The Buttars: Sayin' It Out Loud

The Latest in Pictures

2012-02-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

January was the month of pictures at our house. I kept whipping out the camera, trying to capture the sweet innocence of my boys together and Noah's big beautiful eyes and chubby angel cheeks. So here are the top few out of hundreds.

And now, let me tell you about Davis

2012-01-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

Davis is such a smart boy. He started talking early and hasn't stopped since. He loves words. He loves to know what they mean. He loves to tell stories and read stories. He has started making up words when he can't think of the right word to express what he wants. He makes up names for himself when he is pretending to be a T-Rex or lion or bear. He has always surprised us with the sentences he says.

Davis's favorite color is blue. He loves to roar. He loves puzzles and books. He likes to play with his little toy dinosaurs and bears. He likes to watch movies. His favorites are Ice Age (and the others that followed), Madagascar, and The Bee Movie. He loves Curious George, Clifford, and Word World. He used to love Elmo, but I think maybe he is outgrowing that stage.

Davis loves blueberries and meatballs and bananas and yogurt. He eats cereal for breakfast everyday. With the occasional exception of chocolate oatmeal (Malt-O-Meal). His favorite thing to order at restaurants is a hamburger. With plenty of ketchup for dipping.

Davis loves School Time. He likes to learn new things and create things with scissors and glue and markers and paint. Especially paint. He LOVES paint. Davis notices letters everywhere. He will point out the ones he sees when we are out shopping or reading a book. He likes me to say a word and he will tell me what letter it starts with.

Davis has always been a great sleeper. I mean a really, really great sleeper. He napped really well during the day and only stopped taking a nap when he was 3 1/2 years old. I had hoped he would keep napping until kindergarten, but . . . oh well. When he was a baby, he would only sleep in his crib or his car seat. Vacations were a nightmare because of that. But when we were at home, it was wonderful. Now he goes to bed about 8 pm and will sleep until 7:30 am. He sleeps through Noah crying at night. If he takes the occasional nap and we have to wake him up, he is grumpy. And I mean the kind of grumpy that lasts for the next few hours. He has always sucked his thumb when he is tired and going to sleep.

Davis hates kisses. Weird, I know.

Davis is going through a stage filled with separation anxiety. He used to love going to other people's homes while Darren and I went out on a date. Not anymore. He cries and throws a fit of epic proportions. Darren has to go to Primary and stay with him. I am hoping he will grow out of this. Soon.

Sometimes Davis gets scared and comes and climbs in bed with us. Then he snuggles in as close as he can. He curls up so close to me and falls asleep. I love it. He tries to do the same thing on my lap in Sacrament meeting when he is so tired. It doesn't work so well there.

Davis loves to cook with me. I hope he will learn something. And remember it. So he can cook for his wife someday. She will love me for it.

What a sweet, smart, independent, strong boy Davis is!

Let me tell you about Noah

2012-01-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

Noah is my sweet baby. Who is growing too fast. And who is the most beautiful baby in the world. Yes, the world. Yes, I am sure. Because I have strangers stop and tell me so.

When Noah was born, he had lots of curly hair. As he was . . . um, being born. . . one nurse said he had dark hair. At the same time, the other nurse said he had light hair. After he was . . . out. . . and cleaned up, his hair was definitely dark. Most of the time. In natural sunshiny light, his hair was silvery light. I have never seen anything quite so unique. Now he still has curly hair, but it is the same color all the time - light brown. He has a very pronounced cowlick in the front so that the very front section of his hair sticks straight up all the time. Luckily it kinds of blends in with the rest of the curls on top.

Noah's eyes have always been very dark brown. They are big, beautiful, and can melt my heart. His cheeks are perfectly chubby and his features are the perfect size for his perfect face.

Noah loves to be sung to. His favorite seems to be the ABC song. When there is music or singing, he kind of bops to the beat. I first noticed this when we were at story time at the library. I had him sitting on the floor in front of me when the story time lady turned on a song. Noah immediately started bopping to the beat. And stopped when the music stopped. How cute is that! Sometimes I put music on and we all dance. Noah likes to be held up so he is standing and I help him get his groove on.

In the boys' room, there is an ABC poster that is very colorful and has animals with each letter. Noah LOVES to stare at it. We sit in the brown glider chair after he has been fed and he is so content to just pat the chair of the arm and stare at the poster.

Noah's favorite color seems to be red. He loves carrots, prunes, and most other foods. Except peas. And green beans. Won't touch anything with either one of those in it. He loves his sippy cup and actually drinks water from it sometimes. More often he prefers to just chew on it. He cannot crawl, but is extremely adept at rolling. He cannot walk, but loves to be held so he is standing up. He has no teeth, but I swear he has been teething for months now. He does not say real words, but babbles alot. Mamamama, bababababa, and he blows his lips like a horse sound. Sometimes he does that while he is eating and all the food comes back out and he thinks it is funny. He also loves to gurgle when he has just nursed and has an extra liquedy mouth.

Noah liked using a binky for only the first few months. For those few months, I would wrap him up tight, lay him on my lap, hold the binky in, and sway him back and forth. And he would fall asleep every time. After four months or so, he quite taking a binky. And going to sleep anywhere besides his crib or car seat. He falls asleep great in his crib. He naps great during the day. But when we happen to be out at church or other events, he will not fall asleep. We can walk him and bounce him with no success. Ok, Darren can occasionally get him to sleep if there is a dark, quiet room. Noah gets extremely wriggly when he is tired and it makes church really hard! Now Noah sucks on his first two fingers (usually on the left hand) when he is tired and ready to go to sleep. As I am holding him before putting him in bed, he often brings his right arm over his left hand, as if to hold those fingers in. It is so cute and snuggly!

Noah was never a great sleeper at night. Up three or four times a night all the way up to 9 months old. We tried everything to "fix" the problem, but we never knew what was bothering him and making him wake up so much. Finally, I was done. He was almost nine months old and I just couldn't get up again. We let him cry. He cried for about an hour. Then slept for the next six hours. For a few days after that he woke up once a night and I fed him and put him back down. After that, when he woke up, he only cried for a few minutes and went back to sleep. And slept through the night. Now he sleeps about 12 hours a night. Without being fed. Bliss.

Noah loves Davis. Most of the time. He loves it when Davis is silly. He loves it when Davis jumps up and down. He loves it when Davis falls down. He does not love it when Davis pushes him over. He does not love it when Davis uses his face as a road for his cars (yes, true story). He does not love it when Davis roars.

And those are just a few of the things I hope to remember about my sweet baby Noah.

Wait. I have how many kids?

2012-01-20T13:54:00.001-07:00

With Davis, our first child, I watched him like a hawk. We celebrated every milestone, took pictures of everything he did and everywhere he went, talked to him and taught him the ABC song and animal sounds (his first word was moo, as in "What does a cow say?"), and everything else we were supposed to teach him. Now, I am not saying any of it worked real well, because he was late on almost every milestone. Except talking. That one he got down quickly and hasn't stopped since. But at least we tried.

With Noah, our second child, it is a bit different. Ok. A lot different. I still watch him and try to notice when he does cool or new things. We still celebrate when he hits milestones, like his first solid food or . . . . see here is where the difference starts. When Noah learned to sit up, it was kind of a gradual process and after a few days he could sit up by himself. Darren came home from work one day and saw Noah sitting there and said something like, "Wow! Look at you sitting up!" And I said something like, "Yeah, he has been able to do that for a few days." I feel like maybe we owe Noah a round of applause for that. Maybe we will clap extra long when he learns to walk.

A few weeks ago, I realized I rarely sung a song just for Noah. Always for Davis and Noah just gets to listen in. So I started doing patty cake, hoping to make up for lost time. Whenever Davis is busy with something else, I will try to sing a little song just for Noah. Last week Darren asked when we should start reading to Noah. Um. Now would be good. With Davis we were reading him books very early on. With Noah . . . Darren's question should tell you how good we have been doing on that front. And forget about teaching him the sounds that animals make. Although, he probably already knows that dinosaurs and bears and lions growl. Very loud.

Noah is such a good baby during the day. He sits on the floor, happily playing with his toys, enjoying (and sometimes barely tolerating) being entertained by Davis. Sometimes the day goes by and I realize I forgot to really pay attention to Noah. Not that I actually forget I have a second child. Just that I get him dressed and lug him around wherever we go and feed him and forget to really give him my undivided attention. It's a good thing he's got Davis around to pass down all the important knowledge and skills he will need. If he can survive all the attention Davis gives him.

Did You Hear That Big Ol' Splash?

2012-01-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

Warning: This is a post about potty training and pooping, so read at your own risk. In a few years, Davis will hate this and I will use it to threaten him with when I want him to do something. But for now, read on to see how very funny my little boy is.

Potty training Davis has been an epic marathon. He finally started peeing in the potty when HE was ready. No amount of rewarding or threatening could speed it along. But pooping in the potty was another matter. I changed and washed enough poopy underwear to nearly drive me crazy. Again, we tried everything, but he refused to poop in the potty. Finally I started putting Miralax in his sippy cup and that same day he started pooping in the potty without any problem. Grandma had always made a big deal about using the potty, so I asked if he wanted to call Grandma and tell her what he had done. We did, and he was so proud. Now, he often asks to call Grandma to tell her he pooped in the potty. About a month ago, this is how the conversation went:

Davis: Hi Grandma. Did you hear that big ol' splash?
Grandma: (pause) What?
Davis: (a little impatiently) Did you hear that splash?
Grandma: (a little lost) What splash?
Davis: Do you know what made that splash?
Grandma: What made that splash?
Davis: The poop coming out of my bum.

I was sitting a few feet away, trying unsuccessfully to stifle my laughter. That conversation was completely unscripted and all Davis. I think Davis moved on to talking about other things, but what a hilarious beginning!

A New Year spent with Ancient Art

2012-01-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

Since my parents moved to Ferron, we have had such a great time finding all the wonderful things in that area. My dad has become somewhat of an expert on the Indian rock art in the area (and the geography of the area, but that was another excursion), and we went out to see some drawings that were about 1500 years old. It is amazing to see these things withstand the elements for thousands of years. It was a beautiful, sunny day. A great start to a new year.

Christmas 2011 in Pictures

2011-12-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve afternoon . . . an impromptu visit to Hogle Zoo.

Acting out the Nativity on Christmas Eve.

Noah opening presents . . . the paper and ribbons were the best part!

Davis opening his presents. He loved everything!

Darren and I enjoying the Christmas weekend.

And these are my favorite pictures from the weekend. They just seem to embody the Christmas magic.

We had a wonderful Christmas weekend with the Buttars family! And a great big "Thank You" to the grandparents on both sides for the wonderful gifts!

My Beautiful Boys

2011-12-15T22:50:00.000-07:00

My new hobby is photography. And editing the thousands of pictures I take. I get all caught up in the whole creative process. Fortunately for me, I have two of the most beautiful boys to practice on. So here are a few recent pictures.

Davis says the funniest things . . .

2011-12-14T09:47:00.001-07:00

Davis is a talking machine. Sometimes it is cute. Sometimes it is annoying. Sometimes it is downright hilarious. Here are a few of the funny things from last week:

While making breakfast one morning: "I am so hungry I can't think."

While Kim was here babysitting and getting Davis ready for bed:
Kim: I've got to undo your button (on his shirt) or else your head will come off.
Davis: My head won't come off because Mommy glued it on so the monsters can't get it off.
(Note: I don't remember saying any such thing, so I do kind of wonder where this one came from. But I am glad the monsters can't get his head off.)

While in the car on the way home from church:
Davis started talking about growing big and the things he would do. After a few minutes, I realized how funny his insights into what grown ups do were, so I asked him again what he was going to do when he grew big so I could remember his answer. Here it is:
"When I grow up I will be able to touch the ceiling. And I will be a daddy. And I like meetings. I will go to Mommy and Daddy important meetings."
A few days later, when GG asked what he would do when he grew up, Davis answered:
"Go on dates."

While we were playing a game where we took turns saying a word and other person had to find the letter it started with, Davis gave me the "word" W. I told him it was a letter, not a word. His answer:
"D-D-D-Doubleyou. It starts with a D." What do you say to that logic?

Ode to Kimberly

2011-12-10T08:49:00.001-07:00

I don't think Kim reads this very often, so maybe she won't mind being the subject of a post.

A little background first. Davis has developed a bit of separation anxiety. Maybe that is a small under-exaggeration. He screams bloody murder while thrashing around, clinging to me in terror whenever I try to leave him with a babysitter. Including his favorite babysitter in the neighborhood, his grandparents, his GG, and at his friend's house. It makes leaving for a date a little stressful.

Here is where the angels start to sing. Yesterday, Kimberly, my sister, came up to stay with the boys for a few hours while I did some Christmas shopping. I braced for the storm as I told him he would be playing with Kim for a little while in the afternoon. He shed a few tears and then went on about his business. Kim arrived a few hours later for lunch and he was so excited to see her. Then, as I was putting on my coat, he stopped his construction of a fort (which he called a "sport") with Kim, and said he didn't want me to go.

"But you will have so much fun with Kim," I said, hoping to avert disaster.
"Yeah. We are going to play in the fort and then go throw frisbees . . ." His voice trailed off as he ran to get more cars to put in the fort. Maybe it hadn't fully sunk in that I was leaving.

As I gathered my coupons and my list and my purse and walked out the door, I said,
"Bye Kim. Bye Davis."
And without a backward glance, he said, "Bye Mom." And continued playing. No crying. No wailing. No gnashing of teeth.

I'm pretty sure it was a Christmas miracle.

P.S. I asked him if it would be ok if Kim came to play again tonight while Mommy and Daddy went on a date (Darren's work party) and he said, "Yeah, sure." Am I the only one hearing the chorus of heavenly hosts? He loves his Aunt Kim. And so do I!

My Sweet Baby . . . Davis?

2011-11-23T13:40:00.001-07:00

Yes, that's right. My sweet three year old has decided to be Baby Davis on a daily basis. He will lay on the floor and fake cry because he doesn't know how to get up. Or walk. Sometimes he makes baby noises and just points at what he wants because he doesn't know how to talk.

Today at lunch, he was crying because he was a baby and didn't know how to eat his sandwich. And his arms were too little to use a cup. So I fed him his sandwich, which, by the way, also turned into a cactus so he couldn't touch it because it was too sharp. It apparently turned back into a regular sandwich when I picked it up so he could take a bite.

I think, maybe, the adjustment to having a new little brother is hitting him a little later that normal. I'm not sure whether to indulge in this Baby Davis stage or ignore his antics until he turns back into Big Boy Davis. Either way, both my baby boys are the cutest and smartest boys in the whole world!

If only I could know everything . . .

2011-11-22T13:25:00.001-07:00

The hardest part of being a mom, besides getting no sleep, having all your personal things broken by small hands, not actually being the one in charge, cooking, cleaning, wiping poop, not going where you want to go when you want go, ignoring temper tantrums, and wearing ugly clothes because you haven't done the laundry in a week, . . . is not knowing what is wrong with your child.

My poor Noah has never been a great sleeper, but I had kind of hoped that when he started eating solids that his belly would get more full and he would sleep better. Oh man, that is just about as NOT true and motherhood being easy. He has just gotten worse. Still up three or so times a night, but now he wakes up crying so sad or straining and grunting and crying or screeching. No clue why. And there are just so many variables that there seems to be no way of figuring out what is causing his distress. Something he ate. Something I ate. His medicine for reflux. Pooping too much. Pooping too little. Too hot. Too cold. If I just knew what was wrong, then I could try to fix it. But without knowing, we try to change different things, and then guess what may or may not have caused him to only be up twice at night or what made him cry for half the night.

Other things I wish I knew that would make motherhood much easier: how to stop a three year old from pooping in his underwear, how to get 5 loads of laundry through the washer, dryer, folded and put away all in one day, how to get dinner ready while nursing a baby, and how find clothes that fit the thirty three different sizes your body goes through between pregnancy and weaning the baby.

But other than that (and the other ten pages of things I wish I knew that I can't type right now because I've got one boy coming down the stairs with his pants around his ankles and the other one crying in his crib)- I am pretty close to knowing everything.

Things Davis is thankful for . . .

2011-11-20T22:07:00.001-07:00

Davis has a lot of quirky . . . issues. One of them is not going to nursery by himself anymore. Darren goes with him and stays the whole time. Which is kind of annoying for him, I think, but great for me because he is able to tell me about all the funny things Davis says.

This week in nursery:
Question from the leaders: "Do any of you have a big brother or sister? Does anyone have a little brother or sister?"
Davis: "I have a baby brother and Fluffy Wuffy is his nick name." (This is Davis's nickname for Noah. He came up with it all by himself. I'm hoping it dies out after awhile.)

Question from the leaders, asking each child: "What are you thankful for?"
Davis: "I'm thankful I get ice cream when I poop in the potty." (Yep. That's right. Some days I really, really want him to poop in the potty. So we can all go for ice cream. Just fyi - this positive consequence (aka. bribe) has not proved successful.)
They did not ask any other kids after Davis's oh-so-appropriate comment.

Messes and Cookies - almost synonymous

2011-11-19T15:10:00.001-07:00

Davis and I made gluten-free sugar cookies yesterday. We also made several glorious messes in the process. First you have to make the dough (using a "flour blend" made from several different gluten-free flour-like substances) and then let it sit in the fridge to firm up. Mess #1. Cleaned it up and had lunch.

Then you take the dough out of the fridge, roll it out, cut out the cookies and bake it. Mess #2. Davis had his own little pile of dough that he rolled and re-rolled. It kept getting smaller because he kept eating the pieces that cracked on the edges.

Then you frost the cookies after they have cooled. Mess #3. Davis gets his own bowl of frosting to use because he licks his knife to "clean it" (he says) before he puts it back in the bowl. Every time. Those are not the cookies we share with others.

The cookies turned out pretty yummy. And all the steps and all the messes filled our day and kept Davis happy and busy.

Thanks for Dinner!

2011-11-17T21:24:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to record this little memory . . .

Often in the middle of dinner, Davis will say, "Thanks for making me dinner, Mom. It's delicious." No prompting. How sweet is that?

The Pros and Cons of Motherhood

2011-11-06T20:06:00.002-07:00

I have been absent from my blog for a very good reason. Lack of sleep. Noah has never been a good sleeper at night, and the last few weeks he has just gotten worse. I found that 6 months of not enough sleep was my breaking point. Poor Davis has had to deal with a mom who can barely function, let alone play well, discipline well, teach well, or cook well. But the last night or two Noah has slept a little bit better and yesterday was a fantastic day, kind of kick-starting my "umph." So to catch you up, we are going to play a little game of "Pros and Cons."

Pro: Dressing my kids up for Halloween. Davis was determined to be an elephant for Halloween. An elephant. It's hard, and expensive, to find an elephant costume to fit a big toddler. It is equally hard to make one. But, due to a stroke of good luck, I mentioned needing an elephant costume in a YW presidency meeting and one of the other leaders had a toddler-sized elephant costume. So I found a giraffe costume on sale for Noah, I dressed up as a safari tour guide, and Darren dressed up as a tourist on safari. We looked awesome at the Ward Halloween Carnival.

Con: On Halloween I was so tired and ornery, the day was awful. Davis refused to wear his costume to the Treehouse Museum Pumpkin Party.

But in the end, Halloween night turned out really fun. Davis went trick-or-treating with Ty and Livy (cousins) on Nana and Bumpa's road and it was nice and warm and we carried Noah in his giraffe costume and we all had a great time.

Pro: Raking leaves with Davis so he can jump in them over and over.
Con: And over and over. And again the next day.

Pro: Watching Davis and Noah grow.
Con: Having to buy them new clothes at the beginning of each season. Last year we didn't buy snow clothes for Davis because he wasn't a big fan of the snow. So this year, we had to buy it all: coat, gloves, snow pants, and boots. After looking around, we realized boots would not be cheap. We found some on sale at JCPenny's, where we also had a coupon, for $25 (with the coupon). Ugg.

But here is where the Con turns into something beautiful. I stopped at Kid to Kid on my way to JCPennys. And found boots in Davis's size. And snow pants. And a coat for Noah. All for less than the boots would have been at the other store. And that is what made Saturday so great. The euphoria of finding a bargain. And all of a sudden, I felt like I might survive this go round with whatever sleep I get. I know. Weird thing to make such a difference.

Saturday I also got around to making DIY baby leg warmers, made from women's knee high socks. I made warm black ones and brown ones to put on Noah, under his pants in the winter when we go out. They can also go on Davis under his pants to protect his ankles from any snow that might get under his boots. I know. Amazing.

Pro: Being home to see it all happen.
Con: Imminent insanity.

"The heart man can open my belly."

2011-10-17T07:55:00.000-06:00

Davis is a boy of repetition. Each morning we eat the same thing for breakfast (cereal, mostly Frosted Mini Wheats) and have the same conversation.

Davis points proudly to his empty cereal bowl.
Me: "What? Where did all your cereal go?"
Davis, pointing to his belly: "In my belly!"
Me: "Let me see." And I tickle his belly.

One morning there was a deviation from the normal exchange. Following the tickling, Davis said,
"The heart man can open my belly and see inside."
Me:????? After a moment of recovery, I asked, "The heart man? You mean like a doctor?"
Davis: "Yeah. The doctor can open my belly and check out my frosted mini wheats."
And then we moved on to other important breakfast conversation. To say the least, I was slightly perturbed (a weird word, but I couldn't think of a better one) about what he had said and I had no idea where he had heard about this heart man who could open his belly.

So, about two weeks later, we had the same conversation and Davis mentioned the heart man who could open his belly and see his cereal (he may have called him a doctor this time, I can't remember). This time I was a little more prepared.
Me: "Where did you learn about this heart man?"
Davis: "In school when I was big like Daddy."
Me: ??????? Not quite the answer I expected. Davis has never been to school, not even preschool. Unless you count nursery. And, although it might be quite obvious, Davis has never been "big like Daddy." So the mystery continues, as do the enlightening breakfast conversations.

Confessions of a California Addict

2011-10-13T14:17:00.001-06:00

I feel good when I visit California. Wonderful. Happy. Occasionally a little spacey. I feel so, so sad when I come home from California. California is my drug of choice. Especially the southern part.

We recently returned from an extended Ralphs family vacation to Oceanside, CA. We visited Disneyland. We visited SeaWorld. We visited the beach. We visited. It was wonderful. And now I am home and I sure do miss that beachy feeling.

Here is what we did at the beach:

And SeaWorld:

This was one of Davis's reactions to the Shamu show! He loved it!

It was kind of rainy throughout the day, but it was still fun.

This is the end of the day and Davis is pretty mad that he doesn't get to stay and play.

And, last, but not least, Disneyland:

Watching the parade.

Davis did not want to get close to any of the characters!

Waiting for Disneyland to open.

What a great trip! Hopin' to go back soon!

Beautiful Boys

2011-09-11T21:36:00.013-06:00

Sight Seeing In Ferron

2011-09-07T22:06:00.004-06:00

My paternal grandparents lived in Ferron, Utah while I was growing up. (That's in central Utah for those who have never even heard of Ferron.) I have very fond memories of coming up the hill into Ferron late at night, after a very long 5 hour drive, turning the corner by the park, and pulling up to my grandparent's home where the kitchen light was shining out the window. My grandma would have homemade chicken noodle soup ready for us after we hauled all our bags into the back bedroom. We spread out throughout the house to sleep in sleeping bags or under blankets, on the couches or the basement floor. I most often slept on the couch in the living room upstairs, with a sleeping bag that just buttoned instead of zipped. We spent a lot of time playing with cousins out back under the fruit trees or on the swing set. Sausage gravy and biscuits were a staple for breakfast. Never since then have I tasted sausage gravy as good as my grandpa made.

Now, we are a generation older and I am taking my children to visit their grandparents in Ferron. My parents moved there last January and built a beautiful red brick home, just behind the house I visited my grandparents in. I love the whole continuity. . . circularity (not sure if that is a word, but it describes best what I am trying to say) . . . of it all. These trips are different; shorter drive, more explorations of the area, different house, I am the parent instead of the child. But they still emit wonderful feelings of tradition, family, and love.

Most of our family spent Labor Day weekend together in Ferron this year. It was one of my favorite vacations because of the exciting places we discovered.

My dad took us up into the mountains west of Ferron to show us the beauty he grew up with.

The next day we went south of Ferron and hiked to see some awesome petroglyphs found at the Rochester Rock Art panel.

After that, we drove along the Moore Cutoff Road and found more petroglyphs and some dinosaur tracks on a huge slab of rock (upper right photo). I loved "discovering" such cool things! (Ok, we weren't the first at any of these places, and my brother-in-law, Nic, actually found the dinosaur tracks. But I was still very excited.)

The next day we went east of Ferron and visited The Wedge, nicknamed "The Little Grand Canyon." It was beautiful! Such dramatic scenery! We also visited the nearby Cedar Mountain.

Thanks to my parents who played host, guide, and child-entertainers! We had a fantastic time!

P.S. Because Noah slept through many of our adventures, I feel like I owe him one random picture just because he is so cute. This pic shows him in the Bumbo we are borrowing from my sister until she has her baby.

Terrible Tantrums and Sweet Endings

2011-09-02T14:39:00.000-06:00

My oldest son used to be the sweetest boy ever. He was obedient, nondestructive, happy. I am pretty sure aliens came from the not-so-distant planet, Terrible Toddlers, and traded my sweet boy for one of theirs. Daily I have to listen to Davis yell and scream when he doesn't get his way, pick up toys, books, forks, balls, shoes, etc. that he has thrown, and carry him to his room for time-outs for all sorts of reasons.

The other night Davis was yelling and screaming and sobbing because Darren changed his clothes after he peed in them (again) instead of me (I was trying to get dinner on the table). We sat down to eat and just let him keep going. Finally after 20 minutes or so he came to me (Darren and I were at the table, calmly eating and trying to ignore the racket Davis was making) with shoulders heaving up and down and said,

"Make . . . me . . . stop . . . crying." My heart almost broke. He just couldn't stop crying and he really wanted to be done. I gathered him up in my arms and held him until he calmed down. He has done the same thing after a big tantrum several times since then. My sweet boy really is in there somewhere!

On another note, though still about the alien who has stolen my son's body - A few nights ago I was so tired of Davis throwing his toys around that I told Darren to gather up the game pieces that were spread all over the living room and take them out to the garbage if Davis didn't help pick them up. It is a game he really likes and I thought for sure the threat would work. I was even banking on a mini tantrum to show that he really cared if the game went in the garbage. Nope. He kept throwing things around and refused to pick the pieces up. So I told Darren to take the game out to the big garbage in the garage - the blue one (wink, wink - that is the recycling bin, with only cardboard in it, and I knew we could go out later to get the game - I didn't actually want it gone - it is a great math game). Davis jumped up and enthusiastically said,

"Can I take it out?"

Well, that didn't go as planned. Apparently, I need to find a better consequence for throwing toys. One that works. Davis happily took his game out to the garbage (the blue one) and later that night Darren went out to get it and I put it away for sometime in the future. I'm hoping the aliens will get tired of such a sweet boy and trade back soon. Before I go crazy.

Star Valley, 2011

2011-08-28T21:28:00.000-06:00

We just got back from our family trip to Star Valley, Wyoming, to visit Darren's grandma, Peggy. We had fun at the pool, playing games, golfing, eating, and enjoying the beautiful valley!

I cry in the bathroom - reposted from "Backwoods Mom"

2011-08-21T22:44:00.001-06:00

A friend posted this link on Facebook. It says it all. If you're a mom, this will likely sound familiar. For me, this is especially timely, as I wanted to curl up on the floor every day last week.

"I Cry In The Bathroom" - posted by Backwoods Mom.

(For those wondering where the post is, click on the title in quotation marks.)

I Can Do Hard Things

2011-08-09T15:11:00.000-06:00

My mom taught preschool for many years while we were in school. She taught those 4- and 5-year olds to color, say their nursery rhymes, count to 10, use scissors and glue sticks, and write their names.

Often, the students would say, "This is too hard. I can't do it."

And she would reply, "You can do hard things."

Well, I have leaned that I can do hard things, too. Some moms who have more than two children will read this post and laugh. But I think we learn and adapt as we go. So when I had one child, there were things that were hard then, that seem easy now. Perhaps when I have three kids (I am not announcing anything here, nor looking into the future. Just writing.) I will look back on this post and think these things are easy. But for now, I will share some of the things I have done lately, that I said to myself, "This is too hard. I can't do it," before even trying.

I drove down to my parent's home in Ferron with the two boys. By myself. Not a big feat for many, but for me, someone who normally can't stay awake in the car for more than 12 minutes, it was miraculous. It turned out I didn't even get very tired on the drive, not counting the lingering "motherhood exhaustion" that is always there. We had a great trip and all went well. It was a little tricky taking Davis to the bathroom, using the toilet myself, and changing Noah's diaper in the restroom of a McDonalds.

I took both the boys grocery shopping. By myself. Not an enjoyable experience, but a necessary one.

Last weekend I took the boys to the Farmer's Market. By myself. Darren was golfing with some friends from work all morning and I really wanted some fresh fruits and veggies, so off we went. I packed Noah in the Baby Bjorn so I could maneuver in the crowds better while chasing Davis. We only had one screaming episode. Davis wanted to go one way and I wanted to go a different direction. So I just started walking. And Davis followed about 5 feet behind me, crying and yelling and stopping intermittently to point back the direction he wanted to go. I kept my third-eye-on-the-back-of-my-head on him while we walked and pretended not to notice everyone staring at me and wondering what kind of mother I was. Noah slept through the whole thing. After a few minutes Davis stopped crying and happily followed me to find the corn on the cob. Which we did, along with swiss chard, apricots, and fresh bread. And a little Tigers Blood Italian ice.

I got myself and both the boys ready for church last Sunday. By myself. 30 minutes early. So we walked to church and thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful, summer, world Heavenly Father has given us.

See, I can do hard things.

Disclaimer: You may notice a trend. Darren is a great help when he is home. But he's got to go to work every day to earn money to fund our family. When he is home, it is man-on-man and we can each take a child. But the rest of the time, I am learning all the hard things I really can do with my two boys. By myself.

Cowboy Davis

2011-08-05T15:15:00.000-06:00

I took the boys down to Ferron to visit my parents, and my mom's parents who were visiting from Arizona. Grandpa is determined to make all his grandsons into cowboys, so he took Davis on a short horse ride. Davis enjoyed it, but was worried about losing his cowboy hat, which was much too big. The next day we built a tower for marbles and Davis, Grandma June and Grandpa Miles tested it out. Davis loved getting to know his great-grandparents and really loved playing with them! My mom got to hold Noah, who loved having something new to look at, while I took pictures.

Trip to Bear Lake: July 2011

2011-08-03T21:20:00.001-06:00

We had a great time with Darren's family at Bear Lake this year. We had two great beach days, a good time at the Buttars Reunion in Clarkston, and a beautiful hike to Bloomington Lake.

Camping in Huntingon Canyon: July 2011

2011-08-01T15:05:00.005-06:00

We went camping with my family this month. I was super nervous about camping with Noah, who is only three months old. But he slept better in the tent for those two nights than he usually does at home. It was pretty chilly in the mornings, but warmed right up during the day. We had fun around the camp fire, hiking, playing frisbee, and eating!

"Little Dude" Say His Prayers

2011-08-01T14:06:00.002-06:00

Davis has a small action figure that he got in a Happy Meal a year or so ago. It has claws and a tail, is purple and blue, and stands upright. We weren't really sure who or what it was, so we called him Little Dude. Little Dude has sat on Davis's toy shelf since then, only being played with occasionally. Until a week ago. Now Little Dude is an integral part of our nighttime ritual. Little Dude helps Davis choose his stories and sits on Davis's lap while we read them. Little Dude sleeps in Davis's bed, along with several plastic farm animals that Davis has informed me are Little Dude's friends. But before bed, Little Dude says his prayers.

Most nights I help Davis say his prayers because he is still trying to bless the food at bedtime. Now Little Dude, and often one of Little Dude's "friends", have to say prayers with us. This is how it goes:

Me: "Dear Heavenly Father,"
Little Dude (Davis bounces him up and down so we know who is talking): "Dear Heavenly Father,"
Cow (Davis bounces him up and down next): "Dear Heavenly Father,"
Davis (there is no bouncing up and down, so I assume it is Davis's turn): "Dear Heavenly Father,"

This is how it continues for the rest of the prayer. Sometimes it is just Little Dude and it goes a bit quicker. Last night I thought it was just us and Little Dude for prayers, but after Little Dude took his turn, there was a chorus of "Dear Heavenly Father"'s from the corner of the bed where all the stuffed animals and Little Dude's friends sleep (Davis was just looking in that direction instead of bouncing each individual animal up and down).

Luckily they only said the first half of their prayers.

All About Noah

2011-07-27T13:39:00.003-06:00

Today's post is all about Noah. I've posted plenty of pictures (don't worry - I've got more to post, just not today).

Let's start by saying he's a big baby. I mean BIG. At his two month doctor appointment he was in the 90th percentile for weight and height. He just turned three months old last week and he is wearing 6 month clothes. He's got these super cute fat rolls where the creases at his joints never see the light of day. His cheeks are so cute and round and . . . jolly.

His hair is still curly and dark, though getting lighter. It will be interesting to see what color it ends up after he gets done being a baby. And if it will stay curly. It gets really curly after I wash it and then stays however it dries. If I forget to brush it and "direct" the curls, they stay in chaos. Today I tried to brush it into a mohawk of sorts and it is pretty cute.

Noah is a very light sleeper most of the time. He usually takes short naps during the day. He sleeps best in his car seat or swing. At night he still sleeps in his reclining chair. He was getting up three times a night for the first two months. Now he is down to one or two times. On vacation last weekend in Bear Lake he actually slept 8 hours at a time during the night! And he slept soundly in his car seat on the beach while we played. I guess we just need to go on vacation more often!

Noah loves to be talked to. He smiles and laughs a lot when people talk to him. He makes lots of noises, almost like he is trying to have a conversation with you. His favorite thing to look at, besides people, is the leaves in the tree. He really enjoys going out in the Baby Bjorn and almost always falls asleep in it when we are out and about.

We sure love having Noah in our family and his easy-going nature (so far) is a blessing! He brings such joy to us!

Davis and Noah: Photo Shoot

2011-07-12T17:51:00.004-06:00

10 seconds of peace

2011-07-05T14:32:00.003-06:00

I love a good, hot shower. It is so relaxing, so quite, so peaceful. But, with two kids, it is also so short. Every time I get, I just don't want to get back out and face reality again. So at the end of my shower, I allow myself 10 seconds of peace, just standing still under the hot water. Because I count out the 10 seconds myself, it goes something like this.

"1, 2, 3, 3 . . ., 4 . . . . , 5 . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . ., 7 . . . . . . . ., 8 . . . . . . . . . ., 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . 10. . . . . . . . . . . ."

This is what it's all about!

2011-06-29T14:03:00.003-06:00

We went down to Mesa, Arizona for a family reunion (my mom's side) last weekend. It was a very, very long drive down. And a very, very, very long drive home (14 hours for a 10 hour drive). But that is not the point of this post. Although it would make for a very convincing advertisement for any airline.

The point of this post is to share just one moment of this reunion. Although there were many memorable moments (cupcakes and frosting covering the faces of the youngest participants in the cake walk, Grandma June winning the pie eating contest at the young age of 90, the oh-so-very talented and not-so-very talented singers of the karaoke afternoon), this one was more of a personal aha moment.

I was sitting in my red camp chair that I had brought along to make the every-two-to-three-hour feedings for Noah a little more comfy. We were in the gym of an older church and there was lots going on. Almost to the point of chaos. A lovely family sort of chaos. There were cousins of all ages running around and participating in all the activities. The parents of said cousins (I am bunching all young kids together as cousins, even though some were in the muddier category of cousins once removed or second cousins or something) were busy setting up for the next set of activities. Several moms were pregnant with their first, third, or fourth children. Some of the young adults were gathered around a table playing games. Grandma June was zipping around on her scooter, checking on everything and everyone. Grandpa Miles, the patriarch of the family, was seated in a soft, red, velvety chair in the middle of the room, deep in conversation with several of the young fathers. And one or two not so young fathers.

And the thought that came into my mind was, "This is what it's all about." This is the purpose of the gospel - to create forever families. This is the most important thing in this life - to have a family, to teach them the gospel, to have fun together, to love each other. The rest of the things we do every day do not matter so much. And that is the moment I will remember from this family reunion. And Grandma June winning the pie eating contest. Even though she cheated and used her hands.

Welcome Summer!

2011-06-23T08:40:00.003-06:00

Here are just a few pictures of the Best. Day. Ever. (Well, maybe not ever. My wedding day was pretty great. And the day Davis was born. And Noah. And there are possibly a few other really great days. But since this has been such a dreary, rainy, depressing sort of winter/spring, this was the best day in a long time.)

The following pics are of Davis and his cousins, Ty and Livy. Not pictured because we are adult women who got sopping wet having water fights with our kids: me and my sister-in-law, Shera.

Happy Birthday, Davis!

2011-06-20T16:43:00.004-06:00

My sweet boy is three years old! What a wonderful three years they have been. I'm a little worried about the upcoming year, seeing as how Davis is starting to disagree with any answer that contains the word, "No." But I sure do love him anyway!

One of Davis's favorite places to go is Hogle Zoo. So that is where we went to commemorate his first three years of life. I didn't want to go on a Saturday, thinking it would be too crowded, so we went on Wednesday. Apparently, every summer day is crowded. Especially after a long, rainy spring. But it was still so fun. There were life-sized, water-squirting, roaring dinosaurs around the zoo. Davis roared everywhere he went for the next two days.

We had a little party on Saturday, celebrating Mom's birthday and Father's Day with a grilled hot dog dinner and Davis's birthday with cake and ice cream after. A great big thanks to our very generous family. Davis has loved everything! (And it is nice for me to have something new to play with him, too!)

Noah's Blessing

2011-06-08T13:16:00.007-06:00

"I have a family here on Earth,
they are so dear to me. . . "

"I want to share my life with them through all eternity. . . "

"Families can be together forever!"

Wordy Wednesday

2011-06-01T14:55:00.003-06:00

There seem to be alot of blogs that have a "Wordless Wednesday" post with mostly pictures. I don't have any new ones uploaded, but I've always got an excess of words to share (lucky for you I don't post them all) so here is a "Wordy Wednesday" post. . .

Exhilarating: how it feels to have short hair with a warm breeze blowing on my neck.
Peaceful: how it sounds to only hear the rhythmic motion of Noah's swing during nap time. Which is right now. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth . . . .
Arrrgghh: not really a word, but a collection of letters that describes how I feel most nights when I crave ice cream. It seems to upset Noah's stomach, so I am trying oh so hard to stay away from it. And I do mean, oh so hard.
Apologetic: how I felt this morning when I threw (not literally. Well, not entirely literally) Davis in his room for spilling the small bottle of iron supplement drops for Noah that cost $24. It was technically an accident. But I had told him not to touch the bottle while I tried to get Noah to take the drops. And just so you know, that liquid is rather sticky.
Guilty: see above for my daily dose of guilt.
Excited: so very, very excited to take Davis to Disneyland in October. And Sea World. And the Wild Animal Park. Wahoo!
Clueless: Let's see, for dinner we will have . . . . um . . . This seems to be a daily dilemma.
Anxious: as we wait to hear back about a different job opportunity for Darren. He would be working at home, writing tech support manuals. He would be great at it and I hope he gets it!

Well, that is all that comes to mind right now. I didn't really start out planning to have them all emotion words, but that's just what came out. Stay tuned for more words. Possibly put into actual paragraphs next time. Probably accompanied by pictures of my cute boys.

Inspiration from a Vacation

2011-05-24T13:15:00.005-06:00

Today I found this picture in a folder on the computer where Darren had saved pictures he had taken using his phone. I had never seen it before, although I remember him taking it. I instantly fell in love with the picture because of the beautiful simplicity it represents. It reminds me of the kind of mom I want to be every day, not just on vacation.

Darren took this photo while we were on vacation at Lake Tahoe with my dad's extended family. The rest of the family had left on a hike while we waited for Davis to wake up from his nap, so we started out on our hike a ways behind everyone. One the way we found a little area just off the trail where there was a small "beach" of sorts by the lake. So we stopped, took off our shoes, and stuck our toes in the water. It was a warm day, a beautiful lake, and quiet except for the sweet voice of Davis squealing when his toes touched the water.

This picture reminds me to:

Stop and enjoy the simple moments. You don't have to rush through the hike. It is beautiful every step of the way.
Hold hands. Soon your children won't want to.
Remember that nature is God's gift to remind us how much he loves us. Enjoy it, whatever part is your favorite.
Stop worrying about "catching up" with everyone around you. Love where you are and what you have.

I

1 Month - the days go slow, the month goes fast!

2011-05-21T11:02:00.003-06:00

I have learned that time can move at different speeds. Some days it feels like time has taken a good helping of Benedryl and slowed waaaaay down. Those are the days when I have two previously sweet boys crying and pouting and throwing fits. I get less upset with the littlest boy who does this. The bigger one really should know better.

But time can race like a . . . something that goes really fast. Can you believe it has been a month since Noah was born? He already looks like a baby instead of a newborn. I have been noticing a second chin appearing and his thighs will most likely be fairly "meaty" soon. I always worry that he is getting enough to eat, but I suppose with him growing like a . . . something that grows really fast (apparently my writing brain has also taken a healthy dose of Benedryl because I can't seem to come up with really good comparisons), I shouldn't really worry.

And of course, I've got pictures to share:

p.s. I am pretty sure he is smiling at me. And if you don't believe me, don't tell me, because it sure does make my heart swell when his gas, I mean his love for me, makes him smile up at me.

Love List

2011-05-18T13:12:00.003-06:00

Some of you will be surprised to see there are no pictures of Noah or Davis on this post. I have one of Davis holding Noah, but I am too lazy to upload it from the camera to the computer, so watch for that one later.

Today I just wanted to make a list of the things I love, mostly as a reminder to myself of how great my life is.

Watching a movie with Davis and eating popcorn. His favorite part is watching/listening to it pop. Too bad the movie has to be primarily about talking animals. There are several new cartoon movies out I would like to see, but I am pretty sure there are too many talking humans in them.
The feeling of putting on my walking shoes. They are New Balance and I love the way they make my feet feel energized. Sounds stupid, but it's true.
My electric blanket. Yep, still using it in the middle of May. Have you looked outside lately? Will summer (and a warm bed) ever come?
Making cookies. Making cookies with Davis comes in a close second. It would win over making cooking by myself if it didn't require so much patience and extra clean up after.
The Good Wife. Great tv. Especially at 2 am. Confession: it doesn't take Noah 45 minutes to eat anymore, but sometimes I make it last that long so I can finish the latest Good Wife episode.
Noah falling asleep on my chest. So warm and cozy and peaceful.
Hearing Davis sing. He has such a cute little voice and he tries so hard to pronounce the words right, but he is just off. His favorite songs: Jingle Bells (this wins the top spot by a landslide), Itsy Bitsy Spider, ABC's, Down By the Station.
Facebook. I am not a Facebook-aholic, but I sure do love the fact that I can post a question or ask for opinions and within a few hours get real answers from people with real experience with something. Not just the experts who tell you what is right or best. Yes, I love this mostly with mothering questions. And book recommendations.
Going out to eat. There is just something so wonderful about someone else making the food, bringing it to me, and cleaning up the mess. Some days I love it cheap: McDonalds' Double Cheeseburger, Denny's value meal and kids eat free on Sat, Texas RoadHouse early bird specials, anything with a coupon. Other days I love it extravagant: Mt. Ogden Grille's desserts, The Roof, Toucanos, anywhere you need a reservation (makes me feel special).
Putting on a beautiful, full meal. One that has all the parts to make it look good. Roast, potatoes, rolls, and salad. Pork chops, baked sweet potato, green beans. Chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn. Enchiladas, salad, chips and salsa. Grilled hot dogs, watermelon, chips, fresh veggies.

I could list many more things I love (many involving food), but I am pretty sure those who have read this far are hoping I will stop. So I will make another list on another day. And if you have read this far, what are the things you love?

Feet

2011-05-16T10:07:00.003-06:00

I was taking these pictures:

And Davis wanted me to take this picture:

And then he wanted to take pictures, too.

Lessons from the first three weeks of life

2011-05-11T20:47:00.001-06:00

Here are a few things I have learned the second time around with a newborn baby:

I am a monster without enough sleep. Just ask my almost-three-year-old.
Don't listen to what "they" say you should do with a newborn. Just do what feels right. And no, you can't spoil a newborn.
As my wise sister-in-law says, "Your only job is to feed the baby and keep him happy." That's it. Nothing else is as important. So if that's all that gets done in the day, you've done your job.
A comfy chair is a must. You will spend 75% of the day (and 90% of the night) sitting in that chair. Or on the couch.
Baby swings were sent from God. To save a mother's sanity.
Snuggling with Noah is my reward for nursing every 2 hours. I love it when he snuggles up on my chest when he's supposed to be burping, but falls asleep instead.
I can do a lot with just one hand (and a baby in the other arm). Pitch a wiffle ball to Davis. Set the table. Read a book. Work three remotes to switch from TV to DVD. I'm really good at that last one. Even in the dark in the middle of the night. Not so good at eating. I've already dropped food on several shirts. Including dropping a chocolate bar I was eating onto my chest, where it hit with such force as to leave several chocolate spots ingrained on the shirt. I don't know how it happened. It's like the chocolate bar (which I got from church on Mother's Day - it was delicious) just jumped out of my hands.
I hate changing Noah's diapers. I hate the yellow poo. I hate the wiggly legs. I love the boy, but man, can he move.
I have never seen so much pee spray so far in the air, coming from someone so small. Get the new diaper on fast!
You really can love the second one just as much as the first one!

The Story of Noah's Birth

2011-05-04T14:20:00.002-06:00

This post is simply to help me remember Noah's birth. Because, as any mom will tell you, you forget much about that day.

I was hoping to go into labor on my own, early. Really hoping. But instead I went in on April 19, three days after my due date, to be induced. Darren went with me and we settled into our hospital room, hoping not to be there all day. I was in labor with Davis for eight hours and I was hoping for a shorter labor with this baby. Dr. Wood broke my water and then we waited. Not much happened. So they started pitocin. And the baby's heart beat went up too far, so they stopped it. And we waited. Then they started it up again. And the contractions came and so did the epidural. I will forever be grateful for the wonderful medical scientists who developed epidurals. It was fantastic. And we waited. Wait. Maybe the epidural came earlier. See, I can't remember and it was only two weeks ago. Anyway, Darren and I finally started a movie, "Stargate," to help pass the time and 30 minutes into it, the nurse came in to check how far along I was and, viola!, that baby was ready to come. With Davis, my epidural was so complete that I couldn't feel anything. This time, I could feel the pressure of the contractions and of the baby moving down. And I loved it. After 30 - 45 minutes of pushing, out popped a perfect baby boy with lots of hair. As he was coming, the nurses kept trying to tell us what color hair it was. One said it was dark, dark hair. Another said it was very light hair. How could it look so different to at the same time? But when he came out, he had dark hair with very distinct "highlights" that almost looked silvery. So everyone was right. At this point, he has dark hair, that looks much lighter when he is in the light. It was a total of 6 1/2 hours of labor and another great experience giving birth.

Going to the hospital, we had narrowed down the name of our new baby to Eli or Noah. I had thought that if the baby had dark hair, he would be an Eli. Light hair would be a Noah. But I was wrong. As soon as he came out, I knew he was a Noah. When they brought the paperwork for the birth certificate, we left his name blank, though, because we both had to be sure. The next day, they came back to check everything and we were able to fill in his name as Noah Max Buttars. I hope he agrees with our choice when he is old enough to care.

Glimpse Into Motherhood

2011-04-29T17:40:00.003-06:00

Last year I participated in the "Project 52: Date Nights" challenge from Simply Modern Mom . This year she has started "Project 52: Glimpse Into Motherhood." And I decided to join in the fun because I am starting at ground zero again, with a new little baby. Being a mom means different things at different times. For my son, who is almost 3, it means zooming trucks across the kitchen floor and slurping the juice from the watermelon before chewing it. But for my new son, who is 10 days old, it means just being there; feeding, holding, cuddling, and smiling at him. And not much else around the house. I know I already posted this picture, but to me, it represents my new role as a mom.
It's also a great excuse to get a little reading done.

What? You want to see more pictures?

2011-04-27T13:53:00.004-06:00

Noah

The cutest brothers ever!

My big helper - Davis

"Multi-tasking"

Welcoming Baby Noah

2011-04-25T18:38:00.003-06:00

Noah Max Buttars was born on April 19 after a beautiful epidural and 6 1/2 hours of labor. All went smoothly and it really was a great experience.

Chocolate Vitamins for Easter

2011-04-24T14:26:00.004-06:00

Because we have a new little baby in our home (more about that later . . . just too much to process right now) we didn't get to any of the big Easter Egg Hunts. That, and my sweet little boy is just not very aggressive and I'm afraid he would get run over and it would be a traumatic experience.

Anyway, my mom held a private Easter egg hunt in our back yard just for Davis. And it was the cutest, funniest thing I have ever seen. Some eggs were empty and some had candy. The first one he found with jelly beans in it, he spit the jelly beans out and said he didn't like them. The second one he found with jelly beans in it, he spit them out. The third one . . . yep, still didn't like them. The ones with chocolate were a different story. When he opened the first egg with a Hershey's kiss in it, he unwrapped it, then exclaimed, "My vitamin!" I don't know where that came from because he still takes his vitamins in liquid form. When he found a small Reece's peanut butter cup, he unwrapped it and called it his "chocolate cupcake." Unfortunately, he didn't realize there was a second layer of paper (the cup part) and took a big bite of it before I could get the paper off. It didn't decrease the deliciousness of it, though.

It was so great to watch such pure joy in such a simple thing. He loved finding all the eggs, even the empty ones. His joy was in the journey, the searching, the discovery. Not the size of the prize at the end. Not to say the candy didn't make it better, though.

Happy Easter and I hope we all get enough chocolate "vitamins"!

Chocolate Milk Makes You Cute

2011-04-17T12:31:00.005-06:00

This happened a little while ago, but I never wrote it down, so . . . .

Davis and I often sit on the top of the stairs after he gets up in the morning, just to chat. You know, review how the night went, decide what to eat for breakfast, figure out how to attain world peace. One morning he was being especially brilliant and cute, so I asked him,

"How did you get to be so cute?"

He thought about it for a split second, then replied, "Because you bought me chocolate milk."

Sounds logical.

And just to show you how cute he is . . .

Flannel Boards, Farm Animals, and Winter . . .Again

2011-04-09T08:36:00.006-06:00

I like it when projects turn out how you hope they do. Because, lets be honest, reality isn't always able to keep up with genius we have in our heads. But I am here to share a success story.

I made a flannel board. With minimal skills necessary. And Davis loves it. I bought a yard of flannel, hemmed the edges (this made me feel extremely domestic), bought a 2 ft by 2ft ply wood board from Lowes and hot glued the flannel to it. And viola! A beautiful flannel board. With nothing to go on it. So my next project was to find the easiest way to make things to go on the flannel board.

My friend told me that her mother used to use interfacing and just trace characters from stories and color them with crayons and they would stick on the flannel board. I tried it with pellon and sure enough - worked like a charm. So we (I say we because Davis was hovering about, begging to use the rotary cutter to help cut out shapes. I gave him a piece of paper and my tweezers that he calls scissors and he pulled that paper apart while I worked.) cut out basic shapes to make houses, traced some pigs, and had the story of "The Three Little Pigs" ready to go lickety split. I couldn't find a picture of a wolf that I liked, but it turned out I didn't need one because Davis likes to be the wolf and knock on the doors and blow the houses down.

On another note, Davis and I , along with my sister-in-law and her cute little boy, made it up to see the baby farm animals at the American West Heritage Center on Wednesday. We were lucky enough to have sunshine and blue skies (not really warm, but you can't be picky in Cache Valley in April).

The next day it looked like this outside.

So we did this.

Signs of Spring

2011-04-02T14:21:00.002-06:00

Getting Ready for New Baby

2011-03-31T14:59:00.004-06:00

We are only looking at 2 1/2 weeks until D-Day. Yes, the last half of this pregnancy seems to have flown by. Of course, the first half seemed like 2 years, so I guess it evens out. Davis helped me get out the baby clothes. And by helped, I mean he tossed them every which way in the living room as I was attempting to sort the 0-3 sizes from the 3-6 sizes. We got them washed, folded, and put away. We bought diapers. And more diapers because my sweet almost-3-year-old is not willing to switch to big boy underwear. Which is ok for now. . . I am too big and too tired to clean pee off the carpet and toilet and pants now. Maybe my mom can get him potty trained while she is here helping when the baby comes. What do you think, Mom?

We finally picked a name for the soon-to-be newest member of our family - Noah Max Buttars. It makes me feel more settled having that decision made. Hope he looks like a Noah, because we really don't have a backup name. I am excited to see if he has red hair like Davis did or dark hair like me . . . or no hair at all. With Davis, who came out with a full head of flaming red hair, the nurses said it was all that hair that caused my heartburn (don't know how medically correct that is), so judging by the amount of Tums I am going through, we can hope for another head full of hair!

I am Hypnotized by the Rain

2011-03-24T08:58:00.002-06:00

I am sitting on our couch watching the rain, while "working" (I am doing nothing that even resembles working, but it seems to a good verb to use) on the computer. Davis is still sleeping (it is past 9 am! I am sure this will come back to bite me when he skips his nap today) and so I am enjoying a very peaceful, quiet morning....

I would like to add a bit of irony at this time - Davis just woke up . . . the instant I finished the sentence about him being asleep. So this post will be shorter than it might have been.

My point was going to be that I keep finding myself just staring at the rain. No deep thinking. Random thoughts running through my mind. I think we will build a fort today and maybe watch a movie and pop some popcorn. And wear pj's all day. And hope for sunshine and warm weather to come back and stay for long enough to go the zoo.

Now Davis is yelling at me to "Top" (he drops the "s" at the first of words, so to translate . . "Stop!"), so I guess my quiet, peaceful morning has come to an end. And I am done "working" on the computer and will begin "working" on some breakfast and an awesome fort.

Take a Look at My Man

2011-03-18T10:11:00.003-06:00

Yep. That's right. That's my sweet husband vacuuming. Without being asked. I know. I'm lucky. And the little guy is Davis, who loves to "help" vacuum with his pop-pop toy. Or his little plastic golf bag. Too bad neither one actually vacuums. That would be the best invention ever. Our floors would be so clean.

I declared this week a week of spring cleaning. I made a huge list of little cleaning chores around the house. I find that crossing an item off a list brings me great satisfaction, so I broke down all the rooms into little chores so that I could clean just a little bit and still get to cross something off the list. I asked Darren if he would be willing to have a few things on his own list and he was ok with that. And he has worked on them without being asked again. Our goal is to be done by Saturday. Last night he offered to vacuum the living room and dining room. And it's not even on his list!

My list is going a little slower. I decided to mop floors on Monday and by noon my back and legs hurt so bad I couldn't walk. Not much better on Tuesday. So I ignored the cleaning list for a few days, but we are now back on track . . . and maybe a few things will get crossed off the list without getting done (do the kitchen cupboards really need to be wiped out?).

On another random note . . . Last night we had broccoli, which Davis loves. Darren and I were talking about something and I noticed Davis was talking to himself. He was holding a piece of broccoli in front of his mouth and I tuned in just in time to hear him say, "You can bite my head off," and then . . enthusiastically bite the "head" off the broccoli. I don't know where he got that from, but it was pretty cute!

A Sweet Sonnet to the Things I Love

2011-03-11T12:42:00.002-07:00

Not so much a sonnet, but let me tell you about the things I love today:

* Granola Bars. Weird, I know. I was talking with my sister-in-law and we decided they are the best snack ever. Because they can count as a meal (if you are not my husband). Individually wrapped for portion control. Not squishable for stashing in bags on day trips. Not much of a choking hazard for toddlers. Very unmessy (unless you buy the kind with chocolate - and let's be honest, who doesn't - and it melts and you don't remember it is in the bar until it is all over your kid's hands and face). A million different kinds and flavors and ingredients. No need to refrigerate.

* Sunshine. You know that song, "I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky . . . ) That's how I feel today with the sun shining and the warmer weather.

* M & M's. Not messy. Chocolatey. You can eat a little or a lot, depending on how the day has gone. You can put them in things and increase the goodness of that other thing by 100% . We put them in chocolate cookies last night. Chocolate cookies are good. Chocolate cookies with M & M's are fantastic. Same for trail mix. And granola bars.

* Crisp, clean sheets. Not that mine are especially crisp or clean. But the sunshine makes me think of how nice it is to climb into bed at the end of a day of playing outside, with summertime pj's on and have clean, yummy smelling sheets. Maybe it was a day at the beach and you get home and shower and climb into bed with damp hair and you can feel the sheets against your sunkissed skin. Man, I'm making myself jealous!

* The satisfaction of putting a good meal on the table. (I know this is on the opposite end of the scale from my last post, but hey, I am a hormonal, pregnant woman and my moods can change whenever they want.) You know those evenings when the main dish turns out better than you expected and you get a delicious veggie on the plate and possibly another side dish so it looks like the plates of food on cooking shows? That's satisfaction. Even if I did nothing else in the day, but dinner turned out great, then it was a productive day. I had one of those meals a few nights ago; breaded pork chops, roasted butternut squash, and baked potatoes. Not so much last night; Bisquick waffles. Tasty, but no sense of satisfaction.

Tired of being a Responsible Adult

2011-03-07T13:20:00.003-07:00

I'm tired of being an adult. I'm tired of being responsible. I'm tired of doing what I should do.

For example:

I am tired of going to bed on time. So I haven't in several days. Too bad the consequences seem much tougher now than in high school or college. Remember the good ol' days when you headed out the door to play at 10 pm instead of falling sleep during the news because you were waiting for the weather and just couldn't keep your eyes open. Now I'm a raving monster the next day if I don't get at least 8 hours of sleep (I know, I am spoiled. I'm not sure how I will handle the sleeplessness of having a new baby.)

I'm tired of eating healthy food. All I want is pizza, ice cream, chocolate, and fatty carbs. Again, the consequences seem much steeper now.

I'm tired of cooking dinner every night. I don't want to choose what we eat. I don't want to cook it. I don't want to find a veggie to go along with it (see above). But there are three in the house, not just me. And although there is one other adult in the house who could, theoretically, do something about this, the 2 1/2 year old is not quite old enough to get his own dinner.

I'm tired of cleaning. There is always something that needs to be cleaned. And once you clean it, it will be dirty again within 30 seconds. So frustrating! I could spend the whole day cleaning and you would never know it the next day. Not much motivation to actually do that.

I'm tired of being on other people's schedules. Namely, Davis's. I sure do love him and love doing things with him, but some days I remember with longing the times I used to go shopping or walking or sleep or do what I wanted to do when I wanted do it.

I am tired of dealing with medical bills and health insurance. Definitely a rite of passage into adulthood. We aren't sick all that often and only have to visit the doctor occasionally, but I am pretty sure our insurance is the worst at coding things wrong and not paying when they should so I have to make a zillion phone calls just to get a simple doctor's visit covered. Ugh.

Unfortunately, at this point in life, I don't think there are many of these I can actually stop doing for much more than a day or two. And I really do love my life the way it is. Perhaps the fact that I am just tired in general could account for all my ranting and raving. Maybe I should be napping instead of typing. Then I will call the insurance,clean the house (probably while I am on hold), make dinner (with a super healthy veggie side dish), play with Davis, and go to bed early. Maybe.

My Poopin' Spot

2011-03-02T12:39:00.004-07:00

Davis has yet to be potty trained. Perhaps that is because I have yet to try again. But that is not the point of this story. He always goes behind the table to poop in his diaper and then comes to get me to change the diaper. The other day he was pushing his cars across the table and one of them landed behind it, under the counter.

Davis said, "Oh man! My green car went in my poopin' spot!"

Darren and I couldn't stop laughing. Maybe there will come a time when his pooping spot is a little closer to the actual toilet.

A Visit to the Farm

2011-02-20T07:46:00.003-07:00

This last week Davis and I had the chance to visit Grandma and Grandpa at their new home in Ferron. I wanted to see how the drive would go (it is only three hours)with only me and Davis - it went great both ways, so we will have to do it again! Davis loved helping out on the farm!

Davis and Grandma chillin' in the car waiting for Grandpa to load the hay.
Davis checking out the cows for Grandpa. We rode in the truck while Grandpa pushed the hay out the back.
Davis opening the gate for the truck to go through.

Grandma, Davis and Grandpa
Davis helping Grandpa move rocks from one place to another. (The story of my childhood.)

Great Advise for Valentine's Day

2011-02-11T14:17:00.005-07:00

I enjoy reading a blog called, "Regarding Annie," written by a local woman who writes about being a mom, a wife, and life in general. She is usually very funny and very honest. She wrote a great post with advise for Valentine's day that I love and just wanted to share it. Click here to read it!

Another website, "The Mother Huddle," posted a list of ways to show your child love. Great for ideas for your kids any day!

And finally, last year I joined another blogger, "Simply Modern Mom" and her many followers in "Project 52." We tried to have date night at least once a week for 52 weeks. She has now created a simple list of all their at-home date ideas, many of which would be super fun for Valentines Day.

School Time: Bears

2011-02-05T09:58:00.005-07:00

I decided to try having "School Time" with Davis each day as a way to provide his quick little mind with new information and experiences and to give myself something to plan and implement. Of course, as is with many of the best intentions, it has not gone perfect . . . but still much, much better than I had thought! We don't do it everyday and sometimes I get frustrated because Davis isn't doing something "right," but Davis has really loved it!

I took our theme for the week from Storytime at the Treehouse Museum, where they talked about teddy bears. They do a great storytime on Mondays with songs and stories that help toddlers get ready for preschool. I also found several websites with great ideas for toddler learning activities. This week I got several of my ideas from Totally Tots.

Day 1: We learned to trace circles and cut them out to make bear faces (Davis cut the scraps and I cut the circles).

Then we watched this cute video, "I'm Going on a Be ar Hunt," where you can sing along and watch the pictures.

Day 2: We made and frosted bear-faced sugar cookies. This was a great test of my patience because the whole "cut out the shape, lift it with a spatula, and put it on the cookie sheet" concept was not what Davis wanted to do. He wanted to put the cup (our circle cookie cutter) down over and over and overlapping, then grab the shapes with his little fingers and pry them up, then throw the resulting balls of dough on the cookie sheet. But we finally got the bear faces on the cookie sheet and while they were cooking we counted little bears and sorted them into colors. The grand finale of the activity was definitely frosting the cookies. Davis loved it! I am pretty sure he ate enough frosting to cover 10 cookies, but he had a blast. He kept putting frosting on his cookie, then scooping it up with his fingers and eating and putting more frosting on the same cookie. We also got out the chocolate chips and sprinkles and he would put some on, then eat them off and need to redecorate the cookie. It lasted a long, fabulous time.
Day 3: We learned about hibernation. We watched this cute video where a family with small kids reads the book, "Bear Snores On". Then we made little bear caves with snow on top using brown paper bags and cotton balls.Day 4: (This activity is for today and I don't know if we will get to it). We will read "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" and then sort objects in order of size (I borrowed this idea from this post at Totally Tots).

So far, so good. Next week - dinosaurs. If anyone has great activity ideas, let me know!

"I'm going to Grandma's"

2011-02-01T13:05:00.003-07:00

Yesterday Davis and I were downstairs in the craft room (ie: the room we shove all the extra stuff in) and I had just got off the treadmill (first time in several months - I lasted 7 minutes before Davis came down because Curious George was over - 7 minutes was plenty for me). Inside the closet I have a large flat plastic bin (the kind you can slide under a bed) and an ironing board leaning against the wall (among a plethora of other junk - these are just the two things that pertain to this story) . Apparently that is all you need for a successful road trip. Davis sat on the bin, pulled the lever on the ironing board and said, "Bye Mom! I am going to Grandma and Grandpa's house." And pulled the closet doors shut. I asked if I should call Grandma and let her know he was coming. He said "Yip" and so I did (I told her Davis was in the closet, on his way down, and they should expect him any minute). Grandma thought it was pretty funny. Too bad it takes a little more than a bin and an ironing board to get there.

(I am pretty sure I overused parenthesis in this post, but I wasn't sure how to punctuate my stream of thoughts.)

Wit and wisdom from this week

2011-01-29T15:36:00.004-07:00

I wish I had something important or funny or uplifting to post. I don't. I just have the time to post something. So here are random facts from our week:

I bought new maternity clothes yesterday. I was just looking for new pants. But the girl working in Motherhood Maternity brought me an armload of shirts she "just thought would look great on me." None of them were from the sale rack. None of them looked good enough to pay full price. Until "the one." It was hot pink. Breathtaking, really. Made me feel pretty. I looked at the price tag and put it in the "no thanks" pile. But is there really a price you can put on that feeling that you look gooood. Especially when you are pregnant? Apparently not, because those of you that live close to me will see me sporting new jeans and a new hot pink shirt constantly because it makes me feel good. (Don't judge me. I am not bragging about the fact that I actually look good. Just the fact that I feel good. And it wasn't super expensive. Just not the $5.99 special at ShopKo.)

I'm pretty sure Davis still has ear infections even though we just finished the antibiotics. I'm pretty sure we will have to go back to the doctor again next week. And I'm pretty sure I really don't want to.

I love pizza. I could eat it every day. But I don't and that has got to count as some kind of self-control. I can't say the same thing about ice cream.

I have a massive dilemma. I love to get my hair cut. The whole experience is so relaxing; someone washing my hair for me, gently brushing it, carefully crafting a new look, and styling it in a way that will never again happen at home because I just can't do it like that. The problem is, I want to keep growing my hair longer. So - I really want to go get a hair cut. I just don't want my hair cut.

From Darren:
He's watching me type this and is probably thinking what a waste of time for anyone to read this because it is so boringly normal (which he is vehemently denying now) so I asked him if he wanted to add anything. He said, "Have a good week." I'm not sure that is any better.

Darren also says he wishes we could go a whole week without someone in the family being sick. (It's been his turn with this yucky virus. I feel sympathy for him, but slightly less than I should because he can take Advil and Nyquil and whatever else he wants. What did pregnant me get? Nothing but Tylenol.)

Davis goes to bed asking for a popsicle so I placate him by telling him he can have one the next day. So the next morning he almost always asks for a popsicle as soon as he wakes up. I placate him again by telling him he can have one after breakfast. Most mornings he eats his breakfast and gets involved with other things and forgets. But one morning this week he actually had colors picked out for each of us when he woke up (orange for Darren, purple for me, and blue for himself) and quickly ate his breakfast then stated it was time for popsicles. Well, he had done everything I asked and I was trapped by my own words. So at 8 am the three of us sat down on a towel (a must when eating popsicles in the house) and ate our preassigned popsicles.

I am so glad I get to be home with Davis every day because I get to hear him use words like though (when asked to get clothes on he replied, "I'm fixing the chair though."), probably, yep, and sure. My recent favorite - "I am just looking for a second (as a way to postpone doing something he doesn't want to do)." or "You stay there. I'll be right back" (with pointer finger extended to add emphasis.)

We still haven't found the right name for our sweet little boy who is due in April. Possibilities: Thomas, Hudson, Hunter, Eli, Elam, Drew, Max, Grayson, Jesse (I have brother named Jesse. We haven't told him his name is in the running). Davis's suggestion? Baby Brother. So be it for now. Any input from others older than 2 1/2 is welcome.

And that, my family and friends, is all the important, funny, and uplifting things I have to share with you today. I know I said I don't have anything to say at the top of this post. And then I wrote and wrote and wrote. Darren thinks that is funny.

Pregnancy Ups and Downs

2011-01-22T16:24:00.002-07:00

So there are advantages and disadvantages to being pregnant. The obvious disadvantage is the increase in circumference. The really unfair thing is that it is not just an increase in the belly region, which would be ok because that is where your sweet little baby is growing. Your face gets fat, your butt and thighs get bigger, and your feet get bigger. Why the feet? There is no baby growing there. They are the farthest thing from the belly. I went to buy new shoes at the first of January, just simple black flats to wear to church. The 8's were to small, but the 8 1/2's were too big. So I bought a different pair that I didn't like quite as much, but they fit good. After trying them on at home with different outfits, I decided they weren't worth the money, so I took them back and hoped to find a different pair (one that miraculously might have appeared on the shelf since my visit two weeks before). No new options, but the other pair, the one that I really liked, but needed an 8 1/4 (which they don't make; I know because I asked) was still there. I guess the good news is that the 8 1/2 now fits, and is even a little snug. So I bought the cute pair I liked in the first place. The bad news is that the 8 1/2 now fits. Snugly.

One great advantage of a big belly is the built in shelf. Davis likes to sit next to me and rest his head on my belly while we watch cartoons. He is also much more snugly now that I am . . . softer. And just the other day I was eating a late lunch after Davis went down for a nap and I could rest the plate on my belly, right below my mouth at the perfect scooping level, while watching tv. It works great for bowls of ice cream, too.

Not much to say. . .

2011-01-15T19:09:00.002-07:00

I don't have much to say, but I thought I'd better update the two sweet mothers who read this and have been worried about me and Davis. We are feeling better. We have progressed to the point of just a bad cough and cold. Davis is running around again. I stopped crying and started sleeping more at night. All will hopefully be well again soon.

On a different note. . a more random note. . . . I love Costco. We went there today (tried very hard not to share our sick germs, but we had to get out of the house and what better reason than to spend money?) and filled our cart with delicious fruit, new pillows, diapers (I hope Davis will be potty trained before we get to the end of this box, but I have hoped that with the last three boxes I have bought), yummy chicken salad (yep, still too lazy to actually cook dinner), M&M's (no real excuse for those, but they are an essential in our food storage and we were down to just one huge bag), and, among other things, a huge package of Kleenex. I felt much better after bringing home so many "necessities."

Another first for Davis . . Pneumonia

2011-01-12T12:33:00.003-07:00

I think all the medical firsts I have dealt with as a mom have been one of the hardest things about being a parent. You really have no clue what is going on and you are supposed to take care of this sweet little person. Several examples:

First tooth: we had no idea until it was almost all in. Poor kid. Probably why he was ornery.
First fever: I couldn't figure out how to work the stupid thermometer. It kept saying he was 93 degrees. So I finally went out and bought a thermometer for dummies - the kind you push a button and then just slide across the forehead (totally worth the extra money!). Yep, fever of 101.
First broken bone (sort of): It was several days before I took him to the doctor. Then several doctors before we figured out what it was (spiral fractures don't show up on xrays, just fyi). Healed up nicely, though I was worried he would be maimed for life because of having to drag his bum leg around so long before getting a cast.

And now, here we are, with Davis's first bout with pneumonia. He's had a yucky cough for a week, but I didn't worry much because all kids get a little sick in the winter. Then a fever off and on this weekend (thank goodness for the thermometer for dummies). Called his doctor Monday morning and they said not to bring him in until the cough had lasted two weeks. Fever came back in the afternoon and luckily my "mom instincts" finally kicked in and I had Darren take Davis to an after hours clinic. Prognosis: pneumonia and an ear infection. I asked Darren if they thought I was a terrible mother for having let it go so long. He looked at me like I was an idiot and said, "They didn't say anything about your mothering." He's now on a super antibiotic and hopefully everything will clear up soon. Hopefully.

Some may be wondering why Darren took Davis to the doctor and not me. It had nothing to do with the fact that Davis freaks out when we go to the doctor and I have threatened more than once that I was going to make Darren take him from now on. It has more to do with the fact that I was flat out of commission, due to a terrible sore throat, sore ears, general miserableness inducing. . . thing. I was sure it was strep throat, but when I went to the doctor the next day, he didn't think so. Just a virus. Not much to do about it. What?? I thought the doctors were there to fix this kind of thing. I think just to placate me he said they would sent the culture out to check and put me on medicine, "just in case."

So Davis and I have been wearing pjs and watching movies all day (I think we are up to four times for "Madagascar" in the last two days. I think maybe it has been once to many because Davis woke up last night telling me there were giraffes in the kitchen.). Luckily (not sure if that is the right word) we are both sick at the same time and I don't have to chase after him. We nap together and sit together and watch together. And poor Darren has been wonderful. He's taken time off to make sure we have what we need. He's been the one to get up with Davis at night so I can try to sleep (still not working well). And he deals with Davis when he gets home from work and I call it quits. What a great husband.

This is a "first" I will be glad to see gone. Could have done without it.

Potty Trianig Attempt #1; Tried and Failed

2011-01-07T08:30:00.002-07:00

There is a long and short story to this. I will give you the short story. We tried for three days. There was no pee in the potty. At all. Ever. Maybe next time, when it is his choice to go and not me trying to cajole him into it. He's a smart kid. Smart kids can still wear diapers, right? Perhaps they have an Honor's course in kindergarten for advanced potty training.

Cookie Dough in a Bucket

2011-01-03T19:21:00.002-07:00

This is not a "grandma's best" recipe. This is not a "do it yourself" project. This is bliss in bucket. I supported the local elementary school by buying a bucket of triple chocolate chunk cookie dough this year. A very expensive way to get cookies. But my, oh my, a very easy way to have fresh baked cookies with no dirty dishes.

Step 1: Get the bucket out of the fridge.
Step 2: Taste a spoonful of dough to make sure it is still tasty.
Step 3: Spoon it onto the pan. Eat the little pieces that fall off.
Step 4: Bake.
Step 5: Eat warm gooey cookies.
Step 6: Repeat as necessary.

Gotta go. Guess what just came out of the oven.

'Tis the Season

2010-12-14T18:57:00.005-07:00

Davis getting ready to go out sledding. He hated it. Snow up his legs (could have something to do with the fact that I forgot that his snow pants from last year are two sizes too small). Snow in his face. And he got a little freaked when the others went too fast and fell off. But he sure looked cute.
Davis helped me make treats for the ward Christmas party.

Decorating the Christmas tree.
Visiting with Santa at the family Christmas party. Davis refused to sit on his lap and didn't want to get close, but was mesmerized for afar.
This was on the way to the family party. It was right during nap time, so Davis was a bit tired. Those are his sunglasses he always wears in the car - upside down. I have tried to show him how they should go on, but he likes them upside down.

A Perfect Day

2010-11-30T20:30:00.005-07:00

Some days just seem perfect. Nothing big, nothing exciting, just perfect. Today was one of those days.

Davis slept in, which meant I got to sleep in. After breakfast, we headed out to do a little shopping. Normally Davis refuses to go the store with me, but today he was just fine with it (the first sign that this was going to be a great day). We stopped at Kid to Kid to find more shirts to fit Davis (I swear he grows and inch a day) and to pick up a BellaBand for me (a stretchy thing that pregnant women can wear around their belly to keep their pants up - I have worn it all afternoon and it has done a great job). Davis found one of those Flinstone-type cars and followed me all around the store, "driving" along behind. I thought about buying it and keeping in the back of the car for whenever we had to go grocery shopping or run other errands so he could just "drive" along behind me, but decided it might not work out as well as I envisioned.

Then to a few more stores for exchanges and returns, all the while Davis remaining happy to be there. Our last stop was Target, where he got to choose some big boy underwear (Mickey Mouse - he really wanted the pink Cinderella ones, but I nixed that choice.) By the time we were done shopping there, it was way past lunchtime and Davis was getting cranky, so we stopped at the little Pizza Hut Express inside Target to pick up some lunch. I was going to take it home, but Davis got so excited and asked, "Eat in a restaurant?" Well, sure, if this counted as a restaurant and would bring such happiness to my little boy who had been so sweet all morning, then of course we could eat in a "restaurant." We sat down at the little tables there and had a fantastic lunch, laughing alot as we carried on our own little conversation.

Home for a little snooze together (apparently the shopping hadn't worn Davis out as much as it had me, because he didn't want to lay down. Luckily I was perfectly happy to lay down with him for bit, and yes, I slept longer than he did.)

Later we dusted the shelves (one of Davis's favorite things to do) and put up Christmas decorations, and Davis watched the Christmas Kung Fu movie while I cooked dinner. After dinner, he stood on a chair next to me at the sink and helped me "wash" all the dishes (all his "helping" makes things go a little more slowly, but I sure love it!). I would hand the dishes to him after washing them in the hot, soapy water and he would use his clean washcloth to rinse them. Finally we got to the last big pot. It had some water that was soaking in it, so I dumped it down the drain.

"Where did the dirty water go?" he asked.
"Down the drain."
So he leaned over the sink, put his face down close to the drain and called, "HELLO?"
He did this several times and then said, matter of factly, "I see the dirty water down the drain."
Funny.

Then bath time, then naked dance time (with a diaper and blue socks on), finally p.j.'s. We had bought some Eggnog at the store, so I asked if he wanted a special Christmas drink. Of course this called for it's own special jumping dance. We all (Darren, me, and Davis) joined together in the kitchen for our first glass of Christmas eggnog (well, Davis's first ever, our first of the season). Davis loved it. But he handed the glass back to me with a few sips left.

"Do you want to finish it?" I asked.
"Nope. I've had enough." He answered on his way out of the kitchen.
Sounds like a logical conversation. But it sounded super funny coming from the mouth of a 2 1/2 year old.

And now bedtime. He has been up there for about 45 minutes now. He is still calling my name. Apparently he is not ready for the perfect day to end. I am. Hope he gives up soon and goes to sleep.

It's a boy!

2010-11-23T14:34:00.003-07:00

I went to my "big" ultrasound appointment today and it was so fun to see my precious little baby growing inside! It is definitely a boy. First we saw the head. Then we saw . . . the fact that is a boy. At first I really wanted a little baby girl, but now I am glad I will have a boy. It will be fun for Davis to have a little brother to play with and I won't have to buy all new girl clothes and toys. And it will be interesting to see how different this baby will be from Davis.

What a miracle to see such little toes and fingers and such a sweet face, all inside my tummy. We told Davis a baby was growing in my tummy and he asked to see it. So I showed him my tummy and he stuck is finger in my belly button and asked, "A baby growing in here?" Yep! So now he occasionally asks to see my tummy and still thinks the baby is right inside the belly button.

Now we are on the hunt for baby boy names that we both like. Any suggestions?

Halloween 2010 (and other Oct. pics)

2010-11-12T13:24:00.004-07:00

We had some fun times this Oct. Halloween, of course, was the highlight of the month. Have you ever seen such a cute football player? (We borrowed this costume for Davis's cousin, who also was a cute football player a few years ago.) We also raked leaves (several times), fed the ducks at Beus Pond, and took a trip to the zoo before it got too cold.

Let's Talk About the Elephant

2010-11-09T13:40:00.003-07:00

Davis comes in with me in bed in the morning. I love it. He cuddles, plays, talks . . . never goes back to sleep as I foolishly hope each morning.

A few mornings ago, Davis climbed over me, nestled into the crook of my arm, and said, "Let's talk about the elephant at the zoo." I was speechless for a split second because of how articulate and conversational his sentence was. We had gone to the zoo a few weeks ago, and the following morning had talked in bed about the animals we had seen. Apparently, Davis enjoyed the conversation and wanted to do it again.

After discussing the daddy, mommy, and baby elephant, Davis said, "What else did we see at the zoo, Mom?" So we talked about every other animal at the zoo I could remember (the big horn sheep made a big impression on our last visit, so it got a little extra conversational time). Such a funny boy!

"I'm a naked boy!"

2010-10-21T08:55:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I tried to put Davis down for an early nap (mostly because I was so tired). Of course, it didn't work and so Davis got to stay up a little longer and play. So I tried again 45 minutes later. And. . . silence. For about 15 minutes. "Finally!" I thought as I settled down to catch up on some recorded TV shows. Then I heard the door crack open and I looked up to see Davis standing triumphantly at the top of the stairs, completely naked.

"Mama, I'm a naked boy!"

Well, yes, he certainly was. I tried to hide my laughter because this really wasn't behavior I wanted to encourage. I took him back upstairs, where his clothes were strewn from the bed to the door. I knew he could get his pants off. I also knew he could get his diaper off with a little extra work. It was the shirt that was the surprise. I guess we can check that off the skills list.

I talked him into at least putting a diaper back on and asked if he wanted to take a nap naked. He said yes, so into bed he went. I had hardly sat back down downstairs when he yanked the door open and stated again, "I'm a naked boy!" Yep, the diaper had come off. So we walked back upstairs and he started laughing.

"Davis funny!" He said confidently.
"No!" I said, equally confident (It was less funny the second time.)
"Diaper funny?"
"No."
"Mama funny?"
"No."

I realized the nap was just not to be, so he got to run around "naked" (with a diaper) for awhile.

Luckily this story is not only funny (My mom called in the middle of it all and I told her what had happened and she thought it was soooo funny.), but it also has a sweet ending. A long while later, still being tired to the bone, I told Davis that we were going upstairs to take a nap and that I would sleep on his floor. So he obediently followed, climbed into bed, and watched as I settled down on the floor with a pillow and blanket. And then slid off the bed, laid down on the pillow, jumped back up on the bed, threw his blanket across the room, ran over my legs to get the blanket, laid down on the pillow, jumped on the bed, slid down off the bed, . . . All while I dozed on and off. Finally he laid down on the pillow next to me, snuggled right up knee to knee and nose to nose, threw his arm over mine and fell fast asleep. My sweet little naked boy (with a diaper still on)looked even sweeter when he was fast asleep. We both got a good little nap.

When he woke up I said, "We both took a snooze on the big pillow. That's so silly."
"No funny or yes funny?" he asked.
"Yes funny, sweet boy."

I'm a lucky mom!

Things are Changing

2010-10-12T09:12:00.005-06:00

This is my sweet little boy. . . growing up. He wore his first tie to church today! This picture was taken after church - that is three whole hours he left that cute little tie on without messing with it.

And here are a few more pics (the orange shirt ones are from the day before) . . .

And this is when Davis decided we were done taking pictures.

Davis is not the only one growing at our house. Our family is too! Which means, I am too. Yep, we are expecting another little baby in April. I am about three months along. I was miserably sick for about two months and am just starting to get over it. Not nearly as sick as I was with Davis, so maybe that means it's a girl this time? We will find out sometime in November.

Still Summer?

2010-09-29T19:41:00.003-06:00

So I decided that if the weather was going to act like summer, so would we. This afternoon we got out the squirt bottles, buckets, hoses, cups, and whatever other household items could be used to get water from point A (the bucket) to point B (the grass, mom, basketball hoop, gate, friends). We invited Davis's friend over (a purely selfish move because me and his mom get to sit and chat while the boys play together) and pretended like it was still summer. We even had popsicles on the porch. Ahhhhhh, sweet summer. Still.

Mornings in Bed

2010-09-23T09:02:00.002-06:00

Davis has started waking up by 7 am. A little earlier than I would chose, not being much of a morning person. But he started doing the cutest thing and it makes up for being so early. Because we took his crib bars off, he can get out of bed by himself now and so in the morning he hops out of bed, opens the door (this is the sound I wake up to most of the time) and pads into my room, towing his blanket and elephant pillow behind him. Darren is usually up by this time, so Davis goes around to the other side of the bed, throws his pillow and blanket up, and says, "Get in Mama's bed?" So I pull him and he either lays on his own pillow or cuddles up next to me, puts his thumb in his mouth, and we "rest" for a bit together in bed. I love it!

And when he is done resting, he climbs over me, back and forth, or jumps on the bed, or other such nonsense and he laughs and laughs. It is a great way to start the day.

A Broken Ice Cream Cone

2010-09-15T08:43:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago Davis got his first ice cream cone. He's had ice cream, and shared cones with us, but he got his very own this time. He knew exactly what to do with the ice cream, but when he got it licked down to the level of the cone he wasn't quite sure what to do, so we showed him how to bit the cone. We took turns biting it down and then left it up to him. After a few more bites, he looked at his cone, looked up at us, and said, "Hey! It's kind of broken!" Well, I suppose it was. It's always fun to see things from the perspective of a two-year-old.

Best BLT Ever!

2010-08-18T13:05:00.002-06:00

Last night we made the best BLT's ever! But we did add extra stuff that seemed to pacify him.

I have to admit that I am a food show junkie. And on an episode of Simply Ming, he made a simple BLT, but put cilantro lime mayo on it. I thought, "I can do that," and it turns out I was right. Just to avoid confusion, a BLT is a sandwich with bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Darren was pretty disappointed to learn it contained no beef patty. But he seemed ok with the end result after we fixed it up a bit.

For the special mayo, chop up a good amount of cilantro, add it to some mayo, and squeeze in some fresh lime juice. Slather it on (I know that sounds gross, the the cilantro and lime juice really lighten up the mayo) some yummy bread (we used sourdough) and then put on the bacon, sliced tomato, and lettuce. To make ours even better, we sliced zucchini and yellow squash, put on olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon pepper, grilled them and then put them in the sandwiches.

Oh, man! It was the best sandwich I have ever tasted! Do you think this means I am ready for my own cooking show?

Fading Fear of Water - Finally!

2010-08-11T11:25:00.002-06:00

We went to the Roy Aquatic Center yesterday afternoon and Davis had a great time . . . FINALLY! He loved walking around in the water, and not just the water covering his feet, but all the way up to his armpits. He thought it was super fun to blow bubbles in the water, especially after Darren showed him how it's really done. And he would stand on the side of the pool and jump in . . . with one of us holding him under the arms. Darren tried pulling his hands a few inches away from Davis and telling him to jump, but Davis just stood frozen in jumping position until Darren put his hands back up and held onto him while he jumped. Too bad the pool closes in two weeks. Anyone know of a fun outdoor pool that will be open longer?

Another Infamous Milestone: Good-bye Crib

2010-08-06T12:30:00.004-06:00

Davis has hit another infamous milestone - climbing out of his crib. I had naively thought he might not be able to do that with this crib (I don't know why I thought this crib was climb-out-proof). But to really tell how horrible this new feat was, I must describe his sleeping pattern for the previous day.

I had gone up to Pineview Dam with the YM/YW and my mom had come down to tend Davis for the day. Apparently, he woke up at 9:30 am crying and when she asked if he wanted to go back to sleep he said "yes." And he did. Until noon. Noon! So he got up, had some lunch, played a bit, and then about 2:30 he seemed tired again so she asked if he wanted to take a nap. And he said "yes." And he did. Until I woke him up at 5:30 pm. 5:30! Now, I know I could have prevented the inevitable terrible evening ahead by waking him up sooner, but it was so nice to get to do some things that needed to be done (homemade salsa, frozen juice for creamsicle smoothies, dinner prep).

So, we headed into the evening expecting bedtime to be a little later than usual. But Davis seemed tired by 8:30 pm and so we made the first attempt at putting him to bed (and by bed, I mean his climb-out-proof crib). It was quiet for a little bit, then we heard a knock on the door. His bedroom door. First, I was a little freaked out. Who could be in his bedroom? Was he safe? Then, reality slowly dawned. It was just Davis in there and he was no longer in his crib, but knocking at his door, calling, "Mama." (I don't know why he was knocking at the door - he can open it himself.) I went up, opened the door, and he said quite proudly, "Mama, I'm awake!"

Attempt #2 came around 10 pm when we all headed to bed. I put Davis in his crib, turned all the house lights off, and Darren and I climbed into bed. Soft thump, then knocking on Davis's closet door. Apparently, it was too dark and he couldn't find his bedroom door. So, up we went for awhile. I kind of knew it might be a late night, what with all the sleeping the day before.

Attempt #3. 11:30 pm. This ended in failure for both me and Davis. Of course he tired to climb out again, but this ended in a crash and a sore leg. So after some loving, we told some stories and I laid down on the floor in his room until he went to sleep. Finally, I crawled into bed and dozed off. 5:30 am brought "Mama. Mama! Mama out!" Then panicked crying. I ran in and he had again tried to climb out, but had gotten his foot twisted and stuck in between the bars and he was stuck straddling the top of the railing because he couldn't go back or forward. So that brought the end of a very long night and the beginning of a very long day.

So, I took the crib railing off and put on the toddler bed guards in protest of this new skill. But, as anyone who has children probably already knows, this brings its own issues. Bedtime brought the get-in-bed-get-out-of-bed game. So he slept in his pack and play. Which he must not realize would actually be easier to climb out of than his crib and much less painful. Luckily, we both got a full night's sleep.

On a different note, I haven't been posting about our date nights because they aren't very creative, but last night we had a great, simple date. (This was at the end of the very long day.) Darren had wanted to go hiking, but I was in no shape to do that and it was getting close to dark. So after Davis cried himself to sleep in the pack and play, we went to Baskin Robbins, got delicious ice cream and drove to a place where we could see much of the Ogden valley. There were lightning storms across the entire western horizon (not where we were) and it was so wonderful to sit, eat ice cream, watch one of nature's wonders, and enjoy being together. Thanks, Darren!

Lake Tahoe. . . Best Vacation Ever!

2010-08-03T11:50:00.004-06:00

We spent the last week with my dad's side of the family in Lake Tahoe, south end. It was so much fun! We were there long enough that we didn't have to pack everything into a couple of days. We played in the mornings, put Davis down for a long nap in the afternoons, and played some more in the evenings. We hiked, swam, dug in the sand, ate, swam some more, slept, read, shopped, and had a great time.

A little of this . . a little of that . . .

2010-07-20T14:35:00.002-06:00

I don't have a well-thought-out post today. Just little things that we have done or that I have thought about . . .
* Sunday dinner was a group effort. Matthew made the best homemade french fries, Darren grilled hamburgers and steak, and I made a salad and dessert. Then everyone helped clean up. It was such a simple thing, but so fun to have everyone participate in making the dinner.
*I decided to blow up our little swimming pool for Davis last week. He refused to put on his swim suit, but was interested is using his new dolphin squirt gun, so I lured him outside with the promise he didn't have to get in the pool, but could instead squirt water. He was so funny to watch; he wouldn't get in the pool, but liked to pour water from the pool into a bucket, squirt his dolphin, or run through the sprinkler (as long as it was no higher than his shoulders). We both got wet (he thought it was hilarious to squirt his mama) and had a great time, but only if we played around the pool, not in it.
*About a week and a half ago, Darren and I (mostly me) decided it was time to get a bigger vehicle with more cargo space (I can't seem to pack lightly - I have the need to bring everything that might possibly come in handy). So we found just the right one - a Honda pilot, up at a dealership in Tremonton. It had a few scratches and a small part on the back door that needed to be fixed so we left it there expecting to be able to pick it up in a few days. That was 10 days ago! It is so frustrating to not have it. We are just waiting for the part to come in.
*I don't enjoy cooking much in the summer. Too bad I have to full-grown men to feed and can't get away with fruit and yogurt and grilled cheese for dinner.
*Davis has had an ear infection for about 6 weeks now. We have tired three different medicines. He screams every time we go the doctor and it takes three people to hold him down so the doctor can look in his ears (I doubt any of this hurts him; he just doesn't like it). The last two shots were supposed to fix it. But I think his ears are still bothering him and we need to take him in again. I told Darren he has to come with me this time.

Looks like his dad, eats like his mom!

2010-07-13T21:49:00.002-06:00

Anyone who knows me well, knows I have a slight love affair with ice cream. And apparently that can be passed on genetically. Davis looks alot like Darren. Not at all like me. But, ahhh, my sweet little boy loves ice cream just like his mama.

Today, we had accomplished quite a bit and I decided we needed a treat. So we went to a new place in Ogden, Farrs Fresh (see the FYI below), where you can choose your soft serve ice cream or frozen yogurt and the toppings you want. It is a great concept because Davis and I can share a bowl and the ice cream is soft enough for him to spoon it out easily. While we were eating, Davis says quite clearly, "MMMM. . . I love this! It's good!" How cute! It is the first time I have heard him use the word "love" when not prompted. Usually he says he "likes" different food, but apparently he "loves" ice cream!

Just FYI, I like FroGurt, a frozen yogurt place (yes, I am choosing this frozen yogurt over ice cream) with the same self serve concept, on Riverdale Road much better than Farrs. It has better tasting frozen yogurt and more flavors and it is cheaper. Davis and I have also shared a treat there. More than once.

The 4th of July in Star Valley

2010-07-07T21:19:00.004-06:00

I wish I had cute pics to post with this, but . . . they are still on my camera. And Jackie's camera. Anyway, we went up to Star Valley to spent the 4th of July with Darren's grandma, GG. It was much cooler there than I expected and so Davis and I wore the one and only pair of pants I packed for each of us for three days.

We tried to get rid of Davis's fear of water in the pool up there. He loves his bathtub, but not much else. No splashing, and apparently no deep water. It took a good 20 minutes just to get him into the pool and we shamelessly used peer pressure. "Look, Davis, your cousins are in the pool. And Nana. And everyone else." Finally we got him in, but only if one of us held him tight, with both arms. And then he didn't really want to stay in. I don't know where this fear has come from... he loved the pool last year.

We also took him to play a round of golf with us. He LOVED it! He took his own little golf club and ball and every time we got to a green, he got out of the cart and hit his ball. He was very encouraging to the other golfers in the group, calling "Good shot, Nana." or "In the hole, Daddy."

And of course he loved GG's "new house" (to differentiate from her other house by us). He likes to play marbles with GG and eat her cookies. That is what he talked about for 75% of the three hour drive up there. Luckily, she had both those things up there.

If you don't like being in the sprinklers, keep running!

2010-06-29T08:00:00.004-06:00

There is a country song that goes something like that. And a life lesson to be learned. But for this post, I'm actually talking about real sprinklers.

Davis is not a fan of water in his face. So we had to teach him how to run through the sprinklers this weekend. Darren was working on the sprinkler system and Davis and I were "helping" him. One of the sprinklers was shooting low (thus the reason Darren was working on them) and it provided a great opportunity to let Davis go through without it hitting his face. But he was so funny; he would walk into the spray, then just stand there with this "What is going on here?" face. I had to take his hand and walk him out the other side to show him that you just have to keep moving to get away from the water.

After a few tries, he decided he really liked running (yes, he got the hang of it) through that sprinkler. So we thought he might be ready for the big-boy sprinklers. The ones that actually spray high and far. I had to show him (excellent excuse to run play in the sprinklers as an adult!) how to run from one side of the lawn to the other. And again, he got about half way, then stopped and freaked out a bit. So back in I went, grabbed his hand, and we emerged on the other side. Strangely, he wanted to do it again - if I went first. But instead of running, he walked through. Over and over. And loved it. Hopefully he will remember for next time!

Happy Birthday Davis!

2010-06-20T14:07:00.007-06:00

On Friday, Davis turned 2! My little baby boy is not so little anymore and not so much a baby. This is Davis before the big day began. I rarely get to see him sleeping because we put him in bed awake and wait until he is calling for us ("Mama, are you?" - yes, he leaves out the word "where") before we go in in the morning. But Friday morning I had to wake him up to get ready and he looked so peaceful and sweet and innocent. I will remember this picture as the "terrible two" advance.

We decided to invite some family and friends to go to the zoo with us in the morning - one of Davis' favorite places. Davis and his friend, Payson, checking out the rhinos.

We stopped for a little Popsicle break late in the morning. This is Davis with my mom (my friend Natalie and her son, Payson are in the background).

Then we had a picnic for dinner to celebrate my mom's birthday (same day as Davis') and Father's Day.

Then back home for cake and ice cream with family and to open presents for Davis. As I was lighting the candles inside before I brought out the cake, Davis was watching me and started singing "Happy Birthday" before the cake left the table. He loves to sing "Happy Birthday", no matter who's birthday it is.
My sister, Kim, was nice enough to referee Davis and his food.

Davis has a thing for helping me do whatever I am trying to do, so we got him his own lawnmower so he doesn't have to help push the big one.
Davis got his very own golf set. He loves watching golf with Darren and started "golfing" with my mixing spoons and wiffle balls. Here is Darren showing Davis the fine art of golfing.
He looks like a pro!Not so happy with his hit. What a funny face!

Notice the ball at his feet. A few times he swung with all his might and then looked around to find where the ball had gone. Unfortunately, it was right where it started.

It was a crazy, fantastic day and even though Davis is not really sure what it means when we say "Happy Birthday" I sure hope he had a great time.

Help Mama cook dinner!

2010-06-15T20:15:00.003-06:00

Davis has been more that a little sick for the last few days. We finally got into the doctor today and it turns out he has terrible infections in both ears. No wonder he's been crying about everything.

Sunday evening he had been miserable and I was trying to get dinner made while keeping Davis happy - not an easy task even on a good day. After a few minutes I realized Davis had been quiet a little too long. I glanced around the kitchen and saw that he was burrowing in the pantry (just our little closet with food in it). He comes out from behind the door carrying a small bottle of poppy seeds, walks over and hands it to me. Then he heads back to the pantry and re-emerges with another spice jar. He walks over, hands it to me, and says, "Here you go, Mama." After a few more items are handed to me ("Here you go Mama," with each one), he decides he needs to put them on the counter himself. "Davis do it," he says. A few more and the counter is nearly full of spice jars, gravy packets, and whatever else was on the bottom few shelves. He looks up at me (I am still trying to get potatoes mashed and corn cooked in the midst of this little project) and tells me, "Help Mama cook dinner." Aww, man. The mess was totally worth having my two-year-old think he was helping me make dinner.

By the time dinner was ready, not only was the counter full, but the table was also covered with things from the pantry. So I wiped them all down with Clorox wipes (perhaps the pantry was not the best place for a sick boy to be occupied, but he sure was intent) put everything away and thanked Davis for being such a good helper.

Last two date nights

2010-06-15T20:08:00.002-06:00

So, I have gotten a little lazy in sharing our date nights because they haven't been terribly original, but they have been tons of fun! We are so lucky to have Matthew staying with us so we can go out for date night.

Two weeks ago, Darren chose to go to Iggy's for dinner. But it wasn't just dinner, it was the first game of the NBA Finals, and it was so much fun to be there with other basketball fans. We sat together in our own booth and had the sense of being all by ourselves, but there were also other people cheering, so it was also fun to be part of a larger group. Not my favorite food (anyone have a suggestion there, because we hope to go again if it makes it to Game 7), but super fun!

Last week was Girl's Camp, so we just had a quick little date a few days later. We went to Village Inn for pie (and french fries . . . something about sweet and salty just goes together) and because it was way past dinnertime, it was nice and quiet. It was a great chance to share about Girl's Camp and hear how his week went as a bachelor (I was a little worried he might starve to death.)

Girls' Camp

2010-06-13T20:03:00.002-06:00

This week I had the opportunity to go to Girls' Camp. In the "good old days" we camped in tents and cooked all our food over the fire. Everyone was dirty and smelly by the time it was over. And when it rained everything got wet.

This year, I was introduced to luxury camping. The girls were in a big cabin with bunk beds. The leaders slept in the big lodge. We cooked in a fully equipped kitchen. We took showers when we got too stinky. And when it rained we played games in the lodge. It was awesome! I think some of the "character-building" that came with camping so close to nature has been lost, but I am pretty sure my character has been built enough and as a leader, I sure was appreciative of the great amenities.

Garage Sale Treasure

2010-06-03T21:56:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite parts of summer is going to garage sales on Saturday mornings. A week or so we found our first great treasure of the season - little tents that connect with a tunnel for Davis to play in. So fun!

A little beer with your eggplant?

2010-06-02T21:17:00.002-06:00

Last week I got my garden planted. I love getting my garden planted. By September, I hate my garden and am ready to be done. But for now. . .yea! I have never been very successful getting things to grow from seed (except zucchini), but this week I have a row of little, tiny radishes, planted from seed, springing up!

I also planted quite a few veggie plants (it's nice to have instant gratification and look out and seek green plants growing already). And just like last year, the snails are having a heyday. Specifically, they are feasting on my eggplant plant. Last year I used little snail bait pellets and they worked great, but this year Davis loves the garden, and, unfortunately, he is still putting everything in his mouth, so poisonous snail bait pellets are out of the question. Therefore, we are trying the home remedy I have heard works wonders: beer - something about drawing them in and then they drown? Yep, I've got two platefuls of beer out in my garden tonight and hopefully it will keep the snails at bay. Honestly, I am hoping it will be the death of them.

And just to check my facts, I looked it up online halfway through writing this post and learned it is supposed to be a deep container, sunk to ground level. Oh well. To dark now to change it. Maybe the snails will just get drunk and too confused to find my fragile little plants.

Hide-and-Go-Seek: Family Edition

2010-05-24T11:59:00.002-06:00

Sunday afternoon we played our first family game of hide-and-go-seek. And we all loved it. I think it started as the oft played game of "Davis hide behind the chair and Mama come find him," but then we added counting, and Darren joined in. We took turns hiding with Davis, then counting with Davis. Unfortunately, Davis already knows all the good hiding places downstairs and it didn't take him long to find whichever parent was hiding. So we moved it upstairs and a whole new world of possibilities opened up.

Davis seemed to enjoy the seeking most, so Darren and I found ourselves maneuvering our adult bodies into child-sized hiding places. The funniest part was when Darren crawled under the crib and sat in the corner (our crib is diagonal across a corner, so there is a little space behind it). Davis found him quickly, crawled under to say hello, then quickly wriggled back. Then Darren tried to get out. First came his big feet (not to say they are bigger than usual, just bigger than Davis's), then legs. . . then a pause. So there was a grown man, laying on his back under the crib, with his legs sticking out the front, wicked-witch-of-the-west style. Hilarious! He finally got out and the game continued. I claimed the best hiding spot - on the bed, under the covers. Neither of my men could find me until I started to move my feet around because I was suffocating.

Then Davis decided he wanted to hide by himself downstairs. So Darren and I started counting and we could hear Davis join in, ". . . 9, 10!" We came downstairs and saw him behind the chair, so we headed into the kitchen calling, "Where is Davis? I don't know. Where could he be?" I heard little footsteps following behind me. Darren said, "Is he under the piano?" And then Davis's cute little voice pipes up enthusiastically from the back, "Yeah!" Hilarious, again!

We all enjoyed the game, laughed alot, and made some fun memories together (granted, Davis won't remember, but we'll tell him all about it).

Project 52: Iron Man 2

2010-05-22T11:27:00.002-06:00

This week has been a wonderful transition in our house. Darren was offered a training position at his work and started on Monday. So, instead of working the swing shift, or going to the graveyard shift (which is what he would have started this coming week), Darren now works Mon - Fri during the day! It is so wonderful to have him home in the evenings and look forward to Saturdays where we can spend all day together and not have to be quiet in the mornings.

Because of this change, we were able to change our date night and spend time together in the evening. We went to see Iron Man 2 (pretty good movie, not as great as the first one) and then to Olive Garden for dessert (delicious Lemon Cake). My brother, Matt, is staying with us for the summer and earning his keep by babysitting, so we will be able to get out of the house together more often. It was not a very creative date, but we did things we both loved (Iron Man for Darren and dessert for me) and we were able to spend time together and get out of the house. I call that a successful date!

More Picture Books We Love

2010-05-22T11:08:00.002-06:00

Where Is the Green Sheep?, by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek. A book of opposites and rhyming using sheep. Davis loves finishing the sentences.

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, by Byron Barton. Simple book about dinosaurs; doesn't name them, just uses adjectives. Nice, bright pictures.

The Goose Girl, Girl with the Pearl Earring

2010-05-19T12:40:00.005-06:00

I read both these books last week. I absolutely loved The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale, an author from Utah. It is a light, fun fantasy - well-written and easy to read. I am currently reading Princess Academy by the same author and have two more of her books on hold.

(Edit: Finished Princess Academy. Not my favorite. A little too slow for me.)

I did not really enjoy Girl with the Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier. It was slow, not much to the plot line, and had a few "suggestive" parts. I saw this book on a reading list for high school (maybe it was 9th grade) and am still wondering why. It was historical fiction and offered an interesting look into life in the 1600's (I think that was the time frame).

The moon ate your stick?

2010-05-15T21:12:00.002-06:00

This is the conversation I had with Davis yesterday evening while we were out playing in the yard. He was picking up little sticks, bringing them to me, and then we took turns throwing them up in the air.

Davis: "Davis throw stick way up."
Me: "Yeah, Davis throws his stick way up."
Davis: "Moon"
Me: "You threw your stick way up to the moon?"
Davis: "Yeah. Eat."
Me: "Um, the moon ate your stick?"
Davis: "Yeah. Moon eat stick."

As we were having this conversation, I was thinking I had a pretty smart kid, to be saying all this before he is even two, and to be putting simple concepts together. Then we got to the part about the moon eating the stick. Now I'm not so sure.

Blessings Abound!

2010-05-15T21:04:00.002-06:00

I just have to take a minute and count my many blessings. . .
* The sun is finally shining!
* We can record TV shows (yes, I know, this is not a new concept to most, but we just ran our antenna TV through the computer so we can record and it is wonderful!).
* My brother Matt is staying with us for the summer and he is so helpful . . washes dishes, cooks, babysits, mows the lawn (not yet, but he's promised).
* Did I already mention the sun? Which means we can play outside all time.
And, drum roll please . . .
* Darren got a new position as trainer and will work Mon-Fri during the day and we are finally done with the stupid swing shift!

This moment in time is what I need to remember . . . that life really can get pretty close to perfect. Great husband, super cute little boy, and everything I could ever need.

Darren, the SuperHusband

2010-05-11T10:31:00.003-06:00

So, I just have to give a shout out to my great husband. Yesterday, not only did he wash the dirty dishes that had been left on the counters (spilling out of the sink) from Sunday, he then made yummy chili all by himself from scratch - I wasn't even in the house to tell him where to find things! Then (yes, folks, there's more) he cleared the table, put the food away, and washed the dinner dishes! He also watched Davis while I took my brother shopping and got him to bed (the fact that Davis woke up when I came home is irrelevant). What a fantastic husband!

Project 52: Spouse vs. Spouse

2010-05-11T08:21:00.002-06:00

Last night Davis decided he wanted to wake up and join our date, after having been asleep for only 30 min or so. I went up to get him from his bed after letting him cry for a bit and he proudly said, "Big snooze." He felt he had slept long enough and was ready to play some more. So, being a better wife than mother, I put a movie on to keep him entertained and we went ahead with our date.

We played "The Celestial Companions Game," a game kind of like the Newlyweds show, where one spouse is asked a question, writes down their answer, and the other spouse answers the question out loud, hoping for the same answer. Our game is supposed to be played with other couples, but we adjusted the scoring system so we could play spouse vs. spouse.

It was fun to try to remember past events (What did your wife wear on your first date? - neither of us could remember!) or try to figure out favorites (What is your husbands favorite vegetable? - asparagus). Even though we kept score (Darren won), it was so much fun when we both said the same answer and realized that we are getting to know each other better and better.

Mothers Day Shopping

2010-05-05T20:22:00.003-06:00

Today Darren watched Davis while I went shopping. By myself. Wherever I wanted to go. And I could look at the same thing for as long as I wanted while I decided whether or not I really needed it. It was wonderful!

I have been wanting a salad spinner for awhile and so I asked Darren if it would be ok if I picked out my own Mothers Day present and he was ok with that. So I grabbed my coupons and headed out. I found the last spinner on sale, used my coupon and got a great deal. Then, because I had chosen uncharacteristically fast, I decided to do a little more shopping. I found some great clothes on a great sale and used a great coupon so that they were, literally, just a few dollars! There is nothing better than shopping and finding things you really love, especially for a great deal. Except maybe doing it without kids along! Thanks, Darren!

Project 52: Cookies and Games

2010-05-04T11:42:00.003-06:00

We started our date night by making cookies, something I have been wanting to do with Darren for awhile (several of those who link up to Project 52 have mentioned doing it and it sounded so fun!). We made yummy oatmeal choc. chip cookies and I was reminded how much I enjoy cooking in the kitchen with Darren. It is nice to be working closely together and completing a project.

While the batches were cooking we watched The Big Bang Theory (I know, it seems to creep into our date nights often, but we both love it so we might as well watch it together). Darren has hooked the tv up to his computer, so we can play computer games using the big tv screen, so we decided to try our hand at a few games. Darren said he knew how to play Spider Solitaire, but after started the game, it became quite apparent that he really didn't remember. So we had a great time using trial and error to figure out the rules. And of course, once we figured it out we had to keep playing to try and win. After our date had run much longer than planned we finally gave up and called it quits. All in all, it was a fun time spent working together on the cookies and the game.

Metal Cup to the Chin Draws Blood

2010-04-30T22:00:00.002-06:00

Ok. Not a lot of blood. Just enough to see a faint little line of red. But still. Is this inevitable with boys in the house? Last night Davis threw a heavy, metal measuring cup and it hit me in the chin. I would say I should have seen it coming because he was throwing everything that made its way into his hands, but he wasn't even facing me. But those of you who have seen him throw know that he has a very strong arm, but very unpredictable aim. Now I have a very noticeable red line on my chin that begs an explanation to all I see. And Davis has to touch it every little bit and say "Mama's owie." ( I have said that hundreds of times in the last 22 months and I don't think I have ever written it, so I am not sure how to spell it.) Such a sweetheart.