This and That and Etc…

Consider this just a modge-podge of completely random stuff that we’ve done or been up to in the last couple of weeks.

We got a new fridge (oh how exciting!) And yes, the old one is gone. Well, it’s on our back porch for now:

We did a little bit of hiking up Snow Basin and out to Weber Res:

Ok, so this weirdo has decided that the only way to wear a coat is backwards…

Ok, there are tons of pictures of wheat because it was really, really pretty! It was literally sparkling gold in the late afternoon light, but I just don’t know how to catch “sparkles” on a camera. (sigh)

And then we did just stuff; around the house…

Preschool was at our house the last two weeks, but I didn’t take a picture of that; because honestly, on those days I just feel like a chicken with it’s head cut-off…nd the little kids better thank their lucky stars at night that I didn’t lose it:

And then…a couple friends and I threw a “Diaper Party/Baby Shower” for a couple other friends. One is having a boy, and the other a girl. Here were my contributions…plus a drink…but I didn’t take a picture of that…because I was late and it was sloshing around everywhere. But it was kinda yummy/fun. And I have no idea why some of the pictures are orange, and the others blue. I didn’t change a dang thing about the camera or position. The little boy cake is supposed to represent a winding mountain road, and an airplane flying above the top. The little girl cake I just went way overboard with. There are paper tissue flowers, and little wash cloth rose flowers and butterflies. I wanted it to be this beautiful flower garden with butterflies flitting everywhere surrounded by a pond with birds in it…but then it got to be 2:30 in the morning and there was just way too much stuff on it, so I stopped. hahaha!

And then there’s been just the usual stuff: treehouse, teaching piano lessons, playing at friends or having friends over, etc. Except for the week I was without the van. Oh the horrors!!! It was just getting 90k miles preventative maintenance, but it took longer than I thought it should, and cost SO. MUCH. MONEY! But, I’ve never had a car at 90k miles, so I just didn’t know. You see, almost all of our previous cars were way beyond that mileage when we obtained them, and the Corolla we sold before it got there, so I just didn’t know. We took a lot of walks that week. A lot. Even at night in the wind and a snow storm…to Mc Donald’s…just so we could get out of the house. heh heh. See. That’s why I was born now and not in the pioneer days.

Oh ya. Before that I had to give a talk in sacrament meeting. It was about the pre-existence, and I don’t know why, but that took me hours to prepare! I don’t know if I’m kinda dumb, or kinda a pshyco-path, but it took me a LONG time.

And, here is a little story the people in charge of one particular part of the lds.org website asked me to write, like…clear back in Nov….so I thought they had forgotten about it, but apparently it will be live Monday.

http://www.lds.org/topics/service/create/photos/photo-of-the-week

Ok. I think I’m done.

My 2nd is 2!

Well it happened…my sweet baby boy turned into a terrible 2 yr old! We’ve been seeing the signs for a while though; refusing to go to bed, refusing to eat, refusing to do anything he is asked even when it’s something he loves…sigh.

Rob took his birthday off and we just played around the home, ate out at his favorite food establishment-McDonalds- and then came home for cake, icecream, and presents. Here are several videos and pictures from the day:

Yes, he is trying to hide from us…or be coy…or something.

So these little 50cent airplanes from the dollar store were his favorite. haha!

More of same

See, kids do eat the apple slices at McDonalds.

Ya…we got tired of waiting for Morgan to open the presents…

I took him to his 2yr well-child check-up the other day. Apparently he is tall and skinny (with a big noggin’ of course). How is that possible (the tall and skinny part)?! Have you seen his parents?! The doctor started telling me all these foods I should feed him: cheese (he eats that), PB (he eats that), whole milk (yep, that’s what he drinks)…but she also said to add carnation; etc. He eats so much better than Mason did at that age, and yet I was never told Mason was too skinny…hmm. She even said if he gets any skinnier I’m going to have to bring him in to test him (for what?). Anyway. Some things about Morgan:

Likes-

• Thomas -and all trains…but Thomas he is especially obsessed with
• Lightning McQueen
• Any and all planes and helicopters. He and Mason could spend all day at HAFB Museum looking at planes…and Union Station Museum come to think of it. What kind of kids like museums?!
• Kitty-cats and puppy-dogs; and yes, that is what he calls them.
• To go along with the above: the movies Cars, Aristocats, and Lady and the Tramp
• Big trucks; especially garbage and dump trucks.
• Bath time!
• Chocolate milk
• Corn pops
• Running “fast!”
• Dad’s motorcycle. If he hears it or any motorcycle he starts breathing hard and trying to get out the door to get to it. HAHAHAHA!
• Oranges
• Mac n’ Cheese

Dislikes-

• Bedtime
• Getting out of the bath
• Being ignored…not being held…not having your immediate and undivided attention.
• Getting on his diaper
• Church (oh my heck…)
• Being left
• Tents (we tried to take him camping once-it was bad)
• Being hungry. He gets very, very unmanageable when he is hungry.

It’s funny; the more I watch my kids each day, the more I realize how much Mason is just exactly like me, and how much there is of Rob in Morgan. But there is some of me in him too. I see all the things he does and says, and I cannot believe how differently he has developed from Mason. Morgie seems more…normal? haha! We are starting to see he has great recall though, just like Mason. He loves to tell people “hi!” and “bye!”. He talks much more than Mason did at an age several months older than Morgie is now. He can actually be quite obedient. He has the sweetest smile in the world, but also cries WAY more than I think he should ;). He loves to cuddle and be held. He is my “Hi Daddy!”, “Mommy’s lap”, “bye ‘ason”, “read boot”, absolutely perfectly beautiful in his mommy’s eyes-- little boy.

(I have another movie, but it’s taking too long to load. I’ll try to remember to post later) 

Circus!

This is what we did today…and it was AWESOME!!! We were able to walk right up to the elephants and pretty close to the tigers, and a giant boa constrictor and camels…I’ve never been that close to those animals. You just can’t get that close at the zoo, so this was an awesome opportunity that even Rob had fun with (seeing the animals close…not the rest of it ;) ) Mason and I love the circus! We love the lights, and the music, and the animals, and the balance and skills. Morgan and Rob not so much. Luckily for them there were some motorcross races going on next door. But really, who can say (besides the 100s of other kids there today…) that they’ve ridden an elephant?! He talked about it the rest of the day, and made it the focus of his prayers this evening. Next year Mason said he wanted to ride the camel. We’ll see.

(And I apologize for the fuzzy pictures, but I was running after them like a crazy person while dodging the other mommies and dad’s trying to get pictures too). 

Christmas!!!

I want to just tell a little about Christmas Eve and first thing Christmas morning. The rest will be videos and pictures.

Sometime Christmas Eve during FHE, Santa snuck into Mason’s room and left two presents. When we went upstairs to get ready for bed, the boys found the presents with golden tickets attached to them. Upon opening they found matching jammies and a note to take their tickets to the van. In the van was chocolate milk and popcorn. We took the kids to see Christmas lights. They loved it. Especially Mason. He kept saying “I can’t lose my ticket!”, and, “how did Santa get in my room?”. haha! I apologize for the lack of pictures.

After the kids went to bed I went to the movies with my beautiful Kelli friend :) to see Les Mis. I LOVED IT! I thought it was very well done. I am about to say something absolutely horrible about one of my most favorite actors of all time, but… I think they should have cast somebody else as Javert! whew. There we go. It’s out there now. I’m sorry Russell Crowe, I really am, but you were the only character which I think could have been better. I still love you though! I think those who went to the theater expecting Broadway singing are a little silly. It is NOT a broadway/theater production; it is a Hollywood production; and I think they did very, very well. They stayed true to the book (well, as much as you can from a 1500 page book into 2.5 hrs)- and I applaud them for that. And when I say they stayed true to the book, I mean they didn’t add anything. There is sooooooo much missing though from the book that if you haven’t read it you really should. It will make the movie and theater production make more sense.

Anyway. Moving on.

Christmas morning Morgan woke up first. We brought him in to our room while we waited for Mason to wake up. He did shortly and came into our room and just sat on the bed. After a few moments we had the following conversation with him: 

“Do you think Santa came last night?”

Mason- “Yes”.

“Oh, what do you think he brought you?”

Mason- “He got me and baby jammies (Morgan is called baby at our house…still…)”

“Oh. Do you think he came again and brought more presents?”

Mason- “No”.

“I bet he did! Should we go see if he brought us more presents?”

Silence.

“Should we go see?”

No movement for a while. Then an “ok.”

It took some doing but we finally got him off our bed and down to the front room. Don’t ask me. I have no idea where Mason came from….

Now for the pics and vids:

Anyway. I’ve been working on this post for over a week-which is waaaaaayyyy too long, so that’s all you get. haha! I hope everybody had as fun a Christmas as we did!