Confession time again

I get out of bed slowly, in stages, like an old person. I'm not sure when this started (back when big and pregnant maybe?) but I don't like it.

I can eat a lot of potato chips before I realize no one gets full on potato chips so I should stop.

I attempt, every day, to appear put-together.

I am easily intimidated by confident, put-together people.

I am not put-together.  I am hoping no one else really is either.

I have prepared over 500 packets of instant oatmeal. It could easily be more like 700.

Every year about this time, I buy, eat, and hoard Cadbury mini-eggs like they won't be coming back next Easter. 

After nearly 7 years of marriage, I've just realized, today in fact, that although Justin and I share our lives, we do not share a brain. I need to verbalize what's going on in my head.

I get super annoyed by unnecessary mouth noises. 

I don't want Sarah to go to kindergarten because it's such a schedule commitment for me. 

If I were to suddenly have to live a pioneer life I would worry about these things in this order: My armpit hair growing in, my eyebrows growing in, my true hair color (with the ever-increasing grey) growing in, having to slaughter my own meat, not showering every day. These are actually my same concerns about camping for more than 2 nights.

I've written and deleted several confessions that I just don't dare publish.

I only appear easy-going. My laziness just balances out my need to control everything.

I think if I were a drinker, I'd definitely be the glass-of-wine-in-the-afternoon kind of mom.

I'm a Rolo-in-the-afternoon kind of mom. 

I voted all republican except for one democrat (treasurer) in the last election just so I could feel like an independent thinker.

Before Valentines Day, Valentine's and what came after

How's that for a title?

Sarah made a bunch of Valentine's to give to her cousins.  I pretty much ran a Valentine sweat shop for a couple of days.  Sarah was busy stamping, sticking, and writing 15 Valentines. She actually loved every minute of it.

Sarah stuffed them with candy while I sewed them shut. The finished goods.

To soothe the post-nap grumpies, I've been giving Henry a cookie right when he wakes up.

Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't but he's learned to expect it.

The world through Sarah's eyes.  She wanted to take some pictures. I about had a heart attack and hovered around her as she held the camera.

 I've got 12 more of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse but I think you get the idea.

The night before Valentine's day, Sarah and Henry got Valentines in the mail from their cousins in Logan and St. George.  They were very excited.  Well Sarah was sickly ill but it sure cheered her up. She missed her Valentine party at preschool that day so she was extra bummed.

It's 9 pm in these pictures.  Sarah had just woken up from a nap.

Valentine's Day Sarah was still sick but that didn't stop her from helping me make a treat for Justin.

 Now that's love.

 Mmm Valentine's.  I like holidays where the true meaning is chocolate.

And she's out.  Poor little thing.

We usually go out as a family to someplace not busy on Valentine's day but since Justin gets home so late, we just had a festive dinner at home.

I made paper conversation hearts.  When I read this one to Sarah she said, "Is that me?"  Yup.

I got these tin mailboxes from Target and filled them with little toys and candy.  They were a hit.  I've already had to write two letters and put them in their mailboxes for them to open in the morning per Sarah's specific instructions.

My little heartbreaker. Henry says a new word every day, I swear.  Today it was bed. He mostly jibber jabbers but I hear more real words thrown in there.  He says "Me-me!" when he wants something and says "ee-come" for "You're welcome" (He doesn't say please or thank you).

Justin laughed and loved his Valentine treat.

Friday we went to the cabin to sled and snowmobile.  Henry didn't want to have much to do with me while we were there with his Papa and uncles.  If anyone went outside to snowmobile, Henry expected to go with them.  He learned how to make a snowmobile sound and say Nate and Braden (Nee and Bay-bay).  Since we've been home he says "Wooowooo Boppa, Dada. Woowoo" all the time.

He wanted to be on the snowmobiles so much, he didn't even fight me with his snowpants. It was so weird.

He was so stoic while riding the snowmobile and sled, it was hard to tell if he liked it.  But once we came inside, he wanted right back out.

Sarah and Kristen made a snowman.  In the sun, he melted.

It was super sunny while we sledded and the kids got a little sunburned.  Poor Henry. Can you see his line from his hat?

My kids are so helpful when blowing out candles. Happy birthday Nate.

We came home Sunday night since Justin had to work Monday.  Monday night, Sarah and I went to see the play Rapunzel, Rapunzel at the Scera Theater.  She had no idea what a play was and I tried hard to explain it but I think she thought she was going on stage.  She was a little overwhelmed at first and caught off guard by seeing people perform in front of her.  Most of the time I watched her watch it.  It was super cutesy and over the top and an hour long. Perfect for a 4-year-old.

Yesterday we made rolls for dinner. Sarah can't help herself around dough. Her roll ended up the size of my thumb.

Now you're all caught up!  Today I am looking for stuff to sell on KSL so I can use the money in Disneyland.  Yup, we're going to Disneyland in May.  Ask me if I'm excited!!

Big Baby

Henry doesn't seem to care that I don't want him to grow up.  Despite my plea for him to stay little each night as I put him to bed, he grows every day. He'll be 2 in just over 3 months.  I do not like that.

He feeds himself all the time now.  This I actually like.  Here he is eating goldfish crackers out of a bowl with a spoon.

Today his cousin came over for awhile.  Henry is twice his age but only like 2 pounds heavier. It's a small consolation that Henry is little.

When Henry wasn't trying to shove his cousin's bottle into his cousin's mouth, he was trying to shove it into his own mouth.  To get him to leave it alone, I pulled out the only bottle I have: Sarah's bottle that she also never used.

He did not get how to use it and was getting frustrated. (I tried a few times to get Henry to take a bottle as a baby but he never did.)

 Here I am teaching my 20-month-old how to use a bottle. It was a good baby moment.

He's starting to put sentences together.  Okay, so all of these sentences being with "No" but still, it throws me.  "No mush." "No bath." "No milk."  It won't be long before he's saying "No, Mom, I don't need your help. I can do everything all by myself and I don't need you anymore. Can I borrow the car?"  Sniff.

He doesn't like lullabies anymore.  Everything we sing has to have actions or animal sounds.  He'd rather read a book about cars.  He can spot a football a mile away.  "You're a little boy," I whine. "Where's my baby?"

Don't get me wrong, he's hardly mature.  He whines and gets super clingy like he was born yesterday. But why is that the last baby trait to leave? Why can't snuggling right up to my neck be the thing that he holds onto until he's 3?

I'm not baby hungry. Don't be all "well have another baby".  I think another kid will just divert my attention and Henry will seem to grow even faster. I want my baby Henry back.  He was the sweetest thing.

I just need to remind myself how much more sleep I get now and that I can leave him for more than an hour without panicking. Every age is good.

A Regular-Sized Post

Usually I wait too long to update this blog so when I do, it's miles long with weeks full of activity.  But this time, I didn't wait too long and we haven't done much so there's not a whole lot to talk about.  I say that now.  I may get a little long-winded before I'm done.

Sarah got this book from the grocery store full of kid-friendly recipes and crafts. While I was putting Henry down for a nap, she made this little paper plate creation just from looking at the picture.

I'm having to let go of some scissor issues and just let her learn.  She's been doing great. Here she's making a headband.

You could assume this is the same day because Sarah is wearing the same thing but I never assume that. One can't go by outfits alone with this girl since she likes to wear the same thing a couple of days in a row. Or she switches 4 times a day. But she has to have new pj's every night. Girls. She was still on a crafty kick so she made crowns for herself and Henry.

They sure can act like royalty.

What's the word for when you're a hoarder and don't even know it?  Hoarder? Great. So I decided allocating one of my few drawers in the kitchen to grocery sacks was a little foolish. I pulled them all out of the drawer then thinking a few might be stuck behind the drawer, I pulled the whole drawer out.  How right I was. There were more behind the drawer than in the drawer.  This is a lot of sacks and I was horrified. Or hoardified.

I took this picture to show Sarah's cute curls and to have evidence that she can choose matching accessories.  I worry sometimes.

When the kids won't put their coats on, we tell them to open the door, see how cold it is, then decide. Henry still runs from his coat.

In other news, we bought a new car. Justin found a great deal on a 4 Runner in SLC. Now I can drive through the snow with reckless abandon. Or take Sarah to school without major snow anxiety. And we can actually fit all our stuff when we go somewhere.  I can now pack with reckless abandon. I sure am throwing that phrase around with reckless abandon.

In the next 30 days, I'm looking forward to:
February. This month has been yucky.
Going to a play with Sarah.
Taking a cake decorating class.
Valentine's Day.  I love sweet things.
Going to St. George to visit my parents and sister. It's like 60 degrees there. That's triple what it is here.

Let's Party Like It's 2013

"I don't make resolutions, I make plans." I heard that somewhere and I like it.  So here are my plans.

1. Not eat treats until Valentine's Day. I'm 8 days into it and am going through all the stages of grief. Despair, anger, bargaining, all that.  But I've done 90 days, I can do 45.  It's not a no sugar thing...that would be impossible because yogurt and maple syrup are life sustaining.  No, the rule is, if it's something I wouldn't let my kids eat until after they finished their dinner, it's a treat and it's not for me.  

2. Put together 72-hour kits. Our water was off for 30 minutes on Sunday. It was a rude awakening to how quickly and without warning things can change.  I'm making a list of all the things I need in a kit and get 2 or 3 things a month.  So let's hope nothing happens before December or I'll have an incomplete kit. Wouldn't that be ironic? I've had no need for an emergency kit but when I start assembling one, wham-o! no electricity for a week.

3. Clean out the basement (so Justin can finish it). This was going to be January's big goal but it's super cold down there so I may wait until spring to really tackle this one.  January's goal is to get the Christmas boxes back in their spot and take care of the "to be filed" stack of papers on the desk.

4. Get up before my kids at least one day a week and get some things done.  This may sound pathetic to some of you but I think sleeping in as much as I can is a perk of being an at-home mom. Someday they'll be in school and I'll have to get up early so I'm going to enjoy this while I can. 

So let's back up several days to Justin's birthday. We celebrated the day before at his parent's house with his family.  He has a theme each year for his dinner and this year it was fried food.  He and his dad deep-fried anything they could. 

It was delicious and sickening at the same time. These are 3 kinds of wings and french fries. Not pictured are the turkey legs and coconut shrimp. 

What's this hockey puck Henry is chewing on, you ask?  It's not a hockey puck but a solid hunk of chocolate.  

For dessert, cheesecake and pie.  Sarah is all about photo-bombing my food photos.

I made this pie. (Photo-bomb Sarah again.) I'm not a pie person and feel it is a waste of my culinary time to make a pie since I don't want to eat it. But I love my husband more than I dislike pie so I made it.  He said it was good. It was raspberry chiffon, for those of you wanting to know.

We got smart and put Henry in the highchair so he didn't get hockey puck chocolate all over the house.

I'm pretty sure this chocolate was semi-sweet.  We got even smarter and took it away before he got sick. We gave him a bowl of ice cream instead.  Such nutritious parents we are.

 Cheesers.

 I love this picture.

The real birthday, December 31. Justin finally got to wear his coat he ordered over a month ago. Sarah and Henry got him a flashlight/lantern for camping. Then Sarah ran upstairs saying she had another present for him to open. She came back downstairs with her arms wide open.  Her gift was a hug.

After breakfast we drove to Logan for my family's New Year's party at my brother's house. Henry was pretty good at keeping himself entertained.

 We hit 144444 miles. Woohoo! And we are speeding.

So this is at Hardware Ranch up some canyon in Cache County.  Since 1949, some government agency provides food for the local elk herds to prevent them from migrating down into the valley and getting hurt.  For $5 you can ride out among the herd in a horse-drawn sleigh and get an up-close look at the elk eating and occasionally ramming heads and boxing.  Perfect birthday activity for Justin.

As our sleigh pulled into the clearing, another sleigh drove right through the herd, scattering elk every which way. I thought it was part of the experience.  But then the sleigh didn't slow down and continued to drive erratically.  As we got closer, I could see the driver was trying really hard to keep the horses in control.  The other 3 sleighs, including ours, were brought around to the run-away sleigh in attempt to control the horse and force it to stop.  But the corral attempt didn't work and the horse found a way out--right by us.  As the driver of the runaway sleigh came near us, he yelled "Get your hands in, we're going to hit." Then the right side of his sleigh hit the back end of our sleigh, sending us sliding to the side a few feet.  It was loud and jarring. The people on the crazy sleigh looked afraid. When the crazy sleigh came around again, they forced it to stop and another driver hopped down from his sleigh and freed the crazy horse from some strap that was not where the horse wanted it to be. The horse didn't have rabies, just an annoying strap.  I don't get horses.

I don't get elk either but I learned a little more.  Like that they expend more energy keeping themselves cool in the summer than they do keeping themselves warm in the winter.  Good thing too, because it was 14 degrees.

And when it's time for the baby elk to eat, the mama elk will call for them. That's not how it works with my babies.

 Happy birthday, babe.

 Love me some big blue eyes. Don't judge him on his pink scarf. It was 14 degrees.

Here's a picture of a bull elk so Justin doesn't get mad.

Sarah thought it was pretty fun.  

 This is inside the visitors center.

This is the elk herd as seen from the visitors center.  Go do it.  They do tours through March. Bundle up.

Back at my bro's, we ate a lot of food and played lots of games.But of course we stopped playing games to sing happy birthday to Justin.  This is not an over-baked white cake without any frosting. This is baked s'mores my friends, one of the best desserts you will ever have.

 Photo-bomb Matt.

 Cute kid.

I didn't see Sarah much the whole time we were there. She was in cousin-mode and didn't need her mom.  Here Kyra made Sarah into a mermaid. And yes, that is a gingerbread house in livingroom, complete with paper fireplace with candy-filled paper stockings for all the cousins. Lisa is a very creative mom.

Tuesday morning, the kids went swimming at the motel my parents stayed at. Then we made candy sleighs for racing.

 We did several heats to find the fastest but I don't remember who was the overall winner.

And that is my son walking around with his blanket on his head. And I don't know what Tyler is doing but I'm pretty sure if he was barfing, I'd remember.

We needed to start earlier in our celebrating because we didn't even get to this year's taste test: microwave popcorn. Sarah cried when it was time to leave; she loves her cousins Jaana and Kyra so much.

-----Back at home------

Remember how Sarah gets attached to biodegradable things?

In my purging of all things Christmas, I made Sarah pose with her gingerbread house she made at preschool. Then I threw it away.  She doesn't know nor has she noticed.

This is the balloon I got her after she let go of her birthday balloons outside. She's had it since October 30th and it was floating until a couple of weeks ago (Macey's balloons are long-term investments, apparently) and has been slowly dying the past few weeks. She asked to have her picture taken with it a couple of days ago. It's sitting on my kitchen counter breathing it's last breaths.

She just saw this picture and asked where her balloon was in panicked voice. We may have to have a funeral for this one.