life: october 2011

a few random bits from life these days . . .

. don’t worry, we’re still swimming in this desert because it’s been WARM.  We had a week of cooler temps but we’re still in the 90’s.  But somehow we’re still enjoying playing in water!  Good thing the boys don’t mind a cold pool – because it’s quite cold.  But Nate jumps right in and Ryan loves dumping the water on his head.

. Ryan has decided to start talking more – I love it.  He’s got the cutest little voice.  Although he rarely talks on demand – only when he’s feeling it.  But Nate can sometimes get a ton of new words out of him.  Tonight’s new word was temple.  Yesterday he said Kiley all on his own!

. We’re pretty much all decorated for Halloween. [ryan loves these pumpkin lights].  Now it’s time to clean my house – holy smokes, it’s time.

. I went to a bread class a few times last month so I’ve been attempting all kinds of random things with this dough.  I’m practicing relatively often . . . since I’m not a baker of any kind it’s taking a while but it’s been really fun.  I’ve done: loaves of bread, pizza, pizza poppers, cinnamon rolls, orange rolls, bunsie rolls, and cinnamon twists.  I hope to master them all one day!

. I played volleyball a few times in September and it was actually really fun. 

. Ryan had a really weird diaper rash of sorts & I tried everything you could think of to get rid of it.  The nurse at my pediatrician had me try Calmoseptine Ointment and it worked!  It’s found behind the pharmacy – you just have to ask for it but it was a lifesaver!  Just an FYI for all you diaper-changing mamas out there.

. I think I’m just about over a nasty sinus head cold.  I rarely get bad headaches so to have a pounding one every day for nearly 2 weeks about did me in.  Still have headaches – but I’m doing much better.

. Wes took Nate to the driving range for the first time last weekend.  A friend of my dad’s let us borrow some real golf clubs Nate’s size until he gets his own and Nate was in HEAVEN going “real golfing” with his dad.  He was actually pretty good!

. We went to a park on Friday for the first time in MONTHS [it’s just too hot] and the boys loved it.  They’d much rather be outside than inside – so we’re looking forward to our perfect weather coming up!

. Love the holidays coming up.  Every year they are just a little more fun as Nate gets older.

. Conference weekend was nice.  I went to Art in the Park in Boulder City with my mom & spent the rest of the weekend at home watching conference.  I love hearing from our prophet and church leaders.  The boys are definitely a little stir crazy after being home so much!

. Wes has an awesome extended family.  His cousins on both his mom and dad’s side are great.  But there’s something extremely fabulous about his mom’s side cousins.  They all have this genuine love for each other.  Every time someone comes in town they call us and truly want to see us and the boys.  So we were thrilled when Wes’ cousin Julia moved back here a few months ago.  We live pretty close to her now so she came over on Friday night to visit and the boys love her.  Nate keeps asking if she’ll come back.

Life is a little crazy right now but its pretty darn good.

primary program

We had our primary program in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday.  It was Nate’s first program and it was pretty fun to be a part of.  We have 8  pretty dynamic sunbeams so I got to join Ali & Tripp and sit in their row to attempt some reverence on the stand.  Overall, the kids did great.  I got to sit right next to my little sunbeam and while he did show a little bit of his defiant/grumpy side while on the stand, I don’t think too many people in the congregation noticed & he was always ready to stand and sing.

Brityn writes the program with a lot of the kids own answers to questions.  She asked Nate:

Q: How do you know you are a child of God?

A: I know I am a child of God because my brain told me.  It is Heavenly Father’s plan.

He got up there and did a great job saying his part in the microphone and he sang all of the songs with gusto [scripture power was awesome].  There was one song – the finale – where I had to whisper in his hear to sing a little softer because he was BELTING it.  Better than no singing at all, I guess.

The program was exciting in itself because Naters & his two cute cousins were in it [Miss Abbie sang a solo and it was fabulous] – but also because I’m in the Primary Presidency and it was sooooo nice to see something that we’ve worked on for months and months turn out so well.  It’s amazing how it all comes together in the end!

I love when a new season is here . . .

I love this time of year.  I love the holidays.  I love the cooler weather [although we still have to wait another month for ours].  The leaves.  The holiday activities and crafts to do with the boys.  The holiday excitement the kiddos bring.  Caramel apples.  Soup.  Hot chocolate.  Peppermint ice cream.   Pumpkin cookies.  Being outside.  And having it be cold enough to wear jeans & a cozy sweatshirt.

Nate is beyond excited for Halloween and asks me every day if we can get the Halloween stuff out or if he can wear his Spiderman costume yet. [Yes, his heart is set on being Spiderman].  It’s a great time of year.

boys will be boys.

My boys have this need to wrestle – and they love it.  I’m learning that boys are just born to rough house and wrestle.  Good thing these two have each other for that!

We had one of those late afternoons that I dream of every day.  The typically horrific hour from 4pm-5pm* was PERFECT.  They played. They wrestled.  They watched Grover.  They laughed.  I smiled.

It was fabulous.

*Must note that I got home from work at 3:45pm and left with the boys at 5pm to meet Ali & the girls and my dad at Café Rio for dinner.  I think it helped that dinner wasn’t being made and we hadn’t been together all afternoon to create the perfect late afternoon – but regardless, it was nice.

Nate is FOUR.

 

I can’t believe he’s four.  Four just seems old to me . . . like it’s the transition year where they turn from a little toddler to a big kid.  I’ve also heard that four is typically a good year.  I’m excited.

He’s a funny little man – a little hard for me to describe in words.  He’s a boy of extremes – we typically either get really fun and nice and caring or really grumpy.  Occasionally there’s an in-between.

But he loves life and has an imagination and curiosity that is just plain fun to watch.

 

Here’s more about the Naters at FOUR:

. He creates all day long.  He’s constantly wanting to tie things together or make something out of random things around the house.  He’s always asking for string.  I love to see what he comes up with. 

. He has an artistic side that loves to paint and draw.  He’s kind of over coloring books – he’d rather paint or draw his own picture.

. He craves structure – loves to do activities.

. Has recently developed a love for legos.  We have a bin of the small legos we get out when Ryan is asleep!

. He will try just about anything once.  Except for his Papa Marz’ smelly fish salad.  I don’t blame him on that one.

. Speaking of smells, he’s got a serious smeller [just like me and his Aunt Ali].  He smells EVERYTHING immediately.  He is obsessed with the smell of cilantro. Every time I cook with it he stands in the kitchen and just smells it for at least 20 minutes.

. He loves to learn at school.  He’s constantly singing songs or showing me what he learned that day.

. He’s super athletic.  He has especially great eye-hand coordination.  He loves baseball, tennis & soccer.

. He’s still my right-hand-man when it comes to yard work.

. We’ve officially entered the world of super heroes.  His two favorites right now are Batman and Spiderman.  It’s pretty fun to see the make believe that goes on when I have little boys over here playing super heroes.

. He’s typically pretty happy and then all of a sudden something will happen [it usually means he didn’t get his way or something came up that was unexpected] and he’s GRUMPY. 

. He doesn’t seem to care at all what other kids think of him. 

. He’s not always the nicest guy on the block.  I think he has good intentions . . . just doesn’t realize that he can be mean sometimes!

. It’s been interesting to watch him as a big brother.  He generally loves Ryan and tries to include him in play time.  But he also has the typical reaction to Ryan as the “annoying little brother who ruins everything I’m doing.”  I have to say, the sibling thing is a fun & hair-pulling experience!

. He’s a pretty good eater.  He likes a lot of things a lot of kiddos typically don’t like.  While he LOVES treats and candy, he regularly asks for an apple or pear as a snack!

. He’s quirky, funny & particular.

. He’s pretty excited that he’s four.  He’s caught on that he’s been getting to wear new clothes lately because the 3 year old shirts aren’t long enough anymore.  So every morning when he gets dressed, he asks . . . “is this a  four year old shirt?”  [but he wore 18 month/2year swimsuits all summer because anything bigger wouldn’t stay up on his tiny waste!]

. He can be a worrier sometimes.

. He doesn’t show a ton of remorse when he does something wrong.  I hope he grows out of this before he’s a teenager.

. He’s a BYU fan and loves cheering for the Cougars.

. He’s a string bean but is starting to get the strong thighs like his dad.

I love this dude.  And I love this age.  Yes, I want to pull my hair out half the time and Wes and I feel like we’re constantly saying . . . “well, how do we handle that?” but it’s FUN and he’s quite a ham.  I love the excitement he has about everything he gets to do.  Being his mom sure is great.

 

While we were at the beach, I took just him down to the beach after dinner one night to attempt some 4 year old pictures.  I think we at least captured some of his personality!

Ryan: 18 months old

Mr. Ryan turned 18 months while we were at the beach . . .

HE IS:

. He is full of personality, that’s for sure. 

. When he runs around his arms are always flailing around.

. He’s funny with his words.  He can say quite a few but chooses not to.  A few weeks ago we were driving and Nate just started saying . . . “Ryan, can you say _____?”  And he said every word.   The only words we hear often are: mom, dad, gum, out, up, binky, doggie, please, juice.

. He is a total binky boy.  If he had it his way, he’d have one in his mouth and one in each hand all of the time.  The day is soon coming where they will only be allowed in his bed. 

. He loves treats.  He can spot a piece of candy from a mile away.

. He weighs the same at 18 months as he did at 12 months [26 lbs].  But he grew.  Which means he’s thinned out a lot.  Still a big dude, but not quite as chunky.

. He loves babies.

. He’s got a really nice side that gives big bear hugs.  And then he’s got a really naughty side that will whack you with a metal spatula if you’re not careful.

. He likes Nate when Nate is nice to him & they play together.  But Ryan is a pretty happy camper when he’s the only one in the house.

. He’s a pretty good sleeper these days [at least at night].  His one nap a day ranges from 1 hour to 2.5 hours.  He is usually in bed by 630pm and wakes up between 6:30am-7am.

. He begs and whines for me to turn the TV on but he never watches it.  If he randomly wants to watch it he has to be sitting on my lap.

. He loves books.

. He’s a bizarre eater.  He either eats a lot or nothing at all.  His favorites are mac & cheese, cheese, fruit, noodles, french fries, yogurt with granola, pizza, Café Rio & any beverage.

. He loves to be outside – playing in dirt, riding on or in things or playing t.ball.

. He is still such a cuddler!  He gives me big Ryan hugs all day long and always wants to sit in my lap or lay on my shoulder.

. Now that my hair is longer – he hates it when it gets in his way when he’s trying to lay down on me or give me a hug.  He always gives me the same disgusted look and moves it.

. Whenever we drive past Café Rio – he points and yells rather loud letting us know he wants to eat there.

. He has decided he wants to go potty like Nate on the toilet.  Well, kind of.  Every time he notices anyone in the bathroom, he pulls up his shirt and sticks his hips out like he’s ready to go, too.  He has yet to pee on the potty but he certainly tries to be like his big brother. 

. Whenever I’m holding him and we come in contact with anyone, he pats my chest like . . . “this is my mom.  don’t take me away from her.”

. He certainly has his challenging moments but this kid is one big ball of fun.  His personality is hilarious and he makes us laugh.

“…..” said Nate.

This may not read quite as funny as it was in the car . . . but I’ll always remember how funny it was if I write it down.

We were driving to Bounce U to meet some friends in my ward for playgroup and in a very serious tone . . . like he’d been thinking about this for a few minutes . . . Nate says:

“Mom, there’s hair on my legs. [he obviously never noticed before & he was NOT happy about it].

“I don’t like the hair on my legs.  People are going to think I’m weird.  I should have worn jeans today.”

"mom.mom.mom.mom.mom"

Sometimes you just have to tell it like it is.

[disclaimer: i love ryan. he makes me smile every day & i love his quirky, full of energy personality & i know this phase will end - BUT - he's driving me crazy.]

We've all heard the term "mama's boy" but Ryan takes these words to an entirely new level. If you watch this video you'll see what we all get to experience when he doesn't have my undivided attention. It sounds a little something like this . . . "mom.mom.mom.mom.mom."

. He wants me in his sight always.

. He wants me to be holding him, holding his hand, or sitting right next to him always.

. He will run to the love sac or the play room and pat the floor, telling me to come sit there.

. When we're not at home doing something really fun he leaves "mom mode" and has a good time. Which is why we leave alot.

. Luckily he does well with my mom on Wednesdays and he has fun with a babysitter. But one babysitter tells me that every time Ryan sees my picture on the collage wall he tears up!

I know it's just a phase but it's a hard one for me. He has such a cute and fun personality but lately he just whines and cries for me constantly. I sometimes want to lock myself in a closet with ear plugs so I can escape the "i want my mom" noise for just 5 minutes.

I often wonder why I can't seem to make dinner regularly . . . my house isn't entirely decorated yet . . . and I can't seem to stay on top of much. But I have my answer - and his name is Ryan. I still adore you, little Ryan but you're driving me bonkers!

nate’s first day at ms. joy’s

Nate had his first day of preschool [year #2] yesterday.  We switched preschools this year . . . last year I had a decent drive a few times a week so I opted to stay closer to home this go-around.  This change of school has been a little confusing to Nate – he’s still wondering where his friends from Miss Monaca’s class are & why they aren’t with him anymore.  But you couldn’t ask for a nicer teacher than Miss Joy and he gets to go with his cousin, Daisy so I’m thinking this year is going to be a great one, too.  

Ms. Joy does Wacky Wednesdays throughout the summer where the kids can go for 2 hours a week on Wednesday morning for some summer fun.  Nate loved Wacky Wednesdays and walked right in to Ms. Joy’s without any hesitation so I wasn’t really concerned with the first day of school.  But apparently I should have been because Nate did not want to go in.  He was excited the entire drive there but as we pulled up he wasn’t having it.  I walked in with him and the only thing that turned his frown to a smile was when I told him I’d find his Chick Hicks car while he was gone.  That did it and he was fine the rest of the morning.  He came out ALL smiles and had a great first day of school.

Fingers are crossed for an easier drop off tomorrow!  I’m glad school is back in session – Nate really responds well to the structure school brings and Ryan & I appreciate our alone time a few hours a week!

Labor Day Weekend 2011

We had a great Labor Day weekend.  I have to say – it was great to just be home!  We’ve had a crazy summer traveling all over.

It was the perfect mix of fun and being productive.

date night

Wes & I started it off right with a date on Friday night.  We grabbed a quick dinner at Rachel’s Kitchen, walked around The District for a minute & then saw The Help.  Loved it.

boulder beach at lake mead

Saturday morning we headed to Boulder Beach.  It’s a “beach” at Lake Mead where the boat-less hang out. 

It started off with a stop at the marina to feed the carp.  The kids always love feeding the nasty [and huge] carp.

And then we plopped ourselves on the beach of Lake Mead & had fun swimming in the water and playing in the sand.  There’s even sea-shells at this beach so the kids found treasures.  A few of us swam out to the buoys and got a little exercise.  We had a great morning with friends hanging out in the sun!

 

being productive

. Our yard was like a jungle.  With all of our traveling I’ve ignored it.  It’s too hot to do major pruning but I did clean up all of the weeds, Wes mowed the lawn, and we power washed the pool deck, back porch & front porch.  It’s nice to have a normal yard again!

. I started decorating for fall.  Since we stay so hot here in this lovely desert I have to pretend it’s fall inside.

. I sanded one of my future kitchen chairs [a Craigs List purchase that needs some love]. 

. Wes vacuumed out my car.

. I went to a bread class with Kiley a few weeks ago and I’m slightly addicted to this new dough recipe. [I’ve NEVER made bread or anything that involves dough!].  I cranked out a few loaves of bread, cinnamon rolls, orange rolls and a batch of croutons.  I’m definitely in the trial and error phase of being a baker but it’s kinda fun.

 

more fun

The weather on Monday was overcast and gloomy which didn’t scream “jump in the pool” to us so Wes ended up taking Nate to see The Smurfs with our friends Tristan & Carter.  I didn’t want our cheap Fandango passes to expire this week!  Nate really liked the movie [Abbie & Daisy introduced Nate to the Smurfs at the beach] and it was nice for the boys to go do something together.  I loved my quiet few hours at home to decorate a little!  We ended our weekend with dinner at Café Rio and a little Nielsens custard next door.

Overall, a great weekend.