Life is Beautiful

It was a good weekend. I've been trying to get my cleaning done before Saturday so that we can spend that day doing things other than the general upkeep of our home. Last month in Primary we focused on the Proclamation to the Family and how following the principles therein can strengthen our family. I realized that my family hasn't been united in work and "wholesome family recreation" as much as we could be. As we have attempted to change that, our Saturdays have been much more enjoyable and productive as a result. Last Saturday we focused on our 72 hour kit and getting it updated. The Saturday before that we went bowling and carved jack-o-lanterns. This Saturday we installed cabinet locks and went running at one of our favorite parks. I'm getting closer to my goal of running a mile- I just hope the good weather holds on long enough for me to get there. I love running with S as it turns out. I don't think I could do this with anyone else. I would feel too vulnerable and embarrassed. The beauty of running with S is that he has already seen me at my worst and I completely trust him. He is encouraging and we are in it together- it really has united us.

The kids have done some cute things together this week. I've found myself analyzing baby N more than usual this week to try and understand her temperament and personality a little better. I've come to the sad realization that she is not a snuggler. The only time I can hold her longer than 10 seconds is when I feed her her bottle or when she is really sick. Otherwise she has no patience for being held and wants to be on the move. Considering the fact that she started walking before she was even 10 months, I shouldn't be that surprised. I feel like I don't even have a baby anymore. The desire to move, act, and explore influences her in everything she does. Reading books is not fun unless she is in charge of turning the pages and she enjoys that aspect more than looking at the contents of the pages. She loves to dance to music and may be the musical one in the family- she sings to herself a lot. Despite the fact that she has to experience things firsthand, she still exhibits a bit of the cautious nature we've come to appreciate in #1. She will make sure you notice her before she makes a break for the stairs. But she has no stranger anxiety and stays where the action is. She is like the most adorable kitten that you want to hold and kiss all day, but who had no patience and too much energy to stay still. I'm hoping she'll grow out of it, like most cats do. I'm completely in love with her.



She's learned that my phone can play music and she'll often grab it and start dancing, I think to imply that she wants me to turn the music on.



#1 has been doing great at preschool and has really tapped into his creative side lately. His latest thing is to create things using paper, scissors, tape, and anything else he can find. A lot of times these creations are labelled as robots. It reminds me a lot of me when I was a kid. Having a crafty mom, I was always trying to imitate that- in particular I remember making toilet roll dolls and sewing clothes for my Barbies. My mom wasn't typically thrilled about the latter because I would usually take several yards of fabric and cut what I needed out of the center of the cloth. Sometimes I would use the sewing machine, but I do remember several outfits were pieced together with elastic bands. Anyways it's been fun to watch this side of #1 come out.

Behold the Paddleship- not to be confused with the Battleship




This weekend in particular I have felt such immense love and gratitude for my husband and my children. I don't know why I have been so blessed to find a partner who is everything I need and more. I take it as a testament that my Heavenly Father loves me and knows that I needed him more than I've ever needed anything else. Life is beautiful.

Photo Op

Tidbits

I haven't seen my wedding ring in over two months. This has kept me up at night, made me sick to my stomach, and been the motivating factor behind cleaning every little nook and cranny in our home. The other day I even pulled out our appliances and cleaned behind them. I wonder if this is payback for losing my own mother's wedding ring on the school bus when I tried to take it to kindergarten for show and tell. Regardless, I have declared it a lost cause and decided to pool my efforts into finding an affordable replacement. #1 must have picked up on my concern because on several occasions he has tried to help with this endeavor. One time he gave me his spider ring he got from trick or treating and then my personal favorite was when he made me one. Affordable and sentimental- too bad comfortable and durable can't be added onto that list. I'm grateful for my son's desire to help anyways- he truly is a sweet boy.

Check out my new bling.


After he was done outfitting me, he proceeded to make one for everyone in our family.


Baby N is now a pro cupboard opener and is learning the ropes of taking steps. She does it on occasion, but not consistently enough to capture it on film. She is currently overcoming an ear infection- we actually have all been under the weather this week. It seems like we will get sick once a month this fall/winter season. No swine flu yet- the kids got the vaccine which should be in effect by now.

I guess we've been watching a little too much television while we're been feeling crummy. The other day I found baby N like this- the couch was torn apart because I was once again looking for my wedding ring.




And just because she is so cute...


Here's hoping we won't be so slimy in November.

All Gourded Out

I probably shouldn't write this post while I'm still recuperating from my Halloween hangover. Halloween was great, but this year I think we celebrated a little too much. #1 got to trick or treat at preschool, church, and in the neighborhood which essentially turned into a week long celebration. It was a good thing we avoided the mall and library festivities. On the way to church this morning, #1 was disgruntled that Halloween was finally over. I tried to get his mind off of it by telling him what holidays we have to look forward to, but somehow the idea of eating a 20 pound turkey and thinking of the things we are grateful for didn't soothe him too much.

So here are the kids in various cute poses. Baby N dressed up as a butterfly and #1 went as a ninja. This was the first year #1 got to pick out his costume and the first year he didn't go as an animal- perhaps there's a correlation. We went to three different Halloween stores and #1 was dead set on getting a costume with a sword. We weren't able to take the weapons to preschool or the church function though. I also had to make a little alteration to his costume by cutting out the mask since that wasn't allowed either. Who knew Halloween was so restrictive?

Baby Doll



She's been standing for a while. Last week she took her first steps!



I told him to do a fierce pose. Apparently we haven't exposed him to enough martial arts films.



The ninja and the butterfly- sounds like a Japanese story







Before we went out trick or treating, we stopped to get our traditional free Sonic corn dog. They gave one to N too, but she was more interested in the free straw. We ate in the car because it was too cold outside.





#1 and I ended up trick or treating for about 30 minutes before he got too cold and wanted to go back home. If he only knew that his mom used to go with snow up to her hip. That'll be a good "when I was your age" story. Baby N and S stayed home and handed out treats and #1 was thrilled to help with that task once we got home. Despite his generous handfuls, we still have a ton of candy left over which will probably end up being incentives/rewards for being obedient.

The Popularity of Vampires Continues...

#1 typically decides what our jack-o-lantern is. I'm sure when N is old enough to voice her opinion, we'll have two pumpkins. I guess we actually have two pumpkins this year because #1 got one from a preschool field trip to our local pumpkin patch. Anyways in years past, he's chosen a kitty pumpkin and a pirate pumpkin. This year, vampires were on top of the list and no, he has not watched, read, or been exposed to Twilight. So here are this year's pumpkins, courtesy of Mr. S mad carving skills.


You may not be able to see it, but the big pumpkin is the vampire and the little pumpkin is the victim, complete with bite marks.




#1isms

"Look Mom! I'm going sidewords!"

While discussing safe places to be in case of a tornado/hurricane:
"Mommy, if there's a hurricane I know the perfect place to go! Grandma and Grandpa's house!" Burley, Idaho- your safe haven from all natural disasters.

N Update

N now has 5 teeth and is extremely tactile. She loves to be tickled and has a serious set of lungs. She could put opera singers or horror movie actresses to shame.

Living in the fast lane

We live near a bowling alley. Every time I go grocery shopping, we pass by said bowling alley. Every time #1 sees this bowling alley, he begs to be able to go, even though he's never been bowling in his life. In my college days, I used to work at the BYU Games Center and I got my fill of pins, balls, and stinky shoes- not to mention that awful lemon shoe spray you use every time a shoe has been rented. I can tell you the largest shoe size most bowling alleys carry and even how to repair the machines in the back. Unfortunately I didn't get paid to bowl and so I'm horrible at the game. Despite all this, we conceded to #1's pleas and went this Saturday. It was a lot of fun. This bowling alley had bumpers that could be programed to come up only on certain player's turns, which was pretty awesome. The best part though was seeing #1- he was beyond thrilled. The only way we got him out of there was by telling him we were going to carve our jack-o-lanterns when we got home. One of the first things he said while we were leaving was "I bet my Grandpa would like to take me bowling sometime." He knows a sucker when he sees one. :) Even N had a good time watching the game and crawling around. I think she wanted to be a ball because she kept aiming to go down the lane.



This girl has yet to meet something she doesn't want to eat


His first shot




His last shot- a spare!


In case you were wondering the final outcome- S and I tied for first place and #1 was only 3 points behind us.

Turning over a new leaf too late...

It's cold outside and yet, S and I have started jogging this week. It's worked out well- we went while #1 was at preschool and put baby N in the jogging stroller. This Saturday we took both of them with us and #1 listened to Aesop's fables on my mp3 player while we braved the chilly winds. It's breathtaking outside or maybe that's just the fact that I'm out of shape talking. I've decided that I can't die without saying at one point in my life I ran a mile. Isn't that sad that I don't think I've ever been able to? I need to get a pedometer to see how long I actually stick it out. The route we've found is about 2.5 miles, but I don't run anywhere near all of it. Hopefully we can keep going for a little while before the weather turns unbearable and then just go to the exercise room in our complex. There's something nice about being able to work out as a family though- I'll miss that when the time comes.



These kids are the greatest- truly.