

12 month old Jonathan! (well, now it's plus five...)
11 hour drive to Cedar City and the picture it took me a month to post
10 is the beginning of "101"
9 number of videos I dumped into one big post!
8 weeks of "The Great Sprinkler Adventure" (At least it's mentioned, clear at the bottom)
7 years of marriage
6 months to finish Isaac's quilt
5 months of sharing a room
4 weeks of "busy season" (per quarter - EXCEPT this last quarter, and NEVER AGAIN!!! Hurray!)
3 year old Isaac! (this post too!)
2 black eyes
1 wrecked car

(BTW, if you've never tried to figure out an event for each number 1-12 for a year, you should totally try. It stretches the mind a little... Or maybe a lot...)

Mark's Phone

2011-12-17T21:53:00.001-07:00

I got talked into buying a kit for a gingerbread train this week. The boys and I thoroughly enjoyed putting it together, then the boys thoroughly enjoyed picking it apart. I think it lasted (as a whole) all of 5 hours - only because I made them wait to take it apart until Daddy got home.

The boys DID get to eat some icing before Daddy got home though. Yes, I AM a total sucker. Here's them cheesin' it up after eating the green icing:

(Jon likes to do this weird thing where he cocks his head to the side and then bounces. I was trying to get a picture, but OBVIOUSLY, it was going to end up blurry.)

Isaac was proud of his candy. Jon was showing off his backside. Of course I took a picture.

This is what Jon does while I make dinner...

FINALLY getting to eat the train! Somehow, Jon reminds me of a beached whale...

Apparently worth jumping out of your seat for.

Jon likes to steal my phone now. He does things with it. I don't always know what things. Luckily, he's only called my dad at obscene hours of the morning once... Anyway, he figured out how to take a picture and then add a cooking themed border... I wasn't aware you could do that. AND, it's an "audio postcard" - fancy, eh? No audio, but here's the postcard:

Keynan has a baby brother now. I think Isaac was just as excited as Keynan. We went to see him, and Keynan showed us how to "pet" Gage on the head. Isaac got pretty good at it. He loves babies. Good thing Gage is a good sport!

In case you needed a closer look at the Santa experience from my last post: (Check out those teeth! He's cut a few more since then!)

Now for some pictures that are ANCIENT that I found on Mark's phone...

Isaac just hamming it up:

He likes to butt things with his head. We're so proud.

I found Nemo!

Somehow, we only got a picture of Keynan with Buddy (doesn't he look enthused?!) - our boys only have video. You can see me waving in the upper right though.

Highland Festival. The weather was AWESOME! Too bad we could only stay for the parade this year, but we enjoyed that anyway.

Jonathan thinks Bishop is his best friend. Or he just likes his desk and was trying to sneak up there.

This may be my favorite picture of Isaac. EVER.

WAAAAAAY back when cousins were here and Isaac, Gabriella, and Aaron were dressed up as sloths... Racing. It was exciting.

No caption necessary. (Yes, we're THAT nerdy.)

Mark just mentioned that he's also got videos on his phone... I think I'll save those for another day, or this post could cover a few years and go on FOREVER...

It's been two weeks and we still don't have word on the car. We did hear from the body shop this week. They think it's totaled... They've got to clear everything with insurance first though. Fabulous. So, our track record: three cars bought and paid off in our marriage. Two cars totaled within months of paying them off. Awesome.

Success! Sort of...

2011-12-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

I realized a couple days ago that the majority of our new pictures and video are currently on Mark's phone... He's been ESPECIALLY busy lately, and hasn't been home for me to borrow his phone for even a few minutes. So, I'm hoping that I'll actually be able to steal a moment to blog AND Mark's phone at the same time soon here. For now, I have some LAME pictures to share, but they are pictures nonetheless!

Isaac was in time-out for hitting Jonathan. Guess what Jonathan was doing? Guess who ended up in time-out next? (No, I didn't sit there and take a picture of Isaac getting beat up on purpose. Originally, Jon was hugging Isaac. As soon as I had the camera ready to take a picture of my sweet little guys, Jon decided to play dirty.)

Isaac did pretty well sitting with Santa this year (He asked for a "monster I-pad"):

Jonathan, not so much... (He asked to get off Santa's lap):

Contrary to the pained expression on his face, Isaac informed me that the batter he was licking off the beaters was delicious. He just didn't enjoy licking the beaters.

Jon figured he'd one-up his brother and take a beater AND the empty jar of Nutella...

Mike helping yell at the stinkin' oven (this was pre-fixing):

Doesn't everyone eat sprinkles with their spaghetti? (Guess who thought that one up? Hint: It wasn't Mom.)

My boys watching "t.v." Since we got rid of satellite, we watch everything on Netflix on our laptop. "Everything" means "Backyardigans," "Spider-man and His Amazing Friends," or "Iron Giant." Quality entertainment, eh? (Actually, I really enjoy "Backyardigans." I mean, where else do you see animated versions of 1920s dances?)

Not accompanied by pictures, but here's some great lines from Isaac lately:

Isaac: Jonathan, I'm going to kill you!
Mommy: No, Isaac we don't kill people, especially not your brother.
Isaac: Well, then I'm going to light him on fire!
(Entire discussion about how lighting people on fire is also inappropriate...)
A little later:
Isaac: I'm going to kill all the bad guys!
Mommy: No, remember how we don't kill people? We just catch them so they can go to jail.
(A few minutes of Isaac running around making "cue cue cue" noises...)
Mommy: Did you catch the bad guys?
Isaac: Yeah, I put them all in jail. Then, I lit it on fire!

Isaac was very hungry after deciding not to eat what I'd made for lunch recently. He started asking for candy, lollipops, etc. Of course, I refused. He got a super pouty face and growled at me: "Mommy, you're a bad mommy. A good mommy would let me eat treats!" (Nope, that didn't work in his favor, in case you were wondering.)

Still Alive

2011-12-08T21:46:00.001-07:00

Yes, we're still here! Yes, I have pictures and video to share. No, we still don't have our car back (I think they only just started working on it today). Yes, Mark is feeling much better. No, I still don't appreciate snow.

Why the lack of posting lately?

Uncle Mike came to visit!!! Yay! You might think that this would make me less busy, but you would be mistaken. While he's been here we have: washed the van, gone to the zoo, installed two overhead light fixtures (including sawing the holes in the drywall), taken apart/fixed/reassembled my oven, dissected and moved a piano, rearranged furniture, installed a new shower head, hung Christmas lights and decorations, sewed Christmas presents like crazy, made treats like crazy, taken the boys on LOTS of outings, endured lots of snow, played a bunch of Super Mario, and washed a lot of dishes. The boys are going to freak out tomorrow when he leaves - I think he may have earned the title of Favorite Uncle! He's been so good at playing with them and keeping everybody sane while everything seemed to go wrong this past week!! I'm grateful he was here!

Now, the big question is: when is Uncle Mike returning? Hmmm... We've got to find him a job and a girl... Or at least lure the two other siblings (who got home today from Iraq) out here for a visit... Anybody who hears of a middle/high school band director opening in the area, let me know!

And, WELCOME HOME SBOY AND SISTER!!! We missed you! (I still miss you, since "home" isn't anywhere near my home... But I'm glad you're back in the States, safe!)

I'll attempt to get a post about the goings-on as of late written this weekend. No promises though - we're dealing with the "my teeth hurt so I can't sleep so no one else can sleep, ever!" phase over here. If I have a free moment this weekend, I may just rebel and take a nap!

No Snow!

2011-12-01T20:29:00.001-07:00

Mark called this morning, VERY shortly after leaving for work. We have those lights to regulate the flow of traffic onto the highway down here, and he'd been waiting for one to turn green when he was rear ended. There was little damage to the car, he felt like he was fine, and he couldn't turn around from the on-ramp, so he had to drive to the next exit. Apparently, the car was making a horrible sound, so he stopped at a store by that exit to call me.
Long story short, it took the majority of the day to get the car towed to a body shop, a rental car obtained, Mark to the ER and then to a chiropractor (he strained his back, but luckily, that was it), and a pain prescription filled. At first, Mark kept insisting that he was fine, and that nothing really hurt, but by mid-afternoon, his back was in bad shape. He took his meds, had a Priesthood blessing, and promptly fell asleep. He has a doctor's note not to go to work tomorrow, otherwise I think he might try it! I'm just grateful he is doing so well!
I wish I could've been more help to him today, but as soon as I heard that he'd been in an accident, I panicked. I have always had flashbacks from my accident when I've been in the car, as driver or passenger, in the snow. Just hearing about his accident started them for me today though, and I'm glad I didn't have to pick him up or take him to the ER - I know I couldn't have been a safe driver in my state of mind.
So, there you have it: Mark will be okay within a week or two, the car will be okay within a week or two, but I may never again drive in the snow.

UPDATE: Merry Christmas to us! Turns out the car isn't going to be okay. It's totaled. BUT, Mark really IS okay. So we're counting our blessings!

Something New

2011-11-27T17:20:00.001-07:00

Mark and I have debated the issue for a LONG time, and decided that instead of taking our blog private (requiring a password sign-in to read it), we'd archive old posts from time to time to make it more difficult (not impossible, I'm not THAT naive) for our boys' future social lives to be destroyed by things I posted about them as kids. SO, if you're reading our blog and notice things are suddenly missing, that's why. They all still exist, YOU just can't get to them, only Mark and I can. (Ha ha! The power!! Unless you're really good at figuring out how to access that kind of stuff - Dad, that's not a challenge. I know you could do it if you wanted to.)
Since the purpose in my keeping this blog is so that family and friends who live far away can see what we're up to, I figure you guys will be fine not having immediate access to things like pictures of my kids as newborns. IF, for some reason, you DO feel that need, let me know. I'm happy to email you such things. I just don't want Isaac's potty training adventures to be the topic of discussion over lunch in middle school one day.

When There's Love at Home...

2011-11-26T20:14:00.001-07:00

I never got Isaac to tell me ANYTHING he was thankful for this year, BUT I figured I'd mention what we've been up to:

Attending to black eyes, cuts/bruises on the face, and probably minor concussions.

My boys have entered the "rough-housing" stage. Awesome.

At the moment, both of them have black eyes. Jon also has cuts on his nose and chin, and a nice yellow bruise behind his ear. Isaac knocked him into a corner. Isaac would've been in more trouble, but Jonathan promptly whacked him in the face when Isaac tried to see if he was alright. (No black eye from that, but his face was a little red for a while.)
Isaac lucked out. When he face-planted into the side of the recliner, he was holding a toy that I worried had hit him in the eye (Deja vu! Stinkin' boys thinking it's cool to almost poke their eyes out...), but luck was on his side and all that jabbed him was the fabric trim around the arm of the chair. Of course, his eye was pretty swollen, and he looks quite beat-up, but we're thanking our lucky stars he's okay!

I've been told this is the beginning of "play fighting" that lasts the rest of their male existence (or until they have earned their place in Valhalla, whichever comes first). I'm a little nervous just because I don't think Isaac quite realizes how strong his little brother is already... I feel the need to protect him from Jon!

Except that Isaac can melt carrots, apparently. With his heat vision.

Ah, never a dull moment.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:07:00.001-07:00

Things I am ESPECIALLY thankful for today:

1. Jon went back to sleep after waking up screaming at 5am.
2. My sick husband was willing to drag himself out of bed to pull the gizzards out of the turkey for me.
3. Isaac informed me this morning that I'm his favorite mommy ever.
4. A dishwasher.
5. That the big pile of leaves I raked, but wasn't able to bag, is still a pile.
6. The sounds coming from Skeezy House are those of a power tool, not a police raid.
7. A local store happened to have "The Incredibles" on sale yesterday - so my boys are enjoying a movie while I cook my little heart out.
8. Stuffed pumpkin. Need I say more?

(Couldn't get Isaac to tell me ANYTHING he was thankful for this year... Maybe by the end of the day I'll have his list. It's sure to be as awesome as last year's list.)

Too exhausted for a real post...

2011-11-20T19:47:00.001-07:00

We're all sick. Again. Flu. Why is it that kids don't understand that when they are sick, they need to slow down? Poor Isaac is the worst off, but he's still chasing the "good guys" (he LOVES being a bad guy) all day, slinging web and running all over the house. He stops just long enough to say "Uh oh. My tummy hurts!" and make a big mess. Somehow, we've gotten lucky, and only need to shampoo one carpet. The other messes have all been on the hardwood floor! Woot! The irony here? Everyone but me has had a flu shot - I INTEND to get one, I just am a procrastinator. Guess who doesn't have major flu symptoms? I lucked out with just being tired and achy.
Two things getting me through this week:
1. stuffed pumpkin and cinnamon rolls on Thursday (forget the turkey!)
2. Mark gets a long weekend for Thanksgiving
Here's hoping everybody else makes it through the week too!

Things I Wish I Never Had to Say Again...2

2011-11-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

Crayons are not food.
Are you seriously blowing your nose on my sweater?!
Peanut butter doesn't go in your hair.
The dog isn't starving. He doesn't need your food.
Don't wake up your brother!!!
Drinking cocktails of random chemicals will NOT give you super powers. It just kills you. (Thank you, 1967 "Spider-Man")
Which one of you is poopy?
Quincy, you don't live here.
We don't stand on the computer.
What is this ground into the carpet here?
You're not supposed to tell people what we got them for Christmas.
We don't drink bath water.
What did you eat?!
What do you have in your mouth?
How many of those are in your mouth?
Yes, superheros DO eat - and something BESIDES toast.
Those are not your shoes.
It's not morning yet. Go back to sleep.

(In case you missed the first list, 1 1/2 years ago, check it out here.)

Oldies But Goodies

2011-11-12T18:47:00.001-07:00

Well, some of these are good... Isaac would say "they're very... informative!" Or, he'd just name some random super villain who happens to be on his mind, and say they're in the picture. (The villains are definitely his favorite. He always wants to be the bad guy. Heaven help us.) Regardless, here's some stuff we did in the last month:

Decorated pumpkins: I refuse to buy pumpkins just to carve. If I'm going to eat them (like I did with the pie pumpkins that are in these pictures) then it's sort of okay. Otherwise, my kids will just have to deal with the fake ones and get creative. OR they can team up with Daddy and grow our own (we tried this year, sort of, but The Great Sprinkler Adventure kind of took higher priority).

Isaac gave up naps. Except for those days that he totally crashes at like 5pm. I miss nap time! It is kind of nice to have "preschool time" when Jon is sleeping though - then I don't have to figure out how to keep Jonathan out of the middle of everything.

Speaking of preschool, here's a little of Isaac's latest lesson: We're working writing, if it wasn't obvious. We've had a lot of success with the "Read, Build, Write" activities from this site. (I fancied it up a little by combining the mat with a picture frame so we could use dry erase markers on the glass without laminating the papers.) The only time we've run into trouble is when Isaac sees a lower case "L" - he thinks it's an "I" (I blame all the fancy computer fonts that make those two letters look exactly the same). He will totally fight with me on it. He's awesome at numbers though. I wonder where that came from...

More decorating. We made and sent Halloween cards to extended family. Did I mention Halloween is the favorite holiday around here? It's mostly because it has morphed into a day all about sugar. That's my kind of holiday.

We had our first snowstorm of the year. At first, Jonathan REFUSED to go outside at all. He just had his nose up against the window trying to figure out what was going on. I think part of the issue was actually that we went from 80 degrees to 40 degrees in one day. The other part was that everything looked WAY different. He's not big on change yet. Isaac wanted to go out and play though, so I took 45 minutes and dressed both boys in coats, snow pants, snow boots, hats/gloves/scarves (notice the absence of these items of clothing from the pictures). The boys headed out to the backyard, Isaac tearing out into the snow like a Yeti, and Jon standing in the door frame apprehensively. It only took about 3 minutes before Isaac was screaming because he face planted in the snow and decided he wanted to come back in. Jon worked up the courage to go touch the snow, then promptly decided he hated it and came running back. Was all that dressing the boys up worth it? Maybe not, but I got some cute pictures of Jon in his "first" snow storm. (Okay, so I know he was around last year for the snow, but he sure didn't remember it, so I don't think it counts.)

We threw a Halloween party at our house for 13 kids under the age of 6. While Mark was at work. Umm... I know, it was more than a slightly crazy idea, but it was pretty darn fun. Since there were so few adults, I didn't get very good pictures, but here's what I've got: (Maddie is the one in the goggles. Isn't she hilarious?)

Of course, our party snacks ended up photographed better than the actual kids at the party... Apparently, I was under less pressure at the time I took THOSE pictures... (I think I took the picture below to show off the fact that more of the apple slices were gone than the cookies! I was impressed. Of course, I don't think Mark even knew I'd made cookies by the time he got home that night...)

Our food theme was mummies. Isaac and I spent a lot of time wrapping these guys. Worth it? Not for the design, but it sure slowed down a few older kiddos who were a little overeager and would've eaten everything before the little guys got a chance.

Jon had his 15 month check up (okay, so it was LATE) - he's tall (well above average) and skinny (a little below average). Also, he HATES going to the doctor. Dr. Kurtz is a pro, and we still had to have three adults holding Jon down just to get his weight and his ears checked. And he doesn't do well with shots, apparently. At least that's what Mark wants to blame the all-night scream-fest on. I'm thinking it might still be the adjustment to the time change. Either way, it's no bueno. Maybe tonight will be better. Please?

Hot Cross Buns

2011-11-03T20:35:00.000-06:00

Not sure I've ever been so proud in my entire life... This was by far the worst time Isaac ever played this (we found out he's a little camera shy), and I still think it's pretty stinkin' awesome considering that he's three.

Change is Good, Right?

2011-11-01T21:42:00.000-06:00

Not so sure here... Google and I are not together on this one yet. I've been INSANELY behind the times, and not kept up with all of the updates to Blogger and such, so I had to do them all at once when I discovered that certain things were no longer supported... So, this oh-so-exciting post is simply my test to make sure I've got it all figured out and that I'm not a super lame-o here.
In family news: Isaac got new snow pants today. They are red. I originally thought that was awesome because they'd match his coat. BUT I was told it was awesome because now he can look just like Spider-man while he plays in the snow. He even sings his own theme song. The awesomeness is unending over here.
Jonathan began his day screaming and ended it screaming. He wasted approximately 4 meals worth of food by throwing it on the kitchen floor and letting the dog eat it. At one point, he took our GIANT block of cheese (seriously, we buy it in a 5 pound block) and pulled it down to the floor and started gnawing on it (I DID manage to rescue that one from the dog). So, now we have a shaved block of cheese and less leftovers than originally planned for. Hopefully tomorrow we'll have a happier boy too.
How did the Halloween-ing go? Preschooler/toddler party - successful. Only two kids cried, and one was just because she felt like she didn't have as long a turn as somebody else. That was an easy one to fix. I still felt guilt over not going to the ward trunk-or-treat (that was the motivation behind throwing the party in the first place), but only slight guilt. The boys pulled in a pretty good haul around the neighborhood. "Boys" included Jon this year - Daddy was pretty excited to take both boys trick-or-treating. I have already cleaned out the Almond Joy and Snickers Almond bars. (My favorites are pretty obvious) We had plenty of trick-or-treaters, but didn't run out of candy. Success!
Skeezy Neighbors moved out this week, we think. At least their stuff left. There's some debate over who keeps parking in the driveway and blaring obscene music until the police show up. With any luck, they'll be gone soon too. The car looks familiar, so I'm pretty sure it's connected with the old inhabitants.
Mark and I have been working hard on his family history. We've made it back more than 1000 years on one branch, which I think is pretty darn good considering what we were running up against. We're still stuck at his great-great-grandparents on one line though. Looks like we'll have a rough time ever finding those records. Great-great-grandpa was from Gibraltar, but it looks as though he changed his name on the passage over here. We can't be sure though, which makes finding records a little tricky. There's much debate on Great-great-grandma's name/birthplace/etc. She's either from New York or Massachusetts, but that's a pretty wide area to search for somebody whose name isn't the same on any two census records. Oye. At least it's not boring work!

Thanks Grandma Foote!

2011-10-28T10:06:00.002-06:00

My grandma sent the boys some Jack o-lantern shirts for Halloween, so we thought we'd try to take a couple pictures to show her how cute they look! These turned out better than the costume pictures... Still, I can't seem to get Jon to smile for the camera. He was saying "Cheese!" the whole time, but this was as good as we got:
(I bribed the boys to sit still with Reese's, that's why they have their hands in their mouths.)

I think I might just use Jon's as his costume, and go ahead and wash the one I made (I just used Elmer's glue, so all the pieces will still come off). This one is just cuter! Thanks Grandma!

Giving Up Early This Year

2011-10-26T16:20:00.002-06:00

Sooo... Every year for the last 3 years, I've attempted to take early Halloween pictures to send to my parents/grandparents. You know, so they can see my kiddos in costumes and such. This has never been a particularly easy task (Isaac was crawling his first Halloween), and this year proved too much for me. So, here's the BLURRY and lame pictures I ended up with after approximately 50 tries. No pictures of the boys together this year. I give up...

I took the lazy way out with Jon and just made him a Jack o' lantern sweatshirt:

Isaac insisted on being Wall-E, after I had made him a cow costume and then started on a monster costume when he outgrew the cow. Once again, I decided not to try too hard. He loves it anyway.

Mark and I were going to come up with costumes, but decided it wasn't worth it just to hand out candy this year. SO, we're going as the oh-so-scary Bailey Parents. Awesome.

I Guess It's Overdue...

2011-10-25T13:10:00.002-06:00

I noticed it's been 11 days since the last blog post... I figured I'd better post again, even though I have no time and no inspiration at the moment... SO, here's what we've been up to:
1. My mom came clear out here to visit! We were totally excited to have her here!
2. The boys got sick. Super coughy, fevers, tired, gross, etc... Kept us up all night multiple nights.
3. I had 6 cavities filled... Yep, 6. I brush awesomely, but flossing hasn't been my strength. I think it's going to be my new hobby.
4. Mark worked super hard on a rush project at work only to find out they didn't want it to be rushed.
5. I finally scheduled the spa appointment my mother-in-law gave me for my birthday last year...
6. We worked with Aaron to get the new fence up. He has done the VAST majority of the work, but we did a little bit.
7. Sammy ran away. BUT we found him - "we" being Isaac and me. We were pretty proud of ourselves.
8. Finished sewing Halloween treat bags for the boys and Halloween pillows for my couch.
9. Had our annual stuffed pumpkin dinner. This time we used rice. It was equally awesome to last year (if I'm remembering correctly).
10. Winterizing: pulled in all the green tomatoes to hang in the garage, blew out the sprinklers, etc. Hoping to get the front window caulked this afternoon. We'll see...

What Made My Week

2011-10-14T21:05:00.003-06:00

Things that made me laugh:
1. When my mom was telling me that potty training each kid was "a crap shoot."
2. When Megan mentioned that Tommy used to demand his diaper be changed immediately after it became less-than-perfectly-clean, and she missed him being "anal" about it.
3. When Megan said she "made out" with 30 crawdads from the creek up north.

Things that made me cry:
1. Doing sealings in the temple - our cute little old sealer said it would be nice for us to hear our wedding vows again. All I could do was remember my wedding day, and all of the overwhelming emotions that went with it. I wish I could say they were all positive...
2. How much my feet hurt after a mile and a half of pushing the double stroller with two boys uphill while walking with Nancy, since I didn't want to look like a wimp and ask her to slow down for me.
3. When the chenille blanket got destroyed in the washing machine - loosing the blanket wasn't so bad, but cleaning up all the fuzz balls was.
4. The dishwasher is leaking. A lot...

Things that are entirely miraculous:
1. The vacuum cleaner magically fixed itself! (The on/off button was broken. We called to order a new part, but they were out of stock and said they wouldn't get any in for AT LEAST another month. I MacGyver-ed it with a rubber band, but now I don't even need that anymore!)
2. After more than a year, we finally got some progress on the refund for a service that was done on our van with a money back guarantee. AND, they decided to give us a full refund instead of the partial we asked for.

Things that made me smile:
1. Jonathan has taken to zerbiting the last two unbroken dinning room chairs. Apparently, they make the best noises because the seats are covered in vinyl.
2. Isaac decorated his pumpkin AWESOMELY! We just bought fake pumpkins and some foam stickers, but he made a whole graveyard scene that totally looked like an adult did it. Of course, Jon then ate most of the stickers, but, instead of getting mad, Isaac was excited to get to do it again.
3. I lost two pounds this week - right after deciding that it was nearly impossible for me to ever stop the gaining trend.
4. Having Isaac sit on my lap and feed fabric through the sewing machine so we could sew Halloween treat bags for Jonathan and him.
5. Watching my boys invent a new game after Jon knocked down Isaac's block tower - Isaac would race to stack them and see how many he could get before Jon toppled them. Then, they traded! Awesome!

(Untitled)

2011-10-09T15:44:00.005-06:00

Another crazy week around here - I'm a little worried that this is the new "normal." Oh well. Anyway, I'm in danger of titling every post "This Week In Pictures" unless I get back on the horse with the blogging!

So, I was thinking about the weekly goals I posted, and realized that was TWO weeks ago... Here's an example of how well I did (goal: unbury both pianos):

Yep, didn't happen... BUT, I have a cute kid or two:

Zoo play date? Check. This is what happened on the way home:

Bunny sewn? Check. She's even wrapped with the other Christmas presents already.

Here's an example of why my house is never clean... I had left a stick of butter on the table to soften (that was totally a novice mistake, what was I thinking?!) This is how I found Jon...

This is how I found the stick of butter...

Any guesses on what happened to the butter?

We were lucky enough to get Lily and Maddie again this week. I whipped up a batch of finger paints, pulled out the crayons and markers, and let the kiddos go wild. (Jon went so wild he lost his clothing)

I'm not sure why Maddie secluded herself... I think she was actually trying to be more artistic than the others...

AND, while I was wrapping Christmas presents, Isaac decided to help. By playing with his own present. At least I know it is currently desirable. I hope it still is in three months!

So, yes, our street saw some action again this week. The SWAT team was on our lawn... HOPEFULLY, this was the end of it. We'll see. Since it never hit the news, and the investigation is ongoing, I don't feel comfortable publicly revealing much, but it freaked out my kids... We spent some quality family time hiding in the back of the house, away from stray bullets... At least the rest of our neighbors are awesome - they all called to make sure we were okay, since our house was the center of the action again. Seriously, for all the flaws lately, our neighborhood is wonderful.

Yesterday

2011-10-06T07:11:00.002-06:00

I've been listening to my favorite Beatles songs this morning, trying to keep myself sane. For those who don't look at the time stamp, it's just after 7 am as I post. I've been up with Jon since about 5. Neither of the boys slept last night - 5 just happened to be when I gave up. Mark bore the brunt of the sleepless night, since we both thought the boys were only awake for Daddy attention (he's been gone A LOT lately - other than the middle of the night, they only saw him for about 10 minutes yesterday). Poor guy, he's exhausted, and it's only Thursday...
BUT, there is good news: Isaac used the potty 3 times yesterday of his own accord! So, what was the (most recent) reason for his lack of potty usage? He didn't want to wash his hands every time he went. Seriously?! So, I gave in and decided he could just use hand sanitizer sometimes. For those that this grosses out: it's better than a whole house covered in excrement. You'll get over it. I know I did. Fast.
Umm... Thing 2 just went out the dog door into the backyard. I suppose I should chase him down. Here's hoping tonight's sleep nets more than last!

What's Up...

2011-10-02T20:26:00.004-06:00

I've had many friends and family mention lately that they've just "been thinking about" us - which, for many of them, translates into "we're worried about you guys." And, quite honestly, I'm glad people are worried about us. We've been struggling a lot lately. Not like crash-and-burn, crisis, emergency needs or anything. Just really trying hard to get through some things that have been more than a little overwhelming. Mostly, we're in need of prayers and moral support at the moment.
Isaac has ALWAYS been difficult for us. He's been getting worse lately. He's bored, obstinate, and lonely. Mark and I both think he really just needs to go to preschool. The mom co-op we did in the spring worked well for him, but two moved, one just had a baby, and one seemed more than slightly overwhelmed with the idea of doing it again. So, we thought we'd try to enroll him somewhere. Of course, he has to be potty trained to go to a "real" preschool. We tried all of the specialist's advice this week, and things only got worse. Not like the it-has-to-get-worse-before-it-gets-better kind of worse. It was just bad. Thank goodness my mom knows all! She's given me some things to try for this week, and we're going to hope and pray we make some progress.
Jonathan cut another tooth this week. This meant that he's had super poos about 6 times a day, every day for a week. His poor bottom is blistered! And, for those who haven't heard him scream, I'm sure there's banshee blood in his genes somewhere... I was worried our neighbors would call CPS on us!
Because we've been cleaning bodily fluids out of everything we own, none of our other housework has gotten done. It looks like heck here. And smells like it to... I was thoroughly embarrassed when the police came over to talk to us about our neighbors. It was even worse when I realized pictures of our yard were on national news - the yard that has descended to the lowest circles of The Abyss because of the Great Sprinkler Adventure. (I did get out and mow the front lawn this weekend before the news crews came back to cover the candlelight vigil tonight.)
We've been sick a lot. I usually don't catch whatever everyone else gets - either that, or I don't let it get me down, I just push through it. The last few times, the illnesses have knocked me out flat. I don't get anything done. I don't play with my kids - which means they destroy our house.
I can't remember the last time Mark and I argued so much. I'm pretty sure it hasn't been for at least 6 years (that first year was rough...) The stress has been getting to us - we've yelled at each other and at the boys. We're NOT unhappy together, we're just letting moments of weakness get in the way of being nice.
I try really hard to keep things light and paint a nicer picture of what's going on over here when I blog, but enough people have mentioned they're worried that we know we're not fooling anybody. There isn't really anything we can use help on - unless you have a magic wand that will potty train Isaac and allow Jon to cut all of his teeth with no pain and no diaper rash. I can't even have anybody watch my boys while I rest/get stuff done, because we're always sick. This is just one of those times that we recognize we have to push through, and that we'll be stronger when it's over, and hopefully we'll have learned more about patience and trust, etc.

This Week in Pictures

2011-09-29T21:03:00.004-06:00

Ummm... Eventful week, to say the least. We've had: the Primary Program, laryngitis, two days of massive play dates, daddy got a raise, Mommy finished a BIG project, traced one line of genealogy back to the 1500's in England, yard work, a neighborhood shooting (of course, right after I gushed about my awesome neighbors...), a visit to the circus, and a car in the shop (don't worry - just routine maintenance). Here's some of the highlights:

I decided the kids needed a place to hang out and feel "hidden" - this worked out awesomely. I laid the field stone patio all by myself! Eventually I'll even get around to filling in the cracks between the stones with Irish moss, and do alternating square plots of two different marigold varieties...

Wooooooooot! Swing set! Minus the slide... Still have to go to Home Depot for the two missing bolt replacements.

One plot weed-free... 5 to go, BEFORE the frost... 3 more after.

We were privileged to have Lydia and Lily join us at the park this week. I kept trying to take a picture of all 4 kids together, but I wasn't going to make them stand still. This is what I ended up with (it's kind of like "Where's Waldo?" trying to find all the kids):

When Lily and Lydia went home, I think Isaac was going through girl withdrawals...

Luckily, the next day, we had Lydia, Lily, AND Maddie come over! Yay! The highlight was playing dress-up:

Lydia said they were getting married. Isaac's expression looks like quite a few grooms' I've seen.

This was as dressed up as we got with Maddie, but it was sooooooooo dang cute!

The big girls:

Alas, missing Jon, but we got everybody else! :)

To make up for the lack of Jonathan pictures, here's a few of just him:

Okay, so just Jon AND Isaac...

My big project accomplishment? Toy car mats - times 4! They fold up like messenger bags. I followed a tutorial, but took the lazy way out and didn't do the finishing work - like adding side flaps to make it more like a real bag. They're Christmas presents for the 4 little guys in my life, and I figure they won't actually get folded up much, so the part that mattered was the mat itself. Yes, the buildings on the map are all hand painted (Isaac helped), with hand-made acrylic "stoplights." I totally lucked out in getting the maps and the fabric for the outer flaps - they all came from a twin-sized sheet I found at the thrift store! People get rid of such useful stuff...

Goals for next week: Zoo play date, sew the lining in Grandma's wool jacket (I've been "working" on that one for a year now...), sew 1 stuffed bunny, till and reseed the lawn (back and one strip in front), and unbury the two pianos in my front room. We'll see how it goes...

(For those who STILL haven't heard about the shooting - http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_19002783?source=pop_neighbors_denver

The gunshots woke us up, but I rolled over and went back to sleep, silently cursing the neighbor who was causing trouble. Apparently, I should never curse. My bad.)

Adventures in Potty Training - Week 2

2011-09-28T13:17:00.002-06:00

Umm... No progress to report... He's not really having any accidents any more, but he's also not using the potty any more. Yep, you got that right - he's holding everything in... Fabulous.
I met with the specialist over at Children's Hospital on Monday, and he told me what we were doing was on the right track, gave me a few suggestions on how to help my frustration level, and said to hang in there. Great... At least I know now that it isn't my poor parenting that is causing this. Just like when he wouldn't sleep through the night, people all want to tell me what I'm doing wrong as a mother that is causing my kid to have issues. I'm really glad that when I finally do get through to people who ACTUALLY know what they're talking about, they always reassure me that I'm not stupid/weak/inept. I just wish outlasting my kid was as easily done as said.

Photos By Nancy

2011-09-25T19:29:00.002-06:00

We have the most awesome neighbors ever. Really. Lots of them, actually. It's pretty amazing. Our neighborhood is like a little Utopia around here. I try not to brag it up too much, since everyone would then be trying to move here, and we'd end up with Riff-Raff and What-Not living next door... BUT... My sweet neighbor, Nancy, sent us photos she'd taken of our family when we went to drop some cookies by last weekend, and I couldn't very well leave them off the blog!

See, we kind of snuck in there with her daughter's family... We're not too stealthy these days...

Things I've Learned This Week:

2011-09-23T13:20:00.003-06:00

1. If you intend to force potty training on a recalcitrant 3 year old who already tries your patience, your husband will be gone every evening during the week, thereby leaving you no break from said 3 year old.
2. Your 1 year old will pick up on your stress and insist that his life is worse - by screaming, throwing things, and injuring everyone in his vicinity.
3. When your house smells like an outhouse and has various states of poopy underpants in each sink possible, every friend you've neglected to talk to in months will decide to just "drop by" and see how you're doing.
4. Your children will become riled up by people visiting, your husband's weird schedule, and the fact that they KNOW you are at the end of your rope. They will NOT go to bed. EVER. When they finally drop out of sheer exhaustion, they will sleep JUST LONG ENOUGH for you to drift off. Then, they'll wake up, screaming and jumping on the bed.
5. There are just some mornings when feeding your children chocolate pudding cups for breakfast is worth it. Of course, then you have to deal with children on a sugar high while you are sleep deprived.
6. No matter how trying your kids/husband are during this particular week, you feel insanely guilty when you snap at them. INSANELY.

There were some fabulous moments this week, don't get me wrong, but I am NOT looking forward to next week. Oh wait, I don't get a weekend either, since we have church commitments both days. AND, I have laryngitis. I'd move to Australia, but that's just too much effort.

On the bright side, Jon performed well in public today and gave lots of high fives to the woman who was checking my cholesterol levels (BTW, I can't make fun of Mark anymore, since mine was one point over normal level too). Everybody thought he was cute, so they gave ME the compliments - like I had much to do with it. SO glad I've got people fooled into thinking I'm a good mom.

I'm a Bit Behind...

2011-09-22T00:00:00.002-06:00

At least I am in loading pictures...

We took Keynan to the museum again. The boys all wanted to climb the Camarasaurus, which I thought was Iguanadon, thanks to those thumb spikes. Of course, I've now been shown the error of my thinking. That's what I get for assuming...

Afterwards, we went to the splash park for the last time this season. Jon was just starting to walk, so he loved showing off.

My older one has legs, but he doesn't know how to use them... Apparently, he thought they'd make a great canvas for his masterpiece. Unfortunately, those markers weren't Crayola, so they didn't wash off too well.

The dry erase board cleaned up nicely though. Too bad he loved this particular picture:

And this one:

Jon has been especially helpful in getting the yard back to a somewhat attractive state.

I got tired of waiting for Mark to be available to help put up the swing set (he's been UBER busy lately) and attempted to do it all by myself - but I'd never seen the finished product before, and we don't have any instructions. This was as far as I got, and, apparently, the whole frame needs to be rotated 180 degrees... That's what I get for being impatient.

Instead of focusing on my failures though, I've been trying to enjoy my successes - like my snapdragons.

and my red sunflowers.

and the cosmos I've been pulling up for years thinking they were weeds (this is the first time I hadn't pulled them before they flowered!)

and my super abundant marigolds (LOVE the two varieties mixed together!)

Jon has entered the "Love Me, I'm Cute" stage. Seriously, this is why people have more kids...

He's getting to be surefooted enough that I let him go after Nali when we went to visit Grandma Sue.

He even went hiking! He actually did amazingly well - he walked almost all the way the first time we went! (Which is more than I can say for his brother...)

Of course, he did want to exercise some of that new found Independence in ways that took a little patience on our part...

At least we had time to enjoy the scenery, which Isaac and Grandma Sue appreciated.

If you couldn't tell from the pictures, we've been super busy lately, but I haven't had time to document ANYTHING but potty training (and I'm only doing that documentation to keep myself sane and remind myself how this went for next time).

Here's what we've done in the last few weeks:

Visited the museum at least 3 times - one being to the opening of the new T-Rex exhibit, which the boys LOVED, including meeting Buddy from "Dinosaur Train" (Jon gave him lots of kisses, Isaac refused to stand next to him at all)

Driven up to Estes twice - once for the Highland Festival parade and a little hike and Poppy's pizza, once to see Aunt Heather, listen to the elk, and enjoy the night at Grandma Sue's

FINALLY gotten in to renew our temple recommends so we can go back and do a session when the temple reopens next month

Started Jon's quilt - Mark was stoked to do the math, I made up the design myself, so there's no pattern to blame if it looks dumb at the end

Planted 85 bulbs for spring - a few different varieties each of tulips and daffodils

Collected books for Mark's book drive project - there will be a post on this one soon, but if you've got kids books aimed at 6 month olds to 10 year olds you'd like to depart with, we'd love to take them off your hands!

Started a low cholesterol diet for Mark - even though he'll tell you his cholesterol isn't that high, I'm forcing the issue. I only signed up to be a widow for 11 years AT MOST.

Done a heck of a lot of laundry!!!

Cleaned up the basement so I could start exercising down there again, now that it's too dark and cold to walk in the mornings with my neighbor

Rearranged my lessons schedule, added in voice lessons again, and taken it upon myself to learn each piano piece I've assigned my students

Practiced clarinet a couple times, trying to keep up my end of the deal with Deena

Gotten Isaac to try new foods - including salad, which he now REQUESTS frequently, with Caesar dressing (!!)

Finished watching Season 1 of "Jeeves and Wooster" - I know, in all our spare time...

Gotten rid of Dish Network, and, thereby all our t.v. watching that isn't DVD or netflix (I know, we've saved ourselves 30 minutes a week!)

Read a fantastic book about the temples of ancient Egypt, and only wish I had more time to really study it before I have to return it next week (if I didn't mind snakes and wasn't claustrophobic, I totally could've been an Egyptologist)

Finished sewing 8 "peek-a-boo" toy bags, which Jon thinks are AWESOME, since he can see the toys and haul them all around the house now

Caught up on washing dishes for the first time since Isaac was born!!! :)

I Win!

2011-09-21T21:40:00.003-06:00

So, Isaac decided this morning that his potty chair was scary. Um... We've been potty training for 2 years (!) with the same chair, and he's never been scared of it before. Seriously. But, I decided I'd take the bait and go out and buy one of the seats that fits on the regular toilet. When we got to Target, they had Diego seats, Cars Seats, plain white and blue seats... AND a Disney princess seat. Guess which one he picked? Yep, the sparkly pink Princess seat. Of course, it plays some super girly little tune too, if you push a little button on the handles. Whatever. If it gets him transitioned to the regular toilet, I'm happy.
Anyway, he was so excited about the Princess seat that he had NO MORE ACCIDENTS for the rest of the day!!! That means he had only one ALL DAY! Woooooooooooooooooooooot!!!
This is one happy mommy - to say the least.

Okay, so I have to admit, maybe Children's Hospital does know what they're talking about with this whole "resistance" thing. Here's hoping tomorrow goes at least as well! Please?

UPDATE:
So, Isaac filled me in on why he wanted a Princess potty seat - to "spray the Princesses." I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time.

Um... Yeah...

2011-09-20T20:08:00.002-06:00

Yesterday: 4 pairs dirty underpants
Today: 5 pairs dirty underpants

Yesterday: called Mark at work once for moral support
Today: called Mark at work once for moral support, but cried again as soon as I hung up

Yesterday: was at least TOLD when accidents occurred
Today: discovered accidents occurred only when stepped in a wet spot (minus one this morning that lead to a total FREAK OUT fit by my 3-year old, since he was almost to the potty)

This morning, I received my email confirmation that I will be attending the special seminar on potty training issues over at Children's Hospital next week. I was REALLY hoping this last ditch effort in following the pediatrician's orders would save me from needing to go to said seminar. If the rest of the week follows this trend, I may miss the seminar only because I'm in the psychiatric ward...

Jonathan-isms

2011-09-18T19:39:00.002-06:00

Holy cow, my youngest can talk enough to get his own posts on what he says now! I don't know how I feel about this...
So, Jon's favorite words are "shoes" (no joke, he's totally OBSESSED with shoes) and "cheese" (probably the favorite food around here). Those two words sound remarkably similar when spoken by a one year old, but that's not what this post is about...
In the car the other day, Jon just kept shouting "CHEESE!!!!! CHEEEEEEEEESE!!!! CHEESE!!!!" and I was trying to patiently remind him that there was no cheese in the car, but he could have some as soon as we got home. He was getting super frustrated, and I figured he was just throwing a fit because he couldn't have cheese right then and there. When we got home, I got everybody in the house and grabbed some string cheese for Jon. When I handed it to him (he was still shouting "CHHHHHEEEEEEEEEESSSSSEEEEE!"), he started crying and threw it on the floor. Now I was super frustrated! Isaac just nonchalantly sidles up and says "Mom, he just wants you to take a picture of his shoes. Duh. Lame-o." What?! Of course, Isaac got a firm talking to for speaking to me like that, but it turned out he was right. Jon totally just wanted me to take a picture of his shoes. *Sigh* One click of the cell phone camera, and he was ecstatic again.
This one's not about words, but it's important...
Today, Jon was playing next to a drawer where I couldn't see what he was playing with. Suddenly, he started screaming, and I just automatically assumed he had shut his fingers in the drawer. Isaac said "No Mom, he poked his eye out." Good thing Isaac keeps tabs on that kid... Jon had stuck himself in the eye with the end of one of my headbands. His eye was totally swollen shut, he refused to open it, he was screaming bloody murder, and there was a slight discharge. Of course, I did what any normal mom would do: I pinned him down and tried to get him to open his eye. That didn't work. So I called my mom. She's much more sensible than I am. The next order of business was to call the nurse line at the pediatrician's office. They had to call me back. I called Mark, who was still at bishopric meeting. The nurse line called back. By then, it'd been almost 15 minutes of Jon refusing to open his eye. So, they wanted to me to head over to the ER and have him seen, just in case. Guess what? As soon as I hung up, Jonathan opened his eye, stopped crying, and started playing with Isaac. Seriously?! Now that his eye was open, I could tell it was okay. Mark came home and gave him a blessing, and we both felt better. We called the hospital and let them know the change, didn't end up needing to be seen, so we saved the hospital visit payment (thank goodness!) and the wait with a whole bunch of sick kids.
When I talked to Mark, he asked about what time Jon had opened his eye. Turns out, that was about the time the bishopric had prayed for the little guy. See, miracles do happen. Prayers are answered. And no, I don't think this was a little thing. Eyes are kind of a big deal.
Anyway, Jonathan's eye is still red, and it's obvious he injured it, but nothing warranting a trip to the ER. Thank goodness these things only happen every once in a while around here. I'd end up with no stomach anymore - just one big ulcer!

Freezer Meal Recipes

2011-09-11T21:40:00.002-06:00

Most of these just needed to be hyperlinked... I've left out anything generic that you can find your own recipes for easily (like French Toast). Some of these are decently healthy, others might need some tweaking to fit your individual dietary desires. :) I mess with a lot of the recipes, so I decided to link up to just the basics. If you've got any questions, feel free to leave a comment - I bet somebody else will be wondering the same thing!

For the newbies:
1. Don't freeze things like tomatoes and lettuce - they come out super mushy and taste HORRIBLE. (Luckily, I didn't ever try it, but I've heard some stories)
2. If you cook something before freezing it, be sure it is completely cool before you put it in the freezer.
3. For things like berries and cookie dough, you'll want to "flash freeze" each piece individually so you only have to take out what you want each time. ("Flash freeze" means to lay out each piece on a cookie sheet covered with wax/parchment paper, place it in the freezer for a couple hours, then transfer the frozen food to a freezer container or bag)
4. If you plan to do a lot of freezer meals, it's totally worth investing in good containers. I love to use freezer jam jars for individual portions - Mark takes them for lunches. The next size up (I can't remember what they are, but the Ball brand with green lids instead of purple lids) is awesome for things like chili, or for two servings at a time.
5. Since you already have to wash dishes, make multiple batches at once to save time and water!
6. Don't freeze raw eggs. There are ways to do it, but I don't find it worth the effort. (IF YOU MUST - know that you have to separate the eggs, then add either salt or sugar based on what the eggs will be used for after thawing. Seriously, it's NOT WORTH IT)

Breakfasts:
Steel cut oatmeal with berries
Saute 1 cup oats in olive oil or butter. When slightly browned, add 1 cup milk and 3 cups water. Stir. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until oats are cooked. Freeze oatmeal and berries separately for more options, or together for a more "mixed" bowl.
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Start with plain cooked steel cut oats, but only simmer for about 20 minutes. Add 1/2 cup CANNED PUMPKIN (NOT pumpkin pie filling), 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Stir. Simmer an additional 10 minutes.
Rice pudding porridge (a la Lucille's) (Ridiculous amounts of milk, but TOTALLY worth it)
Blueberry-Lemon Pancakes
Southwest Quiche - Read the comments on this one - a lot of the adjustments are even more delicious than the original recipe.

Lunches:
BLTs (Okay, really just bacon and bread... Maybe some sliced cheese... A little pesto?) with Parmesan-Garlic potato wedges
Squash/Pumpkin/Sweet potato soup
Bring to a boil: 5 cups broth; one peeled, seeded, cubed (1") squash/pumpkin/sweet potato; one small chopped onion. Simmer 40 minutes (or until veggies are tender). Add 1 cup sour cream/plain yogurt. Simmer another 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.
Potato soup
Laura's Noodles
Cook up 4 servings of pasta, drain. Add 1 tsp ground bullion, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, and 1 Tbsp butter. Stir until well mixed. (freeze this way, then after thawing and reheating, add: halved cherry tomatoes, chopped green peppers, sour cream to taste, any kind of lean protein - we like it with fried tofu)

Dinners:
Tuna noodle casserole - ours is a family recipe, sorry - no sharing online. :) BUT, if you find a great recipe with ground mustard, you've likely discovered the same one somewhere.
Sour cream Enchiladas
Cook 1 lb chicken breast, then shred. Mix with 1 can cream soup, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup grated cheddar, 1 small can green chilies, and 1 small diced onion. Roll in corn tortillas (usually about 10), then use excess filling as sauce over top. Sprinkle with cheddar, if you want. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs
I do this my own way: Use as many tomatoes as you've got. Dice them up, then set them aside. Saute some onion and garlic in butter. Add diced bell peppers until it looks good. Add tomatoes. Add any random veggies you've got laying around. (We've had unexpected success with avocado and cucumber) Simmer until it looks sauce-like. It'll be chunky, but trust me, it's good.
The best meatball recipe I've found is still Betty Crocker's. Sorry, it's copyrighted.
"Souvlaki" chicken pitas (Only freeze the chicken and pitas. The sauce separates, and is totally unappetizing.)
Lentils and Brown Rice
Saute garlic and chopped onion in 1 Tbsp butter. Add 1/2 cup lentils, 1/2 cup brown basmati rice, 2 cups water and bullion OR 2 cups broth. Simmer 50 minutes, or until rice is cooked. Add 1 chopped green bell pepper. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. We also love it with Cajun Seasoning sprinkled on it - to taste, of course! (When freezing, I recommend leaving out the green peppers - add them after it thaws. That way, the peppers still have some crunch to them!)
Red Beans and Rice
Chicken Piallards with chunky cherry tomato sauce (Because this sauce is cooked, you can freeze it too. Just put it in a separate container, because it'll take less time to reheat than the chicken.)
Chicken/Beef Lo Mein
Baked Ziti with Zucchini and Yellow Squash - This one is copyrighted by Weight Watchers. It's like a vegetarian baked ziti with sauteed squashes mixed in. Easy.

Sides:
Zucchini muffins with cranberries and walnuts

Food, Glorious Food!

2011-09-08T21:55:00.003-06:00

Katie asked me tonight for freezer meal ideas and I realized that I've had a bunch of requests recently for my recipes, so I thought I'd go ahead and just post some! For now - since I haven't gotten more than 5 hours of sleep a night for about 2 weeks - I'm just making a list, but I'll post some recipes later.
All of the meals on the list can be cooked or prepped ahead and then frozen as soon as they cool. Some of them require a little work when you get ready to use them (like slicing a tomato or tossing something in the oven), but all of them are super quick and super easy. The vast majority are kid friendly (at least one of my kiddos will eat it!)

Breakfasts:
Fried Egg, Sausage/Bacon, Cheese sandwiches (on English muffins or bagels - Bagel Thins are our favorite to use)
Scrambled egg, tomato, pepper, onion, cheese breakfast tacos
Steel cut oatmeal with berries
Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Rice pudding porridge (a la Lucille's)
Blueberry-Lemon Pancakes
French Toast
Waffles
Southwest Quiche

Lunches:
BLTs with Parmesan-Garlic potato wedges
Deli meat and cheese sandwiches
Squash/Pumpkin/Sweet potato soup
Potato soup
Katie's Lentil Vegetable Soup
Twice-baked Potatoes
Pizza pitas
Turkey, bacon, cheese pitas with spicy mustard
Laura's Noodles

Dinners:
Tuna noodle casserole
Sour cream Enchiladas
Homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs
"Souvlaki" chicken pitas
Lentils and Brown Rice
Red Beans and Rice
Chili
Sliders and Fries
Chicken Piallards with chunky cherry tomato sauce
Chicken/Beef Lo Mein
Lasagna
Refried bean and salsa burritos
Chicken tacos
Baked Ziti with Zucchini and Yellow Squash

Desserts:
Peach Cobbler
Cookies (Already baked or just the separated dough balls)
Pudding pops
Brownies

Sides:
Frozen veggies
Cornbread muffins
Zucchini muffins with cranberries and walnuts
Spanish rice
Basmati/jasmine rice

Mixed Up

2011-09-06T20:30:00.003-06:00

Shea totally made my day today when she said she loved how my boys both look like a good mix of Mark and me, but they still look totally different. I've had so many people tell me lately that Jon looks just like Isaac, and it's driving me crazy! I've been trying to figure out if it's just the mommy in me that sees their personalities more than their looks, or if they really do look as different as I think they do. I decided to do a side-by-side comparison (which I haven't figured out how to format in Blogger yet) to reassure myself that Shea and I are right. All of the pictures are of my boys between the ages of 12 months and 14 months. Besides the fact that Isaac had GOBS of hair and Jonathan has none, I see tons of differences!

AND, for those who are not yet aware: WE FINISHED THE SPRINKLERS!!! Woot! It took A LOT longer than anticipated this weekend, due to many unfortunate issues we couldn't have foreseen (like the power going out right when we were ready to test the system). After 8 weeks, I can honestly say I am sure glad that's over with! We also got part of the swing set cleaned and painted, but it's still in the garage. Somehow, the grass in the front yard is already starting to come back! We figure we'll try hard to bring what we can back, over seed it this fall, and hope for the best in the spring. Yay!

It Works!

2011-09-01T13:51:00.003-06:00

Somehow, I managed to succeed in getting both boys down for a nap at the same time, not falling asleep myself, and uploading some pictures that I've had for weeks! Woot! I'm hoping this makes up for my lack of success in anything else so far today... Oh, just kidding - I did accomplish one errand and got both kiddos to the pool by 11:30. I spent far more time driving around town all morning, looking in vain for two sets of water wings. Good thing my husband is a genius and figured out which store would have them! Pretty sure both boys would have drowned if I'd taken them to the pool by myself without some sort of floatation devices. Didn't hurt that I had good friends watching out for my kids in addition to their own! Thanks ladies!
Now, on to the pictures!

I attempted my first freezer paper stenciling on Isaac's shirts. He was thrilled with the outcome!

A close-up of the finished shirt:

He's not as much a fan of this one, but I like it.

Pretty sure this one is my favorite of the bunch. I'm glad Isaac puts up with it, but nothing can compete with Wall-E.

I've also been working on a piano for Megan and Shad. I really wish I knew more about how to restore them, because this one has a lot of promise! The original finish was gorgeous, but I have no clue how to get it back to that without screwing with accoustics... Ah well. Here's what I started with - the keys: (Can you tell where I took a break for a picture?)

On to the embarassing stuff... The yard... This is the project we intend to tackle this weekend. Seriously, the pictures actually make it look better than it is... Oye... (The green in the back? That's the tomato plants. Somehow, they're the only thing that made it. I guess you can tell what we value over here!)

I'd be pleased with the amount of green here if it was something other than thistles. See that trench there too? We had a cat in it at the time. See the cat? Nope, I didn't think so. Guess what? It was stalking a mouse. Sammy scared them both away. The trench is still there.

More deadness... All the kids' toys are piled on the patio, just waiting for someone to save the yard so the boys can play again. The boys keep sneaking out the dog door to try to get out there... Hopefully, this weekend will do it! The goal is to get rid of the dog door (I know, we're getting braver!), finish the sprinklers, fix the dog run, till up the entire yard, put up the swing set, and lay some mulch/ground cover. Can we do it? Highly doubt it. Will we try really hard? You betcha.

As a bribe to get through the bread store without a third (or maybe it was a fourth) screaming fit, I got the boys doughnuts. Jonathan LOVED his. Can you tell?

AND, forever ago, I posted about the silly diapers I had been using. (Yeah, we ran out of those a LONG time ago...) Right across the bum of the diaper, this is what it says:

(For those struggling to read it from the picture: "Want to hear me roar?")

DESIGN FAIL! At least it was funny to me.

Finally! Or Hallelujah!

2011-08-31T21:26:00.002-06:00

Jon can walk!!! He's been taking steps for a few weeks, but mostly refused to do more than one at a time - and that was only when he didn't realize he was actually doing it. The last couple of days, he's been toddling around a little more, and now he can make it all by himself across the front room. I'm counting that as success. He's ECSTATIC! I'm not sure I've ever seen a kid so proud of himself! I think it's fabulous. Isaac - not so much. He'll get over it.
Speaking of Isaac, he's been telling me the funniest stories lately. One favorite was about Grandpa Wallace popping a big blue bubble that threatened to destroy his kitchen when he was a little boy. The stories usually involve something Isaac hasn't completely thought out, and he ends with "mostly... I think it doesn't." One of these times, I'll have to record a story. They're awesome.
I've also discovered a sure-fire way to make Isaac laugh until his sides hurt: replacing random words in songs with "poo" or "toot." I wasn't sure he was quite at that level yet, but, yes, bathroom humor has arrived at our house. I guess I must be super immature, because I find it almost as hilarious as he does. My personal favorite song to change: Mary Had a Little Lamb. Don't think about it too much - if you do, you may not be able to stop laughing either. (Dad, I know you've already thought of more awesome possibilities for songs. Maybe we should collaborate.)
Those following the weight gain saga: my neighbor made my day today. She told me I looked like I was losing weight. Obviously, she is my new favorite person! Now, if only she could convince the scale and my pants that I've been losing weight, that would be fabulous... Regardless, I'll take what compliments I can get!
Our garden finally produced something edible - tomatoes. Lots of tomatoes. And a couple of peppers. I'm totally making spaghetti tomorrow!!! I took pictures of the horror that is our yard, because people don't seem to believe me when I say it's a miracle that we got anything from our garden this year. Really, it is a MIRACLE! I attribute it to the awesomeness of my kids, because I know Mark and I aren't cool enough to deserve yummy tomatoes this year. Good thing we luck out by association!

This is only a test...

2011-08-28T18:29:00.001-06:00

Woohoo! I got a picture to upload! Maybe we're back in business?!

Happy Things - Day 2

2011-08-28T18:27:00.001-06:00

Today's Happy Thing:
Jonathan started handing me his slimy, half-chewed food. Why is this a "happy thing"? Because he's not throwing it on the floor anymore!

(He walked all the way around the front room today too! Woot! AND, he seems to be over the puking, now he's just tired and crabby. I'll take it!)

Under Construction

2011-08-27T23:04:00.002-06:00

So... I've determined that I can't upload pictures and/or video to the blog right now... Most likely due to SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW internet connection that we pay WAAAAAAAAY too much for... (No, it's not dial-up, but it's just as bad, IMO)
Anyway, that totally wrecks my posting for a little while. If I think of any witty/brilliant/funny posts that don't require photos or videos, I promise I'll post them.

In the meantime, here's my happy things for the week:
1. Isaac and I went on a "Mommy date" today - our time to just go somewhere alone and do whatever he wants. Today was the science museum. We got to watch a show in the planetarium, and he LOVED it! He's never been to a theater before, so I was apprehensive, but it went well. His favorite part: playing with the "moon texture" puzzle in the space exhibit. My favorite part: watching his eyes light up when he realized we didn't have to hurry through the dinosaur exhibit because it was just the two of us.
2. We ran out of diapers (got down to just 4, planned to go to the store, both boys ended up with super poos, so we had to hurry a little faster than anticipated) - I skipped the couponing sale (wish I hadn't, BTW). Stocked up by buying a big box of the off-brand we use most often. The very next morning, Isaac woke up and announced he wanted to be potty trained that day. He only had one accident. Next day, he had two accidents. Now he's decided he would rather just wear diapers again. I wonder if I just buy a whole bunch of the big boxes of diapers, would he decide to get rid of them once and for all?
3. I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping! :) Now, on to the actual putting together of the presents... This year's plan is for everything to be homemade. I figure if I start now, I MIGHT finish... The big one to get done: Jon's quilt. How long have I been sitting on that material and not even cut it out? Since last Thanksgiving...
4. Gained another two pounds. That makes 12 pounds since May - that's why people keep asking if I'm pregnant. I get it. BUT, this week I found out why: the prescription I've been taking for postpartum issues causes weight gain. This happened after Isaac too, and I just kept beating myself up for not having enough self-control, not exercising hard enough, etc. Now I'm not happy about my weight, but at least I feel a little better about myself.
5. Got to talk to my sister serving in the military overseas. Thoroughly enjoyed hearing about her being grounded from certain vehicles because of getting them airborne over speed bumps. Reminded me of getting airborne in the Saturn going over train tracks when learning to drive in Ohio. Regardless of the conversation, it was just good to talk to her. I miss you Kristi!
6. Mark and I went on a date. First one this year. Kyle did a fabulous job babysitting, even if he did let Isaac watch "Man v.s. Food" (No worries Kyle! I think, for him at least, it's a show worth watching! It might convince him to eat something!) Mark and I went to the science museum, and actually got to SEE EXHIBITS! Without chasing kids! It was awesome! (Mark is reminding me that I'm using sentence fragments. Guess what? I don't care.)

Yes, other fabulous things happened this week, but I'm too tired to think of any of them. Apparently, I'll be watching a puke-y toddler tomorrow while Mark has meetings, so I guess I better get my sleep now while I can! Here's hoping I can figure out pictures and videos soon!

Shopping With Kids

2011-08-22T22:19:00.003-06:00

Putting things away after shopping has become somewhat of a treasure hunt lately - I never know what I'll find that the boys have tossed in my cart (and I didn't notice before buying). Random things that have ended up in my shopping cart lately:

a blue number "1" candle
a cool plaid fedora
men's size small white t-shirts in a multi-pack
the cheap off-brand markers
a half-eaten avocado
a squashed, half-eaten loaf of French bread
a four-pack of neon puffy paint pens

Oh, the adventures! Tomorrow, we're off to buy diapers, wipes, and (hopefully) some pizza crusts. I wonder what else we'll end up with...

I'm Too Lazy...

2011-08-12T07:27:00.002-06:00

To post the picture I took to share today... I'd have to find the phone and upload everything... It's humorous though, so I'll share it another time. Let's just say that the people who designed the most recent diapers my boys have been wearing had a sense of humor I can relate to.
Those who look at these things may notice that I'm posting WAY earlier than usual (like more than 12 hours earlier). I've started walking with my neighbor in the mornings, and my boys are usually up and going by the time I get back. Not today! Yay! We'll see how long I get a little time to myself - not even Mark is up yet.
Since I'm lazy, there aren't any pictures today, but I wanted to post something I admire about each of my boys - including Sammy.

Mark - Is such a good daddy. I aspire to be as loving a parent as he is. He would give anything for his kids - and quite frequently gives all he can handle. He is generally really patient with the kiddos (sleep deprived moments aside). AND, he plays "robots."

Isaac - Is genuine. When he tells you something is great or that he loves you, he REALLY means it. He throws himself into whatever he loves with such a passion that nothing else exists to detract from it. When he realizes someone is feeling bad, he is always good for a hug and a consoling word.

Jonathan - Is tenacious. If something is in his way, he'll find a route around it or just scale it! Literally and metaphorically. If he wants something - food, Daddy, a hug/kiss, playing peek-a-boo - he'll find a way to get it.

Sammy - Is insanely loyal. I say "insanely" because he is loyal even though we definitely don't deserve it at the moment. Even though he doesn't get much attention right now, he is always there to be a friend when we need him.

She Just Gets Me

2011-08-07T21:33:00.003-06:00

I think the woman who keeps this blog is my new best friend - she just doesn't know it yet! This particular post is EXACTLY what happens at our house quite frequently. How frequently, you ask? Ah, let's see... The last time was... Hm... Oh, wait A WEEK AGO! Ha... Seems like it was forever ago now.

Anyway, thanks to Deena for sharing this blog with me! It totally made my day! (Happy Birthday, BTW - sorry we didn't make it! I was busy pretending I didn't have kids while my MIL was nice enough to let me nap, since said kids haven't slept in approximately 10 nights now)

http://crappypictures.typepad.com/crappy-pictures/2011/08/last-monday-started-like-any-other-monday-except-the-boys-were-being-unruly-more-than-usual-i-mean-this-was-the-beginning.html

Itchy?

2011-08-03T21:47:00.002-06:00

Nope, not here. We've made it through seven years of marriage now, and are still both exceedingly happy. (I checked with Mark before I wrote that, just to make sure I wasn't telling any lies)

Here's some things that we've learned about each other over the years:

1. Robyn holds "food grudges." If it wasn't great the first time she tried it, she's not likely to try it again - at least not for a looooong time. (eg. peanut butter popcorn, peanut butter chicken burritos, etc.)
2. Mark is picky about ice cubes. They all need to be evenly sized, and the water level has to be just right so that it's easy to take them out of the tray once frozen.
3. Robyn has to have absolutely smooth sheets and pajamas, or she can't sleep.
4. Mark hates flannel pajama pants, even in the dead of winter. (Okay, he claims they are not flannel, they're heavy wool...)
5. We both enjoy a good tomato - home grown, with melted mozzarella and Italian seasoning, on toasted sourdough.
6. Mark can be quite persuasive. (When I tried to break up with him, right before we got engaged, he asked why. I didn't have a good reason, so he just told me that was a stupid idea. I had to agree...)
7. Robyn's "Achilles' Heel" is the touch of a spider - it makes her swell up almost instantly.
8. Mark doesn't like apples. Of course, I'd been trying to figure out why we always had so many left after buying them at the grocery store for years before I found out.
9. We both think chocolate is best SUPER dark. Seriously, SUUUUUUPER dark.
10. Robyn can come up with infinite ways to make art out of (fill in the blank).
11. Mark has Restless Leg Syndrome AND he's a percussionist. He moves almost incessantly in his sleep when stressed.
12. We've both had way more head injuries than the average person. Maybe that's why we're still crazy about each other. (Awww - super cheese!)

Going Back In Time

2011-08-02T21:09:00.007-06:00

Yep, I know I'm super far behind in putting pictures up... Bear with me - I'm slowly but surely getting back on my feet here...

The day of the green paint incident, Isaac had started out playing in the mud. This was as dirty as I THOUGHT he'd get...

But this was the result of the painting (keep in mind, this was AFTER washing his hair multiple times):

I'm pretty sure my patio will never be the same either, but at least I'll have a record of his cute little feet.

Ankylosaurus:

Our trip to Sonic that ended with blue slush in my cup holders:

Jon just wanted to drive. I wish those next 15 years would go a little more slowly...

We spent a lot of time watching other people.

The "I-have-stickers-on-my-face!" face:

Oh, the straw...

Jon did it, so Isaac felt the need to. Can sibling hero worship end up reversed? (Note the fire engine in the background. The boys were ENTHRALLED. I totally lucked out.)

Playing at the mall... Jon loves to experiment with new ways of going down the slide.

His favorite is the tunnel though.

Isaac's favorite is the ball maze.

Cow Appreciation Day at Chik-fil-a. Yes, I made all of our outfits.

Isaac has been enjoying Jon's birthday presents... The absolute favorite is the DoodlePro.

Jon has been enjoying climbing. On EVERYTHING.

And I do mean EVERYTHING.

See what I mean about reverse hero worship?

Aaron and Mark birdwatching at Grandma Sue's house:

Gabriella and Isaac on the sky chair - I don't know if they were watching birds or not...

I think Aaron was confused about where the birds were... :) (Just kidding Aaron!)

Gabriella, Isaac, and Aaron at the science museum. We lucked out and went on a day they were doing an exhibit on the Snowmass dig that has been in the news lately. (Okay, so I'm a super paleontology nerd... Maybe nobody else reads the science-y news I do. Just trust me, there's a cool dig up in Snowmass with some awesome Ice Age fossils.)

I was planning to do a post on what I make my kids for lunch (that they gag about and throw on the floor), but first Isaac ate part of this one before I got a picture, and then the world here blew up. So, you get a partial happy-face lunch plate picture.

If you've been following the saga of the destruction over here, you'll remember the salt that got dumped on the table last week. Here's the picture of what Isaac drew in it:

For "Mommy School", we've been learning about space and astronauts. We decided to make puppets, but nothing around here is complete without the addition of a robot. (Isaac cut and glued the astronauts and helped with the rocket and moon. I did the robot all by myself though. The weird balls of paper glued to popsicle sticks are an Isaac original - he told me they were meteors.)

The boys are now sharing a room, and we're not entirely sure we're going to have any more kiddos, so I'm converting the baby's room into a playroom (this way I can reclaim my living room!) Here's what it looks like most of the time...

And here's what it looks like clean:

This last one is a worse picture than I realized, but I'm posting it because I haven't gotten around to showing off Isaac's green room since I painted it... In April... The art on the walls is all handmade by yours truly (robots and space, of course!) I know you can't tell from the picture, but that poor crib is about to bite the dust. I have it all kinds of jerry-rigged and propped up by the wall... Turns out, Jon WILL NOT sleep unless he's in the crib. SO, it's staying for a while longer, as long as I can keep it safe. Good thing the one thing he doesn't climb is the crib railing...

Family Reunion

2011-08-01T21:07:00.006-06:00

Before the chaos that was "last week," the Bailey boys had a family reunion. Scott and Greg dragged their families all the way up here to visit with those of us in Colorado. My boys thought they might have died and gone to heaven - COUSINS! The visit was wonderful. While up in Estes, we had an awesome photographer take some family photos for us. For more of his work, visit his website: http://www.jacksactionshots.com/ Here's a few of my favorites:

Yesterday, Continued...

2011-07-30T15:29:00.003-06:00

Last night ended up going remarkably well with the boys in the same room. In fact, other than putting them to bed for the night, there was little difference between sharing a room and not for them. Of course, they ended up sharing a bed too, but they both seemed to be happy.

Here's what happened the rest of the day though:
While eating lunch, Isaac dumped salt from the big container on the table and started making pictures in it.
I figured I could clean it up while the boys napped, but I HAD to go to the bathroom. While I went to the bathroom, the boys destroyed the crib.
Called Mark and tried to figure out what to do about naps. We decided to just put both boys in Isaac's room and hope they napped together.
While I attempted to put the boys down for nap, the utility marking guy came and needed access to the backyard - apparently, Xcel has not finished killing all of our landscaping...
While I was out letting the marking guy in, the Jon climbed on top of Isaac's desk (which I THOUGHT was impossible...), got into his piggy bank, and started eating change.
While I called the pediatrician to make sure they didn't need me to take him in for x-rays, the boys started playing in the broken crib (yet another safety hazard).
While I took apart the crib and put it in a closet so nobody would kill themselves on it, Jon decided to dump Isaac's cup of chocolate milk on the table and splash around in it.
While I attempted to clean up the milk (it was even in the piano - don't ask me how that happened!), Jon climbed up on the table, sat on the butter, grabbed the sugar from the abandoned cookie making and dumped it on the floor.
While I took Jon upstairs to try to clean the milk, butter, and sugar off of him, Isaac made pictures in the sugar on the floor.
At this point, I decided I needed to sit down...
While I sat down, my boys got down on hands and knees and started licking sugar off the floor.
While I tried to clean up the sugar, both boys crawled out the dog door and into the backyard.
I abandoned all hope of getting anything done, tossed the boys in the tub, shoved some clothes on them, let them fall asleep in the car, and took Keynan's birthday present over to his house.

The day ended with butter, sugar, salt, and milk all over my kitchen table and floor, two relatively clean boys, red and orange utility flags all over my backyard, a sick husband, no crib, and an exhausted me. BUT Keynan got his birthday present, the boys were totally excited about sharing a room, and we all have comfy beds.

Sharing

2011-07-29T14:23:00.003-06:00

Soooo... I decided to go to the bathroom on my own today... (By "on my own" I mean "not accompanied by either child") Apparently, it was a big mistake. We no longer have a crib... Boys are now sharing a room. No naps. It's busy season. Mark won't be home by bedtime. Offers of sympathy welcome.

Oh No, There Goes Tokyo

2011-07-12T20:41:00.004-06:00

Go, go Godzilla! (Google the Blue Oyster Cult song if you haven't heard it...) (Yes, this is Jon's birthday cake - I know Godzilla wasn't a pachycephalosaurus, but it was the closest I had.)

Isaac assisted me in the making of the cake... He was supposed to be napping... Oh well. He thoroughly enjoyed watching Godzilla movies to get inspiration for the design. Awesome.

For Jon's birthday, he decided to grouch it up. I did convince him to play with the cars Isaac gave him, and he drew with his new DoodlePro, but that was it. The rest of the day, he was fussing, screaming, or sleeping. That's okay - we accepted it as his right for his birthday. Tomorrow, it'll be another story.

In honor of Jon-o's birthday, here's some neat facts you may not know about him:

1. Jonathan doesn't walk yet, but he HAS figured out how to push kitchen chairs across the floor, climb up on them, then climb up on the counters to get whatever he wants.

2. Jon will bite through packaging to get to applesauce in those little plastic cups.

3. Jon loves dogs - in books, not in real life. He likes to sleep with a touch-and-feel dog book so he can wake up and look at the dogs. BUT, he doesn't care for actual dogs - mostly, he ignores them.

4. Jon likes to watch t.v. Especially if he can go up and lick/hit/kiss the screen.

5. Jon's current favorite foods include almond butter and chocolate soy milk.

6. Jon can't sleep without a crocheted blanket, and hasn't been able to since he was about 6 weeks old.

7. Jon has a birthmark on his back, just above his bum, and Mark and I both think it's cute.

8. Jon used to be terrified of people sneezing and Mark laughing. (He used to cry every time Mark laughed) Now, he's only afraid of loud noises SOMETIMES.

9. Jonathan has an obsession with electrical cords. He's even shocked his tongue with the computer power cable, but he still goes back to it ALL THE TIME. I have to unplug the clock and white noise machine in Isaac's room if we read bedtime stories in there, because Jonathan always pulls them down, unplugs them, and tangles the cords up if they're reachable.

10. Jon loves to play the piano. He cries when I teach lessons because he's so jealous that he can't stand it. If he can play a few notes way up high while I play, then at least he's slightly appeased.

Jonathan's name means "gift from God", and he has been. We're so glad to have him in our family! Happy Birthday Jonan!

(For Grandmas - here's some video of the cake tonight. There are a series of 5 videos to post, but I've been trying to upload them for more than an hour and can only get the first two... I've decided I'm going to bed, so I'll try to get the other 3 up tomorrow. No promises though!)

A Few Moments...

2011-07-07T20:29:00.003-06:00

Today, the cup holders in my van are filled with Blue Coconut Slush. Worth it.

Remember those moments from yesterday? Yeah, they repeated today. (Isaac has a big ol' bruise on his face from running face-first into a wall. Jon has a welt on his face from getting whipped with the belt Isaac was swinging around instead of wearing. I'm just waiting for CPS to show up and start asking questions.) So, I decided to take the boys and myself out for slushes and tater tots - mostly because I could.

The boys were having a good old time sitting in the van drinking each others' slushes and sharing tater tots. We were seeing how many stickers we could stick on Isaac's face. Jon was playing with the button for the hazard lights. I was watching the sketchy guys across the grass at Home Depot and wondering if they were up to no good. A fire truck and emergency response crew showed up to have Sonic food. The boys loved checking out the vehicles.

And then it happened... Jon decided to try to climb over Isaac. Isaac was trying to hold his slush out of the way, but Jon sat RIGHT ON TOP of it! We had blue slush all over both boys and the car. Nice.

So, I hurried and got both boys back into their car seats. We drove home, I nailed Isaac with the hose (he was INSANELY sticky), and got every rag we own to sop up the mess in the car. Right as I made it back out to the van (with both boys in it - Isaac was sitting on a quilt in the back of the car, still soaking wet), the heavens opened and let loose all of the water they've been saving up for months.

We spent a while in the van, just hanging out and cleaning up slush. Oddly, I think it was the best time I've had with my boys in a while. Jon was repentant (he even gave Isaac a kiss), Isaac was cooperative (it might have just been fear of the thunder), and I was just enjoying the fact that I have my van (which may be my most prized possession).

The one bummer about the rain is that we haven't finished the work in the sprinkler trenches yet. The rain has pretty well messed all that up - when I looked at them a few hours ago, they were completely full of water. SO, on Mark's day off tomorrow, I guess we'll be re-digging trenches before we can finish those lines...

Oh, and Mark is going BACK to the dentist to try to fix the tooth that's been keeping him up at night. (Or at least get some painkillers!) Hopefully I'll be able to finish our costumes, and we'll be headed to Cow Appreciation Day for a meal! (Pictures to follow)

For the Grandmas who want to know what Jon might like for his birthday next week:
Touch and Feel board books with animals (he LOOOOOOOVES those)
Cars - anything that he can drive along the floor is his favorite toy

Moments...

2011-07-06T16:33:00.002-06:00

A wise man once said "Motherhood comes in moments." This moment is not my favorite...

Just so you know, olive oil and a fine tooth comb DO take latex paint out of hair - in case your 3 year old decides to stick his head in green paint, it's nice to know.

Also, after 4 baths for EACH boy today, I've decided that the backyard is off limits until Daddy gets home.

Lunch consisted of ice cream, Pringles, shredded cheese, and mini-muffins from the freezer.

I had to re-dig a sprinkler trench that Isaac decided to fill in.

Jon is PO'd about weaning...

I forgot to return the Redbox movie last night, my house is trashed, and Isaac peed on the floor again.

Here's hoping this moment is just that - a moment.

Always Learning

2011-07-04T21:34:00.006-06:00

Learning to use a spoon is hard work...

You have to learn which way is up...

Still not quite "up"...

You have to get the hang of digging food out of the container...

Umm... Just the digging requires an awful lot of concentration...

Aw, forget it! Chewing on the container is sooooo much easier!

See, you can still kind of slurp the food out.

Look Ma, no hands!

This is the hardest part though...

Keeping the food away from the dog...

A few more of Isaac's works of art that I found in a long-lost pile of papers while cleaning:

Um... REALLY long lost...

Yes, I colored the plates on Steggy's back - Isaac did the rest.

Not sure what this one is, but it's very colorful.

As is this one.

This is one of Isaac's "castles" - one of many. Jon is learning how to scale the walls.

Jon is learning how to peel a banana. The sad thing is that he'll demand bananas, then eat the peel and throw the fruit on the floor. Awesome.

The "I-demand-to-have-chocolate-milk-now-but-I-just-remembered-I-hate-chocolate-milk-so-I-have-to-say-thank-you-before-I-throw-a-fit-because-I-don't-want-to-drink-it" face...

Isaac learned he can ALMOST fit inside the milk box.

Jon learned that crawling away from home in only a pair of shorts is a good way to end all access to outdoor play time for a few days.

Isaac learned how to take a picture of himself.

A big learning experience: redoing the front landscaping... More on that in a post later this week, but here's the "during" pictures for those who have heard about this project.

Our "weekend warrior" projects fell a little short... And more than a little over budget... *sigh* So, we still aren't done with our entirely new sprinkler system, the boys are feeling a little neglected, and I think we'll be eating breakfast for dinner a few extra times this month. Oh well. I'm just happy we got as much done as we did, the boys are happy to have Daddy put them to bed, and I already froze a triple batch of French toast. Sometimes, things just work out. Now, if only we could get the weather to be a little cooler, we'd be in business!

CSI: Kitchen

2011-07-03T21:35:00.003-06:00

Parental Warning: This post contains graphic pictures, and may be unsettling to those who regularly clean their kitchen. Caution is advised. (No children were injured in the making of this blog post)

Evidence collected from the scene of the crime:

Suspect caught red-handed (ha ha ha - pun intended).

The baby, in the kitchen, with the spoon. (Don't worry, it's just berry applesauce. Learning to use a spoon is hard work. Mopping the floor and bathing the child after every meal is harder.)

Better Late Than Never...

2011-06-29T22:11:00.001-06:00

Family picture from our trip in May... Ummm... I know, I'm slow. Sorry. At least we all look like we like each other in this one!

A Few Pictures

2011-06-24T21:31:00.004-06:00

Ah, brotherly love...

Isaac likes this much better...

One ring to find them, and in the darkness bind them...

Speaks for itself.

Isaac is to Curious George as Jon is to...

2011-06-16T21:18:00.003-06:00

Today, I made the boys a tent out of hula hoops, yarn, and a bed sheet.

Isaac loved playing in there with his flashlight.

See how excited he was?

Until....

ゴジラ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome

2011-06-15T21:27:00.004-06:00

Babycenter.com has some of the best articles ever... This one has come in handy a lot the last couple of days: 40 Ways to Play With Your Kids While Lying Down

Isaac's favorite one is "What's On My Butt?" - he thinks it's hilarious (which it is). In fact, he tries to be the one to lay down and guess what I put on his bum. He's discovered that it isn't quite as easy to tell that something is even there if you're still wearing diapers... Maybe this'll be motivating? I can dream, can't I?

Thanks to those who've been consoling me since my last post. No, things haven't really gotten much easier. Yes, the dog has a new home (no owners ever called). No, I don't know what was wrong with Jon, but he's all better and nobody else has gotten whatever it was. Yes, I'm obsessed with napping.

Also, I'm a horrible sister and fell asleep instead of calling my sister last night to wish her luck before she left... So, hopefully she'll be able to read this: I LOVE YOU SIS! Good luck! :)

Before I forget, I have to post about a funny argument Isaac and Keynan got into lately. They both LOVE dinosaurs, but Isaac has started to branch out to other reptiles and amphibians. Isaac started singing "The Iguana Song" (just look up "Big Green Rabbit Iguana Song" on YouTube if you haven't heard it). Keynan was very upset, and kept saying "An iguanodon is a dinosaur!" Isaac would reply "But it's just an iguana!" They went back and forth like that for a while until they both happened to notice that Jonathan was eating Styracosaurus. Good old Jon-o, solving problems by leaving teeth marks in plastic models.

C'est La Vie

2011-06-13T20:37:00.002-06:00

I've decided that my household is certain to spontaneously combust at some point this week, so I'd better get to posting! Here's a little of how our weekend went...

1. Sue came down Friday night to stay with us - awesome! :) We stayed up and played a round of "Pandemic" - we won.
2. On Saturday morning, Mark and I made a to-do list to try to focus our efforts and cram as much into Saturday as we could. We thought if we could really work hard and efficiently, we might even have been able to go on a lunch date.
3. Jonathan went down for an early nap. I thought this was awesome, so we could get to work sooner.
4. Isaac and Grandma Sue went to the park. This made working even easier!
5. Mark and I started our to-do list with a smaller sprinkler repair (the one I hit with the lawnmower...) I also wanted to just dig enough of the crabgrass out to install the new edger I need for my expanded flowerbed.
6. A neighbor driving down the street slowed down to avoid hitting a puppy that was running down the road. She mentioned that she thought the dog lived in the house on the corner.
7. We (Mark and I) catch the puppy and try to take it home. Nobody answered the door.
8. We check with our next door neighbors (who know the corner house well) to see if they have a phone number for the dog's owner. They immediately recognize that the dog doesn't belong to that neighbor.
9. Puppy comes to our house. We make posters and hurry around the neighborhood posting them.
10. Isaac and Grandma Sue come home. Jon wakes up. Puppy is adored by all.
11. Mark and I realize that we've got to figure out the puppy situation before the boys become too attached.
12. All to-do list is stalled, but we take action to try to find the puppy's owners.
13. We go to ask our other next door neighbors if they know who owns the puppy. They don't, but mention that they're willing to help our front yard project with their tiller.
(BTW, at the time, the clouds were foreboding... It rained/thundered/lightning-ed only while those guys were out tilling and shoveling. Seriously, we have AWESOME neighbors!)
14. Jonathan feels quite warm, and is grouchy... Same neighbor volunteers to send wife over (she's a pediatric resident) to check him out.
15. Jonathan falls asleep. We go out back to work on the new dog run - higher priority with 3 dogs in the house (we had Nali over too). Miss the knocking on the door when Melissa comes over, but catch her before she makes it home. She can't check out Jon since he's asleep, but she loves up the puppy.
16. Jon wakes up screaming. His temperature is now 103. We're supposed to be at a good-bye party for two families we're friends with in one hour. Still not done with the dog run. Have no treats to take to the party to share. Have an obviously sick baby. Puppy pees on our floor. Sue has left for dance lessons.
17. Decide to stop by party just long enough to say good-bye and have someone help Mark give Jon a Priesthood blessing. Isaac sees all of his friends there and flips out when we can't stay.
18. We decide to grab a Redbox movie and some frozen chicken nuggets from the grocery store so Isaac can be rewarded for being good all day, even when it's been so crazy. Mark drops Jon and me at home, then heads over to the store.
19. Mark gets a call from work, which keeps him and Isaac in the car for 1/2 an hour. Finally gets into the store, gets Isaac excited about a movie, then realizes he doesn't have his wallet.
20. It's now bedtime, nobody has had dinner, Isaac is going to be beyond crushed if we don't watch the movie liked promised, and Jon is burning up. Mark runs home, grabs the wallet and runs back to the store.
21. Movie is sold out. Mark convinces Isaac to try a different one. Not without some disappointment.
22. Hurry and nuke the nuggets, sit down to watch movie. Mark and I attempt to scarf down some leftovers from previous dinner. Jon cries. A lot. Puppy and Sammy annoy each other.
23. Movie ends at almost 10. Struggle to get boys down. Oh, crud. What do we do about the puppy? Hurry and set up gates to keep Puppy in the kitchen and Sammy out of the kitchen.
24. Spend the night up with either Puppy (whining) or Jon (screaming at the top of his lungs).
25. Morning... Realize we'll have to tag-team church. Find out Puppy is not house broken - good thing she was locked in the kitchen... Jon's fever is lower, but he's still miserable.
26. I head to church, race through Primary (I never feel like I have enough time in there!), hand off the last 10 minutes to Crystal (THANK YOU!), drive as fast as I legally can back home. Trade with Mark. Welcome friends from out of town (visiting from Kansas). Still haven't heard from Puppy's owners. Luckily, Amy and Brian are willing to take the puppy for a while. Hand over Puppy (gratefully!) Deal with fit over the fact that Puppy is gone. Get Thing 1 down for a nap. Attempt to put Thing 2 down for a nap.
27. Wait for Mark to come home from meetings. Turns out to be pretty late. Friends have to zoom off, since they're driving all the way home that night. Jon wakes up happy, until his friend Tommy has to leave. Isaac wakes up confused and still sad about Puppy.
28. I know more happened yesterday, but I honestly can't remember much, other than making a pizza because that's what Isaac wanted. He didn't eat any of it. Jon threw his pieces on the floor. Mark and I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that we were a) sitting down and b) eating food.
29. Family Home Evening. Jon falls asleep, then wakes up screaming twice during the lesson. Mark falls asleep in the chair. Isaac runs around wildly. I decide to call it and just end because I'm the only member of the family left. Sammy wasn't even in the room.
30. Get boys to bed. Mark and I both punk out before 9.
31. Wake up with Jon. A lot. His fever spikes at 104.4
32. Wish we could sleep longer. Isaac wakes everybody else up and throws a fit because we're not downstairs playing with him immediately upon his awakening.
33. Drag through the breakfast routine. Mark takes shower. Water heater moos. Remember water heater repair guy is coming. Decide to try to do some dishes before he gets here. Discover that the dishwasher is still full of dirty dishes... I could have sworn I ran it...
34. Find that trash is beyond full. Try to take it out. Bag EXPLODES during attempt. Race to clean up mess before dog/kids get into it. Somehow manage to succeed.
35. Mark rushes to work. Take 3 poopy diapers out to trash. Jon goes down for early nap (surprise, surprise). Isaac demands playtime. Water heater repair guy shows up. Find out the motor for the heater is full of moths. Turns out nobody makes a screen for the intake, but the repair guy is trying to patent one right now. He says he'll call us when it goes through. Pay insane amount to have motor cleaned of moth guts.
36. Wake up Jon. Plop both boys in car and pick up movie Isaac wanted on Saturday. Deal with fit about the fact that we can't watch it until after nap. Pick up (hopefully) last items needed to make Mark's Father's Day present. Realize I haven't mailed either of my grandmothers' birthday cards... Happy Birthday Grandma Foote and Grandma Wallace! You'll be getting your cards sometime soon!
37. Umm... Still don't have clean dishes... Eat cold cereal off the table (no milk, of course) for lunch.
38. Isaac ASKS to have his quiet time early. Jon goes down easily for nap. Wow, is it possible that I can take a nap too?! Um... No. Isaac starts screaming. Turns out that he finally discovered that the stuffed lizard he's been carrying around for a month has feet that separate. He thinks the toy is broken. Demands that I fix it RIGHT NOW. Tell him he has to take a nap if he screams again, since he's totally going to wake up his brother. He agrees to just have quiet time. I lay down again. 5 minutes later, Isaac is screaming again. This time, he's dropped his dinosaur finger puppets behind the bed and can't reach them. I fish them out and tell him he has to lay down and snuggle with his stuffed animals QUIETLY now. I lay down again. I have no sooner shut my eyes than Isaac starts screaming AGAIN! He doesn't even know why he's screaming this time. I tuck him in and tell him I'm going to take the movie back if he doesn't go to sleep this time. I get an hour nap before Jon wakes up. Jon is up for another hour after that before we decide to wake up Isaac and start the movie.
39. Eat homemade caramel popcorn and watch "The Little Engine That Could" - boys loved it.
40. Make pretend "Little Engine" and Vacuum Cleaner Robot have conversations with Isaac while I attempt to cook fajitas with Jon clinging to my leg and screaming.
41. Somehow make it to 5:45, when Mark comes home and the boys are suddenly more cooperative. Eat delicious fajitas. Isaac eats a small hole in the middle of a tortilla and declares he is done. Jonathan throws all food on the floor except cheese. Why do I even cook for them? Would I be the most horrible mother alive if I just handed Isaac a sleeve of Saltines and Jon a chunk of cheddar for dinner?
42. Family music time. Mark and Jon play djembe. I'm still attempting to teach Isaac clarinet - he can manage an open G sometimes, and I think that's awesome (especially since the mouthpiece on "his" clarinet is chipped, the pads all leak, and he's playing on a 4 reed).
43. Boys down for bed. Mark is upstairs in Isaac's room snoring, so I'm pretty sure he's out. Sammy is down at my feet cowering because there's a thunderstorm. Why am I still awake? Because I had intended to wash my sheets today, but didn't get that far. My bed is still unmade, and I can't find the extra set of sheets. I guess I'll wait for the dryer...

For those who may be wondering, Puppy's owner still hasn't called. She had no collar or anything. Mark and I are pretty sure no one is going to call at this point. It's too bad - she's a cute little thing! Isaac calls her "Snowflake" (she's all white, and I just was being facetious and giving her a name, but Isaac thought it was great), and continues to ask when we're going to visit her at Kyle's house. A few people have offered to give her a good home if we don't find her original family. I'm so glad, because she really doesn't deserve to be a pound puppy!

Mom, I'm still planning to post those pictures, but I've been a little overwhelmed this weekend... I'll try again this week!

Some Foods That Make Isaac Gag

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

Just to prove how abnormal my kid is... This is not a complete list. Apology in advance to his future wife...

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (especially the "googey" cheese)

Spaghetti (even just buttered noodles)

Blueberry Pancakes

Pizza (he WILL eat it IF we scrape off every semblance of toppings possible - I'm convinced he can see microscopic remnants of sauce)

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

Hamburgers

Hot Dog/Corn Dogs

Been There, Mopped That...

2011-06-06T13:47:00.006-06:00

Would you ever guess that I've already mopped/swept the floor 5 times today? The only reason it is currently clean is because the boys are napping...

Jon also got into the recycling bag... Don't we look like healthy eaters - Cap'n Crunch and Mountain Dew...

Mark's play dough cat. It looked even better in real life.

What you can't tell from this picture is that the Exersaucer is totally collapsed. It was in our attic for storage, but we took it out when the insulation was blown in and haven't found a new home for it yet. Jon thinks it is awesome, since he can just crawl into it whenever he feels like it.

We received yet another box. This one is bigger - it had our new printer in it! The boys LOVE it!

I don't think anyone fully comprehends "messy" until they've let children play in wet sand.

The pinwheels have become very important yard work tools - they keep Jonathan entertained long enough for me to do something.

The boys just thought they were helping Daddy fix sprinklers. From the look on Daddy's face, you can tell he was not amused.

The boys now fight over who gets to climb up the slide first.

I guess Isaac won that one.

Jonathan gave up on the slide to help me with the drip irrigation hoses.

As I promised Isaac, here are all his preschool papers - published for the world to see!

So, in addition to mopping the kitchen floor, what have we been up to lately? Yard work. Lots and lots. We're still behind on the garden - meaning we haven't even planted some things yet... Mark spent about 4 hours working on the sprinklers in the backyard on Saturday, only to discover that a pipe had ruptured in the front yard. So, we're renting a trencher this weekend to re-lay an entire zone. Awesome.

Groupon

2011-06-01T22:13:00.002-06:00

I signed up for Groupon emails through my newspaper subscription stuff. I'm on a less-clutter kick, so I chose to declutter my email inbox too. I decided to unsubscribe from the emails. Anyway, when you choose to unsubscribe, Groupon posts a page that shows a little web cam image of "Derrick" - the "guy who thought you'd like to receive Groupon emails". There's a little button that says "punish Derrick" at the bottom of the page. If you click the button, the "web cam" runs through a little video of Derrick getting chewed out. At the end, you are chided with "that was mean" and they offer you a chance to "make it up to Derrick" by resubscribing. I'm not sure what happens when you click that button, as I didn't want to resubscribe.

Honestly, it was pretty darn funny! Mark and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

See, cleaning out the clutter can be fun too!

(Oh, and after 3 days of attempting, I finally got the back lawn mowed!!! One day, we will own an electric lawn mower that can hold a charge long enough to get through our yard... Maybe it'll even be self-propelled! Hey, a girl can dream, right?)

(AND in the interest of keeping records here, Jon has been saying his first word consistently for about a month... Poor second child, totally getting the shaft on this whole "milestones" recording... The word happens to be his favorite thing in the whole world - but he generally says it when he's mad - "Isaac")

The Pursuit of Busyness

2011-05-30T19:46:00.004-06:00

So... A lot of happenings the last two weeks: Nicole had a last minute trip out for a job interview, preschool at our house two times (the last two times for the school year), new roof and all the associated inspection stuff, broken air conditioner and arguing with repair people, trip out to Cedar to see Sboy and Kristi before they deploy, and all of us sickos. Hurray! We're pretty exhausted at the moment...

Our trip to Cedar is the main point today - we got back about 4:30 this morning. (We're now of the opinion that any road trip lasting more than 2 hours is best done in the middle of the night) We got to celebrate Mike's graduation, Kristi's arrival home from AIT (which she did the same day we got there), Ryan's graduation, and Scott and Kristi's deployment (umm... if you can call it a "celebration"). Annie, Dee, Tonya, Tracy, Jesse and kids all drove down for a visit, so we had a mini-reunion with that side of the family (Coopers and Grandma Foote live in Cedar, so they were easy to get together). The familiness was awesome.

It was especially fun to see Sboy and Kristi, because I haven't seen them since they left for Basic last year, and they are BUILT! I went to poke Scott in the stomach, and it hurt my finger!

On those same lines, just wanted to let everyone who has or is currently serving in the armed forces know how much we appreciate the sacrifices you have made! We're starting to understand a little more how rough it can be, even if you don't ever see battle. Thank you for all you do! (It totally embarrasses Sboy when people tell him "thank you", but I think it is entirely called for.) I'm super proud to have so many family members who have served our country: both of my grandfathers, one of Mark's grandfathers, two of my siblings, one of Mark's brothers, Mark's stepbrother, an uncle, and a handful of cousins (if I've forgotten anyone, I'm totally sorry - can I claim lack of sleep for my brain malfunction?) We're not flying our flag today, because we got home at such a ridiculous hour, but all of the men and women who have served our country - especially the fallen - were in our thoughts today.

(BTW - we decided we're real Americans today, since we made it over to Home Depot... Nothing says "Memorial Day" like buying home improvement stuff...)

Now, I'm off to attempt some sleep... Of course, now that Jon is down, I still have to get Isaac to drift off to dream land...

Put You In a Box...

2011-05-20T21:27:00.004-06:00

So... I did this upside-down again... Mark will definitely give me grief about it, but I'm not going to go back and fix it. (Mark - deal...)

We went to the museum this morning. Isaac was all about the dinosaurs. Nicole went with us and talked him into looking at mummies for about 30 seconds. Then we went and played with magnets in the Discovery Zone. Jon played with gears. It was awesome. Totally my favorite part of the museum (mostly because I don't have to keep saying "shhh!")

When frustrated with us as kids, my dad always told us he would "fold you up, put you in a box, and send you to Grandma." My kids put themselves in the box this morning. I couldn't help myself - they were WAY too cute to send to Grandma (sorry Grandmas!)

The quest for entertainment continues during diaper changes at our house. Nicole calls this one "Mr. Pants Head."

AND, I just think Jon-o looks cute when he slouches. His chub sticks out, and it's awesome. (Isn't he INSANELY tall?!)

For those in the know - our roof is going on TOMORROW! Woot! The shingles have been piled up there for a few days in the rain. Jon totally wants me to buy him a big truck with a conveyor belt now - Isaac couldn't have cared less about the delivery truck, but Jon watched the whole thing. (This quote brought to you by Nicole - she says her life is now complete because she's been quoted on my blog. Awesome.)

The boys are both still coughing and stuff, but Jon-o's meds are kicking in. They both seem to be feeling better. I'm dead tired enough that when Nicole watched the boys this afternoon, I slept through all the hacking. (Oh, BTW, Nicole is visiting for a job interview that WAS yesterday - we get to keep her until Monday... Maybe more... We'll see what I can con her into.)

No, Jonathan isn't sleeping through the night again yet. Last night, he only got up three times. Isaac got up twice. I got Jon all three times. I only got Isaac once. I think maybe I'll move to Australia. (If you didn't catch that reference, you need to read more kids' books)

Our garden is going in tomorrow - weather permitting. We've got kamikaze tomatoes at this point... They're too tall for their little starter cups, so they keep tipping over and losing soil. So, PLEASE Weather-Powers-That-Be, make tomorrow nice enough to put those guys in the ground! Please? Pretty please? (I know the physical appearance of the "please" makes no difference, but it's worth a try, right?)

Memory Dump

2011-05-13T21:18:00.007-06:00

How Jon eats:

Love those lips...

You can't tell, but he was galloping (see video at end of post)

I've got a lot of pictures of Isaac's bum, so I had to get one of Jon's bum too.

Really, I was trying to document the fact that he's going up the stairs by himself. Fast too - see that blur?

And he's very proud of himself.

We have a picture of Isaac just like this. Only Isaac actually killed the camera shortly after the photo was taken. I learned my lesson. This time, the camera survived.

Again, you can't see it, but Isaac was standing on a sprinkler head so that he could spray Jonathan with the water. Jon HATED it.

Isaac, on the other hand, LOVED getting thoroughly soaked.

For some reason, the only pictures I took at the Duck Race this year were of the "dog" and my family...

See? But there were duckies too, I promise.

The new sandbox. After playing in it for two days straight, the weather shifted and POURED - which sent my boys into withdrawal. They both had noses pressed against the sliding door staring at it. Jonathan kept poking the dog door, trying to decide whether it was worth it to go out and try to get to the sandbox.

Another picture just like one we have of Isaac.

And another...

Okay, this one is different...

This one is like Isaac too though...

We went from thumb sucking to schnulers today. Those teeth are KILLING him.

But, he found a whole page in my cookbook devoted to his favorite food: squash.

Isaac galloping:

This is how my boys spend a lot of the day:

Jon may prefer percussion, but we'll turn him into a wind player yet!

Isaac just got jealous and wanted to do it too. Good thing I had two straws!

Parenting Fail

2011-05-10T13:05:00.003-06:00

I've decided that, while I'm fabulous at many things, certain parenting responsibilities are not my forte. At the moment, here's my top three:

1. Convincing my children to sleep through the night. One day, it MAY happen again. Like, maybe when they have kids... Hopefully they won't be living with me at that point though.

2. Potty training. Isaac has NO interest, unless he's trying to get out of sleeping. All of that success we were having? Must have been just to string me along a little. At this rate, Jonathan will be potty trained before Isaac.

3. Making a meal my children will actually eat. Sammy has been getting fatter again, from all of the food thrown his way. I'm constantly sweeping/vacuuming/mopping, but we've still had ants in our kitchen AND in the laundry (they were in one of Jon's shirts). Mark is on busy season schedule still. I'll admit it - we've gone out to dinner WAY more than we should in the past two weeks. I get tired of cooking for myself and starving my kids or feeding them multiple slices of toast after I've slaved over a good dinner with both boys clinging to my pant legs while screaming and/or whining (they're doing the screaming/whining, not me - except in this post). One more week of busy season, then at least I'll be cooking for Mark again too.

On a brighter note, Jon cut 4 more teeth last week (OUCH!), so maybe we're past the worst point. I see at least one more that thinks it wants in, so I'm sure we've got a few more bad days ahead, but hopefully that'll be it for a little while.
I bought the boys a new sandbox yesterday. Both of them LOVE it!!! They spent hours in there yesterday, and Isaac was begging me to play in there today. Now I just have to figure out how to keep the sand out of my house.
Mark got one set of wires pulled for overhead lights in the boys' rooms this morning. I think we can finish the other set tonight. We're having insulation blown in on Friday, so we've got to get that wiring done before then! I don't want to have to dig to find the electrical boxes.
My front lawn is greening up. All of that work I did on it the last two weeks is totally paying off! Now I've got to get to the back yard...
We still haven't planted our garden... It looks like I'll be doing a lot of it on my own this year - well, with "help" from the boys. Poor Mark - busy seasons stink.
We chipped our windshield both times we drove up to Estes Park recently. Anybody who needs a recommendation for a good repair place, we've got one.
Both boys managed to have HUGE growth spurts lately. Neither one fits into any of their clothes anymore. I went through all of the hand-me-downs we have, but it looks like all of the clothes that would fit are winter items. Little Tykes, here we come!
Isaac has become enamored with "Toy Story" - the original and 3. For the record, Netflix has Toy Story 3 on instant view. We've watched it a lot. By "watched" I mean that Isaac was somewhat entertained by it while Jonathan was screaming his head off in my arms.
Speaking of the screaming his head off, anybody know a good exorcist? I'm convinced that child must be possessed...

When I Love Being a Mommy...

2011-05-06T20:46:00.002-06:00

Today was especially difficult for Jonathan - he has cut 3 more teeth in the last 2 days, and it doesn't look like he is done yet! Poor kiddo...
Anyway, at nap time, to work off some of my upset-ness (that's totally not a word, is it?) I decided to work on the lawn some more. Just the front lawn - I'm totally that vain. It started with mowing. Done. With perfect lines too. Then I trimmed all of the edges around the edgers S-boy put in last summer. Awesome. Maryanne will probably hug me again (she's been doing that more lately. Apparently I've become the favorite neighbor) THEN, I went totally off the deep end and decided to rake out all of the thatch that has been building up for at least 4 1/2 years.
My boys happened to sleep for 3 hours this afternoon, which worked out really well, because that was exactly how long it took to get all of that thatch out of the lawn! I filled an entire trash can, which I kept standing in to pack it down!!! There's still some out there, since I was just using a regular old rake - not one of those cool power ones - but the lawn looks WAY better.
I'm paying for it now though. My back is KILLING me, my hands have multiple blisters, and my lips are horribly sunburned. (At least I won't need lipstick for a while) Jonathan couldn't have cared less. He just screamed at me until he finally went to bed. So, I told Isaac that he had to look out the window and ooh and aah over the lawn. He hopped up on the couch, studied the lawn for a moment, then said "That's pretty impressive!"
That, right there, made my whole day. "Day," wait, I mean week. Maybe even month. It made it easier to deal with Jon being a pain in the booty.
Of course, then Isaac went and pushed Jonathan over, refused to eat the food I made, and then threw a cup of water at me during bath time. But, hey, it's the little things, right?

Oh, and if anybody wants to borrow an almost-10-month-old for a while, just let me know. He's really cute. Just not right now.

Things I'm Proud of This Week

2011-05-01T20:38:00.002-06:00

My pile of dandelions. This is after about 1 hour. I had only gotten through about 1/4 of the front yard at the time.

Isaac's robot birthday cake.

My knight in shinning armor. (He totally shot the dragon... With a freeze-ray. I'm not even sure he knows what a sword is...) (Thank you, Julie, for the hand-me-down costume! We needed it for a princess party - Isaac was the only boy, and I couldn't very well have him go in a big poofy dress!)

Epic

2011-04-30T00:17:00.002-06:00

The battle has begun.

For those who think I may be exaggerating the enormity of the fight I'm waging, I'll be posting a picture later.

What is the evil I'm attempting to subdue?

Dandelions. Massive amounts of them. In fact, I'm not sure there's even any grass in our backyard anymore.

After numerous failed attempts to eradicate them with a spray-on weed killer, it has been decided that digging each plant out by hand will be necessary. To date, I have already spent 5 hours digging. The front yard is free (I go out daily to catch the little boogers before they can procreate). The backyard doesn't even look any different.

Last year, the weeds won. This year, things will be different. Maybe.

An Earth Day Birthday

2011-04-27T20:48:00.006-06:00

Mark is always proud that Isaac was born on Earth Day. Honestly, until Isaac was born, I didn't know "Earth Day" was a real thing... Um... Yep, I'm a loser. Anyway, one of Isaac's favorite places to go happens to be the Denver Botanic Gardens - which always has a free day on Earth Day. Lucky us! Nothing like a free way to celebrate a birthday!!!

(I usually don't post ALL of the pictures I take, but I decided to this time, just to be sure it was all documented.)

Lydia came with us, and Mark took the day off to join in. We all played the majority of the time in the new kids' area. It was fabulous.

Even Jonathan loved the blocks (made of chunks of wood).

Lydia spent the majority of her time with the stuffed fox.

Still at the block table.

Don't know the official name, but we call this "The Crow's Nest." It has stuffed birds and eggs and nests. Lydia liked it best, since there were stuffed animals.

Isaac enjoyed it mostly because Lydia enjoyed it. (Good man!)

The eagle puppet was a winner.

So was the owl.

Jon liked climbing. Climbing the rocks, the Daddy, the brother, the nests... Yep, anything that stood still long enough.

Lydia, the fox, and the marmot.

Digging.

Those galoshes came in handy! Isaac was one of the only kiddos whose parents allowed him to ford the stream in the cold water.

Lydie bug:

Busy Bee:

Compare this to their first Halloween together. The only real difference is the size.

The three kiddos in the wagon. Can you tell Jon was not thrilled?

Mr. Man

2011-04-23T13:51:00.002-06:00

"Mr. Man" is Isaac's latest name for himself...

Yesterday was Isaac's third birthday. I have a whole post about what we did to celebrate, but I'll get to that another day. For now, I wanted to post a list of some things I LOVE about Isaac!

1. He makes me laugh - He comes up with the funniest stuff out of the blue. I know everybody thinks their kids are funny, but Isaac totally takes the cake.

2. He's persuasive. Not enough to always get what he wants, but he comes up with some good arguments! He'd make a good salesman, except that he's too honest.

3. He doesn't freak out that I'm a lame mom. In fact, sometimes he tells me that I'm a lame-o and he loves me anyway.

4. He's an awesome snuggler! Seriously, I think there are very few things as fabulous as an Isaac hug, when he just melts into you and holds you as tight as his little arms can.

5. He's exuberant. This kid LOVES life. He runs everywhere and screeches about all kinds of things he's excited about. Yes, sometimes I complain about it, but it is a pretty awesome character trait to be so energetic and enthusiastic about everything.

6. He is a very caring little guy. He frequently tells his friends how much he loves them and gives them big hugs. Luckily, the guy friends are still cool with it, and the girl friends aren't old enough for it to be an issue!

7. He is super creative. I've never met anyone who can make so many different things into "robots" - with different voices for each one! (Seriously though, I had to draw the line at "booger robot", but "milk robot" and "chocolate robot" are some of my best buddies)

8. He has an awesome hair-do all the time. Bed-head is in right now, so my boy is always stylish. He likes to brush his own hair though, and sometimes he even lets me smooth it out! Even as a newborn, he LOVED having his hair washed, and now, he requests for me to massage his head every time he has a bath. Love it.

9. He can polish off a 1/2 gallon of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream in two weeks - but he's willing to share that with me. We're the only ones in our household that care for the flavor, but it's our favorite. I went to scoop out the last bit of it for him the other day, and I was jokingly lamenting the loss of the ice cream, so he handed me his spoon when he got to the last bite so I could share.

10. He loves to sing. We spend most of our day singing over here. My favorite is when he sings "When I'm 64." So cute! Some of his favorites: For Unto Us a Child is Born, Hey Jude, Give Said the Little Stream, Popcorn Popping, In the Leafy Treetops, Follow the Prophet, Nephi's Courage, "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That" theme song, anything from "Dinosaur Train", This Old Man, and The Sheep Song.

I got super choked up last night talking to Isaac about when he was born. The whole pregnancy/birth experience was traumatic for me, and I'm amazed that we both survived. Since then, nothing about Isaac has been easy, but he is seriously a joy to have in my life. He's a wonderful son, an absolutely amazing older brother, and a good friend. I'm so glad I get to be his mom!

A Picture is Worth...

2011-04-20T21:48:00.006-06:00

NOT worth staying up this late... We've been waiting for Blogger to load for 40 minutes - for the last three pictures. Oh well. Not happening tonight - I'm going to bed! Sorry my captions are lame. I'm too tired to be creative tonight.

More egg hunt:

With the Easter bunny:

Jon and Grandma Sue with a chocolate bunny:

Isaac's silly face of the day:

Showing off the injured lip:

Now that he can have citrus, Jon LOVES oranges.

I don't love cleaning up after the oranges.

The "pirate face" right before preschool:

Jon is dieing to walk now.

Fish Face:

The gate actually encourages Jonathan to stand up at the top of the stairs. (Yes, that blur is Isaac)

For his birthday, Isaac received a Zoo Explorers kit from my parents. Once he figured out what it was, he LOVED it! We spent a long time with the masks:

Then the boys took a LONG bath:

Jonathan insisted he have his blanket before I even got a diaper on him.

And Isaac proudly displayed his sticker book creation from the Zoo kit. Awesome present Mom and Dad! Thank you!!!

Estes Park Egg Hunt

2011-04-19T09:43:00.002-06:00

We visited Grandma Sue and Isaac went egg hunting this past weekend.

Here's Isaac's summary:
I look for eggs and eated a donut. I eated them and you didn't eat them at all!
It was cold outside. I wore a coat and Grandma Sue's hat.

He got enough candy to make a mess. So did Jonathan, even though he didn't actually get any eggs of his own. I'd say the event was a success. Thanks for letting us visit, Grandma Sue!

This is Why...

2011-04-15T23:00:00.001-06:00

I married Mark Bailey: he's hilarious. Sometimes... :)

Mark received this email from a coworker:

All, If you have [CONFIDENTIAL CONTENT], please [CONFIDENTIAL CONTENT] Otherwise, please ignore, delete, burn, this email. Thanks, [COWORKER'S NAME CENSORED]

Here was Mark's reply:

DO NOT burn this email! Flaming email can be very dangerous. I had a friend who knew this lady whose cousin burned an email once, and it caught his whole Outlook on fire. He tried to put it out by watching a video of the ocean on youtube, but it pulled up images of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill, so that just made it worse. Pretty quickly the water carried flaming oil right over the top of his firewall into his whole home network. His friend was playing the Xbox, and his whole red team got burned to death, giving one of his blue team opponents a killtacular, and now his iPod won’t play anything other than Disco Inferno. So, it’s pretty serious. I would recommend ignoring or deleting the email instead.

Just out of curiosity, how many people do you suppose had to look up the song "Disco Inferno" after reading this email? Seriously? Mark only knew it because I made him listen to it after I taught Isaac how to sing it - APPARENTLY, I'm the only person my age (besides maybe Severn Shelley) who ever thought disco was cool enough to deserve my attention. *Sigh*

This Week in Pictures

2011-04-14T15:19:00.004-06:00

Isaac fell in love... Too bad we live in the desert, so he doesn't have an APPROPRIATE time to wear these. I'm a sucker, so I bought them anyway. He wore them everywhere today.

Our neighbor gave us some chocolate cake...

Isaac's "pirate face"

Doesn't he look comfy?

Sammy is getting too old - notice that Isaac is eating snacks right there next to the dog, and he isn't even begging?

As soon as that boy can stand, he'll be a hula hoop master!

At the park:

Isaac does pretty well with kicking a ball now. If only we could get him to continue kicking it, instead of picking it up and running away...

He's also really good at the rope bridge now. I'm still glad we know a good orthopedist.

Jon climbs on anything that stands still (and some things that don't).

The "Zoolander" face

Definitely a crawler now!

Hiding in the playhouse under the slide.

Believe it or not, Isaac is terrified to climb this thing.

Jon won't be - he's fearless.

9 Months!

2011-04-12T14:30:00.003-06:00

Ah, we've reached that point - the baby has been out as long as he was in. You know what? I don't miss the in part at all. Those women who tell you they love being pregnant are either lying or crazy! Jon has decided to slim down, apparently. He hasn't really gained any weight since his last doctor appointment - he's still about 20 pounds. He is, however, exceedingly tall - almost 30 inches, which puts him in the 90th percentile. He passed his appointment with flying colors, and he only needed his second round of the flu shot today, so he's not going to be grumpy this afternoon (hopefully!). AND, he didn't cry at first when he got the shot - Isaac did, because the nurse was hurting his brother. Since Isaac cried, Jon cried. Fabulous. It was awfully cute though! The bummer part of the visit? Jon has outgrown his car seat. He's not a year old, so I can't just move him to Isaac's seat. I really don't want to buy another seat for 3 months, especially since we can move Isaac into a booster in a week and a half! *Sigh* Maybe we'll just stop driving places. (Ha ha!) Not to be outdone, Isaac wanted to get into this post. He was a HUGE help today, working with me to clean out our back shed and organize some of the sprinkler parts. I was so grateful to have him puttering around with me! It's so much more fun to work together with him than to try to corral him and work by myself! The bummer for him? When we were just about to head inside to check on Jonathan (he was napping), Isaac tripped on the back porch and fell. His face took the full force of the fall, and his teeth went through his lip. There was blood everywhere! (I even had to hose down the porch!) He had wiped the blood all over his face by the time I got him into the bathroom to clean him up and assess the damage. Somehow, he had ONLY injured his lip and face - and only his lip was really bleeding. His palms and knees are completely unscathed! The lip, though, is pretty bad. He had ice cream and Tylenol for lunch, and the poor kiddo could barely get it down because his face is so swollen! He doesn't need stitches, but I'm betting he'll have a little scar eventually. I was half expecting this though - he only seems to injure himself badly right before his birthday each year. Here's hoping birthday pictures won't feature that massive purple lip!

Preschool!

2011-04-07T12:52:00.003-06:00

Isaac had his first day at preschool yesterday. I was totally going to take pictures, but I spaced it... Oh well. He was sooooooo excited! It's the first time I can remember being able to get him out the door without dragging his feet. The "preschool" is just a little group of moms that trade off who teaches our twice-a-week meetings. There are four kids - Isaac and three girls, whose names all happen to start with "L". He thinks that is awesome! Yesterday, they had a lesson on bugs. The thing he was most excited about was the snack - ants on a log. He didn't know what it was called, so he just kept telling me he ate bugs! I knew he didn't, so I just had to play 20 questions to find out what it really was. I decided to go with his request for my lessons coming up, so we'll be doing shapes and colors. Potty training is going amazingly well now too. I guess the going to preschool was the key!

Deja Vu?

2011-04-05T09:17:00.002-06:00

Up until last night, Jonathan has always been a fantastic sleeper - he's had occasional hiccups, where he woke up in the middle of the night, but he's mostly slept through the night since about 6 weeks. If he did wake up in the middle of the night, he'd usually nurse quickly and go right back to sleep. It's been fabulous! Lately, Jon has been waking up during the night more often, and taking 2 four-hour naps during the day. So... I decided to try taking him down to one nap. The "sleep book" we go by said 17% of kiddos 9 months old only have one nap, so I figured it wouldn't be out of the ordinary. Guess what? It was fine during the day - he wasn't even grouchy until about 6pm. Awesome! BUT the same cannot be said for the middle of the night. He woke up at about 10pm and was pretty much up until 2am. Screaming. Waking up Isaac. Keeping us all awake. When he finally did go to sleep, he only slept for about an hour and a half before waking up and crying again. I brought him to bed with me at that point. Of course, that woke Isaac up, so Mark went to bed with Isaac. Needless to say, we're all exhausted this morning. I look like the living dead. The boys are grouchy. Mark was late for work. Something about this seems familiar... I can't quite put my finger on it... Hmmm... Maybe if my brain was functioning I could tell you how old Isaac was when he slept through the night... Could it have been about 9 months ago? Oh, maybe... Ah, sleep deprivation. Seems to be the story of my life as a parent. All I can think about now is how INSANELY grateful I am that this hasn't been Jonathan's pattern!!! We've been so lucky that he has been a good sleeper. In fact, I feel like I have no right to complain - but, I'm going to do it anyway. In other news, Isaac woke up yesterday and decided he wanted to try potty training again. So far, we've only had three accidents. It's going quite well - when asked why he decided he was ready, he told me it was just because he's going to preschool this week. Yay for preschool!!!

Isaac Narrated These Captions

2011-04-01T14:34:00.005-06:00

Eat a cupcake! (Thanks for the cool sprinkles, Uncle Greg and Aunt Charissa!)

Fire sprinkles! (They're actually cows, but Isaac is obsessed with fire and ice at the moment)

The computer, Jon, and Silky (and Isaac, but he didn't mention himself)

Jon and Isaac playing with the computer

Jon and Nicole and what's that in the picture too? Uncle Mike now!

Daddy is wearing Mommy's tie (nope, not really mine - that one is all Isaac's)

Standing on Sammy like a ladder!

Um... Quincy sleeping on our van (that's the neighbor's cat) Is he awake at night?

He's jumping on the car seat in the van!

Jon covered up with chocolate! He's gotta take a bath!

My and Keynan watching "Despicable Me"

Lydia and Eric playing with my toys. They're nice. Are Lydia and Eric nice? They ARE nice. (All 3 of them are actually engrossed in Blue's Clues, not playing)

Me covered up with chocolate too! (I don't see any chocolate...)

Jon! He's playing off the chair.

Our castle! (Originally, all of these are what Isaac built and called "London Bridge")

Stop the Madness!

2011-03-29T14:43:00.003-06:00

For those who may be unaware, we at the Bailey house are OPPOSED to Daylight Savings. No ifs, ands, or buts about it! So, when we heard about a bill that would keep Colorado from ever changing our clocks again, we were all for it (upon careful review of wording of the bill, of course). Apparently, similar bills have been proposed before, but have always failed. We are encouraging all who feel as we do to write to our state congress members and let them know we support the bill.
Here's the info: http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2011A/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/08E5E5D00F62A6AB8725780100604268?Open&file=022_01.pdf

They will be voting on May 11, so we need to get letters to them by then. Find your district numbers at http://comaps.org/allsearch.html (or http://comaps.org/allsearch_old.html if that doesn't work).
Then find your representative's email address at http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2011A/csl.nsf/directory?openframeset

If you happen to be in the same district as us:
Our congresswoman is Nancy Todd: nancy.todd.house@state.co.us
Our senator is Morgan Carroll: morgan.carroll.senate@state.co.us

The sponsor of the bill is the good senator Brophy: greg@gregbrophy.net

Random Things I Remember

2011-03-24T21:56:00.003-06:00

Lately, Isaac has been wanting to hear stories from my childhood. He asks me what I did with my mommy and daddy. Honestly, I've found it really difficult to think of actual stories, but I've discovered that I DO remember some things from WAAAAAAY back when. Here's a few:

playing on the bed with my brother while my mom was trying to make up the sheets after doing laundry
the Baumgart's kitchen and the aquarium with Bret's pet frog
the scorch mark on the front porch from a 4th of July sparkler
staying in the kitchen with Mom while Dad sprayed the fruit trees
Mom making divinity (it was pink - that's all I remember)
Dad giving the ants a lump of brown sugar and then watching them with me
Grandma Wallace always gave me a baggy of Fruit Loops with a twist tie when we'd visit
putting my eyes on the doorknob when my allergies got super bad because the cool metal felt so good
when my mom cleaned my room and threw away my best friend, Barbie's, phone number (yes, Barbie was a real person, NOT a doll)
picking raspberries and fresh peas with my brothers and my cousins at my grandparents' house - once we totally stained our shirts with raspberry juice and Grandma worked awfully hard to get that juice out, but I thought it was silly because mine was a tie-dyed shirt
the fuzzy pink toilet seat cover our neighbors had when we first moved to Virginia and we had to use their bathroom because our water wasn't on yet
Mom bumping her head on a tree frog in our home teacher's pool when we went swimming
laying on the floor in the front room and staring through the entry window at the trees, because the glass was cut for privacy so all of the trees looked shattered (it was kind of like a prism, but I don't know what it's called)
the super ugly linoleum in the Laurel Road house's kitchen - I thought it looked like Honey Comb cereal
slicing my palms open on the monkey bars, but still trying to go back and do it again so I could earn the P.E. award
Mom and Dad being proud of me when I finally learned to dribble a basketball and jump rope so I actually COULD earn the P.E. award
taking Mom to the E.R. after she hurt her shoulder jumping rope
losing my clay pot from art class because we had to take it home before Spring Break, and I had to leave early that day because Mike had to go to the E.R. (ummm... we went to the E.R. a lot)
thinking we needed to name my sister Ariel or Scuttles
the flying ant nest in my brothers' window
pulling the toy box (with Scott in it) up to the top bunk of the boys' beds using a pulley system made with jump ropes
"gumball trees" and wild strawberries smashed into every pair of shoes I owned (not on purpose - I was just clumsy)
Scott getting "nuggies" and falling and totally busting his nose open (it bled EVERYWHERE)
going to Vacation Bible School, even though we totally didn't go to that church
coloring fuzzy Mikey Mouse posters with the annoying boy that lived in our apartment complex who happened to get chicken pox the same time I did
being afraid to take a bath by myself because I was convinced Chucky would come in and get me
"Blob" the chicken, and Blob's duct taped neck
Dad letting me draw on his dry erase board in the basement
Dad letting me play with the exercise machine in the basement
Dad killing the spider in the unfinished part of the basement
the re-tiling project in the bathroom on Ginny Drive
taxi chairs, Super Banana, the yellow table, and bucket chairs
corn in our garden in Utah
being afraid of Grandpa Foote - because he was a good tickler
knowing my family loved me no matter what

It's The End of the World As We Know It

2011-03-21T19:43:00.002-06:00

Jonathan cut another tooth this weekend - which means he hasn't slept through the night in about a week. Some nights he's up two or three times. I'm remembering why I was terrified to have a second child. Good thing this hasn't been his pattern!
In addition to the exhaustion caused by the aforementioned teething, my kiddos have NOT adapted well to the time change. Down to bed late and up super early. Awesome.
Honestly, even that would be okay, except for the fact that Isaac has decided he doesn't need naps anymore... Even though he really does. Some days I can convince him to nap IF I lay down and nap with him. Some days it's all I can do to keep him quiet enough not to wake up his brother. Oye.
Why is this the end of the world as we know it? Not only am I super-duper tired, but I'm realizing that one day Isaac really WON'T need a nap. *This is me freaking out* Nap time is my only alone time (now that I let the gym membership go). I love my kids and husband immensely, but sometimes I just want time to be by myself - doesn't happen after the kids go to bed, because Mark would just stay up later to talk if I didn't sit down and talk to him then. Now that I've been confronted with the idea that this IS going to happen, I'm realizing just how much I require that time - just to be somewhat sane.
Mom, I understand now why you would go sit in the car by yourself sometimes and not go anywhere. I don't think I've ever thought it was weird, but if I did, I'm sorry. I get it. If my kids were older, I'd do it too. Right now, the bathroom has been my sanctuary. Which has made me realize just how much we need new towels.

Quotes of the Day

2011-03-17T22:28:00.005-06:00

Mark: We should breed Tiger Lilies and Dandelions... to get Liger Blossoms.

(BTW, Liger doesn't come up in spell check. Important stuff - Google should add it. I mean, it's Google. They're supposed to know everything.)

Mommy: Do you have poopy pants?
Isaac: No. I'm just pooping outside. That starts with the letter "B"!

(Which part starts with "B"? I was afraid to ask.)

Jonathan: ARRRRRRRAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAARRRRRGGGGG

Keynan (Isaac's best friend): Isaac, where's your pants?!