Grandma, can I touch your nipple?
Uh, you mean my mole?
On the other hand, he was quite clear when he explained that a safari was when you went hunting for animals. Go figure. Clearly less Diego and more anatomy lessons are in order.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Checker
So Utah now requires you to carry snow chains or you can eat a fat fine. The BK quickly responded by taking the LG to Checker Auto Parts to pick some up. In his haste, the BK forgot that the LG is currently in potty training mode and was only wearing underwear. Upon entering the store, the BK headed to the customer service desk where he was greeted by a friendly clerk who started assisting him. That is, until the phone rang. The clerk then proceeded to carry on a very lengthy conversation assisting the customer on the phone leaving the BK and LG waiting in annoyance. As the BK was growing more and more irritated with the clerk's failure to comply with the "number one rule in customer service" (the BK claims that everyone knows you should help people in ORDER!), the BK looked down to see that the LG was also incapable of waiting anymore. The BK decided that was enough. Picked up the LG and walked out of the store, leaving the clerk to "assist" them at his leisure. I would be more upset at the lessons this taught the LG, if I could stop laughing. Even Grandpa thinks it was an appropriate response. Can't argue with Grandpa.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
3 Years
The LG had his 3rd birthday earlier this week. His little Curious George party went quite well if you are willing to give a 3 year old a free pass on participating in the games on his own birthday. While Grandma entertained the guests with jungle hunting games, the LG snuck around the outskirts of the room watching and commenting from time to time that he didn't feel very well. He seemed to snap out of it though once the pinata came out. Always a hit with the little ones.
I found the pinata whacking hysterical becuase it provided a keen insight into the variety in childrens' personalities - the tickler, the brute, the perfectionist, the fun-loving life of the party, the princess, the strongly-determined and the wallflower.
The LG is a pretty good cross between fun-loving and brute. He is a compact ball of energy. It was suggested that if we could somehow plug him into the grid, we could have our own energy source. True. How true. He is also kind, funny, curious, intelligent, handsome, sneaky, and good-natured. He is a handful, but there isn't anything I would rather have my hands full of. I'm pretty lucky to be his mom. I love you LG.
I found the pinata whacking hysterical becuase it provided a keen insight into the variety in childrens' personalities - the tickler, the brute, the perfectionist, the fun-loving life of the party, the princess, the strongly-determined and the wallflower.
The LG is a pretty good cross between fun-loving and brute. He is a compact ball of energy. It was suggested that if we could somehow plug him into the grid, we could have our own energy source. True. How true. He is also kind, funny, curious, intelligent, handsome, sneaky, and good-natured. He is a handful, but there isn't anything I would rather have my hands full of. I'm pretty lucky to be his mom. I love you LG.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
It Came to Pass...
I just tucked the LG in after a hysterical evening of scripture reading. When given the choice of going to bed or reading scripture, he makes the right choice every time ; ) Tonight, as I started reading, he took the book from my hand stating that he needed to, "see what came to pass". Here are a few of those things:
- "And it came to pass that Nephi was angry"
- "And it came to pass that the angel was going to bite him"
- "And it came to pass that the grass was going to be scratchy"
- "And it came to pass that Nephi was dangerous"
Goodnight LG. You crack me up.
- "And it came to pass that Nephi was angry"
- "And it came to pass that the angel was going to bite him"
- "And it came to pass that the grass was going to be scratchy"
- "And it came to pass that Nephi was dangerous"
Goodnight LG. You crack me up.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Be Sure to Check Your Smoke Alarms
I am kind of a Halloween scrooge. It is about as much as I can do every year just to get my kids in a costume. It's just not my thing. However, this year I must say that I was inspired and excited to create a costume for the LG out of duct tape. Oh yes, my friends, my father would be proud. The LG was a fireman (this costume also required a quick stop by the local firehouse which is always a treat, ahhh firemen - I don't have to say fire people in this instance because it is not the female variety that makes me say ahhh). Coat is made out of duct tape, electricians tape and a garbage bag. It is pretty sweet if I do say so myself. And I do. The TP was an adorable, store-bought, hand-me-down flower.
Sorry for the quality of the pics but our real camera is on the outs thanks to a run-in with my foot, the ground and a toddler. I suppose I should be grateful that telephones now profess to take pictures. As you can see from the quality of the pics, however, I am pretty skeptical.
Also, you may notice that one of our pumpkins looks like a butt crack. Unintentional art is sometime the very best kind of art. Then again, the LG may have fully intended this result when he tossed the pumpkin out of the car onto the cement.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Triathlon
I just erased my original post about this which bored me to tears. In a nutshell, I crossed the finish line. Not last. That was sort of my goal for getting into this. I didn't drown, fall off my bike, or have to walk. I can even say that it was actually fun. I did put my wetsuit on backward (and kept wondering out loud to more than one person why I felt like it was choking me and was so stinking hard to get on - I finally figured it out at the beach and had to change), take my ankle/timing band off with my wetsuit, forget my gloves, had to go back to the staging area to retrieve both items, but did manage to pass my very slim cousin on the bike (in full disclosure she flew back by me on the run). All in all, however, it was a great experience, and I will definitely try for another. I will probably never win a trophy, but it was just nice to know that I didn't need an ambulance to take me home either.
I bought this cheap but pretty sweet bike on Bikes Direct It rides really nicely and I love it.
I also wanted to do this to lose some "baby weight", eh, from the TP. I exercised at least 5 days a week for 3+ months, and I still weigh only about 5 lbs less than when I walked out of the hospital. It's all muscle gain, right? Right.
I bought this cheap but pretty sweet bike on Bikes Direct It rides really nicely and I love it.
I also wanted to do this to lose some "baby weight", eh, from the TP. I exercised at least 5 days a week for 3+ months, and I still weigh only about 5 lbs less than when I walked out of the hospital. It's all muscle gain, right? Right.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Things that make me say hmmmmmmmm.
We are crazy. Have no doubt. We have been spending our "together time" as I call it doing a lot of road tripping (there is a VERY good reason it isn't called road vacationing). I am done. Beyond done. Finished. Caputo (this probably isn't a word). From Logan, UT, we thought it would be a good idea to take a 900+ mile roadtrip to Vancouver, BC. Hmmmm.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1 - Got a great deal on a 5-star hotel
2 - Ate some real and really good Chinese food
3 - Opportunity to check out a beautiful city and use the passports we got for our kids.
LOWLIGHTS:
1 - 2 small children. One approaching 3 years old whose mouth doesn't stop flapping unless he asleep, the other is 4 months and hates to ride in the car for even a mile to go to the grocery store. Double hmmmm.
2 - 2 children in diapers. Inevitably, we always gave the diapers more credit than they deserved. As a result our car smelled a lot like the rest stops we frequented.
3 - 2 children who are used to sleeping in their own rooms. One requires the door to be locked at night to keep him from running around like a madman until the wee hours of the morning. I don't care if your hotel has the milky way rating, we needed 3 rooms just to make the stay tolerable. One room plus the portable crib in the bathroom didn't cut it.
4 - Poor planning in the books-on-tape department. If you hear the LG using EXTREME profanity, you can blame it on the R-rated language emanating from our speakers. One benefit of this debacle is that I plan to blame all his bad language until he moves out on this one trip. (You may say, turn it off. Hmmmm. That, like many other things is much to simple to be a solution we would employ).
5 - Poor planning in the not-bringing-a-sitter department. Let's just say that eating with chopsticks with a squirmy worm on my lap doesn't go to far in helping me enjoy ANY dining experience. Again, wouldn't matter too much if the food received the milky way rating.
6 - As a woman still recovering from the ill-effects of bearing children on my style, body image, and any sense of self worth - take note: don't go to cities with your two obnoxious children in tow where there are an abundance of thin Asians, sharply dressed 20-somethings, and plenty of store fronts reminding me that there is a whole world of fashion out there I can no longer relate to.
7 - Staying with friends/family. We learned that relying on the good graces of your peeps along the way may result in your loss of these people as friends, especially if you have your own version of the LG to mismanage. Let's see...where to begin? How about with the sharpie he located and proceeded to use in marking his territory on the steering wheel and leather seats of our friends' car? Or, maybe with the pink finger nail polish he used to paint a small wooden chair, some white carpet and a dining room chair (don't be fooled by the small size of those nail polish bottles, I had NO idea how many square feet a 2-year old could cover in 5 minutes).
As you can see, the lowlights far outweigh the highlights. As crazy as this may seem, we just got back from another 3 day adventure down to Lake Powell for my Triathalon. Stay posted for Triathalon highlights. I promise to leave out my complaints about traveling with kids.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1 - Got a great deal on a 5-star hotel
2 - Ate some real and really good Chinese food
3 - Opportunity to check out a beautiful city and use the passports we got for our kids.
LOWLIGHTS:
1 - 2 small children. One approaching 3 years old whose mouth doesn't stop flapping unless he asleep, the other is 4 months and hates to ride in the car for even a mile to go to the grocery store. Double hmmmm.
2 - 2 children in diapers. Inevitably, we always gave the diapers more credit than they deserved. As a result our car smelled a lot like the rest stops we frequented.
3 - 2 children who are used to sleeping in their own rooms. One requires the door to be locked at night to keep him from running around like a madman until the wee hours of the morning. I don't care if your hotel has the milky way rating, we needed 3 rooms just to make the stay tolerable. One room plus the portable crib in the bathroom didn't cut it.
4 - Poor planning in the books-on-tape department. If you hear the LG using EXTREME profanity, you can blame it on the R-rated language emanating from our speakers. One benefit of this debacle is that I plan to blame all his bad language until he moves out on this one trip. (You may say, turn it off. Hmmmm. That, like many other things is much to simple to be a solution we would employ).
5 - Poor planning in the not-bringing-a-sitter department. Let's just say that eating with chopsticks with a squirmy worm on my lap doesn't go to far in helping me enjoy ANY dining experience. Again, wouldn't matter too much if the food received the milky way rating.
6 - As a woman still recovering from the ill-effects of bearing children on my style, body image, and any sense of self worth - take note: don't go to cities with your two obnoxious children in tow where there are an abundance of thin Asians, sharply dressed 20-somethings, and plenty of store fronts reminding me that there is a whole world of fashion out there I can no longer relate to.
7 - Staying with friends/family. We learned that relying on the good graces of your peeps along the way may result in your loss of these people as friends, especially if you have your own version of the LG to mismanage. Let's see...where to begin? How about with the sharpie he located and proceeded to use in marking his territory on the steering wheel and leather seats of our friends' car? Or, maybe with the pink finger nail polish he used to paint a small wooden chair, some white carpet and a dining room chair (don't be fooled by the small size of those nail polish bottles, I had NO idea how many square feet a 2-year old could cover in 5 minutes).
As you can see, the lowlights far outweigh the highlights. As crazy as this may seem, we just got back from another 3 day adventure down to Lake Powell for my Triathalon. Stay posted for Triathalon highlights. I promise to leave out my complaints about traveling with kids.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Holy Crap.....It's a bird...It's a plane....No, it's a humanoid.
So, one of the benefits of having a lot of unemployed adults sitting around is that you can watch a lot of History Channel together. This is particularly exciting considering that the History Channel no longer airs shows about history, but rather much more salacious and exciting programs like Monster Quest, UFO Hunters, Band of Bloggers, Ice Road Truckers, etc. If you don't believe in monsters just yet, you need to start watching Monster Quest, although that would probably require that you also become unemployed. It's trade off. The latest episode we saw involves a "HUMANOID" that has been sighted floating over Mexico and in Arizona. Below is footage of the flying creature.
So, we have been keeping our eyes peeled, and decided to head to the park down the street and do some "humanoid" watching. Tuesday, at approximately 7:04pm, we officially captured footage of a humanoid hovering over Lundstrom Park....ominous.
What the what??? I saw it with my own eyes, and I will defend to the end that this is not a Photoshop job. There are also a bunch of middle school football players I can round up who will also verify the sighting. I will post the video footage we also have if you make special requests, but the quality of the image is much less credible.
Terrorism. What? Huh? No, I don't mean that humanoids are a form of terrorism, but rather that there is a VERY strong connection between both phenomenon - unemployment. When grown men have nothing productive to do, they watch too much TV, and devise mischievous ways to keep busy. Like planning, building and launching a floating humanoid. Enough said. If you haven't already been praying for us to find legitimate means of employment, you should start now. Otherwise, you should probably expect to start following your local Fox News at 9 more closely for future sightings.
Just for the record, there were multiple unemployed males involved in this venture.
So, we have been keeping our eyes peeled, and decided to head to the park down the street and do some "humanoid" watching. Tuesday, at approximately 7:04pm, we officially captured footage of a humanoid hovering over Lundstrom Park....ominous.
What the what??? I saw it with my own eyes, and I will defend to the end that this is not a Photoshop job. There are also a bunch of middle school football players I can round up who will also verify the sighting. I will post the video footage we also have if you make special requests, but the quality of the image is much less credible.
Terrorism. What? Huh? No, I don't mean that humanoids are a form of terrorism, but rather that there is a VERY strong connection between both phenomenon - unemployment. When grown men have nothing productive to do, they watch too much TV, and devise mischievous ways to keep busy. Like planning, building and launching a floating humanoid. Enough said. If you haven't already been praying for us to find legitimate means of employment, you should start now. Otherwise, you should probably expect to start following your local Fox News at 9 more closely for future sightings.
Just for the record, there were multiple unemployed males involved in this venture.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Blessings
We blessed the TP on the last Sunday in August. It was so nice to have all 4 of my brothers there, and fun to have all the family (sans Elder and Sister missionaries and my sister and her fam). The LG was up to his usual antics, devouring half of the Better-Than-Sex cake with his cousin right before everyone was to walk out the door. I must give credit where due, however, and mention that they were at least considerate enough to get most of it in their mouths and not on their clothes.
I also really wanted my brother to photoshop my bangs into place on that first photo, but in his laziness the quick job resulted in me looking like part of a toupee had dropped from the sky and landed on my forehead. So much for his mad photoshop skills.
In other news, the TP slept through the night last night after throwing an expected tantrum for about 2 hours the previous 2 nights. I am a stickler for weaning them from that 3am feeding as soon as the experts say they won't starve. It's amazing how different children can be at even 3 months. The LG only cried for 20 minutes one night and then we were done. The TP's fits put him to shame. (That said, I realize many parents have a much harder/longer time in dealing with this. I hope I never have to understand. Just don't start sending hate mail!)
Lastly, the LG is as amusing as ever, keeping us laughing in those precious and few moments between our impatience, his craziness, and time outs. A few LGisms for your amusement:
After waking from a nap, he rambles up the stairs to exclaim, "Mom, the monsters are coming, they're going to eat my bum."
"Hurry mom, there's no time to lose", he says as he punctures holes with a pen in a cardboard box.
After asking my brother to go pick up a box of books at the neighbors' house, I see that the LG is sneaking out the door. As I impatiently question what he is doing he replies, "I have to go mom, I'm going to get the books at Marilyn's." Ahhh, mommy's little helper.
Finally, perhaps the most amusing thing he has done all summer (so far) was when he was playing Hide Seek and Destroy (thanks for teaching them this one Uncle M - you know who you are) with his 5-year old cousin. Big R (cousin) kept trying to get the LG to drop to the ground when he received a fatal blow indicated by machine gun noises and a croquet mallet that was pointed his direction. The LG wasn't really going along/paying attention/interested, much to Big R's dismay. In an effort to demonstrate, the Big R tells the LG to shoot him (the LG was suddenly paying attention). As Big R is laying there, dead, with both eyes closed, the LG slowly raised his mallet over head head and planted it smack down in the Big R's man part. You may think I am so cruel for laughing, but it was one of those moments where all the adults knew exactly what was coming, but were unable to either stop the event or stop lauging. It took a few seconds for me to compose myself enough to put the smack down myself (minus the smacking becuase not even I can see the logic behind that response in this case). Sorry Big R, he'll outgrow this someday, right?
One more thing...These are the passport pics for our kids. Yes, we were planning to use them to move to China. We were one email away from doing it. Who knows, maybe in January. Until then, we plan to use them to take the kids to Canada next month. Thanks Homeland Security for giving us a good use for a passport for a 3 month old ; )
I also really wanted my brother to photoshop my bangs into place on that first photo, but in his laziness the quick job resulted in me looking like part of a toupee had dropped from the sky and landed on my forehead. So much for his mad photoshop skills.
In other news, the TP slept through the night last night after throwing an expected tantrum for about 2 hours the previous 2 nights. I am a stickler for weaning them from that 3am feeding as soon as the experts say they won't starve. It's amazing how different children can be at even 3 months. The LG only cried for 20 minutes one night and then we were done. The TP's fits put him to shame. (That said, I realize many parents have a much harder/longer time in dealing with this. I hope I never have to understand. Just don't start sending hate mail!)
Lastly, the LG is as amusing as ever, keeping us laughing in those precious and few moments between our impatience, his craziness, and time outs. A few LGisms for your amusement:
After waking from a nap, he rambles up the stairs to exclaim, "Mom, the monsters are coming, they're going to eat my bum."
"Hurry mom, there's no time to lose", he says as he punctures holes with a pen in a cardboard box.
After asking my brother to go pick up a box of books at the neighbors' house, I see that the LG is sneaking out the door. As I impatiently question what he is doing he replies, "I have to go mom, I'm going to get the books at Marilyn's." Ahhh, mommy's little helper.
Finally, perhaps the most amusing thing he has done all summer (so far) was when he was playing Hide Seek and Destroy (thanks for teaching them this one Uncle M - you know who you are) with his 5-year old cousin. Big R (cousin) kept trying to get the LG to drop to the ground when he received a fatal blow indicated by machine gun noises and a croquet mallet that was pointed his direction. The LG wasn't really going along/paying attention/interested, much to Big R's dismay. In an effort to demonstrate, the Big R tells the LG to shoot him (the LG was suddenly paying attention). As Big R is laying there, dead, with both eyes closed, the LG slowly raised his mallet over head head and planted it smack down in the Big R's man part. You may think I am so cruel for laughing, but it was one of those moments where all the adults knew exactly what was coming, but were unable to either stop the event or stop lauging. It took a few seconds for me to compose myself enough to put the smack down myself (minus the smacking becuase not even I can see the logic behind that response in this case). Sorry Big R, he'll outgrow this someday, right?
One more thing...These are the passport pics for our kids. Yes, we were planning to use them to move to China. We were one email away from doing it. Who knows, maybe in January. Until then, we plan to use them to take the kids to Canada next month. Thanks Homeland Security for giving us a good use for a passport for a 3 month old ; )
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Trying New Things
We went boating on Saturday out at Benson with the cousins and some friends. The LG decided after watching his 5-year old cousin surf (along with the help of his uncle), that he was up to the task. The BK, who is always a wee bit more protective than me in these situations wasn't so sure, but I convinced him that not much could go wrong - the boat was going really slowly - and that we should encourage him to try new things. The LG had one of his contagious smiles on from the moment he got into the water. He's 2. Yup, the kid's bravery kind of astounds and baffles me. I mean, it took him 3 weeks to warm up to jumping to me from the side of the swimming pool, but pop a life jacket on him, and show him that his cousin can do it, and he is ready to get behind a powerboat on a surfboard with his uncle. Go figure. This is what it looked like:
That is, until my brother (the LG's responsible uncle) decided to ride the wake and they wiped out. Apparently we had forgotten to tell the LG that in this event he should let go of the rope. We also underestimated the LG's superhero strength as he held on with one hand bobbing around like a fish on a reel until the boat finally came to a halt. The BK dove into the water before the boat had even completely stopped (ahhh, that's my man), along with his wallet, keys and cell phone, to rescue the LG. Expecting a screaming, crying and terrified child who would never try water sports again, we all started laughing hysterically and applauding when he finally surfaced and asked with wide eyes (but no tears), "What happened to me?"
Nothing but surfing buddy. Nothing but the surf.
That is, until my brother (the LG's responsible uncle) decided to ride the wake and they wiped out. Apparently we had forgotten to tell the LG that in this event he should let go of the rope. We also underestimated the LG's superhero strength as he held on with one hand bobbing around like a fish on a reel until the boat finally came to a halt. The BK dove into the water before the boat had even completely stopped (ahhh, that's my man), along with his wallet, keys and cell phone, to rescue the LG. Expecting a screaming, crying and terrified child who would never try water sports again, we all started laughing hysterically and applauding when he finally surfaced and asked with wide eyes (but no tears), "What happened to me?"
Nothing but surfing buddy. Nothing but the surf.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Summer
This summer has sort of been like summers in highschool. No work, lots of play, and lots of messing around. The only difference is that now I am the one cleaning up the messes. The LG is having plenty of fun with his cousin. They like to get dirty, like playing in the firepit. 
The LG has also become quite comfortable in the kitchen. His favorite thing to do is play "sandbox" with whatever he can find. The list includes cereal (below), baby formula (pricey and sticky), flour, baking powder, ice from the icemaker. At least it beats him climbing on cars with pens. Pretty sweet. He is getting good at helping with the cleanup though, which provides some consolation. 
Wrestling with the TP is also one of the LG's favorite things to do. I doubt the same can be said for her. This is clearly before he lays back with her and starts rolling around. 
Finally, I am pleased to say that I have been teaching the LG all kinds of useful things like silly songs and the pledge of allegiance. I will only entertain you with the video footage of "Down Down Baby". Ahh, I love Big.
The LG has also become quite comfortable in the kitchen. His favorite thing to do is play "sandbox" with whatever he can find. The list includes cereal (below), baby formula (pricey and sticky), flour, baking powder, ice from the icemaker. At least it beats him climbing on cars with pens. Pretty sweet. He is getting good at helping with the cleanup though, which provides some consolation. 
Wrestling with the TP is also one of the LG's favorite things to do. I doubt the same can be said for her. This is clearly before he lays back with her and starts rolling around. 
Finally, I am pleased to say that I have been teaching the LG all kinds of useful things like silly songs and the pledge of allegiance. I will only entertain you with the video footage of "Down Down Baby". Ahh, I love Big.Tuesday, August 11, 2009
New Adventures
In addition to playing pretty hard this summer, I have been doing a couple of productive things. Not to shamelessly promote myself, but I'm going to.
Tiger
My brother and I have started a graphic design firm. He does the design, and I tell him how to do basic mathematics and round up clients. If anyone knows of anyone who needs some design services and is willing to pay for them, you can check out the website (www.tigerco.net). We can do just about anything, and not to brag, but my brother is pretty awesome.
BigEd Project
I have also decided to start another blog that details my interests in education. It has always been an interest of mine, and I would like to start writing so I am hoping that eventually I can turn it into something worthwhile. For now it will be a weekly post that either reviews a book or discusses a particular topic I am interested in. Check it out if you like (www.bigedproject.blogspot.com), and pass it along if you think others might be interested.
That's enough shameless promotion for now.
Tiger
My brother and I have started a graphic design firm. He does the design, and I tell him how to do basic mathematics and round up clients. If anyone knows of anyone who needs some design services and is willing to pay for them, you can check out the website (www.tigerco.net). We can do just about anything, and not to brag, but my brother is pretty awesome.
BigEd Project
I have also decided to start another blog that details my interests in education. It has always been an interest of mine, and I would like to start writing so I am hoping that eventually I can turn it into something worthwhile. For now it will be a weekly post that either reviews a book or discusses a particular topic I am interested in. Check it out if you like (www.bigedproject.blogspot.com), and pass it along if you think others might be interested.
That's enough shameless promotion for now.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Summer Fun Part II
Getting Used to TP - The LG has become a fabulous older brother, and although he risks loving her to death on occasion, he is a big help.
When in Rome - You should never pass up the opportunity to watch rednecks run cars into each other.
Bike Riding w/Dad - Too bad he only likes to ride down the hill.
First Campout - Just an overnighter for a family reunion in Bear Lake but TP slept for 7.5 hours - a record - so no complaints about sleeping on a rocky incline all night.
When in Rome - You should never pass up the opportunity to watch rednecks run cars into each other.
Bike Riding w/Dad - Too bad he only likes to ride down the hill.
First Campout - Just an overnighter for a family reunion in Bear Lake but TP slept for 7.5 hours - a record - so no complaints about sleeping on a rocky incline all night.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Summer Fun
It has been a great summer and I can't believe how much we have done and how many people we have seen. Rather than yackety yack about it all, I will just show you and highlight some of the best parts in random order. Here we go.
Day Trip to Park City - Yup, we love to re-live our wedding memories by taking a sweet slide down the alpine slide.
Neighborhood Fun - The neighbors have been great at tolerating the new toddler and have allowed him to help fix sprinkler systems, pick cherries, pick weeds, and run around with no clothes on.
Hotdog Dinners w/Family - Nothing like roasting some dogs up Logan Canyon to make me feel like I am stuck in highschool, that is until my kids start yelping and I remember that I am bound tightly by the bonds of adulthood. : (
Potty Training - Okay, so it isn't going so well. In fact, I have given up and will try again later. Don't worry Grandma, I wiped the bench off afterward.
Beach Bumming - Decided at 7pm to leave at 9pm for LA on the spur of the moment for the 4th of July. Great times at the beach with cousins. First successful overnight trip!
That's enough for today. Stay tuned if you dare/care.
Day Trip to Park City - Yup, we love to re-live our wedding memories by taking a sweet slide down the alpine slide.
Neighborhood Fun - The neighbors have been great at tolerating the new toddler and have allowed him to help fix sprinkler systems, pick cherries, pick weeds, and run around with no clothes on.
Hotdog Dinners w/Family - Nothing like roasting some dogs up Logan Canyon to make me feel like I am stuck in highschool, that is until my kids start yelping and I remember that I am bound tightly by the bonds of adulthood. : (
Potty Training - Okay, so it isn't going so well. In fact, I have given up and will try again later. Don't worry Grandma, I wiped the bench off afterward.
Beach Bumming - Decided at 7pm to leave at 9pm for LA on the spur of the moment for the 4th of July. Great times at the beach with cousins. First successful overnight trip!
That's enough for today. Stay tuned if you dare/care.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Critters
We were greeted in Logan by some folklore about a raccoon that was living in the attic of my parents' home. My brother and his wife were positive that there had been a raccoon running around up there before they left to come out to Portland and help us move. So, getting rid of said critter was on the top of our to do list when arriving here. One of the first mornings we were here, I was downstairs nursing the baby around 5:45 am when I heard it walking around. I knew the BK and LG were still in bed, and I was pretty sure there was no how no way my brother or his wife were out of bed at that hour. After confirming with my brother that he and his wife were both sleeping soundly we called Logan animal control only to be told that they were out of traps. Huh? Don't get the BK started on the conspiracy theory he conjured up for this one which involves a scheme by a salaried city employee to make a couple $$ on the side by referring us to his friend. Whatever.
The next day my brother was outside cleaning up the patio when he smelled an awful smell that he was sure belonged to the now dead raccoon. The raccoon died from being locked in there for a week when my brother was in Portland. At least that was the going theory.
The next morning around 3am, my brother's wife heard their bedroom door creak open and four little feet scamper to the side of the bed where she was sleeping and rustle among the pillows. I can only imagine the actual pandemonium caused by the raccoon at this point as she smacked my brother into consciousness while whisper-screaming that the raccoon had infiltrated the house. My brother jumped into action only to discover the LG sleeping soundly among the pillows on the floor. Apparently he was doing a bit of sleep walking around Gmas house. I hear that the stink face made by the LG when a somewhat unfamiliar face awakened him to take him back to bed was scary enough to qualify him as some type of critter.
Poor raccoon that never was. It turned out that the dead animal stench was from a dead squirrel that the BK had placed in a bag and left to bake in the sun until someone told him it was okay to toss it in the trash. The critter running around at 6am when I was nursing turned out to be my sister-in-law, who sneaked out to grab a glass of water without my brother knowing. Goes to show you should always go to the source.
You would think we had learned our lesson, but the next day it was pouring and the ceiling started to leak (and I thought I was done with fixer-uppers when I left Portland). We wanted to go into the attic to check out the leak without getting drenched on the roof. The BK was sure he heard the raccoon which resulted in him shrieking like a school girl (bless his heart), and required me to take matters into my own hands and crawl up to the attic armed with a hard hat and flashlight. I ended up scampering down as well at the first strange noise. An exterminator was beckoned and showed up reeking of vodka 45 minutes later (in his defense, it was a Saturday night, and he did show up pretty quickly) only to confirm what we really should have known all along - when in doubt, assume the critter is a tiny squirrel, not a carnivorous, baby eating, raccoon. You should be reassured, however, that the exterminator assured us that he was willing to "grab that coon by the neck, if I need to - I've done it before!" Thanks exterminator man, good to know.
As you can see from the pic below, the squirrels have been working on building a compound in the attic for some time. Can't wait to get started cleaning up this mess. Yup, that's a golf bag filled with walnuts. And yes, those are empty milk cartons that my dad was apparently planning on saving until the second coming.
The next day my brother was outside cleaning up the patio when he smelled an awful smell that he was sure belonged to the now dead raccoon. The raccoon died from being locked in there for a week when my brother was in Portland. At least that was the going theory.
The next morning around 3am, my brother's wife heard their bedroom door creak open and four little feet scamper to the side of the bed where she was sleeping and rustle among the pillows. I can only imagine the actual pandemonium caused by the raccoon at this point as she smacked my brother into consciousness while whisper-screaming that the raccoon had infiltrated the house. My brother jumped into action only to discover the LG sleeping soundly among the pillows on the floor. Apparently he was doing a bit of sleep walking around Gmas house. I hear that the stink face made by the LG when a somewhat unfamiliar face awakened him to take him back to bed was scary enough to qualify him as some type of critter.
Poor raccoon that never was. It turned out that the dead animal stench was from a dead squirrel that the BK had placed in a bag and left to bake in the sun until someone told him it was okay to toss it in the trash. The critter running around at 6am when I was nursing turned out to be my sister-in-law, who sneaked out to grab a glass of water without my brother knowing. Goes to show you should always go to the source.
You would think we had learned our lesson, but the next day it was pouring and the ceiling started to leak (and I thought I was done with fixer-uppers when I left Portland). We wanted to go into the attic to check out the leak without getting drenched on the roof. The BK was sure he heard the raccoon which resulted in him shrieking like a school girl (bless his heart), and required me to take matters into my own hands and crawl up to the attic armed with a hard hat and flashlight. I ended up scampering down as well at the first strange noise. An exterminator was beckoned and showed up reeking of vodka 45 minutes later (in his defense, it was a Saturday night, and he did show up pretty quickly) only to confirm what we really should have known all along - when in doubt, assume the critter is a tiny squirrel, not a carnivorous, baby eating, raccoon. You should be reassured, however, that the exterminator assured us that he was willing to "grab that coon by the neck, if I need to - I've done it before!" Thanks exterminator man, good to know.
As you can see from the pic below, the squirrels have been working on building a compound in the attic for some time. Can't wait to get started cleaning up this mess. Yup, that's a golf bag filled with walnuts. And yes, those are empty milk cartons that my dad was apparently planning on saving until the second coming.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Last Post From Portland (maybe)
I added maybe to the title because you never know what life is going to throw at you, so we could end up back here, who knows. For those of you who don't follow our lives in stalker-like fashion - we will be "vacationing" in Logan, UT for the summer while we look for stable ways to feed the fam. The BK became a fatality of the recession back in March and we have decided to head home rather than hemorrhage greenbacks here in PDX.
We are sad. We are sadder than we thought we would be. Much as Portland is weird, uninterested in sustaining a legitimate economy, has a derelict mayor (not because he is gay, mind you, that is the least of the man's problems), rains for 6 months out of the year, and hosts some of the countries finest young freeloaders, we have grown to love this place. Some of our favorites include:
1 - Mt. Tabor
2 - Friends - particularly those with kids who the LG has grown to love
3 - Views of the city from I-84
4 - Airport - LG loves to watch the planes while eating IKEA hot dogs
5 - Outdoors - there is really no place more beautiful (especially in the summer), and this broad category includes our backyard which is now a dream for us and we put so much time into.
We are still looking at this as an opportunity, and hope that it works out that way. Until then, we are excited to "vacation" in beautiful Logan for the summer or until we find our next adventure.
Lots of love to our Portland friends, and UT here we come. Adios.
We are sad. We are sadder than we thought we would be. Much as Portland is weird, uninterested in sustaining a legitimate economy, has a derelict mayor (not because he is gay, mind you, that is the least of the man's problems), rains for 6 months out of the year, and hosts some of the countries finest young freeloaders, we have grown to love this place. Some of our favorites include:
1 - Mt. Tabor
2 - Friends - particularly those with kids who the LG has grown to love
3 - Views of the city from I-84
4 - Airport - LG loves to watch the planes while eating IKEA hot dogs
5 - Outdoors - there is really no place more beautiful (especially in the summer), and this broad category includes our backyard which is now a dream for us and we put so much time into.
We are still looking at this as an opportunity, and hope that it works out that way. Until then, we are excited to "vacation" in beautiful Logan for the summer or until we find our next adventure.
Lots of love to our Portland friends, and UT here we come. Adios.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Learning the Ropes
Well, I have been in post-birth hideout for a couple weeks, and have had time to reflect on some very serious topics, like the nickname for the new baby. The Tiny Princess (okay, not super original), or "TP" as she will now be known, has officially reached her "birthweight". I suppose this is a serious milestone, but it hardly seems to make much of a difference with her tiny little frog legs that are kicking about when I change her diaper. I also have to admit that I like "TP" because it makes me think of toilet paper, and for some really juvenile reason it makes me giggle. Hopefully she will forgive me someday.
So we have all been adjusting to the TP (hehe) being here. Fortunately she is still a very good baby and not too fussy. I did have to check her temperature with one of these nifty contraptions (even more nifty for checking the temp on the LG, or anyone old enough to know where the old thermometers go).
The LG, who has a not so healthy aversion to anything getting near his ear canal, took one look and ran off to his room, only to be seen 5 minutes later coming back in with this offering to help check the TP's temperature.
Ahh, siblings. Here is the little bruiser with a little tatoo (when in Rome) from the local farmer's market. Grandmas! This seems like one of those things that only Grandmas or weekend dads are up for. I can't imagine why kids look forward to being away from mom ; 0
Otherwise, things have been relatively quiet, and we are even getting a fair amount of sleep thanks to Grandma and the TP's willingness to sleep most of the night. Below are a few more pics of the TP's first days on planet earth.
So we have all been adjusting to the TP (hehe) being here. Fortunately she is still a very good baby and not too fussy. I did have to check her temperature with one of these nifty contraptions (even more nifty for checking the temp on the LG, or anyone old enough to know where the old thermometers go).
The LG, who has a not so healthy aversion to anything getting near his ear canal, took one look and ran off to his room, only to be seen 5 minutes later coming back in with this offering to help check the TP's temperature.
Ahh, siblings. Here is the little bruiser with a little tatoo (when in Rome) from the local farmer's market. Grandmas! This seems like one of those things that only Grandmas or weekend dads are up for. I can't imagine why kids look forward to being away from mom ; 0
Otherwise, things have been relatively quiet, and we are even getting a fair amount of sleep thanks to Grandma and the TP's willingness to sleep most of the night. Below are a few more pics of the TP's first days on planet earth.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Love, Love, Love
She's here. We are absolutely thrilled, and she is the most beautiful little creature on the earth. Sorry to all of you who think yours are too ; ) I'm not planning to reveal the name here on the blog, and I haven't yet decided what her online Moniker will be either, so I am taking suggestions on that.
She was born Monday, May 18th, following the season finale of 24. I really can't complain too much about the whole labor process, except for the 30 minutes preceeding the birth that were, well, a bit intense ; ) She shot right out (literally), and my Dr. wasn't even able to be there. Once I started pushing, it only required 2 more pushes and a total of 9 minutes.
I decided to go this round sans epidural, and while I am quite impressed with myself and the BK, I'm not sure I could endure it again (give me a year or two and I will probably have forgotten). However, I will say this, the aftermath has been TOTALLY worth it. Recovery has been 200% better and while I won't be out running any marathons this week, I can at least walk. The best part (and the worst) is that I remember everything, and that moment when that little creature was placed on my body was the most incredible of my life. And to think that I didn't stop loving the LG, and was suddenly just able to love her as much is truly a miracle and a tender mercy from heaven.
Final product was a 7 lb, 20 inch miracle. Email me at megappod@gmail.com if you would like her name, and please don't mention it in the comments if you already do. Thanks! And thanks for all the well wishes!
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