A Gripe

I'm going to gripe. Just for a minute. If you don't want to hear it, then switch to another page. If, on the other hand, you are on board to listen to my diatribe, please read on.

Today's grievance is... ANNOYING FACEBOOK POSTS.

You know the ones. Here are some that top my "please pierce my eyes out with skewers than make me read them" posts.

"Made homemade cinnamon rolls AGAIN for my kids. Guess I'm just a creature of habit." Gag. I get that you are trying to convince people that you are Mother of the Year, or you know what, maybe you are, but please, my kids are sitting here picking the marshmallows out of the Lucky Charms box and are completely happy. Plus- the Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls from the can are seriously delicious. So save yourself the flour.

"Woohoo! I'm back down to my high school weight! Love the gym!" Double gag. I can't speak for everyone (obviously- though I try), but I know I don't give two shakes about how much you weigh. And seriously stop bragging about loving the gym. The gym sucks, we all know it.

"Having a bad day" PLEASE- just come out and say WHY you are having a bad day. It's obvious you want people to ask- so just spit it out!

Any random song lyric. No one thinks you're cool because you can quote the Rolling Stones.

"My husband is cheating on me". Uhhhh... TMI.

And perhaps the MOST annoying facebook status... Updating the world with EVERYTHING YOU DO! Examples: "Just got home from work." "What to eat for dinner." "Gonna watch some TV now." "Sleepy now, gonna go to bed." Really. We don't need to know EVERYTHING.

Whew. I feel better. Just had to get that off my chest!

January and February...

I really hate January and February. They are such blah months. The holidays are over, there is still a bunch of snow and it's cold- so you are forced to stay indoors. Since we have been inside so much, we have had to get a little creative about what we've been doing so that we don't all go crazy with cabin fever.

The kids obviously got some new toys for Christmas, which has really helped me out. One of their favorites was a set of mega-blocks. Ryan loves to build towers and then knock them over. Kate loves to sit with him on the ground and hold the blocks- maybe she thinks she's helping. Ryan is sweet with her though- he will bring her a block if he can see that they are out of her reach, and she sits and laughs when he knocks over his latest architectural creation.

Ryan is also to the point that he thinks he needs to wear underwear now instead of diapers. Sigh. I hate potty training. If there was a place you could send you kids- like a potty training bootcamp- I would totally be on board with the idea. But no. We plug along in the usual way- with snacks and drinks and books on the potty. And in case you are wondering about the pirate hat- Ryan loves to play "Pirates", and is almost constantly wearing his pirate hat. I attempt playing "the good mom" and hide "treasure" around the house for him to find (he also has a bunch of plastic gold coins- which is what we use as his treasure).

Ty has also become quite the techie. Anything that remotely deals with a computer, video game, iPod, cell phone, etc. and he goes absolutely nutso. It drives me mental. He doesn't get to play with any of them very often because he gets this glazed over look that worries me- but when he does get to play- the whole house could fall down and he wouldn't notice.

We have also instituted a "Chore Chart." The boys didn't really put up much of a fight when I implemented it- which made me happy. The boys have certain chores that they have to do each week, and every time they do them, they get a star. Once they have a certain number of stars, they get to choose their prize (nothing too exciting mind you- ice cream cone, treat from the store, $1, Get out of Time Out free...). It's been good for them and good for me too- because they really do help me out a lot. Thanks boys for being such good helpers! Below is a picture of them vacuuming their room- you wouldn't believe the things we found when we cleaned it out!!!

Kate is still just a little sweetie. You can gag at me if you want to- but it's true. She is teething again and has a top tooth that has poked through and two more bottom ones- so she really should be miserable- but she's just as cheerful as ever. She got a baby-doll for Christmas from my mom (it's the cutest little Cabbage Patch) that she loves to eat. If you hold it out in front of her- she gets the biggest grin on her face and reaches for it. Once you give it to her- it immediately goes in her mouth and she sits and chews on it.

We also have a game at our house that we like to call "Where's Kate?" It goes like this... I will place Kate in the middle of the living room rug with a few toys to occupy her for a minute. Then I run downstairs to switch the laundry or I'll put the dishes away... Something that only takes a small amount of time, but something that I don't need her "help" with. I then go back into the living room and look for Kate- who invariably is somewhere other than where I put her. A lot of times she ends up under the piano or behind the chair, sometimes she even ends up in the hallway. It's so funny and it makes me extremely grateful for a room where she can't get into trouble.
The boys are usually looking for something new to entertain them and I am constantly straining to find things for them to do. Granted, Ty keeps pretty busy with school in the mornings, but the rest of the day is up to me. The boys wanted to watch a movie the other day, but they just wouldn't sit still to do it, and just ended up making each other scream. So, I built them a "fort" for them to watch their movie in- just in the hopes that it would shut them up for just a little bit. It totally worked! I put a blanket over Kate's play gym and they laid them in it with their pillows... And they just sat and watched "How to Train Your Dragon" in there! It was wonderful. It hasn't worked since- but I'll take one quiet afternoon if that's what I can get!

Here's Kate with her blocks again. We actually went out and bought another package of them so that there were more to play with (and lose under the couch). She is officially sitting by herself now, and loves to be right in the middle of things.

I have also undertaken something HUGE. As you know, I teach piano for a few of the neighbor kids on Monday and Tuesday afternoons... I have recently added my most challenging student of all... TYLER!! EEEeeeeekkkkk! Actually- he has been a model student so far. He is always bugging me to help him practice, and he has already learned several pieces. I'm very proud of him, and am really impressed with how quickly he has picked it up.

Here's Kate in her tutu. I always swore that I would NOT be one of those moms that put their daughters in ridiculous things... but dang it if they aren't freakin' adorable! For the record, I do try to keep it to a minimum.

Kate also has enough hair now for a few simple hairdos! She sported her first "pig-tails" this week. She left them alone once I got them in her hair- but the actual process she screamed the entire time. I would just leave her alone, but I don't want her to be one of those girls that have out of control hair that is just never done. Of course- because I just said that- she will probably be one anyway. At least you all know that I tried to do something about it at one time.

This is just a picture of me and my kids- who I love a lot. We recently had to go to a meeting with a few attorney's in order to get the money owed for Ryan's hospital bills from last year. And we were accused of being negligent parents since we allowed this to happen to our little boy (yeah that was an ugly meeting). I don't think we are (of course I'm sure that those that really are oblivious would say the same thing), in fact, I think that we try very hard to make sure our kids are safe and happy. It was one of those things that you always wonder in the back of your head- if you really are doing the best that you can with the spirits you have been entrusted with- and to hear it spoken aloud was one of the worst things a parent can hear (trust me). I was hurt. It was such a crappy day. When we got home- I grabbed all my kids and just held them for as long as they would let me. I love them so much- and if they ever read this- please know that we tried our best.

We also got one hell of a snowstorm last night. Yes. I said hell. You wouldn't believe the amount of snow we have here. The boys were so stinkin' excited to go outside and play in it. This is why I love kids. While I think terrible, rotten things about ALL the snow outside- they are trying to get out to play in it at 7:00 in the morning. I made them wait until the afternoon, when it had warmed up a little bit before I sent them out to play. Ryan insisted on goggles, so naturally Ty had to go find his too. They look like they are ready for take-off.

These are the pictures that I took of them outside next the the snowdrifts by our driveway. It's unreal and I'm thinking that the snow is NOT going to melt until July.

And finally- I took a picture of Kate today. She is so beautiful and such a good girl. She is trying to stand up on her own- and I have to keep telling her to slow down!! I'm afraid that she'll be walking before too long and then life as I know it will change forever!

Anyway- I know this was a MASSIVE update. But it had to be done!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

My grandpa's birthday is towards the end of December, and we were so excited to have the chance to celebrate it with him. He has been extremely sick and in and out of the hospital for a while now. He was actually in the hospital when his birthday came, but the nurses allowed us to steal him away from his room for an hour in order to celebrate with the family in a common area.

Christmas Continued...

See, the good thing about doing alternating Christmases is that when we celebrate one place, we get to go to the in-laws house a few days later too! We traveled up to Declo to visit Shaun's parents for a few days, and got a chance to see my fantastic brothers in law and their fantastic wives, and my most favorite Niece (we all used to live in Boise together and it was so much fun- I miss all of them so much and I love it when we get a chance to get together- I just wish it happened more often).

We opened presents first thing (which I loved), and Ty was estatic to find a Red Ryder BB Gun (I know- you're all thinking the same thing "You'll shoot your eye out!", and believe me it crossed my mind too)! He took it out as soon as everyone else was done and wanted a lesson from his dad- who was only too happy to oblige. It took some time, and a lot of BB's, but he started to get the hang of it by the end of the day and he even hit the target his dad set up for him (though admittedly he wasn't aiming for it at the time...)!

Naturally, because Ty was learning to shoot, Ryan felt he needed to do the same.

We spent about a week up in Declo, and had a very nice time together.

Merry Christmas To All!

The boys were total stinkers on Christmas morning. Every day they get up around 6 and I want to do nothing more than tie them back in their beds. Christmas morning dawns- Shaun, Kate and I are up at 6... And the boys are sleeping. And they kept sleeping. And then they slept some more. It was almost 8:00 by the time they staggered sleepily into the living room. Dirtbags.

Ryan ran into the kitchen first thing to see if Santa had eaten his cookies- which of course he had- though he left about half a cookie for the kids to eat this morning (there's nothing like starting your day with an Oreo).

The kids had so much fun opening presents and seeing what everybody got this year. Ty loved handing out the presents because he can now read all the names on the presents- naturally Ryan was his "helper." Each of the kids got a new hat, which the boys wore around for most of the day. Kate just wanted to eat hers. And then we got to sit down to breakfast- which is also the same every year... Mom makes this incredible breakfast casserole and German pancakes... Oh.... It was soooo good. One day when we have our Christmas' at home- I hope to continue this. We had a fantastic time down in Salt Lake and had a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

Christmas this year was spent at my parent's house (we rotate every other year with Shaun's parents), which is always fun for me because my parent's continue with the same traditions that they did when we were all kids. I'm sure Shaun thinks we're totally nuts- but he goes with the flow most of the time (thanks pookie). We had dinner with the Henriksen side of the family, and then went and read "The Christmas Story" (this is probably my personal favorite of all the things we do), then drove around and looked at Christmas lights listening to Silent Night.

The boys got to wear their Christmas shirts (I LOVE the look on Ryan's face- it looks like he's plotting)...

It was Ryan's year to put out the cookies for Santa and the carrots for the reindeer...

And at the end of the evening, the kids all put on their Christmas jammies and we tracked Santa on NORAD's Santa Tracker (if you've never done this- you totally should. Our kids eat it up- you can track where Santa is in his trek across the world and you can see just how close he is to your house) for a while and then sent every one to bed!

Christmas Party

Towards the end of December, we got to go down to Salt Lake for the Newren Family Christmas party! We do it every year, and it is always so much fun.

We have dinner, games and Santa ALWAYS comes for a visit (he even came back when I was little). Most of the kids were excited when the big bearded man came through the door... Obviously one of the exceptions is Ryan. He claims that he "hates" Santa and he took one look at him and started to scream. I forced him to sit on Santa's lap for a picture...

Ty on the other hand- had NO problems with the big man. He told Santa he had been VERY good this year and that he didn't know what he wanted. This isn't entirely true- he begged for months for a Nintendo DS- but Shaun and I had to tell him that Santa didn't bring Nintendos to anyone younger than 10. Shoot. He was pretty much open to anything else after that point, so he told Santa to surprise him.

Kate also had no problem with Santa. She was actually pretty in love with his beard and kept trying to pull on it.

I can sit!

It always amazes me when my little ones just aren't so little anymore. Kate is mastering the art of sitting during the month of December. It's crazy. I sat her in the middle of the bed, and she just stayed there! She sat and watched her brother play the computer for 10 minutes before she toppled over.

Bananas

I was sitting on the toilet this morning (okay- before you get all grossed out- I was sitting on the lid- the toilet was shut) blow drying my hair. Ryan wandered in started helping me. He does this every time I dry my hair- he'll either run his fingers through my hair or "help" me hold the blow dryer. It's kind of cute and it's just a moment for the two of us- so I always let him help me. This morning, he was running his fingers through my hair. I followed suit.

After a while though- I couldn't figure out why my hair was so sticky. It was only in a few places though- so I flipped my hair up and looked in the mirror. There was something stuck in my hair. I looked closer and I couldn't figure out what it was. I was thinking to myself..."Did I remember to rinse the conditioner out?" Then I happened to look down at Ryan. Who was holding a banana (Yeah... you know where this is going don't you).

Apparently just before I started drying my hair, Ryan had helped himself to a banana that was sitting on the counter in the kitchen. I don't really mind, since it was a good snack. But Ryan (being two) does not eat bananas neatly. He kind of squishes them. And he took his banana-y hands and ran them so sweetly through my clean hair.

I know that there are many ordinary household items that can double as something else. Like baking soda can be used as toothpaste, and avocado can be used for a face mask. I will share something with you. Bananas CANNOT be used as a hair gel. I promise.

As told to me by Ty's preschool teacher...

Ty's preschool class is working on their parent's names. The teachers want them to know who their parents are in case of an emergency. Pretty smart.

When it was Ty's turn, his teacher quickly got Shaun's name from him, but he just couldn't remember mine. He sat there and sat there, continuing to tell his teacher that he just didn't know. Finally Miss Jody asked him what dad calls mom. Ty perks right up and says, "Pookie"!

December Traditions

My kid's are scared.

Maybe scared is not the right word... they have a healthy respect for the power that is Santa. What they ARE scared of is the possibility that Santa won't bring them presents on Christmas. That's fear in it's most primal form.

As a parent, I have learned how to take their "fear" and harness it into ways that will benefit me. The origins of my Santa manipulation are rather innocent, only over the years have they evolved into something slightly more self-serving.

Let me break the scenario down: A random day in December 2010. A 2 and 5 year old fighting over the noise-making-toy-of-the-day. Mama pleasantly asks them to knock it off. Fighting obviously continues. Mama threatens time-outs, no desserts and corporal punishment in the form of push-ups. Fighting obviously continues. Mama about to have a nervous breakdown because of the screaming and noise making. Fighting has turned to crying. A worn down mama looking around for help and/or inspiration.

A-ha! Santa! Santa won't come to little boys that are fighting.

5 year old smart alack asks how Santa knows if they have been good or bad? Mama goes blank because kid's fighting kills brain cells. It's true.

But then Mama has a moment of inspiration. "The Elf on the Shelf."

My mom bought us this book and we had yet to try it out. The Elf on the Shelf is a book. And an elf. The elf sits on the shelf and watches what happens throughout the day, and then flies through the night to the North Pole where he tells Santa what he has witnessed. Then the elf flies back and sits in a different part of the house to watch the next day. The 5 year old totally didn't believe me. So I put Ernie (you have to name your elf) in the Christmas tree... and the next morning- he was sitting on a picture frame across the room. The fear healthy respect was then born, and every morning Ty and Ryan frantically search the house for where Ernie is watching that day. It's awesome.

I also put up my Nativity this week. I really want the kids to recognize the holiday for what it is- the time that we celebrate Christ's birth, even though Santa is fun. So, I grit my teeth and put my beautiful nativity set down where they could see it. Right under the TV. I told them the story of Christ's birth, and used the nativity pieces to act it out. The boys loved it. Though... I set the angel down for a second and Ryan scooped it up and started flying it around the room going "Buzzzzzzzz." Apparently something was lost in translation. The angel is NOT a bug. I went back over that part.

The funny part- I threatened the boys with mayhem if they touched the nativity. But every day something is moved to a different position. I never catch them at it... but I can tell that they are watching and thinking. I suspect that it is Ryan that moves all the lambs to crowd around baby Jesus, because during the story- he wanted to make sure that EVERYONE saw the baby Jesus. And I suspect that it was Ty that put the angel on the DVD player, because he pointed out that angels have to be up high so they can see when they need to sing. Though the jury is out on who added the Transformer to the scene in the stable...

They are such funny little boys. I love them so much. It's always more than a little overwhelming to me when I think about all the things that I need to teach them and that they need to know to get them through this life. But they are smart. And I think they'll do alright.

What Large Teeth You Have...

All three kids are teething at my house. How lucky am I? Ty's new permenant teeth are on their way up. Ryan is getting his two-year molars and Kate's front teeth finally pushed through the other day. It makes her look so old it throws me off.

Since I've already showed you Ty's teeth, and it's really hard to get Ryan to open up wide enough to see his molars- I'm only going to show you Kate's new teeth. Because of the way she plays with her tongue- I literally had to hold her mouth open and push her tongue aside so that we could get a picture of them.

A Little Snaky Lick...

Kate is part snake. She is so funny with her tongue. When she starts playing with it- you can't help but laugh. She sticks it way out to her chin. Then it goes skinny and sticks straight out. Then she'll leave it all in but the tip and wiggle it up and down. And she'll try to mimic you if you stick your tongue out at her. It's so cute. Hard to capture in a picture... but here it is!

Go Utes!

I don't know how many of you out there care about the BYU-Utah football game that was on last week- but we obviously didn't miss it. Shaun debated about actually going- but when we saw what the temperature was going to be (mid-20's)- he thought he could probably get by just fine watching it on TV. It was a pretty awful game. Up until the last minute- when Utah blocked a field goal that would have won the game for BYU. At the time Shaun was holding Kate- when the Utes blocked the kick- he leaped into the air and started shouting... It scared the CRAP out of poor little Kate. She started crying and wouldn't look at Shaun for a full minute. It was kind of funny... poor kid.

These poor kids don't stand a chance though- we started brain washing them early. Ty and Ryan's favorite color is red. Ty even went through a phase in preschool last year where he would ONLY paint with red, and if given the choice- he would only wear red shirts. Ryan is proving to be just as opinionated. Kate probably doesn't care, but she gets all the boy's hand me downs... so she's a Ute by default! Dad and Grandpa JB couldn't be prouder though!

Thanksgiving

I am grateful for a lot of things. Especially this year. When I think of how incredibly lucky I am- I am often reminded of the Grinch (stay with me for a second). Remember how his heart was too small? And when his heart grew two sizes, it broke the little x-ray machine that was looking in at his heart. That's how I feel each year, as I look back on all the things that I have been blessed with. I feel like my heart is near to bursting.

My life is so rich and full and shimmery (yes I said shimmery- I recently read that on a blog and I like it) with my family in it. Even amidst the emptying of the dishwasher, the picking up of the toys, the disaster areas in the kitchen, the constant rumply quilts on our trampoline bed, I still know we are living the days–the golden days–which we'll remember with fondness. When I step back, I truly realize how important my role is. What a glorious gift it is to be alive. I say that with all the zeal I can muster. I love that I am a wife and a mom. I also love that I'm a daughter, a daughter-in-law and a sister too.

We have definitely had our share of trials and hardships this year, but the end was truly more than any of us could have hoped for. We are happy and healthy.

This year, Ty's preschool had a Thanksgiving Feast! Ty was cast in the role of an Indian- which he was really excited for. He thought the Pilgrim hats were funny looking. He and Ryan have been running around the house in various parts of the costume- it's pretty cute.

Anyway- we spent this Thanksgiving at Shaun's parent's house. Jacki always makes us feel so welcome and fixes a great dinner for everyone- she never lets us help. Maybe one day my sister-in-laws and I will wear her down! Jacki even got us a Gingerbread house to put together one evening. The boys loved it- though I think they ate more candy than they actually put on the house.

Yes. I Put My Christmas Tree Up in November

I like Christmas. But December is BUSY!! It seems like I never have enough time to enjoy the season or get the things done that I really want to get done. So, the last two years, I have put my tree up in November- right around the middle of the month. And it's worked out really well for us.

My kids took a little vacation just after my birthday down to Grandma Janet's house (I told her back in June when I had Kate to start preparing for this little vacation), and I scrubbed the house until it literally shone! I hardly recognized it. The best part... it stayed clean for longer than twenty minutes!! And I pulled out the Christmas stuff. Shaun helped me put the tree up- but we left it un-decorated so that we could wait for the kids.

I pulled the ornaments out and just left them in a box by the tree. When the boys got home and saw them- they immediately started putting the ornaments on the tree. I was smart enough this year to NOT pull out the glass ornaments- so nothing that they were touching could get hurt or break (I'm getting smarter!!). And those two little stinkers decorated the entire tree themselves! How cool is that? Ty even pulled up a stool and put snowflakes on the upper branches. It looks pretty darn good if I say so myself. And the boys are so proud of it!

Just Goofin' Around

I love my kids. They are so funny. Granted I know that on any given day you could call me and I'd be ready to tape them to the ceiling fan- but I do love them. Please know that. I just had a few random pictures that didn't really have a specific post to go with them- but I thought they were cute. So...

Here is one of my three kids goofing off one afternoon. Yes that's a bandaid on Ryan's forehead. His toy alligator bit him in the tub the other night and gave him a pretty good little cut. I suspect foul play involving his brother, but the heretofore mentioned brother continues to deny it...

Kate's bow is courtesy of her wannabe hairdresser brother, Ryan. He decided the bow looked better down by her ear. I'll let you decide. I'm still leaning towards the idea that he has no future in this type of career...
I sat on the floor the other night to talk to Kate while she was hanging out on her little play-yard-thingy, and the boys thought that I looked like a chair. Maybe it's time to hit the gym a little harder...
And my three little naked ones! Aren't they cute!? One day they'll hate me for bringing this out for all their dates to see... Yeah... I plan on being one of THOSE parents.