It's funny that two people can get together and create two very different babies; but what cuties they both are!

Andrew at 5 months.

We had to do back flips in order for him to even crack the slightest smile.

Josh at 5 months.

He'll smile any chance he gets.

Home-grown Therapy

There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling. ~Mirabel Osler

Between 6:30 and 7:00 am you will find me at my smallish 4' x 8' garden plot amidst a beautiful community garden. I feed Josh, bundle him up, and we head out while Andrew is still asleep and Randy is getting ready for the day. The sun is just up, the air is cool and breezy, and the world is quiet. I love to get my hands dirty and I love that I can be a part of creating something so beautiful.

Here's what's on the menu in a month or two:
Sunsugar cherry tomatoes
Roma tomatoes
Cherry chili peppers
Green bell peppers
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Basil
Chives
Parsley
Sage
Cilantro

Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in
the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. ~Lindley Karstens

The Naked Method

Treats, toys, stickers, charts, threats, scowls. Yes, these tools probably will help toilet train your child, but thank goodness I listened to Lorena & Cristi's advice and let my child run around naked-our path to potty training has been........well, pleasant. I say this trepidatiously (is that a word?) because I know we're FAR from having this down pat and I expect to have many accidents along the way; but for now, I'm just feeling so stinkin' proud of my little monkey.

A is for Frog

I'm just starting to teach Andrew the letters of the alphabet. We do a letter a week and we started with the letter A:

Mom: A is for apple. A is for Andrew.

Andrew: No mom, A is for Frog.

Mom: No really, A is for apple. A is for Andrew.

Andrew: A is for Frog.

Then a few days later, Randy came up to me and said, "We've got a problem," and showed me one of Andrew's Baby Einstein Alphabooks. On the front cover of the "A" book there was a.........yep, you guessed it........frog. Upon further investigation, apparently J is for mouse, N is for turtle, Q is for baby, U is for dolphin, and W is for Owl. I thought that maybe Baby Einstein named these animals and that was the reasoning, but when I looked on their website, the frog that's on the letter A is named Shakespeare. Holy heck, let's just confuse the crap out of my child. If Andrew didn't LOVE these books, they'd be in the recycling bin right now.

Butterflies

Sometimes I miss our dating days when Randy could take my breath away with just a look. I still remember vividly the first time it happened: Randy walked me home to my apartment. I think he gave me a hug goodbye (keep in mind, it took him 25 dates before he felt adventurous enough to kiss me). For some reason, I had to walk back out to the parking lot to get something out of my car and Randy was just getting into his car. I said something to him to get his attention and he got out of his car to turn and look at me-and POW! I felt my knees buckling, the butterflies were in a flurry, and I literally had to catch my breath. Randy gave me butterflies like no other-that's how I knew he was a keeper.

Well, 6 1/2 years of marriage later, I wouldn't say that our marriage is perfect; on some days, it's far from it. But then again, we have moments when Randy still has the ability to take my breath away. Yesterday, we took the kids on a hike-the wild flowers were in full bloom and it was an incredibly beautiful day. Randy spotted a deer off in the distance and we stood still for a few moments to look at it. Randy leaned over to give me a quick kiss-and POW! I felt the butterflies awaken.

With the rush of life, these moments are few and far between, but I sure do love it when they come along.

And the Award for the Worst Mom Goes To....

Yep, that would be me. I really scare me. We were on our way to soccer. Deborah was with me and was helping me load the kids in the car. The Ford is in the shop, so I had the Kia-no automatic locks. It's a habit for me to unlock the doors and then throw my car keys onto the front passenger seat while I load the kids in. I unlocked the Kia (you have to unlock each lock manually), threw the keys onto the front seat, loaded Josh in, and then locked his door and the passenger front door, walked around to the other side to load Andrew in. The doors were locked, with Josh locked inside. Thank goodness Deborah was there-she waited with Andrew and poor Josh while I drove to the hospital, ran up to the 4th floor, grabbed Randy's car keys ("Don't ask me questions, just give me the d@!# keys!") and got back-it took me about 10 minutes. A tiny miracle: Josh didn't scream and was fine. What would I have done if Deborah wasn't there?!!

p.s. I didn't really swear at my husband.

Soccer, Week 3:

No whining. No crying. Only a couple of moments when he wanted me to hold his hand. He did such a good job. The coaches tried to get them to play an actual game-it was hilarious. Grandma came with us today; I think she's good luck.

5 Months

Joshers is 5 months today. He is sweet, sweet, sweet. Oh! He's so sweet! His smiles come easily and he LOVES to talk and coo to us. He's eating cereal like a pro now, and I love having a good eater. We love you Josh!

First Potty Adventure

So, I introduced the potty to Andrew yesterday. He wanted nothing to do with it. It's amazing how he KNOWS how to annoy me in just the right way. So we practiced putting Lamby on the toilet; he thought that was fun. I made a big fuss when Lamby sat on the potty, pretended to feed him a skittle, and then asked Andrew if he wanted a turn. Uh uh, no way.

Then Grey's Anatomy came on, so I decided to put the potty in the living room while I watched TV. I enticed Andrew with a popsicle and said he could have one if he sat on the potty-it worked! He sat on the potty while he ate his popsicle, and amazingly he peed! Randy and I made a big fuss over the 3 drops of urine that made it into the potty, had Andrew carry the bowl to the toilet, flush it, and wash his hands. He thought it was so fun, that we repeated the process about 6 times. So I'm thinking he's ready. Am I ready? Maybe in a couple of weeks...

A New Frontier

I'm feeling brave today so I got out the potty chair that's been sitting in our closet for almost a year. I'm not going to start training until Andrew is over 3, but I guess I feel like we need to start talking about it at least. This is something I've been dreading ever since our pediatrician told me at Andrew's 18-month checkup that it was never too early to start. I looked at him like he was a crazy person and threw his advice to the wayside. I guess I just haven't felt the push-I'd much rather change a diaper than have to find a nasty public restroom wherever we go. And not one person has told me that potty-training was a pleasant, easy experience; and I'm all about easy.

Does anyone want to come over and potty-train my child for me? Anyone?...........Anyone?..............Hello?

Here is one of my all-time favorite pictures of Pete & Andrew (March 2006), it cracks me up every time I look at it:

I know, Andrew, I'm a little scared, too.

I think Joshua is starting to warm up to Andrew, even when his big brother does things like this to him...


I even caught him laughing at Andrew yesterday.

Bribery. It's a Beautiful Thing.

Soccer, week 2:

Mom: Are you ready to play soccer today?

Andrew: No. No, play soccer. Not today!

Mom: Do you want to run around and kick the ball and play with your friends?

Andrew: No.

Mom: If you go play soccer, then we can go to the store and get a treat after.

Andrew: Mm. Hmm.

And that is how we got through our second week of soccer-I had to keep reminding him that we'd go get a treat after. He did pretty good. He whined most of the time, but he did what his coach asked him to do. Sometimes I had to hold his hand (literally) for him to do anything. We didn't make it the whole hour, but I think we're making progress.

We got Slurpees from 7-11 afterwards. It was Andrew's first Slurpee experience, and he hasn't stopped asking for one since.

The Best Time Is Summertime

I read a license plate frame recently; it read: THE BEST TIME IS SUMMERTIME

I love all the seasons, but this year I especially welcome the summer, it really is the best time of year:

1. The heat puts my kids into a sluggish trance and they sleep better.
2. Popsicles.
3. My garden and the hope of fresh veggies grown with my own two hands.
4. Flip-flops.
5. Ice cold water after playing out in the sun.
6. Eating dinner outside.
7. Being able to go for a walk with my kids in the early morning hours.
8. The sun doesn't go down until 9 pm.
9. Sprinklers and kiddie pools.
10. Getting dirty and sweaty, and then taking a nice warm shower before bed.

Q3

This is a shout-out to my husband who works very hard for our family. LOVE YOU!!

Randy is doing a 3-week rotation in the ICU and Q3 means that he has call every three days. What this really means is every 3rd day he works a 30+ hour shift; sleep is fleeting and the work is very busy. I LOVE that we're just a five minute walk away from the hospital-we get to bring him dinner on his call nights, which hopefully, makes his burden a little lighter. Some intern programs do this for a full year. We will not be applying to such programs.

Maybe Someday...

I'll be able to get some decent pictures of my two boys AT the same time. The first attempt was when Josh was 6 weeks old; with my mom's help, we took the boys to Kiddie Kandids-we had to wait 1 1/2 hours before they were ready for us. Josh was an angel. Andrew was toast.

The second attempt was last March, my good friend Danielle took some pictures outside; it was windy. Andrew was a sweetie. Josh went ballistic:

I must say, I have the cutest, handsomest, sweetest little boys on earth in the universe.

Little League Adventures

Being the nut that I am, I signed up Andrew in little league sports (soccer, T-ball, kickball) for the WHOLE summer. Today was his first day of soccer and he had Grandma, Dad, Baby Brother, and me as his cheering squad. As soon as he entered the giant indoor field house, he ran around like a banshee-kicking the cones and soccer balls. Then they did roll call and broke into groups, that's when the real fun began.....

He didn't want to kick the ball with his group.

He didn't want to play "follow the coach" around the cones.

He didn't want to kick the ball into the goal.

Instead, he......

Threw a real nice tantrum, and I was so proud.

Kicked the ball by himself all over the field, and refused to share the ball with anyone else.

When given the option to either listen to his coach or go home, he chose to go home. Yeah, Love and Logic works real well.

My plan for next week:
1. Give it one more chance before asking for my money back.
2. Tote Josh in the Baby Bjorn, pretend I'm the little kid, do everything the coach asks me to do, and hope Andrew follows my lead.
3. Spend Family Night practicing.
4. Spend more time with him during the week, maybe he's not getting enough attention and he's acting out (he recently has also refused going to Nursery).

Oh, the joys of parenting.

Ahhhhhhhhh. Breathe.

Josh is 19 weeks and 3 days old. Today he took 2 long naps in his bassinet. I finally feel my shoulders returning back to their original position-I hadn't realized until now that they were up to my ears.

My Soft, Warm, Cuddly....Trike

Some love to sleep with their blankie; some, a teddy bear. And yet others prefer their tricyle....

Needless to say, not a whole lot of napping was happening in this bed today.

My Very Own McDreamy

I love SCRUBS. No ironing AND I think Randy looks studly in them. Well, actually, I think he'd look good in a paper sack; he takes good care of himself, and I appreciate it.

Josh ate his first helping of rice cereal today. He got the hang of it pretty quick. He rolled it around his tongue, and most of it made it into his tummy. Good job, Joshers!!

I Like Cindy's Style

Two Christmases ago, we were finally able to buy a new sofa from our savings and Christmas money we received. I love denim. I don't know why, I just do. I love the comfortable, lived-in, shabby-chic look, so I searched high and low for a denim sofa. I mean I looked everywhere, and I found nothing but microfiber, microfiber, and more microfiber. I hate microfiber. I think it's a nasty material and I can't wait for it to go out of style. The only way I was going to get a denim sofa was to have it custom made, and that was way over my Wal-Mart budget.

So I found the next best thing, the couch I now have, and actually, I love it more than the denim. It's 100% nylon, it's plush, and lovely, and very comfortable, and did I mention that I love it? It's very cleanable and I never worry about spit-up, chocolate, apple juice, snot, or pen-it all cleans off with water and a little soap. And it was within our budget.

Now, I'm not going to get into the trials and tribulations that I had when ordering my new couch, but I will say that it took
ONE YEAR AND THREE MONTHS
before I finally got the couch that is now sitting in my living room. It was a nightmare, but now it's resolved, and life is good.

So I was watching TV tonight, and Cindy Crawford (whom I idolize, but that's a different blog story) has a new furniture line at RC WILLEY, of all places!! I couldn't believe it when I saw it.....









Oh well, all's well that ends well. And besides, it's 100% cotton and can only be cleaned with a water-free dry cleaning solvent ( I looked it up)-totally not practical with kids. But one day, I will have a denim sofa in my house, regardless if it's in style or not. I will also have furniture in blue toille (another material I'm obsessed with). Oh, and I want buttercream walls with white crown moldings. Not all in the same room. This is my time to dream, remember?

Here is my beautiful couch:

Trials are Trials

"Oh, things will get better," is something you've probably heard a thousand times in your life when you're going through some sort of trial, big or small. I think it's just part of our human nature to attempt to minimize a trial for someone else, in order to make sense of it.

I recently read an article in the Ensign, and it has given me new perspective:

"Although I am far from perfect at putting this principle into action, I have learned that the greatest gift we can give someone who is suffering isn’t advice about how things will get better, how we should be grateful it isn’t worse, or how we need to have faith. Sometimes the things we say in our efforts to help actually come across as judgmental or trivialize the depth of sorrow the person is experiencing. The greatest gift I ever received in a time of pain came in the form of a sweet roommate who shared the pain with me, dividing it up between the two of us so it would be easier for me to carry."

Since I've read this article, I've noticed that I do this all the time, and it really bugs me that I do it. In fact, just yesterday, I was talking to a friend-her husband will be leaving for 11 weeks for Air Force training, and I said to her, "Well, at least he'll be safe, he won't be in Iraq." It's true, he will be safe, but that doesn't take the trial away-her husband will still be gone for 3 months!

I'm learning that trials are trials, and they're hard and something that must be endured, and I can be a good friend by being compassionate and not trying to fix it. I'm also learning through the example of my dear friends that you can still be happy when going through trials; something I'm also trying to learn.

Every day, from here to there....

Today is gone. Today was fun.

Tomorrow is another one.

Every day, from here to there,

funny things are everywhere.

-Dr. Seuss

Andrew: "Mama, I want gorilla pudding." Translation: Vanilla pudding

Dad: "Josh is cooing and cawing and letting out happiness."

Mom: "Eat your string cheese, Andrew."
Andrew: "No, mom, it's snakes!"
Mom: "Ok, then, eat your snakes."
Andrew: "No, it's cheese!"
(whatever, just eat it)

Note to self:
Allow an extra 5 minutes for getting ready in the morning: So Andrew can flip the bathroom lightswitch off, giggle and run away, and I can turn the light back on; repeat about 20 times.

Feels Like Home

Randy and I often joke that the only reason why we go to church each Sunday is because of our stake callings. We go to sacrament meeting, Randy leaves right after the sacrament is passed so he can get his calling done before I drop Josh off to him so I can go to my meeting. We both usually miss Sunday School and Relief Society/Elder's Quorum and then we go home...and sometimes we ask, "What's the point?!" There have also been times where I've had more than one meeting and I miss taking the sacrament altogether. Yes, I could wait until the last ward meets at 1 PM, but I'm just not that righteous, there's no way I'm staying at church for more than 5 hours!

When I drive down Foothill, I look at the big Lutheran church with the pretty stained-glass windows, and think, "I bet the people there are very nice, too. They pay their clergy; all I'd have to do is show up! I wonder if I'd feel the Spirit there, too. I bet I would! No more pressure to do family history work, visiting teaching, missionary work, going to Institute or Enrichment Night or the temple, or reading my Ensign from cover to cover."

Are you worried about me yet? Well, here is why I love the LDS church:

It doesn't matter what building of our church you go into, they all smell the same, I can't even describe it, it smells like family if that makes any sense; it's a comforting feeling every time I enter the building.

I love the sounds-of children crying or throwing tantrums, of laughter, of well-wishers, of uplifting messages; it feels like home. When my mom was baptized, she was all glowing and happy; this made the biggest impression on me-to see my mom happy. I went to church with her one day, and to be honest, I wasn't too impressed. I remember sitting in sacrament meeting-there was a guy sitting a few rows ahead of me who was reading a lesson manual, obviously making last-minute preparations, a woman flipping through her planner, and the noise! How could anyone concentrate will all those kids! It seemed like noone was paying attention to the speakers. But now, almost 10 years later, I love the sweet buzz you hear during sacrament meeting-it reminds me that life is full and good. I have a very hard time concentrating and listening to the speakers when I'm wrestling with two kids, but I feel the Spirit every time.

I love seeing families together at church, and this is where I get a lot of my education on how to be a mom. I love how the church encourages us to accept our God-given roles: Women are to nurture their children; Men preside in love and righteousness, provide, and protect.

And I love my calling. I am surrounded by amazing people that truly live by the Spirit each and every day. I've seen many tiny, little miracles happen in our stake, by small and simple ways.

Now, can I count this as family history work because this is kind of a journal entry, and as missionary work because my blog is available for the world to see? Thanks.

4-Month Checkup

Josh had his 4-month checkup today:

He's 15 lb. 15 oz. (70%) and 25.5 in. (76%). Dr. Allred doesn't think his teeth are coming any time soon....so back to the drawing board. Such a cute little guy, but man!, he's a fussy critter.


I love his big, round, bald head. I kiss it about 50 million times a day. Mmmmm! Scrumptious!

My Cousin, My Friend

I don't know exactly what these two are doing with their left hand....but they sure did have a great time taking a bath; and it only took 3 towels to soak up the water from the bathroom floor.

Andrew's cousin Peter spent the night with us on Tuesday, they even slept in the same room-we did our usual bedtime routine, then turned off the light and closed the door. Andrew and Pete proceeded to talk and giggle for over an hour before finally falling asleep-it was the cutest thing listening to their silliness. I've decided we need to adopt Peter, he kept Andrew entertained for a solid 24 hours. It probably helps that Peter is a very well-behaved 2-year-old. (Cristi & Wade: You should feel proud)

Kids These Days Grow Up Way Too Fast

Case in point:
Joshua has four, count them FOUR, teeth coming in!!!! He'll be four months tomorrow!! What in the world? Well, at least there's a reason for his fussy, needy, sleep-deprived state.

Joshers laughed for the first time today while I was blowing raspberries on his big belly....absolutely, completely, totally adorable.

5 Things About Me

At the request of my sort-of cousin, here are five things about me you may not already know...

1. I love Tuesday nights: Randy is usually gone studying or working and Josh is in bed. I let Andrew stay up, we pop some popcorn, and watch American Idol. Andrew and I are popcorn addicts; my favorite is Jolly Time Kettle Mania.

2. I love to shop, and unfortunately, I have expensive taste. My favorite store is Banana Republic.

3. I was baptized and became a member of the LDS church when I was 19, it has changed my life and who I am today.

4. I'm a HUGE Dr. Laura fan, I've been listening to her for over 10 years, and I listen to her just about everyday. I love her wisdom and advice. Something she said today: "Happy husbands don't complain." She motivates me to be a better wife and mom.

5. I have a B.S. degree in Psychology, which is pretty much useless unless you go to graduate school. Unless it's a necessity, I probably won't continue my education. I'll be happy as a clam if I can just live out my days raising children and keeping busy with my future grandchildren.

Growing By The Millisecond

I'm starting to think the second child grows at a faster rate than the first. I can't believe Joshua is almost 4 months old! Here's what he's up to these days:

• He's a smily baby


• He coos, squawks, squeals and is beginning to put "ah" and "goo" together


• We're still up to our eyeballs in spit-up, but thanks to our good friends Reglan, Prevacid, and Enfamil AR-he's comfortable and pain-free


• He sleeps through the night (most nights), we're still working on the naps


• He loves, loves, loves bath time-it's fun to watch him kick his chubby little legs with excitement


• He loves to eat and takes in 30-32 oz. a day. It's fun having a chunker, but sometimes I worry we'll have to send him to Fat Camp when he's 12.


• He can roll onto his side


• We made a compromise: The swing at naps; Bassinet at night


• He can reach and grab for objects

The Joys of Living In Student Housing

Yes, it would be nice to have a place for my towels, to be able to paint the walls, or to not have to hike a mile to bring in the groceries or check the mail. But there are some advantages to living the student life:

• Randy is within walking distance to the medical school and hospitals, and can be home for dinner most nights (sometimes even when he's on call)


• Annually, maintenance comes in to clean my oven, wax the kitchen floor, shampoo the carpets, and clean my shower-how sweet is that?!!


• We've invested in some door stops, so we can prop our front doors open while our children run in and out of each other's apartments


• There's always someone to talk to and friends to be made-we're all in this together

The unfortunate part of living the student life: Eventually we move away. This time each year, we have to say goodbye to our beloved friends who are moving on to bigger and better. I think this year is going to be especially rough, I'll be saying goodbye to so many that I've truly grown to love.

Happy Easter!!

The Easter Bunny made it to our house this year and left a little something....

And it's a good thing the Easter Bunny took a picture of the basket before he put it in Andrew's room. We woke up to find Andrew in his bed, happy as can be...we'll be cleaning up grass for the next two weeks, I'm sure.

Andrew's Favorite Pastime

"STOP TORMENTING YOUR BROTHER!" or "ANDREW, HE DOESN'T LIKE THAT!" are common phrases used in our home. Andrew loves his brother to pieces, literally, and often shows his brotherly love in less than gentle ways. When Josh is playing on his play mat, Andrew will scoot under and hit the toys so hard they're spinning every which way-to a 3 1/2 month old, it must feel like total chaos. Andrew will get right up to Josh's face, forehead to forehead, and say, "Hi, Baby Brother!" When Josh is in his bouncer or car seat, Andrew will bounce/rock him as hard as he can-Josh gets a little nervous every time his big brother comes around.

Andrew also looks out for his baby brother. When Josh is crying, he'll bring him his beloved blankie or one of his toys. Often when I pick Josh up, goldfish crackers will fall from his lap-big brother likes to share his snacks, too.

Easter Bunny Sightings

The Easter Bunny has been sighted, and he's on his way.....







After all of these years, he still has some "hop" left in him.

And it takes one secure Bunny to pull off this women's velour leisure set.

I'm not going to mention any names, but someone was afraid of the Easter Bunny....

The Hunt

Andrew has the Easter-Egg hunting thing down. He was all business: Dad held the basket while he marched along and collected the eggs.

I think he had fun hunting for the eggs, but the best part of his day, hands down, was Great Grandma & Grandpa's never ending supply of POPSICLES!! No lunch (we tried), lots of candy, and 6 or 7 popsicles makes for one happy boy.

Hangin' with the Fam

I love Randy's family and the many get-togethers we have year-round. Lewis is on leave for 15 days, which made this Easter especially wonderful. This is what it's all about...

You can see the pictures better if you go to "Slideshow."

I Know It's Been A Good Day

......when my house is a wreck. I haven't quite figured out how to keep my house clean and have a fun day at the same time. It's impossible! I've been trying to break Joshua from his swing this week. It's been frustrating to say the least. So today I decided to heck with it. We went to Park City, I shopped and bought a new outfit. Andrew got to play at the park. Josh, well, he ate, slept & pooped. We came home to unmade beds, laundry that still needed to be put away, toys all over the place, and a sink full of dishes. It was a great day. I managed to get the house in order and food on the table before Randy got home....mischief managed.

Faith

I don't know if Andrew really gets prayer or knows what faith is, but it seems that children come programmed to accept such things with ease. As a family, we pray and ask Heavenly Father to bless our brother Ryan who is serving a mission in Philadelphia and Uncle Lewis who is in Iraq serving our country. For the past few days, Andrew has asked before he goes down for his nap to say a prayer for Uncle Ryan & Uncle Lewis ("Wewis"). And after he prays, he asks me to say a prayer for them, too. It chokes me up every time.

So Ryan and Uncle Lewis, more than anything we just want to give you a big hug, but know that we love you and are praying for you multiple times a day.

Happiness Fairy

Today was a discouraging day. I ran across this cartoon. It made me smile.

I Hope I Never Forget

Josh has been sleeping through the night for a couple of weeks now...and life is good. But sometimes he'll still get up around 4 am-which he did last night. I'm not a big fan of interrupted sleep, so I got up grudgingly because I'm the mom and that's what moms do. If Josh wasn't belted in his swing, he would have jumped right out with excitement because I had come to pay him a visit. He smiled and cooed and kicked his chubby little legs. How can I be annoyed with that? These little moments that only I get to experience, I hope I never forget.

Scripture Study is Like Exercise

Scripture study is like exercise: It's hard to get yourself into it; but once you do it consistently, you enjoy it and can't live without it. At least that's how it is for me.

A cool website to help keep on task with reading scriptures: www.ldsscripturetools.com. As for keeping on task with the exercise, there's a saying that I like: Don't compromise...just exercise.

Mmmm! Broccoli!

Andrew doesn't care for the typical kid foods: Peanut butter & jelly, bananas, apples. But tonight for dinner, he couldn't get enough BROCCOLI! So we just kept piling it on his plate until it was all gone. Go figure!

The Boss

Everyone in this house wants to be The Boss. Everyone in this house thinks they are The Boss.

A couple of days ago, Andrew was being way demanding and I had had enough, so I said, "Andrew you are not the boss of me, I'm the boss of you!" Real mature, I know. And he came back with, "No, Andrew the boss!" Later that night at dinner, I asked Andrew, "Is Daddy the boss?" He looked at Dad, smiled and said, "Nooooo!" "Is Mommy the boss?" "Nooooo!" "Well, who's the boss, then?" "Andrew the boss!!"

How does he know this already?!?

Our Time To Dream

The medical student life isn't always easy. Randy is gone a lot, and I'm on my own a lot. It can be frustrating and stressful for both of us. And on the outside, it may look like I have an insensitive husband that puts his studies before his family.

But here's the reality: We have big dreams. Radiology isn't easy to get into, and Randy needs to study more than the average bear to keep up. There are also lots of hoops to jump through and ladders to climb to get to the next step....residency. At some point you need to pay the debt...do you want to work hard now, to get the sweet family lifestyle later? Or do you want to play now, and have to work long hours for the rest of your life?

So we relish the mini-moments we have as a family, and hang on tight through the rough spots. When Randy comes home each night, we sneak into the boys' bedrooms to give one last goodnight kiss to our sweet, sleeping babies. We make sure to have family prayer everyday and family night each week. We have dinner at a nicely set table each evening and share the funny things that happened to us that day. We muddle through the poopy diapers, the tantrums, and the colicky evenings, with silliness. We share our hopes, our worries, our accomplishments, our failures. We imagine what our house will be like, where we'll live, what vacations we'd like to take, the "things" we'd like to buy. We talk about our boys and the things we need to teach them. We give lots of loves and hugs an kisses.

Randy is teaching our boys to be real men, who'll work hard to provide for their families. We make lots of sacrifices now so that Randy will have a job that he loves, so that I can stay home with our kidlets, and so that our children will have a good life. This is our time to dream of the beautiful future ahead of us.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Perspective

I was watching the Discovery Health Channel tonight and there was this show about a couple that had a toddler and then gave birth to quadruplets. Crazy, huh? Then....almost two years later, they gave birth to triplets. 8 kids under the age of 3!! It made me grateful for my simple life (in comparison), that when Andrew threw an unbelievable fit during bath time...it didn't even phase me.

Time Out

Apparently, Doggie misbehaves on occasion. We hear the pitter patter of little feet, we hear the bedroom door open, we see little hands deposit Doggie in front of the bedroom door, we hear, "Go in Time Out!!," then we hear the door close and the pitter patter of little feet going back to bed.

Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that cute little head.

The Left Hand Tastes Better Than The Right

.....just in case you were wondering.

Andrew at 3 months

Josh at 3 months

When Dads Are In Charge

• Chips are just fine for dinner and you can drink all of the juice you want.
  
  
• Your shirt does not have to match your pants.
  
  
• You don’t need your teeth or hair brushed.
  
  
• Baths before bed are not required and if you’re wearing comfortable clothes, PJ’s aren’t either.
  
  
• You get complete, undivided attention, and all the horsing-around you want.
  
  
• Mom gets a much-deserved break.

What would the world be like without Dads?

I Got Myself a Chunker

Randy and I love to eat. Dinnertime is the best part of our day. Our favorite thing to do as a family is go out to dinner and Sunday breakfasts are a treat. I think we would be big, fat, lards if we didn't also like to exercise. So we were more than perplexed when Andrew came into the world and didn't like to eat. From day one, it was a struggle~and to this day, he mainly eats only beige foods (cheese, bread, eggs, french fries, chicken nuggets). It's just not a priority for him. He eats when he's hungry and that's it.

Then along came Joshua. Holy Hannah, he's an eater! I always imagined myself having chunker babies, well, now I have one.



And I think he's happy about it.

Going Home

When I was a child, I loved balloons. It was heartbreaking when one would get away, so my dad had a special way of tying them onto my wrist so this wouldn't happen. Andrew also loves balloons, but not only does he hate having them tied around his wrist, but his favorite thing is to let them go and watch them reach the sky. He'll say, "The balloon's going home!!"

Choices

There are many choices to be made when parenting a 2-year-old. Yes, half of the time Randy and I really don't know what we're doing and we wonder if we're doing an ok job. We just take the moments as they come, and hope and pray for the best....

After a nice visit with our family in Springville, I packed the kids in the car and headed for home. Both were in their p.j.'s, Andrew was cozy with his blankie and sippy cup full of milk, and Josh was already half asleep. It was bedtime and so I was looking forward to a nice, quiet drive with two sleeping children in the backseat. We made it to the point of the mountain......then Andrew dropped his sippy cup. This isn't the first time that he's done this, and I'm certain it won't be the last. He let me know that he dropped his sippy cup with a half-whine, half-yell request that I get it for him. I calmly replied, "Sorry, Sweetie, Mommy can't get it right now, you'll have to wait until we get home." Well, to a nap-less, overtired 2-year-old, that response was not going to cut it. He wanted his sippy cup, and he wanted it now! So, in my mind, I had 4 choices to make:

1. Yell at him. Such things like: "WELL, WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR?" "YOU'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT!!" "STOPIT!!" In my little experiece as a parent, I've found this to be ineffective and crazy-making. Oh, I've done my fair share of yelling, but it only seems to make the volume increase, and I always feel crummy after.
2. Give him a good swat. I'm 99.9% positive that I can reach him from the driver's seat and with enough leverage to really whack him good. Very tempting, but I know it would'nt make me feel better, and I know it would make him even more upset. Besides, it would also be dangerous while driving.
3. Pull over. A patient parent would probably choose this one. The problem would be solved and we could enjoy the rest of the ride home in peace. But I am stubborn, and besides, what would that teach him? That I'll bail him out of every predicament? I'm sure he didn't intentionally drop the sippy cup, but maybe next time he'll be a little more careful and hang on tight to his things while in the car.
4. Ignore him. Turn up the radio, and hope he'll get over it.

Well, I chose #4-he screamed from the point of the mountain to our freeway exit (about 25 min.). When we got to a stop light, I was able to reach back and get the sippy cup. By the time we got home, all was well, and Andrew was happy and gave me a big hug. We survived yet another tantrum. How Josh slept through it all, I'll never know.

"...and thank you for the Box Elder Bugs..."

It's Box Elder Bug season~and they seem to enjoy living in our apartment. I've given up, they're just a part of our family now. I used to take a tissue and carry them to their grave (the toilet); now I just let them roam free and hope they die soon. Andrew says his very own prayers now, and to my dismay, tonight he thanked Heavenly Father for the Box Elder Bugs!

Every Family Needs a Baby

A good friend of mine says that every family needs a baby. There's something about holding a sleeping baby...it soothes the soul. They smell so sweet...fresh from heaven. Their smile...so innocent and full of love. It is such a joy to have a baby in our family...Joshua is a sweet, amazing, little person!

Because He Lets Me Be a Nerd

On rare occasions, Randy actually gets sick of studying and wants to veg on the couch with me. So tonight we watched American Idol while I folded laundry (in my defense: yes, I watch a lot of TV these days, but I'm always doing something constructive while I'm doing it). Randy just went along with me as I ooohhed and aahhed over the singers and told him what I thought Simon would say next...and I love him for it.

Fire Station Tour

If you want to see wonder in a little boy's eyes, take him to the fire station. The second Andrew saw that big, red fire engine, he was awestruck. He got to climb inside and even sat in the driver's seat!

Families that clump together, stay together

When dad comes home from work, he gives his usual greetings and then heads to the bedroom to change. Andrew grabs whatever toy he's playing with and makes a beeline for the bedroom. With baby in hand, I migrate to the bedroom. Within minutes, we're within feet of each other. This "clumping" phenomenon occurs often in our home-we just can't get enough of each other!

"You did a good job, Mama!"

The bedtime routine includes a short story, scriptures, prayer, and songs that Andrew chooses. Andrew kept asking me to sing "Be Still." For a few days, I couldn't figure out what song that was, it was something I'd never sung to him. Finally, the light bulb went on and I realized it was "Chapel Doors." So I sang it to him, and his eyes lit up and after he said, "You did a good job, Mama!" Why does it feel so good to be able to impress a 2-year-old?

The chapel doors seem to say to me, shh, be still.
For this is a reverent place to be, shh, be still.
We gather here on the Sabbath Day, to learn of Jesus, to sing and pray.
So when we come to the chapel doors, shh, be still.

The Fourth Trimester

I read somewhere that babies need a fourth trimester. For nine months, they were gently bounced around in tight quarters, and then suddenly, are born into the big, vast world. This is how Joshua sleeps best: Swaddled tight like a burrito while being lulled to sleep in his swing. Last night he slept for 8 hours!