Tales from Texas

Cheese!

2012-02-13T09:51:00.000-06:00

As I'm making enchiladas the other night, the following conversation occurred...

Olivia - Mommy, tan I help took dinner? (Can I help cook dinner?)

Me - Sure honey! But let's move the stool over here (as I move it away from the hot stove where she is currently trying to place it!!!)

Olivia - (seeing what's on the counter) Oooohhhhh! Cheese!

Me - Yep, we're grating cheese for our dinner. (as I turn away to wash a bowl at the sink)

Olivia - Yeah! I love cheese!

Olivia - (Silence)

Olivia - (runs out of the room) I'm going to pway (play) upstairs.

Me - Okay...see ya!

Upon returning to the cheese counter, this is the 'help' that I discover has occurred in the 30 seconds that I had my back turned.

Very helpful indeed!

slow and steady

2012-02-03T10:46:00.004-06:00

Why did it take 20 minutes to unload the dishwasher this morning??? Well, according to a certain 4 year old, it could only be done with tongs. :) Made for an exciting but slow process!

Two...Three...Four

2012-02-02T12:54:00.000-06:00

I could sit and listen to Olivia talk all day long! Oh wait, I do!!! :) This little miss is quite the talker, and to make it even better, her facial expressions and waving hands tell a story all their own! I really should get it on video to post on here so you can all experience it for yourselves, but for now, a few of my favorite moments will have to suffice!

Picture this...

I go to get Olivia out of bed the other morning. She is standing in the corner of her crib, her hair is CRAZY as all get out (as it is every morning!), and she is holding her wrist and scowling. I asked her what was wrong, and she peers out from under the waterfall of bangs (that we are desperately trying to grow out), has a small, sad little frown and proceeds to tell me, with waving arms and pouty lips that her stuffed frog that she had been sleeping with had bit her just before I walked in. It was complete with her pinching her wrist to show me exactly where and how it had happened and with a few withering glances at poor froggy now banished to the corner. Then she asks "Pweez me have a win-baid" Translation: Please, can I have a band-aid!

And another...

Anytime Olivia is referring to things in multiples or extras or anything like that, it is always said, "Two, Three, Four". She wants two cookies instead of one..."Pweez me have two, three, four?" She wants to go down the slide again..."I go down two, three, four!" It is by far my favorite little phrase!

How I love this sassy little girl! I can't imagine life without her and I constantly feel so incredibly blessed to have her...healthy and happy and eager to learn. I know every mom feels that way about their kids, but sometimes, this little miss makes my heart skip a beat when I think of how incredibly blessed we have been with her and her non-anticipated/way-too-early beginning!

Reminiscing

2012-01-29T21:41:00.001-06:00

So, I am all alone tonight and watching Disney's "Pete's Dragon", which KBYU was kind enough to air for my viewing pleasure! I haven't seen this show since I was probably 10 years old when it was absolutely my favorite show in the entire world. :) I'm laughing at myself at how giddy I've been knowing that my lovely DVR was gearing up for this recording...all day long, I have been counting down the hours! I told myself I'd just turn it on to have in the background while I cleaned the kitchen...for no reason other than to see if my kiddos would like it...but now I'm a half-hour into it and can't stop! Kinda silly (or borderline pathetic???)...but I have never been happier, reliving the good ol' days!

On a similar note...I showed my kids the old version of "Absent Minded Professor" last weekend and they adored it! They laughed soooo hard at all the funny scenes and about fell out of their chairs at the bouncing basketball players jumping through the rafters. They loved it! "Swiss Family Robinson" is also a huge favorite!!!

So give these old classics a shot, if you're ever looking for a fun movie to watch together. :) And hope and pray that your kiddos are as easily entertained as mine!

Crazy Hair

2012-01-25T10:27:00.000-06:00

My little boy is growing up. He amazes me each and every day with how he is growing into the most responsible and wonderful young man. As much as I am wanting him to stay little (how is it even possible that I have a 9 year old?!?!?)...it is amazing to watch him grow!

Today was crazy hair day at school, and Garrett wanted to go all out. This, in and of itself, is a HUGE milestone. Usually Garrett is a tad on the reserved side...not wanting to stand out in a crowd for any reason. :) (hmmm...wonder where he gets that from? It scares me to death to see how much alike he and I are!!!) But today, he wanted his hair standing on end...spiky all over! And a last minute decision to add some hair color to the mix was just the icing on the cake!

How I love this crazy kid!

for Mom...from Olivia.

2012-01-19T18:11:00.002-06:00

Olivia just walked up to me as I was making dinner and handed me a flower she had made out of some straws and connectors that the boys have been playing with lately. It was completely her own design...which was cute because it actually looked like a flower! Proof that she is truly out of the same DNA that my creating/lego-loving boys are!

She handed it to me, mid stride...on her way to see what the boys were up to next. Over her shoulder she offered the following advice:

O - "It's a fwower, for you mom." (slight pause). "Uh, don't eat it."
Me - "Huh? Don't eat it?" (another slight pause of my own) "Wait. Did you try to eat it?"
O - "Yeah. I wicked it (licked it). It's yucky!"

Well there you have it. Don't eat plastic flowers. They're yucky.

Warning...Slightly Out of Order

2012-01-04T00:08:00.000-06:00

Because the completely logical post a week after Christmas, is the Halloween pics that someone may or may not have JUST uploaded from a spare camera...get ready for some trick-or-treating! Here are those elusive Halloween shots that never seemed to make it to the blog this year. Not that much of anything makes it to the blog these days anyway! :)

Just know that this blog is truly a look into my scrambled brain...completely all over the place and full of all the pure randomness and joy that is our lives! And one day, I will finally get around to printing off said crazy blog, and I will want these pictures included! SO, you get the pleasure of following our journey, in no orderly fashion.

Halloween was a bit crazy this year. Steve and I escaped to Denver the last weekend of October and I made it back just in time to go trick-or-treating while Steve stayed in Colorado for a business conference. Thanks again, Grandma for watching the kiddos! :)

Olivia was a princess. What else would this thoroughly girly-girl want to be??? A dear, sweet and amazing friend made this dress and passed it down to Olivia. She could not have given it to a more grateful little girl...Olivia was on cloud nine to be wearing a REAL Cinderella gown!!!

Ethan was determined that he would be a ninja turtle this year..though I didn't even know he knew what a ninja turtle was!!! And as I LOVE the challenge of trying to create something that I can picture in my mind, mixed in with my flat-out refusal to pay money for a store-bought costume if I can at all help it...the poor kid got the brunt of my creative attempts this year. But he was patient with me, and at least told me he loved his costume. We'll see if he lets me experiment on him again next year!?!? That will be the true test! And yes, I had to post the 'texting' Leonardo' picture! How funny is that!?!

Garrett was a ninja. No turtles for this kid...he was a warrior through and through. And he pulled it off like a pro...Stealth is this kiddo's middle name! On a side note, who knew you could tie a t-shirt around your head and feel as though you've completely morphed into a full-fledged ninja!?!?! I may or may not have tried it out myself...who wouldn't? :)

Me, much to my kids dismay, dressed up as a mom and graced the neighborhood in my usual attire. Ethan says that I'm no fun...but I'm okay with that!

Visit from Santa

2011-12-30T22:26:00.000-06:00

We had a special visitor a few weeks ago...Santa himself stopped by to personally check on the kids! They were surprised and excited...and scared out of their minds - the way we tend to be around any holiday figure! :) He did bring candy canes, which quickly won over the kiddos, and eventually they would at least sit on the same couch.

We all SCREAM for ice cream!

2011-12-22T18:02:00.001-06:00

The other morning, while taking a shower, I hear someone on the other side of my door banging and yelling. Not the most uncommon occurrence in our household since everyone seems to think that Mom needs absolutely no privacy what-so-ever and that whatever they may be doing or thinking ranks WAY higher on the importance scale than anything Mom may be doing...but I digress. :) So here I am rushing through rinsing my hair and hurrying out of the shower, just in case this time it's something important. As I shut off the water, I can finally hear who and what is the culprit this time. Olivia is on the other side of the door...banging/knocking somewhat impatiently...waiting for her turn. When I ask what she wants, this is the response that sweet girl gives me, "Uh Mom? Tan (can) I have ice cream?" WHAT? It's 7:30 in the morning and she already wants ice cream? Although in actuality, it's no surprise...this girl is all ME...and this just proved it once again! :) But still, the answer is no, which I told her. But, when I opened the door, she was still sitting there in front of it, hugging a box of ice cream cones from the pantry. "Pweez, Mommy?" Still no...but at least she got a hug and tickle on the way back to the pantry to put the cones away.

This was not that morning...but she did get an ice cream cone eventually! :) Persistent little thing!

Rockets

2011-12-21T19:15:00.001-06:00

Thanks to some amazing friends, we were able to attend a Houston Rockets game this past weekend and had a blast. The kids are already asking when we can go to another one!

The closest thing to a family shot that I could get!

Garrett and Spencer...Rockets Fans through and through!

E enjoying the coveted seat next to Dad!

Cute Daddy/Daughter shot!

Olivia eventually gave up on the game and just wanted to wander up and down the stairs...good thing we had an aisle seat!

Post-game shot, with E posing as a 7 foot player. Too cute! :)

Sweet Olivia

2011-12-19T23:46:00.001-06:00

Here are only a few of the joys that Olivia has brought into my life today. How I love this crazy/spunky girl!

Olivia, while riding in the car, has started taking off her top seatbelt and trying to roll down the windows. Ugh. Doesn't help that she is the most stubborn child on the face of the planet and does not put it back on without me having to pull over the car and put it back on her myself. And yes...I have her seatbelt as tight as I can get it!!!! She's just so stinking skinny that she can wriggle out of ANYTHING!!!
Me: Livvy...put your seat belt on!!! We are driving in the car!!! Put it on right now!
Olivia: Why? (asked innocently and sweetly and repeated over and over in every conversation)
Me: We wear our seatbelts to be safe. PLEASE put it on!!!
Olivia: BUT I DON'T LIKE SAFE!!!! I DON'T LIKE SAFE!!!

Heaven help me!!!

Hollering from both boys upstairs...
Boys: Mom...you NEED to come up here.
Me : Okay. What's wrong?
Boys: Olivia.
Me: (already taking the stairs 2 at a time, knowing a disaster has already ensued, if that was the reason they gave) Okay, on my way.
Boys: (as I'm rounding the corner, into the room) Uh, mom. You're probably going to be sad.

So, I walk into the room. Olivia, only being alone for a short time, had climbed up on the bathroom counter. Pulled the drain on the sink so she could fill it up with water. Added every hand-towel and/or washcloth that she could find and started to wring them out while leaning over the edge of the counter.

But at least I got my bathroom cleaned, right??? Most other things on my list of to-do's for the day got pushed back because of the constant chaos surrounding sweet Olivia...but I guess I should look at the things that she forced me to do...such as cleaning the upstairs bathroom today instead of tomorrow and getting all the laundry done...since she had soaked every towel in sight! :)

Soccer Star

2011-11-29T14:54:00.001-06:00

One of the hundreds of reasons that I haven't posted in a while, is that we have been busy with SOCCER! It was fun while it lasted...but for my sanity/scheduling sake, I am so thrilled that it is over! :)

Here is E and some shots of his season...

He loved it.

He improved a ton.

He had FUN!

GO STEELERS!!!

Beach Day

2011-10-19T22:08:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, Steve's brother, Ryan was in town...so what better to do, than take a trip down memory lane, as long as memory lane includes an afternoon at the beach! :)

After driving by their old elementary schools and old homes where the boys lived when they were little, we hit up Surf Side Beach and enjoyed every minute of it!

Ryan's lizard creation!

Cute Olivia's footprints

We even got to watch a storm roll in...quite beautiful!

Hot Hot Hot

2011-10-18T10:31:00.002-05:00

You know you live in a place that is far too hot, when your 4 year old asks for directions on how to put on a long-sleeved shirt. Yes, E was completely baffled today at the thought of putting on long-sleeves! How funny!

In Olivia's Words

2011-10-10T17:25:00.001-05:00

Today, I took the kiddos to "Dolphin Pig-Tails" according to Olivia! :)

The kids earned a movie/fun-day a while back and we decided to cash it in today since Garrett had the day off of school...thank you Mr. Columbus!

We all really enjoyed the movie...even if there were no pig-tails on any dolphins at all. Olivia decided that it really didn't matter...we were just happy the cute dolphin was swimming!

Soccer!!!

2011-10-05T22:45:00.001-05:00

We are blessed this year to have two teams to cheer for!

Garrett is back on the field and LOVING every minute of his great soccer comeback...he hasn't played since he was 3! :) He is having a blast though and is picking the sport up rather well! An added bonus, 4 of his buddies from his school class are on his team...not to mention that he knows everyone else from past school classes, church or swim team! Needless to say, these boys are comfortable with each other and are as goofy as ever when they're together! Go Knights!!!

Ethan is making his soccer debut...and is loving it too! (cue Mom and Dad's sigh of relief!) He is loving having an activity of his own and loves to put his cleats and shin guards on any chance he can get! He had his first (accidental) header in Saturday's game...and had second thoughts about liking the sport any more...but I'm glad to say, he's back to loving it and can't wait for this Saturday's game! :) Go Steelers!

So Heavy

2011-09-25T22:21:00.000-05:00

It's funny how, I'm the one who is always carrying everything...the snacks, the toys, the blankets, the bags, even the kids, more often than not. But it never fails, Olivia always declares that things are heavy...even when she's not the one carrying them. :) I picked her up the other day and was walking around with her, and quite a few other things in my arms. She just kept sighing and saying "Ooohhh! So heavy!" So, either she is the most compassionate soul on the face of the planet, and is truly feeling my burdens, OR she is simply rubbing it in. :)

This little girl makes me laugh...and have a sore back, but that is besides the point. Good thing she is such a little pipsqueak! I don't know what I would do if she actually was heavy!

Seriously?

2011-09-21T22:02:00.000-05:00

Ethan had a friend over today and for the last few minutes I told them they could play the wii. They thought I was being the coolest mom ever...but really, I just needed them quiet so I could put Olivia down for her nap! :)

This is the conversation that I overheard as I headed up the stairs with Olivia...

Friend - Ethan, do you SERIOUSLY have Maters Tall Tales?!?!?!

Ethan - Yep, I have it.

Friend - But do you SERIOUSLY have it???

Ethan (slightly exasperated) - I ACTUALLY have it! And, I don't even know what seriously means!

Friend - Oh, seriously means you really, really, really have it.

Ethan - Yep, really got it.

I love these two best buddies!

Waiting

2011-09-20T21:57:00.000-05:00

What happens when you take your two kiddos along with you to a "quick" doctors appointment??? And then what happens when that doctor's appointment requires a 2 1/2 hour wait to spend 4 minutes with said doctor???

LOTS of fun/meltdowns in the waiting room. Followed by LOTS of noise and fun back in the actual room. Then there was the complete silence as they watched Mommy sit in the lab give away vial after vial after vial of blood with my favorite chatty nurse! Then back the the usual mayhem while we waited some more!!! These two were hilarious!

Yes, the lights may or may not have been flickering on and off and on and off and on and off...you get the picture!

Dance party to the random music in their cute little heads!

Climbing all over the table...wishing it were more like a slide!

Jumping contests.

Tricks and Turns and Great Landings

Next time, I'll be getting a babysitter! :)

Third Grade

2011-09-08T21:15:00.001-05:00

Back to School 2011

The big 3rd grade!

I can't believe he's growing up so quickly!

High Heels

2011-09-06T22:47:00.000-05:00

Hmmmm...should I be worried?

The 'Do'!

2011-08-31T22:34:00.001-05:00

So, Olivia got her first dose of pig-tails today. And I have to admit...it was pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen! She all of a sudden looked sooo old...no more my baby, now my crazy toddler who is more independent than I've ever imagined. (Well independence crammed into an extremely clingy/attached-to-my-hip body!)

I fell in love with her cute hair...and so did she. She couldn't wait to show Garrett when he got home and Steve too!

On a similar note...E had fun doing his hair this morning too. He wanted mohawk hair. He was so excited and kept checking to make sure it was still standing up. :) I even found these pics on my camera. Apparently he wanted to make sure this momentous day was documented as well!

I love these kids - and their crazy hair!!!

Road Trip 2011!

2011-08-22T10:11:00.000-05:00

We have had many adventures this summer...none of which, I'm sorry to say, have been documented on the blog! But in an effort to start catching up, here's the latest (and family-record LONGEST) road trip!

We packed up the car and headed to Lake Powell to meet up with all the Smiths. We took our time going there...checking out the hotels along the way. This room in Decatur, TX gets the highest rating from the boys...it came equipped with 'light sabers' as they called them...and they jumped and wrestled for a good long while! :) Every hotel room after that one was a total let down, according to them!

By the end, we got pretty good at squeezing the kids in a queen-size bed. I don't know what we'll do when they get bigger! Oh wait, we'll get them their own room and we'll actually get some sleep ourselves. Imagine that!!!

We stopped at the Albuquerque Temple on Sunday morning and ate a picnic breakfast and took some family pictures. :)

We arrived at Lake Powell and instantly fell in LOVE! That place was AMAZING and I cannot wait to go back and explore more! Although, if it entails another 27 hour road-trip...I may be able to hold off for a while!!!

We camped right on the lake and spent the majority of our time there either applying sunscreen, playing in the water, eating, riding in (or behind) the boat, AND applying more sunscreen! Throw in a little cliff-jumping and late-night chats and you have the makings for a perfect family reunion!

We piled into the car again and headed up to Utah to visit with some of the Sudweeks-side and fit in a bit more time with some Smith cousins. Spent some time at the zoo, playing frisbee golf at a favorite park, hiking the grotto, visiting family and more family and more familiy, bbq-ing and staying up WAY TOO LATE! Again, the perfect way to spend time with loved ones we rarely get to see!

(Ethan turned out to be a whiz at frisbee golf...especially since he was throwing left handed!!!)

The trip home was just as long...but packed full! We swung by a little place called the Grand Canyon. Caught a sunset and went hiking/walking a bit the next day and experienced the chance of a lifetime. The Grand Canyon was AMAZING! I never could have imagined the magnitude and beauty of it!

A quick jaunt through New Mexico where we HAVE to take pictures of Route 66 landmarks - thanks to our obsession with the movie Cars!

And though we always joke about the best thing about New Mexico is LEAVING it...

they do have some beautiful sunsets, which we were excited to see as we passed through!!!

And then home to Texas...and another 12 hours between us and home! :) Yep, it's true...everything is bigger in Texas...even the road-trips. Luckily though, we stopped to spend some time with friends...and one less night in a hotel was fine by us! We were spoiled rotten and took off to the Fort Worth Stockyards before heading home the next day. Cattle drives, human mazes, petting zoos, a real-life (make-believe) gun-fight and we were welcomed back Texas-style!

Then as we headed home, we stopped to visit Steve's brother, Rob at his hotel. He was traveling through the area overnight and we were lucky enough to be traveling through the same area at the same time. After a refreshing dip in the hotel pool and we finally headed home.

Nevermind that some of the kids are not in their swimsuits!!! Ethan wasn't supposed to get in due to his cast, and Olivia was sleeping through most of our visit...but once she woke up, there was no taking time to change clothes...she wanted right in!

Rob was Ethan's hero...taking him swimming w/o getting the cast wet! They created the greatest wave-pools and whirlpools imaginable!!!

And then we were home!!! As we walked into the house, Ethan declared, "Whoa! I totally forgot what our house looked like! I like it here!" Ah, home sweet home!

A Little Less Green

2011-08-17T21:08:00.000-05:00

Here's what you get, when you take this...

Spend a little time doing crazy roller-chair olympics when the doctor walks out of the office!

Take a little time-out for a little bone photography.

Add in this contraption (plus a LOT of noise!!!)

Final Product:

Amazingly healed and straight arm, slightly paler than the other...with no more cast! :)

What did we do to celebrate??? Head to the pool, of course! This poor kid has been EXTREMELY swim-deprived for the past 4 weeks!

Green

2011-07-28T09:11:00.000-05:00

Green was the cast color choice of a certain 4 year old...when given the rainbow to choose from. Well, orange was his first choice, but they didn't have all the supplies for orange, so green was the next best thing. He was so funny, he just kept asking "Do you think Gar will like the green?" or "What is Garrett's favorite color again???" or "Dad, what's your favorite color?" Apparently, he has inherited the the gene in our family that makes us completely unable to make a decision! :) Just kidding, it truly shows Ethan as he really is. He is as thoughtful as they come and is always concerned about others. As feisty as this little boy is, he is my sweetheart through and through, always looking for ways to help! I love this little boy, and am so grateful for a healthy little body that is healing itself nicely! What a miracle that is!

Little Miss Olivia

2011-07-25T22:48:00.001-05:00

Two years ago our lives changed. Well, it was 2 years ago and a week...but with all the broken-arm adventures around here, this is the soonest I have been able to write what has been on my mind and heart.

Olivia, made her grand entrance into the world...surprising us all. Her two pounds quickly won her way into our hearts and has stayed there ever since. It is amazing to think of how far she has come since those first few days. After seeing her briefly, moments after she was born, she was utterly and completely my girl. We were connected, even more than we had been when she had been swimming around inside me. All the months, in the NICU, holding her and talking to her...as crazy as it was during it all, were wonderful.

One of my favorite things was in the hospital...we would hold her, skin-to-skin. They call it kangaroo-care...holding babies close. But even now, my little 2 year old, still loves to snuggle in that exact same posw. Whenever I'm laying on the floor with the kids, or laying on the couch, she'll come up and snuggle right in, in the same position we used to kangaroo her in. If she wakes up in the middle of the night and we bring her down to our bed...she'll automatically, every time, make a beeline straight for me and plop herself right down on my chest and shoulder. It is so funny and cute...that somehow she remembers that. It's instinct to her, it seems! Except now instead of it being like holding a baseball on my shoulder...she drapes half-way down my body! :)

Just for record keeping...Olivia weighs in at a whopping 24 pounds! I for once didn't get the lecture on how my child is too small for their age, which I considered an AMAZING change of pace! At this last dr.'s appointment, as she has made it up to almost the 20th percentile. Wahoo! She is in the 80th percentile for height though...so at least we're excelling in some category! Also, she is really starting to talk. I don't know if anyone else understands her...but she is thoughtfully choosing her words and really trying to communicate with us! Beats the grunting/whining/screaming phase we went through for a few months! She's putting words together too. After every nap, we are informed "I sleep!". After every trip upstairs, she races up as fast as she can and then yells "I WIN!" I asked her to carry something for me the other day, which she responded with, "Whoa! Heavy!"

So needless to say, there is never a dull moment at our house! Olivia is bound and determined to keep up with her brothers...which she does, much to their delight!

Happy birthday, my sweet girl! We love you!!!

Broken

2011-07-18T00:00:00.001-05:00

What is the distance between the seat of a folding church chair to the floor???

Far enough to break a 4 year-old's arm.

Ethan officially introduced our family to the world of broken bones. After a quick trip to the ER and lots of brave tears, he's set up with lots of pain-killers and a rockin' splint.

(This is him trying to force a smile on the way home. Poor kiddo!)

Now we just get to decide what color of cast he'll be sporting for the rest of the summer!

11 Years...and Counting!!!

2011-07-08T08:50:00.002-05:00

Happy Anniversary Steve-o! :)

Thanks for the most perfect, crazy, delightful, tricky, wonderful, amazing 11 years!!!
I love you more than ever!!!

8.5

2011-07-06T12:55:00.000-05:00

Garrett celebrated his half birthday this past weekend. I know, I know - kinda a random thing to celebrate...but when your real birthday is just a week away from Christmas, it's nice to find another reason to celebrate later in the year! So July 3rd is a big day in our house as well! :)

Chocolate cake...balloons galore...and cheeseburgers for dinner! It doesn't get much better than that. Unless you take into account the bb-gun that Steve bought for him! :) Let's just pray that all eyeballs stay accounted for!

Happy (half) Birthday, Garrett!!! You are one amazing kiddo and our family would not be complete without you! :)

Park Day

2011-06-23T22:10:00.000-05:00

This morning we found ourselves with a little extra time on our hands - well, not really EXTRA time, but we used it as an excuse to head to the park! The weather has been a bit cooler (meaning below 90 degrees at 9:00 in the morning!) so it seemed like the perfect day to fit in one more park adventure before I flat-out refuse to take my children to any sort of outdoor activity that does not involve a swimming pool. :)

We pull up to the park and the kids notice that none of their friends are there. Then, the complaining starts..."What are we gonna do????"..."Who am I gonna play with?"...blah, blah, blah. My wonderful reply...'It's a park! You'll find something to do!' Sheesh! I guess it's probably my fault...we usually do go to the park with all our friends because, let's face it...I enjoy it a lot more too when I have a friend to talk to while the kids play. :) But anyway, we were on our own today for the most part!

But, when all was said and done, we had a BLAST! Garrett and I put the stop-watch function on his wristwatch to good use! We had a full-on competition to see who could swing across the rings faster than the other person. Yep, haven't done that since 5th grade!!! We timed Ethan until he reached his personal-best time in 'running-up-the-slide-as-fast-as-you-can' competition. 7 seconds...not bad for a little 4 year old! Garrett and I even timed each other as we raced to see who could climb up and down every single one of the ladders on the play structure. And let me just say that I WON...even though it was harder than I thought to contort my body into some of those tiny child-sized rope ladder entrances!!! We probably would have seen who could jump farthest off the swing, we were on a roll...but Olivia was done with the heat (I guess it wasn't as cool as I had hoped!) and was quite vocal about it! And we had some friends show up and I didn't quite feel like showing off my jumping skills...or being shown-up by my 8 year old son! :) Or who knows...maybe they could have joined right in!?!?

So take a stop-watch with you the next time you go out! Who knows what kind of fun you can have!!!

Testing the Waters...literally!

2011-06-22T15:02:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I took my two younger kids with me to meet a couple of friends for lunch. While we were there, Ethan announced that he had to use the restroom. Me, being the really great mom that I am, assessed the situation - I had just gotten my food (10 minutes after everyone else) and was way behind...Olivia was restless and not wanting to sit in her high-chair and was threatening to jump out at any given chance...and we were sitting very close to the bathrooms. So I send him in alone, telling him to make sure he washes his hands and to come right back out as soon as he was done. Maybe not the best decision for a 4 year old, but a few minutes later, he comes out wiping his hands on his shorts...so all is well.

Fast forward enough time to devour a really yummy lunch and visit with amazing friends while trying to keep the kiddos entertained and somewhat quiet. I had noticed two older couples sitting near-by, watching our kids. In fact at one point, one of the cute older ladies with super white hair came up to me and told me that I should "treasure these times". I assured her I was trying...but she just smiled knowingly and patted my arm as she walked by, like she totally understands how hard it is sometimes to treasure these moments! :) Bless her. This cute group seemed entertained by all the crazy kids and not annoyed like some people could be, so it was a very nice lunch.

As we were outside, ready to leave, this group followed us out and stopped to chat while one of the men went to pull up their car. The other man walked up to me, and asked which kids were mine. I pointed them out and then the guy moved in really close, patted my arm, and said that he had been in the restroom at the same time as Ethan. He then proceeded to tell me his observations. Ethan apparently had been standing at the urinal...doing his business. Then the wheels in E's little head started spinning and the guy could tell that he was trying to make a decision. After a few hesitations, Ethan decided to go for it and stuck his hand into the urinal to experience the running water first hand. In the man's words, "He tested the water...not tasted mind you...but tested it." So I guess I should be grateful, it could have been worse! He then proceeded to tell me that watching E had made his day and that he hadn't stopped laughing about it since. :) I joked with him and said that I needed to excuse myself and go over and sanitize my child's hands and that his daddy would be taking him on a tour of the men's room soon enough...and pointing out all the things that we don't touch in there! :) He just kept saying that it was the funniest thing and that he had truly enjoyed watching all the kids. The cute white-haired woman then started in again on treasuring these moments. I wonder if her little ones had ever tested the urinal water?!?!

But, really I'm trying. I'm trying to cherish these moments that are flying by much too quickly! Some days are better than others...but I love it! How blessed I am to be the mother of these three crazy and delightful (and apparently very germy) children! :)

They're Back!

2011-06-13T22:37:00.000-05:00

Tonight, my boys went from this...

with a little of this mixed in...

and this...

To this!!!

Aren't they handsome?!?!?!?

I've missed my short-haired boys!!!

Happy Friday!

2011-06-10T15:37:00.000-05:00

Summer is here. It's finally the weekend. Could it get any better?!?!?!

Happy Friday, Everyone!!!

Laundry Fun

2011-06-09T23:06:00.000-05:00

I know I've posted before about how my kids "help" whenever the laundry basket comes out. Their folding always makes me laugh! The number of times underwear on the head can be funny is quite amazing! Olivia sitting on the couch across the room watching me pull clothes out and fold them and shouting out with each new article of clothing, "Dad!!!" - for Dad's shirts. "E!!!!" - for Ethan's clothing. "Gar!!!" - for Garrett's stuff...you get the picture! But I especially love when Olivia starts putting on clothing. It doesn't matter who's clothes they are...she just starts to pile them on...layer after layer sometimes!

In this particular picture, she is wearing a pair of her shorts, a pair of her pants over that and a pair of Garrett's boxers to top it all off. Then just to complete the outfit, she went into the kitchen, (apparently dumped her water all down her shirt!), pulled out an oven mitt and started wearing it around the house like a big shoe! Yep...total girl...it's all about the accessories!

Got your back...

2011-06-05T21:43:00.000-05:00

There is never a dull moment at our house! Not with these crazy kids around!!!

Nifty Fifty

2011-06-03T23:42:00.001-05:00

I remember very clearly being in 2nd grade and sitting in the back of the classroom with my teacher and passing off my 50 states that I had memorized...all in abc order. Garrett was doing this in school a month or so ago and I have LOVED hearing him here at home, rehearsing his states. He heard a song at school, which he promptly came home and asked to YouTube it so he could memorize it for the next day. It makes me so happy hearing him sing it...mostly because I LOVED learning the states myself when I was little.

But, what makes me even happier is ETHAN singing the Nifty Fifty song - all day long! He knows an impressive amount of them...some with his own 3 year-old pronunciation of the names, but he's really pretty good. My personal favorite....Connetakick for Connecticut, Fontana for Montana, and the falsetto voice thrown in every few states!!! It kills me! :) He skips over a few states here and there...but the next time he sings it, he'll remember those and leave out different ones, so honestly, I think he really does know them all! I guess it pays to have an older brother!

Explanation

2011-05-31T14:39:00.000-05:00

Sorry for my lack of posting...

This has taken over our lives, once again! And we are LOVING every sweltering, super-hot minute of it! :)

Too hot?

2011-05-20T15:51:00.001-05:00

Funny how I changed my dinner plans...all because it just seemed too hot to have my oven on for too long today. But the idea of making cookies for Garrett and his buddy when they get home from school...not a second thought about that same oven heating up my kitchen! :) Apparently my love for chocolate wins out over my air conditioning bill OR my dinner preparations!!!

That being said, you wouldn't be able to resist either. They're good. Real good.

One of the greatest things about staying in Utah for a few extra years to get a Masters Degree out of the way for Steve, was the fact that we got to live minutes away from my little sister. (My baby sister came to UT after we had left...so we missed out on the fun with her...sorry Dawnia!!!) But it was so fun to have Dana close by...and NOT just because she passed this cookie recipe on to me, but because we had great times...lots of them! One day we were dropping baby Garrett off at Dana's apartment, (see I told you it wasn't just for the cookies that I love her...it's the babysitting too!), and she came out with a plate of the best cookies I had ever eaten. I demanded the recipe and have never looked back. I even still use the same scrap of paper recipe that she wrote out for me that day...mostly because I love that it's in her handwriting and it makes me think of her the whole time I'm making them! With my luck, the cookies probably wouldn't turn out as well if I transferred the recipe into my recipe book anyway!!! :)

But, if YOU want to take your chances and try it from the 'typed' recipe...here you go!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1-2 cups chocolate chips

Cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars together. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture and mix till combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 9 minutes.

Why????

2011-05-14T22:47:00.001-05:00

And it starts...

Olivia - Where Dad?

Me - Daddy already left for work.

Olivia - Why?

Me - silently thinking that we are WAY too early for the 'why' stage...and really, she hardly talks anyway...this can't really be happening!

Olivia - Where Gar?

Me - (wishing little Olivia hadn't slept in this particular morning) - Garrett's already at school.

Olivia - WHY?

Me - (laughing) Are you seriously asking me why? Do you really want an answer?

Olivia - (super serious) Yes.

So there you have it, I have a whole new set of 'whys' to answer these days! :)

Almost There!!!

2011-05-05T21:47:00.002-05:00

Ethan is almost riding his big bike all on his own! Big, in the fact that there's no training wheels, not because of the size! It's TINY...perfect for my pint-sized child!!!

I told him that what I wanted for Mother's Day was for him to learn to ride his bike - all by himself - so we'll see if he masters it by Sunday! :) He's almost got it!!!

Logical

2011-05-03T21:24:00.000-05:00

I asked Garrett to try on his swim flippers from last year to find out if I needed to buy new ones for swim team this season. While I was waiting to hear the verdict...I look out my window and see him out on the trampoline...in his flippers!

Crazy child!!! He loved it and had a great time making up new games and trying to find out the best way to jump with huge feet! Never a dull moment at our house!

My Girl

2011-05-01T23:08:00.000-05:00

So, I am a firm believer in a well-stocked pantry. Anyone who knows me, knows this! In fact, my pantry is so "well-stocked" that half of it is now housed in my new upstairs pantry (aka...the closet in my office!). So imagine my surprise (and delight), when I apparently had left the door open to said upstairs closet and this is what I find flying down my staircase!!!

Olivia, throwing down (many) packages of chocolate chips, mint chips, dark chocolate chips - I told you it was well-stocked...at least with all the important things!!! Wheat and chocolate chips...what more do you need!!!

She'd toss them down, climb down to where they had landed - only a few steps down from where she started! Come on!!! Cut the girl some slack, she's not even 2 and those scrawny little arms that she inherited from yours truly are getting used to hefting around these 12-ounce bags of chocolatey goodness!

She'd scoot down to the next bag and give it a good toss until she had reached the downstairs with all her loot! That's my girl! Go for the good stuff!

What to wear???

2011-04-28T20:54:00.000-05:00

I love how cute this skinny little kid looks hanging out of the dryer. :)

And please don't judge me on the state of my laundry room sometimes! I would give up almost anything for a larger laundry space!!! Why they plan homes with this small of a laundry room is beyond me!!!!

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T14:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter! How grateful we are for this time of year!!!

Logical Conversation for Mid-April

2011-04-14T16:52:00.000-05:00

Ethan - (completely out-of-the-blue) Hey Mom! Can we get one of those Santa Claus, chocolate chip thingys?

Me - (totally confused) What?

Ethan - You know! One of those Santa bookmark thingys with chocolate chips.

Me - (still totally confused) WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Ethan - (totally exasperated) YOU KNOW! Those things, with the flaps with chocolate chips underneath it?

Me - Oh!!! An advent calendar!

Ethan - Yes! Can we get one for all the months????

How perfect would this world be if we had advent calendars to open each and every day, with a little sweet treat to enjoy and with something as amazing as Christmas just right around the corner!?!?! Sometimes I wish we could all live life through the eyes of a 3-year old!

The Plan According to Ethan

2011-04-01T15:21:00.000-05:00

Today as I'm walking with Ethan and Olivia into preschool, I remind Ethan of the rules in the school entry-way. I guess kids were getting rowdy, so they emailed asking parents to keep their kids with them and keep them quiet. So, I'm telling Ethan that he needs to stay by me and that he can't run around and be loud...knowing that his buddies weren't going to be there this morning and he wouldn't leave my side anyway....but it was a nice reminder of the rules, regardless! Ethan listens, then thinks about it for a second then responds with, "Why? That's why Heavenly Father sent us here!" WHAT??? I asked him to clarify, since I couldn't quite follow his logic with this one and he said "Yeah...Heavenly Father sent us here to run around and have fun!"

So true, my smart little cookie...we are here to have fun. But we need to follow the rules too! I'm getting more and more worried about raising this child!

Reason #7256

2011-03-31T11:59:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with how many reasons I have to love my children. :) Like sitting down to lunch with Ethan today, we split a grapefruit. I LOVE that he loves grapefruit...just the way I love them! And I love that we 'shared' it. Both of us could easily (and happily) eat the whole thing...but we know just how much the the person loves it too...so we split it in half and happily ate it together. Squirting each other with juice every other bite, was just a perk! :)

Certainly Hilarious!

2011-03-27T22:08:00.000-05:00

Ethan says the funniest things right now in his normal everyday (or should I say, ALL day) conversations! 'Hilarious' is one of those words that he throws into everything. He keeps coming up to me and telling me the most "HI-larious" things. And 'certainly'. What 3 year old says that he will certainly do something?!??!

"E...will you bring your cup and plate over to the dishwasher, please?" "I certainly will bring it over, Mom!" OR, "E, do you want to go ride bikes?" "Yeah!!! Let's go outside! I certainly want to ride my bike!"

These are just a few looks into his new grasp of his ever-growing vocabulary. I won't even mention the fact that he came downstairs the other day and asked if I knew the polite way to say 'bum'? Yeah...it's 'buttocks' in case you were wondering!

Laundry Assistance

2011-03-25T19:50:00.000-05:00

Olivia loves to help me with the laundry. She is always underfoot, ready to help me transfer wet clothes into the dryer or unload the dryer by putting clothes into the laundry basket. Sometimes she'll help me fold...usually by putting unmatched socks onto her hands or rolling washcloths around and then putting them in the folded pile. But yesterday, as I brought he basket in to fold....she dove right in. I didn't pay much attention until I saw this...

She went straight for E's underpants and was intent on putting them on. :) Silly little girl!

ER trip in the making...

2011-03-21T22:58:00.006-05:00

Does anyone else see an ER trip for us tonight? Seriously?!?!?! What makes this seem like a good idea? :)

Motherhood is Humbling

2011-03-17T18:12:00.001-05:00

Oh well. That is pretty much all I can say after this conversation with a certain 3 year old!

We were just getting home from a morning full of a fun breakfast with friends, errands and a quick church meeting...a pretty busy schedule for our lovely low-key spring break. This is the conversation that ensued...

Ethan (coming in to my room as I'm dropping off my purse) - Hey Mom?

Me - What?

Ethan - Why you still wearing your pajamas?

Me - WHAT?!?!?! My pajamas? What do you mean?

Ethan - Yeah...You're pajamas. You look like you're still wearing your pajamas. (Said completely matter-of-factly, I might add!)

Me - Uh....these are NOT my pajamas. But why don't you go out of my room. I apparently need to change my clothes.

So there you have it...my 3 year old apparently thinks I wore my pajamas all over town today. Goes to show that I shouldn't deviate from my 4 pairs of jeans and normal shirts that I rotate through every week. And, so much for trying to show that St. Paddy's spirit and wear green! I just wish we would have had this conversation BEFORE leaving the house this morning! Needless to say, those capri's are now in the donate bag in my closet! :)

Pinewood Derby

2011-03-15T22:51:00.000-05:00

Garrett had his first Pinewood Derby at Scouts last week! He had a great time designing and creating his car.

Third place seemed to be our magic spot...much to Garrett's dismay. He came in third in almost every race! The poor kid wanted to win so badly! He did amazing though and found out afterwards that his car raced better and faster backwards. :) Who would have thought!?!?!?

Mama Got a Break!

2011-03-12T22:32:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I had the chance to hop on a plane, meet a dear friend, and be spoiled rotten! We enjoyed a few days, just her and I...no kids, no sippy cups, no nap schedules, just doing whatever we wanted to do. :) While it sounds very selfish and indulgent...it was absolutely wonderful and needed more than I ever knew!

Safe and Sound

2011-03-11T21:38:00.001-06:00

We are well protected in our house right now.

The boys lined up all their army men, fire men and police men and they are all diligently standing watch.

Evil Dr. Vulture looms perilously over them...but they have held their ground (or my windowsill, as the case may be) for a good week now! :)

They make me smile every time I go up my staircase. There's nothing like the peace of being well watched over and protected from evil bird villains!!!

Scary Stuff

2011-03-10T17:52:00.000-06:00

The boys are (as we speak), putting together sticker montages for their doors. Their purpose: to scare mom away so she can't come in the rooms. Nice.

It's quite amusing to see their 'works-in-progress' though. Garrett's page is covered in cartoony snakes and the likes (and realistically, that WOULD keep me away!). Ethan's is covered with Goofy (yes from Mickey Mouse...chilling I know!), a rhino, a spaceship (that apparently is supposed to blast off through my bellybutton), and a smiley face (that is supposed to smile and eat me all day!). I keep getting a sneak-peak of Ethan's as he keeps running downstairs, (laughing hysterically!), and filling me on on the 'whys' of each sticker selection.

Olivia through all this, is scribbling happily through an entire coloring book...pleased as punch to have all the crayons to herself! :)

How I love these kids and their crazy antics!

Boo!

2011-02-25T20:58:00.000-06:00

Olivia loves to jump out and say 'boo' any chance she gets. :) Actually, it sounds a bit more like "BA!!!!" in her language! Her current favorite hiding place...she carefully closes herself into our pantry and then sits, waiting patiently until someone walks by and she can shout 'BA!!!'. It's pretty cute!

New Friends

2011-02-15T15:40:00.001-06:00

Cinderella moved in on Valentine's Day and struck up a new friendship with Buzz Lightyear (and Ethan!). Ethan spent Olivia's ENTIRE nap-time with some quality time with our first princess. :) Too cute!

Red Flag

2011-01-27T12:21:00.002-06:00

So, I always have about 447 different projects in my head that I'd love to try my hand at. I'm not really that crafty...but I LOVE trying out these things that I make up in my head (or trying to copy other's amazing creations!!!)

But today, in googling a tutorial for some help on a sewing project that I wanted to try for Olivia...this is what I find at the end of the tutorial...

Tip:

If you aren't experienced in sewing, get someone to help you who is.

Simple as that! I am NOT experienced. I make things up as I go. I've never really even followed a pattern. Maybe I should stop pretending I can do all these things. I mean really, does anyone who is 'experienced' really need to google things to be able to sew? Seriously?!?!?

But on the other hand...I might as well try, right??? Really, it's only a pair of old jeans with holes in the knees at stake here. But yes, I fully acknowledge that I HAVE BEEN WARNED! :)

Toes

2011-01-24T21:21:00.000-06:00

So, I have a confession. Apparently I didn't dust last week. Or let me rephrase...the BOYS didn't dust last week (or for a few weeks, by the looks of it!). Dusting is one of their jobs...so the blame doesn't fall on me, right?!?! But regardless, I sat down on the floor the other day and came across this cuteness. I know it's random, but it made me smile and made me laugh and made me sad for just how quickly my kiddos are growing up.

These are Olivia's toe prints...caked in the dust on a little end table that sits at the end of our couch. (In the boys' defense, this table is hidden away and I know they did dust the other, more well-traveled areas!) Anyway, I love seeing her toeprints. They capture her entire personality in those 5 little dusty toes! They are daring and adventurous. Scaling the table. Climbing up on top. How is she old enough to even attempt such a thing?!?! :)

My Little Covergirl

2011-01-19T21:37:00.000-06:00

Today, I turned my back for a second, and this is what I walk in to find...

Olivia had gotten into my makeup drawer, which is not uncommon. She loves to reach up and grab for all her usual play things. She can't even see into the drawer, but she knows right were the bracelets and hair clips and rubber bands are kept and plays with them all the time. How else would I ever find time to get my hair back in it's time-consuming pony-tail?!?!? I let her play with them so I can actually do my hair once in a while! Funny thing is, I was actually listening to her play in it from the next room...but thought she was playing with the clips and normal stuff! But today, she tried her hand at make-up application.

She had put mascara and eye pencil...all on her eye. She was a mess...but I have to admit, I'm kinda impressed that she knew where to put them! Who knows where she gets that from...I'm not all that savvy with make up myself!

Flashback - Roller Skating Style!

2011-01-12T11:39:00.000-06:00

There is a weird phenomenon that when you put roller skates on your feet, you automatically feel as though you've been transported back to 7th grade! It's crazy! (Though the hubby and 3 kiddos quickly brought me back to reality!)

Garrett got a pair of roller blades for Christmas and though the constant 24/7 wearing of them in the house and driveway was fun, we just HAD to go break them in at the local skating rink over Christmas break.

Ethan had a blast!!! Especially with his not-so-rolley-skates, perfect for slow-going around the edges!

And, Olivia seemed to like the extra-smooth stroller ride!

Fall is here

2011-01-09T22:53:00.000-06:00

Fall finally hit our neck of the woods! I always miss the colors and the mountains in the actual fall season...but with a little patience, we get our own color show here in Texas. (Of course, I didn't get any pictures until the day AFTER a big windstorm...so most of our colorful leaves were gone! Oops!!!) Though I always have to laugh that we live in a place that can have beautiful, colorful trees losing their leaves...and then other trees, a few feet away with blossoms on them!

We decided to reclaim our backyard though...so the boys spent one Saturday morning raking the leaves. And then spent the rest of the time jumping into them!

When I grow up...

2011-01-06T20:31:00.003-06:00

Ethan's been asking lots of questions lately...just trying to figure out this world we live in.

Questions like:

When Olivia grows up will she still be a sister?

When I (Ethan) grow up, will I be a daddy?

When Olivia grows up, will she be a mommy?

Today he took it a bit further...

Ethan - (Continuing on from the day before's converastion like we hadn't had a 24-hour lapse) When dads grow up? What are they then?

Me - Well...they become Grandpas!

Ethan - And moms become Grandmas?

Me - Yep.

A good long pause as he's processing everything....(I love this stage when you can literally see those little gears turning in their heads!)

Ethan - Well??? Then who are the kids?

Me - (Deciding to outline his whole life in a few short seconds) Well, when you grow up, you're going to meet a girl and you're going to fall in love and get married. Then you'll have babies...and that is who the kids will be then.

Ethan - (Smiling sheepishly) Then I'll be the daddy?!?!? (Another long pause as he eats his snack and ponders his life!)

Ethan - Well, who am I going to marry?

Me - (lauging inside) Well, you'll meet someone and really, really like them. You'll love them and want to spend forever and ever with them. Then you'll know that's who you want to marry.

Ethan - Oh, otay (okay). That's going to be Tara.

(Tara is the mom of his best little buddy whom his whole world revolves around AND one of my dearest friends! See this post to see how much we love dear Tara!)

Me - (really holding in the laughter now!) Really? You want to marry Tara?

Ethan - Yep. I yuv (love) her.

Me - Good choice. I love her too!

So there you have it. In one lunch time...my 3 year old has mapped out his entire life...down to his choice of soulmate. :) Maybe tomorrow we'll decide his career-path and save his some decision-drama in the college years!

multi-tasking

2011-01-05T15:20:00.001-06:00

You may be guilty of too much multi-tasking if your baby girl doesn't simply grab a phone and jabber away on it like most kids do.

Instead she takes it, dials away until she feels she's produced enough beeps, tilts her head to hold it to her shoulder, goes straight to walking around, and proceeds to 'talk' that way.

Now if I could just get her to fold a batch of laundry or unload the dishwasher during each phone call...then she'd really be like me! :)

Missing You

2011-01-04T12:09:00.000-06:00

Ethan - "Wiggy? (his way of saying Olivia!) Do you miss Garrett?"

Olivia - "Ugh!" (still no words for this girl...but it was evident that she was answering in the affirmative!)

Ethan - "Me too." (Followed by a sigh.)

This sums up all our feelings as Garrett goes back for his first day of school after a fun-filled vacation.

(Yes...this is how Olivia poses for pictures these days.)

3 Year Olds Prefer Brunettes

2011-01-01T22:34:00.000-06:00

The other night we took the kiddos to a Houston Rockets game. We had a great time watching the game...cheering for our team...munching on popcorn...playing in the kids zone...being with friends...and loving being a part of all the Toyota Center excitement. During the time-outs sometimes, the dancy girly cheerleaders would come out and do their thing. Garrett and Steve would all of a sudden find the floor or ceiling or neighboring fan very interesting, but Ethan on the other hand is another story.

Ethan turns to Steve and asks "Do you know which one of those girls is my favorite? She's right there ...and she has brown hair." Yep. My 3 year old has a favorite Rockets Power Dancer. Proud moment for us all. :) Good thing we were sitting up in the rafters!

I think I'll excuse myself now and go have a little conversation with my funny, little guy!

Polar Express

2010-12-30T22:12:00.000-06:00

On Garrett's first day of Winter Vacation, we donned our pj's and took a trip to here...

We took he kids on a trip to the North Pole via the Polar Express. Though I do have to admit, I think this was mostly for me since I have dreamed my whole life of going on a train...which now I can say I did...though next time I'd like to try it going over 5 miles an hour! :)

We had our yummy hot chocolate...complete with singing servers!

Enjoyed a reading of Polar Express while on-board...

We arrived at the North Pole...lots of lights! All we were missing was the snow...minor detail in the North Pole, right?

And we even got to see the old jolly guy himself!

Though Olivia wasn't too fond of the old guy yet...

We loved the magical bells from Santa's sleigh...even though Garrett's face would say otherwise!

All in all, a GREAT train ride to the North Pole...Texas Style!

the pii remote

2010-12-27T13:16:00.001-06:00

So, the other day, Ethan was in the bathroom doing his business. :) Actually (as is very common for us), he was REFUSING to do his business even though he was dancing around like a little ballerina, and I was making him stay in the bathroom until he gave in and actually went! Just so you can see how good of a mother I really am! :)

Olivia had been wandering around the house during all this and was, unbeknownst to me, carrying around one of our wii remotes. She snuck into the bathroom and since all of Ethan's attention was focused on avoiding the toilet...she apparently thought she'd help it feel a little more useful and throw the remote INTO the toilet. Nice. Ethan started SCREAMING (like he'd lost an arm or something) so I rushed back into the bathroom and see them both staring into the bowl at the sunken remote...Ethan still screaming at the top of his lungs, and Olivia happily pointing and jabbering (in her own language) about the new water toy in our house. Yeah...not one of our best moments! I grabbed the remote out of the water...threw it into the sink and let it rinse off under the clean water. I figured it was already ruined...but if there was any way of saving it...it was going to need to be disinfected a million times over, so why not start the process immediately!

I just have to laugh about it...because it really was very funny. Funny that these things only seem to happen 5 minutes after Steve leaves the house...funny that my kids can react to the same situation in such extremely different ways...funny that I don't get mad at these random disasters, but if my kids talk back or disobey (like any kid does a million times a day), that's when I feel the steam starting to escape through my ears...and funny that I knew, even then, that if this remote ever did make it through...it would be officially dubbed the pee (or pii) remote by my children (and myself!).

So there you have it. I did, through my mad-googling-do-it-yourself-repair-skills, manage to save the remote. In case this happens to any of you (heaven forbid)...I took it apart as much as I could, which isn't much since nintendo uses some crazy screw that we don't tools for, and threw it into a bowl of rice (uncooked) and let it sit for about 24 hours. We then had to shake some rice out of it, when all was said and done, but it managed to draw the moisture out enough for it to work again. Then we had to disinfect it into its next life. If the toilet didn't kill it...the million sprays of cleaner should have! :) But really, this remote is probably more germ free than the others sitting next to it!

So there you are...a look into the craziness that is our life! How I love it!

Happy Wednesday

2010-12-23T15:19:00.000-06:00

We have a snowman plate that I pulled out this week. I've been choosing an 'extra helpful' child to use it at meal-times...rotating it through the kids. Well, at least through the boys...it's glass and Olivia is still insistent on throwing EVERYTHING on the floor. The poor snowman wouldn't stand a chance with her!

Anyway, the plate says 'Happy Holidays' on it besides showcasing a fancy snowman. Ethan must have asked someone what it said...because he now has dubbed it the 'Happy Wednesday' plate. And yes, it was the 'Happy Wednesday' plate on Tuesday too. It doesn't matter which day it actually is...it is always Wednesday when it comes to the special plate! This drives poor attention-to-detail/slightly-over-controlling Garrett crazy! So, he just has given in to rolling his eyes every time Ethan shouts out with joy about his turn with the 'Happy Wednesday' plate...instead of lecturing him over and over and over about the difference between holidays and days of the week! Poor kid! But I have to admit, Garrett doesn't get any support to his theory from me this time...I LOVE the 'Wednesday Plate'!

Dentist Appointments

2010-12-22T22:08:00.001-06:00

Ethan had his first dentist appointment last week! This is after LOTS of talking about it, and even a few failed attempts. The last time we were in for Garrett's cleaning, Ethan promised the dentist that he would do it when he was three and a half. So...since he is 3 1/2 now...I thought we'd see if he'd follow through since Steve and I both had appointments. After quite a bit of coaxing, free toothbrushes, sitting on Dad's lap and playing with the dentist's equipment...Ethan finally let our sweet dentist clean a few of his teeth! Wahoo...this child is definitely all about baby-steps! It is so funny how each of my children are so different. :)

Brave Little Girl

2010-12-15T23:13:00.000-06:00

Little Olivia had to go in for a CT scan a few weeks ago. I knew everything was fine...but it is nice to get the all clear from someone who has actually looked at her little brain and can confirm it. :)

Olivia's pediatrician noticed a few jump in O's head growth at one of her well-visits and recommended the scan...just to make sure. I would have probably fought it a bit more (she is a Smith baby, after all, and big heads just run in the family!!!), or at least asked for a re-do on the measurements...but little Olivia had been acting so funny and so a little look at her brain was a welcome (though somewhat intimidating) prospect.

Olivia had started walking and was doing so well at it...but all of a sudden had completely stopped. She seemed not even able to do it, nor even think about it. She was diagnosed with double ear infections which made complete sense that she had stopped walking all together...but it was still nice to get a more in-depth confirmation of that as well.

Anyway, she did great for the scan. This being the girl who goes into complete hysterics at the dr's office when they take her temperature under her arm (and she has since day 1 in the NICU!). I thought there was NO WAY she'd be able to do it without being sedated...but once again, the amazing medical facilities we are so blessed with in the area, knew exactly what to do and are so incredibly good at working with children. We LOVE Texas Children's! She wasn't happy about it by any means...but she did it!

She was very excited to get out to the car and actually get to eat and drink again. :) I think she downed this cup of milk in 30 seconds even after we got home!!! :)

The results came back fine...just showed us that her ear infections hadn't gone away. So a second round of antibiotics and she's up and walking/running around like before! :) How blessed we are with this little girl!

huh?

2010-12-08T14:26:00.000-06:00

This was the vehicle from which my packages were delivered this week!

Seriously, I love our mailman in his older-than-dirt jeep. I've even grown to love the random guy in the tan truck who delivers our weekend mail...often at 9:00 at night...and even when he just goes into our garage and leaves our packages on our garbage can! (Yep, that one almost ended badly!) But should I just accept that my UPS packages are now delivered by golf cart? Ahhhh, I love the unexpected!

static

2010-12-01T20:55:00.000-06:00

Well?!?!?!

You'd be grumpy too if your hair did this...

But that's okay...'cause this kid's joy is enough for us all!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T22:14:00.001-06:00

Tonight I was getting the kids ready for bed. We knelt down to say prayers and Ethan was going to go first. Before he started, I reminded him to say a thoughtful prayer...and then reminded him that Thanksgiving was tomorrow and that he could say a Thanksgiving prayer.

So E, then proceeds to say his normal prayer...asking for blessings for him and Garrett, asking to not have bad dreams that night...and then right before saying amen...he throws in "And please bless dinner to be really yummy tomorrow."

Hmmm...at 3 years old, my child knows the importance of that yummy dinner. :) Now if I can just get him to count his blessings!

Halloween

2010-11-23T14:12:00.000-06:00

Here's my little skeletons...all decked out for Halloween! Yes, that's right. Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like belated Halloween pictures! And sorry for all the action shots...these little ones won't pose for ANYTHING right now. They'll regret it later, I suppose! :)

E's favorite part of his costume...the bum!

3.5

2010-11-23T13:42:00.002-06:00

Happy 3 and 1/2, E!!!

This little guy was pretty excited for his half-birthday this year! We spent the afternoon at the library, ate chocolate chip cookies until we burst, had a pizza party for dinner and enjoyed every minute together. How we love our Ethan!!!

Tuckered Out!

2010-11-11T17:31:00.000-06:00

Being a three is hard work.

This is how we've found Ethan - TWICE last week! He goes upstairs to do puzzles around 4:30...and soon after, he is completely out! :) Got to love that stage where they lose the naps, but are still sooooo tired!

spying

2010-11-03T21:00:00.001-05:00

Just now as I was tucking Garrett into bed...

Garrett - Hey Mom?

Me - Yeah?

Garrett - I don't like it when you come up and check on me after I'm asleep. Don't do it anymore, okay?

Me (totally confused) - Huh?

Garrett - Just don't check on me anymore at night, okay?

Me - I don't get it...do I wake you up when I come in here?

Garrett - No. It just feels like you're spying on me.

Now I'm going to lay in bed at night...wondering if my children are sleeping okay...if their covers are pulled up...if they're about to fall off the bed...if they just need one more kiss on the cheek??? All because my little ones are paranoid and think I spy on them!

another one 'bites' the dust

2010-10-27T16:02:00.000-05:00

Garrett came home today with one less tooth in his cute little mouth. :)

He was pretty excited, until he came in and informed me that he now looks 'weird' when he smiles. Ahhhh.....the joys of growing up!

Together Again...

2010-10-26T21:48:00.001-05:00

We are home...all home...TOGETHER!!! :) I've been playing single mom for a while now and am LOVING being together again. I'm not cut out to do this on my own! :) Steve's been out of town three out of the last four weeks, though I really can't complain. Out of the last two years, he's only been gone those three little weeks.

We've been busy and productive though. Lots of park outings, bike rides around the block, and earlier bedtimes!!! I'd much rather have him home...but I have to admit that it is very nice to have extra time to work on projects. I got a few pictures hung, hosted a few girl's nights, cleaned out a few closets, sewed a bit, watched a girly show or two and knocked out a few of those things on my to-do list that I just never seem to make time for! It was fun while it lasted...but I am MORE than happy to have Steve home again! And I do have to admit...the kids are grateful too. There were some days that the boys would pray for their daddy...and pray for him to get home QUICKLY! :) I think they were ready for another parent to be around...maybe one with a little more patience than an over-worked, tired and cranky mommy! :)

yep...done that.

2010-10-24T21:56:00.000-05:00

Just something to cross of our 'to-do-sometime' list...

just because

2010-10-17T21:22:00.001-05:00

How I LOVE my little girl! :)

And yes, the old saying is true...the camera does indeed add 10 pounds. But add a shadow into that equation, and I swear it ups it to 50 pounds! :) Well that and the 45 cookies I ate tonight! :)

Living on the Edge...

2010-10-13T13:06:00.000-05:00

This is where I found Ethan this morning when I woke up...

(Sorry...it was dark and I know it's not the best picture!!! I thought I got a lot more of the stairs to actually show that it is on a staircase!)

The scary thing is...this isn't the first time I've found him fast asleep...balancing on the edge of the steep staircase! Why is it that my children have to be daredevils...even in their sleep!?!?! :)

Question and Answer

2010-10-11T20:20:00.005-05:00

At dinner tonight, well actually 'Ethan's dinner' (since he takes HOURS longer than the rest of us to eat and as a result, ends up sitting at the table much longer than anyone else), the following conversation took place...

Steve - E, what's your favorite color?
Ethan - Blue and green.

Steve (pulling out some preschool questions) - What day of the week is it?
Ethan (thinking for a bit) - MONDAY!!!

Dani (wanting in on the fun) - E, what's your favorite food?

Ethan - Macaroni and Cheese

Steve - What month is it?
Ethan - Ummm......OCTOBER! (really proud of himself for remembering!)

Dani (trying to be funny) - Ethan, who's your favorite Mommy?
Ethan (without a single, solitary pause) - TARA!!!

Well there you have it. My kid's favorite mom is my good friend and mom to his best little buddy. Nice.

Choose the Right???

2010-10-07T10:17:00.000-05:00

I was just cleaning out Garrett's church stuff, and in light of yesterday's post, I thought I'd do a Garrett version.

Plain and simple...and I guess he get's his point across. Do not CTW (or Choose the Wrong)?!?!? Leave it to my kid to change up the well established CTR (choose the right) shield!!!

And yes...just to further expain how "Garrett" this paper was, I had to unfold it from it's paper airplane state to actually read what was inside! SOOOOO typical...anything paper in the hands of my child gets folded into some sort of flying object. Luckily he's well-behaved enough (well usually!!!), that they aren't often thrown...until he walks in the house. Then it's a free-for-all!

Healthy and Strong

2010-10-06T22:08:00.001-05:00

Ethan comes home from church each week with something from his nursery lesson. This prized-possession goes straight to his special spot on the fridge as soon as we walk in the door! Some weeks he doesn't pay much attention to it again...but the current one has been talked about all day - everyday - for two weeks now!

The topic of the week was how to keep our bodies healthy and strong...and Ethan finds any way possible to tie any conversation back to this topic.

Olivia's head was having trouble fitting through her shirt one night. Not that she has an abnormaly large head or anything...the shirt was just twisted up or being pulled at the wrong angle, but Ethan promptly started to teach us about how when we eat healthy, our heads will grow. "Good Job Wivvy! You are taking care of your body!!! Your head is big and strong!!!" I believe those were his exact words.

At every meal, he goes into a lecture on eating healthy. And then every time, he lists out the good foods...artichokes, nectarines and grapes. It is these same 3 foods each time...and the funny thing is, I don't think the kid has ever knowingly had an artichoke! But nevertheless, that is one of the only three foods that will lead to optimal health in his mind! :) The other funny thing about this one is, the food pictured is not artichokes, nectarines or grapes. I think there is an apple, a strawberry and a banana!

This child also NEVER stops moving/running/jumping during the day. But he has been running laps around the house lately, so he can "exercise to be healthy".

Funny how the other picture on his page is about getting enough rest. That one doesn't seem to have sunk it as of yet. The poor child refuses to sleep - naps, night time, whenever!

Duck Whisperer...with a vengeance!

2010-09-29T23:06:00.000-05:00

So, a while back, I posted this picture...

My sweet Ethan, having a nice peaceful chat with the local duck.

Today, while walking (or riding) around the neighborhood, this is the picture that I snapped...

"Tum here duck...tum here ducky. I just wanna get you...dat's all!"

My how things have changed! So much for whispering sweet words to the ducks...now we're just out to get them!

And don't mind E's all blue attire!! ! He INSISTED this morning to wear his "sweaty pants" as he calls these pants that I mistakenly referred to as sweats one time. And then he HAD to wear the blue t-shirt...'tuz, it's de only one dat matches, Mom! See, blue and blue!" He even made sure his underwear matched today too...same bright blue waistband to match everything else he had on. I tried to convince him that a little contrast was good...but he just looked at me and said, "Nope Mom! I just wearing blue!" So that was that. He wore sweaty pants and frolicked in the park in all-blue enjoying every minute of it!

Further Proof

2010-09-29T14:59:00.000-05:00

What's that??? You didn't believe me? How could pint-sized little sweet Olivia get into any trouble??? Isn't she too sweet and girly to attempt to do her own stunts???

Well, here's just one more example...(I'd show more, but honestly, how often is the camera right next to the action?!? I just need to carry it around in my pocket...then I could document how many times a day this little one attempts a new trick!!!)

And don't judge me on the state of my itsy-bitsy pantry! One day, I'll find a way to keep it organized!

defying death

2010-09-27T21:03:00.001-05:00

Olivia has a great love of climbing and especially for our staircase...a LONG straight-shot staircase. She is a very coordinated/precise little thing and has picked up the skill surprisingly fast. For weeks on end though, I have spent a large part of my day sitting on the stairs as she climbed up and down, just waiting for that one time that she slipped and fell. But, she never does. Not even when she climbs up and sits on the top just bouncing up and down and laughing at me still sitting in the middle of the staircase. Not even when when I would startle her (still sitting at her favorite perch at the tippy top of the stairs) as I was convinced she was on her way down, and was running up the stairs as fast as I could to grab her...usually hollering "STOP!!!" along the way too! She just stares at me like I'm crazy when this happens! :)

So after weeks of the doing this...and hopping over the gates at the top and bottom of the stairs that we'd put up when I didn't have the time (or the mental patience) to sit and watch her defy death once again, I decided I needed to give her a chance. So now, she is up and down the stairs all day long as much as she pleases, and I get a whole lot more done during the day! It makes me so happy to see her growing and becoming so independent...only because she is still my cuddler and still always comes back for a hug and a pat on the back - for both me and her! She almost always pats my back when I hug her and it MELTS my heart!!!

So now, we're about a week into her new-found freedom. She still is on the stairs constantly, but she now LOVES to stop mid-way up and stand holding the rails as she peers through to see who she can spot down below. She'll jabber away to them, happy as a clam to be up higher than everyone else. But the past few days, I've noticed that she is combining this freedom with her other new skill of standing alone (meaning not holding on to ANYTHING!!!). Talk about a heart stopper when you see your teeny tiny baby girl, standing completely unsupported on the stairs, giggling and holding her hands up as if to say "Look Mom, no hands!!!" AAAHHHHH! I am now back to my sitting on the stairs, everytime I hear her pause on her way up or down. This girl is going to do me in! :)

swimming

2010-09-17T13:53:00.001-05:00

Ethan just started a swim lessons. I know...we're a little late for the season! But when I mentioned it at the beginning of the summer, you could see the panic rising in his eyes and the stubbornness just starting to spill out. I KNEW he would not do it...and if I pushed it, it would be a huge fight every time...and soooooo not worth it. So, we waited...patiently...until he said he was ready. In the meantime, I showed him some lessons going on one day when we were walking into the Y to work out. He watched for a minute or two and turned to me, completely excited, and said "That's swim lessons????? I wanna do that!" Apparently, he thought swim lessons would be exactly like Garrett's swim team...and for some crazy reason, my little 3-year old wasn't all that keen on all-day swim meets and practice every day!

So here we are...swimming away...and loving every single minute of it!

Out of the mouth of Ethan...

2010-09-12T21:54:00.000-05:00

So, they say that kids say the darndest things...but this child may just do me in!

Today, I was hanging out with the kids and just had to laugh at some of the things they were saying. This is how it all played out...

Me - Man! You kids are so cute, and you are sooooo funny!

Ethan (w/o missing a beat) - No we not!

Me - Huh? You're not funny and cute?

Ethan (very matter-of-factly) - Nope! We say bum all da time.

I am constantly on the boys about saying nice/appropriate words...but for some reason, they think a few certain words are pretty much the funniest words on the planet. 'Bum' being one of those words that I roll my eyes at quite frequently. I know! I am a complete failure as a mother!!! You should see what happens when someone mentions the word 'tutor' or 'tutoring' during church (which happens more than you'd think!). My boys fall on the floor laughing...only pausing to repeat the word 'tooter' between gasps for breath! None of this is done quietly either! Don't you wish you came to church with us?!?!?!?!

Anyway, back to actual conversations.

Steve told me this one, so I'll leave it up to him to correct me if I quote him wrong....but that would mean he actually had to post on here, so we'll see if that happens! :)

Steve was playing with the boys yesterday. They were dismantling part of the erector set that they had previously built so they could build something even better.

Steve - Ethan, will you hand me that piece over there?

Ethan - Otay Daddy!

Steve - Now can you take these two pieces apart and hand me the pieces?

Ethan - Otay. (then proceeds to NOT do it)

Steve - Uh, are you going to take those apart?

Ethan - Dad? Yeah, I'm going to do it. But first, I doing dis (this) and dis. Just chill for a minute.

Steve (thinking he heard him wrong) - What?????

Ethan - Just chill. Cuz I doing (going) to do dis and dis. It's doing (going) to be about two hours.

Steve - Okay. So you want me to just chill????

Ethan - Yeah...just chill for a few hours.

Steve then proceeded to chill, at the request of his 3 year old (and watch college football!) until E saw fit to be done with his creation...which did not take two hours, much to Steve's football dismay!

Pretty in Pink!

2010-09-08T09:41:00.000-05:00

Olivia woke up with a double-dose of pink eye! Poor baby! Her poor little eyes are swollen and pink and not so fun!

But as always, she's a trooper and refuses to stop. Although that just makes a whole lot more work for me...this little one is into EVERYTHING! It will be a miracle if I can keep this from spreading to everyone else! Though, I think I may be giving her a complex as I follow her around with clorox wipes, wiping everything after she touches it! :)

From Scratch...

2010-09-02T23:38:00.001-05:00

I have to brag for just a second. Reason one...because I actually accomplished something, from start to finish. That doesn't happen a whole lot lately. Reason two...because I made time to work on something and teach myself a few new tricks that I really wanted to learn. Again, this doesn't happen too often as a mom! And now that I sound totally selfish...I'll explain:

I built a bed! I've been wanting to build a bed for about 3 years now. I wanted to build one for Garrett, but then we got bunk beds. I wanted to build one for Ethan...but then he moved into said bunk bed. But we need a bed now...and not just the mattress and box springs on the metal frame, shoved against the wall. I wanted the room to look more put together...so I built Ethan a bed. Okay, enough bragging. I could only do it for two reasons...I have a hubby who let me spend a weekend in the garage, and the amazing Ana at Knock-Off-Wood and her super easy and beautiful plans! Thanks to the both of you! :)

So here's the bed.

It's not perfect...but that's how I wanted it!

It's not built exactly to Ana's specs. I changed it up a bit so I could slide food storage boxes underneath. Always looking for places to store that! :)

AND, it doesn't match the abc's hanging above it...don't worry, I'll fix that soon!

I love it! And I LOVED doing it! And, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED having a reason to use the new nail gun I got for my birthday and (still) hadn't tried out yet! I really enjoyed having a project to work on all by myself...though I loved having Steve come help when I needed an extra set of hands! We have so much fun doing things like this together! Now, we just need a new project to work on...

getting him back

2010-09-02T13:24:00.000-05:00

Ethan loves his little sister...and shows it all day long! Many times a day, he hugs her so much that she is knocked to the ground and is reduced to tears! Poor girl!

But the other morning...Olivia got him back. She wouldn't let go of his neck and kept trying to kiss his cheek! He just wanted to get away...but she kept coming back for more! :)

(you can almost hear her telling him to hold still in this shot!!!)

I LOVE watching these two play together!

First Day...catch-up

2010-08-28T23:57:00.000-05:00

So, I forgot to post a pic of Garrett on his first day of school - 2nd Grade!!! Here he is for documentation sake...well that, and he's pretty cute!

Garrett's Photography Skills

2010-08-28T23:52:00.000-05:00

Garrett was playing photographer...and managed to capture us all in one shot! He's getting pretty good...I can't even get all three of my ever-moving subjects in one shot! :)

in case you were wondering...

2010-08-23T12:49:00.003-05:00

It was only 8:08 a.m. when Ethan started asking if Garrett was coming home soon!

hard books

2010-08-19T23:10:00.001-05:00

Lately Ethan has been stuck on this one crazy idea...he equates growing up to reading chapter books. It started a few weeks ago when he would spout off with random comments about "when I'm big like Garrett, I dowing (going) to read hard books." Lately, when I tell him how grown up he is becoming, he throws in something like "yep...dat's (that's) why I read hard books!" I told him yesterday that he was getting so tall, and sure enough "yep, doz (those) hard books are fun to read!" Today, when I asked him about the sound a certain letter makes, he replied with "E says eeeee...dat's (that's) what it says in my hard book."

So tonight, I go in to tuck him into bed. This is how I find my little 'hard book reader'. He's snuggled into bed, all cuddled up with a biography of Benjamin Franklin! Wow!!! This kid sure is serious about this!

peek-a-boo

2010-08-18T21:23:00.000-05:00

Garrett's peek-a-boo...

Olivia's peek-a-boo...

She ADORES her big brothers and LOVES copying everything they do!!!

toothless grin

2010-08-15T22:44:00.000-05:00

Garrett lost another tooth a few weeks ago.

He's sporting that cute...no front teeth smile right now that just makes me smile every time I see it!

Oh, how I love this toothless boy! :)