Friday, April 17, 2009

A Hard Day!

It seems as almost everyday is a hard day around here, but Wed. was a particularly hard one. It started with H waking up at 4:22am and not wanting to go back to sleep. I tried rocking with her, giving her the pacifier, laying in bed with her, laying on the couch with her. Nothing...she was ready for the lights to be on. We had gone to bed fairly late and I can't remember if or how many times I had gotten up with C. The nights all run together these days. So, I was tired but I went out for a run and realized how tired I was. It wasn't pretty. Our routine is to eat breakfast when I get home from my run, play a little bit, watch Caillou, then go to the YMCA. But every other Wed. I do a private yoga session at 9:30 and teach a 10am class, so we had some time between Caillou and the Y. C wanted to watch a movie, so even though I said I would play with him and he could save the movie for quiet time, he chose to watch the movie. I asked him what he would do during quite time and he said, read books and stuff. Yeah, right! Anyway, when we are getting in the car, I realize that Chuck had taken the van in to get the oil changed which had all my music for group exercise in it. So, I had to teach a body conditioining class with no music and I couldn't wait for it to be over. H actually wasn't a basket case when we got home. So, we had some lunch and I went to put her down for her nap and she refused. But she really really wanted her pacifier which I usually only give to her in her crib for nap time. But I let her have it and told her she would have to take a nap in a few minutes. And this is what happened....
She did let me put her in her crib which was nice. Now, C's TV time is used up and I want some time to myself. I do try to limit the amount of TV C watches but am still embarrased at how much he watches. And as I've mentioned many times this kid does not play by himself. So, as I'm working on invitiations for C's b-day party (in my alone/quiet time) he is laying on the floor fussing at me to play with him. I ingnored him telling him that it was my quiet time and that it's too bad he chose to watch a movie rather than play with me. And to my surprise, this is what happened...


And because of the delayed naps, we did not make it to our play group at the park. But there were a couple of good things that happened during the day. I noticed H was about to poop, so I asked if she wanted to use the potty and she did! I'll spare you the picture. And for some odd reason, neither one of the kids were on my lap during dinner. This is so rare, that it would only strike me when it did happen.

How can you love someone so much and be so frustrated by them!?!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Happy Easter

My youngest brother, Zachary and his wife Lorena and son Joseph, were going to be in Farmington, NM for the week proceeding Easter, so we decided to go visit for the weekend. My Mom, Dad, Jonathan (Kami, Darien, Annie, Ellie too), Camera, Mama and Papa all live in Farmingon, so we'd get to see them as well. Charity drove down for the weekend also. So, there were 5 of the 7 siblings there. Along with 8 of my 11 cousins on my mom's side with their kids. There were a lot of kids! With so many kids, it was hard to have much adult conversation, but we had a good time. I forgot our Easter baskets, but the Easter bunny still left some gifts and candy. The kids dyed and hunted for eggs and they looked so perfect in their Easter outfits. Cameron asked lots of questions about why Jesus was cruxified. I tried to simply explain that people didn't like what Jesus had to say. To that I got, of course, the why?. So, I tried to explain that Jesus wanted people to be good and make good choices but that's not what many people wanted to hear. Again, I get they why? Well, because sometimes people would rather make bad choices. And again, it's the why?. It's just a never ending cycle of whys? with a 3 year old. And I am so bad at answering the whys.

a little duck duck goose



Annie


C's Easter egg hunt at preschool

A Sad Sad Day!

It's been our tradition since before we were married to go get "cokes" every Saturday. But not just any coke, one with THE good ice. Yes, THE good ice. There was a Basha's, now Food City, near my first apartment that we would go to. For a couple years after we were married, we did Sonic, but they don't have THE good ice, only acceptable ice. Finally, we found a Basha's close to our first house with THE good ice. It is also close to our current house, so we have been going there for years. And the sad news is, the Basha's has closed. And yes, we along with many others inquired about THE ice machines fate, which was to be put in a warehouse. We had our last "coke" from the Basha's with the good ice (because they don't all have good ice) last Friday (because we were going to be out of town on Saturday). They were going to close Wednesday and I tried to sneak in one last time on Tuesday, but they had already closed. How rude! Now, we are on a quest for a new place close to our home. BTW our "coke" is Pibb Xtra. C gets ice with Rootbeer and H just gets ice. Here are some pictures of the kids with thier ice and THE ice machine. Sigh...

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Here's to a great weekend!

Yes, yes, I know it's Wed., but I'm just getting around to posting about last weekend. Chuck left Fri. afternoon with all the kids to go camping. I have had a couple of rough (rougher than usual) weeks with the kids, so this was a much needed break for me. I started the weekend off with a haircut, facial, and yoga class. I had yoga teacher training on Sat. and Sun. in addition to teaching a class Sat., so I didn't have as much "free" time as I would have liked. But I did get a lot of things crossed off my list and I watched "Twilight", which I actually really enjoyed although I had low expectations. Chuck and the kids had a great time, which included playing in the snow. And although I love my kids and miss them when they are gone, I'm already looking forward to the next camping trip.

the snowball fight - notice C's positioning


the snowman family



Monday, March 23, 2009

Fondue Fun for Everyone!

We had fondue for dessert last night. Lily and Emma were over as well as Rich and Judy (for their last night). Hannah decided to paint herself with the chocolate and some of the older kids followed suit.





Monday, March 9, 2009

The Light Rail





Cameron finally got to ride the light rail! The light rail is new to the Phoenix area. It cost a lot of money to build, it tore up the city for years and still continues to do so, and it also has some major wrinkles that have not been ironed out. But it is fun for a 1 and 3 year old. So, Emma (who is on spring break) and Judy (aka Grandma Kitty, who is visiting) went with H, C and I to meet Chuck at the stop. We had a late night last night and too early of a morning for a late night this morning, so we had to try hard to keep H awake on the drive there. We just barely missed the train, but the next one arrived a few minutes later (one of the wrinkles). We got on and rode downtown for lunch. When we got to our stop, apparently, we didn't get off quick enough and the doors shut on us. Luckily, the next stop was only a couple blocks away. We went to a pizza place that was over-priced, not that good, and the employees were a little impatient. In addition to that, going to a restaurant with C & H is never fun. Then we walked to the stop to get on, once again, just missing the train. Only this time we got to wait for the next one. One the ride back H decided to press the emergency button to which the driver responded "Do you have an emergency?". Once we realized what H had done and that it was us she was talking to, we replied, "No, sorry. It was just a child pushing the button." As we approached our stop, we were ready this time and got off very quickly. H managed to stay awake almost all the way home and C threw a fit because Emma did not come over. I put H in bed, only to have her cry (very unusual for her). I put C in bed without a fight. After about 15 minutes, I hear H calling me. After several minutes of that, I decided she was not going to take a nap. So, as I was working on my last post, she was playing at me feet. Until she decides, she needs to wake C up. I don't know how she got in his room, but she did. I told him to go back to sleep, which he did, but not for long. It's going to be a long evening...

C & H: What are they up to...


Cameron is almost 4. A couple weeks ago, he asked if he could wear underwear to bed. I said yes, but explained that if he woke up and needed to go to the bathroom, he would have to get up and go. That first night, he chickened out and went with the pull up. But since then, he has been sleeping in underwear and has had no accidents. He has started getting himself dressed and picking out his own clothes. The other day he wore blue shorts with red and white stripes and an orange halloween shirt. I tried unsuccessfully to encourage something that matched and decided it was probably better to let it go. For the most part, he is sleeping in his bed all night. However, he still gets up more often than I'd like. He has also transitioned to a booster seat, which he also asked to do. The upside is it takes less time to get him in the car and he can get himself out. The downside is, he can get himself out and it is a lot harder to fall asleep with no place to put his head. He loves school, going to the "kids club" at the Y, riding his bike and most of all, he loves to have his mom play with him. He still does not play independently and when we do play together, he tells me exactly what to do and what to say. This is getting a little old. But he is super cute.

I can't believe how old C looks in this picture. He is such a little boy. And he looks so much like my brother, Zachary.
Hannah will be 2 soon. I can't believe it! She finally has some words. They are: mama, dadda, more (she uses this a lot), eyes, and ice. She adores C and does everything he does. But she's not afraid to hit or bite him when he's doing something she doesn't like (like sitting on her mom's lap). And she knows how to throw a fit. She too, loves to play, go for walks pushing the stroller, dress up and swing at the park. She is much better at playing independently than C, but she still likes my attention, especially when it's time to cook dinner. She is sleeping well. She eats well some days, but will never sit to eat, unless it's in my lap. That too is getting a little old. But she is beautiful!

H decided to take her dress half way off and put crayons in it. Who understands the mind of a one year old?