The Gold Element

JWasaurus

2012-01-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

After taking over my sewing machine, JW, with his assistants by his side, won the 36th season of Project Runway.

Sparkle Punch Progress

2012-01-17T20:55:00.003-07:00

There is no rhyme or reason to my Sparkle Punch quilt yet. I'm just pulling out scraps as I go and sewing sparkles at random. It's like a giant puzzle. It has come together rather quickly, that is, not until after I figured out that I don't actually sew each piece of the sparkle together until ALL the sparkles are made. Duh. I unpicked the first sparkle at least seven times before I figure this out. Anyway, I've worked it out and I'll keep plugging along when JW is sleepy sleepy.

"Tickens"

2012-01-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

JW's favorite part of Gramma Nay's house is feeding her "tickens" (chickens). Not only does she have chickens, but she has a beautiful Artisan well with enormous goldfish, surrounded by mountains of rocks. Throwing sticks and pine cones into the pond and climbing the rocks is all part his outdoor adventure. The other day he was so excited to get outside that bolted out of the house without his coat on (it was freezing!). JW thought it would be funny to play Chase Me while Grandma tried to get his coat on, but he ran off right into the blackberry patch and was swallowed up by the prickly thorns. It wasn't so funny after that. He may have learned his lesson about running away from Grandma, but it didn't stop him from enjoying her great outdoors.

Cookie Cutters

2012-01-16T13:39:00.003-07:00

JW does not enjoy getting his haircut, but it helps to have a grape lollipop, a balloon, and a playground inside the salon to make it tolerable. These people know how to cater to a two year old.

Sleep Talking

2012-01-10T10:25:00.001-07:00

I have noticed several of my Facebook "Friends" posting about their trouble with insomnia lately, one of which is my brother, Ben. Part of his problem, in my expert opinion, is that he drinks three gallons of Coke a day and who knows how many Red Bulls? He was born a little high strung, but dose him with caffeine and take away his sleep and the guy is crazy as a rat in a wood shithouse.

I know how this craziness feels. Any mother with a newborn has managed for weeks on end with only a few hours of sleep in a night. It is not restful sleep either and you can never catch up. Just when you start to dream, the baby cries. When JW was a newborn, I really thought my head was going to explode. Sleep deprivation made me a miserable, psychotic person x 100.

G made a New Year's Resolution to be to bed by 10:00 PM. Not necessarily asleep, but in bed. I can honestly say this is not a problem for me. I turn into a pumpkin before 10:00 PM. I rise early, exercise, and am mindful of what I eat. My caffeine intake is minimal and sugar, well, I could work on that, but for the most part is not excessive. I really believe these healthy habits help me sleep well. G is a good sleeper and best of all, JW is a good sleeper.

Do you have sweet dreams, or are you just dreaming of sleep?

Resolute to Resolve with Sparkle Punch

2012-01-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

Picture from Oh, Fransson!'s blog.

OK, so I said I wasn't going to make any New Years Resolutions, but then I saw this quilt on a blog I follow and everything changed. Elizabeth Hartman from Oh, Fransson! made this "Sparkle Punch" quilt and is going to host a quilt-along. Just the picture makes me so happy that I think I'd like one of these for myself. So my resolution this year is to be less about good intentions (because I always say, "Hey! I'm going to do that!" and then I don't) and more about getting it done and having something to show for it. Therefore, I am committing to one star a week and if I can find the motivation (this is the non-committal part of my resolution), I'll show you my progress. Sparkle Punch for everyone!

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

This is the post where I'm supposed to reflect on the last year, how awesome I was, my kids, my husband, my job, life, and make big plans for the year to come. In all honesty, I can't elicit the brain power to think about it. I have lazy brain. Actually, I think all the junk I've eaten in the last three weeks has made me dumber. Tomorrow I'm back to the food pyramid guidelines (this is not a New Year's Resolution).

I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions. I prefer to make smaller goals more frequently with a higher probability of accomplishment. I suppose you could still call them New Year's Resolutions, but for me it's more of a to-do list that changes periodically. For example, at the top of my list I need to sign up for the half marathon in April. You're probably thinking a half marathon is a pretty big to-do. Not really. I've run several. I just need to sign up for the race. Signing up may sound so simple, but I'm a procrastinator so what is seemingly simple becomes a big deal after I've put it off for so long. I read about a photo-a-day blog challenge. I am seriously considering it. I was given a pretty nice camera recently and this might be a good way to learn how to use it, except that I think the challenge was supposed to start today. Never mind that the 30 day blog challenge I did a few months ago took every ounce of energy I could muster, especially for a girl whose life is like Ground Hog Day.

Good luck to you in the new year. May all your resolution dreams come true.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

JW may not understand Santa, but he knows fun when he sees it. When JW got his first glimpse of Christmas this morning, he said, "Whooaaaaa." Then he played basketball for about 5 minutes before he discoverd his tricycle. Merry Christmas.

Christmas Eve Eve

2011-12-23T22:28:00.003-07:00

My extended family always has its Christmas gathering on Christmas Eve Eve. Our party is like any typical giant-family celebration with a lot of dust and chaos. I look forward to it. During dinner each family tends to group themselves together. I like to move around and sit myself in the middle of other families, just to mix things up a bit.

Instead of the typical Santa Clause jingle jangle, we got in touch with our Dutch traditions with a visit from Sinterklaas. JW was extremely curious of the jolly ol' saint, but he would not step within arms reach. That would just be too big a risk of being swooped up onto his lap.

*$10 bucks if you can get a quarter in Kat's cleavage*

The Nativity demonstration came courtesy of the great grand kids. It was surprisingly organized considering the number of angels and shepherds under age 6. It was narrated by Uncle 'Rad, who announced his engagement to his beautiful friend Wendy. He had a little spring in his step all night.

Gearing Up

2011-12-22T22:10:00.001-07:00

Christmas magic is in full swing around here.

Santa is waxing his sleigh and fattening up the reindeer.

The big trip is nigh.

The Best Two Years

2011-12-20T22:08:00.001-07:00

Music is "You and Me" by Francis England off the album Family Tree

JW, a year ago you were not stable on two feet, you communicated with smiles or tears, "ba ba" and "da da," gurgles and screams. You found joy in crinkling paper, toilet papering the entire house and eating dirt. You found comfort in your binki and were cool with a bottle. We decorated the house for Christmas with little worry about you bringing down the tree or breaking mama's glass ornaments. You had little interest in climbing stairs or going down slides on the playground.

A year later you can run, jump, kick and tumble. You have a healthy vocabulary, almost always say "please" and generously give out "hugs." You ask for your {my} iPad and you can maneuver the applications as if Steve Jobs was your father. You like to draw pictures and paint. You know the real purpose of toilet paper and even think you need to help out sometimes. As first time parents with little experience we expected the worst when it came time to give up the binki and the bottle. There was very little torture or trickery involved on our part. We slowly stopped giving them to you and you carried on with life with little fuss. The glass Christmas ornaments have been packed away because mama anticipated you would not be able to control your urge to touch every ornament on the Christmas tree. Mama was right. No matter how many times you have been told, "We look with our eyes, not with our hands," to which you always agree, I have found you on several occasions rearranging every bulb within reach. You can identify Santa, and you know he says, "HO HO HO," but I'm certain you have no idea what Santa is really capable of doing. You finally figured out how to go up and down the stairs without falling (and causing me heart failure every time) and you will go up and down the slide on the playground a million times all by yourself.

One of the moms from the preschool asked me recently how I felt about having a two year old. My initial response was basically eh, so what? But the more I've thought about the last two years, how much we've grown, how smart you are, what a sweet boy you can be (knock on wood) I look forward to what the next year will bring and can barely fathom the possibilities. Happy birthday, little buddy.

'Tis the Season

2011-11-29T09:26:00.001-07:00

When asked what their favorite holiday is, most people will tell you Christmas. I personally prefer Thanksgiving or the 4th of July. Christmas is the last holiday on my list for reasons I can only tell my therapist. I'm a Grinch. All is not lost, though. There are a few things that make me jolly for the holidays, along with reasons to leave the boxes of lights and garlands in the basement.

Jolly: I love the lights. I drive by Temple Square on my way home from work every night and just that 10 seconds looking at the lights brings me great joy. Our neighborhood should rename our street to Christmas Lane because everyone has lights on their houses. Sometimes JW and I will drive the long way home just to enjoy the lights in the neighborhood.

Grinch: G will not put lights on our house. Apparently this is a provision in our marital contract. So I do it every year. Except, I am too chicken to climb the ladder to the highest pitch on the roof, so I just put lights on our bushes and around the windows and porch. Last year half of the lights blitzed mid way through December and some jerk kids put our lighted reindeer in a precarious position.

Jolly: I LOVE glass ornaments. The old world vintage kind with Santas, teapots, the pickle, icicles, etc. My entire tree is decorated with vintage glass ornaments, many of them nearly 100 years old. My tree sparkles. It makes me so happy.

Grinch: I have a curious two year old. Vintage glass ornaments just seem like a bad idea. So I bought a box of shatter-proof (read: plastic) ornaments from the Costco knowing that JW would not be able to resist touching every "bulpt" (bulb) on the tree. Now my tree has no soul.

Jolly: This year I bought a pre-lit tree with zillions of white lights after more than 10 years with an old 6 ft. cheap-o delux tree that I spent 2 hours stringing 50 sets of lights to every year. Pre-lit has changed my life forever.

Grinch: Why didn't I do that 10 years ago?

What's your favorite holiday?

2011-11-13T22:33:00.001-07:00

Grandma, 1930

Grandpa, 1956

My cousin is in the process of scanning a box of old photos from my mother's side of the family. He sends an email or two every week of each scanned treasure. Here are two of my favorites so far, capturing my Grandparents {my mom's parents} in their youthfulness. At first I thought this was Grandma sneaking out on the rocks to watch Grandpa fish. How sweet. Then I noticed there was a 26 year difference in the photo timeline. I never knew either of them in this life, but I imagine they were wonderful people.

The Holstee Manifesto

2011-11-10T10:16:00.001-07:00

This little manifesto is making its way around the internet and I must say, I like it. I kind of want to figure out how to paint it on an old piece of salvaged wood and hang it on my wall. There must be a way...

2011-11-05T22:26:00.000-06:00

Good morning, Winter.

The first real snow storm of the year is always a merry event for me, in theory. I always picture myself lounging around in my pajamas, sipping hot chocolate, watching movies all day. Then reality hits - read: I have a two year old. Forget about lounging around watching movies all day. If I'm watching anything it's sound bites of Thomas and Friends, Super Why and The Cat in the Hat (sound bites = JW knows he can watch his favs through Netflix. Five minutes into each show he decides he wants to watch something else. It makes me totally mental.). And lounging? Come on, now.

JW was pretty excited about the snow. He wanted to play outside all day. I told him once he was dressed we could go outside. Getting dressed was easy enough for JW, except he decided he was going to take a fashion note from Papa Bear and wear his sandals with his socks. I refused to let him play in the snow in his sandals and he refused to take them off. We made a trip to Payless and bought JW a pair of snow boots. I thought he'd think they were cool until he refused to put those on as well. This might be a long winter.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:19:00.000-06:00

In the days leading up to Halloween, JW made it clear that he was NOT interested in wearing a costume. I have had his Thomas the Train costume laying out for days in hopes he would find it as awesome as watching Thomas and Friends streaming through Netflix. I've even put it on and danced around. He thought that was funny. I'd practically beg him to put it on and he was having none of it.

It should come as no surprise that I had zero expectations that JW would be dressed up for his Halloween parade at preschool. So if he wasn't going to wear the costume, I was.

Suddenly he decided he wanted to wear the conductor's hat...

And moments before the parade, I asked JW if he wanted to wear Thomas {"choo choo"}.

To my surprise!

We loaded into the baby bus...

and paraded around the block...

As soon as the parade was over, the costume came off, never to be put on again. Thank you for humoring me, buddy.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2011-10-12T11:48:00.000-06:00

Source: ihatemyparents.tumblr.com via Aubrey on Pinterest

I admit it. I'm a yeller. I try really hard to take a deep breath and just ignore the whining, crying and stomping, but sometimes it gets me and I yell. Really LOUD. It rarely works and usually just makes the situation worse. Maybe I should try this new tactic.

Un Sospiro

2011-10-10T22:28:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend I was going through my pile of music in an attempt to get organized, when I came across this Liszt piece, "Un Sospiro." I started learning this piece of music a few years ago for a piano recital and had it about 65% memorized when my life got a little out of control and I quit piano lessons. I'm kind of sad about that. Nevertheless, this piece moves me almost to tears. Close your eyes and listen. It's dreamy.

2011-10-06T11:24:00.000-06:00

This leather beauty recently flew through my universe and caught my attention. I have a soft spot for Coach bags, and this persimmon colored Madison bag sits just right for Fall. However, paying the retail price for this bag seems kind of foolish. It is tempting though. If I pull the trigger I might have to sell some junk on Craig's List so I can eat the rest of the month.

It's Autumn Time

2011-09-23T21:28:00.000-06:00

Today is the first day of Fall, my favorite season. I can't pass up this day without letting you know this fact. The cooler temperatures, red leaves, soup, sweaters, boots, every cliche, I love. It's the final hoorah before hunkering down for the winter, which in Utah lasts until June. I also couldn't pass up adding this picture, even if it is celebrating Halloween a little prematurely. It screams FALL to me. I mean, look closely - a jack-o-lantern, a witch and a black cat cruising around in a SQUASH!!?? Clever.

A Utah Man

2011-09-17T23:07:00.003-06:00

Tonight was the rivalry football game between Utah and BYU. We are a split household. G went to the game with his BYU boyfriends. I told him if he wasn't going to take me, he had to at least wear his Utah t-shirt (deep down he's a BYU fan, but he keeps that on the downlow around these parts). He didn't wear his Utah shirt, but I bet he wished he had after that game!

Utah 54 BYU 10.

GO UTES! There's no doubt who this little man is cheering for!

"STOP!"

2011-09-12T13:37:00.004-06:00

As JW is learning about the world around him, I have noticed that he tends to identify objects by the sound it makes. For example, when he sees a dog, instead of saying, "dog" he says, "woof woof" When he sees a train he says, "choo choo" For his toy monkey it's, "oohooh aahaah." You get the picture. Last night he started screaming at the top of his lungs, "STOP! STOP! STOOOOP!!!" So I asked, "Is that what mama says?" And without hesitation he replied, "...Yes..."

Now I know he's listening.

10 Years Later

2011-09-11T17:35:00.007-06:00

Part of the beauty in working for an investment manager is the paid time off we get every year. 10 years ago it was a use it or lose it policy and since I never took time off, and my vacation calendar was about to rollover, I decided to take a week off.

I didn't go anywhere for my "vacation." Didn't have any big plans, except to clean up around the house. I got started early that day. Pulled out the vacuum and went to town in the living room. I noticed as I was vacuuming the light on my caller I.D. flashing. It was around 8:30 a.m., who was calling me? I didn't hear the phone ring over the vacuum. I stopped to see who it was and noticed that G (we were dating at the time) had called a couple times. Just then the phone rang again - it was my boss. She said, "Are you watching the news?" "No, what's going on?" I was clueless. She said, "The World Trade towers were hit by two airplanes and have collapsed..." I didn't grasp the magnitude of the situation immediately. All I really knew was that thousands of people went in and out of those buildings every day. This was a big deal.

I turned on the t.v. and didn't turn it off the rest of the week, or weeks, for that matter. I didn't go back to work for several days more than my "paid time off." Fear had gotten the best of me. G came over after work that night and was a mess. The firm he worked for was based in NYC, at World Trade Center. He was worried for his colleagues. We spent a lot of time watching the events unfold. Listening to the stories from the people who were there. We hoped for survivors.

10 years later we live by the cliche, we will never forget. We will never forget how evil evil really is. We will never forget the people who went to work that day and didn't go home. We will never forget their families. We will never forget those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of others.

Labor Day Canoeing

2011-09-07T21:55:00.006-06:00

As my niece Noelle was planning her visit to Utah, she called Papa Bear and requested that he take her canoeing. I am not sure where she got the idea, but Papa Bear, being the accommodating grandpa that he is, went out of his way to make sure Noelle got her wish.

So he planned a little excursion. I don't know what I was expecting, but when I saw this, I wondered, is this safe? Is this legal? Maybe we should just go to Liberty Park and rent a paddle boat.... We launched the canoe with the babies sitting in the middle. We gave them strict instructions, "DO NOT MOVE." Canoes are not the most stable water craft, in case you were wondering.

Whoaa. Steady....steady...steady...

DO NOT MOVE.

JW thought I was a real jerk for not letting him play in the lake. Hey, you never know what might be floating in there---dead bodies much? Despite the murky waters, I think we all had a good time. Thanks, Papa Bear, for taking us out in the canoe!

Milk 'n Donuts

2011-09-04T22:22:00.002-06:00

I kind of fell off the earth after my 30 day blog challenge. I have to admit, that challenge was exhausting.

We have been spending a lot of time with our family over the last few days. Auntie and Uncle Boo are in town and all JW can talk about is his cousin, "sis-sis". They have the best play time, but they fight like siblings. {sigh} Two year olds are the best.

Yesterday JW and I were picking up sandwiches at Subway to take to a family picnic. The lady standing in line in front of us sneezed. JW replied, "Bless you." That was the first time I've heard him say that. Be still my heart.

Precious Babies

2011-08-12T21:49:00.007-06:00

I have been reading about the sweetest little girl's, Ruby Jane's, fight for her life over the last couple of days on this blog. As I read her story all I can think about how perfect (or seemingly imperfect) life might be today and how tomorrow it could all change. It is so hard for me sometimes to enjoy JW when he is being his typical almost-two year old self, but just the thought of ever losing him brings me to tears. Wow.

Pumping Iron

2011-08-09T20:43:00.004-06:00

JW was telling me to get out of the way because if that horse shoe hits me, it's going to hurt. As if he's never heard that before.

Family Reunion

2011-08-05T21:20:00.003-06:00

We spent several days at our home in Idaho last week with G's family for a little G-family reunion. JW was exhausted at the end of the day after being loved to death by his cousins. It was pretty much the best week of his life.

Find Me a Rainbow

2011-07-25T22:36:00.001-06:00

With a pot of gold to share.A beautiful view out my backdoor tonight.

Only in Utah...

2011-07-25T22:29:00.002-06:00

...does half a city camp out for two days for a parade to celebrate Mormon pioneers. I got to watch the parade out my office window. I'm a sucker for parades. Plus I ran the infamous D-News Pioneer Day 10k with Kati. What a country!Happy Pioneer Day!

Water Fight!

2011-07-23T21:37:00.004-06:00

Today was Family Fun Day at Great Grandma and Grandpa's house.

JW found a bucket of water balloons... and figured out pretty quickly if he tossed the balloon, it would explode with water.

Before long, others noticed and joined in the fun.

And a water fight ensued.

He started it.

Discovery Gateway

2011-07-22T21:30:00.002-06:00

Today I took Dubs to Discovery Gateway, a children's museum full of hands-on exhibits and activities. I was not entirely sure what to expect and wondered if he was too young to really get into it. As you can see, he had no trouble having fun. He thought the ball throw tube was the best thing ever.

This is a little platform to build a house with blocks, then you turn it on and it shakes to mimic an earthquake and you see if your building survives. JW couldn't help but shake his booty with it.

Gramma Nay has these gears on her refrigerator so to see an entire wall of gears was just too awesome for this little man.

The best place of all...the water center! If he wasn't trying to drink the water, he was pouring it on himself. He was soaked, but so happy.

2011-07-21T23:03:00.004-06:00

I just got invited to Google+. I'm flattered to be in the elite test group, but I'm not really sure what I'm doing. Should I be nervous that my name is now public, with no control over privacy? I think I understand the "circles" bit, but I'm not sure how I get people in the circles. Please, if you know how to use this really cool new Google thing, tell me what I need to know.

Day 26: Lasagna Face

2011-07-19T22:36:00.002-06:00

Give this kid any combination of noodles and tomato sauce and he is sure to have a good time over his entire body.

Day 25: A Day On the Beach

2011-07-18T20:19:00.006-06:00

Bear Lake

Building sand castles on the beach.

Day 24 - Always Planning His Escape

2011-07-10T21:48:00.007-06:00

JW recently started joining the toddlers in nursery at our church while I attend my classes. He has struggled a little when I drop him off. He gets sad and I often stay with him until he gets comfy, then I sneak out. Today was not any different, except that I didn't stay. One of my favorite people was in the nursery, so she took him and within a minute he seemed content. Meanwhile, I enjoyed my classes.

When church ended I went to pick JW up from the nursery. Unfortunately when I got there, JW was not there. I asked the adult who was there (not the same person who was there when I dropped him off) where he was. She responded by saying, "Who?" as if she had never heard of the kid, so I drew a composite sketch for her. She said, "Oh, he left with So-n-So." After "So-n-So" was nowhere to be found, I sent out a search party. Several minutes later I hear a voice yell from down the hall, "Here he is!" There was JW wandering the halls, all alone, with a giant smile on his face as if to say, "Look mama, I escaped!"

Day 23 - The Stork made a Delivery!

2011-07-09T22:58:00.005-06:00

Welcome to the family

Nicholas James!

My sister has been willing this baby to be born for what seems like weeks now. Anyone who has had a baby understands the need for pregnancy to be over. I talked to my sister yesterday morning around 11 a.m. She was sitting in the kiddie pool in her backyard with her two girls. Life as usual. Around 7:30 p.m. my Mom called me a little frantic that she could not get a hold of my sister. A few minutes later we got a message that this sweet boy had been born. Within a few hours this proud auntie was on video chat and got to meet the little man. He's awesome.

Congrats Rachel, Boo and big sisters Noelley and Sis!!

Day 22 - Space: The Final Frontier

2011-07-08T21:26:00.004-06:00

Today marks the last launch of the space shuttle, as the U.S. government has brought the program to an end. It has been on the news all day, as if the country is in mourning. I can not lie, I am a little sad to see it end, although deep down I think it will be back {a new president, better economy, not to mention the nauseating idea of sending our astronauts on Russia's space shuttle - I imagine the cockpit smells like cigarettes and stale beer - could bring this to pass}.

My first memory, like so many kids of the '80s, is the Challenger space shuttle. I was in 4th grade and along with thousands of other kids that day in 1986, watched live as the Challenger disintegrated just over a minute after launch. It was a confusing moment and as it all became clear I can remember being sad specifically for the brave teacher, Christa McAuliffe, who for a brief moment inspired me to want to be an astronaut. Ever since then I tend to hold my breath after each shuttle launch, hoping for the best and fearing the worst.

In honor of all of those who have dedicated their lives to space exploration, I hold my hand over my heart. It's not over, just a temporary break before we're back in space.

Day 21 - The Cat in the Hat

2011-07-07T22:09:00.003-06:00

JW does not generally care much for television, with on exception, The Cat in the Hat on PBS Kids. He sits on our bed every morning and sings and grooves to the opening theme song. The Cat sings another song as he, Nick and Sally hop in the Thing-ma-jigger to go on their next adventure. You can inevitably hear JW singing along, "Go, go, go!!!" It is pretty much the cutest thing ever. It's a catchy little tune. You might find yourself singing it the rest of the day.

Day 20 - More Drivel

2011-07-06T20:19:00.005-06:00

I am sitting here on my bed with G. We are both on our separate laptops. He's looking at souped up 4-wheelers in the online classifieds, I'm surfing Facebook. It's a slow Facebook day.

In an effort to keep up with this challenge, I just asked G what I should write about for Day 20. His response, "You've been blogging for 20 days straight? About what?" My response, "Drivel." I guess he hasn't been keeping up.

Did you hear about the enormous dust storm that engulfed the Phoenix area yesterday? My sister was in it. She called me frantic, then the phone went dead. I haven't heard from her since. I think she was swallowed up.

Day 19 - Happy Birthday Mumsie!!

2011-07-05T22:26:00.000-06:00

Today is a big birthday for Mom. She's not a senior citizen yet, so she can't make any excuses.

A few weeks ago my sister sent me this video. It might only be funny to us, but it is so reminiscent of our childhood. My mom sang this song to us all the time. Actually, she still sings it from time to time. Love you Mom! Happy birthday!

Day 18 - America the Beautiful

2011-07-04T21:40:00.006-06:00

I have decided one of my favorite places to be over the July 4th holiday is at our home in Idaho.It is quite possibly the busiest weekend of the year. Everybody is celebrating their freedom on their 4-wheelers, boats, bikes and strollers. The festivities abound. Of course I opted to get out on my own two feet and run THE hardest 10k ever. Six miles on a dirt trail, through mud and rivers and at 7,000 ft elevation. G and JW cheered me on (can you see the enthusiasm?). While it wasn't my most stellar performance, I could not ask for a more beautiful backdrop...or a more lovely weekend with my boys.

Day 18 - My Double-Wide

2011-06-29T20:09:00.007-06:00

This is my house. Lovely isn't it? Yes, if you can look past the dumpy yard. Life is about to get exciting because starting today, the landscape is going to change a bit. Not a huge remodel, but when it's done we'll play a little game of "What's different?" The backyard will have the most dramatic change. I'll save the before and after of that for the final reveal because I have a feeling you won't believe your eyes. Side note for my faithful followers: I am not going to be posting for a few days. This is intentional. Instead, I am going to enjoy the long holiday weekend with my boys. I think you should too. So, I'll see you on Monday. Happy 4th! Eat lots of watermelon!

Day 17 - Tricking a 2yr Old

2011-06-29T19:59:00.003-06:00

Remember this? I am about to ship my 2yr old niece a duplicate version of her favorite blanket to avert any crisis when her original blanket suddenly disappears (in the laundry). Sydney's a smart girl and may see right through this devious plan. Stay tuned to see if this works...

Day 16 - Observations

2011-06-28T16:52:00.003-06:00

Oops, missed a day. Sorry followers. I hope you are not disappointed. Truth be told, the last few days have been pretty uneventful and I ditched the 30 Day Blog Challenge list after about the third day because the topics were just getting too stupid.

I have to say, this blog challenge has had me thinking a little more about what goes on in my life, just so I can return and report. Here is what I've noticed:

I get up and run bright and early in the mornings, as do several other people in this world. The last few times I been out and ran past another runner, I've noticed how nice they smell. It is like a whiff of Downy fabric softener. I am pretty sure I do not smell like Downy fabric softener. In fact, I think my running clothes are permanently marinated in my own stank. There is no good smell coming from me right out the gates. Consider yourselves warned.

I love to eat at the Lion House for lunch and do so on a fairly regular basis. I have noticed the last few times I have been there the line is out the door. Where are all of these people coming from? Well, I can guess since most seem to be youth groups and they are all wearing t-shirts that say "Youth Conference 2011 - Rupert, Idaho 2nd Stake." I thought Youth Conference was a sack lunch event. What are they doing at the Lion House? Today there was a large group who looked like they were from Camp K. I had to text my sister who can appreciate what Camp K offers. She was a counselor one summer and is "all sorts of Camp K" (her words). Those counselors have big hearts, almost as big as the campers'.

Day 15 - Red Pajamas

2011-06-26T09:20:00.006-06:00

Happiness consists not of having, but of being; not of possessing, but enjoying...Man is the creator of his own happiness. It is the aroma of life lived in harmony with high ideals. For what a man has he may be dependent upon others; what he is rests with him alone.
~David O. McKay

Day 14 - Party Uphill

2011-06-24T20:25:00.005-06:00

If there is one thing I've learned while running a race is that having a cheering squad can really pump you up. This was the most grueling race of my life, but turning the corner and seeing my friends cheering me on gave me more energy than Gu.

Day 13 - Random

2011-06-23T21:43:00.003-06:00

I have a different post ready for today, but I don't know if I should post it. Some things are better left unsaid. Maybe it will appear in a few days. I need to sleep on it.
What you get to know is that at this very moment I'm watching Steel Magnolias. One of my favorite movies. I cry every time I watch it for so many reasons - the sacrifice you make to be a mother, a mother losing a child, having close, supportive friends. I even imagine living in Natchitoches, Louisiana where it is filmed, but only for the few hours I'm watching the movie. Louisiana is not on my list of top places to live.

Day 12 - Motivation

2011-06-23T09:16:00.004-06:00

I am having trouble finding my motivation for most things in life.

I have to tell myself:

At work: I have to finish this project so I can get paid.

While making dinner: don't starve your child!

In the yard: keep the flowers alive. They are the only distraction from the weeds.

Exercise: do you want to do Ragnar again? Then you have to keep running.

Blog Challenge: surely someone is interested in reading this?

Even so, I just want to sit around. I'm getting lazier by the second.

What do you do to stay motivated?

Day 11 - First Day of Summer

2011-06-21T22:18:00.004-06:00

In summer, the song sings itself.

~William Carlos Williams

Day 10 - 18 Months

2011-06-20T19:24:00.004-06:00

You are a weed. You grow an inch a day and can be completely annoying. You get into places I don't want you to be. I pull you out, but you keep going back. You can sure be prickly. The tantrums....OH the tantrums!

Then I see you like this: You can be so happy... A little skeptical...

and so smart.

You are talking more and more every day and crack me up when you throw your hands in the air and say, "All done!" or stand at the door begging, "Outside! Outside! Outside!" over and over. Once outside you generally run straight for the street and I have to literally drag you right back to the house {you think it's so funny until you get in the house} and you throw a tantrum.

Nevertheless, you are a sweet boy. It flatters me that you get so excited to see me after a long day. Yesterday I was taking a nap {after running a relay for 35 hours, thank you} and you came running in my bedroom squealing, then right up to my face whispering, "Hi. Hi." Somehow these little moments allow me to forget about that annoying weed and just enjoy my little boy.

Day 9 - Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T20:19:00.006-06:00

To all the dads in our lives, Happy Father's Day!The Dad
PapaPapa Bear

Grandpa Gold

Day 8 - The Young & The Wreckless

2011-06-18T22:35:00.004-06:00

Ragnar: 12 runners, 192 miles, 35 hours and almost no sleep. It was A.W.E.S.O.M.E. I will talk about this weekend's adventure some more soon, but right now I am too doggone tired. Yesterday feels like so long ago.

Day 7 - Hip Hip Hooray it's My Birthday!

2011-06-17T09:39:00.004-06:00

Today is my birthday and to celebrate, I'm going to do this. Wish me luck! I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow with a birthday montage

Day 6 - Girl: "What do you get when this is all over?"

2011-06-16T10:54:00.002-06:00

Boy: "....... a shirt."

I find this hilarious as I am about to embark on a big adventure this weekend. Yes, I pay to do this and all I get is a shirt. I think anyone who runs has had this conversation.

What kind of ridiculous things do you pay to do?

Day 5 - What Did You Get in the Mail Today?

2011-06-15T18:24:00.007-06:00

I love getting mail. I'm not talking about the mail from people who want money and all the junk. I want the real deal. Send me a letter through the post and you will light up my life for days. I love when a mail order gets to me too. I always wait in anticipation, like I did for this fabric that got to me today. Here's why...

I made a blanket for my niece, Sydney, when she was born. It has become her blanket, THE BLANKET, I'm talking when said blanket is put in the wash, the red phone lights up at the White House type of crisis. I can not tell you how much this makes me happy, that something I gave her she can't live without. Unfortunately, the blanket does need to be washed from time to time and there is no substitute. So my sister and I came up with a brilliant plan: I will make her another blanket, just like her favorite one. Oh it's hard to be so smart all the time! Hopefully our little trick works...

The hard part of this was finding the same fabric I used to make the original blanket. After much online searching I found the two fabrics at two different shops. This is major because this line of fabrics is over two years old and has been discontinued. I have been waiting for the fabric to get here and lo and behold, both fabrics arrived today. Yay! No...wait....Not yay. That's not what I ordered! The cherries are perfect, but do you see that flowery print? It's all wrong. Not even the same designer. I can't trick a 2 yr old with that! Junk mail! Here's what it was supposed to be:

I will try to look on the bright side. When the fabric store remedies the error, at least I'll have some more fun mail to look forward to!!

What did you get in the mail today? Something fun or mostly junk?

Day 4 - A Favorite Photo of Your Best Friend

2011-06-14T21:04:00.006-06:00

My Sissy
She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child. ~ Barbara Alpert

Day 3 - The Perfect First Date

2011-06-13T19:53:00.003-06:00

Well one thing is certain, in today's era of texting, Facebook, Twitter and the world of online socializing, I honestly think kids these days do not know how to establish real relationships. Will humanity survive? Who knows, but what I do know is Ashley on this season of The Bachelorette had THE BEST first date last week when she and the potential "man of her dreams" had a private dance lesson, afterwhich they went to a mall and had a picnic where she encouraged him to practice the dance with her and BAM, the music started and flash mob erupted. How freaking cool is that?! To end it all they had a live band play for them and the crowd.

I would die if the man of my dreams had surprised me with something like that!

Too bad reality T.V. isn't real. At the end of the day, if I were in the dating world I would be happy with a phone call from a rad guy asking me out. He would pick me up with a bouquet of flowers in hand. We would go for a picnic in the park, ride the paddle boats in the pond and feed the ducks. It would be an afternoon of quality time to get to know each other. Just talking. Face to face. He would think I was so cool, he'd call me and we'd go out again :)

Day 2 - A Photo of Something You Ate Today

2011-06-12T22:24:00.004-06:00

I'm not totally sure why what I ate today would be of any interest in a blog challenge, but whatever. I started the day with a GIANT slice of watermelon. Watermelon yells SUMMER! to me and since it was snowing here just a few weeks ago, I thought I'd wishful-think about the warm days that are nigh. Of course I have to balance a slice of watermelon with something a little more naughty. Kati was making cookies and I needed to go for a run. A perfect combination - run to Kati's house and eat cookies! I like it. And I like these little chocolate chip/oatmeal delights. Thanks Kate!

Day 1 - A Photo of Yourself and How the Day Was

2011-06-11T20:57:00.005-06:00

I know, it is so trendy. It's like getting a chain email with 100 questions to answer about yourself, then you're supposed to send it to 10 friends and the guy you've been dreaming about is supposed to magically appear. My hunka burnin' love never appears, but I still answer the question because you just never know what could happen. Well, it's another Saturday night and I ain't got nobody, so I'm starting the blog challenge right here, right now. Just like the magical email, there is a good chance the 30 days won't happen. Hang with me anyway because you never know what you might find out...

Day 1: post a photo of yourself with a description of how the day was.

This photo is a year and half old, but it is truly one of my favorites. I have not changed much, except my hair is blond now. My little punkin JW, is totally different, as you can probably imagine.

Speaking of JW, today was all about him {actually, most days are all about him anymore}. We had lunch with Gramma Nay and Papa Bear and headed back to their house to visit for awhile. JW's newest life lesson is all about climbing the stairs. Gramma Nay has a staircase to the second floor that JW thinks is awesome to play on. We spend the better part of our visits climbing up and down the stairs. While JW is great with the going up, coming down still requires some supervision. Today was no different, with one exception. My little dude followed Papa Bear up the stairs but decided to come back down while Papa Bear was not looking. JW knows he has to go down the stairs on his belly. He KNOWS this. Today he decided to be brave and come down like a big boy, stepping down while facing forward, and it resulted in disaster. PLUNK PLUNK PLUNK down more than half the staircase. My mom and I jumped up as fast as we could and I caught him before he hit the bottom. Fortunately JW came out with nothing more than a bonk on the head, and some rattled nerves. Scared the crap out of all of us. Needless to say, he didn't go back up the stairs the rest of the day.

JW's accident proneness for the day doesn't stop there. After lunch we were helping Gramma Nay clean off her patio. She has a picnic table that is just high enough to be out of sight for JW, but it doesn't clear the top of his head. It's like he has a blind spot for those 2 inches or so between his eyes and the top of the table. EVERY TIME he walked by the table he ran into the corner of it. He must have bonked it six times today. We finally moved the table from his path to avert any future brain damage to the kid.

It was otherwise a very lovely day full of wagon rides, blowing bubbles and chasing Gramma's chickens.

GRRRR!

2011-06-02T10:53:00.005-06:00

Whenever I am frustrated or annoyed I tend to let out a growl, "GRRR!" I do this to avoid cursing because you-know-who is a little mocking bird and I really don't need him walking around preschool saying "DAMN IT!" all the time. I never realized how much I growl until JW started doing it too. I am reminded every time, without fail, when I need to take a deep breath because JW always repeats after me, "GRRRRR!"

Birds of a Feather

2011-05-31T20:19:00.006-06:00

It has done nothing but rain {and snow!} the last few weeks at our house. We were not going to let that ruin our Memorial Day though. Luckily there was a momentary break in the clouds so I took JW to Tracy Aviary in Liberty Park to enable his obsession with birds.I grew up near Liberty Park and remember going to Tracy Aviary as a kid. Back then it was pretty small and ghetto. It has been at least 25 years since I've been back. I was pleasantly suprised at how beautiful it is now! Lovely gardens and awesome birds. Ready, set, go check it out!

JW posed for the picture (above), but the peacock in the background was being camera shy.

Not this guy though. He had his feathers out to impress all the women. The peacocks were strutting all over the Aviary.

In the "rainforest" JW was so infatuated with these little squakers prancing around.
This man was standing nearby with this gorgeous Golden Eagle. JW really wanted to pet the bird. Fortunately it started to rain so I could make a great escape to cover before a tantrum ensued and one little boy risked getting his eyes pecked out.

2011-05-14T21:50:00.007-06:00

"When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure."
Dawn Savage
December 30, 1954 - May 10, 2011
I adore you Dawnie. Your sparkle will live in my heart forever.

Family

2011-05-08T21:30:00.004-06:00

I managed to take a trip to Holland and it was quite lovely.

Sugar & Spice Reveal

2011-04-11T22:27:00.005-06:00

Here is the bit of fabulousness I've been working on for the last little while. I made it for my brother and sister's-in-law lil' nugget who is about to make her grand entrance into our lives.I pretty much love how it turned out. It's the perfect combination of pinks, greens and yellows. It's also a little wonky, but wonky is my middle name. I hope bebe loves it. I can't wait to meet her!

Sugar & Spice

2011-04-09T09:54:00.001-06:00

There is something really fabulous taking place at my house. Stay tuned for the reveal...

2011-04-04T23:05:00.003-06:00

"Happiness? The color of it must be spring green..."

~Francis Mayes

A Conversation with Noelle

2011-03-30T16:34:00.004-06:00

I called my niece, Noelle, today to wish her a happy birthday. We had a nice conversation on the phone. She told me all about the fun she had at the IKEA Fun Place while her mama shopped for patio furniture, and her pending play date with the neighbor boy. I asked her if she knew just how fantastic I think she is, to which she politely replied, "No, I didn't know that!" She totally knows I think she's fantastic because her very next sentence was, "Hey Auntie, next time you are at Costco, will you buy me Fairy Fashion Secret? You can just wrap it up and drop it in the mail." How am I supposed to respond to that? I mean, OF COURSE I'll buy her Fairy Fashion Secret* next time I'm at the Costco. Girl knows a sucker when she sees one.

*Fairy Fashion Secret is a Barbie DVD. Noelle's all about Barbie right now.

15

2011-03-20T21:11:00.006-06:00

Somehow I managed to miss your 14 month birthday all together. Actually, our little family spent that weekend at our house in Idaho where there is no wireless, no computers therefore no update. I thought about a write-up for several weeks and now its time to move on. So, Happy 15 months, little buddy!! The other night you fell asleep on the way home from preschool. This is not breaking news since you fall asleep EVERY DAY on the way home from school. Your teacher told me recently you are one of the "rambunctious" ones in your class and you are pretty tuckered out at the end of the day from playing so hard. You went to bed still in your coat and shoes and stayed that way all night. You slept for almost 14 hours and I am not kidding when I say you grew a mullet and two inches taller overnight.

I think part of the rambunctiousness comes from your new found freedom on your feet. You are a walking fool! For the longest time you would cruise around the furniture with maybe two or three steps between me and The Dad. You generally were not interested in walking. You were perfectly content and quite efficient on your knees while all your little {and younger} friends were walking circles around you. Until one day you stood up in the middle of the room without any assistance or props and walked six or seven steps to Dad. Its been all feet ever since. And all stairs. While at the cabin last month I must have climbed the stairs with you at least 100 million times. You have the going-up part perfected. Going down is still scary...for me. You have no concept of down, falling, injury, broken skulls. Sometimes you would take the safer, on-the-belly slide down option, or more often attempt the dangerous standing on two feet, step by step forward option. Inevitably you would miss a step or get distracted and, "uh oh!" down you'd go.

Your vocabulary is expanding. "Uh oh" was possibly your first word after "mama" and "dad" ("dat"). You are also very polite by saying, "Please" ("pease") a million times until you get what you want, and for breakfast it's all about "bananas" ("nananas") and "cheese.". Other words include "blanket" ("banket") and "bink" and while changing your poopy britches I said, "YUCK!" and like a little parrot you repeated "YUCK!" While I say "I love you" a million times a day, you show it with your open mouth kisses and bear hugs. My sweetest boy.

Fabric, Glue Guns and Girls Gone Wild

2011-03-14T20:09:00.005-06:00

Last weekend I was invited to Girls Weekend at my friend's cabin near Pineview. I know you would rather see pictures of the Girls Gone Wild part of the weekend, but every picture that was taken someone said, "I better not see this on Facebook!!" Fortunately for all of the ladies there, I didn't take a single picture, but I did make some couture pillows. Pillows? Yes, there was a lot of crafting going on. You wouldn't believe what some of those girls can pull off at 2 a.m, soused to the gills. I spent some quality time with my felt, sewing machine and a needle and thread. I am really happy with the outcome. JW noticed the new pillows pretty quickly. Not 5 minutes after I put the pillows on the couch he started pulling on the beads. {sigh}

JW The Destroyer

2011-02-03T21:06:00.005-07:00

Welcome to the Tampax to the Max Tournament of Champions.

I Have a Teenager

2011-01-23T20:45:00.005-07:00

I'm pretty sure I start every birthday post with, "You are growing so fast," or "You are the best baby." I can't help it. These things are true every month and it blows me away everytime I think about it.

Lucky 13 started out with a gail force wind...CHRISTMAS! I don't think I took a single picture of you on Christmas day. I KNOW. You are going to be talking about this years from now in therapy. At the end of the day, the whole Christmas-presents-Santa-Baby Jesus thing was of no interest to you. You were, however, interested in the Christmas tree, the glass ornaments and getting your fingers on what ever you could. At one point, early one morning while I was "resting my eyes" on the couch, I heard "cling cling cling cling." I opened one eye to you tugging on an ornament pratically bringing down the whole tree. A few weeks ago while sitting in one of my church meetings I noticed your little friend, who happens to be one day older than you, laying on the floor holding the bottle he was drinking. A wave of envy blew over me, as I wished you would hold our own bottle. All I could think is wow, how that would save me a good 10 minutes every morning. I've tried to get you to hold your own bottle, but you throw your hands in the air expecting me to wave a palm leaf and feed you grapes. It wasn't more than two days later when I walked into preschool to pick you up and lo and behold, there you were on the floor holding your own bottle! I was so happy and cheered you on like it was the first time ever. Miss Katelyn told me you had been holding your own bottle for awhile. You were busted. It wasn't until the next morning when I prepared your bottle and laid you on the floor to drink it did I began to miss our 10 minutes of cuddle time.

You are so close to walking. You took your first steps recently, but you are still quite nervous on your two feet and still prefer crawling. This is ok with me. I have a feeling once you figure out your feet, you will be unstoppable. We have recently given you the nickname of "The Destroyer." This is because you get your hands on anything within reach and rip it up, throw it, eat it, drag it through the house. A little ball of dust and chaos you are.

I can't end without mentioning your first haircut. As we can all see, you don't have much hair to begin with, but while it was all business in the front, you had a little party going on in the back. So The Dad got out the clippers and cut off your mullet. I am obsessed with rubbing your fuzzy round head. I am obsessed with you.

*Pictures were taken by Auntie Kati.

Just Another Manic Sunday

2011-01-09T20:09:00.009-07:00

Yes, I said Sunday. Sunday is really the day of madness in my life. Monday's are a breeze. I think the stress revolves most of the time around church. I might have to go inactive until Dubs is three and can go to his own class. Here's why:

1. It doesn't matter what time church starts, it doesn't work for baby. It always falls during one meal time and nap time. I thought I had the meal time figured out today - I took a baggy FULL of snacks as well as a jar of apples. Dubs devoured the baggy of snacks the first hour (mind you, he ate a full meal before we left for church). By the third hour he was crazy. Feeling especially prepared, I whipped out those apples. Dubs would not eat them. BRAH!!

2. Dubs can not sit still for any length of time. In fact, I think his goal is to be as disruptive as possible. He likes to spend as much time as possible playing "I'll drop my toy and you pick it up" with the lucky family sitting behind us. When he bores of this, he crawls away looking for any purse or diaper bag to disassemble. Today he played peek-a-boo under the table cloth in Sunday school. To top it off, Dubs DOES NOT understand that if he nose dives off the pew he may seriously injure himself. I was prepared to intervene during his Spider Man manuever today when I caught his foot as he took a dive. Lucky for Spidey he only had a little rug burn on his forehead. Beats a broken nose!

3. I'm still working on the last 10 pounds of baby weight, which means most of my clothes don't fit quite right yet. A favorite dress of mine has buttons down the front and I forget that I can bust out of that dress in no time. I spent the better part of the day keeping myself buttoned up. Now I remember why I don't wear that dress.

There was one bright spot today, though. We celebrated Grandpa G's 85th birthday. 85!! Now there's a guy who has seen change happen. Happy birthday Grandpa!

Eli's Christmas

2010-12-23T13:37:00.004-07:00

If you've ever hung around downtown Salt Lake, there is a chance you've heard Eli Potash working his cello. He'll appear in front of any venue where there is something going on. He carries around his old cello and plays whatever he's feeling. Sometimes it can be quite lovely, other times, well, let's just say it's how he's feeling at the moment. You can almost always catch him in front of the Broadway Theaters just before a show.

For Christmas this year, three guys in a band decided to do something extra special for Eli.
A simple demonstration of the magic of Christmas.

One Year Older and Wiser

2010-12-20T16:19:00.008-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JW!!! I have been thinking about the events of this day one year ago. Being my first and only child so far, you hold an extra special place in my heart. You have shown me so many firsts. First pregnancy, first labor and delivery, first real experience with NO-SLEEP wackiness, the heartaches of breastfeeding, your first smile, laugh, crawl, babble, food, patty cakes, which you've demonstrated that you can actually "roll it," but now that I have noticed you won't do it, and now your first birthday. I can hardly believe it has been one year! I finally get it when someone says, "Enjoy them now because they grow up too fast." No kidding.

I was recently thinking back to the day you were born. My memory of that day is very vivid. I woke up around 2 am to go to the bathroom, as I had done for many months like clockwork, when GUSH. What a weird sensation. My water had broken and it was not a trickle. I woke up The Dad and told him it was time to go. We were very nervous and excited to meet you. Labor was better than I expected, not that my expectations were high, since I didn't know what was about to happen. I must admit though, as awesome as The Dad was during the whole labor thing, I really just wanted Gramma Nay. Babies needs there mamas sometimes, even when they are all grown up. My only regret was not having her with me. With a few practice pushes you were ready to go. Along came the doctor and just after noon, you were born. I had dreamed you would look like an alien. Well, more like a lemon head. Fortunately you didn't look like a lemon head, you looked JUST LIKE your dad.

You are a real punkin, Dubs. Everywhere we go, people on the street stop to flirt with you. You are generally ambivalent to such gestures and the look on your face easily says, "Get lost." You have become quite the social butterfly at the preschool though. Most days I drop you off and you get a little sad when I leave, but the other day you could not get off my lap fast enough. Your little buddy Henley was there ready to play. I put you down and away the two of you went, crawling as fast as your little hands and legs could move. Your teacher, Miss Maurine, says you follow each other around, pulling all the toys off the shelves and basically just roll and tumble together all day. And when the door to the "big room" opens up, the two of you high tail it out like bandits to be with the big kids. You have not learned yet that you are not quite a "big kid" and can be quite offended when you have to go back with the "infants." You do not understand that this is to protect you from being trampled by the big kids, but you are an adventurous boy and safety is not high on your priority list.

We had your first birthday party a few days ago with almost all of mama's family and a brief visit from Auntie Jen and Ella. I would have to say you were a little underwhelmed with the whole thing. You are still a little young to understand that all the commotion was about YOU. The balloons, gifts, cake, people...all for you. You had your first piece of cake (that I know of, since what happens at Gramma's or Papa's stays at Gramma's or Papa's). You didn't dig in to your cake like I thought you would. You were too concerned about the frosting being stuck to your fingers, leaving us all in stitches as you tried to shake it off.

You have me in stitches everyday, lil' buddy. Watching you learn and grow and begin to understand the world around you this last year has been nothing less than awesome.

The song is Nothing by Steve Foxbury off the album Do Fun Stuff. This album is a compilation of fun children's music from various artists with all the proceeds going to SMS research. You can download the album from iTunes. Dubs and I LOVE it.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2010-11-28T21:26:00.005-07:00

JW and I went to the Happiest Place on Earth last week with Papa and Omi, Auntie, Uncle D and Co. We catered the trip to my four year old niece, Noelle, but one might be a little suspect when they see how much fun we were having on this fast paced ride. Can you believe there wasn't a line for this? So we all went twice.

Thanks for 11 Months

2010-11-26T20:18:00.008-07:00

Sweet boy, where has the time gone? I blinked my eyes and suddenly you are 11 months old. I know if I actually close my eyes I'll wake up and you'll be 18 and off to college, so I'm trying to keep my eye on you as much as possible. I don't want to miss a thing.

You've spent the better part of the last month advancing your skills in a few choice activities including, walking and standing, eating and talking. You can not walk on your own yet, but this does not stop you from trying. You will be cruising around the furniture and suddenly let go for a moment while you stop to concentrate on something other than your two feet. You are completely unaware of your lack of stability as evidenced by the number of times you fall over and inevitably donk your head on the corner of something hard. The Dad and I usually laugh at your expense, but you know how to pull off the crocodile tears because they get you lots of loves and kisses without fail.

Even though you only have two teeth, you seem to think it's time for corn nuts and hard candy. You don't appreciate the ready-made pureed stuff anymore. You let me know this by spitting it at me. I'm not so sure I'm ready for you to graduate to adult food yet. I was really hoping you would eat Gerber until you were 12 and could fend for yourself. This milestone not only means that I need to figure out how to prepare meals before you go to bed, but that I actually HAVE to plan meals, my least favorite thing in the world. Alas, growing boys need to eat. I will not be a bit surprised if your first words are "What's for dinner?" since The Dad asks this question everyday and you are every bit like The Dad.

Speaking of first words, I think you have figured out that dadada is for "Dad," and "Feed me!" and "Get me out of bed!" and "I love the bath!" This is your word of choice and you use it for most anything. What is really endearing is that you say mama indiscriminately. It sounds more like "mumma," but it is the one word you've reserved just for me and I turn into a gooey mess every time you say it, it's so sweet.

Dear Dubs, not a day goes by that I don't thank the greater powers of the universe for sending you my way. I know you wonder how on earth you got such stupid parents (I know you think this by some of the looks you give me), even so you are such a good boy. We love you so much.

Halleeeeee-luuuuu-jaaah!

2010-11-16T22:21:00.002-07:00

Handel's Hallelujah Chorus is an all-time favorite piece of music. I think my love for this piece began as a young girl when I would join my Mom for the annual Utah Symphony Messiah Sing-In at Abravenel Hall. The best part of the chorus is the very end, when there is a brief, or long, pause. I would wait for the silence, inevitably interrupted by some guy's cough, and then end in a grand finale and a roar for the hall when it was over. The older I get the more awesome the song becomes. It moves me to tears almost everytime I hear it and sing it. Who knows why? Maybe it's the words and the exuberance in praise the song invokes.

So when my Mom sent me this link today I was blown away. I wish I were there the day this happened in the middle of a Macy's department store. Instead, I just pretend I was there. I'm pretty sure I would have started singing at the top of my lungs, even though I probably wouldn't have been one of the invited choir members. I probably would have cried too. The experience would have been amazeballs.

Experience it for yourself.

Dinner Time with The Dubster

2010-11-12T20:23:00.004-07:00

JW thinks he's pretty funny with his new dinner time antics. This video was shot the other night when I was still a tolerant mother. JW was quite offended when I tried to teach him table manners tonight.

Halloween Rewind

2010-11-02T20:59:00.009-06:00

This year was a Halloween first for The Dubster and me...my first Halloween as the mom and his first Halloween as the kid. I was pretty excited about getting in costume. JW thought it was all pretty overrated.

His preschool had a parade with all of the kids in costume. JW in typical fashion wasn't thrilled either way about the whole parade thing, or the costume for that matter. He did get shotgun on what I like to call the "Infant bus."

Do you see the enthusiasm in this kid's face? Yeah, me neither.

He kept looking at me like he was being tortured.

"Are we having fun yet?"

Lucky for JW the preschool planned a fire drill during the parade. However, the school failed to let the fire dept. know it was only a drill, so a slew of fire engines showed up to put out a faux fire. Dubs LOVES the fire truck.

Later that afternoon I took JW to my office Halloween party. I stayed up almost all night making my princess dress to match my li'l dragon. It took me three days to catch up on that lost sleep. Talk about overrated. What was I thinking?! I tried to get G to be our Knight in Shining Armor, but he'd rather die than dress up for Halloween. He'd make a good Stick in the Mud.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T20:50:00.002-06:00

This little dragon says "roooaaarrrr!"

HaPPy HaLLoween!

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

2010-10-20T22:27:00.006-06:00

10 months! Happy 10th birthday, baby! I do have to say, it's late and I almost didn't post anything, but how could I not? It's tradition. Tradition! One big deal that I failed to mention is this year we celebrated 10/10/10. Get this: on this day, 10/10/10, you were 10 days away from your 10 month birthday. How crazy is that? I should have taken a picture.

Anyway, this month has been eventful. For one, you had a class picture taken. In my stuck-in-1980 mind, I thought this would be a classic blue backdrop school picture. Instead, it was full-on professional with fancy props and stuff. Of course I ordered a packet and when I got it back, I couldn't help but laugh. Can you see why? What is with the white socks with blue stripes? You, on the other hand, are stinkin' cute. {I will insert a picture here after I fix my scanner since I just threw it out the window because it sucks}

You are a rascal. I'll have you know that The Dad and I find ourselves under a table rocking back and forth every time we have to change your diaper or get you dressed. You can not sit still for 30 seconds while we change you. We have to literally pin you down which just makes all of us insane. Hopefully this is just a phase otherwise your parents will need to be institutionalized.

You are cruising around like a mad man these days. You have discovered so many joys in life that seem to be centered around the toilet. First it was the toilet brush. Next the toilet paper and now the toilet bowl. No matter how many times I pulled you away, you bee-line for the toilet brush. Son, this is really gross, especially when I find you playing in the crusty goo at the bottom of the brush holder. Now that I have removed the toilet brush from your reach you have moved on to the TP which is hung on the wall at just the right height for you to get a hold of. You can't just unroll the TP, you also have to eat it too. This can not be good for your colon and you practically bite my finger off when I fish TP out of your mouth. Finally, you have discovered the toilet bowl. You find it entertaining to crawl over to the toilet and stand there while The Dad goes to the bathroom. How endearing, my two boys being boys...until you stick your hand in the toilet bowl!! That's just too gross for words...sigh...

But despite it all, you are a very good baby. I really believe this goodness is just in your DNA and has very little to do with mine or The Dad's awesome parenting. Last weekend we left you for the first time for a weekend at Gramma Nay's house while The Dad and I went to Las Vegas for some adult time. While it was nice to get away, I missed you dearly. I called Gramma a few times to check on you. I tried to be strong, but deep down I was struggling to keep my composure. I know, it's silly. Gramma said you were a perfect boy. She and Grandpa Bear said they enjoyed your company and I believe them.

The Pretty Poppy Giveaway!

2010-09-29T20:15:00.004-06:00

You all need to go to The Pretty Poppy to enter to win some really fabulous accessories. I mean really people, who doesn't love to accessorize with some chic vintage earrings, or a personalized charm bracelet? I've seen with my very own eyes their work and it does not disappoint. So get your little patooties over there and enter to win. Or don't, which just increases my chances to win that much more.

9 Months

2010-09-20T21:13:00.006-06:00

Hey Shorty, it's your birthday! We're gon' party like it's your birthday! You're such a lucky boy. Know why? Because you get to share your 9 month birthday with your dad's birthday {HAPPY BIRTHDAY G!}. Every month I say how much you suprise me with your tricks because you are always coming up with something new. You are officially on the move and you are entirely capable of following me around the house without my assistance. I never know when you are going to peek around the corner. As if that's not enough you have now taken to standing on your own. You pull yourself up to whatever surface you can get a grip on. This too has it's pros and cons. You are totally awesome at pulling up, but you still need a little practice getting down. On a few occassions I've had to rescue from your crib because you stand up, angry that you have to go to bed, but you get stuck standing there. Eventually I have to rescue you from yourself.

You are almost an expert with the pincer grip too. This has taken an immense amount of practice and you were often so frustrated while trying to eat a Puff because you'd lose it just before it got to your mouth. But as with most things in your life, you are persistent and you keep trying until you get what you want.

Speaking of persistence...as part of your bedtime routine I love to read you a couple of books - classics, like Goodnight Moon and The Bear Snores On. You have a favorite too, which I was a little slow to pick up on. Tonight you were being so crazy while I tried to read you a new book that I had never read to you before. You were so squirmy and kept reaching for the pile of books on the side table. Finally, I picked up That's Not My Dragon and you sat right down, ready to listen. That's the one you wanted. I read it at least 16 times and you never bored of it. Is it even possible for you to have a favorite book at 9 months? I think so.

You hit me pretty hard this month. Not hit, like smack hit, but I was overcome with YOU hit. I am your mother. YOUR MOTHER. You have no idea what a huge responsibility this is. I have so much to teach you and you me. Right now I can't help but soak in every moment of YOU.

The Fair Only Comes Once A Year...Thank Goodness

2010-09-18T20:49:00.005-06:00

I took JW to the State Fair today. I thought it would be fun and maybe he would enjoy the animals since he is always so enthralled with Gramma Nay's chickens. I can see now why my parents never took us to the fair. First of all, you either pay big bucks for parking or you park 3 miles away. Have you ever seen where the fair grounds are located? G.H.E.T.T.O. You risk losing your rims if you don't pay for parking {I took the risk and LUCKILY I still had all four tires when I returned to my car}. Second, it costs $9/person to get in. Think about the cost for a family of six! And once you're in, it's more $$$ for cotton candy, hot dogs, unsafe rides, a glimpse at the most gigantic alligator in the world, never mind the endless booths of crap that appeal to every little kid. The one and only time we went to the fair I can remember my mom saying, "We aren't spending ANY money." I bet you can imagine how much fun we had that day.

Fortunately JW is small enough that he is free admission, loves to cruise in the stroller - so he didn't complain once about the 3 mile walk to and from the car; could care less about the rides or the most gigantic alligator in the world and hasn't tried a corn dog to know just how enticing a FOOT LONG corn dog can be. So we looked at animals, art and people. I especiallly loved the lady in the Creative Arts area who had gigantic painted on eye browns. She should have entered herself. I would have given her a blue ribbon. Holy cow! I was impressed. JW could have cared less.

Little lambsy wanted some attention. I gave the little guy a pat on the head. Once again, JW paid no attention.

Zuckerman's famous pig was some serious bacon. Never mind for JW. We strolled through the chicken barn too. JW thought, "Whoopty damn doo. I get to feed Gramma Nay's chickens whenever I want."

Do you see a theme here? I'm glad JW humored me even if he could have cared less. I think we'll do it again next year :)

For the Stalker in You

2010-09-15T15:26:00.006-06:00

I don't know if you link from my blog to another in my Blog Stalker list...? If you do, I've moved this list to the bottom of my blog. I kind of want to feel a little less cluttered without actually deleting this list (I'm a hoarder) and besides I use Google Reader to stalk now {highly recommended}, so this list isn't even close to up-to-date for the number of awesome people that I know everything about, but don't really know a thing about. Is that creepy? Hey, takes one to know one {wink wink}.

Stalk this: You know I can't post something without a picture of JW cuteness. This was captured a few months ago at Omi's birthday party. Gotta love the binky chap and the party pooper expression.

2010-09-06T19:57:00.002-06:00

While camping in Jackson Hole over the weekend, Bullwinkle Moose decided to wander through our campground while we were eating breakfast. He came frighteningly close to where we were sitting. I don't think I've ever seen the Cushing kids sit so still and silent. After Bullwinkle walked away and we could all breath again, six year old Clara gleefully declared, "That was better than first grade!"

Dubster and His Balloon

2010-08-23T09:31:00.003-06:00

While at my sister's house celebrating her little guy's third birthday, JW became fixated on this balloon. His pure excitement and a brief moment of disappointment has been captured right here for the record.

8 Months!

2010-08-20T19:50:00.002-06:00

Happy 8 months old birthday, baby boy! You are becoming quite the little boy. I think this is because you have figured out how to crawl and you are certainly on the move. This new found freedom has its pros and cons. While this is still a new endeavor for you, you currently only manuever around the small area you occupy with your toys, however I can tell you are on the verge of discovering that your little arms and legs can get you places. This can be dangerous since you are quite inquisitive and mama hasn't exactly JW-proofed the house.

This month you spent several days on the shores of some body of water - Bear Lake, Island Park Reservoir and a swimming pool. You seem to like the idea of getting in the water, but once you're actually IN the water, you're a little uncertain. If I had to guess I'd say this uncertainty stems from the temperature. You definitely don't enjoy being cold and said lake, reservoir and pool weren't exactly hot springs. I don't blame you for being leary. I didn't exactly jump in myself.
You did like the beach though. The sand was especially entriguing and...tastey? You were somewhat content on the boat too - your first boat ride ever - as long as I didn't get too excited and start yelling {like when Grandpa Ted flipped Auntie EZ off the tube and I laughed and hollered. My excitement freightened you}.

Thank you for being my sweet pea. While you have your cranky pants moments, your schmoos and loves, laughs and drools make my days.

Nature's Harvest

2010-08-13T12:15:00.008-06:00

Earlier this spring my mom gave me four tomato plants for my garden. She's given me tomato plants before and as soon as I plant them they disappear. I've always blamed little bunny foo-foo for eating them, but I have a second, even better theory that G has pulled them out of the ground thinking they were weeds.

Anyway, this year I planted the four plants and lo and behold I have tomatoes! Here is one I picked {on accident} a few days ago. A little window-sill sunshine ripened it right up. And I turned it into my favorite summer treat - an open-faced tomato sandwich. Holy cow, that was one awesome piece of fruit. You can't buy that flavor in the grocery store.

In other great news...JW officially has a highchair! Isn't this a beauty? I would guess circa 1987. Totally vintage. I had mentioned to my neighbor that I needed a highchair. I had made a trip to IKEA to get their cheap-o delux set and they were out! Two months on backorder! I guess IKEA underestimated the Utah baby mill. Anyway, when I got home from work last night this was waiting on my porch. What a difference it has already made in my life. JW eats soooo much better now that he's trapped without distractions.

And in case you can't tell from the above photo, there is an awesome heart sewn right into the vinyl. By the shape of it, I wonder if it was an after thought in the Chinese factory, or maybe someone's first day on the job.

Rachel Zoe Round Up

2010-08-10T21:15:00.004-06:00

The new season of the Rachel Zoe Project has started. In case you don't know who Rachel Zoe is she dresses celebrities because, you know, they are far too busy to dress themselves. It's ok, I didn't know or care about RZ either until her reality show appeared on my favorite reality channel and I got sucked in to RZ madness. Trust me, it's mad. And ridiculous. And flamboyant. OH the flames!

In case you missed tonight's episode, let me summarize in my best Rachel and Brad quotes possible {to be read in your best Brad voice because even if you don't have a gay entourage, this is how everyone on the show talks. You have to be stressed out too because this shiz is what stresses them out because OMG it's 4 hours before the Globes and OMG, there are MAJOR storm clouds rolling in}:

"What are Cameron, Kate and Jen going to wear to the Globes? Let's go to the Land of Styling. It's so major! Kaufman Franco, Versace, McQueen - a big, delicious present. OMG, there's shoe shortage. How do you pose without a train? It's tricky. OMG is it raining?! It's raining! How can it rain an hour before the Globes!? I mean, what can I do? I mean. This is like an nightmare. OMG, look at Kate! She is so major!"

My Friend Debbie

2010-07-27T20:38:00.008-06:00

Please welcome Debbie Downer as my guest blogger.

JW just completed his first week of daycare. He's making a lot of new friends and establishing a routine. He's even brought home a crusty nose and smoker's cough that has spread across the entire family. WHUAW WHUAW.

The Dad is working hard; jet-setting to NYC for important meetings week after week. He promises to be helpful when he gets home then he reminds me of his golf date with his friends all day Saturday. WHUAW WHUAW.

Mama is feeling a little down and a lot lonely. Really just wants to chat with an old friend, but realizes her friend is by appointment only and costs $100/hour. WHUAW WHUAW.

Thirsty

2010-07-22T13:59:00.005-06:00

I can't help but imagine this being JW in a couple years. The only difference perhaps is that this kid keeps trying with a smile on his face. JW tends to get frustrated after making several attempts at trying new things that don't go exactly his way - I could see him getting totally pissed off after soaking himself with the hose. Proof that he does have at least one strand of my DNA.

Little Kid Cant Figure Out How To Drink - Watch more Funny Videos

Lucky Number 7

2010-07-20T22:00:00.013-06:00

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday dear JW,

Happy birthday to you!

Today you turned 7 months old. June and July are big birthday months in our family and oh boy, what a celebration we've had over the last month. Plenty of BBQs and birthday cake to last until you turn one! One thing I noticed this month is just how lovely our family sings Happy Birthday. I mean, we actually sing on key and harmonize. What a lucky boy you are to be born into such a talented family :)

This month we celebrated your first Independence Day by joining Grandpa Ted and Gramma Kathy in the neighborhood parade and picnic. This pretty much means all the kids who live in, or have ever lived in the neighborhood for generations decorate their bikes, strollers, dogs, whatever with red, white and blue streamers and ribbons then march around the neighborhood.
The coolest part of the whole parade was the big red fire truck that escorted us through the streets. The calendar-worthy firemen even let us check out the fire truck after the parade. You thought that was pretty special. I thought you were going to tumble head first off the bumper.

What wasn't cool about the parade was the guy juggling a couple sticks, which were on fire. He also happened to be walking right next to us when he DROPPED his fire sticks, nearly torching our entire entourage.

This month marks some big milestones for you, my little friend. First, you went to daycare for the first time last week. This was really hard for mama. As if handing you to a perfect stranger who in no way will love you like Gramma Nay loved you wasn't hard enough, the look you gave me as I walked away, a look like, "Wait, are you really going to leave me here?" really put me over the edge. I cried all day. Your dad tried to console me by saying, "Are you sure JW wasn't asking, 'Hey Lady, why are you still here?'" This did not help out matters or make me feel any better. Despite the booger nose and junky cough you now have (because I'm sure you've licked every inch of that viral daycare floor), you appear to be enjoying your new digs. In fact, I think you have a new girlfriend. Her name is Hazel - she is a real cutie pie.

Speaking of a real cutie pie, YOU are a showstopper. Everywhere we go I hear, "That is a cute baby!" "Oh, what a darling baby!" "Wow, that baby is adorable!" Yes, you are adorable. So much so that I have a giant head shot of you on my computer wallpaper at work so I can stare at you all day. What I have also heard is, "Well you know what they say...ugly parents make cute babies." I'm sure the two times I've heard this (yes, twice!) the people saying it were not intentionally trying to be jerks (or maybe they were?). If there is one thing I teach you in life it's going to be how to properly treat a lady. Rule number one is NEVER, directly or indirectly, implied or jokingly tell a lady she is ugly. I don't care if she's the spawn of Quasi Motto and Shrek, you just don't say that. That's almost worse than, "You are fat."

but I digress...

Your second major milestone this month - you have a tooth! While at lunch with Gramma Nay the other day you were sucking on a piece of bread, when lo and behold I noticed (or Gramma claims she saw it first) a little tooth popping through your bottom gum. We were both thrilled. You were more interested in sucking on that piece of bread which I eventually took away after you darn near choked to death).

I'm always amazed at how fast you are growing up. Before I know it, you are going to be crawling. You have been practicing your crawling moves like crazy. You especially like to practice your moves while I try to change your diapers. Or maybe you just like hangin' out.

6 Months

2010-06-20T20:56:00.010-06:00

Happy half birthday, JW! You are growing up to be such a big, happy boy. You are rolling around leaps and bounds. You LOVE to be outside. You will lay on a blanket on the lawn or sit in your Exersaucer in the shade for a long time (well, 15 minutes. That's a long time for you). When you tire of all of that, I put you in the Baby Bjorn and we bee-bop around together. The other day I put you in the Baby Bjorn and tried to sweep the sidewalks. You held on for dear life to the broom. This made my chore more difficult, but I know you just wanted to help.

You make me laugh. Your sense of humor is starting to emerge. I was talking on the phone with Auntie the other day {while carrying you around in the Baby Bjorn again...}. Every time I laughed with Auntie, you would let out a little "hehe" courtesy laugh in your manly, grunting sort of way. I'm glad you agree...Auntie is funny.

Dear boy, why have you suddenly become such a pill when it is bed time? You are the best sleeper, but you fight going to bed, even when you are soooo tired. The last few nights I've had to show some tough love. Mama lets you cry, no, SCREAM yourself to sleep. "They" say this teaches you to settle yourself down to go to sleep. Quite frankly, it kills me to do this. I just want to snuggle with you and let you know that I love you SO MUCH, but you get so mad that you're going to bed, that you just hate me. I'm sorry. This is all for your own good, I promise. Hopefully you will soon learn that bed time is glorious and you'll lay down and go right to sleep like the champ you are.

Dang you are cute. Every morning I get you out of bed and eat you up with kisses. This is our ritual. The other morning you surprised me by putting your arms around my neck and nuzzling your slobbery face into my face and you schmooed me. I have bottled up that moment to remember forever, it was so sweet.

You made your inaugural trip to the cabin this month. You were a bit of jerk on the drive. I know, it is kind of a long time for a little guy to sit in the car, but the look on your face when we got inside the cabin was awesome. You were in heaven! While we were there we went with Uncle Daniel and Auntie Elizabeth to Yellowstone National Park. We were hoping to see lots of bears, instead we saw lots of buffalo, elk, and a stupid guy in an orange shirt trying to get frisky with the animals (we were waiting for the dingbat to get gored by a one-ton elk). Don't try to play with the wildlife, OK bud?

You also saw Old Faithful for the first time. You could have cared less about the geyser, but you were pretty impressed with the crowd. You are a people watcher. The crazier the better.

Everyday is a new adventure with you. Pretty soon you'll even be able to sit up all by yourself (you're pretty good at it now, but you still have a rolly-polly bottom and tend to face plant into the carpet).

Dubs, you are growing up too fast. For the millionth time today, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! Muah!

5 Months

2010-05-20T22:53:00.005-06:00

My little buddy is 5 months old today!

To celebrate he ate a giant piece of chocolate cake.

OK, I lie. It was actually a giant helping of stage 1 {read: liquid} pears.

He was very pleased.

The other day I was looking at pictures of JW as an infant. I wanted to cuddle with him again as a wee newborn. I could smell the baby lotion through the picture, like a scratch and sniff sticker. For a second I had forgotten how HARD those first weeks were when I was wishing he was not an infant, but a frisky 4 yr old.
Now I try to savor EVERY moment because this kid is in the growing-up-too-fast lane.
I love him.

My Little Buddy

2010-04-29T22:19:00.002-06:00

My sister sent me the link to this blog this morning. I've tried to read it all day, but can not get through it without getting completely weepy. This girl had a daughter who passed away a few months ago. Her sweet baby girl was JW's age.

There is something so special about the bond between a mother and her child that is just impossible to express in words. I felt it early on in my pregnancy and it grew exponentially as I could feel JW kicking and rolling as I got a sense of his personality. I remember being so scared about losing him after learning about my abnormal umbilical cord situation. I have never been such a mess as I was for those few days, and that was before I had met him.

JW's presence has completely changed my life. I admit, motherhood didn't come naturally to me. His first several weeks of life were really hard. I think life outside the womb was a bit of shocker for him too. All he wanted was to be swaddled and rocked and warm and to be awake at night and sleep all day. JW had his own agenda and I wasn't following along. He just wanted to eat, but struggled so desperately to latch on. That darn tongue tie messed up everything. Of course he couldn't tell me he wanted or needed all of these things and I spent every minute of my day (and night, it seemed) trying to figure him out. I don't know how many times the two of us just cried together because he wanted something and I didn't know what.

Here we are four months later in full swing. Just as soon as I think I've learned his tricks, he grows up a little more and has moved on to the next item on his agenda. He has reached so many milestones in his short life. He is a serious kid, but there is no shortage of laughs and giggles. He laughs at his own jokes. He laughs while changing his clothes. Itsy Bitsy Spider is downright hilarious.

JW rolled over for the first time on Sunday. Twice. After the first roll I thought it might just be a freak incident, so I put him back on his tummy and sure enough, he did it again! He didn't seem terribly startled by it, just irritated that he had to have tummy time. He has never been much of a fan of tummy time.

Getting a full night sleep was only a memory in his first weeks of life. It wasn't until literally a few days before I went back to work did he start sleeping longer than a three hour stretch. Suddenly one night he slept five hours, then the next night seven, then nine. Now he begs to go to bed by 8:30 PM and this week he has actually slept all night (11 hours!) without needing to be swaddled. I thought he would never grow out of that!

He loves a long ride in his stroller, hanging out in the Bumbo or the exersaucer and being the center of attention. He is the center of my attention. I love this kid and life without him would be so empty.

First Time for Everything

2010-04-24T16:34:00.003-06:00

JW got his first taste of baby cereal today. He wasn't impressed.

How do you feel about Seattle?

2010-04-22T12:50:00.003-06:00

I'm pretty sure it's time for me to move and here is my new house. Want to come visit? I wonder if G's job can relocate him to Seattle...

Happy Birthday JW!

2010-04-20T21:43:00.002-06:00

JW turned 4 months old today! Instead of a party hat and birthday cake, this little duffer got his second round of immunizations. Oh he felt so betrayed.

The Gold Element

JWasaurus

Sparkle Punch Progress

"Tickens"

Cookie Cutters

Sleep Talking

Resolute to Resolve with Sparkle Punch

Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve Eve

Gearing Up

The Best Two Years

'Tis the Season

The Holstee Manifesto

Happy Halloween

Un Sospiro

It's Autumn Time

A Utah Man

"STOP!"

10 Years Later

Labor Day Canoeing

Milk 'n Donuts

Precious Babies

Pumping Iron

Family Reunion

Find Me a Rainbow

Only in Utah...

Water Fight!

Discovery Gateway

Day 26: Lasagna Face

Day 25: A Day On the Beach

Day 24 - Always Planning His Escape

Day 23 - The Stork made a Delivery!

Day 22 - Space: The Final Frontier

Day 21 - The Cat in the Hat

Day 20 - More Drivel

Day 19 - Happy Birthday Mumsie!!

Day 18 - America the Beautiful

Day 18 - My Double-Wide

Day 17 - Tricking a 2yr Old

Day 16 - Observations

Day 15 - Red Pajamas

Day 14 - Party Uphill

Day 13 - Random

Day 12 - Motivation

Day 11 - First Day of Summer

Day 10 - 18 Months

Day 9 - Happy Father's Day

Day 8 - The Young & The Wreckless

Day 7 - Hip Hip Hooray it's My Birthday!

Day 6 - Girl: "What do you get when this is all over?"

Day 5 - What Did You Get in the Mail Today?

Day 4 - A Favorite Photo of Your Best Friend

Day 3 - The Perfect First Date

Day 2 - A Photo of Something You Ate Today

Day 1 - A Photo of Yourself and How the Day Was

GRRRR!

Birds of a Feather

Family

Sugar & Spice Reveal

**Sugar & Spice**

A Conversation with Noelle

15

Fabric, Glue Guns and Girls Gone Wild

JW The Destroyer

I Have a Teenager

Just Another Manic Sunday

Eli's Christmas

One Year Older and Wiser

The Happiest Place on Earth

Thanks for 11 Months

Halleeeeee-luuuuu-jaaah!

Dinner Time with The Dubster

Halloween Rewind

Happy Halloween

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

The Pretty Poppy Giveaway!

9 Months

The Fair Only Comes Once A Year...Thank Goodness

For the Stalker in You

Sugar & Spice