The Nelsons in a Nutshell

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2010-05-09T14:11:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day from all of us :)

Find me at my new blog!

2010-01-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody!!!

I finally am back in the blogging world, but I HAVE MOVED!!!

Look for new posts on my new blog at http://www.60SecondParenting.com

I'm going to have lots of great tips and insights peppered with the everyday experiences my little men give me :) It's going to be a good time, so I hope to see you there!!

Season's Greetings

2009-12-24T21:18:00.000-08:00

****Just posting my Christmas Letter in case I missed emailing it to anyone. Merry Christmas all!***

I think I have officially procrastinated long enough now. Long gone are the days where I would have all of my Christmas cards written, stamped, and mailed before Thanksgiving (those days went the way of my house being immaculately clean and a car that wasn't lined with goldfish and Cheerios).

My apologies for the tardiness of this email and apologies that this is an email and not a card. But since we are in the days of eco-awareness, we can just consider this my contribution to preserving the environment. :)

It has been quite a busy year, delightfully so.

Eli is now 3 ½. He is getting so tall and, well, HUGE! He still loves playing with cars or anything with wheels. He is particularly fond of dirt and playing outside as much as possible. Eli is very active and is always the life of the party. He has the most wonderful, contagious laugh (especially when he is being ferociously tickled)! He absolutely adores helping Daddy do just about anything. All summer he helped Brandon mow the lawn, work on his car, and do other general household repairs.

Xander is 18 months now (what happened to my baby?!). He is also getting big! I’m not sure what we are feeding these guys to make them grow so much. Xander is talking really well now and both he and Eli have learned a bit of sign language that has been pretty fun to use. Xander is such a little lover and loves to give hugs and snuggles. He also packs quite the attitude when the situation calls for it!

They both love to play together and pick on each other. Sibling rivalry is alive and well most days in our house.

What have I been doing that is keeping me from writing actual Christmas cards and keeping my house to Martha Stewart standards? Well, I have been super busy being a mommy and wife and writing a book amongst a host of other exciting things. The book title is Raising Thoughtful Children: 6 Essential Skills Your Child Will Never Learn in School. I've been busy typing away to get the manuscript finished so we can submit it to the editor at the end of January. The release date will be around May or June 2010! How exciting!!

Brandon is still working for Micron (made it through the massive layoffs with flying colors) and has been super busy being the world's greatest husband and daddy giving me as much time as possible so I can write my book. Brandon's also been studying real estate investing and is super excited to start applying what he has been learning.

2009 has been a year of much learning and expansive ideas. So many exciting things are on the horizon. We have SO much to be grateful for! It is positively awe inspiring. Brandon and I are going on 12 years of marital bliss (It seems like it was just yesterday we got married!) and our two little boys have been such amazing teachers. We love having their sweet spirits in our lives!!

So I raise my glass of eggnog to an amazing 2009 and am looking forward to 2010 being the best year ever! Wishing you all a year of love and abundance!

Happy Holidays!!

Love,

Kirsten, Brandon, Eli, and Xander Nelson

Christmas at Our House

2009-12-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

Santa came to our house a couple of days early this year because Daddy has to work. We had an AWESOME morning and the kids had a blast!

Eli came into our room this morning and asked if Santa had come yet. We told him we would have to go downstairs and look. Eli snuggled into the blankets and said, "It's still a little too early. I'm just going to sleep a little longer." (I swear this must be because we have a new mattress pad that feels like you are sleeping on a cloud. It lured him into it's memory foam softness).

Xander woke up and so we went and got Xander and then made our way downstairs to inspect the loot Santa left. Good stuff all the way round! Santa was very generous at our household this year.

Merry Early Christmas!

18 Months?!

2009-11-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

I'm just not sure how that is possible! My little baby is 18 months old today. He has grown SO much! I feel a little guilty for not keeping up on his milestones like I did with Eli, but I have a few more things rolling right now than I did when Eli was his age.

So here are a few fun things about Xander as we mark his 18th month in our family.

He is starting to talk up a storm! He is picking up oodles of new words every day. So nice when they can communicate!
He not only walks with ease, he can also run and jump! He has the CUTEST little hoppy run!!
He is TEETHING! 5 coming in at once is a bit brutal, but 3 of the 5 are almost all the way in.
He's got ATTITUDE! Much of this is learned from big brother (Thanks, Eli!). He's a bit sassy and will spit at me when I tell him no or do something he doesn't like...definitely NOT my fav!
He LOVES balls, especially his football! He loves throwing them and chasing them and just holding them.
He adores the CAMERA and always lets out a big "CHEEEEEEESE!" whenever he sees me trying to take a shot.
He LOVES Eli and Daddy! The first words out of his mouth in the mornings are "Eli? Daddy?"
His sentences are frequently peppered with "Whoa Dude!"
He is so SMART! He amazes me with all the things he understands and how fast he picks things up.
He loves playing outside ALL the time! None of us do well cooped up in the house...winter is not my fav season...brrrr.
He loves taking baths and will try to strip naked whenever he sees a tub.
He has the most beautiful hazel eyes and the longest eyelashes.
He loves to be wrapped up in his blankets at naptime and bedtime. All you have to do to get him to go to bed is ask him if he wants to snuggle. He goes to his room and waits for you to lay the blankets down and he plops down waiting to be bundled up.
He still makes amazing MESSES at meal time. Really very impressive. I won't be sad when this phase passes. He also refuses to let me feed him and gets quite indignant when I insult him by trying to spoon something into his mouth.

He is the sweetest little guy and we just love him to pieces. He is such a treasure and brings joy to our hearts every day. We love you Xander!!!

He is saying "CHEEEESE" in all these pictures...

Halloween Etc.

2009-11-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun pics of what we have been up to. The boys had a blast on Halloween and the Halloween Fairy brought some pretty sweet Hot Wheels Big Rigs in exchange for the excess candy! Love this new arrangement!

Enjoy!

Take a Zebra

2009-10-08T07:35:00.001-07:00

I've been working with Eli and Xander to take a deep breath when they are upset to help them calm down. It's been amazingly effective!

This morning I was watching a touching video of a certified therapy dog who comforted the elderly who are near death. Of course I was sobbing. It was a beautiful video.

Eli, who saw me weeping came up to me with open arms saying,

"It's okay, Sweetpea! You're okay! Take a zebra." He then demonstrated taking a very deep yoga breath ending in the Namaste position.

Wow! That was absolutely hilarious. I got a whole bunch more hugs and kisses and requests to take another zebra while I was choking between tears and laughter.

I really do love my job!

Sneak Peek into What's Been Keeping Me From Posting about my Adorable Kids

2009-10-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys,Sorry I have been totally MIA the past six months or so. Rest assured it has all been for a good cause. A VERY good cause! I am creating an e-course to show parents just how incredible and intelligent their children are and show them how to teach their kids to use more of their beautiful minds.

I am getting pretty close to completing it and am SO excited to bring this information to the world! Life is starting to really pick up pace and amazing things are happening all the time. It is so incredible to watch as all these pieces begin to fall into place. So, if you want a sneak-peek into this e-course that will totally revolutionize your relationship with your children and the world, go to

http://www.positive-parenting-for-life.com/sneak-peek.html

I am also going to be on best-selling author and speaker, Carol Tuttle's radio show on Monday October 5, 2009 at 7:00 Mountain Time. Go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/CarolTuttle for details. You can listen online, call in, or listen to the recorded podcast after the show.
Here are a couple of pics to whet your whistle.

From the Land of Ranch and Honey

2009-08-31T21:57:00.000-07:00

Talking to my Eli about bees today and explaining how they take pollen from flowers and make honey.

As we all know, Eli's two favorite condiments are honey and ranch combined (not my personal fav, but whatever I guess).

After thinking for a bit, he informed me that bees make honey AND ranch.

Talented bees.

A Successfull Experiment in the Laboratory of Parenthood

2009-08-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

One thing Brandon and I have learned recently is the importance of being able to switch our emotions. When feeling sad, you have the ability to switch that emotion to happy. When you become frustrated, you can be calm. You can make this switch as quickly as changing the channel on the TV. (Though it takes a bit of practice...maybe slightly more than a bit).

We always are in control of how we choose to respond to things around us. Victor Frankl (a survivor of Auschwitz in WWII Germany) wrote in his book Man's Search For Meaning, that through his horrendous experiences at the hands of the Nazi's, he realized that no one was able to force him to think anything. No matter what the external circumstances, he always was able to choose his thoughts and responses.

So, if we can change our thoughts and emotions just like changing the channels on the TV, why would we choose to keep it on an unpleasant station? I, personally, would much rather find a more pleasant program.

Eli is a very observant child. When I start getting a little snippy or grumpy, he looks at me and asks, "Are you happy, Mommy?" Until recently, I used to just force a smile and pretend like I was happy.

I realized I was missing a great teaching opportunity. Rather than faking happiness and hiding the way I was really feeling, I began telling him how I was really feeling. I followed that up with what I was going to do to change that. Usually, when I am frustrated or grumpy, we go for a walk and my mood improves dramatically.

I communicate to him that I am not feeling so happy and then I tell him the different things I can do to change my mood so I can feel happy again.

Last week at the grocery store, Eli started throwing a fit in the store (mostly because he was hungry because he refused to eat his breakfast before we left). It started escalating, and then he stopped and came up to me and said, "Mommy, I'm just a little bit grumpy. I want to just sit in the cart now."

The lady next to me got a hearty laugh out of Eli's declaration. It was a very proud moment for me. What I have been teaching is getting through!

Over the last week, when Eli starts getting a little out of control he will tell me he is "feeling just a little bit grumpy" and either curl up in the chair, go up to his room for a bit, or go outside and play!! Needless to say, I am ecstatic to see these changes in my little 3-year-old!

I can only think of how knowing that he can control his emotions and he never has to allow his emotions to control him will affect his life. Even more than that, it just reaffirms to me that if a 3-year-old can learn to control his emotions, I can, too!

Man, these kids are incredible teachers!

Pictures at Last!

2009-08-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of the boys (finally). Here is a random, scattered post of our goings on.

I can't believe how fast they are growing!!! Xander is talking more and more. Yesterday when looking at a photo album he started saying Grandma and Grandpa (sounded much like gra-gra). He will answer an adorable, breathy "yes" to any question you ask him. This is quite fun! He is such a lover and snuggler and is cutting his first molar (ouch)!

He has to be into EVERYTHING Eli is doing and we have a bit of WWF in our own house, not just on the TV!! Such great entertainment.

My favorite thing Eli says now is when he is asking for something, he says "Can I want some?" So funny!

The other day in the grocery store Eli was starting to throw a fit and I asked him what was going on. He looked at me and said, "I'm just feeling a little bit grumpy. Can I want to sit in the cart?" The lady next to us burst into laughter.

They are both HUGE fans of dirt and playing in the river. Outside is the only place we love to be, which is fine with me. Enjoy summer while it lasts!

We love doing yoga together. The boys have a mean downward dog! We have been learning German in the car. Xander's favorite German word is "nein" (aka "no"). No real surprise there.

Kids are just so dang smart! They will continually amaze us if we keep giving them fun things to learn.

Without further ado, here are the boys!

My New Article and Website

2009-08-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

You might have noticed my lack of posts lately...I haven't dropped off the face of the planet contrary to popular rumors. I've been busy with my kids and also busy working on creating a website and awesome resources for parents from all the stuff I've been studying the past year.

So, if you are so inclined, check out my website! Here is a link to a free article I wrote that shows an amazing way to interact with your kids and make a huge impact on their lives.

So check out my website www.PositiveParentingForLife.com and let me know what you think. (One of these days I will post some more pics and antics of my boys. I can't believe how much they are growing and how fun they are)

Oh Baby! Where'd my Baby go?

2009-07-06T10:04:00.001-07:00

Xander is 14 months old now. He is talking, walking, running, jumping (well if the effort he puts into it counts, then he is), and talking more and more. He is getting SO BIG!!! What happened to my little baby?

My awesome neighbor had her little baby last week and seeing a brand new baby makes me get all gushy and overflowing with all those sweet, sweet memories of holding my boys when they were brand new. Those memories almost overpower me with the love and awe that I felt in those early days. Then I look at my kids (who really look like giants in comparison to the size they were when we first met) and am just amazed...

What an incredible thing to watch these kids grow!

Xander loves to try and do anything and everything Eli is doing. He asks what EVERYTHING is about 10 times to make sure you are consistent in your answers before he files that little tidbit away. He is saying Mommy, Daddy, Eli (pronounced eee-iiii - similar to e i e i oh in Old Macdonald) kitty, bike moon, ball, balloon, water, bath, splash, cheese, this, that, go, shoes, hi, hello, phone and some others I am not remembering right now.

He is so SWEET! He loves to give hugs and slobbery kisses. He is so affectionate and loves to snuggle and 'read' books to us (he is very confident in his babbling and turning pages).

He, like everyone else in this household, is happiest when outside doing things, anything, especially if it involves water.

We just completed two weeks of swimming lessons and both boys are fearless fish. We are going to be frequenting the pool quite a bit this summer, mostly driven by the need to be out doing something but it is just too hot for little kidlets to just walk the streets all summer.

As for Eli, he is POTTY TRAINING! He has done so dang well! I must admit that this has been my least favorite thing about being a mommy, second to sleep deprivation. It is just messy and inconvenient - you just can't get around that. However, it will be SO very nice once we have achieved the end result of this venture! Stickers have been a great source of motivation for Eli. What a wonderful invention.

I just can't get over how much I love these kids! They never cease to amaze me or melt my heart (and try my patience). Such amazing creatures! They will teach you heaps and loads about yourself...

Happy Indpendence Day

2009-07-04T13:26:00.001-07:00

I am most grateful for the freedoms we enjoy in this country in this day in age. Many have contributed generously to the ideal that all should be free from servitude and slavery. I express my deepest, most heartfelt gratitude for their efforts, time, and lives.

So creative

2009-06-04T10:41:00.001-07:00

Little children are very similar to parrots in many ways. They screech and make a mess, and they also get creative in repeating what you say.

When the kids get a bonk or owwie (those are such mommy words), we have been telling them to shake it off and then in an excited voice tell them that now we get to watch their amazing body fix it. It has worked pretty well!

Yesterday Eli walked up to me and totally punched me in the charlie-horse zone and, quite naturally I winced and said "Ow!" and looked hurt. Eli looked into my face with glowing eyes and said, "Mommy, now we get to watch your body fix it!"

Ah, the lessons we learn from little people...

Regression

2009-06-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

The other day Eli fell off his bike and scraped his arm a bit. Since then he has had no desire to ride his bike at all and really wants nothing to do with it. This is quite sad because he was doing SO awesome riding it!

Another fun thing we have completely regressed in is potty training. He has no desire to have Lightning McQueen envelop his bum and will only let me put a diaper on him. *Sigh* Should I push it or should I wait for a willing participant? I have no idea what I am doing and am open to suggestions.

Well, Xander is literally covered in refried beans and demanding to be released from his high chair. I guess I should get the fire hose out and clean him and the kitchen up.

Happy Birthday Eli!

2009-06-02T08:08:00.001-07:00

This time three years ago I was holding a brand new, very sweet and tiny little Eli in my arms for the first time.

I was so intoxicated with that new baby smell and relished in just sniffing the top of his head (I know I'm weird). It was such a relief to have the pregnancy part over and more than a little intimidating to begin the out-of-the-belly-responsible-for-this-little-person bit.

Eli weighed 5 lb 8 oz and was 19 inches long. He had a head full of dark hair. He was born 3 weeks early and was perfect and healthy. What a little miracle.

Thus far, he has spent the morning hucking cheerios around the kitchen, playing with his Dodge, and picking on Xander. I think we need to get out of the house (after I clean up the cheerios and milk that are lining my kitchen).

So Silly

2009-06-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

We went to tuck Eli in last night and this is where we found him. Looks like unconsciousness crept in and caught him off guard.

And in case you were wondering, his room is never this messy. I would never allow such a thing ;-)

Some fun pics

2009-06-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures my dad took yesterday. It is getting more challenging to get a good group photo. Boys are so wiggly!

The mind of a 3-year-old

2009-05-31T20:58:00.000-07:00

For about 6 months Eli has asserted the reason we brush and floss our teeth is because we have spiders on them and we need to get the spiders off. Strange, but cute.

Tonight while we were flossing he started talking while my fingers were in the back of his mouth. I took my fingers out to hear what he was saying, and he said, "Mommy, I have beautiful spiders on my teeth!"

My Boys

2009-05-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

So Eli is totally rocking this potty training thing! I have totally been the one dragging my feet. He is ready and has no desire to soil his precious Lighting McQueen underpants. Go Eli!

Xander has taken a strong liking to bathing in the dog's water dish. I even got the little wading pool out, but he still prefers the water dish.

Eli's birthday is on Tuesday. What??? My baby is going to be 3??? No way! Craziness...

Xander is walking SO well and is taking. He loves to walk up to everyone and anyone and say "Hi!" So adorable.

Love 'em!

To be a mother of a 3-year-old

2009-05-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

To be a mother of a 3-year-old is to be in a constant state of negotiations.

These are not just any 'ole person off the streets, these are trained professionals that can reduce even the most hardened of adults to tears.

They are rigorous, ruthless, and relentless. The Geneva Convention does not apply. All forms of torture are fair game: sleep deprivation, extreme mental duress, and pushing your limits repeatedly until you are not quite sure how it is that you haven't been committed to an institution (which at times seems a blissful vacation paradise - everything is clean, white, and you can just sit there and drool a bit in awe of the splendid silence. Hey, you can even go to the bathroom all by yourself without anyone pounding on the door demanding to be let in so you don't keep all the fun to yourself).

Despite the limits to which you are pushed, these limits are pushed even further. You are still the mom. There are no little white men coming to take you away (rescuing angels, I would call them). Even if you lose your cool and yell at your child, spank them, and put them in time out - you are still the mom.

After some tears (from both parties) and reconciliatory hugs and apologies, the negotiations will soon resume. A cease fire will only last so long, the truce will be negated. Children are rigorous taskmasters and the lessons cannot be neglected long. Such is the nature of toddlers.

In spite of it all, I wouldn't trade it for the world...It is a life-changing experience you can get no where else.

Old MacDonald

2009-05-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a late night trip to McDonald's to satisfy my evening craving for something delicious, freshly made, and completely healthy. While waiting Eli asked where we were. I told him we were at McDonald's (where he ordered his favorite item - lemonade no ice. He insists I roll down his window so he can order it). After divulging the name of the healthful establishment we were frequenting, he broke out into song with his own clever lyrics.

Old MacDonald had a farm,
Eli, Eli, oh!

Man I love this kid!

I'd better go rescue the cat. Eli has discovered that he can somewhat pick him up and carry him around. Eli thinks its cool, it's not so good for the cat.

Brrrr

2009-05-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

We were at the Greenbelt today downtown and played in the river. The boys loved it! It was adorable and cold! There are people floating the river already. Can you say hypothermia? Ok, maybe not that cold, but I would never warm up again!

Oh so sweet!

2009-05-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

You would never know from this video that not 10 minutes previous they were both throwing tantrums of such monumental force it caused a major tsunami on the other side of the world along with some pretty hefty earthquakes...

On Rainbows

2009-05-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening we had a beautiful full rainbow in our backyard. I took the kids out to look at it. Eli was quite impressed. As the clouds moved, the top of the rainbow faded. Eli looked at me and said, "Mommy! Heavenly Father broke it!"

This was really cute until he started throwing a tantrum because he wanted the rainbow fixed...

Happy Birthday, Xander! Etc.

2009-05-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Xander!

2009-05-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it through Xander's 1st birthday without any tears at all! I just can't go to bed without writing down the stuff rolling around in my mind.

I made Xander waffles for breakfast. He loved them. We played around the house for most of the morning. Eli had a blast singing Happy Birthday to him most of the day. When Brandon woke up (he is back on nights now) we had a little birthday lunch with cake. Xander made a spectacular mess of himself, his cake, and the kitchen. He is quite talented in this category! After Brandon went to work we went and got the tires rotated and balanced. Both of the boys loved this! Not what you would normally think of as high entertainment, but who am I to judge? We went for a little walk this evening and played at the park for a bit, and then wound down for bed.

What an amazing and wonderful thing to be able to look at these little people and see how they grow! I have such sweet memories of both my boys' actual birth-days. It was such a powerful and awesome experience to bring two little lives into this world, to hold their brand new little bodies, to snuggle them tight, to deeply inhale that sweet, new baby smell, to hold them in my arms and feel their little twitches and movements and remember what they felt like when they were in my tummy (not to mention being to be able to eat and breathe again!!!). There just aren't words to describe the depth of these experiences.

I feel so very blessed to be a mom to these two little men! Their spirits are so incredible! I have learned so much from them and have grown so much. It is so true when people say 'Motherhood is not for wimps!' It really isn't. I have been tried far beyond anything I thought I could possibly endure, but you know, I am really loving the person I am becoming as a result of being tutored by these two little people. They really are the teachers in this relationship. They continuously offer me opportunities to grow and develop myself in ways I would never be able to attain without them.

Happy Birthday Xander!!! We love you so dang much!

I will post pictures later. We are going to Pocatello for a family party this weekend.

Still in Stunned Disbelief

2009-04-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

It sure isn't getting any easier for me to believe that my baby will be 1 year old on Friday. In fact, quite the opposite! I am watching him smile with his 6 teeth, walk around like a champ, and even run on occasion, while jabbering his own guttural baby jibber, talk (he has 6 words now - Mommy, Daddy, ball, woof, hi, and baby), and just pretend he is growing up. I don't particularly think it is a very nice game of pretend to play on mommy.

I never thought I would get all gushy about my kids growing up. With Eli, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment and relief as he started hitting milestones. (But then he was a much more challenging baby and it really was a huge accomplishment making it through that first year with him). So I am really quite shocked at the intensity of the feelings I am experiencing as I reminisce on the past year and how quickly it has slipped through my fingers.

Today Xander rode in a forward facing carseat for the first time. He quite enjoyed it. I must say that he did look adorable sitting there looking around, all proud of his grownup-ness. I guess this has induced a bit of a panic that tomorrow I will wake up and my boys will be off to college, or
bringing their babies and wives home to visit me, and on and on! (I'm freaking myself out more).

*Sigh* I guess these feelings really help me to cherish every precious moment I have with them and burn into my mind the painful cuteness of a naked bum running to the bathroom to splash in the tub, the slobbery kisses and slimy hugs, the giggles and grins, and just all the beauty of being able to watch these little people grow into something amazingly magnificent!

I just about died

2009-04-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

So, last night we were reading stories before bedtime. We were reading a little blurb from the children's Book of Mormon that has illustrations. Eli intently looked at the picture of Enos kneeling to pray and uttered, "He's pooping!"

What do you say to that?

So Proud!

2009-04-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

We have been working with Eli and Xander in teaching them to read through the method Glenn Doman teaches in his book I've mentioned earlier, How to Multiply Your Babies Intelligence. This involves making large flashcards and flipping through them really fast with the kids. It seriously takes less than 3 minutes a day to do this program, and they love it!!

So, Eli grabbed one of the stacks of flashcards off the table. These cards were names. He pawed through them and grabbed Mattie's name (our dog). He went up to Mattie and said, "Look Mattie, this is your name!" Then he went through the other cards and with pretty good accuracy picked out different names.

This is such an exciting thing!! Glenn Doman counsels parents not to test your children when you are teaching them because it takes the joy out of learning, because testing really is just finding out what you don't know, not what you do know. He says that your kids will show you what they know if you let them.

Little kids are so incredibly initelligent!! They spend their entire days learning about things. They want more, and more, and more! They want to learn everything about everything. So if your kids are getting grumpy or misbehaving, try setting them aside and teach them something. Get excited about it and they will too.

Stunned Disbelief

2009-04-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

It is true, I feel shockingly like a deer caught in the blinding glare of oncoming headlights. My baby is going to be 1 year old in two weeks!!! I am speechless. How did that happen so quickly?! I had no idea time would to start moving at light-speed this past year, especially since Eli's first year drug on forever! What a strange thing. This has totally caught me off guard.

So, the past couple of weeks, these are a couple of Xander's new accomplishments.

Walking like a champ and even running for short stretches
Saying 'Daddy' and 'ball'
Waving
Blowing kisses
Pointing at everything he can see so I will tell him what it is
Loving airplanes almost as much as Eli when they fly overhead

I just can't get over how sweet and easygoing this kid is! He is such a snuggler and really loves his Mommy. He loves playing with Eli and loves being chased. He has four teeth (two top and two bottom) and has two more top teeth trying to work their way through. He has stopped sleeping through the night since our last trip to Pocatello (I don't really enjoy waking up 3-4+times a night) and he will cry till he throws up if we try and let him cry it out. I let him cry for 3 hours last night before I finally went in to get him. He is persistant. But somehow, the nighttime wakings aren't as big a deal as they were with Eli. I guess that shows some growth on my part.

Anyway, we are loving our boys and trying to enjoy every second we have with them at these fun ages! I just can't get over how much they grow and change before your very eyes!

Little Preschoolers

2009-04-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Here are the adorable kids we are doing preschool with! Aren't they cute? Eli sure is lovin preschool!!

I Love Swings

2009-04-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

The Things that have Changed My Life

2009-04-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

The past three years, my life has taken a radical change for the better! I have learned and grown SO MUCH it is unbelievable and absolutely thrilling! My friend Dana had a post on her blog about some realizations about what it means to be a mom and I felt like I should throw some of my thoughts down as well. So here we go...

Things that have changed my life

My husband. This is a given, but I really do have to give credit where credit is due. I am who I am because of the unconditional love and support my husband gives me. He is such an incredible man and absolutely the best friend a girl could ever have. Diamonds definitely don't even take a close second to the love that we share. Besides, I prefer something a bit more cuddly as a best friend rather than a rock, no matter how shiny.
My children. This was journey that I was reluctant to make. They teach me so much every day. They try me in ways I never thought possible, but I am learning so much about myself as they do. They are the real teachers here.
Bob Proctor. For those of you who are not familiar with Bob, he is one of the main teachers on the movie "The Secret." Some of you may be skeptical about what that movie teaches, but as I have really immersed myself in all the different teachings of the Laws of the Universe, I have learned SO MUCH about how God operates and that man really is that he might have joy! And not just a little bit of joy either. I'm talking about the kind of joy I never knew possible. And we don't have to wait until heaven to receive it either. We don't just have to "endure to the end," God wants us to be happy right now and figure out what we really love to do and then do it! Brandon and I are participating in a year-long mentorship with Bob and it has been absolutely phenomenal! This man has spent the last 50 years dedicated to studying and has such a wealth of knowledge. The most amazing thing is how everything that he teaches absolutely fits in with the Gospel! He even quotes a couple of scriptures from the Docterine and Covenants in his teachings. If you want to give your mind something to chew on, really study - not just read or peruse - The Lectures on Faith by Joseph Smith. My testimony of God and His love for us and the Plan of Salvation has absolutely exploded and my awareness of how this plan actually works has grown so much! These things have totally changed the way I look at the world, myself, and my relationship with the world and every single person in it. I am so lovin' this learning.
Glen Doman. Yes, another man that is not my husband. Glen Doman wrote How to Multiply Your Baby's Intelligence, which I highly recommend to EVERY NEW MOM!! Glen started the Institute for Development of Human Potential in the 60's. They started by working with brain-injured children and in working with these children, they quite unexpectedly learned how amazingly eager and capable to learn ALL little children are to learn. Your baby can be taught to read and do simple algebraeic equations before they can even talk. And it is EASY to do this and it is JOYFUL and FUN! The thing that he said that really changed me the most, was the title he gave to mothers. Instead of "stay-at-home mom" or "homemaker" he used the title "Professional Mother." Say it out loud girls! Try it on! Doesn't it just feel nice? Doesn't it just encompass the things that we do as mom's as unshakably important and someone to be taken seriously? It gives so much more purpose to the actual job and is something to live up to instead of make excuses for. After I read that, I ordered some business cards with my name and profession as Professional Mother. (Vistaprint.com has great deals on cards just in case you are interested - 250 for just $5.00 shipping). It has given me purpose in my calling as a mommy and has given me the motivation to really live up to that title! I am throwing my entire self into this job as mom with new vigor and purpose. By the time they are 6-8 years old, they stop listening so much to what we have to say and start thinking on their own, which is how it is designed to be. So right now is MY time, MY job, MY shot to fill their little minds with things that are virtuous, lovely, and of good report, and praiseworthy. I will never have this opportunity again. They are completely open to what I am teaching them, both active teaching and by just observing my actions and behaviors. They are my little bosses. I am here to serve them with all my mind, might, and strenght. In return they will compensate me with unconditional love, slobbery kisses, and incomprehensible joy. What more could a girl ask for? You don't have to 'put your life on hold' until the kids are in school. This is your life right now! Don't waste it! Drink it up! Don't let a single drop of it slip through your fingers. There really is a time and a season for everything, but the only time we will ever have is right now!

I am so incredibly grateful for the things I have learned the past few years. I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who listens to us, and I when I asked for more answers, he truly opened the windows of Heaven and poured out such a blessing of knowledge and joy that I barely have room to contain it! I am telling you first hand, this stuff works! It is true! God really wants us to be happy and is really just waiting for us to ask and then to act . We've got to make the first move. He won't infringe on our agency and do it for us. So go ahead and ask! Then listen and look for answers. Then act on those answers and allow them to fill your life. Then order your business cards with your new title on it, because, Honey, we really are Professional Mothers!

Crazy Boys!

2009-04-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

11 Months Old

2009-04-02T04:44:00.000-07:00

What? Really? My baby is only 1 month away from his first birthday???!!! You must be mistaken, surely! I just can't believe it!

Xander has started walking pretty well now. He is so excited about this. I guess this is part of why I am having emotions of disbelief at his age. Walking babies seem so grown up!

Eli gave him a nickname several months ago of Xander-rito. Creative kid. (My new nickname is Mom-mango in case you were wondering. Brandon is Daddy-Rito or just plain Brandon when he is in trouble). Xander likes his nickname and responds well to Rito, or RitoRito. Strange how nicknames evolve, no?

At 11 months (if you are going to keep insisting he is really that old now) Xander likes:

Feeding himself with a spoon or fork - don't try and interfere mom! Eating is quite a physical experience for him and he gets as much enjoyment from the food that is all over his face as the food that makes it into his mouth.
Walking around! He still really likes to hold my fingers to do some serious cruising, but he is taking more and more walk-jaunts by himself.
Eli - he LOVES his brother even though he can be a bit of a bully and takes his toys from him just to make him squeal.
Mommy - yes, it is nice to be loved so dearly! He is quite a Momma's boy, which is just fine with me. Yesterday morning he just about jumped out of his skin with excitement when I came downstairs while he was playing with Daddy and Eli. Melts my heart! Mamma is still his only word at this point.
Going for walks
Kicking his legs
Standing up in the bathtub
Pointing his finger at things
Trying to feed me his slobber-sogged food and gets so happy when I pretend to eat some
Being chased and tickled
Snuggling!! This kid is a lover!
Playing at the park with Eli. He loves getting on the toys and going down the slide.
Dancing. This little man shakes his groove thang whenever he hears a tune playing
Making noise. He loves to bang his hands or other objects on things to see what noises it will make
Diaper wipes! He will pull them all out of the box and suck on them. Weird - I wonder if this is some form of pica...
The sound plastic bags make. And they say 'a bag is not a toy' - who are they anyway??

At this point he does NOT like

Holding still long enough for a diaper change
Mom walking away from him - height of rudeness!
Mommy trying to take her fingers away when he is so obviously using them for walking assistance. He is so certain that I have nothing better to do than to just help him walk around all day.
Eli taking toys from him to make him squeal
Mom trying to feed him when he is obviously perfectly capable of doing it himself thank-you very much!

We love you little Xander-rito! Thanks for brightening our home!

First Day of PreSchool

2009-03-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is true! Eli is old enough for preschool. A few girls in our neighborhood put together a little preschool for our rodents. Eli had a blast. They learned about the letter Aa today. *sniff* I can't believe my baby is old enough for preschool, and I can't believe that we need to start planning my other baby's 1st birthday party! Holy cow!

Xander started doing the stinkbug crawl the last couple of days! Love it!! He has also started growling. So dang cute! He finally cut his other top tooth Thursday. Yowza! Poor guy. He is really starting to walk a bunch more now. He loves it and is so proud of himself (we are pretty proud, too). He has started to detest having me feed him. He LOVES to feed himself and loves it even more when I give him a spoon. He loves making a mess with his food, and also loves to stand up in his high chair. His buckle does nothing to restrain this activity so I have to keep a close eye on him while he is in it. He always gets the most mischievous grin on his face when I catch him doing it. Stinker!

I have a bunch of pictures, but alas, I am doing well to just post text. Sometime soon I will get some new pics uploaded.

Yet another handy tip...

2009-03-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

I have gleaned all sorts of pearls of wisdom this week. The tidbit for today is if your refrigerator goes out and you have food in there you would like to keep cool (why else would it be in the fridge?), get some dry ice and put it in the bottom of the fridge and it will keep your perishables from perishing...Ta Da!

BTW, our new fridge will be delivered on Wednesday and Sears has a great sale on through this weekend if anyone else should be in the fridge market.

Bad to Worse...

2009-03-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so Eli decided to take a nap in the buff again yesterday. Unfortunately for me, it was not just #1 that occurred - we had #2 to contend with. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for our carpet cleaner!!!!

New preventative measures we will be taking: duct tape the diaper on at naptime and at bedtime. Extreme? Cruel? Inhumane? Perhaps all of those, but I really don't want to have another incident like that again anytime soon. Bonus - Eli thinks its cool.

A couple of lighter side notes that are much cuter than nude sleeping,

I have convinced Eli that there are a couple other good movies other than Cars. He now really likes "Shovel and the Tractory" (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

Xander is getting much better at walking and is getting more brave. He is so sweet and snuggly! I can't believe he is almost 1 year old! We are working on teaching them both to read and do math. They enjoy this very much. It is amazing to see their little brains processing this information.

Comfy New Bed

2009-03-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

Eli finally slept in his bed instead of the floor - well, sort of...this is how Brandon found him the other morning...

Today's Words of Wisdom

2009-03-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

If one is not fully potty trained, one should not sleep in the buff...

Thank you Bissell Carpet Cleaner!

Sweet Sleep

2009-03-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

Right now I am relishing in the new experience of Xander sleeping through the night for the second night in a row! Hallelujah!

The joy of last night's sleep was tempered by some excitement generated by Eli. He got his toddler bed yesterday. It is adorned with nothing else but Lightning McQueen and Mater. We tucked him in about 9:00 and it got quite real fast. We thought he had worn himself out. About 10:30 he started calling for Daddy. Brandon went in to find the scant remains of his vitamins scattered all over his floor. He had consumed 80+ of his little gummy vitamins. Yikes! We called poison control and were on the phone for a while. Eli was in great spirits. The lady determined that we were okay because there was no iron in the vitamins (whew) but he would probably have a bit of an upset stomach because of the vitamin A.

So we re-tucked him in his new bed and went to sleep. We woke up about an hour later to Eli's tummy deciding that all those vitamins weren't such a good idea after all. Eli was quite disoriented and surprised at his body's response. We put him in the tub and changed the blankets and re-re-tucked him back in. The first night in his new bed and he barfed all over it. I guess you gotta break it in somehow!

I went in and checked on him at about 4:00 and he was peacefully sleeping facedown on the floor.

Silly kids! BTW, Xander is still sleeping!!!!

Read This Book!!!!

2009-02-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

Okay all you Moms, future moms, and girls even contemplating motherhood out there! READ THIS BOOK! It is amazing and will change your children's lives forever!

Here is the LINK to it at Amazon. You can get it for less than $10. It will be the best 10 bucks you've ever spent, I guarantee it!

10 Months Old

2009-02-28T13:04:00.000-08:00

What, 10 months already? I know, I know, time sure goes faster when you have two little monkeys running around! Xander is getting so big! The last two weeks he is really starting to pack more pudge on. So cute! He is teething like a madman (how madmen teethe I am not sure, but it isn't fun). He has 6 teeth that are trying to come in all at once. Consequently, Mama isn't getting a whole lot of sleep at night. Most nights he is up every two hours or more often than that *groans and yawns*. He still LOVES his mommy! He is walking a bit more, but not more than between the couch or chair or from the couch to mommy. He practices his balancing a lot now.

Here are some other fun things he is doing:

*Clapping, before this month he would give a dainty clap by clapping one hand onto the back of the other instead of palm to palm
*Dancing
*Horsing around with Eli - sometimes Eli gets pretty rough but Xander laughs and laughs
*He loves being chased
*He loves to see what noise things make when he kicks them or bangs his hands on them
*He comes crawing Mach 10 whenever he hears the dishwasher or pantry open - ah the lure of the forbidden gives great speed
*He babbles LOTS and still says Mama often
*He still loves taking baths and gets excited when you ask him if he wants to take one
*He loves going for walks in the stroller
*He loves for me to take him down the slide at the park with Eli
*He is far more fond of examining various kitchen utensils than his toys
*He loves to put things in MY mouth
*He loves to give wet, slobbery kisses
*He loves being the very absolute center of my attention
*He likes to jump in his crib
*He gives the best big, squinty grins that show off his two teeth
*Blowing raspberries - this is especially fun when he has a mouth full of food

We love you little man!!

A Morning Confession

2009-02-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

I was in the kitchen and Eli came in and asked me "Mommy happy?" I said yes, Mommy's happy.
He then proceeded to confess his crime.

Eli: Did you take the toy from Xander?
Me: Did u take a toy from him?
Eli: Yes. *looks down*
Me: Do you think that made Xander sad?
Eli: Yes.
Me: Can you go give him a toy and tell him sorry?
Eli: Yes. *takes off running*

I knew this day was coming but.....

2009-02-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

Oh, woe to me this day of days when my nearly 3-year-old son has finally decided to brave the world and figure out how to get out of his crib. *huge sigh* Yes, I have been ultra spoiled that he has remained my caged victim for such a long time, but I just am not feeling prepared for this new skill. Of course it was on a day where he has a cold and is grumpy, wouldn't take a nap, and has been terrorizing all the denizens of our household. (I also happen to have a bit of a cold and Xander is teething and not sleeping well at night. So we are a sickly, sleep-deprived, grumpy group lately).

To add to this new trick of bed escape, he has also figured out how to strip totally naked. Sweet.
After sentencing him to solitary confinement in his room for a pre-bathtime offense, I went in to retrieve said prisoner only to find him buck-naked standing on top of an inverted laundry basket, arms poised in the air, looking for all the world as if he is going to perform a gold medal quality swan dive.

I am so excited that the bed escape trick came in tandem with another super-fun-for-mommy trick. Oh, heaven help this household!!! I am sure I will find little puddle presents as he has totally lost interest in toilet training. I am praying to God and all his Angels on High that he doesn't get artistic with his #2's!!!!!!!!

I think I need to challenge this kid some more. He is getting bored and we are all suffering from his boredom. Get with the program, Mommy!

9 (and a half) Months

2009-02-17T12:18:00.000-08:00

Xander had his 9 month check up today. He is getting so BIG! He was 21.3 lbs (60th percentile) and 29 3/4 inches (92nd percentile). He has two teeth on the bottom. His two front teeth are currently torturing him and trying to break through. He is crawling like a maniac and taking little steps here and there. He practices balancing a lot and it getting pretty good at it. He still is just saying Mama, but it sounds like he is starting to say "hi" too. I can't believe that his birthday is only a couple of months away! Xander's 1st year has gone MUCH faster than Eli's 1st year.

Sorry I'm such a slacker with pictures and posts lately. These two little monkeys are sure keeping me busy! I'll try and get some posted soon.

One Those Mornings

2009-02-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

This morning (after Xander woke up repeatedly through the night) both of my sweet children were awake at 6am. *sigh* We began our morning with two tired kids that were screeching and bickering. *bigger sigh* Xander must be teething again because he has started his Nazgul Parakeet shriek of death again. *wince and sigh*

I did manage to get Xander to take a little early morning nap *sigh of relief* While Xander was snoozing fitfully, Eli and I were drawing and writing on our dry erase board. Eli was asking me to spell different words and then attempting to copy them in his 2-year-old manner. He started drawing his own word and I asked him what it said. He said it was 'Mattie poop.' Lovely, no? He knows all about our dog's poop. *chuckle and sigh*

Another First

2009-01-29T20:10:00.000-08:00

So this has been quite a month for little Xander! He cut his first two teeth, he said his first word - mama - (unlike Eli whose first word was Daddy - I was a bit hurt), he started crawling, and as the natural progression goes two days shy of his 9 month birthday - HE TOOK HIS FIRST THREE STEPS tonight!!!!

I must confess I shed a proud mommy tear or two. How exciting!

2009-01-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

Eli still loves his old tiger halloween costume. I guess big kitties like milk too!

A First Word

2009-01-09T11:24:00.000-08:00

It is official! Xander has been saying his first word for about a week now, and that word is none other than...drumroll please....Mama! No surprise there I suppose. I thought at first he was just babbling, but it is pretty clear he associates Mama with me. For instance, when I start walking away from him when he doesn't want me to (which is everytime) he screams "Mama" at me until I come back. When I am not paying attention to him while he is eating and he is ready for another bite, he gets my attention with a somewhat disgruntled "Mama." (I think what he is implying in this is more like 'Hey Lady! You with the spoon! Can't you see I am starving here! Snap to attention and give me some grub! Enough of your slacking! What am I paying you to do here?!')

So, there you have it folks. This has been an eventful year thus far. A new tooth, crawling (still not really proficient at this yet but he is getting better daily), and a new word. Well, I am being vociferously summoned by my little dictator...

John Williams

2009-01-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

This is AWESOME!!!!

8 Months Old, A New Tooth, and a New Year

2009-01-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

Xander is 8 months old today and celebrated the occasion and brought in the New Year by finally cutting his second tooth! He is getting so big and fun. He is pulling himself up on things and is nearly crawling on all fours instead of just the army crawl. He is so ready to get up and run with Eli! He loves jumping on the bed with Eli and his face nearly splits with his huge grins! He gets super excited when I ask him if he wants to take a bath, brush his teeth, go find Eli, or Daddy's home.

He can screech like a banshee when he is displeased (which is whenever I put him down or walk away from him - he is a bit of a Mamma's Boy at the moment). He loves going for walks and seeing the world and he loves watching Eli pushing his dump truck all over the neighborhood. He doesn't care to let me have much time on the computer, that is why my posts have been few and far between. He is growing so fast. It will be his 1st birthday before I know it!!!!

Happy New Year! Here are a bunch of pictures with minimal or no explanation. My Banshee is screeching at me.

I know this has to be genetic..............................................A Slave to fashion, I am not!

Helping daddy fix the dryer

Here is a sampling...

2008-12-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

We had a delightful Christmas! I have a bunch of pictures, but my children do not want me to spend any more time on the computer, so this is all you get for now!

Who let that Banshee in the house?

2008-12-17T12:58:00.001-08:00

Oh, wait! That is no Banshee, it is just the Revenge of the Parakeet's Little Brother. Yes, my cute, sweet, mild-mannered little smiling Buddha has turned into a screeching fiend that shames Eli's screech-a-thon from a few months previous.

When Xander emits an ear piercing shriek Eli will look at him and calmly but firmly say, "Xander, that is TOO loud!"

Could it be due to his new tooth (yep he got his first tooth last week) and the one closely following it? Is he concerned that since he is the second child we forget he is there?

I surely don't know. All I know is that it isn't Christmas bells that are ringing in our house, it is my eardrums!

An Exercise in Futility

2008-12-17T12:34:00.001-08:00

I have come to a conclusion about the combination of Christmas trees and 2-year-olds. It is an exercise in futility. All the decorations are used as projectiles and the tree itself has had several attempts of transmutation from stationary, non-spinning object to a blender set on "liquefy."

Fa la la la la, la la la la!

BTW, our Christmas cards are almost ready to mail. These little kidlets of mine are making it a bit challenging to get them in the mail this year.

2:15 AM

2008-12-16T12:52:00.000-08:00

Bright and early (or rather dark and early) this morning, at 2:15 AM, our firstborn son wakened and started crying. Brandon went in to check on him (bless that wonderful man!). When Brandon entered the room, Eli stopped crying and immediately perked right up. With all the enthusiasm of a 2-year-old, he looked at his daddy and said, "Go for a walk with the dump truck?"

Brandon informed him of the time and that he had at least four more hours to sleep before we could get up and go for a walk. He was a bit disappointed, but he let Brandon snuggle him back down in his blankets and he went back to sleep.

Silly kid.

Santa

2008-12-14T16:04:00.000-08:00

Last night was our ward Christmas party. Eli got to sit on Santa's lap. His reaction was SO cute. He was super excited and told Santa all about some hot rods and then he looked over at me and gave me two big 'thumbs up.' It was so adorable! The darn camera was too slow in taking the picture, so I totally missed out on that one.

I've decided that my two boys are just growing up way to fast lately! Xander is starting to fit in the 12 - 18 month clothes even though he is only 7 months old. Eli is talking so much and so well lately. He is just looking so much more grown up and less like my little boy. Ah well, I guess that is the nature of the beast. They are so much fun! Christmas is going to be a blast this year!

A Babbling Fool

2008-12-12T09:58:00.001-08:00

So, Little Xander has started utilizing his vocal capacity to start to communicate! This week he has started babbling and it is SO cute! He mostly just says Dadadadadad, but sometimes he mixes it up a little bit. What is really fun is that he knows how cute he is when he does it and has a silly little show off twinkle in his eye when he is doing it.

Thanksgiving and Stuff

2008-12-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

I know this is a bit late, and is totally scattered and random, but better late than never, right?

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent the week in Pocatello with family. Brandon had to come home on Wednesday so he could go to work bright and early on Thanksgiving, but we stayed until Sunday.

We had a wonderful dinner with family that I haven 't seen in 10+ years (or more). Eli had a week strung out by way too much excitement and no naps and super late bedtimes. He did really well melt-down wise, but it has been so nice to have him home and on his schedule again.

The weather was actually quite beautiful, which is really surprising for Pocatello this time of year. We had fun going to some parks and letting Eli burn of some of his super-hyper-strung out energy.

I drove us home solo with the boys as Brandon was already home. The drive went pretty well for the first half. Xander wasn't so happy for the second half, but I only stopped once and was so ready to get home that I just apologized to Xander and went a little faster.

It was a wonderful holiday! I ate WAY too much good food and I LOVED it!

Xander cut his first tooth yesterday! What a painful process. He has been quite grumpy about the whole experience and has started shrieking to make his displeasure known. I guess the budgie tendency is genetic in my children. Oh my eardrums ACHE! Last night Xander was shreiking and Eli turned to him and said, "Xander, that is TOO loud!"

Xander also learned to click his tongue last week. He is quite proud of this accomplishement and shows off this skill often. He is trying to figure out how to pull himself up onto the couch so he can play with Eli. He doesn't really crawl yet, but he can scoot and roll to get himself to his desired location. He has the best smiles and laughs!

It snowed this morning and we went out in it (of course). Eli had a blast and splashed through some puddles and kicked the snow every where. When it was snowing he was singing his rendition of the primary song "Snow is Falling." I love his songs!

Xander's first concerto at my Aunt's house. He LOVED the piano! He loves to bang his hands on things to discover their audible properties. The piano is a wonderful thing to explore in such a manner!

Eli helping Grandpa fix the dishwasher.

Xander & Grandma Ann

Eli doing Coke shots with Grandpa on Thanksgiving. Thanks Grandpa for encouraging such a sizable intake of caffeine and sugar in a kid already strung out on excitment and no sleep. We thought of you all night as we were trying to get Eli to sleep!

Grandpa, sit RIGHT HERE!

Eli, Xander, & Andrew (my brother's little boy)hanging out at Thanksgiving dinner

Xander and Andrew (Andrew is just three weeks younger than Xander).

Eli and his cousins doing some fun Thanksgiving crafts - Thanks again Noelle! Those were so cute!

Eli always says "you guys are so cute!" when they are sitting like this.

Getting ready for a walk

Playing cars with Great Grandpa Jack after Thanksgiving dinner part I

Xander checking on Eli sleeping................................Eli doing a little light reading

7 months and 2 1/2 years

2008-12-02T08:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Xander turned 7 months old. Today Eli turns 2 1/2 years old. My little boys are growing up so fast! Xander is such a happy little baby and has the BEST grins! He loves to smile and his whole face lights up. He looks like a little smiling Buddha. He is getting more vocal and totally LOVES his mommy! It is so nice to know that he does love me and appreciate me. It is very evident on his face when he sees me walk into a room.

Eli is such a smart, active little guy. He is constantly amazing me with how fast he learns and all the things he knows. The other night we were watching a little firework show in Pocatello and Eli had the cutest reaction. When we were trying to tell him what fireworks were before the show started it was a little hard to grasp. When the show started he said, "Fire and works up in the sky! They are poofing!" It was so dang cute.

I love these little people more than I ever thought possible!

A couple stories

2008-11-21T13:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my two angelic boys and I were enjoying a morning jaunt to one of our favorite places in the world, Wal-Mart (note the heavy sarcasm). Things were going pretty well until I told Eli we weren't going to buy any hot rods, we were just going to look at them.

We moved to the children's section to get some of that pureed mush they sell for babies and Eli started getting quite impatient. He emphasized this point by violently ripping a shirt of the hanger and throwing it to the floor. I gave him the look and informed him that we would go home right now if he kept up that behavior. With all the logic and reason of a 2-year-old he looked at me and then burst into tears and started wailing. Xander, riding in the Moby, after watching his older brother get so upset, decided to join in with some sympathetic tears and wailing. There I was in the middle of Wal-Mart with two screaming kids, neither of which would be consoled.

At first I started to get frustrated, but then I just started laughing. I finally bribed Eli to calm down with some goldfish (oh blessed yellow crackers). Xander took a bit more convincing, but we eventually made it out of the store with our purchases.

**************************************

This morning I finally broke the news to Eli. We are going to Grandma's house tomorrow in Daddy's truck!!!!! At first he thought Grandma and Grandpa were coming to Eli's house to play cars, but when he realized we were going to their house his eyes lit up and he said "Go to Grandma's house and play cars with Michael and Shell?" (his two cousins who live in Arizona).

I tried to explain to him that Michael and Rachelle were at their house in Arizona. Enter 2-year-old logic again. He then informed me that we would "go to Arizona real quick, then go to Grandma and Grandpa's house." How do you explain the distance between Idaho and Arizona to a little person?

I obviously wasn't very successful because the whole time we were running errands he insisted I take him to Arizona. I think I partially convinced him (maybe) that TJ Maxx is Arizona. Probably not. It was probably just the Lightning McQueen book that I bought him that appeased him.

*********************************************

One more quick one...

The other night I was sitting in Eli's room as we were making our attempts to convince him it was bedtime as he was emptying all the contents of his toybox and scattering them all over his room, and he came across his little baby that my mom got him before Xander was born. Eli picked up the baby (by his left foot) and brought him over to me. He then placed the baby's face on my -uh- chest and said "Baby needs some milk."

Also, Eli came up with a new nickname for Xander. He started calling him Xanderito. He is so creative and always keeps me on my toes. His favorite song right now (that MUST be sung several times before bed) is I am a Child of God. He pronounces it "I am a Child of Go" and it is so cute to hear him sing the words, or what he interprets them to be in his own little language.

These little people are so fun (I'd better go because Xanderito is squawking at me and informing me in his grunt/screech that he needs a bum change).

A bunch of stuff

2008-11-19T17:54:00.000-08:00

We are getting ready for Thanksgiving. I decided I needed my haircut NOW (as I always do) and made the mistake of going to our local Great Clips thinking it would be fine for just a trim. I was sadly mistaken (you really would think I would have learned from the past three bad last minute haircuts from Fantastic Sam's). Bad news bears. I got home and Brandon was even shocked at how bad it was and told me to go get it fixed. So ladies, I may be a bit slow at math, but two haircuts (one cheap + one good) equals MORE than just one good haircut and then you don't look like you were attacked by a weedwacker. Learn from my repeated mistakes - PAY FOR THE GOOD HAIRCUT and save yourself the headache.

Thankfully the girl I went to for the repair was very good. I went for bangs rather than all short again to hide the bad haircut. Thank heavens for skilled hairdressers!!!!

Here are some pictures of some little people who are much cuter than me.

Eli "parking" his cars.

Sitting up unsupported (he kept losing his balance when I tried to take pictures because he would lunge for the camera).

Xander in his new bouncer thing. ..........................Eli managed to get his arm through the neck of hisi shirt the other day at naptime. I heard him crying and this is what I found when I went in. I had to grab the camera before I helped him fix it.

Some Stats

2008-11-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

Xander had his 6 month check up the other day. He weighed 18 lbs and was 27 inches long, the 60th and 75th percentiles respectively. He is getting so big!

Here are some of his milestones

The past few weeks he has discovered his hands and his feet and is equally intrigued by both. A fair amount of time is spent examining them and admiring them.
He is getting pretty good at sitting unsupported, until he sees something he wants to gnaw on and then he loses concentration and falls over.
He is starting to be more vocal, almost like he is trying to talk, certain noises for certain requests.
He is having fun rolling all over the place to get to an object he desires.
He has two teeth that are just about ready to break through (or go down again and keep the torture rolling).
He has enough hair to get messy now. It looks like he is going to be blond, too. Hopefully it will be curly!!!
He is so awake to the world now and wants to be into everything! He just about leaps out of my arms to go after something he wants to put in his mouth.
He loves foods and loves trying new foods. His current favorite are the little graham cracker sticks because he can feed them to himself.
He loves his Daddy, brother, and the cat and dog ( I guess he is somewhat fond of me, too)

He is still such a sweet and happy baby! He is trying to grow up too fast for my taste, however. We LOVE having this little guy in our home!

A Day for the History Books

2008-11-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

Obama (D)	\|	McCain (R)
349 162

The citizens of this great country have spoken. The first black man has been elected to the office of United States President. Whether or not you agree with his campaign, it does make quite a statement that we as a nation have elected this man to lead our country through the next four years. What a different world our children are growing up in! What a blessing it is to live in this country where we have the freedom to vote amongst so many numerous other freedoms!

God bless the USA!

Why aren't you sleeping?

2008-11-05T13:56:00.000-08:00

It is now 2:56 MDT. Eli is still jabbering up a storm in his room and NOT sleeping!!!! He has been almost 24 hours without candy, so it can't be sugar high. Maybe it is withdrawals??? I've gone in and checked on him three times now and tucked him back in. You know, nobody ever tells kids about daylight savings time and that their little schedules shouldn't get messed up just because we adults arbitrarily say it is really an hour earlier or an hour later than they are used to.

Oh, I hope he falls asleep or I am in for a world of hurt this afternoon!

The Candy Police

2008-11-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

We all had a fantastic Halloween, right? It was a great day and lots of fun. However, I did not forsee the ramificatinos of loading a 2-year-old up with all sorts of candy.

First: The Morning After

Yes, it is possible folks. The morning after Halloween, Eli suffered a SEVERE chocolate hangover. He was oh-so-grumpy and started out his day making not so polite demands for more of the same that put him in the state that he was currently in. At first I started to give into his demands just so he would stop whining. I soon came to regret my actions. He got even more ornery and his tantrums and whining began to escalate. Cold turkey didn't work much better.

Conclusion:

It was time for the candy to go. Last night Eli had his last sucker and then the candy "disappeared" in the night. I may be violating his constitutional rights of search and seizure and compensation for takings. Oh well. He's two. And I am the Candy Police. Goodbye Candy!!!

6 Months Old!!!

2008-11-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

I can't quite believe it, but my little Xander is 6 months old today! Everyone is so right - time does go faster when you have more than one little person running around! Time DEFINITELY did not go this fast Eli's first year - that was the longest year of my life!

Xander still hasn't cut any teeth yet, but they sure are bugging him. Poor guy! I know I've said this a gagillion times or more, but he really is just such a happy baby! He is such a joy to have around.

At 6 months Xander likes:

Eli!
Eating real food - cereal, peas, and squash thus far (and cheerios and rice puffs)
Bathtime
The Moby - this is getting a bit more challenging for me as he is 18+ lbs now
Going for walks (in the Moby)
Being tickled
The Itsy Bitsy Spider and Old McDonald
Eating books
Being held and snuggled
Watching the cat and dog (and trying to eat them)
Holding markers
Grabbing at cords - he still has such a fettish for cords
Sippy cups (or whatever else Eli is into at the moment)

At 6 months Xander dislikes:

His carseat in the afternoon and evening - morning is okay, but after about 2pm it is a big No way Jose!
Baby Orajel - he gets so mad when I sneak some on his little raw gums!
When mommy is taking too long to mix up his cereal
Bottles
When I take something away from him that he is gnawing on or inspecting
Having his shirts put on

We love you little buddy!

More Halloween

2008-10-31T20:52:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the pictures from our day.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

We've had a fun morning thus far. We started out with some orange blueberry waffles topped off with peaches. Since it was raining and windy, we didn't go on our morning walk. Instead, we carved our pumpkin. Eli was intrigued by the process. It was peppered with comments like
"Great job Mommy!"
"Oh, Mommy! Messy pumpkin!"
"You be careful Mommy! That's sharp!"

I put the costumes on the boys. Eli LOVES his costume! It is a Lightening McQueen NASCAR driver outfit. We toasted our pumpkin seeds and did a little craft with beans and glue - you remember doing that, right? Eli really enjoyed that one.

Well, Eli has woken up after a short 35 minute nap (I am in trouble!) and Xander just spilled a box of cereal all over the living room floor and is eating the box (about 4 feet away from where I laid him - I guess he doesn't stay where I leave him anymore).

I will post some pictures later.

Brothers

2008-10-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

Yep, I think they are officially related.

Lots of Pictures With Minimal Explanation

2008-10-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

We've had a few fun-filled weeks and subsequently I have a ton of pictures.

We've gone to the zoo twice
Played with both sets of grandparents
Played with my brother & his wife and baby who is 3 weeks younger than Xander
Gone to the local pumpkin patch twice

Its been so much fun and the weather has been so nice (aside from the crazy snow storm we had a couple weeks ago -ewww!)

Here are some pictures.

Snow at the beginning of October????????

A Few Things I Love About Eli

2008-10-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

This little monkey-man of mine that is growing up so quickly never ceases to amaze me (and never ceases testing my limits). He is such a fun little kid and knows so much!

I am feeling a bit sentimental because I recently looked at a bunch of his baby pictures and videos and can't get over how much he has grown!! Right now he is in his bed singing I am a Child of God to his mini pumpkins we bought at the store this morning. We had to read them stories, give each of them a good nap kiss, and make sure they were all snugly tucked in next to Eli before nap.

It is so amazing to go on walks with him. He seriously can recognize 95+ percent of all cars, both make and model. He loves pushing his big dump truck all around the neighborhood checking out the cars and their tailpipes. Recently we have seen a few cars with flat tires and he will notify me of such conditions and say "Minivan (or whatever car it happens to be) needs a pit stop."

We have had a bunch of fun company the last few weekends. First my parents came, then Brandon's parents, and then my brother and his little family. His little boy is 20 days younger than Xander. It was so fun to let them play together. I have a bunch of cute photos (as usual - I take WAY too many pictures!) I need to download and post. Anyway - it has sure been fun having family visit. Eli LOVES having people come to "Eli's house" and play cars and go for walks. He really is a fun little person and I just love him to pieces!

One more super exciting thing with Eli - he is starting to potty train HIMSELF!!! I have been procrastinating this task because I don't want it to be a battle! I would rather change a diaper than do a load of laundry. But the last few days he has asked to sit on the potty when he needs to go. Mostly just before or after bed or naptime, but he has a couple times during the day, too! Wahoo!!! This is going to be a lot easier than I thought! After he goes he will get a super serious expression on his face, look me in the eyes and say "Great job going potty like a big boy, Eli."

May I Have a Word?

2008-10-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

So, Eli's newest word he can read is a very important one. One that every 2-year-old should know.

It is COSTCO. Yep. He gets his weirdness from his daddy, I am sure. We were at Costco the other day and I handed Eli my membership card so he could hand it to the cashier (he loves to help out). He looked at the card, pointed to the letters and said Costco. I am not sure how he knows this one because I haven't worked with him on that particular word at all. I guess I just need to get my priorities straight. Who needs words like mommy, daddy, Xander, cat, dog, etc after all? Not Eli, I guess.

Pictures

2008-10-12T12:59:00.001-07:00

Here are a bunch of pictures from the past few weeks. Last week my parents were here and we went to the zoo. We have a pretty decent zoo here and we had a great time. Xander is getting so big, and as you can see, so DARN cute! He is all giggles and grins and is OH SO ANXIOUS to play with Eli.

We have been trying to convince him that rice cereal is good to eat and NOT mommy trying to poison him. He will take some more convincing I think. What he really wants is whatever is in Eli's sippy cups. He just about jumps out of my arms when he sees one. He loves to slobber all over Eli's cups. I will have to get some pictures of that. He doesn't want anything to do with a bottle, but sippy cups are A-OK.

Two things real quick

2008-10-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

First off - it is COLD!!!! By cold I mean chance of snow for today and 34 degrees with windchill 27 degrees! Brrr! I had to turn the heater on this morning. What in the world are we going to do to substitute for our morning walk today???? Overly energetic child will be difficult to appease without our morning walk!

Second, Eli had his first taste of playdough last night. How did he like it you ask? Well, his stomach promptly rejected the foreign blue matter along with a bit of dinner that came along for the ride. So everyone remember, playdough is for playing, not for eating!

I have a bunch of fun pictures I will be posting shortly.

5 Months Old!!!

2008-10-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

It's true. My little man is growing up so fast! Xander turns 5 months old today! He is still a little bit sick, but he is starting to feel better. I still haven't started him on rice cereal yet (mostly because I haven't made it to the store - I have to be pretty motivated to take two kids to the store). Sorry Xander, Mommy's lazy! He is very interested in food, so I guess I should get my act together and go to the store!

He weighs about 17 1/2 lbs (on our home scale) and I can't seem to get him to hold still long enough to measure him. He has grown so much! His hair is growing back in, too. I think he might end up being blond after all.

Happy 5 months, Xander! We love you!

I want that!!!! Mom, he isn't sharing with me!

Working on some teeth. The kitchen counter makes a great teething tool. None have broken through yet, but he sure gnaws on everything he can get his little hands on.

Here are a couple pics of Eli. He is ALL boy! His favorite spot in our gloriously manicured (cough, cough - well, not quite yet) back yard is, of course, plain ole dirt. He spends quite a bit of time driving his cars through this dirt, picking up handfuls of dirt and throwing it at different things, loading his dump truck up with a few handfuls and driving it around the yard, etc.

Another First

2008-09-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

This is not a first that we are rejoicing in - Xander has his first cold. Life definitely gets a bit more challenging when the people in your life under four feet tall get sick. Eli is still getting over a cold complete with snotty nose and not feeling well which he lovingly passed to his little brother.

I feel so bad for poor little Xander. He is just so miserable! His nose is all stuffy and runny and he can't breathe well, his eyes are red and watery, and his mean mommy keeps squirting this awful saline solution up his nose and then trying to suction his brains out through his nose. He has had a bit of a fever too. At least Eli is old enough so I can drug him up until the cold passes, but alas, poor Xander only gets Tylenol and saline, neither of which he is overly fond (okay, they rank right up with Chinese water torture).

So I have two uncomfortable little creatures that both want my absolute and UNDIVIDED attention and vociferously let me know if I am not meeting all of their needs. Some days I wish I were 2 again and all I had to do to get all of my needs catered to was to whine or throw a fit, have someone perpare all my food for me and clean up after me, read me stories and tuck me in for a nice nap. Sigh. Thank heavens for immune systems that can attack and destroy such pesky viral intruders!

In spite of being slightly ill, Xander is growing up before my very eyes!

He loves to play with toys now.
He can transfer things from one hand to another.
He loves to blow raspberries.
He loves to be tickled.
He still loves to be naked (and blows out his diapers at least once daily to achieve this).
He is getting so chunky! He still is not the monster that Eli was, but I bet that is probably because he likes to sleep more than eat while all Eli loved to do was eat but wasn't a big fan of sleeping.
He loves his big brother and so far hasn't held any grudges about the rough lovin's he receives from said brother.
He can roll onto his belly (he can't roll back yet, but he sure tries)
He loves fingers - eating, watching, etc.
He still loves the Moby and lots of snuggling.
He makes the cutest noise when he is about to sneeze and it dies in his nose before it makes it out.
He hates his medicine and makes the funniest faces when I give it to him. He looks so hurt, too, like I am trying to poison him.
He loves his daddy and lights up whenever he sees him complete with full body wiggles, grins, and giggles.

I know I've said this a gabillion times or more, but he really is just a sweet, mild mannered little guy. I feel so lucky to be his mommy.

My Little Helper

2008-09-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning Eli was having drag races with his little matchbox cars. He was driving two of them fast and furiously across the kitchen floor. He got up by the cabinets and stopped the races. He looked at the crumbs that were all over my normally perfectly clean and spotless floor (I wish) and quite frankly he looked disgusted. How is a kid supposed to have some serious car races on such a messy floor? He hopped up and went to the pantry and got out the swivel sweeper. He turned it on and cleaned up all the crumbs. I was quite pleasantly shocked. What a great helper.

Then he wanted to go outside and clean up out there with the swivel sweeper...I thanked him for his efforts and then put the sweeper away before he vacuumed the lawn.

Thanks, little Helper!

My Little Men

2008-09-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of these little people who have so dramatically changed our lives. They are so much fun (and a bit challenging, too depending on the day and how near we are to naptime or mealtime).

My mom sent Eli some little paper cars. He immediately requested (or demanded - a please came after I reminded him that while I am pretty much his slave, I still do require a please before performing requested tasks) that I turn them into stickers by placing tape on the back of them and then sticking them to his back. He spent the rest of the morning driving his cars around while wearing cars.

Eli's cars parked in the "garage" after a hard morning's drive

Any ideas on how to stop this behavior? It drives me NUTS!

Little buddies (or perhaps dictator and mini-servant in training - currently serving as armrest).

Eli loves to show Xander the "proper" way to play with this toy. Eli has played with this toy FAR more than he ever did when he was a baby. I guess it is more fun if you have someone to share it with.

Gettin' So BIG

2008-09-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

Xander is growing up so fast! He is getting so big (although he is a good pound plus smaller than Eli was at this age - I can't quite comprehend that!) and fun. He is such a sweet, happy baby! He loves putting things in his mouth (I guess he is making up for Eli never doing this). He LOVES his big brother! He loves to be held and snuggled. He is just about ready to sit up by himself. He is ready to start rice cereal, I just haven't started that yet. I guess I will next week when Brandon is off work. Hopefully Eli will be willing to share his chair!

Anyway, sorry for being a slacker and not posting picutres for a while. This little rodents sure keep me busy and don't approve of "mommy-gets-to-do-what-she-wants time." I have a bunch more, but this is all for now!

Mamma's Boy?

2008-09-10T22:09:00.000-07:00

So, I was looking at my baby pics that I have and couldn't help but notice a striking resemblance between Xander and myself especially around the nose and ears (wierd, I know - you'd think we were related). It is starting to look like his eyes are going to be my color, too. Some people say that Xander is 100% his daddy, but after seeing my pictures, I would have to say there is a bit of me in there, too... I do wish I had that adorable dimple!!!

4 Months Old and a Blessing

2008-09-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

After much deliberation (and much wasted time) we finally blessed Xander yesterday. It was decided quickly and done just as quickly due to Brandon's crazy schedule and coordinating with our Bishop's schedule. It was either yesterday or in October. We opted for the sooner rather than the latter. (Sorry about the lack of notice families - we are crazy kids).

There is just something about seeing those little people dressed all in white that makes me get all gushy and feeling so proud to be a mommy! I think it is just a very small inkling of what our Heavenly Father must feel when he sees us doing things well.

Xander looked so adorable all dressed up. He was so perfect during his blessing (although Eli started talking about the tailpipes on Daddy's dirtbike during the middle of it). We feel so blessed to have this little man in our home. He has the sweetest little spirit and is such a joy.

He also had his 4 month checkup (and shots) yesterday. He weighed 15 lb 3 oz and was 25 1/4 inches long ( 65th and 65th percentiles). He was pretty mad about receiving his shots, but hey - who wouldn't be? He got a little bit of a fever and was a little fussy, but like always, he is just such a good baby!

My little angel straight from Heaven!

This morning Eli grabbed a pillow and blanket and laid down on the kitchen floor and said "Nite nite, Mommy."

Eli LOVES to hold Xander now! Xander loves it too!

Eli reading stories to Mattie.

Eli's whiney face

Eli & Xander playing together.

My favorite little piggies!

An absolutely lovely morning...

2008-09-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

This morning the first thing Eli said to me when I went in to get him was "Go to the River Park, Mommy?" We didn't have anything else going on, so we loaded up and went.

We went to a different park than we normally do along the greenbelt. It was FANTASTIC! It was right by the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center which is a really cool little fish/wildlife refuge. Eli loved looking at all the fish. The weather was absolutely perfect fall morning weather! Xander slept snugly in the Moby the whole time we wandered around. It was just so incredibly peaceful and soothing. I took some cute pics I will have to upload from my phone.

Ahhh, life is SO good. We live in such a beautiful world full of so many amazing things. I love being able to share it with my kids. The only thing that would have made this morning better was if Brandon would have been able to be there...

Eli swinging.................................Eli playing in the water, we stayed in this spot for at least an hour.

It was so beautiful!......................................................This is what Xander did all morning

A little Ditty

2008-09-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

Eli sang me his rendition of Frere Jacques this morning...It started out a little something like this:

Where is Shopko, where is Shopko
Dormay Goo, Dormay Goo...

It was so cute. He loves Shopko because he always gets a matchbox car when we go there. I love it when he sings songs. His versions are always more interesting than the originals.

Bye-bye Summer

2008-08-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

We have been busy the last few weeks of summer. My mom was here, then Brandon's parents were here. We went to a fun birthday party at Eagle Island. We've spent lots of time by the greenbelt downtown - hooray for the river and for throwing rocks.

I've figured out that I shouldn't be messing with my ornery 2-year-old's nap and bedtimes. He has been much happier the last few days with more regular sleeping times - weird, who would have thought he would be happier with sleep???

Xander is getting so big! He is almost 4 months old. He smiles so much and has the sweetest little grin and giggles! I absolutely love it! He is so easy going and I still can't get over how much he sleeps! I never believed people who said babies could sleep 12-14 hours a day and then sleep all night. Now I do!

Eli is starting to look so grown up! He is talking in more complete sentences and he comes up with the craziest things. He always wants to read stories forever at night. After about a bagillion books (okay, maybe about 5), I tell him it's time for bed and he promptly replies with a "One more very, very, VERY last book." He will have just one more very last book until the sun comes up. How can you refuse something that is so cute?

It is really starting to feel like fall here the last few days. I am totally NOT ready for winter, but I do love fall! I have the strangest urge to go and can all sorts of fruits and make jam etc. I feel like a squirrel or something. I think I must be crazy! I haven't ever wanted to be so domestic, or whatever. Weirdo I am; Why I know not.

Here are a gabillion pictures (I never exaggerate)

(click on the white boxes for pictures. I couldn't get the slideshow to embed. I don't do html language well).

Did you know...

2008-08-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

I went into Eli's room this morning to get him out of bed. He was laying on his stomach with his blue footie airplane jammies driving his Corvette over the contours of his pillow (he insisted on wearing these toasty pj's even though he was sweating like a pig).

He looked up at me and said, "Mommy, cows make milk."

Why, yes Eli. Cows do make milk. Don't you just wish you could get in their little heads to see what is rolling around?

Thank you Raffi. Thank you very much.

2008-08-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

So, there may be just a hint of sarcasm in the title of this post. For anyone who is unfamiliar with Raffi, he is Eli's favorite person on this planet at the present. He totally loves Raffi. For the most part, Raffi isn't as obnoxious as a lot of the other children's song artists. Eli loves his songs and has a favorite song that he loves to listen to over, and over, and over, and OVER and on into the infinite. I am not kidding either! It is on repeat in his room right now and is every time he takes a nap or goes to bed at night. Whenever we are in the car we must listen to it repeatedly. I swear, once my kids are all grown up and moved away, whenever I drive around the streets of Boise, the sounds of Raffi singing and Xander screaming will float through my memory.

The name of Eli's well-loved song in Eli-Speak is "Iga Railroad Song" or more commonly known as I've Been Working on the Railroad. Isn't it strange (and maddening) how much little kids love repetition and become totally obsessed with something until you want to pull out all your hair by the roots and feel like your grasp on sanity has never been more tenuous?

Who really was in the kitchen with Dinah and was he really strummin' on an old banjo? Shouldn't said banjo player have been out with everyone else working on the railroad?

I am going to go and make some freezer jam while listening to Iga Railroad Song over and over. Hopefully the my munchkins will stay asleep.

Pics of My Peeps

2008-08-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

My mom came and visited for a few days last week. Eli had so much fun playing with his Grandma!

Grandma Ann. Note the vacant expression on Eli's face? He is watching Super Why on PBS. He LOVES that show!

Eli & Daddy

Eli still has these SUPER long and thick eyelashes. They are seriously more than an inch long! I am so envious. Oh well.

Xander started getting reflux so we got him some medicine.
This is what he thinks of the flavor.

My baby plays with toys now!

Eli found the true use for laundry baskets...

Daddy & Xander playing CashFlow with Grandma Ann

I love this kid's smiles. He is such an incredibly sweet and easygoing little baby. I think we will keep him!

The Mother of All Meltdowns

2008-08-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

Yes folks, my son is bound and determined to set new world records. Today I do believe he succeeded! The new record set was for the enormity and impressiveness of a temper tantrum thrown in a public place, specifically a place requiring "inside voices."

We went to the library, normally something that Eli adores. There was a little mother/baby social hour in place of story time so we went in for a bit. Eli started getting bored so we went to go pick out books. We got a few choice books on things with wheels and a couple on furry things then went to go play with the toys and color. Cue dramatic performance stage left!!!!

Tantrum #1: A little girl had her juice with her. I left Eli's in the car.

I manage to calm the beast.

Tantrum #2: I suggest he read one of the digger books we have.

With more effort, I calmed the beast.

Tantrum #3 (these are escalating in volume and drama with each subsequent tantrum): I suggest he color. WOAH! He goes to the table and hucks the crayons in their box across the room. Crayons scatter and the other children in the room look over in awe and anticipation for the punishment that is surely going to accompany such an outburst.

I inform Eli that he is SO done, we don't throw things - especially at the library - EVER! We are going HOME! I inform him that throwing crayons is making a very poor choice and he has lost his library privileges for the day and request he help me clean up his mess.

Tantrum #4: Lots of screaming! Now he wants to color.
me: Nope, sorry kiddo, you lost your privileges. We need to go home.
eli: MORE screaming. Want to color, want to read stories!!!!
me: Sorry buddy, we need to go home now.
Xander: join the screaming chorus.

me: bodily pack screaming infant (thank you Moby wrap) and flailing, thrashing, screaming child toward the door that I swear just sprouted a few extra limbs and dissolved all of his bones so there is nothing firm for me to grab onto.

eli: continue kicking and screaming with quite impressive volume and range.
me: smile apologetically to other library patrons - note the looks of "Holy Cow! I am glad that isn't my kid!" on their faces.

One of the girls at the library helped me check out our books that I was trying to just put back on the reshelving shelf. Octopus boy manages to stop crying and actually starts laughing as he helped the girl check out our books. I replaced the books in our bag.

Eli wanted to get a drink from the drinking fountain because his terrible mother left his drink in the car. I don't know what it was about this drinking fountain today. Maybe there was an evil spirit that jumped at the chance to inhabit the body of a 2-year-old causing this next outburst. Eli couldn't push the button to make the water come out so he started screaming and smacking
his head on the fountain. Then he got mad because he hurt his head. Hello, who saw that one coming?

Eli morphed back into demon-possessed, flailing, screaming octopus boy and I again resumed my efforts of corralling him to the car. No small feat.

After deafening all the library patrons and making them feel much better about their lives, I get Eli into the car. I put Xander in his carseat then turn to tackle the beast. I will admit I had to be a bit forceful to hold this kid still in order to buckle him in. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. The denizens of the seventh circle of hell were probably put to shame with their paltry noises compared to Eli's production. I am sure they were all hastily scribbling notes on how to improve their act.

I offer him his drink as a peace offering. Mistake on my part. He hucks the juice out into the parking lot. The lid pops off from the force of the landing and his life-sustaining nectar splashes all over the pavement. Whoever designs these cups didn't take into account the physics involved in being thrown around so vigorously.

I give up on peace offerings or cease fire agreements and just remove all objects that could be used as projectiles from his tentacled reach and get in the car and drive home. There were several more tirades serenading our drive home from, music on!, music off, window down, window up, stop at Pauls (our local market), shoes off, shoes on, go to the library (hah! fat chance), go for walk, and even a Mommy hugs (I do believe that would have just been to pummel me with something or pierce my eardrums - keep your enemies closer and all that).

At last we are in the garage. I go to take him out of the carseat and he doesn't want me to unbuckle him. I go and take Xander in the house. More screaming. He wants out of the carseat. I take him out and then he wants to go in the house. I go to take him in the house and then he wants to stay and play with the steering wheel. I take him in and pack his squirmy little body upstairs. Somehow he calmed enough to want to snuggle and read stories. I got some food and water in him and put that kid to bed! Whew.

And the winner of the Most Impressive Tantrum Thrown in a Public Place, Specifically a Place Requiring "Inside Voices."goes to none other than Elias Jack Nelson!!!! Give him a hand folks! (maybe a hand to smack his bottom). I am such a proud mother.

Whew. I need a nap now.

Rollin' rollin' rollin'

2008-08-14T22:21:00.001-07:00

Xander rolled from his back all the way to his tummy for the first time today! He has been rolling onto his sides since he was 2 months old. Today he made it all the way! He was so proud of himself and was smiling and eating his bib. He finally got a bit frustrated that he couldn't get off his tummy and started squawking. So I helped him out and smothered him with kisses. GREAT JOB LITTLE MAN!

He is getting so big! 14 lbs of baby lovin' He is such a sweet, sweet little baby! I still can't get over how much easier he is than Eli was as a baby! He is always so full of smiles and giggles! He sleeps so well (only up at 5 am to eat and then back to sleep!!! Can you believe it?). I honestly didn't know babies could sleep this much! It is great!

He loves watching Eli and is quite intrigued by whatever his big brother's antics. He loves being naked, taking baths, chomping on his hands, blankets, smooches, and snuggles. He has such super long eyelashes like Eli's (why do the boys always get the goods?). A lot of his hair has fallen out (he has the bald thrashing baby ring around his head). His new hair looks like it might just be blond. That is what Eli's did, so we shall see.

I have about a gajillion pictures to post, but this is all you get for tonight.

I am so lovin' that dimple!

Not quite sure what he was looking at here. He totally contorted himself into this weird position and was completely fixated on something...

My little monkeys...I couldn't get either of them to smile.

Up the Stairs

2008-08-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

So this week Eli started going up the stairs like a big kid (sniff sniff) one stair at a time instead of the little toddler way of both feet on one stair before going to the next. Isn't it amazing how one day you just look at them and notice how much they have grown and how much they have learned and changed even from just a week or two ago?

How do I love thee...let me count the ways

2008-08-07T06:29:00.000-07:00

As I am checking my email this morning, I am being serenaded by my sweet (mostly sweet anyway) little 2-year-old son who is awake early this morning after keeping him up late to terrorize all the patrons at our local mall with my neighbor and her two children. (How cruel and totally backwards is it that the later you keep this kid up, the earlier he will wake up the next day???)

The sweet smell of fresh cut hay from the field behind our house wafts in through my window and the even sweeter strains of that little voice (which can be quite loud) are drifting into our office uttering words (peppered with screeches for good measure) of "All right GTO! Hotdoggin! You be CAREfulllllll!!" and "CRAZY, dude! Funny kid."

He must be having a car show in his bed this morning with all the cars he insisted he needed tucked in with him last night.

I love this kid! I think I will go and smother him with kisses.

Yikes!

2008-08-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, seriously now! This kid they tell me is mine (he keeps following me everywhere and refers to me as "Mommy" but lately I am wondering if he really is mine) has some serious screeching problems!! And to top it all off, a few weeks ago we went to a pet store where there were some guinea pigs, bunnies, and of course, parakeets. He had a blast watching them all. So now he really does know what a parakeet is and what it sounds like. Good job educating your child, Mommy! Yippee!

Here is a sampling of a commonplace screech-fest at our house:

eli: screech and screech until I think my eardrums are ruptured and bleeding
me: HONEY! Please don't screech in the house! It really hurts Mommy's ears! (don't you love how you always refer to yourself in the third person once you become a parent?)
eli: SCREECH, SCREECH, SCREEEEECCCCCHHHH!! Silly parakeet! Silly, noisy kid, huh!
me: Yes, yes you are...
me: go and retrieve some cotton balls to absorb the blood and muffle the little parakeet's call of the wild and start some VERY fervent prayers that I will be able to make it through the rest of the day with at least a tenacious grip on my waning sanity...

Ode to My Budgie

2008-08-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

Oh, son of mine...
You are so near and dear to my heart.
At times though, your screeching is quite uncomfortably reminisce of a parakeet's song.
And with such an impish smile,
You look into my eyes and pierce my ears with your vociferous call.

Three Months

2008-08-02T06:33:00.000-07:00

My little man is three months old now. He is so dang sweet and cute! He is such an easy baby and sleeps all the time. I honestly didn't know babies could sleep this much. He sleeps until 5 or 6 in the morning, eats, and then falls right back to sleep and then sleeps most of the day. He is starting to like playing peek-a-boo, and loves to be tickled and smiled at. He has the sweetest little smile and cutest dimples! He weighs about 14 lb and measures about 22 3/4 inches (those are my approximate measurements). I love the little fat rolls he is packing on. His little knee caps look like little dimpled potatoes. How cute is that???
I love being his mommy!

One week .............................One month

Two months ........................Three months

Chuck Norris Facts

2008-07-30T23:06:00.000-07:00

My sister got me addicted to these things. They make me giggle.

CHUCK NORRIS FACTS:

There is no 'ctrl' button on Chuck Norris's computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.
Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.
Chuck Norris can eat just one Lay's potato chip.
Chuck Norris is suing Myspace for taking the name of what he calls everything around you.
Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.

Contrary to popular belief, America is not a democracy, it is a Chucktatorship.
Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird.
When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.
There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.

Outer space exists because it's afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.
Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.
Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.

There is no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard. There is only another fist.
When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.
Chuck Norris is so fast, he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head.
Chuck Norris’ hand is the only hand that can beat a Royal Flush.
Chuck Norris can lead a horse to water AND make it drink.

Chuck Norris doesn’t wear a watch, HE decides what time it is.
Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.
Chuck Norris does not get frostbite. Chuck Norris bites frost.
There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of animals Chuck Norris allows to live.
When Chuck Norris falls in water, Chuck Norris doesn't get wet. Water gets Chuck Norris.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could Chuck Norris? ...All of it
Chuck Norris invented black. In fact, he invented the entire spectrum of visible light. Except pink. Tom Cruise invented pink.
There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Oklahoma.
James Cameron wanted Chuck Norris to play the Terminator. However, upon reflection, he realized that would have turned his movie into a documentary, so he went with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
When Chuck Norris sends in his taxes, he sends blank forms and includes only a picture of himself, crouched and ready to attack. Chuck Norris has not had to pay taxes, ever.

Family Reunion

2008-07-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

We went to a family reunion this past weekend in Pocatello and Bear Lake for Brandon's side of the family. We got to see his sisters and other family we haven't seen for a long time. We had a lot of fun in spite of the challenges of traveling with two small children. They both did very well considering how long they were strapped securely in their carseats, but it was quite draining. It is not a feat I am eager to repeat again anytime soon.

Here are some pictures. (I don't know why this is on there twice and I don't want to figure it out right now).

Another Bedtime Story

2008-07-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

I have a very creative and imaginative son. He frequently will hold a cracker or fruit snack and tell me that it is a dump truck, monster truck, digger, etc and proceed to drive it around and make great sound effects. I really want to foster his imagination and help him to live his life from the inside out instead of the outside in - live outside the box/mold our society places on us.

So, tonight Eli wanted to read last year's calendar that I haven't gotten around to disposing of yet tas a bedtime story. There are some quite beautiful pictures of mountains, lakes, and rivers. As you all know, Eli is a HUGE fan of throwing rocks in water, so as we were "reading" the calendar Eli was pretending to throw rocks in the water.

He was really getting into it and he started inviting people to throw imaginary rocks with us as we pretended we were visiting the beautiful scenes in the calendar. Our conversation was peppered with things like:

eli: Wow, big river, huh. Throw rocks! Big one! SPLASH! Grandma throw rocks. Grandpa throw rocks. Fun, huh! Hi, Auntie!
me: Is Auntie going to throw rocks? Can you say, "Auntie throws like a girl?"
eli: Throw rocks, Auntie. Auntie throws like a girl. (giggling)

Anyway, we had a blast. Sorry Tricia - you throw like I do.