A Lay in the Life

New Year Happenings: Part 2

2012-02-04T20:53:00.000-08:00

Life's been about as normal as it gets around here, which is a very nice respite after holidays, travel, etc. The boys and I mostly hang out at home with the intermittent trip to a park, the library, the grocery store, a walk around the neighborhood, etc. Braxton and Easton usually play together pretty well. Braxton got a "tractor game" for Christmas (has a steering wheel that hooks onto the keyboard) that he wants to play about every day. He also has been on a big Winnie the Pooh kick lately. At least there are multiple different Winne the Pooh movies to choose from so I don't have them memorized like when he was on his Wal-E or Cars stint.

We have been trying to get him outside more to help with the "crazies". He is just such a rambunctious, going, sometimes-wild kid. Not a bad kid, of course, but sometimes it's hard to remember that he is only two and only so much can be expected. He has such a tender heart that sometimes his little feelings get hurt, too. This doesn't seem like I'm saying it the way I want to. I will say this - I'm always left at the end of the more "rough" days praying for more patience and to do be able to do better and raise these kids the way Heavenly Father wants me to.They are, after all, His children.

I am very thankful that Braxton is such a good brother to Easton. They just love eachother. And now that Easton is a bit bigger and sturdier, I don't have to worry so much about Braxton being "too loving". Believe me, Easton will let you know if he is. He puts up with a lot (Braxton pulling him around by his pant legs, trying to "pick him up" by his head, taking away whatever he's playing with to "keep him safe" {even if it's a stuffed animal}, being sat upon and crawled upon and knocked over and hugged and smooched to within an inch of his life...haha) but he will definitely vocalize when he's had enough. It's a good thing, though. For the most part they play together and make eachother laugh and watch out for eachother (with Braxton doing most of the "watching out"). I love when they are in the back seat making razberries and laughing at eachother. I'm so glad they have a brother. We were at the table eating one night and Braxton wanted to feed Easton some of his food. He said "It's ok, Mom. I can share with him 'cause I'm his brother." Yes, you are, sweetie.

Easton has definitely mastered the "normal" style of crawling. I believe he finally got it while we were on vacation. (As opposed to the "army crawl" he'd been doing for a couple months.) He can now get around pretty darn fast for someone with less than a foot of clearance - especially when he thinks Mommy is going to escape out of the door. He's definitely been in the "mommy stage". I don't mind very much, though. I'm not away from him very often and I'm ok with crying for the minute or two that it takes me to take stuff to the car or run upstairs or whatever it may be. It's interesting how a second child crying doesn't quite cause that "gotta make it stop" panic that the first one did. Lol. I do have to record his "mommy's leaving me" cry sometime. It's like another level of upset-ness for him when I go up the stairs without him. How dare I? But I must admit it's cute to me and makes me laugh when I get out of sight.

I think it won't be too long before Easton will be up on two feet. He likes to pull himself up on anything he can (which is quite limited around here). One day I was in the bathroom and Braxton yelled "Easton walked by himself!" I suspect he took a few steps while holding on to the chair and then the table and to Braxton it was "walking", but who knows - Braxton may have been the only witness to Easton's first steps.

In just a few short months, I will have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Not quite babies anymore. I'm so thankful for the time I get to spend with them...no matter how challenging. I had a friend tell me something interesting one day. She said enjoy your children while they are children because you will know them for eternity as adults, but this is the only (very) short time that you will get to know them as children - so enjoy it. And I certainly do.

New Year Happenings: Part I

2012-02-02T16:03:00.000-08:00

We started out our new year with a fun, much-anticipated trip to San Diego. We had a busy schedule while we were there packed with all kinds of fun activities.

Day 1. Saturday was spent mostly in the driving to San Diego. Thanks to our portable DVD player and lots of well thought out toys and snacks it went pretty smoothly. It's a long ride and the kids were pretty ready to be done by the time we got there (so were the adults). We really appreciated our one bedroom place with a living room and kitchen. It was nice to have a place to let the kids take over. And they do take over quickly. We also had Aunt Holly's house which we ended up at every day.

Day 2. We went with Holly and her girls to their ward. It was fast & testimony meeting. The previous Sunday while we were sitting in the chapel waiting for church to start, Jason went up on the stand to talk to someone. Braxton said he wanted to go up on the stand and talk in the microphone, so I told him he could the next week (knowing it was testimony meeting). I forgot that we weren't going to be at home, but I decided that shouldn't stop us. So I took Braxton up to wait for our turn to bear our testimonies. He was so excited he could hardly wait for the person talking to finish (who, of course, ended up being long-winded). When he finally got his turn, I picked him up so he could reach the mic and whispered in his ear the traditional "I'd like to bear my testimony". He quite audibly repeated after me and then said just as audibly "I'm done!" Everyone chuckled, and it was very cute.

Day 3. Monday morning we slept in a bit then headed to Balboa Park - a neat place with a whole bunch of museums and things to see. We were heading for the model train museum since Braxton loves Thomas the Train and most any other train. We got there right at opening time, but unfortunately they aren't open on Mondays. So we decided to go to the Science Center instead. It was a really fun place with a whole section just for the little type of kids. Braxton had a blast at both the little kid and big kid areas.

We had a picnic at the playground area of the park and Braxton got to play on the toys, then we headed to Holly's house. She had just gotten word that our Dad and his girlfriend were also on their way to her house for a visit - set to arrive that evening.

Day 4. In the morning, we all met at a restaurant that Holly had discovered that has breakfast in gigantic portions. After we'd all had our fill and then some, we headed for Sea World. We were quite the menagerie - Holly with her two girls in their big red wagon, Dad with his girlfriend (who has been having health problems) in a wheelchair, and Jason & I with our boys in our new double stroller (which we LOVE!). It was a very fun time. Braxton liked the tidepool where he could touch the starfish, anemones, etc. He about jumped out of his skin as he and Jason were entering the Polar Bear exhibit and heard a loud polar bear growl (over a speaker). He thought for sure a polar bear was after him. We all loved the dolphin show - especially the part where the people in the front row start running when they get splashed even though they were warned about 5 times that they will get wet. Haha. Even Easton loved the part of the show with the birds flying over.

The funnest part of the day, though, was when we went to the kids' part of the park where Braxton got to experience his first rides. It was SO much fun! They are Sesame Street themed so he also got to take pictures with Elmo & Zoe. Braxton and I also went to the Sesame Street 4D movie. It was fun to see his reactions when the "mice" run by your feet, the "rain" falls on you and the images come out of the screen.

By this time Jason, the boys, and I were the only ones of our party left as the others had decided to call it a day earlier. As we were trying to find our way to the exit to meet Jason & Easton to leave, I saw a splash and Braxton and I happened upon the Orca Whales practicing their flips and splashes and such. I was so glad he got to see that before we left.

Day 5. We went back to the train museum on Wednesday and Braxton was glad we did. They had multiple tables set up with trains that the kids could actually play with. We spent a good part of the day at Holly's house just hanging out while the cousins played with each other. They do enjoy each other. The night ended with a big family outing to a great Mexican restaurant.

Day 6. Holly had some guest passes for the San Diego Zoo that she let us have, so we decided to spend our last day at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. I'd always wondered about it, but wasn't quite sure what it was. It's actually a pretty cool place. It started out as a breeding park for the zoo animals, but people kept pulling over beside the freeway to see what was going on. So they decided to open it to the public. It's unique in that the "African Savannah" area is a big open area with giraffes, little dear-type animals, hippos, etc. all together - just as they would be in the wild. Since it's a breeding facility, there are a lot of baby animals. My favorite was definitely the gorillas. I love baby gorillas-they are so cute and fun to watch. Just like baby people. Haha. Jason enjoyed the area where you can feed the birds and they land right on you. I think the kids enjoyed riding on the open-air tram around the African area.

Day 7. We were supposed to spend Friday driving home since Jason had to work Saturday, but we had our room for one more night so Jason was trying to get out of work. Every day that we were in San Diego we wanted to go to the beach, but it was always too late, too cold or too windy. Jason didn't get out of work, but we decided after spending hours getting everything packed up (it's unbelievable how much traveling with kids takes) that we (especially I) really wanted to go to the beach. So, even though it meant driving into the wee hours of the morning to get home, we decided to go to the beach. I'm so glad that we did. It was beautiful, there was a great farmer's market going on, we ate dinner on the pier, Braxton and Jason played in the ocean and flew the kite, Easton and I played in the sand (yes, I stifled my anti-messy instincts and let my baby crawl around in the sand - and we both survived). Holly and the girls even came for a bit, and Braxton and Ailey played in the sand while we ate farmer's market finds. It was a great ending to our trip. Plus the kids slept most of the car ride home and woke up in their beds the next morning.

Merry New Thanks Christmas Year

2011-12-30T22:52:00.001-08:00

I have tried many times to write a post lately, but just have not been in the writing mood. So here we go again.

Christmas was wonderful. We got to spend it at Jason's parents' house along with Aunt Connie, Uncle Mike, cousins David & Madison, and of course Grandma & Grandpa. I don't like the focus of our Christmas to be on presents and we don't celebrate Santa so we tried this year to get just one main present for each child and a few small stocking items. I felt like we had gone overboard when we started out with a trunk full of presents from grandparents, great aunts & uncles, and all other manner of relatives and friends. I realized, however, when I saw how many presents Jason's sister's family brought with them that our trunk full was mild in comparison. It was CRAZY!

We got up Christmas morning and opened presents. Stopped to get ready for and go to church. Got home from church and opened more presents. Ate lunch and opened more presents! It was a full day of presents! I'm not saying it wasn't fun or that the presents weren't very much appreciated...I've just never seen so many presents for 4 kids and 6 adults. Haha.

We've tried not to focus on the story of Santa (and yes, we make sure to emphasize that it's a story) but to focus on the story of CHRISTmas this year since it's the first year Braxton has really been able to understand what's going on. The society we live in makes it so hard, though. Any stranger in the store that would stop to talk to Braxton would inevitably end up asking about Santa. I've never once heard anyone ask a child "Have you read the Christmas story yet?" as opposed to "Have you seen Santa yet?" or "What gifts are you giving this year?" versus "What are you getting this year?"

One of my favorite traditions is shopping at Jason's store for the Coins for Kids that they do in our town. It's like Angel Tree or any other program that helps families who can't afford Christmas. It was especially fun this year because Braxton was old enough to understand what we were doing and help pick out items. We even got a family with a 3 year old boy that he got to pick out toys for.

We had so much fun at Jason's parents house over Christmas that Jason and the boys decided to go back for his next 4 days off. So I have been at home slowly getting the house cleaned up, watching movies, and working a bit. It's been nice, but lonely. I did get to go to the temple, which is always wonderful.

I missed writing about Thanksgiving. It was a whirlwind time for us. Jason was in charge of "the event" (Black Friday) at his store as well as being the manager of several of the grocery areas so he spent a lot of time on the job. Including most of Thanksgiving and the surrounding days. The little boys and I had a nice dinner with my dad and his girlfriend, her son, daughter and their cute 11 month old girl, and Elmer and Jennie. Braxton had a ball playing with all the toys and Uncle Elmer, Jennie, and, of course, Grandpa. Easton was fascinated by a little person his size. It was the most delectable dinner fixed by my dad's girlfriend, Diane. So good. I feel fatter just thinking of it. Lol.

Elmer's girlfriend, Jennie, has been planning a trip to China to teach English. She will be gone for about 6 months and left to spend the holidays with her family, so we had a little goodbye party for her. I was quite sad to see her leave. I don't think Braxton understood that she was leaving for so long, but I'm sure he will miss her, too.

Tomorrow...or I guess since it's 12:11 am, today - our friends are having their annual New Year's eve party. I can't help but wonder what surprises and curves life will have in store this year. I'm sure there will be good and not-so-good, but I look forward to it nonetheless.

Sickoes

2011-12-16T20:01:00.000-08:00

I was wondering the other day if most kids are sick as often as ours or if we are just unfortunate in that area. I even forget about which sicknesses we've had until I talk to some one I haven't seen for a few weeks and they ask if the kids are feeling better. (Either that or we get the doctor bill and I think "What was that visit for?") It seems that we are either getting or recovering from from stomach bug, cough, runny noses, ear infection, sore throat, etc. all the time. It sure does make me thankful for the times when we can go a whole month or even two without having anyone throw up, turning on the humidifier, or getting antibiotics.

I recently had the experience no one wants to have of running through a restaurant holding a kid hoping they make it to the bathroom before they throw up. Luckily, there was a garbage can just inside the bathroom door. Unluckily, the first wave erupted about ten steps past our table. The one good thing about throw up in a restaurant: you don't have to clean it up. Just be sure to leave a good tip. Lol.

The next day we decided to try for a simpler outing of frozen yogurt. That day the next kid decided it was his turn to try the eating establishment explosion. Luckily that one has a much tinier belly and much less...interesting, shall we say...stomach contents. We decided after that not to try eating out for a while.

We also had an incident on a long car ride. Luckily it happened as we were stopped at a gas station and we were able to get the kid out of the car for most of it. As we drove away from the gas station after getting everyone cleaned up, Braxton said "Where's my throw up?" "It's on the ground at the gas station still. We're going to let it stay there." Thankfully.

For the moment everyone seems to be doing better. No more stomach issues, no more antibiotics, no more coughs. We just pray it stays that way.

October Happenings

2011-11-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

October was a busy month for our family. And a very important one.

One of the first things we celebrated was Grandpa Byron's birthday. Braxton and I made him a cake which ended up looking weird but tasting great. It was carrot cake (his favorite) so we made a smiley face out of raisins on it to try to disguise the fact that is looks like an exploded volcano. Haha.

We went to a reception for some friends of ours where they had a cupcake/candy table set up. Braxton rushed right over and grabbed the biggest thing he could see - a big lollipop. He sure loves candy. We got him to spread out the actual eating of it over a few days so he didn't get too much of a sugar rush, although I'm beginning to think by this point he may be immune to it. We try not to let him eat too much sugar, but I'm not sure how well we do. We don't buy it, but it seems everywhere we go he gets it. Especially this time of year.

Jason finally got a much needed vacation, though it may not have been the most relaxing. My sister and her family came to town for a visit while her husband is in between deployments in the Navy. We had a barbecue at the park where the kids could play on the toys. Good thing for uncles and grandpas to give parents a break every once in a while. Plus the kids like them better anyway. Haha.

On Saturday the 22nd our family was able to go to the St. George LDS Temple and be sealed together for all eternity. It was a beautiful, sacred occasion. We dropped the kids off in the nursery while we got ready and changed into our white clothes. When they brought the kids into the room where we were, Braxton looked at us, looked down at his white outfit and said "I look like Daddy!" Then he came and sat on my lap and looked at me and said "You look cute!" It was so precious. Easton, the sweet little thing, slept the whole time, which worked out great. We had a friend of ours who is a professional photographer take pictures outside the temple, but we haven't gotten them from her yet. I will post some when we do. Here is a picture from our camera in the mean time.

That evening we had a very nice potluck dinner with our friends and family. It was fun to be able to see each other and talk and enjoy everyone's company. And the food was great, too. ;)

I am so very thankful to have my family sealed together and to know that we can always be together as a family. I love these boys. All three of them. And am so fortunate to have them. I know that families are the center of the gospel and what this life is all about. How thankful I am for mine.

We had a great time together as a big family while Holly was here. One night we went to dinner with our family, Holly's family, Elmer and his girlfriend, Jenny. We invited my dad, but he couldn't come. Having my brother and sister together with me and not having a parent there felt like we didn't have adult supervision. I know we are the adults now, but sometimes it feels like we are still the kids. We just happen to have kids, too. Haha.

Another night we carved pumpkins all together. Not sure how I didn't end up with any pictures of all of us carving away at our pumpkins on my living room floor. Here's our pumpkin, though. Another night my dad's girlfriend, Diane, invited us over to her house for a really great dinner she made. Her and Grandpa had made the kids Halloween goodies (stickers, candy, toys) in a big soda bottle. Again, no pictures, but it was a really cool thing. They cut the side of the bottle open to get the goodies in it, then taped it up and put cute paper as a "label" of sorts so you couldn't tell it had been cut open. So Ailey unscrews the lid of her soda bottle to "pour" the things out then realizes there's no way to get them out. It was cute.

Jason and I and the boys went to Circleville for a few days at the end of Jason's vacation. It was super cold (at least to us St. George folks) and Braxton had to stay inside most of the time. We did, however, discover that he will spend hours sitting in one spot if he has Grandma's homemade playdough and the "playdough toys" (cookie cutters, rolling pins, and of course, a car to drive through it). I finally decided that we should put the playdough away for a while so that his legs wouldn't atrophy. Haha. Plus it was afternoon and he was still in his jammies. (Not that that's so unusual for us.)

Of course, October wouldn't be complete without the much anticipated last day - Halloween. In looking for costumes online for Braxton he decided he wanted to be Thomas the Train. I found a whole bunch of great homemade costumes like this one, and was going to try my hand at making him one, but Jason said there was a very simple one at Walmart for $10. So I decided that would be easier (and probably smarter for a 2 year old who may or may not feel like cooperating when Halloween night comes). Braxton was so excited to put on his "Thomas Train" outfit all month. He was a pretty cute little train, if I do say so. Not that I'm prejudice or anything.

Easton was going to be the lobster that Braxton was for his first Halloween, but it's a very warm costume and it wasn't particularly cool when we were getting dressed up. So I decided to go with our backup "adorable pumpkin" costume instead. Again, he slept through a lot of the trick or treating, but he was a cute sleeping pumpkin.

Our ward had a trick or treat block party of sorts in a cul de sac which turned out pretty well. It's more of a homey feel than our trunk or treat's of past years since we are actually in the neighborhood instead of in the church parking lot. There were some fun costumes, including this couple from "Nightmare Before Christmas". We also went to visit some friends of ours who wanted to see the kids' costumes. I told Braxton to say "Trick or Treat" when they opened the door. He got a little confused and said "Hi! Happy Halloween!" and gave them some candy out of his bucket. It was adorable.

It's been a great October, but alas, it is over. Now it's time to take down our ghouls and ghosts and put up some more subdued Thanksgiving-y decor. Jason is over the grocery and fresh areas at the store, so November will no doubt be a busy time for him. Oh, and did I mention they also gave him a "special project" of being in charge of all of the planning and execution of things having to do with "Black Friday" (which they are calling "The Event")? Ya, so we probably won't see him much at all.

All well, at least he has a job. Even if it is a crazy one sometimes. And I don't mean to make light of the fact that we are very thankful for it. I found out that a friend of mine may be moving to North Dakota because her husband (an accountant) lost his job here in town. What a nice surprise right before the holidays, huh? Not to mention that she's about 8 months pregnant. Oh, yes, we are very fortunate and thankful this November.

Bracktin Wabote Yay

2011-10-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

That's Braxton Robert Lay for those of you who do not speak two-year-old. I've been meaning and wanting to do a post about each of the boys and their current quirks and quarries, so here is what is happening with the 2 3/4 year old Braxton.

Likes:
Thomas the Train (and Percy and any other train).
Monster truck toys.
Any toy with wheels.
Cars (the movie and otherwise).
Dinosaurs (the movie and otherwise).
Candy, soda, cupcakes, marshmallows, basically anything composed mainly of sugar.
Cereal, cheese, and occasionally broccoli.
Playing outside - especially on slides.
Stickers (thanks to Grandpa).
Making "Eaton" (Easton) laugh and kissing him and hugging him and stepping on his fingers and picking on him (hey, they are brothers).
Being read to and getting library books.
Nursery at church.
Playing in water-even just dipping toys in a cup.
Going to the church to "help" daddy.
Having Mommy help him (sometimes).
His grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins.
His Daddy.
Shredding paper.
Homemade playdough.
Painting.
Swinging and running.
Going to Daddy's store, the park, the library, the fruit stand, or most anywhere.
"Stepney".
His "fancy shoes" (black ones with spiders on them and blinky lights that he doesn't get dirty...as opposed to his "work shoes").
His bedtime routine including scriptures, Doterra oils, reading books, singing songs, and saying prayer.
"Gib O Gib" (Give said the little stream) "Dos Gambae" (Mi Dios Es Tan Grande - a Spanish song).
Doing things himself.
Telling people "I'm big. Ya. I'm a big kid." while showing them with his arm muscles how big he is.
Playing with kids.
Saying "No" & "No way".
Baths.

Dislikes:
Sitting for long periods of time (or short periods of time) especially at the table when it's time to eat.
Getting teeth brushed! (Every night is a battle. We don't even try in the mornings usually.)
Taking naps. (They usually end up happening VERY late if at all. Or we go for a car ride if mommy wants it to happen.).
Anyone besides mommy helping him with something. (Sometimes not even that.).
Poopy diapers. They actually make him gag. When I change Easton's diaper he asks "It poopy?" If it is, he runs away.
Getting his hair washed (it's the water in his ears and eyes, even though I'm very careful not to).
Coming inside, getting out of the bath tub, or anything that signals the end of fun.
If you turn off his movie before the credits songs are completely over.

Cute things he says:
Lippers - Slippers
Tarwy. Can't. Tarwy, tarwy. (Sorry. As in when you ask him to do something and he doesn't want to.)
He occasionally calls Jason "Jason"
Sorry, boss, it was a slip a the hook. (From Thomas Train movie)
Oh! Ya we can! (When you suggest something he wants to do.)
Nutin. (When you ask him what he said & he's embarrassed to tell.)
Blimey! (Fly me)
I like you, mom/dad.
Happy Birthday! (it's like "I like you") Then I say "Thank you, Braxton." And he says "Now you say Happy Birthday, Braxton." I do, then he says "Oh, thank you!"
When he's thinking of how to answer a question he says "Um.." and makes a cute "thinking" face.
We can do sumptin? (When he's bored.)
Easy tigger.
Oh, thanks.
I need to give you mooches. (smooches)
We need to go to a westwant. (restaurant) or We need to go buy something.
Goatcheese (took me a bit to figure our this was groceries...couldn't figure out why we needed goat cheese from Walmart)
We gotta be safe! (A game he plays with Jason where they pretend a monster [the lamp...I don't know why] is coming and they cuddle together to be safe.)
Time for nurtrey? (After anyone says "Amen" in Sacrament meeting)
Come on widdle buddy/widdle Easton baby. (While he entices him with a toy to get him where he wants him to go.)

What we love about him:
Everything!

I love that he calls me "momma". Who knew that the most beautiful name is so short? Jason once told Braxton "Listen to your mother." Braxton said "I don't have a mother. That's momma!"

I love to watch him when he thinks no one is watching. It's so much fun to get a peek at his little brain and personality. It's interesting and good to see the things that I'm trying to teach him come through when he's talking to himself (or more accurately-his toys).

We love that he loves his little brother. Even though sometimes he says "I don't like Easton. We should throw him away." I know that he's just being a 2 year old. I believe him when he is hugging Easton and saying "I like Easton."

We love snuggling with him before bed. Or anytime, for that matter. We are so thankful for this sweet little boy.

In the Air

2011-10-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

That's right, fall is in the air! I'm so happy to be approaching my favorite time of the year and now officially in my favorite month. Cooler weather, beautiful colors, the smell...I love it! We put up our Halloween decorations the other day & Braxton had a blast helping. We put some "cute" ones in his bedroom (window clings of little kids and black kitties, etc.) and the "scarry" ones on daddy's fish tank (window clings of skulls & skeletons). I have an idea for his costume, but it could prove to be a lot of work, so we'll see before I get too carried away.

I'm so sad that it's been almost two months since a real post about what's been going on. It's tough with the two munchkins to find an hour or two (or more) to devote to just sitting in front of the computer (and concentrating enough to write). Jason actually took the kids to his parents house for a few days in September, so you think I would've found time then. But no, I was just as busy as ever. I took the opportunity to cook like crazy and fill up my freezer with healthy, homemade fare for later, lazier days. I also had the most wonderful time visiting all of the cute little boutiques and shops around town that I always look at and think "It would be fun to go in there sometime...but not with kids." Some of my faves are Lark & Co. on St. George Blvd., The Old Bodega in Santa Clara, and The Life is Good Store in Ancestor Square. I also got to go to a movie-about the 4th or 5th in 2 1/2 years. Good times.

The boys all had fun at Grandma & Grandpa's house. Jason & his brother got to to some hunting while Grandma was so great to watch the little ones. She even gave them both a bath by herself, though I'm not sure how she managed it. She said it was "a work out"- I'll say! Between Braxton's hair washing phobia and trying to hold onto a squirmy baby while leaning over the side of a tub, it's a workout for me!

The last part of September the boys and I got to go visit my sister and her girls in San Diego. We picked up Aunt Sandi at the Las Vegas airport on the way. That's such a huge help. She drives while I take care of the backseat brigade. We all had a great time shopping, going to the beach, shopping some more, cooking and taking care of kids. A 3 year old, a 2 year old, a 6 month old and a 1 month old. With all the car seats, strollers, diaper bags and stuff we had to take two cars everywhere we went. It was lots of fun. And I got to surprise them with my new hair cut.

I have wanted to cut my hair short - really short - for a long time, but Jason was always like "Well, it's your hair." Interpretation: "I don't want you to, but I won't stop you." One day we were in the car on a hot day and Jason was complaining about his neck being hot. I said, "Try having it covered with a blanket of hair." He felt my neck and was like "Holy cow! Maybe you should cut it." Not to mention that my hair's been falling out like crazy since Easton was born, I always have it in a bun (who wants to spend an hour getting hot straightening it?), and Braxton hates it getting all over him when it's down & I pick him up.

So I finally did it! I picked out a few pics of what I wanted, went to the hair cutting school (cheap), and said this is what I want. The girl was basically freaked out (I don't blame her) and had her instructor do a lot of it - which was perfectly fine with me. It's so completely different, but honestly it's so completely easy that I don't care what anyone thinks...I love it!

I got it cut almost a month before my visit to San Diego, but I decided to try to surprise my sister & aunt. It was tricky - no shots of my head in webcams, no pictures on the internet, anyone who saw me & might tell had to be warned, careful what I said...but I did it. My aunt saw me from behind in the airport pushing the stroller and said "Oh, there she is! Oh, no...that's some girl with short hair." I snuck up & surprised her...it was great. Then my sister came out to the car to meet us at her house & it was dark. She thought my hair was up and took a minute to say..."Wait...did you cut your hair?" Also great. It's been fun to see people's reactions.

This weekend we got to go to the St. George Marathon...for the first time in the 13 years I've lived here...and see my friend, Megan, cross the finish line. It was awesome. She's not an avid runner, but decided she wanted to run in a marathon and trained all year to accomplish her goal. How awesome is that?! It made me decide some day I, too, would like to accomplish that goal.

Speaking of accomplished goals, we are finally accomplishing the goal of being sealed in the Temple. It has been a very long & trying journey, but it will finally come to fruition on Saturday, October 22nd. I can't wait. And Aaron (Holly's husband) just happens to have leave at that time which just happens to coincide with Jason's vacation which we just happened to have no plans for. So they will get to be here and we'll all get to spend the week together.

Also another change for us - Jason is back on the day shift at his work. It seems like whenever we are getting into the groove of things, they're switched. "Uh, you threw off my groove!" So far he's not crazy about it as it is near impossible to get things done in the day. Hopefully it'll get better.

So that's what's going on with us. I will have to try very hard in the next few days to write a couple of blogs about the boys and what they are doing specifically these days. It all changes so fast with little ones. All the funny things they do & say, their accomplishments and trials, and even what they look like. With my memory I have to try to write it down as much as possible or it is lost. And it's too important to loose.

My Plea to Women

2011-08-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

Normally my posts are about my family and what we are doing in our life. The main point of this blog is so my kids have a written and photographic record of their childhood. However, sometimes I just have something I want to be said. This is one of those:

Last night I didn't meet a woman. This woman is someone who seems to be important to someone who is important to me. This person who is important to me was at my house and the woman who I didn't meet came to pick him up, but asked that he come outside so that she wouldn't have to meet me. She didn't feel that she looked good enough to meet me. Maybe her hair wasn't done, maybe she didn't have her makeup on, maybe she wasn't wearing the right clothes, maybe she at garlic for lunch...I don't know--I didn't meet her. I understand that first impressions are important as they are very hard to overcome if they are not favorable, however, in worrying so much about how she looked, she failed to realize that now my first impression of her is that she is either very vain or very shallow. Is that the impression you wanted to give?

I say all this to illustrate something that has intrigued me for years. At some point in life, every woman should--not every woman does, but hopefully, most women will--come to realize that they don't need other people's approval in order to be happy. It doesn't matter what other people think about you and it doesn't matter what you look like. It matters what you think of yourself, it matters who you are, and it matters if what you do is pleasing to God. That's it!

I remember when I was about 18 or 19 and began realizing that I don't have to look a certain way to be happy with myself. I don't have to be accountable for other people's actions (ie. I don't have to worry about or be embarrassed by what my family does - they are accountable for themselves). I'm not saying that I never get down on myself because I have new age spots or my stomach is flabby. Nor am I saying that I don't care about what my family does or how that affects those around them. I am saying that when I realized that I can be myself and nothing more - nothing less, I found a huge sense of freedom and self confidence.

I felt as if I had found this great secret that can be shared, but must ultimately be realized on one's own. I assumed that all women eventually find this secret and that, therefore, all women over the age of...I don't know...45 or so have surely realized this by now. I am therefore always stunned to find women who are well past their "midlife" who are still so worried about how they look and what people think that their lives are controlled by doubt and fear.

I want to shake them and say "Don't you know the secret?! You're supposed to get wiser as you get older, yet here you are not knowing one of the great truths of life that I discovered when I was a third your age! How can you not know that you are beautiful? You are a child of God! Even if you are the most physically repulsive person on earth, you are beautiful for the very fact that God made you and loves you perfectly."

I wish all women could realize this. I wish all men could understand this and do everything in their power to help the women in their lives to feel this.

I love how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints strives to help women and girls realize that "we are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us." I love that the young women say this every week as they recite the Young Women Theme and that it carries through into the Relief Society (the church's women's organization) in their declaration.

Read these statements, take it to heart, realize that they are true, love yourself, give yourself permission to let go of this tendency to place others' opinions ahead of your own, and especially seek to align your opinion with that of our Heavenly Father's. If you are doing what pleases Him and someone else is displeased, you can rest assured that it is not you that needs to change.

2011-08-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

My little Easton baby has been on this earth for five months. I can hardly believe it. He's been such a pleasant, sweet baby that it seems like we've only had him with us for a few months. I can't believe my baby is five months old!

On the other hand, when I think about trying to pump for a full year and the fact that I'm not even half way there, five months seems more like "It's only been five months?" But I just take Aunt Sandi's advice and take it one month at a time. (Although when she said that I said "At this point, I'm just taking it one day at a time!" That was about 5 months ago. I'm better now.)

On his five month birthday (last Saturday), Easton performed his first full roll-over. He had previously figured out how to turn from his back to his stomach, but getting back over had eluded him. He finally figured it out and can now roll around like a pro. (Kind of.) Thankfully, he's not yet so adept at it that when I lay him on the floor I have to search around for him when I come back. He pretty much stays in the same area, but he does like to roll himself up in whichever blanket I lay him on. (Either that or wriggle off of it completely.)

Braxton still loves to "help" his little brother as much as possible. He brings him toys to play with (though sometimes the toys are too small or too big for a baby), makes him laugh by popping up out of his "couch pillow fort", and said to me the other day "Braxton like Easton. Like to hug him and kiss him and love him." Aw.

Both of my kids keep getting bigger and bigger. Easton's now in 6-9 month clothes and we had to break out Braxton's 4T supply because it was getting hard to get the 3T shirts over his head. Maybe he just has a big head like his dad. Haha. I sure do love those chubby baby cheeks, though.

The Boys of Summer

2011-08-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

It's been such a busy time taking care of "the boys" that I just haven't found time to write. So here is what's been happening:

On Sunday the 3rd, I invited my Dad, Elmer and his girlfriend, Jennie, over for a birthday dinner for Elmer. My Dad didn't show up, but Elmer, Jennie and I had such a good time that we decided to start a tradition of it. (We continued to invite Dad, but he's been a bit...shall we say...erratic lately.) When they arrived, I was downstairs and said to Braxton, "I think Elmer and Jennie are here." He said, "Oh, I like Jennie." (He likes Elmer, too.) One Sunday it was even just Jennie and I as Elmer was out of town. We had a good time eating things that we shouldn't (seconds, chocolate cake with cool whip, etc.). Unfortunately that was the last time we've been in town on a Sunday. Hopefully we'll be able to resume our "tradition" soon, though.

Independence Day in our little family is usually spent in Circleville attending the festivities there, however, this year Jason had to work, so we spent the weekend in St. George. It was the most wonderful weather-an unusually mild summer (great for a break from our normally scorching heat). On the evening of Sunday, the 3rd, I kept hearing small fireworks going off around the neighborhood. Braxton had fallen asleep for a very late nap, as often happens when he doesn't take a nap (crashes around 7 pm...too late for a nap, but too early to sleep all night). He woke up around 9 or 10 pm as I was trying to move him to his bed, so I decided if it's going to be a late night, why not make it a fun night? I packed the kids into the car and we went firework hunting. I drove around the neighborhood for a bit trying to find somewhere to see some good fireworks, but it's surprisingly difficult. I didn't want to just park in front of someone's house and crash their party. Eventually I spotted a good spot on the hillside above our house that was an open lot with a great view of the valley. We parked facing Green Valley and Ivins and had a great show. It was fun watching for fireworks and then pointing out to Braxton where in the valley they were before they stopped and someone else's started.

Our little outing got Braxton and I excited for the next evenings fireworks. We joined the lovely Larson family at Main Street Square and set out our blankets to wait for the show while the kids ran around and played. It was great fun. Braxton was having so much fun running around and playing with the other kids that he hardly took any notice of the fireworks. All well. My favorite part was the "waterfall" of fireworks that seemed to cascade over the red rocks on Skyline Drive. I only wish I'd gotten a picture, though I doubt it could do it justice.

A couple days later, the Vavas family came for their long awaited and most important visit. Jason and I were so thankful and honored to be able to be a part of their LDS Temple sealing. It was a beautiful, sacred occasion. We had a lovely dinner and get together afterward to celebrate. It was fun to spend some time with friends that we hadn't seen in a while.

It was also the first time I've left Easton with anyone besides Jason and Grandma Lay. I was so appreciative of those who helped us by watching our kids (and those who offered). It's a little distressing to leave your kids in the care of other people, especially when it's done so rarely as I do, but they both did great. (Aside from a trying-to-wash-Braxton's-hair-in-the-bathtub incident -- he hates water in his ears. I guess you can't anticipate everything that might happen while you're gone.)

The next week on Jason's days off, we headed for the old Circle Valley once again. This time was for a family reunion of sorts. It was the first time in about 3 years that Jason's brother, Mike, was able to come home for a visit. It was really fun having him there. He adds such a fun dimension to family when we get to have him in our midst. Jason's brother and sister and their families were also there. It was wonderful: kids running around playing together, four wheeler and "goldie" rides (the new golf cart), digging in Grandma's newly made super sandbox, slumber parties in the living room, late night chats with the "grown ups", big family dinners. It's just too bad it doesn't happen more often. It makes me so very thankful that Braxton and Easton have that wonderful family available to play with, to learn from, to grow with, to just be a family with. I didn't have quite as many cousins around growing up, but the time we got to spend with Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents and other relatives is some of the most fun & treasured memories of my childhood.

Another wonderful part about having so many people around is that there are so many hands available to help out (and eyes to watch out). I loved being able to spend a few hours cooking (or whatever) and not have to worry about trying to watch Braxton or take care of Easton. I knew they were in good hands (or arms). We each took turns cooking the dinners and it was great. I so enjoyed having the help and family around that I decided we should go back on Jason's next four days off (even though his brothers had gone home).

The next weekend also happened to be Jason's 15 year high school class reunion. And it happened to be in Circleville. So I talked Jason into going. He kept saying he didn't know if anyone was going to be there because people kept saying on Facebook that they weren't going to make it. I thought Oh, there'll probably be about 50 people then. Then on the way to Circleville Jason mentioned that his graduating class was only 44 people. 44 people! There ended up being about a dozen people at the reunion, but it was still fun. Jason hadn't slept all night or day since we came right after he got off work, but that made it all the more interesting. You never know what'll pop out of his mouth with a little exhaustion and caffeine. Haha.

Jason's parents were also nice enough to watch the kids for a few hours so that Jason and I could drive to Richfield and watch the final Harry Potter movie. It was great--probably the first "date" we've been on and movie we've seen together in the theater in almost two years.

Braxton got so used to being in Circleville and getting to see Grandma & Grandpa that a day or so after we got home he said that he wanted to go see Grandma & Grandpa. Jason decided why not and took it upon himself to plan a daddy/son trip. I decided to stay and work since the poor lovely lady I work with hasn't seen me in about a month. (Things tend to pile up in a month.) I missed Jason and my sweet little Braxton almost as soon as they left, but I was also so excited at the prospect of having my cuddly baby boy all to myself. He is such a solid little fellow that he's perfect for hugging. He's also got the best kissable chubby cheeks and the happiest, fun personality that can draw one into hours of ridiculous baby talk and some such nonsense. I love it!

We took him to the doctor for his 4 month checkup and he was in the 73% for height and the 95% for weight! I couldn't believe it. I guess that's what happens when you give breast milk in a bottle. (Just kidding. I don't know.) He's rolling and wiggling all over the place now. He manages to roll over onto his belly every once in a while by himself. He also manages to do it every so often when Braxton decides he should and gives him a "helpful" push. I know he can also do it on his own, however, because the first time he did it I was giving Braxton a bath and when I turned around Easton had rolled over off his towel onto the cold floor.

He's been grabbing at things and occasionally yells at those vexing teddy bears that swing around above his swing and won't let him get hold. He has discovered his tongue and cracks me up with his funny faces that involve a protruding, pointy, little, pink tongue. He has also discovered the raspberry noise that is ever popular with babies his age. It's very cute but very slobbery. He also learned that he can make a funny noise by opening and closing his mouth while saying "ah" and has decided that is helps get his point across to do it while crying. Sometimes I just want to let him cry for a minute because it's so funny to watch & hear.

He still gets fussy occasionally, but overall he's a very pleasant baby. I've heard people say "If I'd had the second one first, there wouldn't have been a second" but so far, I haven't found that at all.

Speaking of seconds, just yesterday morning Holly had her second sweet baby girl. Aaris Vavas was born in the wee hours of the morning weighing 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 19 inches long. I got to see her on the webcam today and she is so sweet and tiny. What a wonderful thing babies are. I can't wait to see her and hold her. Aunt Sandi and I (and my boys) are planning a trip next month for just this purpose.

Since I have a long list of things that I'd planned to get done in all of my "free time" with Braxton and Jason gone and the only one that I've (mostly) done so far is this blog, I'd better go get busy. Au revoir.

Babies Don't Keep

2011-07-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

It's been far too long since I've written. Especially in the short life of Easton Lay. He's getting so big and doing so many new "baby" things. He's making all kinds of noises now, "talking" to us, he smiles and giggles at lots of things--especially his big brother, he can roll onto his side and almost his belly although he still hates being on his stomach, he still sucks his thumb and occasionally his pacifier, he's eating more and getting bigger, he's in his 3-6 month clothes now, he can hold onto things for a little bit and sometimes get them to his mouth, and he sleeps through the night like a champ most nights.

He's been getting a little bit more grouchy lately, but he's not the only one. Jason is now working overnights at his work, which is an adjustment for everyone. He now goes to work around 7 pm and gets home around 8 am. It seems like it takes me longer to get everyone in bed, which means less sleep for me. Jason, of course, is generally tired--what with trying to sleep during the day when we're still here making noise and trying to find some happy medium of sleep and sleepy on his days off. He actually made himself a little Harry-Potter-esque bed in the closet under the stairs. He says he quite likes it because it's dark, cool, and--with his earplugs in--mostly quite. I must admit, some nights when Braxton and Easton seem to alternate sleeping, I've been tempted to crawl in there and close the door myself.

We made another change to our sleepy time by switching Braxton to a "big kid bed" (finally). I was always reluctant to get him something other than his crib because I had visions of him getting out of bed every time we put him in it. I have found, however, that I really love not having to heft him in and out of the bed and go get him every time he's ready to get up or go potty. In fact, I had to explain to him that if he needed to go to the bathroom, he could get out of bed himself and go. Haha.

I must say, he's a pretty spoiled kid. His bed is pretty awesome as far as kids' beds go. We ordered it off Walmart.com. It's elevated with a crawl space/storage area underneath. It's made out of this sturdy, lightweight, plastic resin stuff and was so easy to put together. He loves climbing up and down the ladder. The first night, he actually slept under the bed, but I guess he decided the mattress was more comfortable.

One of the main reasons we decided it was time for the big kid bed (besides that Braxton was on the verge of the wieght/height limit for the crib and a 2 1/2 year old shouldn't be in a crib) is that Easton was getting too long for the basinet. It always amuses me how tiny babies look in a big crib (and how small Braxton looks in his big bed), but it's much nicer for him than the little bassinet.

Braxton also got to have his first movie theater experience. One of his favorite movies is Cars, so I knew if any movie could get him to sit in a dark room for 2 hours, it would be the new Cars 2. I forgot that is was 3D, which I don't really enjoy, but he actually did pretty well. He didn't break his 3D glasses until about the last 1/2 hour. (I just let him wear mine.) We had two trips to the potty and one trip to the concession stand (I realized I didn't get the ice cream thingys I paid for) and he was ready to go (he wanted to go get library books...random) when there was about 15 minutes left, but all in all he did well for his first time. It was also nice that there weren't too many people in the theater (we went to a matinee) and 90% of them were kids, so no one cares if you talk and bounce around the aisle (which we had to ourselves).

Before Jason started on overnights, he had a week and a half or so of vacation. We spent most of it in Circleville. It was very nice to get away from the heat for a bit. I love that there's lots of nice places for Braxton to play outside and it's not too hot or too cold this time of year. As Goldilocks would say, Just right. We went for some walks and got to try out Grandma & Grandpa's new toy--a very nice golf cart. They don't golf (nor are there any golf courses around that I'm aware of) but it's a great thing for driving around the small town. It's electric so super quiet--kind of weird, actually, to be driving around and not have any engine sounds.

We also went for a longer drive to Bryce Canyon and a stop off at Pine Lake. Braxton had his first "hike" at Bryce Canyon. It was about a 1/4 mile walk along the paved "Rim Trail", but it was just him & mom & dad and he thought it was great. He got to see the hoodoos and have a picnic afterwards. It was good fun.

We stopped at Pine Lake on the way home and Braxton had his first time fishing. He actually caught two little fish that we put back. It ended up being a very long day (about 10 hours away with much of it in the car), but Easton & Braxton did great. Braxton even got to have his first experience peeing beside the road. Good times, good times.

We had a yard sale one weekend and got rid of a bunch of stuff. I LOVE getting rid of stuff. I don't understand how we have so much stuff! And yet, when I go through it, there's just not that much to get rid of. My dad & brother brought over some of their things and helped us add to our sale items.

Then there was Father's Day-and how thankful for I am for the father my boys have. He does so much for us. Braxton and I got Jason a body pillow to cuddle with in his little bed under the stairs. We also got him some sunglasses and Braxton had to get some to match.

Our next big adventure is having Holly, Ailey and Aaron (who recently got back from 6 months at sea...yay!) come for a visit next week. We're super excited for the reason for their visit...their family is getting sealed in the St. George temple!

Of course, there's also Independence Day, Elmer & Aunt Sandi's birthday (July 3rd), Jasons's sister, Connie's birthday (July 5th), Jason's birthday (July 26th), Pioneer Day and a visit to Circleville from Jason's brother Mike, who we've not seen in years. And as usual for summer around here, we're just trying to keep cool. We're very thankful for all of our ceiling fans that keep us cool without having to have the A/C too low and also that it's still cool enough to open the doors in the early morning and cool off the house. Braxton and Jason go to the pool about once a week and "water the lawn" a couple of times a week. I've been taking the kids out for a walk in the evenings a couple of times a week. I quite enjoy walking around the neighborhood looking at houses and yards and petting any cat or dog that gets close enough.

A funny short story: Braxton's never been around animals much and the first time I got a cat to let me pet it on our walk, he was not so fond of the experience. First of all, he's strapped into the stroller, so he can't get away from this foreign animal that he knows not what to expect from, so I understand. I picked up the cat and let him pet it. He pet it one time and was ready for it to go back on it's lawn. It was such a nice cat, though, and I love cats. I was crouched down beside the stroller petting it and it was loving it so much it was drooling. You know how cats rub up against things when they're being pet. Well, this one was trying to rub up against the stroller where Braxton's sandaled feet were. Braxton couldn't quite see his feet or the cat and was sure it was going to eat one of his toes any minute. Here's this poor cat just trying to get his pet on and this poor kid scared that his very life is in peril. It was kind of sad, but also quite hilarious.

So anyway, that's all I can remember of what's happened in this whole month that I've neglected writing. At least I had good reasons for not writing. It seems that with pumping, feeding kids, cleaning up messes, trying to do never-ending laundry and dishes, grocery shopping, church callings, family visits, ever-changing work schedules, and all of the to-do lists floating around I have a hard time ever getting anything done. But Jason helps when and where he can and I try to put the more important things first and not worry about the rest. I think this poem which my Aunt Lynn has in her house and says she got from my mom says it perfectly:

Babies Don’t Keep
By Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due,
Lullabye, rockaby, lullabye loo.
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo,
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo,
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs;
Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

PS-This is what happens when I let Braxton rule the house while I spend three hours updating my blog and downloading pictures off my camera.

Can You Hear Me Now?

2011-06-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

We've been taking it pretty easy around our house trying to get everyone over sicknesses. I don't think we're completely done, but doing better. We are planning to have Easton's baby blessing at church on Sunday. He'll be almost 3 months old, but better late than never. With the whole ward change and all it took us a while to get it arranged. Luckily when I bought the little white outfit I picked the small and not extra small, so it still fits. Jason had to switch days off so that he could have Sunday off, but he did it & I'm glad.

Holly's husband, Aaron, will be home soon from his 6 months out at sea on the USS Carl Vinson. I'm very happy for them. That is a long time. (And, yes, it is the ship involved in the Osama Bin Laden event.) It's an especially long time for a 3 year old and a pregnant lady. Holly sent me the following text message this morning: "Good morning. I woke up to the refreshing smell of finger nail polish. Do you know how much polish it takes to loft upstairs from the downstairs bath? Pics to show." All I could say was "Oh, dear."

I told her not to feel bad. At least she didn't hurt anyone. Last night I was getting the bathtub ready for Braxton. The bathroom downstairs is tiny, so I have him wait in the hall till it's ready. Easton was also in the hall in his little bouncy seat. He suddenly started crying and I turned around to see Braxton looking guilty and a bobby pin sticking out of Easton's ear. I could've passed out! Thankfully he didn't push it in far enough to do any damage as far as I could tell, but oh my gosh! It's so hard to keep a two year old from hurting a baby. My rule is that I have to always have at least one where I can see them (that way I know Easton's not in danger), but even then accidents happen. Case in point: they were three feet from me and the bathroom door was open. I know Braxton doesn't mean to hurt him, because if he ever does, he starts crying immediately because he feels bad. There are just so many ways to cause pain. He never really does the same thing twice, but sometimes I feel like putting the baby in a bubble so Braxton can't discover any new way to hurt him.

He's definitely a handful. Even with two parents watching. I don't even want to tell about what Jason discovered him doing yesterday because it makes us sound like terrible parents. Like who lets their kids play with these things? Let's just say it involved stabbing the leather part of the couch with a sharp object. I certainly do love that little boy, though. All 32 lbs. of his mess making, trouble finding, accident having, two-year-old little self. He still kisses my arm for no reason, tells me I look handsome when I do my hair, sings to himself when he thinks no one is listening, wants to watch Wall-E every day, loves making blue Jello, and last night when we were reading this beautiful, sweet talk by Elder Richard G. Scott and I asked him what love is he said "Mommy." I said "You love mommy?" "Ya. And daddy. And Easton. And Holly and Ailey. And Aaron." What a sweetheart. We love you, too, buddy.

Easton is also becoming the sweetest little baby. He is such a happy, smiley guy. I remember my mom calling Elmer "Guy Smiley" and Easton is definitely my Guy Smiley. He hardly ever looks at me without breaking into a huge grin. Sometimes when I talk to him he smiles so big and wiggles like he can hardly contain himself. Oh, if babies could talk!

He's the cutest chubby little thing. He still sucks his thumb but has also taken to sucking on his bottom lip at times. It makes the funniest face. I haven't really gotten it in a picture yet. He has also discovered his tongue and can be found sitting with it sticking out just a bit. Funny, funny. I need to catch a picture of that, too.

We certainly are blessed with these little guys. I am so thankful for my boys.

Sick Blessings

2011-05-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

It hasn't been too long since my last post, but as far as being up to date, I have a long way to go. Here is the reason: sickness. Too much sickness. But we'll get to that later.

After the sand dunes was my birthday. Jason had to work, so we didn't really do much for the day. Jason did set up a little birthday surprise upstairs that included some "hot dog balloons" as Braxton called them. They were big, long balloons that Braxton and I had fun playing with.

I thought of making a birthday cake for myself with Braxton, but after thinking about it for a few minutes I decided I didn't want an entire cake sitting around for me to eat and gain weight. So we passed on the cake.

That Saturday was the Circleville ladies' temple trip. I like to go with them whenever I can and Jason was off so he watched the boys while I went. I had a nice time and the boys had a great time at the splash park. Jason said that there was a bigger kid that was being kind of a bully to Braxton. The kid pushed Braxton down and Braxton looked at him for a minute then went over and started picking on the kid's little brother. Haha! At least he knows to pick on someone his own size. (He didn't push the kids down or anything...just ran into him with his belly.)

Sunday was our first day in our new ward. Jason is the new Ward Clerk and I am the Assistant Nursery Leader. Not a bad calling, though I am a little worried about Braxton possibly not behaving as well as he would if I wasn't in there. The first week went well, however. There are only about 6 or 7 kids most Sundays and they are all very nice little ones. There is me and one other lady in the nursery and while we may not agree on some things (like whether parents should just leave their kids in the nursery to "cry it out") I think we'll make a good team.

Monday was Easton's 2 month doctor appointment. He is getting to be such a chubby little cheeker. I love it. He was in the 75% for weight and 65% for height. The doctor went to pick him up and said "Woah! He's a hefty little guy. He's bigger than he looks." Yes, he is hefty. He has also discovered how to sooth himself by sucking his thumb, which I think is about the most adorable thing. Braxton never really did that. He preferred his pacifier. Easton still likes his pacifier, but when it inevitably falls out, he likes his thumb just as much. I just think it's cute to see him sucking on the tiny little thing. Maybe I won't think it's so cute in about a year, but we'll deal with that when we come to it. (I know, you can take away a binki, but you can't take away a thumb.)

That week was a big week for Jason because he had the annual inventory at his store, which means lots and lots of work. We also had a short visit from Jason's parents as they were in town for doctor's appointments. Unfortunately we also had another visitor. We're still not sure if it was food poisoning or the stomach flu, but it was certainly not fun. Jason and I both woke up Thursday morning feeling sick and did not feel completely better till Sunday. Thankfully neither of the boys seemed to get it, although Easton got a stomach virus the next week, but I don't think it was the same thing. His seemed to be just a 24 hour thing.

I got over my sickness just in time to go to church and teach our first Nursery lesson. I have to say that the new manual (different from the one I had probably 4 years ago) is sooo much better than the one I had before. It's just right for nursery age kids and much easier to use. I love it & it made me excited about doing lessons for the little ones. One of my other goals while in nursery is to improve the snack quality. As a first time mother who never gave her child much junk food, I was very disappointed to see that the snack time in nursery was most always along the lines of goldfish and fruitsnacks. My first effort at something healthy was apple slices (it was hard to keep them from getting all brown). The kids all seemed to like them, except, ironically, for Braxton who wanted fruit snacks instead of fruit. What can you do?

It was also my first Sunday having Easton in the nursery, too, since Jason had to work. It was a little frustrating trying to keep him happy and always keep one eye on him to make sure he wasn't being molested by well-meaning two year olds. All in all, it went ok.

Sunday night, I awoke to a hard and painful big lump in one of my breasts. I massaged and massaged as I was pumping and managed to get two ducts unplugged, but there was at least one still plugged. It was an excruciating process and very frustrating since I couldn't get the one unplugged. I'd never really had anything like this happen, so I wasn't sure what exactly to do. I read up on it and found out that if it doesn't empty it can become infected and if left untreated, become an abscess that needs to be drained. (EW!) By morning, it was indeed infected, so I made a doctor appointment and got on some antibiotics. I couldn't believe I had gotten over food poisoning only to get mastitis.

It took a few days for the lump to actually disappear, but things are much better. Although I'm now worried that any little lump is going to be a clog and turn into an infection. I will be SO glad when this whole lactating thing is done. If it weren't for the health benefits to Easton, it would definitely not be worth it to me.

Braxton has not totally escaped all of the sickness, although he decided to get his own kind. He has had a cough and runny nose for the past couple of days. I don't know how Easton has not gotten it as Braxton can not keep his hands and lips off of him for very long, but I'm very thankful Easton hasn't gotten it. With all that's been going on the last couple weeks, I've been trying to look for the positive and not just focus on the bad. Here's what I found: 1. Having food poisoning helped me finally get below 150 lbs. again. Hooray! And I can wear pretty much all of my pre-pregnancy clothes again. 2. As I was parking illegally to quickly unload everyone and run back inside the doctor's office (on the 2nd floor) to get my wallet that I had left there, I saw a girl that was in my class in high school who has been battling breast cancer. Yes, breast cancer. Thank you for my breast infection.

By the way, this video has nothing to do with anything except that I like it :)

2011-05-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

Last time I wrote a post we were in the swing of getting ready for a trip to the sand dunes. I wanted to write about it, but I'm always hesitant to write that we're going to be away from our house in case someone reads it & decides to come "check out" our house while we're gone. Anyway, here is the sand dune stories now that we're back:

Jason & I have a niece named Madison who loves going to the sand dunes. It has become her birthday tradition to take a trip from Phoenix to the sand dunes every year. One year they gave her the choice to go to Disneyland instead and she chose the sand dunes, hands down.

Jason's family is big on riding 3- and 4-wheelers, so the sand dunes is a very fun place for them. I told Jason it'll probably be Braxton's O'Sullivan (the lake my family would go to almost every weekend during my childhood summers). Jason said he remembers being depressed every time he came back from the sand dunes as a child because it meant the fun was over. Hopefully it's not to that extreme with our kids. Haha.

We were a little worried about Braxton's reaction this time. It was his first real trip to the sand dunes (aside from the fun day I spent with him sitting in Jason's parents' camp trailer when Braxton was about 2 1/2 months old when he had an eye infection and I didn't want to have him out in the sand while Jason rode ATV's to his heart's content). The only other experience Braxton has had with sand was a picnic we took at Snow Canyon state park a couple months ago. Let's just say between the sand in his shoes and him being afraid he was going to get stuck in it, he wasn't fond of sand.

We arrived at the sand dunes before all of Braxton's cousins, so there was no other kids playing in the sand to convince him that it was a good, fun thing. As soon as his cousins arrived, though, his inhibitions about sand were over. He spent every minute that I would let him of the next 2 1/2 days playing in the sand. Even when his 4 year old cousin continually threw sand on him. Can I just say thank goodness for the shower in our hotel room.

Yes, we had a hotel room. After my last experience at the sand dunes (the one I mentioned with the 2 1/2 month old), I had decided that I would not be accompanying Jason on this trip. I said he could take Braxton if he wanted, but I was not going to try camping in the sand with a two year old AND a less than 2 month old. Especially when I have to pump every few hours. Jason's mom really wanted us all to be there, as did Jason, so he convinced me to come on the condition that we get a hotel room in Kanab. I still had to kick everyone out of Jason's parents' trailer every few hours and close all the blinds so I could pump while we were at the dunes during the day, but it worked out ok. (Thankfully there was a lock on the door or just about everyone would've seen just about everything at one time or another, I think.)

Saturday we had a fun birthday celebration for all of the many May birthdays in the family (all of the kids got a little something because that's just how Grandma rolls). There was some really good cake (except for the ever weird red icing) and a pinata for the kids. The pinata was wrapped in a plastic garbage bag so that the candy wouldn't go flying into the sand. It was Braxton's first time with a pinata but it didn't take him long to get into it. In fact, all of the kids enjoyed it so much that even when the candy started coming out, they wrapped another bag around the pinata so they could finish breaking it!

Sunday was Mother's Day and I was pleasantly surprised by a very cute boy bringing me a card and telling me "Happy Mony's Day!" (It really sounded like happy money's day...very cute) The day was a little windy but we were able to enjoy a nice lunch outside before it got too bad. Each of Jason's siblings had written a very nice letter to his mom and-after tearing up at the card Braxton got her-she asked them to read the letters to her. It was a beautiful thing and made me really wish I could write a letter to my mom. (I know I could, but it's just not the same.)

After lunch, it got a little colder and more windy and I decided that I didn't want Braxton to be out in it. I had him come into the trailer and tried to get him to take a nap. (Ya, right, like that was going to happen.) I knew he was really tired and tried my darndest to get him to go to sleep while everyone else was out on a ride, but it just didn't happen. After a few fruitless hours of being inside, I realized I should have just taken him for a car ride to the motel and let him take a nap there while I pumped after lunch, but I hadn't. When everyone came back from their ride and the kids came into the trailer to get warm, it ended up being me and seven kids (including Easton) in the trailer. Braxton had been trapped inside and was to the point where he gets over being tired and starts being wild. So after an undetermined amount of time of Braxton litterally bouncing off the walls and the other seven people in the trailer, I decided I had better choose the "drive to the hotel room" plan or strangle someone or start crying. I packed up my youngsters and the trusty pump and went for a nice drive. As expected, Braxton passed out after a couple of miles. After packing everything/everyone up the stairs to our hotel room, pumping, and calling my sis to wish her happy birthday and Mother's Day and share with her my "exciting" afternoon, I felt much better. I woke Braxton up long enough to get him to walk to the car and headed back to the dunes for the rest of the evening.

Sometime late Sunday night or early Monday morning while I was awake cleaning a bottle, I heard what sounded like rain on the roof of our motel room. "Oh dear," I thought. "Those poor people in tents." Oh dear, indeed.

Monday morning we loaded up our belongings and got ready to head for our last day at the dunes. Just as we were getting in the car to leave, Jason's mom called and asked us to stop at the store and get big garbage bags and a tarp. Turns out it had rained all night and one of the tents leaked. Around the time I was up cleaning a bottle, Jason's sister finally abandoned her sleeping bag, grabbed her book and took shelter in one of the bathroom stalls for a few hours of warmth before morning. Needless to say, the trailer was a very crowded place Monday morning. The kids were all pretty good to stay inside and entertain each other while parents got everything garbage-bagged and packed up. However, since the trailer was most certainly occupied and I wasn't about to kick everyone out into the rain, I had the wonderfully pleasant experience of pumping breastmilk in a bathroom stall. Ya.

Of course a little rain didn't stop Jason and a few others from having one last ride. It was a really great trip for the cousins to get to play together and the adults to get to see each other, neither of which happens often enough. Hopefully next year will be a little less windy and rainy, but you never know. At least we'll be done with the pumping by then and we'll be able to stay in a tent...if we want.

Baby E & The Go Getter

2011-05-04T10:50:00.001-07:00

Not too much big news here. We are being switched to another ward at church...again. It's only the 7th ward we've been in in the 7 years Jason & I have known each other. Actually, technically we are going back to the ward we got switched out of 2 years ago, so it's only 6 wards. Whatever. I'm just sad to be out of Young Womens. But interested to see what this change brings.

Other than that, it's been life as...usual? It's certainly never boring around here with all of the kids. Wait, there's only 2? Huh. Well, they make it interesting.

Easton is becoming a very cute, chubby, smiley (sometimes) kid. Sometimes (like today) he's not so happy. Thankfully I can usually find something to make him happy. Right now it's his swing. Thank goodness for swings, binkies, car rides and all of the other wonderful things we have to help babies be happy. I'm glad that he isn't one of those babies that cries all the time or (like one of the girls in our ward...ex-ward? whatever) has to be bounced continually to keep from crying. He's generally pretty happy; sleeping most of the time. I do cherish those moments when I'm changing his diaper in the wee hours of the morning or I happen to look down at him while washing dishes and am greeted with wonderful, cheesy smiles.

Braxton loves his "Baby E", too. That's what he has taken to calling him. I think it's adorable. He also has added "E" to other things like "Daddy E" and "Grandpa E". He's a funny kid. He definitely has his not-so-fun moments, but I try to remember that he's 2 years old. It also helps that he's so cute and has his mama wrapped around his little finger (sort of). It's not too hard for me to be forgiving & patient most of the time.

Last night he decided to see what would happen if he bit Baby E's finger. Can you guess what happened? He never means to hurt Easton, but sometimes he gets a little too wild or doesn't understand what hurts people and what doesn't. I'm guessing Easton will be a tough kid. Braxton sure is.

We were at our ward's block party/BBQ Monday night and Braxton was running around not really watching where he was going. A man from our ward was walking through the line we were standing in just as Braxton ran out from behind everyone's legs. They collided and it knocked Braxton right on his back and head on the concrete. He was pretty upset, but that's not what made me almost cry. The poor man had such a tender heart and he just felt so badly. It was even more poignant because he looks like a tough biker-type that wouldn't show emotion. I picked up Braxton and he grabbed us both in a big hug. He said, "I haven't felt so bad in a long time. And I've felt pretty bad." Braxton was ok in a few seconds. Like I said, he's a tough kid.

As any mom can attest to, we have good days & not so good days. One day, Braxton (who was pretty much potty trained a few weeks ago) wet his pants 4 times before I decided to put a diaper on him. One of the times was on my lap. He has also peed while sitting on his booster seat at the kitchen table, in the car seat, and while riding on Jason's shoulders. That one was funny...to me.

On the other hand, he has become my official go getter. He is always getting me diapers and wipes for Easton. In fact, one day I got a diaper from downstairs while I was down there anyway. When I got upstairs and Braxton spotted it, he said something along the lines of "You got a diaper from downstairs? That's my job! Braxton gets the diapers." (In his own funny, little kid way of talking, of course.) "Ok," I said. "I'll let you get the diaper next time." Sheesh.

I'm glad he likes to help. I'm not sure yet, however, if I'm glad that he has figured out how to open the refrigerator. It's a new discovery & we'll have to see how that plays out.

One day, someone was over visiting and asked Braxton where he'd gotten his new shoes. I told them we got the shoes from Payless. Braxton adamantly replied, "No Payless! Walmart!" They did not come from Walmart, but that is "Daddy's store" and heaven forbid we ever shop anywhere else.

Another day, my friends came for a visit and we sat talking in the living room for a couple of hours while Braxton popped in & out entertaining and interrupting as 2 year olds do. After my friends left, we had the following conversation:
Braxton: "Where friends go?"
Me: "Where did my friends go?"
Braxton: "Ya."
Me: "They went home to their houses."
Braxton: "Miss em."
Me: "You miss them?"
Braxton: "Ya."

Wreckage and Easter Weekend

2011-04-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

We'll start with the bad news. We wrecked our car. It was the first of Jason's days off last week and we had planned a nice family outing to the library, splash park, some lunch, etc. We were in the left turn lane waiting to turn off of Bluff Street onto Tabernacle when a truck in the oncoming lane closest to us stopped to let us turn in front of him. I saw a red van coming in the other oncoming lane, but unfortunately I wasn't the one driving. Lol. Jason said, "I'm going for it" and I was so surprised that I was just a bit too late saying "Stop!"

It was a weird thing, as most wrecks are. I thought to myself as I watched the van coming toward me, "Huh, they must be going slower than I thought because Jason wouldn't pull out in front of someone and get in a wreck." But he did and we did. Luckily they weren't going too fast. I'm pretty sure they saw us, but thought we were going to stop, so they didn't. They were going fast enough to give us a good hit & rock our car sideways. I hit my head on the door frame, but that seemed to be the extent of our injuries. (And my head was fine except for a sore spot that's pretty much gone now.)

It, of course, scared Braxton who did his "I'm scared!" scream. Poor Jason thought Braxton was hurt and said later, "I didn't even want to look back at him." I was pretty sure he was just scared so I said. "It's ok, it's ok! You're alright!" He was reassured and didn't do anymore than say "Bang!" after that. (And "Potty" after a while of sitting and waiting for the police officer to fill out paperwork.)

Easton was sleeping in his car seat and I don't think he even woke up. Which worries me a bit to the fact that he must get bumped around that hard in the normal handling of his car seat. Or maybe not.

Anyway, our poor car needed a couple of new door panels and a new front side panel, so it'll be in the shop for a while. In the meantime, I get to drive around a rented a Chevy HRR. I can't decide if it's a cool car or an embarrassing car. The girls at young womens were pretty excited to ride in it on Wednesday, so it must not be too bad.

Other than our wreck, we've had a very nice weekend. Poor Jason had to work Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but we didn't let that stop the rest of us. Haha.

Friday and Saturday St.George was having it's annual art festival. It's gotten to be pretty big with artists from all over and everything from paintings and photography to woodworks and glass pieces. I used the double stroller that used to be Connie's that we got from our last trip to Circleville (thank you!) to take the two boys on Friday. I thought there would be less people than on Saturday, and there probably was, but there were still a ton of people. They had a kids' area where Braxton got his face painted. The girl asked him what he wanted...a skull or an Easter Bunny. He said "E'ter Bunny!"

There were, of course, a lot of food vendors, too, so we had visit them. Braxton picked a hot dog. What kid doesn't like hot dogs? There was one booth that had an old John Deer engine hooked up to an old ice cream maker. The engine turned the bucket and made the ice cream. It was pretty interesting and clever so we had to try some of the ice cream, too. It wasn't bad, but I don't think it was worth the 1/2 hour it took us in line. All well.

The festival was at the big town square that St. George has built by the Tabernacle downtown. There is also a splash park, so we brought Braxton's swimming suit and I let him run around in the water for a while. He had a lot of fun and didn't make it one block on the way home before he fell asleep. Easton basically slept the whole time. It was a fun day.

Today was our Stake conference. Kind of weird to have it on Easter, but the Stake President said they get told when to have it, so that's when it was. They announced that they are rearranging the wards...again. So we are now in a different ward and I guess I am no longer in Young Womens. I was pretty sad about that, but I'm sure it'll all work out how it's supposed to.

We decided that we will do our Easter traditions tomorrow when Jason is off work--dye & hide eggs, Easter basket, dinner, etc. It's strange to have it on a Monday, but what does Braxton care what day he gets candy. He'll take candy any day! He did get to go to the Easter egg hunt that Jason's store did last Saturday. It was a lot of fun and he got a bucket full of candy, so he was set for a while.

He's a very rambunctious kid and LOVES his little brother. He loves to kiss him and poke him and squish his head and touch anywhere on him and talk to him from a distance of about two inches from his face. It's a chore. Yesterday I was making dinner and I looked over to see Easton with a bucket on his head. He obviously didn't put it there. He is hard to leave alone, though. When he's fed and changed and in a good mood, you can talk to him and smile at him and he'll give you the biggest, cheesy smiles. It's pretty adorable if I do say so.

Easton's Birth

2011-04-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

Alright, I've been putting it off for no particular reason, but here it finally is for anyone who may be interested. (May be a bit lengthy, but that's for my memory & posterity.)

I woke very early in the morning on Sunday, March 13, 2011, to go upstairs and sleep on the couch. Sleeping in bed until my body became too uncomfortable to continue lying down had become my norm for the last few months. I made my usual trek upstairs to our couch to try sleeping in a more inclined position and glanced at the clock on the oven on the way by. It read 4:30 am, but I remembered that it was really 5:30 am because of daylight savings time. I got myself arranged on the couch and soon felt the telltale discomfort of a contraction. I was surprised because last time I went into labor, the contractions started very, very small and gradually increased in intensity over many hours. This contraction was very noticeable. I may have been having contractions of less intensity while I was sleeping, but I doubt it.

I knew this would be the day for our second son to be born, so I decided to try to get more sleep. I wasn't very comfortable sitting up, so I decided to lay down. This made the contractions lessen, which was good for resting, but since I was already a week over our due date and very anxious for this baby to be outside of me, I decided not to chance making the contractions stop.

I rested until about 7:00 am when I knew Jason should be getting up to go to work. I went downstairs and told him the good news that I was having contractions. He asked, "What should I do?" I told him they weren't very close together and that he should go to work and get done whatever he wanted to get done (he wouldn't be back to work for a while as he gets 2 weeks paternity leave). I said I would call him when I wanted him to come home.

Jason called his mom who had come with his dad a week or two before to stay at an RV park in their trailer so that they could be close by to help out. They had been planning to go home that day because Jason's sister and her kids were coming to their house for a visit during spring break. His mom decided that she would stay in town while Jason's dad went home.

She came over to our house to see what she could do to help. I asked her to listen for Braxton to wake up while I took a bath/shower. While I sat in the bath, I decided to time my contractions. I was surprised to find that they were about 5 to 7 minutes apart.

It was about 8:30 when I got done and decided I should call Liz, our midwife, to let her know that I was in labor. She said to call her when back and let her know when the contractions were lasting a minute or if I needed/wanted her to come over. She said that she had church at 11 and if I hadn't called yet, she would come over to check on me before going to church.

I texted Jason to let him know that I wanted him to come home and he was soon home. He and his mom got Braxton dressed and fed and ready to go with her to their trailer for the day. I came downstairs long enough to tell him that he was going to go with Grandma for the day while mommy had the baby and when he came home, the baby would be born. I gave him hugs and kisses and told him goodbye. It was a bit hard for me. I am almost always with him, I miss him when we're apart, and I knew that after this day the dynamics of our relationship would never be the same. Not necessarily worse, just different. I was glad, however, that Jason's mom was there to take care of him. He loves being with Grandma and I know he is in very good hands with her. It was nice not to have to worry about him.

Just before 10 am, my contractions were lasting about a minute, so I called and told Liz. She came right over (her house is just down the street). She determined that I was dialated to 6 cm. but that I probably had a while to go since the contractions didn't seem to be hurting very much. I thought they were hurting plenty and was thrilled to be 6 cm. already. Liz said that if it was ok with me, she was going to go to at least her Sacrament meeting while her apprentice, Shannon, came over to be with me. I said that was fine and she told us to call or text her when the contractions started getting strong.

Shannon came over and sat with Jason and I while I sat on the bed upstairs breathing through each contraction. Around 12:30, Shannon decided that the contractions were getting strong enough that Liz should come back. Liz came and said that she thought I would progress faster if they left Jason and I alone. Some people, especially those who may have more shy or self-concious personalities, just do better when they don't feel like someone is sitting and watching them. I agreed, and Liz took Shannon with her to her house while she changed out of her church clothes and put her family's dinner in the oven.

Liz suggested I could try some different positions while they were gone and see what was most effective (ie-most painful). I tried kneeling, squatting, sitting on the toilet, walking around, etc. Nothing seemed particularly more effective than anything else, so I ended up sitting back on the bed.

I apparently had progressed by the time they got back, however, because they had intended to stay downstairs for a while, but felt things were strong enough that they should be upstairs. After a while, I felt like pushing and decided to stay on the toilet so that I could push without worrying about any mess.

By this time the contractions were very painful and for some reason I really didn't like the feeling of pushing. Jason sat by my side the whole time and held my hand through each contraction. I was very comforting to me.

Liz could tell by my sounds when she should set things up in the bedroom and have me come out and lay on the ground. Liz said that I was dialated to 10 cm., but that my water still hadn't broken. She asked if I wanted her to break it, and I said yes.

Liz thought I would be in a better position for the baby to come if I scooted up a bit. I told her I didn't want to move. She said, "You don't have to move. We'll move you." I said, "No, I don't want to be moved." She said that was fine.

Soon the baby was moving down and Jason and Shannon held my legs while I pushed. When the baby crowned, I found out what was meant in birth books about the "ring of fire". I always thought people screaming on TV and movies was for show and anyone who did it in real life was being dramatic. I now know better.

Liz had previously asked Jason if he was going to "catch" this baby. Jason got a sick look on his face and said, "I think I'm more for watching." Liz replied, "Oh, you'll catch him. You'll be glad you did." So when the head was out, Liz told Jason, "Ok, put your hand right here." She coached him a little (though he didn't need much coaching since we had gone to her class on how to deliver a baby if the midwife doesn't make it in time) and at 4:20 pm, our son was born into his daddy's hands.

Next was my favorite part of both Easton's and Braxton's births--when they laid him on my belly. I was so happy to be done with the pushing and pain that all I could say was "Thank goodness" and "Thank you" (to the baby and to Heavenly Father).

Liz rubbed him and gave him a "baby massage" to get him breathing and crying while he laid on my stomach. I was so glad to hold that warm, soft, tiny thing while I got to do my second favorite part of childbirth. It's not something that anyone ever talks about, but I love delivering the placenta. After all the difficult pushing and hard work of getting the baby out, it's so gratifying to give one push and have the placenta just slide right out.

After a bit, I laid back on the bed and took pictures while Liz and Shannon wieghed, measured, took footprints, etc. and Jason dressed Easton for the first time. We then busily texted everyone we knew to let them know that our new family member was finally here.

After all of the taking care of was done, Jason's mom and Braxton came back to our house and a new favorite took place. It was so wonderful to watch Braxton see his new little brother for the first time. I believe it was love at first sight as he hugged and kissed his new "baby E'ton".

After Braxton's somewhat traumatic birth, I had prayed for 9 months to have an easy and "uneventful" birth this time. I don't know if it was exactly easy, but I don't think births are supposed to be. It was, however, an answered prayer in that it was uneventful with no complications. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect delivery or a more beautiful day.

Tears & Cheers

2011-04-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

Here's what's been happening in the past week & a half:

Braxton threw his first full on WalMart tantrum. Yes, we were "those parents" with "that kid". Only made worse, of course, because we know everyone who works there. Nice. He really has been much better about his "terrible two's" tantrums for the past couple of weeks, but every once in a while...

This is how it went down: Braxton was "helping" me push the shopping cart with Easton in the basket part in his car seat. Easton started fussing because he was hungry, so we put his car seat on the seat part so I could feed him his bottle while we shopped. Braxton decided that was his seat and had a freak out. We tried to talk to him, tell him he could still help push or sit in the basket, etc. I told him I was going to take him out to the car if he didn't stop crying, but he just couldn't get over wanting to sit in that seat. So out to the car we went while Jason did the shopping. That was a long walk from the back of the store carrying a screaming two year old.

Also, the wind was blowing like mad, so the screaming only intensified once we got outside. He calmed down in the car, but it was disappointing. Jason said, "I never thought he would throw a fit like this in a store."

Holly and Ailey (my sister & niece) came to visit for a week. It was really great timing. They got here the evening before Jason had to go back to work, so I wasn't suddenly on my own with two kids. Even with the both of us, there were some hectic moments. (Of course there was also another kid.)

One day Braxton was taking his nap, Ailey was being happy, and Easton was sleeping. Easton woke up and wanted fed, but I decided to change him first. Of course, he peed while I was changing him, as boys sometimes do. Then he pooped all over. So we decided to give him the bath we had been talking about giving him anyway. Holly was in the middle of trying to get dinner in the oven, but she wanted to come take pictures and we thought it'd be quick. Braxton woke up with the noise of us all coming downstairs, so he had to get in on the bath action. All five of us crammed in our tiny downstairs bathroom with a baby that's crying because all he wanted was to eat while I tried to wash the baby without drowning him (I'm much better at bathing little ones when I'm in there with them). Holly went upstairs to get the dinner finished while I dried the wet kids. The smoke alarm goes off (it likes to go off whenever you open the oven), our phones are ringing, I'm trying to get the baby's milk warmed up, I still need to pump, the two older kids are now hungry...it was a crazy time. The funny thing is that within half an hour, it's over and everyone is (relatively) quiet again. Holly was telling my dad about it and said "I swear there were more than three kids for a while." I said that maybe some neighbor kids snuck in.

It was great having Holly and Ailey here. I always wish they lived closer when they have to go. For days afterward Braxton talked about "Where Holly, Ailey went?" and "Miss them."

He's learned recently about the phrase "Miss you" and it's really cute. One day I was downstairs doing laundry. Braxton was in our bedroom looking at books and playing with toys. I went in his bedroom to put away clothes and was in there too long, I guess, because he forgot where I was and went upstairs looking for me. I thought it was odd that he went upstairs when I was downstairs, but he sometimes does that. After a minute, I heard him crying. I called to him to see what was the matter and he came running to the top of the stairs very upset. He said he didn't know where I went and he was looking for me and thought I went outside. It was the saddest thing. I gave him lots of hugs and kisses and told him I would never leave him alone and not tell him that I was going outside. He said he missed me, told Jason all about it when he got home, and talked about it for a couple of days afterward.

He's such a tender-hearted little fellow. He sure loves his baby Easton. That baby has no shortage of kisses. Braxton thinks that any time Easton cries, it must be able to be fixed with Braxton kisses. He also likes to pat Easton's head and say "Nice baby." We were somewhere where people were looking at the baby and Braxton was sitting beside me rubbing the baby's head saying "Nice baby... ya." as if to say "Yes, you may look at this baby. It's a nice baby. But it's my baby, so you may not take it." He's quite gentle so far. Sometimes we have to remind him that he should not lean on the baby when he's trying to kiss him or that he shouldn't shove the pacifier in the baby's mouth and hold it there to make sure that is stays in or that "baby carrots" does not mean that the baby can eat the carrots or that his play dough monster shouldn't eat the baby's face--just his feet or belly. Those kinds of things.

We had our first dinner out together as a family of four last night. It was in celebration of our five year anniversary (which was actually on the 5th, but Jason had to work). I know, romantic for the big 5 year, right? That's just how we roll. In fact, Jason's mom reminded us that it was our anniversary. Maybe we would've remembered before it had passed, but I can no longer scoff at my own parents for always forgetting their anniversary.

The dinner went pleasantly well. We went to Pasta Factory (one of the first places Jason & I ate out together) and Braxton ate a LOT while Easton slept peacefully the whole time.

Afterward we stopped by the open house for The Birth Sweet--the new birthing suite (center really, but not legally allowed to call it that) that our midwife has opened. It's really nice and a wonderful option for those in the area who like the idea of a home birth, but don't want to do it at their home or want more of the peace of mind of a medical facility. I think I would still prefer the comfort and security of being in familiar surroundings, but it would be a really great option.

Wednesday we went to the monthly Friends of Midwives (I think that's what it's called) meeting and told our birth story. I'd like to write more right now, but my head is feeling funny for lack of sleep and the late hour, so I'll have to save the whole story for tomorrow. It will come, though, I promise, for anyone who is actually interested. Till then, adieu.

Two Weeks Notice

2011-03-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a bit out of order, but that's the way it's going to be. First off, Easton Adam Lay was born on Sunday, March 13th. I will post our "birth story", but not right now. I feel more like talking about the past two weeks right now, thus the out of order.

It's been a tough couple of weeks. The first couple of days after Easton was born were great. Braxton was a loving but careful & gentle big brother, Easton ate every two hours (as most newborns do) but slept well in between, Jason's mom was in town to help out, the sweet ladies I work with in Young Womens brought over dinners, Jason did everything I could possibly ask for, and I felt great for having just had an 8+ pound baby.

Then one night Braxton started coughing. It was one of those croupy kind of coughs that you know hurt. We plugged in his vaporizer and prayed for the best. Thankfully he never got really sick, but sick enough to be sick. He had a fever a few times and has had a runny nose and cough ever since.

Then my throat started hurting. I didn't get the cough and runny nose like Braxton, but I did get an achy, fever, chills thing. Really not fun when there's so much in my body that is already on the verge of aching. Thankfully it lasted only a couple of days.

Jason has had some problems, too, but we're not sure if he's had allergies or what. Every one of us seemed to have something different. Luckily all the baby got was a stuffy nose for a couple days. I think the breastfeeding helped give him whatever antibodies I had. They came at a high price, however.

I tried breastfeeding with Braxton, but it only lasted a few days before I decided that torturing him and myself was not worth it. After buying formula for the better part of a year, however, I decided that I was going to breastfeed with the next one. Period. Much easier said than done. I think I've had most problems you can have so far--aside from any kind of infection, thank goodness.

I decided that I at least had to stick with it for two weeks. My sister said someone once told her that if you can make it through the first two weeks, you can do it. Well, two weeks is tomorrow, and I'm not so sure about that. I'm still working at it, but every day is a frustration.

I'm glad that our society has realized the benefits of breastfeeding and it has become the socially acceptable and hip thing to do. However, sometimes it feels as if women are looked down upon if they do not breastfeed. I myself was even guilty of thinking that if someone didn't breastfeed it was just because they didn't really want to or they just thought it was easier not to. I definitely know better now. True, if it was a matter of your baby starving to death or living, most of us could find a way to get through it and make it work. However, I can say from experience it is no pleasurable experience for all.

The other challenge we've had is that our two year old has decided to start acting like a two year old. Before this month, he had hardly ever thrown a fit and only cried when he was hurt or upset for a real reason. Now, we have almost hourly tantrums if he doesn't get just what he wants (which he doesn't, of course) or if he gets tired. And since he has decided that most days he doesn't want to take a nap, he is often tired.

I don't want to complain, but maybe someday (or this day) it'll help someone to see that they're not alone in going through similar problems. I just try to remember that with kids, everything is a phase. Some are longer or less pleasant than others, but all things pass.

Birthday Time

2011-03-05T14:03:00.000-08:00

My little boy turned two on February 28th. Hard to believe, yet we've had so much fun together. What a wonderful blessing he is from my Heavenly Father. I can't wait to meet blessing #2, hopefully any day now.

Braxton had a wonderful birthday. We actually celebrated it on Saturday the 26th since Jason had to work on the 28th. Last year for my niece, Ailey's, birthday I made an Elmo cake. I still had the cake pan, so Braxton had known for a while that he was going to have an Elmo cake on his birthday. In fact, if anyone said anything about his birthday, most all he would say was "Elmo cake!" He got to help me "paint" the pan with shortening and shake the flour in it, mix the cake mix and pour it into the pan. He was busy playing with his birthday presents upstairs while I was frosting the cake, so the final product was a surprise. What was his birthday present? Let me tell you.

A while ago, we discovered that Barnes & Noble has a Thomas the Train set, complete with tracks, table and trains, set up in the kids area. Anyone can come play with it (as long as kids don't "accidentally" walk out with the trains). Braxton has LOVED that train set and really any train he gets his hands on. In fact, his favorite blanket ("D") happens to have trains on it. So Jason decided that he was going to get Braxton a train set and trains for his birthday. He looked online and bid on set after set on ebay until he finally got one. It's a LOT of tracks and trains for a 2 year old, but we've kept a lot of it for future birthdays and fun occasions.

Jason watched & stewed days before Braxton's birthday worrying that it wouldn't make it here in time. A couple of days before the big day, however, a box arrived filled with all kinds of train fun. Saturday morning, Jason went upstairs and set up some tracks. To keep Braxton downstairs, I told him Daddy was setting up a birthday surprise, so we couldn't go up there. We then decided that motorized trains would be much funner with batteries and made a quick trip to the store. When we got home, Grandpa (my dad) was here & Braxton got to go upstairs to discover his birthday surprise.

It was pretty cute. He was so excited and surprised until he realized there were no trains (which took about 3 seconds). He lifted up his hands questioningly and said "Trains?" We said, "Well, maybe you should open a present." Jason had bought a new train as had his parents, so Braxton got to open up two trains. Jason had actually bought & wrapped another, but when we saw how involved it was for Braxton to keep two trains going, we decided to save that one for another day.

Braxton has played with those trains almost unceasingly since he opened them. We quickly decided we need to invest in a battery charger and rechargeable batteries. Braxton has taken trains with him to the store, to church, to the breakfast table, and even to bed--pretty much anywhere he can. I try to draw the line at potty and bath for the trains' sake. He'll even go upstairs and play with them by himself, which is weird for me after being together almost 24/7 for two years, but also nice to give me some freedom to do what I want without having to entertain him all the time. I think it's going to be very nice for keeping him busy while we are having the baby as well.

We had free tickets for the Washington City Community Center on our Parade of Homes tickets so we decided to try out their aquatics center to celebrate Braxton's birthday. It's a pretty cool place, but not especially little-little kid friendly. There are toys and slides for them to play on, but they all have water that dumps on them. Braxton didn't care for the water dumping eveywhere, so we spent most of the time just watching the big bucket that dumps every minute or so. He was enthralled with it from a distance. The boys (Grandpa, Jason, and Elmer) did enjoy the hydrotube, but it's also not kid friendly. I think we'll stick with Sand Hollow aquatic center for a few more years. And yes, I did wear a swimming suit. I tried not to think how I looked in it, but I did manage to escape the camera. Haha.

After our wet & wild experience, we were all hungry and decided to go out to eat. It was pretty late by that time (late for dinner, anyway). At the restaurant, Braxton was having a hard time, which is uncharacteristic for him. Jason said, "Has he eaten anything since breakfast?" Huh, come to think of it, not really. No wonder he was upset. The poor kid was probably starving. He did eat all of his mac & cheese and some of his broccoli, though.

Even though it was kind of late by the time we got home, we couldn't forget the Elmo cake. So I put the candle on it and carried it upstairs (where Braxton was playing with his trains, of course). When I came in with it, Braxton was so excited he came over and wanted to just bite right in. Haha. We made him wait till we'd lit the candle, sang Happy Birthday, and cut a piece for him. I did let him eat some of the icing right off the cake with his fingers, though. You only get to be two years old once.

I think it was about all a two year old could want from a birthday. Trains, swimming, and Elmo cake. Oh, and a birthday card that sings. He wore that out pretty quick.

Now that Braxton's birthday is over, we are hoping for another birth day anytime now. I've been ready for a while, but I did want to go to the Parade of Homes (loved it!) and let Braxton have his special day before life changes forever. The actual 40 week due date for #2 is tomorrow, but I fear that we will end up finding out that my babies tend to cook a little longer than some. Braxton was 5 days past his due date, and, as I've not had any contractions yet, this one will likely be past, too. It's not that there's anything wrong with waiting a few extra days, it's just not very comfortable. And it makes everyone anxious. I guess we'll all just have to take a deep breath and be patient.

2011-02-20T16:15:00.000-08:00

It's a month of big progress for us. First we had bye-bye bottles, as discussed in the last post. Today we had two great accomplishments. Not firsts, but great things to celebrate, none the less.

When Braxton was about a year and a half old, he started staying in the nursery by himself every Sunday with not much problem. After a vacation/trip to Phoenix & Circleville in November, he decided that he did not want to stay in nursery without Mom (or Dad at least). For the last few months, I have either been staying in nursery & bringing Braxton with me to Young Womens or trading off with Jason when he's there. If either of us leave, Braxton starts crying (loudly) as soon as he notices and doesn't subsist until they bring him to us.

I've been a little worried about it as it's one thing to corral a two year old during a lesson, but it would be quite another to do it while also caring for a newborn. So today I asked Braxton if he could go to nursery and stay in without Mom or Dad being there. He said "Ok. Dad, come," took Jason by the hand, and lead the way to nursery. I thought he probably meant ok, as long as Dad is in there, but when they got to the nursery door, Braxton let go of Jason's hand, pushed his way into the room and started playing. There he stayed, apparently happy, for the rest of church. I was so thrilled! If only we can keep this going as successfully as the bottles. One more milestone to check off before we start all over again with baby #2.

One of the other milestones that would be nice to check off is, of course, potty training. We've found that in the past few days, Braxton has been asking more & more to use the potty of his own accord. He does pretty well, especially when he has no diaper on, but so far seems to be afraid or not willing to sit on the potty long enough to do more than pee. I know this is not entirely uncommon for kids, so I've just been encouraging him and he knows that if he does go poopy on the potty, he gets a sucker. Today he came and told me "poopy potty" as he has other times. He had started going in his diaper and then realized he should go on the potty. So I sat him there & he waited for probably 10-20 seconds then was ready to get up & run. I knew he had to go still, so I left his diaper off & after a few more times of going and sitting on the potty by himself, he came and told me "Poopy!" I said, "Ok, lets go see." Sure enough, there it was. We got all excited and he got his sucker.

Though cleaning poo out of a little plastic bowl is really not my idea of a good time. Almost worse than a poopy diaper, I'd say. One must just keep the end result in mind--no more cleaning or wiping poo from anywhere. That's exciting!

Update: As I was writing this, he filled up his potty again. Haha. Lovely.

Bye-Bye Bottles

2011-02-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

The other morning, as I stripped the bedding off Braxton's bed to be washed...again...I decided that it was time to say bye-bye to the bottles. Braxton has been done with drinking milk from a bottle for a long time, but he still liked to have his bottle with water in it at bedtime (and any other time he thought of it). It's not that big of a deal and I'm sure he would eventually grow out of it, but it does cause a lot of leaky diapers at night (even with the extra thick nighttime diapers). I decided now was as good a time as ever to tackle the situation, not knowing how it would go.

I told Braxton, "Today we are going to get rid of your bottles. Because you're a big boy and you don't need them anymore." So, taking a kind of idea from one of those nanny shows on TV, I got a box, we decorated it, put all of the bottles in it, and taped it up. As a little added incentive to help get over the crying times, I told Braxton that to celebrate saying bye-bye to the bottles, we would go swimming. (Or rather he & Daddy would go swimming while I watched. I don't think anyone wants to see me in a swimming suit right now. Haha!)

After a little bit of initial crying and getting used to the idea, Braxton was actually excited about "bye-bye bottles". When nap time came around, we did our regular bedtime routine, I laid him in bed, and he said "Bottle" as usual. I reminded him that we said bye-bye to the bottles, and he started crying. I asked him if he wanted his baby to sleep with him and after retrieving baby, he went to sleep with no problem. That was it, no more mention of bottles except to say "Bye-bye bottles" every once in a while.

I've been very pleasantly surprised at how well he's done with no bottles. I really expected more of an ordeal at bedtimes because it's been such a security for him to have his bottles. But I guess once he got it in his mind that we were done with bottles, it was done. I've worried a little that he might get dehydrated with going from drinking so much water out of his bottles (sometimes 4-5+ a day!) to having no bottles, but I try to remind him to drink water throughout the day and he seems to be fine.

What a great big-kid. Perhaps many of the things we stress about for our kids' sake (potty training, getting rid of binkies and bottles, adjusting to new baby, etc.) don't have to be such an ordeal after all. Although I'm not naive enough to think that things always go so well. We're still working very slowly on potty training. Mostly because I'm not ready to completely commit. One step at a time, right?

Side note: We are missing one bottle, but I really wanted to get the whole process done before nap time, so hopefully if the bottle ever turns up it will be Jason or I that find it.

Basket Case

2011-02-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

Last week we had a lovely visit from Jason's parents. It's nice to have a guest room and guests. Braxton had a wonderful time while they were here. One night my dad came over for a bit, and Braxton was beside himself with excitement that he had "two Grandpas" in one room.

Jason has been trying for about a month to go to Circleville for a visit. He just loves getting out of the city to the slower pace of his hometown. Unfortunately there always seems to be something preventing it. He had this Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off and decided those were the days. Braxton came down with a cold and had a couple of rough nights, so I wasn't sure if I wanted him going. I needed to go to work a bit on those day, however, so in the end I relented and packed up Braxton's little suitcase. It's good for him & Jason to have their little trips together. And Jason said he would be careful to keep Braxton inside the house and warm.

Braxton was excited to go to the grandparents' house and play with the "choo-choo train" that they have there. I always worry about him being away from me because he's so attached to his Mommy, but in reality, it's harder for me to be away from him.

I do enjoy having some time to do whatever I want. I spent a few hours yesterday driving around & shopping. When I got to Costco, however, there was a little girl wandering around looking lost. I asked her if she'd lost her mommy and she nodded. I took her by the hand and asked one of the workers to help me find her mom. While we were waiting, I asked her what her name was. She didn't answer and she looked Hispanic, so I asked her in Spanish, but she still just stared at me. Haha. After a minute or two her mom came hurrying over and scooped up the little girl. I could tell she was fighting whether to be mad that the girl had wandered off or relieved that she'd found her. I was so emotional, whether from hormones or lack of my own little one, that I just about started crying and had to walk quickly away and breathe deeply. I felt like a basket case thinking, "What's wrong with me? That was nothing. Why am I fighting back tears?" I came home and told my sister about it and we had a good laugh. Us crazy pregnant ladies.

I had a prenatal appointment with my midwife today and all seemed well. Our little boy seems to have his head down, thank goodness. We just hope it stays that way for another 5 weeks or so.

I have to tell another funny mom story. The other night, I was trying to load the dishwasher and, for some reason, Braxton decided that it needed to be closed. After telling him to leave it open and struggling with him to open it. I said, "Do you need a time out?"

"Ya," he replied.

So I said, "Ok. Go sit down in your time out."

After about a minute, I yelled to him in the living room that he could get out of time out if he wanted to. I figured that since he put himself in timeout, he could come out when he was ready.

My dad was in the living room watching videos on the computer and I heard him trying to get Braxton to come sit on his lap. I though Braxton was probably just playing and didn't want to. After about ten minutes I finished with the dishes and came into the living room to find Braxton still sitting obediently in his time out spot.

"Braxton!" I said, "Are you still in time out? Honey, I said you could get out a while ago. Did you think you still had to be in there? I'm sorry. What a good boy you are, though!"

It was so sad, but really funny at the same time. My dad had been trying to get him to come sit on his lap, but he just sat obediently on the stairs in his little time out area looking somberly at Grandpa. I can assure you that from now on, I will come talk to Braxton whenever his time out is over, as I knew I should've done in the first place.

It did, however, remind me of a funny incident from my own childhood. We used to go for trips in our camper and talk to our parents who were in the cab of the truck through a CB Radio. Well, one time Holly asked my mom via the radio if she could use the bathroom while we were driving. Who knows what children think and why she felt she needed to ask. My mom told her jokingly, "No, Holly, you just have to wait." or something along those lines. Holly, obviously didn't get the sarcasm and a few hours later it was discovered that she was still waiting. I'm sure my mom felt bad, but years later, it's one of those things that I just have to laugh at.

My Little Boy

2011-01-13T14:41:00.002-08:00

It is true. I was looking at Braxton taking up half of the bathtub last night and thinking of how he is surely no longer my baby, but a little/big boy. It makes me want to cry when I think about it, because I know someday he will not think his mommy is the bestest, coolest person in the world. Sometimes I wish he would stay in Nursery by himself just for an hour, but then I think about how quickly time flies and how, soon enough, he won't always want his mommy around and I am happy to have him always on hand for the time being.

He is such a fun little personality. He is a bit mischievous and knows that he can get away with so many things with his mommy just by looking cute. Would you believe he actually stands in front of the mirror in his bedroom and practices cute & silly faces. Then when it is time to leave his bedroom, he tells that cute boy in the mirror "Bye."

When we came home from Christmas in Circleville, Braxton decided he wanted to sleep in the same room as Mommy & Daddy - like he does at Grandma & Grandpa's house. I told him we would sit in his room and rock for a little bit and I would sing to him then he would go to sleep in his bed. He picked the song "Jingle Bells" and this has been our nighttime and nap-time ritual ever since. I love the special time we have together - rocking, holding what will always be my baby, singing (though I do wonder how long it will be Jingle Bells), talking about the day, and saying our nightly prayer.

Yesterday we moved Braxton's bed from the wall it was on to another wall. It was right next to the light switch. When he was first there, it was no problem, of course, because he hadn't figured out how to stand up yet. When he figured out how to stand up, he soon realized that he could reach the switch. We simply scooted his bed away from the wall when we put him in it, but over time the distance between the wall & his bed has become greater and greater. His arms have gotten so long that his bed was sticking out into the middle of the room all the time, so we decided to switch it's position with the dresser. "Oh me, oh my. Oh me, oh my. What a lot of funny things go by." - Dr. Seuss (Braxton's favorite book quote for the moment)

Braxton sure loves books. I am very glad of it, for sure. Sometimes I would like to read a book with no pictures, but his enthusiasm is catching.

As I mentioned, I am not the best when it comes to being very stern. It's hard to be hard on someone so cute & charming. Sometimes when Braxton knows he is not supposed to do something but wants to do it anyway, he will say in the same tone of voice that I use when he's in trouble "Braxton." Like merely saying it is reprimand enough and he may now go ahead with his plans.

He's not as helpful as I'd like in picking up after himself. Usually saying that if he wants to be able to play with his toys again (or read the books again) he has to help pick them up. However, we've had an ongoing battle with the bucket of blocks upstairs. He doesn't help pick them up, so I put them away in the top of the closet. A few weeks later, he'll remember them and I'll get them out with the warning that he has to pick them up when he's done. I know it's so much funner for an almost-two-year-old to throw the blocks all over the room than it is to gather them up, but I get tired of doing it. So last time I told him that if he didn't help me pick them up, they were going to go away and not come back. I said they would go to a boy who would help his mommy pick them up. He put a couple blocks in, but not very many. So they are now in the DI pile. I have no grief over it, however, as he has another box of blocks in the living room.

Such a clever child I have. He talks quite a bit, though even I have a hard time telling what he's saying occasionally. When I do figure out that he was taking me into his room and pointing at the closet saying what I thought was "bug" with a disgusted look on his face because he thought the toy "frog" was slimey (or whatever other miscommunication comes up), I say "Oh, frog!" So when he is trying to tell me something that I can't figure out, sometimes he will say "Oh!" like saying that is what makes me figure it out.

Other than books, some of the things he loves are:

Talking to Holly on the computer. And Ailey. When they were here visiting, one day Braxton & Ailey were sitting on the kid sized folding chairs from Braxton's room. Now when Braxton gets them out, one is for Braxton and one is for Ailey.

His Grandpa. No one else throws him onto the couch in quite the same way.

His Daddy. Nothing else gives him a boost of energy quite like Daddy getting home. I'm sure Jason can sometimes hear the high-pitched squeals before he even gets in the house.

Baths. Baths with Daddy, baths with Mommy, "swimming" in the bathtub after Daddy or Mommy get out.

D. This is his blanky. Heaven forbid anything ever happen to that beloved blanky. I don't know what we'd do. I guess have some rough times.

Bottle. This goes hand in hand with D. Although I really wish we could get rid of this one. Someday I'll get my gumption up.

His car outside. I feel so bad that he gets to play in it so little. Maybe I'm just wimpy, but it's so cold these days.

Elmo & Zoe, toy cars and trucks, Ernie on a tricycle, the candy book, candy - for that matter, Jingle Bells & "Santa Coming", books that have songs in them (ie. The Aunts go Marching), so many books in general, going to Grandma & Grandpa's house where he got "stuck in mud", shredding paper with Daddy (I can't watch - I think he's going to shred his fingers), making messes, graham crackers, chocolate milk, saying things and closing his eyes when he makes a long "e" sound (as in green).

December & Beyond

2011-01-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

Since I missed posting anything all of December, I am going to skim through it. Unfortunately, I don't remember too much besides that it was a busy month, as most Decembers are. We got to participate in our tradition of shopping for Coins for Kids at Jason's Walmart. It's kind of a crazy time with all of those people crammed in together (think Black Friday minus the contention and competitiveness), but I really love doing it. My Dad came this year and helped me big time by keeping track of Braxton and the shopping cart. Braxton enjoys anything that involves Grandpa, so he had fun. Bonus for our family: great sales boost for Jason's store.

We had a few Christmas parties spread thoughout the month that were fun. And a trip to Circleville at the first of the month. We got to help set up Jason's parent's tree and a few other decorations. Jason's mom has a lot of snowman items which Braxton loves. Funny enough, though, when St. George had it's annual 2" of snow, Braxton didn't want to touch it or even step in it. Jason and I made snowmen, though, while Braxton played with his car and he was excited about the snowmen when we finished.

We also finally got our new furniture. Yay! It's been so nice having all of the extra room that our switching things around afforded. And our new couch is super comfy. It really saved me a few nights when I had a stuffy nose and needed to sleep sitting up. Thankfully (and kind of amazingly given the past year's record) a few stuffy noses is all we've had around here for a couple months. All of Braxton's past sickness has made me so very grateful for when he (and Jason & I) are healthy. What a wonderful blessing. I was actually grateful for our stuffy noses because it was nothing worse.

We spent Christmas & the few days before at Jason's parents' house. It was so much fun. Braxton was the only kid there, so he got to be the center of attention and help everyone open their presents. He was so excited about each thing he got. Even the toothbrushes in his stocking were so great he had to stop and go brush his teeth. I had it so easy this year with Christmas presents & shopping. Jason pretty much took care of it all. For one, he has the money. Haha. But mostly because he has the fortune (good or bad?) to work at a store that has most anything you could want for Christmas. It worked out well; he got what he wanted and I got to be surprised. :)

We had the most wonderful New Year's Eve this year. Some new friends from our ward invited us over for a party at their house. They have a son that is about 4 and there were a few other kids, so it was very kid-friendly. We played games, ate food, and then watched the final countdown to midnight-at which point the kids got to go outside and bang on pots & pans. It was one of the best New Year's I've ever had. It was just great to spend it with my little family and friends. It's great to have such a good resource for friends as the church. It's taken quite a while, but I'm starting to really enjoy our ward & feel a bit at home there.

Oh, I almost forgot the most exciting part of our Christmas! We came home Christmas afternoon since Jason has to work the next day at 5am. Holly had told me that she wanted to do a webcam when we got home so she could see us open our presents from her. So we got online and opened our presents. Mine was a shirt that says "Mommy" on the belly and Braxton's was a shirt that said "Little Brother". It was cute. Then Holly says "And look at my shirt." She too had a shirt that said "Mommy." I was like, "Oh, that's cool." I thought maybe since she was making one for me she decided to make one for herself, too. Then Jason was like "Uh, I think she's trying to tell us something." Duh!

Yep, Holly is pregnant. Due in August. She had made a shirt for Ailey that said "Big Sister" that would've made it easier for someone like me. Haha. But Ailey was sleeping when we talked to them.

I am so excited. How fun to be pregnant at the same time as your sister. And how fun to have cousins just a few months apart.

I have a feeling our next couple of months will be filled with waiting, anticipation, nerves, excitement...all manner of emotions.

Giving Thanks

2010-11-25T15:13:00.000-08:00

I heard such a wonderful lesson in Young Women's on Sunday and yet another great reminder from our home teacher last night and I have so many many blessings to be thankful for that I thought I would take this quiet moment to write some of them down.

Right now Jason and Braxton are both napping. I am thankful for how hard Jason works to support our family so that I can stay home with Braxton. I am VERY thankful to be a mom and to be able to stay home and enjoy my time with my sweet little son. (Although I am also grateful for nap time.) I am thankful for the new sweet little son moving around in my belly. What a wonderful feeling. And what a privilege to be a woman and be able to feel that.

I am thankful that for the past few months my dad has lived just across the street from us and we have been able to see him often. Braxton so enjoys his Grandpa and I know Grandpa enjoys Braxton, too.

I am ever so thankful to have the gospel in my life. It is the greatest source of peace and joy. I am so thankful for my Savior and my Father in Heaven. I cannot even comprehend their love for me. How wonderful that we can talk to our Heavenly Father at any time and about any thing. I'm so thankful that the family is at the center of the gospel and that I have the opportunity to be with my family forever. I am so thankful for the temple and how close I live to one.

I am thankful to live in St. George. I know it is not some people's favorite place, but I really wouldn't rather live anywhere else. Jason & I were talking about the idea that someday he might work in Cedar City to be able to be promoted and I briefly contemplated living in Cedar City. I know I could be happy there or anywhere, but I am so thankful to live in the beautiful place that I do. I am thankful to the pioneers who sacrificed so much to come to this desert and make it a beautiful place.

I am thankful that Jason has such a good job. We are far from rich, but we always have more than we need. What a blessing to have a job when so many do not and even more of a blessing to have a job that I believe he usually enjoys.

I am thankful to have a reliable, nice car; a house that we can afford and that our family can gather in; a bed to sleep in and plenty of warm covers; clothes that fit and do not need mending; more food than I should eat; the ability to take my son to the doctor when he is sick; a computer and internet to better keep in touch with family and friends; the opportunity to pay tithing and know that we will always have what we need.

I am thankful for the calling I have in the Young Women's and the wonderful ladies that I get to work with.

I am thankful for all of my family and friends. How glad I am that I live in this day when moving to another state doesn't mean you may never see each other again.

Most of all I am thankful for my Braxton. He is the greatest source of happiness in my life. I love him more than he will ever know and am so thankful to be able to spend every day watching him learn, grow, try, discover, and become the sweet little person that he is.

November

2010-11-24T13:23:00.000-08:00

Oh dear me. I just can't seem to find time to write regularly these days. There could be worse things.

About 2 weeks ago we had a wonderful visit from Holly, Aaron and Ailey. We got to have them stay at our house this time and it was a lot of fun. My dad has been working on & living in a house right across the street from us for about four(?) months, so he's also been at our house quite a bit. Braxton sure loves that Grandpa & having him come visit. Braxton & Ailey both had a very fun time playing with Grandpa and eachother.

While they were here, Aaron's parents made a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and were so nice to invite our family as well.

I was especially glad Aunt Holly was here on Sunday as it was the Evening of Excellence for our young women & I wasn't sure what I was going to do with Braxton since Jason worked. He had a fun time with Holly & Grandpa babysitting while I had a wonderful time at the Evening of Excellence.

The day after Holly & Aaron left, we had a big, exciting event for our family. My first ever ultrasound. My midwife thought I seemed to be measuring a bit big for how far along I was and wanted to make sure there was only one baby in there. Luckily they were quickly able to see that there is only one baby and it is a boy. Hooray! I am so very excited for Braxton to have a brother and to have another sweet little boy in our family. After much measuring and picture-taking (I had no idea ultrasounds were so in-depth!), we were assured that my measurements, fluid, etc. are all right where they should be. Looks to be a healthy baby boy so far. Yay! That'll help me sleep better at night.

Speaking of sleeping at night, or more accurately, not sleeping at night, let me tell you a little story about how it's not all bad. I tend to have a very difficult time sleeping, and not just because laying in one position for too long makes my whole body hurt right now. I just can't seem to turn off my brain. I'm sure many people can relate to this. It can be very annoying, but occasionally it does have it's benefits. For instance, as our house is arranged right now, we really don't have any place to put the new baby. So for several nights, my brain was trying to figure out what we are going to do to be able to fit another crib somewhere. This is what it came up with:
1. We move our bedroom into the tiny bedroom that Braxton is now in.
2. Braxton and new baby can be in the bigger room that we are in now, however, we have to move the computer & desk upstairs.
3. In order for the computer & desk to fit upstairs, we get rid of our couch & loveseat and get a more space friendly sectional.

Sounds easy enough when it's just three steps, but in reality, that's a lot of work. So we have started on the work by making our bedroom more kid friendly, selling some stuff that's just been sitting around taking up space, and (most fun) getting a great deal on a sectional while there are some good pre-Thanksgiving sales going on. Jason & I were out & about Monday and decided to look at some furniture stores to get ideas of what we want. We were very pleasantly surprised at the prices in the first store we went in & ended up buying a sectional and computer desk that we both love. I'm so excited to get the house arranged and make room for the new baby. (And to get our awesome new couch! It's super soft.) Too bad we have to wait for about a month until they'll be delivered. At least it gives us time to get rid of our current couches (which are for sale here, by the way.)

Since we already had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner and Jason has to work, come home & sleep, then work overnight on Thanksgiving, we have decided to forgo the usual feast. Although it's a nice relief to not have to worry about fixing a huge meal, it's proving to be really weird for me. I've cooked almost every Thanksgiving for the last 10 years and it just feels strange not to be having any turkey or the traditional fixings. I may have to break down & at least make a pumpkin pie. Haha.

It's been a big month and I'm just as excited for the next. Contrary to our usual tradition of waiting till after Thanksgiving, we've had our Christmas decorations up since just after Halloween. I wanted to decorate inside for my Mary Kay open houses and I guess it just got Jason in the mood. I came home one day to find that he & Braxton had set up the Christmas tree and that same weekend Jason put up the lights outside. It's quite a nice treat and Braxton sure does enjoy the lights. We got to go to the Jubilee of Trees Monday night and I think it about overloaded him. He seems to have recovered and gets excited whenever he sees a Christmas tree or lights (he calls both "tree"). It's going to be a lot of fun having an almost-two-year-old for Christmas this year. And, thankfully, our Christmas shopping is about done. Although I'm sure we'll be picking up a few more fun things here & there for Braxton. It's just too fun to spoil your own kids. :)

Halloweengy

2010-11-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

This Halloween was a great one because it was the first year Braxton was able to really participate & get in on the fun. I was so excited for fall, Halloween, and October in general that I put up decorations as soon as was allowable. So all month Braxton and I talked about Halloween and what it was. He called it Halloweengy.

Friday night (the 29th), Grandpa (my dad) came over to help us with the customary carving of the pumpkins. We have a pumpkin decoration that looks like a jack-o-lantern that Braxton had been playing with all month and affectionately named "Happy" as it is a happy looking fellow. So he was excited that we were turning our pumpkins into Happy's. We didn't really take pictures of the carving as we were all up to our elbows in pumpkin goop, but we got some cute videos of Braxton's reaction to us touching that slimy, nasty pumpkin goop. I got him to touch one of the pumpkin insides, but he wanted no part of the slimy, stringy stuff. I bet you can't guess which pumpkin was Jason's.

We just didn't know what to do for Braxton's costume. All of the costumes I looked at were so cheaply made yet expensive (to me) and I just couldn't get excited about any of them. So Saturday afternoon, Jason finally took Braxton to Walmart and together they picked out a Scooby Doo. I absolutely hate Scooby Doo cartoons, but for some reason, I've called Braxton Scooby Doo as one of his nicknames for quite a while, so it was fitting. Once he put the costume on, I loved it. It was like puppy dog pajamas & he looked so adorable and snuggly. He didn't keep the costume on very long, so we were wondering if he'd even wear it. We talked it up, however & told him that it was his Halloween costume and he had to put it on to go trick-or-treat and get candy. He did great wearing it when the time came & was so cute.

Saturday our ward had a chili cook-off/carnival/trunk-or-treat. Although my huge pot of chili didn't win (it was better the 2nd day), it was a great night. There ended up being two wards and most everyone in the neighborhood trunk-or-treating at the same time. The parking lot was full and we ran out of candy in about 20 minutes. It's a shame, too, because our trunk was so cute.

Braxton thought going up to people and having them give you candy was about the coolest thing since toy cars. After a little while, however, we decided Braxton had accumulated enough candy and headed home. Since we were out of candy, we decided to turn off the lights and enjoy our time together. It was really one of the best Halloweens I've had in a while.

Hot to Cold

2010-11-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

This last month Jason had one of his few & far between, actual vacations. The time off had been planned since the beginning of the year (to coincide with the deer hunt), but it took us a while to decide what else we were going to do. (Don't get me wrong, I love sitting around wait to hear stories of a noble victory over the wild, but not for a whole week & a half.) We finally decided on heading south to visit Jason's sister, Connie, and her lovely family in Phoenix.

It's really the perfect time of year to go there. Not too hot, just right. We got a nice place with our timeshare so we didn't have to crowd in on Connie's family. It ended up being perfect because her & the kids came over one night and swam in the pool & made English muffin pizzas.

We hadn't planned much to do while we were there, which turned out to be just the right amount of planning. Haha. Jason wanted to go to the zoo & I wanted to go to Ikea, so that--and hanging out with the Thornocks-- were our main objectives. Oh, and relaxing by the pool.

Phoenix has a nice zoo, but we had also heard recommendations for a wildlife park outside of Phoenix, so we decided to try that. It turned out to be really great. Connie said she'd visited it when it first opened & it was more like walking around someone's backyard to look at their interesting pets than a zoo. Obviously they've made some upgrades since then. I really liked it because it still had that small project feel to it (unpaved walking trails, close ups with the animals, not too big to see everything in a day) but it's none too small. There was even an extensive aquarium, a petting zoo, a giraffe feeding platform, a log ride, and lots of "coming soon" areas where they're constantly adding more fun things.

On our last day in Phoenix, we all headed to Ikea for some shopping & looking. Braxton loved the kid area and all the stuffed animal placed throughout the store.

We had a lot of fun just hanging out at the Thornock house, playing rock band, watching Survivor, eating their food, watching the cousins play. Braxton even got a haul of new (used) toys, games, and books.

After our Phoenix fun, we headed north to Circleville for a visit with Jason's parents & brother, Bryan's family. It was really fun for Braxton to get to play with both sets of cousins in one week. Saturday, Jason & Bryan headed out nice & early for the deer hunt. They were quite successful, got a nice deer and were home in time for dinner.

We got to just hang out for the next couple of days and even did laundry before coming home. (I love not having to unpack AND do laundry.)

Roseola

2010-10-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

What a nice sounding word. Roseola. It is, however, not nice at all. Roseola is an acute disease of infants and young children in which a high fever and skin rash occur.

We had the mispleasure of experiencing said high fever and rash this past week. I do not recommend it.

We've had a busy couple of weeks. First our favorite Miss Holly came to visit (along with the darling Ailey). We had a fun time with them, as always when we get together. We decided to plan a surprise birthday party for the especial Grandpa/Dad. His birthday was not actually till the next week, but that made it all the more surprising. We decided to make his favorite meal--turkey. We got to use a wonderful friend's clubhouse since my house is decidedly small for any decent sized get-together. It was a grand occasion. We had turkey & fixin's, cake & ice cream, and family & friends.

Holly only stayed for a few days before moving on to Fallon, Nevada, where her husband is stationed for a few weeks of training. It was Aaron's first General Conference experience as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, so they decided to make it special by spending it together.

As for our family, Jason, unfortunately, had to work both days; but Braxton and I enjoyed the cool weather and being able to watch conference on the TV upstairs without sweating. It was a bit difficult to pay attention to some of the talks when Braxton decided he was tired of it, but we did well for the most part.

Thursday morning while getting ready for Dad's party, I noticed Braxton had a bit of a cough. I thought, "Oh, no. Please don't be sick & grouchy for the party." He did alright during the party, but his cough persisted and got worse with the coming days. Our trusty humidifier helped, but on Sunday afternoon, I noticed he was hot and indeed, had a fever.

We were planing on going to Circleville Tuesday so I figured I'd better take him to the doctor Monday to make sure he didn't have an ear infection or anything. They said his throat was the color of my shirt (red that day) and prescribed antibiotics. We headed off to Circleville thinking that he would probably be feeling better in a day or two when the antibiotics started to work.

He continued to have a fever most of Tuesday and Wednesday, though. And as Wednesday night came, the fever was even higher, despite having Tylenol every 4 hours. Needless to say, it was a rough night. (Too bad it was all too familiar.) We managed to get a few hours sleep and headed home the next morning. We went back to the doctor who said if he had to guess, he would bet a Coke that the fever would break that day and he would then get a rash. He said to continue the antibiotics for the throat, but that the fever was likely caused by Roseola.

Sure enough, that afternoon, the fever went away, and by the next day he had a lovely rash all over. He still has his cough, which is a bit worrisome, but I am deeply grateful that we no longer have to deal with the fever. That stupid thermometer reading over 104 scares me. Despite the doctor's assurance that it's not uncommon or particularly dangerous in young children, I do not like it.

So for the next few days we'll try to take it easy and hope that Braxton gets over this troublesome cough. Because shortly we are leaving for a (hopefully) fun time in Phoenix. I am not looking forward to the packing, driving, unpacking, laundry, etc. But it will be fun to see Jason's sister, Connie and family. I will try my best to remember to take pictures, as I have been sadly lacking in that department lately. Maybe I'll even let someone take a picture of me to document my growing waist. We'll see.

FYI on Roseola:

Symptoms

The child may have a runny nose, sore throat, and eye redness.

A fever usually occurs before the rash appears. It lasts for 3 (sometimes up to 7) days. The fever may be as high as 105° Fahrenheit, and it generally responds well to acetaminophen (Tylenol).

Between the second and fourth day of the illness, the fever drops and a rash appears (often as the fever falls).

The rash starts on the trunk and spreads to the limbs, neck, and face. The rash is pink or rose-colored, and has fairly small sores that are slightly raised.
The rash lasts from a few hours to 2-3 days. It usually does not itch.

Other symptoms include:

Irritability
High fever that comes on quickly

Treatment

There is no specific treatment. The disease usually gets better without complications.

Take steps to control a fever with acetaminophen (Tylenol) and cool sponge baths. If convulsions occur, call your health care provider, or go to the closest emergency room.

Causes

The disease is common in children ages 3 months to 4 years, and most common in those ages 6 months to 1 year. It is caused by a virus called human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), although similar syndromes are possible with other viruses.

Roseola occurs throughout the year. The time between becoming infected and the beginning of symptoms (incubation period) is 5 to 15 days.

Tests & diagnosis

Physical exam of rash
Swollen lymph nodes on the neck (cervical nodes) or back of the scalp (occipital nodes)

Prognosis

Most children with roseola fully recover.

Prevention

The viruses that cause roseola are spread either through fecal-oral contact or via airborne droplets. Careful handwashing can help prevent the spread of these viruses.

Complications

When to contact a doctor

Call your health care provider if your child:

Has a fever that does not go down with acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) and a warm bath
Continues to appear very sick
Acts irritable or lethargic

Bug Killer

2010-09-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

I was in the shower today and noticed that there had been no little boy head randomly poking inside the shower curtain to scare the daylights out of me lately. So I peeked out to see what was going on and discovered that Braxton had found a friend in the bathroom. One of the lovely side effects of spending much of our time in a basement is the many legged visitors. This particular one was a nice sized cockroach - my favorite. There's just something about these nasty, crunchy, wiggly things that really grosses me out. Braxton, however, knew what to do. He went out to the bedroom, grabbed my cell phone and proceeded to attack the cockroach. "No worries, Mom! I'll take care of it!" (I'm sure he would say if he knew all of those words.) And not to worry, with a bit of bashing from my phone (which I hold up to my face, mind you!), that cockroach is no more. Thanks, buddy.

Catch Up

2010-09-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

Oh, I've become one of those bloggers. You know the ones who don't blog but once a month. Terrible. It's not so much that I think anyone who may follow my blog is in desperate need of an update, but that these blogs eventually end up in a scrapbook as a way to follow Braxton growing and life in general. So with that in mind, I will resolve to do better. Especially since it will not just be Braxton's growth & development that will be recorded for posterity. There will also be Minnie.

"Minnie? Who's Minnie?" Right? Minnie is what Braxton calls the baby in Mommy's belly. Surprise!

We have known for a while, but for some reason I have just not felt excited about sharing the news with everyone. I think it's because last time everyone knew about as soon as we did, so it was about 8 months of "How you feeling?" Etc. Anyway, we are expecting a new addition around the first part of March. Almost exactly two years apart from Braxton. Me & my brother & sis are all about 2 years apart & I liked it. We got to hear the heartbeat for the first time a couple weeks ago, which is really nice. It makes it a little more real. Like "Ya, there really is someone in there." And, yes, we are planning on a home birth again. Wouldn't do it any other way as long as I have that option.

There have been a few other things happening. (Thus the lack of time & blogging.) As I mentioned before, I am now the Young Women's Secretary in our ward. I have been loving it. The girls are great and we've started volleyball, which I always loved. The other ladies that I work with are also lots of fun. And, ironically, Holly (my sis) was also called to Young Women's in her ward. It's really interesting to see the differences between a typical Utah ward and a small ward in California. Very different. Same gospel, of course, but the organization, logistics of doing things, etc. is quite different. (Ex.: many people there don't have cars, so doing any activity away from the church requires arranging for rides for all of the girls.)

The other big thing I've started is my own business. I am now a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. I really like Mary Kay products and figured if I'm going to be using them, I might as well make money at it. It's been lots of fun so far, although I don't have a lot of time to do parties since with Jason's ever-rotating schedule, I only get a few nights a week with which to work. And then there are the inevitable no-go nights: Sunday, Monday nights for most around here, Wednesday nights with the Young Women, and now volleyball on Tuesday nights. So that basically leaves Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights...if Jason's not working. Ha, ha. All well.

I do, however, have a website so if you'd like to order something without bothering with a party, feel free!

The other thing that kept me busy last week was a visit from my sister and niece. They didn't stay with us as our upstairs bedroom is still about 90 degrees in the daytime, but we got to visit a bit. She's working with my dad on a house he's bought to fix up & sell (she's the financing). So she wanted to come check out the house (and deliver a tool that accidentally got sent to her house instead of his). Plus her husband was out on his ship for a while, so why not?

While here, she got the idea to buy a house here, have Dad fix it up, he & Elmer could live in it & she and Ailey could come stay in it while Aaron is out to sea. I love the idea, of course, because that means she'll be a couple minutes instead of a day away. It's also really fun to have Braxton & Ailey be able to play together. So we'll see if it all works out.

Jason & Braxton are planning another trip to Circleville. Jason had been planning a hunting trip September 11, 12, 13 and I have a planning meeting on the 12th, so it looks like it'll be another Daddy-Son trip. Jason's very excited, though. He likes having time with Braxton. And who could blame him? Braxton is the sweetest, funniest, cutest boy ever. I just love spending time with him. It's so fun to have him walking, running, communicating, and seeing his fun personality. He likes to make us laugh and give us loves. He's a very smart boy & happy most of the time. He's been sick the last few days, but so have I, so I can sympathize. Hopefully we'll both be over it soon.

Braxton's been going to Nursery all by himself for the last couple of weeks while Daddy is at work & Mommy is in her classes. It's super nice. I'm always pleasantly surprised when they don't come get me & instead say "He did great!" He even stayed in Nursery last week when Ailey was visiting and wanted nothing to do with it. When I go get him, he shows me his picture. As we walk home, I ask him about the songs they sang and if they had treats and what toys he played with, etc. It's really fun, but weird having him have his own separate life for a couple hours. It's strange having him learn things that I didn't teach him. Like the other day I said something about cleaning up & he started singing "Clean up". I was like "Oh, do they sing a clean up song in nursery?" Must be.

It's fun having a little boy instead of a baby. (Not that babies aren't great in their own way.) It'll be interesting to see how he deals with the new baby. I ask him if he's going to help me with the new baby when it comes & he says yes. But he'll say yes to just about anything.

Quietude

2010-08-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have nothing to blog about, but that is has been too long so I shall force myself to come up with something. Last Sunday, Monday and Tuesday on Jason's days off, Jason decided he wanted to go to Circleville because all of Braxton's cousins on that side of the family would be there. I had just gotten back from about a month's worth of trips and wasn't too excited to take off again. Plus it was to be my first Sunday in Young Women's with my new calling. So Jason said he would take Braxton and give me a few days to myself. It turned out to be a really nice few days. I laid around the house and read a lot. Went and worked with Margaret (the lady who I work for/with). And got to do one of my favorite things: go to the temple.

It was nice, however,I was very ready to hold my baby by the time they got back. Braxton had fallen asleep on the way home and didn't wake up when I took him out of the car, so I just sat on the couch and held him while Jason unloaded the car. He said, "Well, you must've missed him." as I sat there on the verge of tears because I was so glad to have my baby again. I know, I'm a boob. It comes with being a mom, I think.

Jason worked for the next three days, then decided that since his brother was going to be in Circleville this weekend to pick up his kids, Jason & Braxton would make another trip. (Thank goodness it's only a 2 hour drive!) Jason, of course, wanted me to go, but I explained to him again that I now have commitments and can't just take off every few days. So I got Braxton packed up again (pretty easy since I procrastinate actually unpacking), and off went my boys again.

Saturday my dad & step-mom had a yard sale on the lawn in front of our house, so I sat outside and visited with them while the yard sale was going on. Then my dad invited me to go for a gourmet meal of Costco hot dogs. It was nice.

I invited myself over to their house yesterday after church so that I didn't have to spend the day alone. We had a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon.

It's been nice to have some time to myself, but I'm ready to have human companionship again. It's pretty nice to actually be able to listen in church, but the 24/7 quietness at home gets a little old. Thank goodness my boys will be home today. Too bad Jason then has to go to work for another 3 days. He did, however, leave me a very nice card before leaving this time.

As he was getting in the car to leave, he said "Don't forget to find you're card." Oh, fun, I thought as I searched in all of the clever places I could think of that he might leave a card for me to find. As I was running out of clever places to look, I noticed a card for me on our bulletin board. Sure, hide it in plain sight.

Pictures

2010-07-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Ailey showing off her bling - she has a diaper bag, purse, hat, and bracelet.

Braxton's new favorite toy. We got to bring it home with us.

At the beach!

Braxton loved the waves, but didn't understand running away from them. Check out the guy in the background. He loves the waves, too. Lol.

Snuggling & smooching.

At the mall. Girls gotta shop! And Braxton has to tag along. But we rewarded him with a smoothie.

At the park.

Brought the panda bear to the zoo. Go figure.

Watching the sea lion show. Braxton liked it, but Ailey was disturbed. Haha. I think it was the whiskers.

Playing in the garden.

They sure like eachother.

A Day at the Beach

2010-07-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Braxton and I packed up the car (with Daddy's help) and started off on our trek to San Diego to see "Ha-ee" and "Ay". We stopped at the airport in Las Vegas to pick up Aunt Sandi. While we were waiting for her, I saw a little celebrity - Aimy Rolloff from Little People Big World. I was pretty excited, but decided not to bug her.

It was a long drive to San Diego, but Aunt Sandi did most of it while I tended to Braxton's occasional fussing in the back seat. I was so excited the night before that I hardly slept. Well, that and Braxton kept waking up because his nose was so stuffy that he could hardly breath. By the time we got to Holly's house I was ready for bed. Unfortunately, Braxton had a hard time going to sleep because of his stuffy nose, so I sat on the couch holding him while we watched the fishies in the fish tank and he eventually dozed off.

The next day we went to one of my favorite places ever - the beach! It was Braxton's first trip to the beach and he quite enjoyed it. We played in the waves for a while then walked down the peir. Ailey said "Daddy's ship" while we were walking down the peir and we said "Nope, not yet." (Her daddy's in the Navy & on a short deployment.) Then we looked out to the horizon and said "Oh, that does look like Daddy's ship." Turns out Aaron got to come home for a couple of days.

It was a fun suprise to get to see him. We decided to go to the zoo the next day since Aaron would be able to come with. We watch the Sea Lion show, then decided to eat lunch since then kiddos were starving. Then we decided since it was so hot (and past nap time) and our tickets were good for all day, we'd go home and come back later when it was cooler. When we checked the weather report for later, it was raining at the zoo. Luckily Holly had just bought year passes, so we didn't feel too bad about our lackluster zoo experience. The Sea Lion show was pretty fun, though.

Yesterday was a full day of shopping. I was so pleased with Braxton. He was in the stroller pretty much all day being pushed around this huge mall and was pretty much happy the whole time. What a good boy!

Oh, speaking of good boy... Braxton saw Ailey using her little potty and decided he wanted to try. So we put him on it & he went pee! I had planned on starting potty training when we get back from all of our summer traveling, and he seems to definitely be ready for it. We put him on another time and he squeezed a toot. It made us laugh, so he did it again. It was the funniest thing. He kept tooting and we kept laughing. Aunt Holly & Aunt Sandi even bought him some big boy underpants. We'll stick to diapers for the most part still, but he looks pretty cute in his little underpants.

Aside from the hot day at the zoo, we have been loving the mild weather. Holly's doors and windows are almost always open with a lovely breeze blowing through. I can see why so many people live here. (Although I think I'll stick to my St.G :)

P.S. I'll post the pictures when I get home.

Numbers

2010-07-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

This is my 100th post, and it is coming to you Circleville, UT 84723! 100 posts in just over 2 years.

We have been having a wonderful time in Cirlceville celebrating the 4th of July. Jason's brother's 3 kids are here, too, so that's always fun for Braxton.

We had a rough 1st night here on the night of the 2nd. That seems to happen here. Jason decided maybe it was because I hadn't been putting enough padding in Braxton's pack & play that he sleeps in. Perhaps he just gets too wound up and doesn't want the fun to stop.

Either way, Braxton and I missed the celebratory breakfast and parade on the 3rd. (Here in Utah, most of the celebrations were on the 3rd in an effort to keep the Sabbath day holy since the 4th was on Sunday.) I was none too happy that we missed the parade, but Jason said there weren't as many entries this year. We did get up and ready in time to go to the grade school for the annual patriotic program. It was much better than last year's (a girls' dance group doing various dances for about 1 hour).

After the program, you can buy lunch. This year the proceeds went to a couple of local families that had fallen on hard times. I thought that was pretty cool.

After lunch, they have "town races" (kids get to race in their various age groups). As this was Braxton's 1st year being able to walk/run we were pretty excited for him to race across from Mom to Dad. However, they started the races about 10 minutes before they said they were going to, so Braxton missed his race. Lame.

After that, they have a bunch of booths and games that the kids can buy tickets to. Braxton did a couple of them and won a couple of toys. He thought this was pretty neat. By then, it was about time for a nap. So Jason graciously volunteered to take Braxton home for his nap while I stayed and played a few rounds of Bingo. I played about $5 worth, then decided if there was anything in the prizes that I really wanted, I could just go buy it instead of spending more on Bingo. I did enjoy myself, though. I've just never had much luck with winning it.

When dusk came, we headed for our usual spot in the grade school baseball field to watch the fireworks. It was perfect weather. Just cool enough that it feels nice to snuggle under a blanket, but not so cold that you worry about the kids being outside. Braxton had fun running around with his cousins while we waited for dark. I had a beautiful time laying on a blanket on the grass enjoying the moment. The fireworks were great. Braxton decided he wanted his blankie about half way through (I had left it at home so it wouldn't get dirty). But he was soon distracted by some fruit snacks that his ever prepared Grandma brought. All in all, a great ending to the day.

Jason, Braxton, and I rode the 4-wheeler to all of the festivities. It was pretty fun having him sandwiched between us. I try not to think about whether or not it's very safe. It's easier to feel normal having a 1 year old on an ATV in a town where that is probably the main mode of transportation. Braxton has decided he loves riding on the 3- and 4-wheelers. He's had Grandpa give him rides and Daddy give him rides. In fact, he's on a ride right now with Daddy in a caravan with Grandma & Chris and Alley & Nick.

Sunday we went to church with Grandma. We slept in too late to make it to all of it, but got to Sacrament meeting. When they were passing the sacrament around, Braxton decided he needed more than 1 piece of bread. I had to take him out of the chapel because he was getting upset that I only gave him 1 and then passed it along. He actually threw an extraoridinary fit. I stood in the area between the doors outside and the doors into the building so that his screaming wouldn't be as disruptive. I couldn't believe him. We were out there for about 10 minutes. He wanted to go outside & play, but I wanted to go back in. I let him just throw his fit on the ground for a minute, but then noticed he was getting really dirty. So I just stood there and held him. If I'd had the car keys with me, I probably would've just gone home. However, Jason had them in the chapel & I didn't want to go back in with a screaming child. Lol. So there we were. Eventually he calmed down & we were able to go back in for the rest of the meeting.

As I was getting him ready for church, I commented about how his hair was getting pretty unruly. I like the curls, but it's almost too long to hold the curl. So after church, we decided to get out the clippers and see what kind of damage we could do. About halfway through, Jason & I sort of looked at each other like "What have we done?" By the time we got it (mostly) evened out, it looked ok. Jason likes it, but I'm not so sure. He doesn't look like my Braxton anymore. I'm sure I'll get used to it. He does look cute, of course, because he's such a cute kids. I just miss the curls. Hopefully they'll grow back.

We've been having a fun day today playing outside, going for walks & rides, eating junk food, jumping on the trampoline, and enjoying the weather and surroundings.

Saturday 3rd was my brother, Elmer's birthday. He is now 24. He is also staying in our house taking care of things for us while we are gone. Saturday 3rd was also my Aunt Sandi's birthday. She was 29 again. Haha. And today 5th is Jason's sister, Connie's birthday. We called her on the phone and left her what I can only imagine was a very interesting message of all of us singing "Happy Birthday" to her.

Also on Saturday 3rd was a most exciting happening in our family. My sister, Holly's husband, Aaron was baptized. Hooray! I'm so happy for them. I can't wait to go see them in just a couple weeks. Well, it'll just be Holly and Ailey since Aaron will be out on his ship for a bit, but I'm still excited.

What a great month. Well, sounds like the caravan is back, so I shall away. More updates to come!

Hot Summer Fun

2010-06-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

I've been putting off writing for a while because my brain seems to be so scattered. I can hardly remember what I've done day to day, let alone after weeks have gone by. It's a good thing for pictures or I would probably never remember what's happened to June.

The month started

off with a nice visit from Jason's parents. We were supposed to meet up with my family for a BBQ at the lake, but drove to & around the lake and couldn't find them, so we went drove back and went to Cracker Barrel instead. They decided that one night was long enough in the heat.

I had the pleasure of hosting a BBQ to which came my two best friends from high school (can you believe it's been over ten years since we became friends?) along with their families. It was great to spend some time with them & get to know Desiree's new husband better. Braxton had fun playing with Megan's kids, too. They all look a little worn out in this picture, but they were just getting warmed up.

Also this month, Braxton received his first invitation to a birthday party. And what a cute invitation it was. I wish I had taken a picture of it before it got eaten. Yes, eaten. It was a banana with the invitation written on the skin. It was a monkey birthday party for our friends Shay (3) and Emree (1). Braxton & I went and it was so much fun. There were quite a few kids of varying ages and they had a blast together. The picture is of Braxton playing a game outside where they hid pieces of foam with jungle themed drawings on them and the kids went & found them.

We also went to a birthday party for Cody, a long time family friend. It was more of an informal gathering with cake & ice cream, but it was loads of fun. Braxton got to play with his Grandpa and another little girl that was there. I'm always entertained around Cody. He and Elmer say the funniest things. And Christine (Cody's mom) is the best hostess ever.

On the 18th, we headed to Circleville for a family reunion of Jason's mom's family. This year it was her & her sister's turn to plan the reunion, so all of their children were volunteered to help. It went really well & there were a lot of fun things going on. Jason & his brother-in-law, Mike, set up a Rock Band room that was a big hit with the younger-but-not-too-young crowd. For the even younger crowd, there was a room with balloon animals and out side were some bubbles and water toys. The older folks enjoyed talking. We had a lunch, auction, bingo, and even a dance afterward.

I was supposed to help with the balloon animals, but, for one thing, I don't know how to make balloon animals. Twisting the balloons scares me because I think they are going to pop. (Which they often do.) And for another thing, Braxton and I had a very rough night, so I spent an hour or two just holding him while he slept during the reunion.

Let me share this night with you. First, a little back story: Jason came home from work before we left town and shared with me that one of the other managers found out that she had a very contagious form of strep, and she had been at work for a while. Great.

Here's my problem with people going to work (or the store) sick. Not only do you infect those you work with, you infect their families. This is how it goes: Braxton gets sick, he gets an ear infection, we have to take him to the doctor, he gets antibiotics, he gets diarrhea, he gets a bad diaper rash, he can't sleep at night, he is not happy, and I am not happy. Thank you for going to work sick.

Down off my soap box. Jason had disinfected himself when he found out this lady was sick, but it's still easy to carry germs and we had been at the store ourselves that day. Anyway, we hoped we would be lucky and none of us would get it.

The first night in Circleville, Braxton would NOT go to sleep. I tried everything. Normally, I would have just gone into the living room and let him play, but Jason's whole family was there & the only rooms not occupied were the kitchen & bathroom. Lol. So I went for a drive. No sleeping. Came back in the house. More screaming and no sleeping.

It's bad enough when you want to sleep and your kid doesn't, but then to be worried that he's waking up the other 14 people in the house makes it that much worse. So we retreated to the camping trailer outside. At least, I thought, we won't wake anyone up out here. He seemed to just be sad the whole time. I don't know if his throat hurt or his teeth, but wouldn't you know this is the one trip I forgot to bring the baby tylenol with me.

About 2 or 3 am we went back in the house to try to sleep one more time. More screaming and no sleeping. By now, I just want to go home. I grabbed my shoes, keys, and diaper bag and told Jason, I'm just going to drive home. It's only a two hour drive, after all. I can come back in the morning.

On the way to the car, however, Jason came outside and said he had a really bad feeling about me leaving, so we all headed to the camping trailer yet again. I think somewhere around 4 am we got a couple of hours of sleep. It's all kind of a blur, but I was glad to have the night over with. I hate this picture, but it so shows how I felt in the a.m.

The next night was a bit better. And when Monday came, we took Braxton to the doctor. Sure enough, he had an ear infection. They didn't test for strep, because it would've been the same treatment of antibiotics either way, but Jason came down with strep a few days later. (Our nephew who was also visiting in Circleville got sick, too.)

Aside from the rough nights and the sickness, we had a nice weekend in Circleville. The reunion was fun and it's always good to have Jason's whole family (besides one brother) together. Sunday was Father's Day, too, and Braxton gave Jason his card. It's one of those cards that you can record on, and I got Braxton to say the cutest "Dada" (after a couple 10 tries). I love the card; it is precious.

After a few days on the antibiotics, Braxton was feeling better (Jason, too). Although we've still had some late nights. His schedule's all off again. Fortunately, I've had a book or two to keep me entertained at those late night vigils. I re-read Eclipse (from the Twilight series) to get me excited to see the new movie coming out. Jason volunteered to watch Braxton after he gets home from work tomorrow so that I can go see it on opening night. (Technically, tonight at midnight it comes out, but I'm good with tomorrow night - 9:45. Hooray!)

It looks as though July is going to be another busy month. After Braxton's followup appointment at the doctor on the first, we will head back to Circleville for the traditional 4th of July festivities. I'm not sure how long we'll be there, but Jason has a vacation from work until the 9th. A well deserved vacation.

Then, on the 13th, I get my fun vacation. Braxton and I are headed to Vegas to pick up my favorite Aunt Sandi from the airport, then on to San Diego to see Braxton's favorite Aunt Holly & Ailey. I can't wait. Shopping, beach, my girls...what could be better?

When we're not off to parties and reunions, we spend most of our time hiding out in our basement because it's so darn hot here. I love living in St. George. You just have to remind yourself in the summer that it'll cool off in a few months. At least we're not in Phoenix.

Quiet as a Church Mouse?

2010-06-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

For the past few Sundays I have been feeling very discouraged about trying to go to church. I do try, but every week, we seem to come home earlier and earlier. Braxton is a VERY rambunctious boy and does not enjoy sitting or being confined. He can last about an hour playing in the pew, however, I have to get to church about 15 minutes early to get one of the side pews to myself. So he ends up getting fussy about halfway to three-quarters through sacrament meeting. I don't mind sitting out in the hall listening to the speakers while Braxton wanders around the foyer (*see pictures). There are almost always other children and parents doing the same.

However, when it comes time for Sunday School, things are a little different. I don't want to have Braxton running around the class distracting people and the teacher from the lesson, so I've found that I can usually sit in the mother's room and listen to the lesson as long as the teacher uses the microphone. Luckily, there haven't been any mothers in there for the last couple of weeks trying to get their babies to sleep or anything.

I've tried going to Relief Society (the women's meeting), but end up leaving after just a few minutes, usually. Since our ward starts at 11:00 am, by the time Relief Society rolls around, Braxton is ready for a nap and I am ready to wave the white flag.

I've debated taking him into the nursery, not because I think he'll have any problem with it, but because children are supposed to be 18 months old before going into the nursery. I finally decided today that if I'm going to spend most of church just chasing Braxton around, I might as well do it in the nursery. That way at least he's having fun and can play with other kids. Plus, in my experience, the nursery workers always appreciate another adult to help out.

We had a really great time and the ladies in the nursery (two older women who seemed more interested in discussing their recently deceased mothers than playing with the kids) didn't seem to care that Braxton is only 15 months old. He's pretty big for his age, as we found out at his last checkup (90th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight), so he can pretty much hold his own with the other kids.

I did notice a few developmental things that the other kids can do that he's not quite up to (drinking out of a cup, talking a little more), but nothing that would make me think "Oh, he shouldn't be in here." He loves playing with other kids, so he thought it was a great time.

The funniest part was the singing time. They had a cute young lady who came in to do the singing time with the kids. She had pictures to help them with the words of the songs and little things for them to hold for other songs. It was mostly the adults singing because a lot of the kids don't know the words very well. Braxton, who has loved music since probably before he was born, cracked me up. For some reason, he was just in awe of the whole experience. He just sat there and stared at the girl doing the singing time--no singing, no moving...just staring. I had a hard time singing because I just wanted to laugh. I don't know if he liked the girl or was shocked that other kids were singing or what.

I think Braxton's favorite part was when he got to have snacks. Goldfish, graham crackers, and fruit snacks. I guess I don't give him snacky things like that very often, especially not fruit snacks, so he thought that was pretty cool.

As long as no one cares that he's a little young, I think we'll continue to go to the nursery. They'll get a bonus nursery helper at least until he's actually old enough that he's supposed to be in the nursery. I figure that way, they can't complain. Plus, I quite enjoy playing with the kids. It sure beats trying to hold a squirmy, fussy toddler for three hours!

Huzah!

2010-05-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

What a fun day! Braxton decided to wake up at 7:00 in the morning (which I was not especially thrilled about), so I decided since we were awake, we might as well make the most of it.

We started out by heading to the farmer's market in Ancestor Square. We hardly ever buy anything, but it's fun to see what's there & try the free samples. Braxton enjoyed riding around in his stroller, eating things and seeing the "woof-woof"s. There are some really tasty breads & pastries and the best homemade cheese made by a family from Colorado City.

After our stroll around the farmer's market, I decided to head towards Hurricane and check out the "Days of Camelot" medieval festival at the fairgrounds. I got all the way to the hill going down towards the fairgrounds, and my little early-bird fell asleep in the back seat. So I turned left instead and drove to the overlook at Quail Lake. I parked and just watched the boats for about an hour while Braxton took a little nap. The water was the most amazing aquamarine color and I was mesmerized bu the way the light danced on the waves. I guess it's been a while since I've really taken the time to appreciate the beauty of a lake like that. It was fun watching people on the lake skiing, kneeboarding, and wakeboarding and reminiscing about how much fun we used to have at the lake when I was little.

After Braxton woke up, we drove to the fairgrounds to see what this festival was all about (after a detour to an ATM to get some cash...never know what goodies you might find!). There were all kinds of things to see--many of which would be better suited to older kids (rope-making, magic show, a couple of rides, face painting, etc.), but Braxton and I enjoyed ourselves, nonetheless. We even saw a scantily clad woman playing with fire.

We walked all over and saw most of what there was to see, got some overpriced food (cause that's what you do at these things), and headed for the big event--jousting. The man who sat beside us was definitely enthusiastic...let's just say I worried a bit for Braxton's hearing. It did, however, add a bit to the overall excitement.

Now these weren't any actors pretending to poke each other with sticks. No sir, these guys were on the national jousting team...bet you didn't even know there was such a thing! It was pretty cool to see something in real life that I didn't even think people did anymore. Braxton quite enjoyed it, too. He even got to touch the horse afterwards.

After the jousting was over, we went inside and watched some kids dance and then some adults dance. Not just any adults dance...belly dancers. Some of the belly dancers do not have the best physique, but you gotta give them props for being brave enough to get up there & show what they've got. Just maybe they shouldn't show so much of it.

We bought a few things on the way out, of course. A couple of really cute hats for Mommy, a book for Braxton, and a cool bottle with rootbeer in it for Daddy. Braxton was all tuckered out after all of that excitement and didn't even make it back to St.George before falling asleep. Too bad he probably won't remember any of this when he gets older, but it was a fun memory for me.

By the way, "Huzah!" is apparently the traditional medieval cheer. In case you didn't know. :)

Caution: The Following Story Is Not Suitable for All Audiences

2010-05-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

Ready for some dirty talk? If you don't like diaper stories, stop reading.

Hehe.

So Braxton has had diarrhea for about two weeks, and after many different tactics, we have finally seen his first non-runny diaper a few days ago. I had to laugh because I was excited about a poopy diaper.

Yesterday Jason was off work, so we were all hanging around upstairs taking it easy. I was doing my hair when Braxton walked by, and I smelled something stinky wafting from his pants. I figure I change plenty of diapers when Jason's at work, so I try to get him to take a few turns on his days off. Turns out this one was the motherload...lucky him.

It took both of us, but we managed to get the situation under control. After it was all over, we didn't want to leave the stinky diaper in the garbage can inside the house, of course, but we also didn't want to go all the way downstairs to take it outside. To solve this problem, Jason has taken to opening up the window and tossing the diapers into the garbage can that is on the patio underneath the window. So he grabs this massive diaper and tosses it out the window. He watches it sail right for the garbage can and says to himself "Yes! Perfect shot!" And then...disaster strikes.

Right at the last moment it veered to the right just a bit and hit the edge of the garbage can. Jason said it was like a dirty grenade. It exploded all over the cinderblock wall, the patio, the garbage can, and anything else around. I heard the diaper hit and then Jason say "Oh no! Bad...really bad!"

I went over to the window, looked down and couldn't help but laugh. I was just glad it was outside.

So we did what anyone would do. We packed up the car and got out of town. Hopefully by the time we get back home it will have dried out, disintegrated, and blown away. That happens, right?

A Mother's Musings

2010-05-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post, but I just haven't had any inspiration for writing, for some reason. It's been an eventful couple of weeks, but not really something anyone wants to hear about. Suffice it to say, we've had a few boys around here with tummy troubles. The pediatrician said it's probably just "toddler's diarrhea", gave us some probiotics, and said it's basically just a giant nuisance for the time being. Great, thank you for that. Anyway, I really hope the "giant nuisance" will be gone soon. We sure are going through a lot of diapers. (And not a good time to try potty training!)

Other than carnage of bodily fluids around here, it doesn't seem like much is going on. Thankfully Braxton has continued to be in a considerably good mood through all of this. We took him to the water park a few weeks ago. It's been such nice weather that I want to get outside as much as possible before the inevitable heatwave of summer hits. Unfortunately, I'm lazy and don't get out as much as I should. Even just sitting out on the balcony in the evenings is nice, though. I really love living in this area this time of year. Our flowers are blooming, I can smell the neighbor's honeysuckle (my new favorite smell), there is usually a cool evening breeze, the sunset reflecting off the red rocks is beautiful...I love it.

Braxton and I like to go for walks around the neighborhood while we wait for daddy to get home from work. Braxton is such a curious, friendly fellow. He likes to stop & pick up dried leaves, rocks, flowers, etc. He also likes to stop and look at anyone who might be around. He will usually wave and/or say "Hello" if they look at him. When we went to the water park, there was a little girl about his age following him around in the water. After a while she got close enough for him to grab her & give her a hug. It was adorable.

He likes to hug other kids that are relatively close to his size. Most of the time, they don't know what to make of it, but the parents always say "Aw!" He also likes to come up & give his mommy surprise hugs on the leg. It's very nice. He's a very affectionate little guy. I was always worried about having boys, because I didn't know how I'd be at dealing with the rowdy, rough-housing personalities that I thought accompanied all boys. Then I met our nephew, David, who was about four at the time & liked to cuddle & tell you nice things. I thought, "If I can have a little boy like this, I'd love it!" Lucky me. My sweet little boy loves to give me kisses & hugs, make me laugh, and flash me big cheesy smiles. I'm not saying he doesn't like to bang on things, make messes, and wrestle with his dad & grandpa. I like that he does these things, too.

I was watching some baby/delivery shows today & the commercials about Mother's Day and I thought, "I am so lucky!" When I was little and someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, it changed from year to year. One year was a nurse, another was an interior decorator, another year was a secretary (thanks to the examples of my mom, Christopher Lowell, and my Aunt Sandi). However, the one thing that I always wanted to be that never changed from year to year was a mom. How grateful I am that the most important of my "when I grow up" aspirations is the one that I get to do everyday. I don't even mind waking up every half hour from 2 am to 4 am, changing a whole crib worth of bedding and a sad boy with throw up all over him, and going through half a box of diapers in one day. I can just picture my mom doing those same things when I was little and I feel her right there with me in those moments. I'm so glad that I am a woman and that my calling is such a special one. I know Mother's Day isn't for a few more days, but Happy Mother's Day to me!

Kaboom!

2010-04-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

We live in a house with two different flights of stairs. There are safety gates loosely attached at the bottom of the stairs because the walls don't quite work for attaching the gates. The gates, however, serve their purpose as long as they are in place. I have, of course, forgotten or neglected to put them in place a few times and found Braxton gleefully climbing the stairs.

At the top of each of the stairs is a doorway. One level is our upper-bedroom door. The other level is a door into the kitchen which leads to the living room. I always close the door to the bedroom when Braxton & I are in it so that I don't have to worry about him leaving the room & heading down the stairs. The door into the kitchen, unfortunately, is not so easy for me to remember to close.

Most of the time when I am going from level to level, not only am I assisting Braxton in going up or down the stairs, but I also have my hands full with laundry, food, sippy cup & regular cup, toys, dishes, shoes, cell phone, blankie, and/or any other various sundries that need to go from one level to the other.

Many times when I come upstairs into the kitchen, I will think, "We won't be on this level for long (ie. leaving the house or going upstairs)" or "We're going right back downstairs, so I don't need to close the door." Or perhaps I'm hurried to get to church or wherever we may be going and I am simply not thinking.

Unfortunately, this has led to many close calls with Braxton trying to go down the stairs into the basement. He is skilled enough to crawl up the stairs by himself, though I always follow right behind him in case of a slip. When he started out on the stairs, I taught him how to crawl down the stairs in reverse. This worked well, because he was very steady, however, it was slow going and he eventually ended up mostly just sliding down the stairs feet first on his stomach. As you can imagine, this probably didn't feel very good on his belly when his shirt would come up.

Since he has learned to walk, he has been trying to tackle the stairs in a more direct manner of walking up & down them. Since his legs are not as tall as the stairs, he spends most of his time leaning at precarious angles. This is ok as long as he has a hand to hang on.

Last Friday I caught Braxton one second before he took a step down our stairs. This was not the first nor second time he's had this near miss. Every time it happens I immediately thank Father in Heaven for watching him & keeping him from harm. It is a terrible rush of adrenaline that I do not enjoy. Hence, you think that I would learn my lesson and close the door behind us no matter what. After the incident on Friday, I was thinking that Braxton must have some busy guardian angels. As I was running onto the stair landing to catch him, I just knew I was too late and pictured the whole thing and how he might be hurt at the bottom. Thankfully I was not too late.

On Saturday, however, I once again left the door open and got distracted. This time for just a second too long. I ran into the stair landing just in time to see him take the first step down and go head over heals. It was terrible to be right there, but not be able to do anything about it. About halfway down he yelled, and I just knew he was thinking, "When will this end?" As I chased him down the stairs, he did about three flips and ended up on his head at the bottom. Needless to say, he was not happy.

I grabbed him up immediately and looked him all over. Thankfully his super guardian angels had kept him from any physical harm. It sure was a scary experience, though. I felt terrible about it, but after thinking about it & talking to a few people, I realized, unfortunately, it's not an uncommon experience. When I was little, I fell off my grandpa's porch stairs and ended up with a scraped nose. Ironically, my sister's little girl fell down their stairs and ended up with a scraped nose, too.

It may be a common occurrence,

A Bit Off The Top

2010-04-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today brought the dawning of a bright, new haircut for Braxton. It was indeed his first real haircut. We've done a bit of trimming in the past, but since he is terrified of the clippers and doesn't much enjoy someone coming at him with scissors, his hair had gotten a bit unruly (and very uneven). Jason and I had been tossing around the idea of cutting his hair for a while, but I really didn't want either of us to do it (that's not been very successful in the past) and wasn't so sure I wanted to cut off his pretty locks. His hair had gotten to the point that his curls were usually flat because it was so long & easily tangled, so I finally gave in and decided to take him to a professional for a trim. I sat in the chair and held him while Jason used different tactics to distract him. The girl who cut his hair was very patient and kind. After waiting through the spats of wiggling, crying, pulling the cape off, shaking his head back & forth, and batting her hand away, she got the job done. (I gave her what I hoped was a good tip for her efforts.)

Unfortunately the battery in our camera was dead, so there are no pictures of the actual hair cutting, but there are just before & after pictures. All well, there's not too much difference. Haha.

This week has been a fun week. Monday was the fourth anniversary of our marriage. Jason had to work Monday, so (aside from a little exchanging of gifts, cards, and flowers) we didn't do much. However, my step-mom offered for her & my dad to babysit Braxton Friday night so Jason & I could go out to dinner. She even gave us a few gift certificates she had for Red Lobster. So we enjoyed a nice dinner with just the two of us while Grandma & Grandpa wore Braxton out & visa versa. Ha, ha. (They also wore out the dog.)

Thursday Jason watched Braxton while I had a very lovely mommy's day out. I was able to enjoy a session at the temple, as well as a manicure, pedicure, and trip to the chiropractor. (Not that the chiropractor was so enjoyable, but needed after lifting & carrying a twenty-something pound kid all day, every day. Thank goodness he can walk more & more.)

This next week seems like it may be a long week. Jason's work schedule is three days on & three days off. So he will work for the next three days, then head to the sand dunes for three days, then come back and work for another three days. His parents, sister and her family will all be at the sand dunes to ride ATV's, and, of course, I was invited. However, this is what came to mind for me: I really don't want to try to sleep in a tent with a one-year-old for three nights in a row. I could get a motel room in Kanab, but then what would Braxton & I actually do all day long? He's too young to ride ATV's. He has a hard time when I leave, so I probably couldn't go ride, either. He can't play outside without someone watching him all the time because he can't walk well on uneven surfaces. Who knows what he would pick up & put in his mouth. There's the firepit to worry about. I can only imagine how dirty he'd get. He'd probably get scared every time a loud ATV drove by. Etc., etc.

I know this is terrible. I should look at it as an adventure or even just suck it up, and it would be a lot of fun for him. Then again maybe it would be three days of not much to do and three nights of torture that throw off his schedule (which, by the way, is finally getting back to decent). So I have decided to be the prissy mom who chooses comfort. I think it'll be for the best. Jason can go have a ball riding four wheelers. He won't have to worry that we're not having fun or that he's not spending enough time with us at the camp. Braxton and I can stay home and enjoy a bed and a shower! HAHA! I think it's a win win.

The only bad part is that we won't see much of Jason for nine days. Thus, the long week ahead. I'm glad, however, that he will get to spend some time doing something he loves to do, as well as visiting with his family. And, since he felt a little guilty about renting a four wheeler & leaving me at home, I got to enjoy a mommy's day out. See how this works? Nice.

Snap!

2010-04-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the rules:
1. Open your first photo folder
2. Scroll to the 10th photo.
3. Post the photo & the story behind it.

My photo folder is way too organized to have photos simply floating about, so I decided to go with the tenth photo in the tenth folder in My Pictures folder. Lol. Anyway, here it is:
What can I say, my dad is a silly guy. This is Christmas 2007 putting on whatever crazy stuff anyone got.

Upper Labial Frenum

2010-04-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

What kind of blogger am I becoming? It's been nearly a whole month since my last blog! Shame on me. Consequently, I expect this one to be a long one...just a warning.

The biggest thing to happen is that our visitors of the year have moved on to saltier pastures. Holly & Ailey have officially moved to San Diego to await the return of hubby/daddy/sailor, Aaron. After almost three months of fun together, the house has a definite void after their departure. I'm glad for them, however, that they are finally able to move on & get back to life. They didn't get the house that they waited so long on, but I'm sure all works for the best & how it is supposed to. They ended up renting a three-bedroom townhome for a relatively good price. I can't wait to go visit, now! But I'll let them get settled in first. The one thing I really feel bad about is that I didn't really say goodbye. We stayed up so late talking the night before they left & I was so tired to start with, that when I heard her rustling around in the morning, I was too exhausted to get up. I thought she was going to run some errands & then come back before she left, but I didn't hear when she came back, so I missed my opportunity. I know, rudeness. Good thing she's my sister & forgives me easily.

I haven't really noticed any reaction by Braxton about them being gone. There were days when we didn't see them much, so maybe he just thinks we haven't seen them much. Or maybe he's too young to realize they were ever here until he sees them again. I don't know.

He's really getting this walking thing down now. He hardly ever crawls now. Except, of course, when I don't want him to. (Like when we were at the laundromat washing some bedding. Ugh! Those places are nasty.) He still falls a lot -- especially when he's tired. He also seems to get hurt more often now, but that's a one-year-old boy for you, I guess. He has split his lip open, torn his upper labial frenum twice, head butted Jason in the forehead hard enough to make it sore for days, pinched his toe in my dad's utility trailer door, squished his fingers many times, and hit his head so many times I'm not sure if he feels it anymore. Lol. Thankfully, he has never been seriously hurt. Yet. He came within centimeters of falling down the stairs once when my attention wavered for too long. I tell you, he's a handful.

I love spending time with him, though. He's getting better & better at communicating, making life even funner. He understands yes & no along with the accompanying head movements. It always amazes me how much he does understand. I've always talked to him throughout the day, kind of narrating the day & asking him questions as if he could understand. Now when I do it, he'll astound me with replies. Lol.

Examples:

I'll say "Well, should we go down stairs and do some laundry?" He will put down whatever he's doing & walk towards me or the door downstairs.
When feeding him, I'll ask him if he wants a certain food or if he's done & he will shake or nod his head and make an accompanying noise.
I'll ask him to hand me something and he will!

It probably seems like small, simple things to most people, but it's fun for me to see him learning & growing.

He's a really good boy & a lot of fun to be around. He's quick to laugh & smile. He will put away toys and help me pick up. Most of the time he will listen when I tell him not to do something. Of course, sometimes it's funner to just do it. Lol. He likes to do things to amuse me, like making funny faces or noises or just doing funny things. I bet he'll be the entertainer/class clown (like his dad). He comes by it naturally, bunch of weirdos. Lol.

His hair is getting really long & unruly. Everyone comments about how pretty, blond & curly it is, but it's also a mess. I just can't bring myself to cut it. He's terrified of the clippers & has equal disdain for sitting still while scissors are coming at him. I guess there could be worse things than wild hair. Luckily, he loves baths, so it's not hard to keep it clean.

We are planning a fun trip to Circleville for the next few days, so I better get busy packing, cleaning, etc. Home-cooked meals, General Conference by the fireplace, and relaxation, here we come!

A Walkabout

2010-03-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, I answered the phone at work and was asked, "Would you like to take our survey and receive a free cruise?" I said, "Sure, why not?" So I took the survey, and received a voucher for a two day cruise to Nassau, Bahama from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I scheduled the cruise for March of 2010, and Jason asked for the appropriate time off from work. For some reason, I hadn't given much thought to the flight to get to Florida. How much can it cost to fly across the country, right? About a month ago, I finally looked and decided it was much more than it would be worth for a two day cruise. So Jason had a week off from work & we decided to use it to go visit his sister in Phoenix.

It was a great time and a much more manageable drive than to Washington State. She has two kids (about 7 & 9 years old) that Braxton enjoyed playing with. Her husband is also a fan of Rock Band, so we had some very fun Rock Band marathons. Even Braxton enjoyed those, as you can see from this video.

The boys (minus Braxton) had a fun time riding ATV's in the desert while the girls (and Braxton) did some shopping. We wore the poor kid out at Ikea, where he actually fell asleep sitting in the shopping cart. Pitty we didn't get a picture, but my hands were full holding his sleeping head. Lol. Here is a picture of him playing before falling asleep, though.

Unfortunately, as with most disruptions to life's routines (or attempt at routines) Braxton's sleep cycles were a bit messed up. Here is what we spent one very early morning doing from about 3 am to 5 am. As one lady in their ward pointed out while I was attempting to wrestle Braxton into sitting still during church, "God makes them so cute so they live to be older." Ha, ha!

One of Braxton's favorite activities while we were there was pushing this stool all around the house. He loves to push things! He liked it so much that they sent it home with us.

He's been such a cute, fun kid. I love each stage of his development. He has officially learned how to say "Dada". He likes to whisper it, though. It's the weirdest, funniest thing. When he see's Jason coming, he starts whispering "dadadada". It's because dada lets him do fun things like this video. Funny dada.

Braxton has been walking around more and more on his own. It's really fun to be able to just hold his hands and have him walk along with me. He's my little buddy.

How to Be a Good Wife

2010-03-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

This was just too great to pass up.

365 Days

2010-03-01T22:05:00.000-08:00

That's right, my baby is officially one year old! He turned one yesterday. We had a party for him Saturday night, since Jason worked yesterday. It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, he's been kind of sick, but he was a trooper. I'm not going to take a lot of time to write right now, but here are some recent pictures.

Feeding himself with a spoon. He has also mastered the sippy cup. Now if we could just get him to go to sleep without the bottle.

Sad face.

Happy face!

Opening birthday presents.

I love you!!

Family Pictures, by Hanna Adams

2010-02-21T17:12:00.001-08:00

I'd like to share my Walmart Digital Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Let's Play a Game

2010-02-21T16:48:00.000-08:00

I like Megan's game idea, so here is mine. It's the game where you tell 3 facts about yourself, and one is not true. I wanted to do a few, so here are three different sets. Each group has two true and one false.

1. I have never broken a bone.
2. I have never had a cavity.
3. I have never been stung by a bee.

1. I was born during a blackout.
2. I went to school in an abandoned warehouse.
3. I lived in an old folks home.

1. I have been bungee jumping.
2. I have walked across hot coals.
3. I have been on a cross-country motorcycle trip.

MagMyPic

2010-02-20T22:13:00.001-08:00

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Two Stepin It

2010-02-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

Guess what! Braxton took not only two, but three steps today! Yay, buddy! (Wow, that was a lot of exclaimations!) He's getting to be such a big boy. Like figuratively AND literally. There was a boy at church today that was one day younger than Braxton and he was so tiny compared to Braxton. There's also a couple at Jason's work that had a son on the same day as we had Braxton. Their son is also considerably smaller, has hardly any hair, and no teeth. It just amazes me when I see Braxton next to other kids because he's so big. I'm very interested to see what percentile he's in when we go to his one year checkup--which will be in just a couple of weeks.

He's such a funny kid. He loves books. Every night he'll bring me one book after the other to read to him. He's not talking yet, but he definitely communicates and understands a lot. He knows how to wave good-bye. And he loves his Grandpa, cousin Ailey, Aunt Holly, Mommy and Daddy. He likes dogs, even though he got bitten by one. (Ailey bit him, too, and he still likes her.)

He's scheduled to have a surgery on Tuesday to put tubes in his ears. I'm a little nervous, as I've never had surgery & he's having one at not even a year old. I tell him not to worry, though, as it's a very short & easy procedure and he'll have plenty of angels, including Grandma Terri, to watch over him.

He is always impressing me with how much he understands and remembers. Just tonight, we were upstairs visiting Holly & he picked up a toy of Ailey's that you press to a book & it reads the book. He's only seen it a couple of times, but he picked it up & pressed it to the book.

He's still terrified of loud and unusual noises. He really hates the mixer and is very leery any time I am in the kitchen and pick up anything that remotely looks like it could make noise.

He does the cheesiest smiles and the cutest sad faces. I swear he looks in the mirror and practices. He somehow learned to squint his eyes & smile big. And if he gets in trouble, he will stick out his bottom lip, wrinkle up his eyes and say "Waah". It's classic. Unfortunately I've been lax on taking pictures lately & don't have any pictures of these, but I'll work on it.

We went to the park today & he had a great time crawling around the play set and going down the slide with mommy & daddy. (I just have to not think about how many germs there are.) He's learned how to go up & down the stairs, though he's not supposed to do either (especially down) without help. A few times he's made it up without us noticing, but thankfully he's never had any accidents.

Jason & I sure do enjoy that baby of ours.

In other news, we finally purchased a new dishwasher. Hooray! I have been wanting a new one for quite some time. Hopefully it will be delivered and installed tomorrow or Tuesday. Won't it be nice to have the dishes come out cleaner than when I put them in! Hopefully if the ear surgery doesn't cost too much we'll be able to upgrade the rest of the kitchen (cabinets, countertops, etc.) in the near future. Sometimes I think about all the different causes that the money could go towards (people in Haiti or other parts of the world or even people right here that could really use it) and I feel bad spending that much on something that is not a necessity. I don't know, maybe sometimes you have to take care of yourself...or maybe it's just selfish. It sure will make our house nicer. (Our kitchen is pink.) On the other hand, the old drawers are so hard to open that it keeps Braxton from getting into some of them!

Long Time Ago

2010-02-09T11:27:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since my last post, but with good(ish) reason. My sister & I took our two little ones & ventured on a road trip to Washington state to visit family. As you might imagine, that means this post is going to be a long one.

We had a fairly good drive with only one tantrum & a few sad times. We bought Braxton a big boy car seat just before we left as he was over the weight for his infant seat & was being fussy in it. He seemed to quite enjoy his new seat & being able to see more & be a part of everything. We put it facing forward even though kids are supposed to be one year before facing forward. I figured he's only got a month left till he's the big 0-1 & he's bigger than a lot of two year olds, so he'll be alright. And he was. It's so fun for him to be able to look at what's going on.

We had a nice time in Washington, except that most of us were sick for at least part of the time we were there. Lol. That's the way it goes. The day we left, Ailey had a cough. After a few days, Holly's throat started hurting. A few days later, I got food poisoning (not fun). Around the same time, Braxton got the stuffy nose & cough. I knew that once he got it, he would probably get an ear infection. The day after he started seeming sick, I took him to a doctor there & sure enough, ear infection. Poor little guy. At least we caught it early & got him on antibiotics. (We took him to an ear/nose/throat doc yesterday & got him scheduled to get tubes in his ears.) At least we are all feeling better now & didn't bring it home with us.

We got to visit most all of our family while we were up there. We didn't even tell half of the family that I was coming with Holly, so that was a fun surprise for them. We showed up at my aunt's house & surprised her. She kept telling my grandparents to go into her house to see the surprise that Holly brought them (I was inside sleeping because I was sick). They were like "Ok, ya. Later." So when they finally came in, it was so priceless to see the looks on their faces. Although, my grandpa looked a little scared. I look a lot like my mom, so I don't know if he thought he was seeing a ghost or he was just trying to process why I was there. Lol.

All of the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and especially cousins had a great time with the two little ones. And the little ones had so much fun playing with everyone. Just imagine getting to go to a new place & play with new toys every couple days! It was a good trip, but I am really glad to be home.

It's been so fun having Holly & Ailey around. Sometimes Ailey has a hard time about getting jealous & not wanting to share, but other times they roll around on the ground together hugging & giving kisses. It is the cutest thing. They like to take baths together, too. Sometimes when Braxton wakes up, he's a little fussy. As soon as Ailey comes in & smiles at him & says "Hi", he perks right up. It's going to be kind of hard when they leave.

Holly's husband, Aaron is in the Navy and is on deployment on his ship. They are moving the ship from port in Virginia to San Diego. They were diverted to Haiti for a while right after the earthquake. It's been really hard on Aaron as this is his first deployment. It's also, of course, hard on Holly & especially Ailey. She knows & can tell you that her daddy is on the ship and she loves looking at pictures and videos of him. Holly has been trying to buy a house in San Diego (their first house) and it has been very difficult. They get a monthly housing allowance, but it's not very much. So in order to be able to buy a house, they are having to buy one that is a short sale & needs fixed up. Anyone who has dealt with short sales knows it sucks. She put in an offer on one that seems to be a great buy a couple weeks ago. It's been horrible for her to just have to wait around to see if she's going to get it. She finally found out today that the bank accepted her offer. Hooray! However, this is just the first step. Now comes the inspections, renovation, loans, etc. I just hope it all goes really well for her from here. Oh, by the way, she hasn't even seen this house in person, yet.

P.S. Those family pictures are finally here!!

You Might Be A Redneck

2010-01-12T21:58:00.000-08:00

It's weird because I really can't think of much to write about, but I'm sure we must've been busy lately. My sister and niece have been staying with us and we're having fun just hanging out. We spent a couple of evenings at my dad's house watching home movies to discover just how redneck we were. Lol. Here are a few of the clues we came up with. Feel free to pass them on to Jeff.

-If your three-year-old's idea of getting dressed up is putting on a shirt, you might be a redneck.

-If the most played with toy on Christmas is a duck call, you might be a redneck.

-If you have competitions to see who can do the most "walking farts" before pooping their pants, you might be a redneck.

-If you play volleyball one handed, not because you're good, but because you don't want to set your beer down, you might be a redneck. (extended family)

-If there are more videos of your kids with their clothes off than on, you might be a redneck.

-If you wear the same t-shirt for two years because you got a box of them for free, you might be a redneck.

and finally...

-If you've ever hooked up more than one red wagon to pull your kids behind your riding lawnmower, you might be a redneck.

Ahh, good times.

We might not've had the newest toys or the name brand clothes, but I gotta say, we had a great childhood. My parents were pretty clever. One year for Christmas, my dad picked up scraps of wood from the shop (ends & corners of 2x4's, etc.) and built a box to put them in. It was a great, cheap way to get a lot of good size building blocks for my brother. He loved it.

And I still remember our "swords" that were nothing more than water pipe insulation tubes. Probably a couple of bucks at the hardware store.

My half-sister from Virginia only got to visit in the summers, so one year, we had every holiday while she was here. We dyed Easter eggs, dressed up for Halloween, had a St. Patrick's day dinner. It was great.

Moral of the story: don't worry so much about getting your kids the newest, best, name brand, etc. Just like the old adage of the kid opening the great new toy & playing with the box, sometimes the best things are the simplest and cheapest. Especially while kids are young, if you are happy & play with them, they'll never know they went without.

Then again, sometimes they just want to chew on the cell phone.

Cheese!

2010-01-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

We had our first professional family pictures taken today. It was so much fun! We had my whole family there. My brothers & sister & spouses & dad & step-mom. It was actually the first time we've ever all been in pictures together. Kinda weird to think that. But that's how it goes with missions, one person in the Navy, etc. Now I just can't wait to see them! We've been having a fun visit from my sister & her family. Too bad it has to be so short. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of eachother now that they are going to be so much closer.

Video

2009-12-31T10:09:00.000-08:00

Cute video of Braxton climbing on me & snuggling me for whoever wants to see.

It Looked A Lot Like Christmas

2009-12-30T12:03:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas came and went and I didn't get any Christmas letter written or sent. Allwell, we've basically seen all of our family lately & that's about everyone who would get an official letter. Everyone else can read what's going on here. We had a great Christmas. It was our first Christmas in our own house and our first Christmas with our own little family. We slept in together till about 9:00 then went upstairs and turned on the heater while we opened presents in the sunshine by the Christmas tree. What a perfect morning. Braxton loved all of his presents. He was not really into the whole unwrapping thing, but he liked playing with things once they were open.

While we were upstairs opening presents, my dad called my phone 2 times & sent 3 text messages saying "Are you here yet?" Lol. So we hurried and got ready and went over to their house. They got Braxton a walker that he can sit in & walk around in. They have all hard floors, so he had a blast cruising around. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera at home; but Grandma got a fancy, new camera from Santa, so hopefully she got some good pictures.

Jason had Sunday, Monday & Tuesday off of work, so we headed to Circleville to visit his parents. It was so cold there. It actually ended up snowing the last day we were there, which was a fun suprise. Braxton got to go outside for a minute, but he wasn't too impressed with it all. Ha, ha. We didn't want him to be out in the cold too long with all the ear aches he's had. It was a really nice few days, though. Jason's parents made their traditional Christmas dinner of a feast of shrimp. Braxton had fun crawiling around their house, playing with the toys, and sitting in the highchair and eating like a big kid.

Now we're looking forward to Aunt Holly, Uncle Aaron & cousin Ailey coming to visit from Virginia. They are moving across the country to San Diego and stopping off in St. George. Last we heard, they were somewhere around Missouri. Can't wait!

Good Boy

2009-12-23T15:05:00.000-08:00

I'm so proud of/happy with my baby! I probably mentioned in past posts about how we'd been having such a hard time with sleeping at night with all the traveling & sicknesses. Well, we're finally getting back to a good schedule. What's more, he's even going to sleep in his crib. Usually, I give him a bottle & he falls asleep drinking it & I have to carefully carry him to his crib. Or he has to be completely exhausted & fall asleep with a struggle. But the last few nights, I have been putting him in his crib, rubbing his back until he relaxes, then leaving the room. It usually takes a couple times of him realizing that I've left, getting up & crying, and starting the process over. However, just a little bit ago, I laid him in his crib for his nap & he went to sleep without any fuss! I'm so happy! If we can just keep this up & get him to sleep all the way through the night, I will be in heaven. Lol. Unfortunately, it will probably get thrown off when we go to Circleville for the weekend, but all well. At least we're getting there!

Happy Butt

2009-12-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

Here's an update on the diaper rash & something for all the moms (or women with a yeast infection) to try. Like I said in the previous post, I read that the diaper rash was caused by the antibiotics interfering with the absorbtion of yeast in the body. I also read that the live cultures in yogurt gets rid of yeast. So I started feeding Braxton about 1/4 cup of yogurt mixed with baby cereal or baby food each day. Guess what? No more rash! Yay! I read that applying yogurt directly to the rash will also help get rid of it, but it must sting, because when I tried it, Braxton just cried until I washed it off. It's ok though, because his rash is gone. I haven't even been using any diaper creams or baby powder for the last few days, so I'm going to give the credit to the yogurt. One more good reason to eat yogurt. Just a recommendation: plain yogurt, not so tasty!

Diaper Rash

2009-12-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

Braxton has been battling ear infections off & on for the past few weeks. We first tried the standard antibiotics to get rid of them. That didn't work, so they put him on stronger antibiotics. The ear infections went away, but soon returned. His pediatrician said "Well, lets put him back on the antibiotics & see him again at day 10 (last day of the dosage) to see how his ears look. Hopefully we can keep him from having to get tubes in his ears." Jason & I both had a lot of ear infections as children (and even into when I was a teen). My aunt told me about how her son went through this for a couple months before they decided to put in tubes & those months of not being able to hear well interfered with her son's speech development, so I'm warry of waiting too long. I hate the idea of letting him keep going through this pain if he's going to have to have tubes put in eventually. We tried doing this test to see if he has fluid in his ears (which would cause the infections to just keep happening), but he hates having things in his ears and wouldn't hold still long enough for the test to work. He is now on an antibiotic that is causing a bad diaper rash, so that's yet another negative to this whole process. Apparently the antibiotic interferes with the natural processing of yeast in the digestive tract & it ends up in the diaper, thus causing a very painful rash. It's horible because he just cries every time I have to change his diaper. I've tried creams, ointments, powder, etc., but nothing seems to really help. I was going to call the pediatrician to see if there's something that can be done, but they are not open on the weekend. I don't want all the hassle & extra charges of a weekend visit, so I guess we will just have to wait till Monday. Poor little guy.

Farewell, Dear Oscar

2009-12-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

We've had some exciting days at our house this last week. It all started when our old, retarded fish, Oscar (half his face was missing & half his fins didn't grow), finally went belly up. Now I'm not talking any little goldfish. This guy was at least six inches long, yet for some reason, Jason decided to flush him down the toilet. I guess it's just the customary fishy burial ground. As you might guess, he didn't make it to the sewer-y heaven. He is stuck somewhere in the limbo of our plumbing. So our downstairs toilet now has issues.

On Friday, I went to work & Jason stayed home with Braxton. He smelled something stinky coming from Braxton's general direction, so he put his fingers in the top of Braxton's diaper to pull it back & see if there was anything in there. In doing so, he came to find that not only was there something in there, it was full to the top and now on his fingers. So Jason laid Braxton on the floor, grabbed the wipes, cleaned off his fingers, grabbed the diapers, and turned around to change Braxton's diaper. To his chagrin, Braxton had scooted about a foot across the carpet leaving a lovely smear of yellow. Jason managed to wrangle him long enough to get the diaper changed & proceeded to takle the mess on the floor.

At about this point, Jason heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. Braxton also heard it & decided to crawl as fast as his little self would go to investigate this new noise. As Jason was rushing to the bathroom, he heard a new noise: SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH! He reached the bathroom in time to see Braxton gleefully splashing on the floor in an inch of toilet water. He picked Braxton up, took off the wet clothes & put him in his crib where he peered interestedly around the corner as Jason cleaned up the bathroom.

We laughed about the whole situation when I got home from work & learned that the text messages Jason had been sending throughout all of this had never even reached me. For all I knew they were having a relaxing, quiet day at home.

Fast forward two days. Now it's my turn at home alone with the baby. There is another dirty diaper, of course. Luckily it stays under control and the carpet is safe.

I decide to clean the bathroom. Yes, another overflow ensues, however, I manage to keep Braxton out of the bathroom while I get everything cleaned up. As I throw the sopping towels in the washer, I decide to put my pants in there, too, since the bottoms of them have been toilet watered as well. I think I have everything under control and decide to call Jason to tell him how I have learned from his adventure. Now where has my phone gone? Oh, yes--it was in my pants.

Thanksgiving Should be a Daily Exercise

2009-12-02T15:29:00.000-08:00

What a week! Braxton got to go on his first airplane ride. (Actually 4 of them.) I was very worried about taking him on the airplane by myself. We went prepared with bottles, cheerios, and even a new toy. He did great on most of the rides. The last flight coming home was a little rough since it was pretty late & he needed to go to sleep but wouldn't. He screamed for a few minutes until a kind fellow passenger gave us her iPhone with a visually stimulating game on it. Lol. That kept him entertained enough to keep him content until he fell asleep.

Airplanes are funny things, though. The first flight, the kid in front of us cried for most of the take off & landing. The parents rushed off the plane ASAP after landing, so everyone who walked by assumed it was Braxton that had been crying. I'm never going to see these people again, so I saw no point in trying to explain to them what really happened. Then on the last flight when it was really Braxton with the ear piercing screams, the people who walked by as they were getting off commented about how he was such an angel & didn't cry at all. Whatever.

We had a great time in Washington state visiting all of my relatives. Some of them had never even seen Braxton before, and those who had couldn't believe how much he's grown. We stayed at my Aunt Sandi & Uncle Sam's ranch, where Uncle Sam tried to teach Braxton how to play fetch with the dogs. I got to see cousins I haven't seen in over a decade. My cousin, Mike, brought his twin girls who are 16 months old. They were the cutest little petite things. They are twice as old as Braxton, yet both were smaller than him. Luckily for them, they can walk already, so they can get away from Braxton's grabby hands. (He likes to grab & pinch) They all had fun playing together & we all had fun watching.

Sunday was my Grandpa Dick's 80th birthday, so we had a big party at his house. I got to see another of my cousins who has a little girl. She's only 6 months old and also very petite. She didn't much care for Braxton, though. Especially when he got excited & screamed. All well, you can't impress all the girls.

It was nice for my Grandpa to be able to see Braxton. If nothing else, that in itself made the whole trip worth it to me.

We spent Thanksgiving with the Adams side of the family. My cousins there are a bit younger and had a lot of fun playing with and entertaining Braxton. I even got my grandma and Aunt Betsy (and cousins) to babysit so my Aunt Lynn and I and Elmer could go to New Moon.

The last night there was my cousin Shay's birthday. She's an excellent cake decorator & always makes the cakes for special occasions. So I decided to make her a cake for her birthday. It wasn't fancy, but it was delicious--chocolate with a chocolate glaze. Braxton enjoyed it, too.

It was a fun trip, but we were both glad to get back home. I wish I had taken a picture of Braxton's face when he saw his daddy at the airport. He was so happy & excited to see him. He just kept looking at him & smiling. Unfortunately, I had just carried Braxton about a half mile across the airport because we forgot the stroller in Washington, so my arms were kind of dead & I didn't even think about the camera.

Braxton had his 9 month doctor checkup today. He weighs over twenty pounds and grew almost three inches in the last three months! What a kid. He's cruisin all over the place and pulling himself up on everything. Won't be long before he's running around like a big kid.

You're Gonna Miss This

2009-11-18T23:41:00.000-08:00

It's been a rough couple of weeks with Braxton being sick & teething & all. I remember a couple of months ago, he was actually sleeping through the night. Now I'm lucky if he doesn't wake up at 2:00 am and decide it's time to get up. We took him back to the doctor Monday because he still had a fever after a week of anitbiotics. They said his one ear hadn't improved & gave a stronger medicine.

I was upstairs reading today while Braxton was crawling around & playing, when he came up to my chair & started pulling himself up & smiling at me. Not knowing why the baby won't go back to sleep at 3:30 am, being worried about if he's getting better & if he'll catch anything else, taking off his pants to change his diaper only to find it's somehow smeared all the way up his back & now on the carpet, seeing he doesn't feel good but there's nothing I can do about it -- I wouldn't trade any of these for the moments when he smiles at me. I love his cheesy smiles, his courtesy giggles and his real laughs. I love when he finally gets to sleep & he looks so peaceful -- like a little angel. I love when Jason gets home from work and Braxton gets so excited to see him. He crawls over as fast as his little self can go and they hug & play. I love his little chubby hands. Jason does, too. They're like playdough, so soft & smooth. Jason was pressing Braxton's hands against his cheeks and said "I'll never forget how your little hands feel against my face. I just love it!" I love how he'll discover something new or re-discover something and get so excited or enthralled. I love watching him concentrate on something that we take for granted, like picking up a cheerio & getting it in his mouth. I just really love being his mom.

FYI

2009-11-11T17:50:00.000-08:00

Braxton has had a fever for a few days & we just assumed it was because he is getting a few new teeth. I started to wonder how long a fever could last from teething, though, so Tuesday before we headed out of town for Jason's uncle's funeral, we called the doc. We took him & and it turns out that he actually has an ear infection...make that two ear infections. The poor little guy. Jason & I both had a lot of ear infections when we were little, so I can totally sympathize with him. As we were leaving the doctor says, "Jusy FYI, teething doesn't actually cause a fever. Just some discomfort and teeth." Oh. Well, that's good to know.

So we got some anitbiotics & have been supplementing with Tylenol whenever he seems to be in too much pain. We left for Circleville after the doctor appointment, and had a pretty rough night at Grandma & Grandpa's house. Their house is so much roomier than ours, though, I was almost glad to be there instead of at home for pacing the floors with a sad baby.

We made it through the funeral, and Braxton seemed to be happy enough, because everyone kept commenting on what a happy, smiley baby he is. The antibiotics seem to finally be helping, so hopefully I'll be able to get some sleep tonight. It's been a rough week as far as nighttimes go, but remembering my own ear infections, I can't blame the kid. I just hope he starts feeling better soon.

Up, Up and Away

2009-11-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Braxton has figured out how to pull himself up on things. I stood him up & put his hands on our bed (which is very low, only a mattress & short box-spring). Then as Jason & I were chatting, he sat down & proceeded to pull himself up into a standing position again. I saw him do it, but didn't really realize what he had just done until Jason said "He just did that by himself!" I was like "Oh my gosh! He did!"

It's been fun for him to be able to pull himself up & see what's going on when I'm on the bed. The only problem is that he occasionally tips over & hurts himself. Nothing serious, of course, but still sad. He has also figured out how to straighten his arms & legs when crawling in an effort to stand up. Just not the actual standing part. It's only a matter of time, now.

Yesterday something weird happened. Jason got him undressed for a bath & when he put him in the bathtub, he noticed he had a rash on his back & in a V-shape on his chest. He had laid him on the bathroom rug before putting him in the tub, but he's done that before. The only thing I can think of is maybe there was something on the rug. He hadn't eaten any new foods & I don't know of anything that he could've gotten into. It's really perplexing. The rash has mostly gone away today, but there is still a little bit on his cheecks & belly. Hopefully it's nothing serious. It didn't seem to really bother him except when I tried putting baby lotion on an area to see if it helped. I don't know.

Not too much else going on. We did get some sad news that Jason's uncle who had been fighting cancer passed away last night. It makes me really sad for the family, but thankful, at the same time, that we have the gospel in our lives & know that death is not the end.

God Saw You...
by Author Unknown

God saw you getting tired,
When a cure was not to be.
So He wrapped his arms around you,
and whispered, "Come to me".
You didn't deserve what you went through,
So He gave you rest.
God's garden must be beautiful,
He only takes the best
And when I saw you sleeping,
So peaceful and free from pain
I could not wish you back
To suffer that again.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

So hard to believe that my little guy turned eight months old just a few days ago. He's so much fun. Every day I am so thankful that I have him & get to be his mom. Last night we went to a Halloween party at my parents' house. Everyone (except for a few people who just dropped in to say "Hi") wore costumes. It was really fun and there were some great costumes. Link & Zelda, a lobster, a deatheater (from Harry Potter), a Scotch, my brother in a cheerleader outfit (a girl outfit--quite disturbing), a hostess cupcake baby, a cat, a wizard and a witch, Caesar and...Caesarette?, little red riding hood, and more. It was great.

Today I'm going to have lunch with Jason so everyone can see his lobster baby. Ha, ha. He dressed as a vampire today, but I didn't pull myself out of bed to take a picture. Hopefully he'll still have his costume on when I get there. He doesn't know it, but I'm coming as a WalMart manager. He, he. Well, better get going. More pictures to come on facebook.

What a kid!

2009-10-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

I love this boy. He is such a funny guy. Here are some of the things he does:

1. Gives me kisses by grabbing my face & pulling it to his with his mouth open to either slime me or rub his face against mine.
2. Has been scooting around for weeks & finally did a few full-fledged crawls in Circleville this last week. Now goes all over the place. (Time for baby-proofing!)
3. Wants to eat anything you have. Gets really upset if he sees his bottle & doesn't get it right away. Tries to grab the spoon when I feed him. Picks up cheerios, etc. & eats them.
4. Tries to wiggle away during diaper changes unless I sing "Once there was a Braxton" (tune of Once there was a snowman) or "Braxton hopping on the appricot tree" Lol.
5. Loves songs with his name in it. Ie. "The itsy bitsy Braxton"
6. Tears up any paper he can get his hands on.
7. Loves electrical cords. And electronics such as cameras, phones, remote controls, etc.
8. Responds to "Braxton" and "Buba" (evolved from "baby").
9. Has outgrown clothes for his age.
10. Looks like a vampire with two middle teeth on the bottom & two next-to-middle teeth on the top. (But doesn't like getting the teeth.)
11. Laughs at pretend sneezing.
12. Smiles at his mommy's smile. And peek-a-boo.
13. Gets scared of certain noises (vacuum, blender, weird noises, etc.).
14. Doesnt' seem to like hairy beards.
15. Learned how to clap his hands.
16. Says mama, especially when mad.
17. Got his crib lowered so he can't climb out.
18. Blows out through his nose sometimes making a snorting sound. Don't know what this is about.
19. Can set himself up.
20. Is daddy's little boy. (I love when people say, "Oh, it's little Jason!") Gets so excited when daddy gets home.

I love spending time with this little guy. He's not always happy, of course, but he is such a sweetheart. I'm so thankful to be a mom & to be able to stay home with him! I love you, Braxton.

Cakewrecks

2009-10-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

You may have seen this on the front page of Yahoo yesterday. If not, I'll show you. It's a website about all of the terrible & funny looking cakes that people try to sell. Having worked in the deli at Walmart (which is right next to the bakery) and decorated a few cakes myself, I found it quite amusing. So if you're looking for something to do, check it out. Cakewrecks

On the Move

2009-10-05T23:19:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks. Around the 23rd of September, I was lying awake thinking, as I often do. I was pondering about the fact that throughout the summer, we spend most of our time in the basement as a retreat from the heat. When it gets too hot to cool off the house by opening the windows at night, we even spend the nights downstairs in the guest bedroom so that we don't have to cool the upstairs. Since there is no crib in the guest bedroom, we had just put Braxton in the pack & play set up in the downstairs living room at night. It had worked out quite nicely, except that he is beginning to get too big to fit in this. Of course, this would not be a problem once summer was over and we moved back upstairs to our bedroom where the crib is. However, as I lay there thinking on this particular night about how nice it had been to have Braxton in a separate room at night for the past few months, I began to wish there was a way to have him in a separate room come the end of summer.

When we were house hunting two years ago, we knew we wanted a place with three bedrooms. One room for us, one for guests, and one for a baby. The house we live in now was advertised as a three bedroom, but as we toured the house, we realized that the supposed third bedroom was actually more of a small living room. Yes, it could be used for a bedroom...the person would just not have the privacy of a bedroom door as it is at the bottom of the stairs & the main access to the rest of that floor. We decided, however, that since the price (at the time) was about the cheapest we could find, we could make do with a crib in the master suite that takes up the whole upper level (there are three 500-sq. ft. stories). Of course we'd never had a baby before.

Having a newborn in the same room as the parents is, at first, almost a necessity. With feedings every two hours, it's great to be able to get the baby & put him back to bed within a few steps of one's own bed. However, after a few months, it becomes more of a hinderance to sleep than a help. I found myself waking up every time he moved around & that whole saying of "sleeping like a baby" is crap. He wakes to moderate noises unless he is very asleep.

Back to my story: as I was pondering how we could accomplish the feat of having the baby in a separate room without having two stories in between us & the baby, I came up with what seemed, at the time, a marvelous idea. We make the guest bedroom (downstairs) into the baby's room, the living room (downstairs) into our bedroom, and the master bedroom (upstairs) into the guest bedroom. Presto! Problem solved. Right?

Once I convinced Jason that this was a great idea (as he put it - if it'll make you happy, it's a good idea) we set about rearranging the entire house. The first (and most tricky) step was figuring out how to get the couch from downstairs back up the stairs so that there was room in the "living room" for a bed. When we originally bought the couch and got it down the stairs, we decided we would sell the house with the couch where it was so we wouldn't have to try to figure out how to get it out. With a bit of maneuvering, pushing, figuring, grunting and pulling, we eventually got all of the furniture where we wanted it.

Of course, this was just the beginning of my project. The next day, Saturday, my parents were having a huge yard sale at our house, so all of the moving gave me a chance to separate out a bunch of stuff to throw in the yard sale. Saturday was spent manning the yard sale & having fun with the family. Sunday was church & packing for Circleville. Monday through Wednesday was spent in Circleville. (Jason's excuse was bird hunting, but really we just like to go there.)

I've been slowly moving all of the non-furniture items to their new locations. It is a huge amount of work & I'm still not sure where everything will go, but I'm really liking our new layout. The downstairs is pretty well organized & it's fun to have a nursery. I'm sure once I get the upstairs all done, I will like it just as much. Another benefit is that I will finally have a place for crafts. Yay!

The other reason for the name "On the Move" for this post is that that's what Braxton is now. He has been doing this cute little army crawl all over the place. He hasn't quite figured out how to get up on his hands and knees, but that definitely has not stopped him from moving all over. We've had to figure out how to block off certain things so that he can't pull on them. He especially likes cords, so the TV & computer area has been a challenge. It's fun to see him progress, though. We gave him a hair cut with the clippers the other day (he didn't like it), and it made him look like a little kid & not a baby. He's getting so long that we are quickly running out of clothes that fit him. He just turned 7 months & we're having to move to 9-12 month clothes. It won't be long before he outgrows Jason & I!

I must include a quick "Happy Birthday!" to my dad. You are a fun grandpa & a loved dad. We love you! Now I must go work on your cake!

Bad Mommy

2009-09-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

I had my first bad mommy moment. I was upstairs disassembling Braxton's crib so we could move it downstairs (long story). Braxton was playing on the bed so he wouldn't get trampled underfoot. He's been scooting and rolling all over the place in his efforts to crawl, but I kept an eye on him and kept putting him back in the middle of the bed. In the middle of the demolition of the crib, I hear this loud "THUMP." You guessed it, I was distracted just long enough for the little guy to scoot right off the bed. I somehow jumped over the crib carnage & picked him up before he even had time to come to a complete landing. He, of course, proceeded to let me know that he did not enjoy his journey onto the floor with loud & intense protests. I eventually got him calmed down and into the bath (he got all hot & sweaty from the crying) where he splashed away his sorrows. He was none the worse for the wear, aside for a little carpet burn or bruise on his forehead. It was a horrowing ordeal. For me. However, I remember hearing about myself & siblings falling off such items as kitchen counters, cement stairs, and tables when we were younger, so I take comfort in the fact that Braxton's fall was only from the top of a matress and box spring. I will, however, be keeping Braxton closer to the ground from now on...like on a blanket. As the pamphlet from the pediatrician said "The enemy is mobile." (Although, I disagree with the word enemy. How about "The troops are mobile.")

Enough!

2009-09-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Ninety-six hours of taking care of a baby by myself is just too much for me. I don't know how my sister does it when her husband has to go out on the ship for weeks & months at a time.

Jason worked Sunday, came home, packed, went to sleep, left the next morning and will not be home until tomorrow night. His boss asked him on Saturday to go to a meeting for him in Provo on Tuesday. Then on the way home, Jason decided that since he was already out of town, he might as well stay at his parents' house & hit another meeting he's supposed to be at in Cedar City on the way home tomorrow. Oh, did I mention he is now going to work five 12-hour days a week instead of four for the next few weeks? Thanks a lot, Walmart.

Braxton is on this kick where he likes to randomly let out an ear-piercing squeal every so often. It's funny the first few times. Four days of it? Not so much.

Alright, I am done complaining. Aside from the not-so-fun news of Jason having to go out of town, the rest of this weekend was awesome. Jason went to his parents' house Thursday to go hunting and took Braxton with him so that I was able to be a part of Power Training on Friday and Saturday. I originally went through Power Training in March of 2007 and have since been back numerous times as an assistant. This time, however, was the first time that I had actual parts in the training that I had to memorize & present. It was, of course, a bit nerve-wracking, but also totally awesome. It is so amazing to see people's lives change in 48 hours and to be a part of it. This class was extra special because my brother, Elmer, was in attendance.

It was weird having three whole days without Braxton or Jason here, but also a nice reprise. Thursday evening, I was able to go on a hike & practice my parts for P.T. I went on the Temple Quarry Trail & saw a Desert Tortise for the first time. When I got to the end of the trail, I was thinking about how they used the lava rock for the temple and the thought struck me "I can go to the temple!" So I went home, changed and went to a session at the temple. It was one of the only times I've gone when I really didn't worry about having to get home.

At Power Training, there were a couple of other assistant trainers who were from Slovakia. They were the cutest newly-wed couple & really amazing people. They were married just over three months ago and have been visiting the US for about three months. They invited me to a reception their ward was throwing for them Monday night. I had hoped Jason would be able to go & meet them, but I decided to go even though he was out of town. It turned out their ward was a married college ward, so I actually knew a few people there. It's so great to make new friends and catch up with old ones. It reminds me of that old song "Make new friends & keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold."

Well, my screaming banchee finally went to sleep, so I better take advantage and get some sleep myself. Too bad they're not always this peaceful!

Baby Tooth

2009-09-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

Braxton finally has his first tooth peeking through! I put my finger in his mouth today and, sure enough, there is something sharp in there. I say finally because it has looked like he would have teeth poking through for months now. Pretty exciting for a mommy. :) As soon as there is enough tooth to actually see it, I'll take a picture and post it. :D

Snowbird

2009-09-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, August 23rd, we drove to Circleville. We spent the night & then did something we've never done before...we left Braxton there. We've left him there with Jason's mom & dad before, but this time would be for three whole days and nights! Jason and I drove on for another few hours to our destination of Snowbird ski resort in northern Utah. It was a nice drive & the area was so beautiful. I couldn't help thinking about how different it is from when the pioneers first came there & how they would marvel at what it's become.

Tuesday, we headed for Timpanogos Caves. Jason had always wanted to hike there. I was a little nervous since the hike to the cave is "a strenuous 1 1/2-mile-paved trail, which rises 1,065 ft to an elevation of 6,730 feet above sea level" and I am very out of shape. I huffed & puffed my way up, though, and we got to go through the caves. It's pretty darn cool. I can see why most everyone who's lived in Utah for any length of time has gone there. The cave guide told us that a man who weighed over 300 pounds spent 3 hours (took us under 1) , but actually made the hike up. Unfortunately, he got stuck in a part of the cave. Lol, guess you can't win em all. We drove around to Provo Canyon on the way home & saw Bridal Veil Falls. Really pretty drive.

The next day, we drove into Salt Lake & went to the temple there. It was really neat. It was also the first time Jason & I were able to go together. Afterward we had a little picnic on one of the grassy areas on temple square and were told by church security that picnics are not allowed on temple square. Lol-woops. We then went to the Church History Museum, which was really interesting. There's an exhibit there about the latter-day prophets with a seciton about each one showing different items from their lives. It was cool to see the differences in each person and the time they lived in & it kind of helps you relate to each one.

We drove out to the Salt Lake after that. I've always wanted to go there & see if you really can float easily. However, when we got there, it smelled SO bad. Apparently August is just about the worst time to go. There were thousands of dead birds everywhere. Not sure what that was about. We did walk down to the water, but when you get about 50 yards from the water, there is a thick carpet of miniscule flies. I just couldn't bring myself to wade through millions of flies, so I didn't actually get in the water. All well, maybe next time. There were a lot of people there taking pictures (like professional pictures-a bride & groom, a family, etc.). It was a little strange because I wouldn't really think to go take pretty pictures at a place with thousands of dead birds, millions of flies, and a horible smell; but it is actually quite pretty in a striking, photographic way.

Thursday, we drove to Thanksgiving Point and saw the Museum of Ancient Life there. We had bought a Salt Lake Connect Pass before we left on the trip, so we had free entrance to a whole bunch of places around the Salt Lake area...this was one of them. It's basically a dinosaur museum, which is always intriguing to see.

We then drove the rest of the way to Nephi & met Jason's parents there to pick up Braxton from them. It was my first time ever being away from him overnight (let alone 3 nights) and was kind of tough for me to go that long without seeing him, but it made it a lot easier knowing he was with someone I trust (plus we called about twice a day ;). Jason thinks he was mad at us (apparently he glared at us through the car window when they first pulled up), but I think he had fun with Grandma & Grandpa. It was really nice to have a few days to do adult stuff without having to worry about the baby, but it sure was good to have him back. When we got him back, though, he had learned about his tongue & has been sticking it out since.

After we picked up Braxton, we went to the aquarium in Sandy. We thought Braxton would like the aquarium since he likes looking at the fish tank at home, but he seemed a little irked that he couldn't touch them. (For some reason, we didn't think to take any pictures.) You wouldn't think it from looking at the place, but it was really quite an impressive aquarium. They even had a few things I've never seen (and I've been to Seaworld & a few big zoos).

When we got back to Snowbird that night, we went on a tram ride up the mountain. It's a pretty impressive ski resort if you like to ski (I haven't skiied since I was 10 & my brother broke his leg skiing) or snowboard (I haven't snowboarded since I was 18 & hurt my knee snowboarding). There are all kinds of runs both on the front & back sides of the mountain. Since we're not much for skiing or snowboarding, it's also beautiful in the summer & from the top of the mountain, you can see forever.

Friday, we got up early (8 is early for me :) and went into Salt Lake again. We first went to the Utah Museum of Natural History at the University of Utah. It had a few interesting exhibits about Utah's history, such as the minerals & rocks that are found here, the Indians that lived here, and the fossils that have been found here. There was also an exhibit about frogs that was kind of random.

Next we went to the aviary, since Jason really likes birds (and it was on our pass). I was kind of weirded out by the fact that the big huge eagles were just chilling not 100 yards away with nothing in between us & them. At least nothing I could see. There were a lot of baby birds of different varieties that were fun to see, too.

After the aviary, we went to the Lion House Pantry (also on the pass). It was incredibly difficult to get to, as is anything around temple square with all the road construction and lack of parking. Thank goodness for Sally (the navigation system we borrowed from Jason's parents-that's what they call it). It was nice to have a little break once we got there, though. It's a little cafeteria-style restaurant built in Brigham Young's old home. We also looked around the Joseph Smith Memorial Building while we were right there.

Our last stop of the day was the Planet Arium (anyone seen that South Park episode?). There were some cool machine-type things there that I think could've entertained Braxton for years. It was an engaging place.

Saturday, we went to the zoo. It was so crazy busy. We ended up parking about two blocks away & walking. But really, what do you do when you go to the zoo? Walk. It was a fun time. Braxton actually liked looking at some of the animals & was a really good boy for most all of our trip. I think we were all pictured out, because we only took one picture. All well, a zoo is a zoo.

We got everything mostly ready to go Saturday night & left Sunday morning. It was a long drive home, but Braxton & I played with Jason's cowboy hat in the back seat. It was a great trip.