Parenting Realizations - The Christmas Edition

As I flit about the kitchen baking goodies and whatnot and listening to my kids practically burst out of their skins with excitement, I am taken back to my own childhood Christmas memories. I have been trying to pinpoint what exactly made those memories so great and I have determined that it is because my parents made them great. It's not the presents that I received (or sometimes didn't receive), it was all of the work that my parents put into the entire season doing what they could to make it special and magical. It is the feeling of Christmas that I most remember (and cookies, yummy, yummy cookies). This brings me to my parenting realization. Actually this is not a new realization, it is just one that sometimes hits me suddenly and when I least expect it. What I realized is that I am creating these same memories for my kids. I am now the parent (which in and of itself still almost knocks me off my feet) and it is my responsibility to bring the same warm and happy magical feelings to my own kids that my parents brought to me. Oh the pressure. But it's a good pressure. I just hope that one day they can look back upon these days as fondly and nostalgically that I still do on my childhood days.

Merry Christmas!!

Valuable lessons learned

Last night I learned that it is not a good idea to take Tylenol PM the same night that your 3 year old comes down with a nasty case of the stomach flu.

I also learned that my oldest son isn't always faking his illnesses. Sometimes he actually is sick and then you have to take him to Urgent Care to get an antibiotic because he has strep.

Feliz Navidad

Massive burritos, tamales, face painting, balloon animals, and loads of other activities made for one great ward party.

Here's Sparky sporting his war paint.

Tiger won these cute little rubber duckies in a spinning game and he still carries them everywhere and even sleeps with them. (Notice Doug's feet there off to the right, the legs sporting the shorts. You can take the boy out of California, but you can't take California out of the boy.)

Cut outs are always a crowd pleaser.

My girl and I enjoying a little hot chocolate.

The first snow (almost)

Tiger is dying to get out in the snow and build a snowman. Here he is the other morning anxiously awaiting the build-up of the little snowflakes. Alas it did not happen and he was a bit sad, but lucky for him (and very sad for me) winter is just beginning. I have no doubt that he will get his chance at some point in the next couple of months.

That is true friendship

One of my oldest friends Trish showed up with this beauty the other day. She said that every time she sees one it reminds her of me. Why, you ask? Because I'm ALWAYS cold and I love to read. Fabulous isn't it? Look at all the things you can do with the Snuggie. You can drape yourself fashionably across the couch and hold the remote control. You can keep yourself warm while on an airplane, and of course you can snuggle up with a good book. I look forward to many hours Snuggied up on the couch this winter. Muchas gracias my dear friend.

And so it begins

I have once again begun the long and arduous process of potty training. I survived the first two, I can survive this one as well. Right? So we got the little potty, the seat for the big potty, the big boy underwear, the treats, the liquids, and the pull-ups. Now all I need is a willing and cooperative 3 year old and a whole lot of patience. Unfortunately, if today is any indication, and I think it is, this is going to be a very long and very painful process. But isn't he just so cute sitting here?

We have a winner

Last week at KK's dance studio they held a food drive. As an incentive, if you brought in a can of food your name was entered into a drawing for a free iPod Shuffle. Well guess who won? Yep, that's right, my little angel princess. Now I just have to figure out how to work all of this iTunes business that I haven't been able to figure out since I got my iTouch. It is supposed to be so easy, but I am seriously challenged when it comes to all things technological. Really my problem is that I just want someone to show me how things work. I don't want to figure them out for myself. Then, once I figure out how this little thing works, I have to go and pick out some music for her to listen to. Oh the pressure of it all. Congratulations little Woo.

Alas, Fred is Dead

Remember this little guy, the yellow one on the right?

Well, today Fred lost the battle and went tails up while Sparky was at school and now sadness has overshadowed his young life (at least for an afternoon). In order to send Fred off properly, Sparky made this coffin out of Legos, and a burial took place in the backyard.

Good bye Fred.

It's just so wrong

Last night our ward hosted a "Messiah" sing-along. It was absolutely fantastic. Seriously. The talent pool we have acquired is downright impressive. As we were getting dressed to go I looked over at Doug and he had put on this treasure of a t-shirt that he got for his birthday. Our friends who gave it to him were amongst the singers and he felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to wear it. It was actually quite perfect and I couldn't stop giggling everytime I looked at him. Fortunately he didn't wear it for long, but the impression was long lasting.

Classy my love. No wonder we are still happy after so long.

Kid parties are way more fun without the kids

For Doug's big birthday, we got together with a few other couples and had ourselves a rocking good time. Anyone can decorate with all black and plaster "Over The Hill" banners everywhere, but does that really make the birthday boy feel good? I believe the answer to that is a big "NO" so I decided to go in a completely opposite direction.

We had the party at a friend's house and as a mom with 4 kids, she knew exactly how to decorate and which games to play. We started off with a fabulous meal.


Next came a rousing game of musical chairs (seriously so fun).

Then came Pin the Chick on the Barn.




And finally, what's a party without a pinata?

We then paused for the "present" opening. Thanks so much guys. Those um, "presents" are really, um something. Here's just a small sampling of the goods:

Classy

"What Do You Do With The Mad That You Feel" by Mister Rogers

Ummm. . .

To finish things off, we brought the house down with a little Beatles Rock Band. Seriously sooooo much fun, especially when you have people who can actually sing. In the end I think that it was a very successful birthday. In fact, so much fun should not be allowed in one night.

Hmmmmm

Me: Tiger, don't pick your boo-boo.
Tiger: I not Mom. I feel it. It's cute. Awwwww (while tilting head in an adorable manner as if admiring a puppy).

So what are you trying to say?

I think the fact that Tiger was up all night coughing and sneezing and the fact that he fell asleep on his floor during quiet time today may perhaps mean that he doesn't feel good. But I'm just guessing.

If I Had a Million Dollars. . .I would buy you some art.

This post is dedicated to my love who is celebrating a big birthday today. I must say that for a man who does not like birthdays, he is handling this day quite nicely. Of course it helps that he is at work and not surrounded by our constant birthday references. But don't worry, the day is not yet over and so there is still plenty of time for us to smother him with birthday love. So here's to you my love (picture me raising my lunchtime glass of Diet Dr. Pepper) and to all of the years we have had and to all of the years that are yet to come. You rock!

(this "lovely" photo courtesy of my KK princess)

Busted

Seven years ago we moved into this house and signed up for basic cable. At the time of the cable installation, the cable guy forgot to bring the block that would give us our basic cable versus the standard cable. He said that he would be back with the block, but apparently he forgot and so for the past 7 years we have been enjoying all the perks of standard cable at basic cable rates. I must say that it has been heavenly. Well you may remember that this summer Doug lovingly surprised me with a DVR box for our cable which has brought us joys previously unknown. Unfortunately it turns out that there is a down side to our beloved DVR. Apparently the DVR box speaks directly to the cable company and so yesterday the mistake that the cable guy made seven years ago was rectified. Sad, sad, sad. Sad, sad, sad. So, what to do now? The thought of paying for television is rather sickening, but at the same time what am I going to do without my Foodnetwork and Bravo TV? How will I watch my Project Runway? We can't return the DVR box because then they will know that we can still get the standard cable if we bypass the box and then they will come and fix that little glitch. We can't keep paying for the DVR box and not pay for it. So, do we suck it up and start paying the full amount? Do we go the Dish route? So many questions my friends, so many questions.

More Thoughts and Happenings

1. Apparently the only way to keep up with the laundry is to wash and fold the laundry EVERY day. Sheesh. I managed to do this for one week and then it about put me over the edge. I am now back to my laundry mountain and I think it is mocking me.

2. Once again my house is swallowing me alive. Help. So. Much. Stuff. Everywhere! I believe that a cleaning binge is once again necessary. To all members of this house. If you haven't touched it in three months it is out of here. Hide your treasures now because if you blink they may be gone. Nothing is safe. Except for all of those really annoying "important" papers from school. Oh how I wish that I could just trash all of that stuff. Oh how I wish that the school would stop sending stuff home.

3. Tiger is on a coloring kick. It would be really cute if the surfaces that he were coloring on weren't his belly, his face, his hands, the carpet, the walls, the doors, my purse. You get my drift. The little pill. Anyone know how to get marker off of the carpet? Because heaven forbid we actually have our carpets cleaned like we really need to. Instead I just want a really clean spot where the marker used to be.

4. I am amazed at how Tiger's preschool is really helping him. The other day I was getting him in the car to take him to school when he said, "No. I don't want to go." Doug and I just looked at each other in amazement. We have never heard him voice an opinion using words and thought like this and in a full sentence. It was awesome. We congratulated him on his excellent use of words and then I told him "Sorry, you have to go. Now get in the car." He is also really starting to figure out who he is in relation to everyone else. Meaning that he is trying so hard to understand that he is 3 years old and that he is a boy and not a girl and also how to tell the difference between boys and girls. Also, emotions. Last night Sparky was crying and Tiger kept asking if Sparky was sad. Amazing. He has never understood before that crying means someone is sad and that a smile means you are happy. It's these little things that you take for granted that you think kids just automatically get that he has just never understood. It is exciting to see him finally starting to figure these things out. It just makes me excited for my little guy.

5. I am finding that I am getting really excited for Christmas. That joyous feeling started to creep into my inner being so subtly that I hardly noticed it until I found myself wanting to listen to Christmas music and to buy presents for the kids. I am even planning to send out Christmas cards this year. I know. Shocking, isn't it? I can't even remember the last time that I sent out a Christmas card. I am sure that it won't say much, but who cares? It's just fun to get Christmas cards in the mail.

That's all for now. I must go and clean and fold laundry. But really I will probably just take a shower and then goof around on the computer until all of my free time is gone and then kids are home from school.

Quotes that make me smile

As Doug and I looked out the window this afternoon at all of the millions of leaves blowing off of the trees and off the yards and down the street, Doug turned to me and said, "Look. It's the great leaf migration."

I am the coolest

Yesterday I got the kids out of school early and my sister and I took the kids down to the pumpkin festival. The weather was gorgeous, the people were weird and freaky, and the pumpkin donuts were totally worth the drive.

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere

Mmmmm, pumpkin ice cream

KK made sand art in a bottle.

On our way home we stopped at a pumpkin patch on the side of the road and let the kids pick out some pumpkins. Tiger loved his little tiny pumpkin, but really his favorite part was the little maze made out of hay. Well maybe not the maze so much as all of the hay that was laying on the ground around the maze that he could throw up in the air while he yelled "Happy Birthday." In fact, I found hay in all kinds of places last night when I was getting him in the tub. Yes, it was a successful day. The kids had fun and I was the coolest mom for a day.

Fun with cutouts

Sweet kids

A moment of whining

I really didn't want to say anything about this but for the past two months I have been discretely working out. Not that you can really tell, because I have yet to bring myself to curb my eating. But that isn't the point right now. Really, the only reason why I am even bringing this up is because of the inconvenience that all of my sweating is causing me. I wouldn't care about the sweating if it weren't for the fact that it makes my hair sweaty and nasty as well. Sweaty and nasty hair must be washed and unfortunately must be washed often. At least my sweaty and nasty hair must be washed and must be washed often. This is what I want to whine about. I am so tired of having to completely wash and do my hair every day. It is soooooo inconvenient and takes way too much time. All of my free time during the day is now being taken up grooming needs. Ugh and sigh. OK, that's all. I feel much better now and so now I must go and take yet another shower.

A coincidence? I think not.

Last night Doug and I went out to dinner. We had Chinese food. The food was good, but the fortune cookie was even better.

Thoughts

Greetings to the 5 of you who read this. Unfortunately I don't really have anything particularly exciting or witty to say at this time. Really, I just felt like I should post something and I haven't taken any pictures of my kids for a while and we haven't really done anything noteworthy lately and so instead I will leave you with a few thoughts that are running through my brain.

1. Why must I hate laundry so much. Seriously. I really, really struggle with doing laundry. It is never done, no matter how hard you try. I could spend all day washing clothes and there will always be a sock or a pair of underwear sitting at the bottom of the hamper. Actually, I think that I dislike folding laundry the very most. Frankly I just don't do it. I am however sick and tired of the mountains of unfolded laundry that pile up around my house and so I am afraid that a new method must take place. I just don't think that I can live like this anymore, especially since the kids are wearing socks again. I would make Doug do it except that when it comes down to it he doesn't care enough about the mountains of laundry to actually tackle them himself.

2. I want to move. I want to move next summer to be exact. I have no idea how we will make this happen. I don't know where exactly we will move. Will it be a mile from here, will it be farther? I have no idea. All I know is that I have made a decision and I think that if I throw it out into the universe enough times then it is bound to come true. I even collected a bunch of moving boxes from a very friendly gay couple in a super cool jeep the other day as they were about to recycle the moving boxes. I figured that I would need them eventually and I just couldn't stand the thought of those perfectly good moving boxes just sitting in the recycling bins.

3. Winter is not my favorite. Winter here equals no sun, frigid weather, and sick kids. It also means that I will be cold for 4 months. Therefore winter is not my favorite.

4. I have recently been having realizations that I am an adult and that sometimes I can do whatever I want to do. Here is an example: We ran out of toothpaste and so I went to the store to get some more. Usually we just get one tube of toothpaste and we all share it. Well frankly I don't like the kind of toothpaste that the kids like. I was grumbling about this very fact as I picked up the kid's Crest when I suddenly realized that I was an adult and that I could have any kind of toothpaste that I wanted to have and that I didn't even have to share with them. It was liberating. Today it's toothpaste, tomorrow it's peanut butter.

5. I am spending way too much time these days watching Flight of the Conchords. But dang it they are just so entertaining.

6. I don't want to think this, especially about someone so much younger, but Zac Effron is too cute for his own good.

That's all from my brain for now. It's a pretty murky and disturbing place and I don't want to scare anyone away and so I will delve no deeper today.

I'm stuck

And I'm in a rut. What you you people eat for lunch?

Meet Buzz

Tiger has received his first dress-up costume and it's a hit. He hasn't taken it off for two days. I just hope that it doesn't get too trashed before Halloween.

I thought that it would never happen

I tried to force it, which turned him ugly and did not go well at all, but in the end I had to be sneaky. Yes, Tiger is finally weaned of his precious plug. This is what it looked like when I was finally able to get rid of it.

As you can see it is just a shell of its former self. I have been slowly, VERY slowly breaking off little bits and pieces in an effort to get him to break his plug habit. Actually, first I poked holes into it with a pin and then I waited for him to chew on it enough to break it apart a little bit. This took quite a long time because he really doesn't chew on it. I thought that once it was broken he wouldn't want it anymore, but that was not the case. Up until a few days ago he still found a way to hold this sucker in his mouth. But alas, I won in the end. I finally broke it down to a place where it just became too hard for him to hold it in his little mouth. Wahoo. We are free at last. It's just a shame that I couldn't do this before it messed up his teeth.

An update on the fish

It turns out that Red is just a big bully and continuously chases Fred around the tank until he is left cowering in the corner at the bottom of the tank. Red also likes to eat all of the fish food before Fred has a chance to get any. This has Sparky rightfully concerned, but when he asked if we could take Red back (because Sparky does NOT like bullies) we had to inform him that there was not a return policy for fish bullies. So I guess that this is just a case of survival of the fittest and we'll see in time if Fred is able to hold his own.

Meet Red and Fred

These are Sparky's new neon fish. Ever since Sparky learned to walk he has walked on his toes whenever possible. This was fine when he was a toddler, but at the ripe old age of 9 it is time for this habit to come to an end. So, I did what any good parent would do, I bribed him. I told Sparky that if he could walk on his flat feet for 1 week then I would buy him a fish. He managed to make it through a week (with a few reminders) and so last night he got his fish. They will live in his room and he will be responsible for them (because I don't clean fish tanks). Now he just has to keep walking on his feet or Red and Fred are going to find themselves living in the basement.

A fun discovery

Look what Sparky found in our flowers

My baby is now a big boy

Here is Tiger this morning on his way into his first day of preschool. He now goes to preschool 4 mornings a week. I wasn't planning on sending him to school until next year because three years of preschool is a bit of an overkill, but sometimes life throws us a curveball and we just have to jump in and deal with it. So for me that means doing what is best for my boy and letting my baby go a bit ealier than I would have liked. This would have been a lot harder on me had he not been so incredibly excited. He knows that he is a big kid now and for the last week has been dying to go to preschool.

"Come on mom, I go to preschool"

He was so great. He walked right up to the school doors and let the teacher take him right in with the other kids. I was quite impressed considering he had no idea what to expect or what was going on when I handed him off this morning. I even managed not to cry in front of him. I did my best to make it back to the car before I really lost it, but I am sure it was obvious to everyone around me that I wasn't doing a very good job of holding it together. That's ok. Hopefully I have it all out of my system and tomorrow will be better.

A different generation, a different perspective

My brother came home from his mission a couple of weeks ago. To celebrate his return, my mom made him t-shirt quilt full of memories from his youth. It is pretty cool. Among other things, it has a Pokemon t-shirt, a Dragon Ball-Z t-shirt, soccer t-shirts, travel t-shirts, and a Star Wars t-shirt. Thanks to his older brother, Tiger is well versed in all things Pokemon and Star Wars and so I was pointing these particular shirts out to him. I showed him the Pokemon shirt and asked him what it was and he said, "Pokemon." I then showed him the Star Wars shirt and asked him what it was he said, "Lego guys."

On a separate side note, KK lost her other loose tooth today. She is now the Toothless Wonder.

On another side note, this one for my mother: I told the kids that you wanted to go by Grammy and they want to know why. Also Kelsey said that she doesn't like that name. Sorry. I guess you should have gotten to them when they were younger.

Drumroll please

KK lost her first tooth tonight. It was a momentous occasion. Here she is looking cute without her tooth (the other one should come out any day now) and here she is with her note to the Tooth Fairy.

Dear Tooth Fairy,

I lost a tooth today. I bit into a coconut and my tooth came out and it popped out onto the deck and fell into the cracks.

Love,

KK

Sunday night is pancake night

Sparky: Mom, can you make me the biggest pancake possible with bacon grease?

KK: I love bacon grease.

Fun in the sun and overcast skies

In an effort to be fun and exciting parents this summer, we took the kids to a local water park. We decided to go on a bit of a cooler and overcast day. You know, just trying to avoid the large crowds (it certainly didn't have anything to do with the fact that it was the only day we could go before school started and before the waterpark closed). Unfortunately I didn't get many pictures. Mostly because it's hard to take pictures when you are all wet and splashing around in the water, but we did get a few at the end of the day when we were winding down.

First up: The progression of Tiger being a turtle.

Next we have the other two kids at the point when they are done for the day and ready to head out for ice cream.

We all definitely had fun and are planning to go back next year. The only stipulation is that the kids are not allowed to take me on the Vortex (or whatever that horrendous ride was where I was forced to go down backwards, drop into nothingness and then fly back and forth in a giant funnel).

Total cuteness

This is how I found my kids walking home today from the bus stop (Seriously. Holding hands the whole way). I am sure that one day they won't like each other as much as they do now and so I need to document it while I can.

Occasionally I quilt

In honor of my mother-in-law's visit and as a birthday present to her, I made a quilt. I think she liked it.