Precious!

This little beauty is the newest member of our family. Meet Ainslie-- my sister Tiffany's first baby. How cute is that face? Too bad she is so far away. I want to smell her newborn goodness

New Rule

So..... as a parent I'm ALWAYS switching up the routine.... Dinner time is now 4:00pm for these two members of our family. They still get up really early and play HARD all day. Waiting until Dad comes for a "nice family
dinner" is no longer an option! They are too hungry and tired to wait. I wish I would have figured this out a long time ago. Evenings are a snap now. When Dad comes home I have them in jammie's with teeth brushed. Dad reads stories (translation: wrestles with them and hangs out) He then finishes up with prayers and tucks Ryan in. Meanwhile I get to cook the rest of dinner in peace and quiet. I'm loving this. The kids are thriving on this. Their behavior has been tons better through out the day. Seriously.....parents of children 4 and under listen up. Feed kids early and take back your evenings! You will thank me.

Little Boys

Sometimes....I don't mind cleaning up all of the mess that comes with little boys! Both boys have loved eating spaghetti and chucking buckets of it on the floor.

Happy 18 months

Hello Nursery here he comes!!!! (SORRY) This picture is pure Evan, he HATES clothing..... He strips down as soon as we get home. He has figured out how to take off his diaper as well. He absolutely LOVES fruit. This picture is from this summer. I was busy packing for vacation so Evan helped himself to grapes off of the kitchen counter. I found him crouched behind the couch chowing down. I was still cutting his grapes in half then......(I have huge choking issues) looks like he was ready for the real deal! Happy 18 months my chubby naked grape eating baby!

Bad Mother....

I thought I was doing everything right. I feed Evan nutritious food through out the day--paying special attention to his evening meal. I give him a nice warm bath dress him in clean warm pajamas. We brush teeth, read stories, pray and off to bed. WELL I say "off to bed" but that was really just a phrase. We usually had another 2-3 hours of screaming and general toddler destruction before he would pass out. UNLESS I loaded him up in the car for quick spin around the coast line.

Needless to say I have been at my wits end! What to do what to DO!

So last night was YW in excellence. Brandon met me at the church to help set up the projector for the movie. Once it was set up I wanted him to take the boys home so they could get to bed. Well Brandon decided to stick around just in case there was some technical problem he might have to fix.

Inside I was spazing out because I can't really function with my kiddos around....the noise factor is really debilitating! Alas, I was conducting, speaking and wanted to make sure I spoke to half a dozen parents that aren't at church with their girls. So I had to stay focused! Long story short since the boys did not go home for dinner and bed they ate handfuls of sugar cookies.... for dinner! Gross I know. The night before they ate baked salmon brown rice and broccoli. Like I said I'm really crazy about what they eat. I think it manifests in behavior and sleep patterns etc.

On the way home from church we stopped at Subway to grab some sandwiches I wanted to try and put something good in their tummy's before the long half hour ride home that would surly induce a solid sleep. Well...... McDonald's is right next door to Sub and Nana was just here teaching these boys about french fries. So I gave in and got them fries.... It was late I was tired. They stayed awake through the ride... Duh all of the sugar! Both were cranky and had no desire for baths and jammies. So I put them straight to bed when we got home. No jammies (they had on sweat suits), no books, no teeth, I prayed. They seemed to enjoy being treated like feral children.

So why does any of this matter?








EVAN SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!!! The day before his 18 month birthday.

I had a really good day today. I FELT like me again. I THOUGHT like me again. I CLEANED like me again. I did skip the library story time today..... because NOBODY woke up in time to get there.


So tonight we switched up the routine. No baths. We did teeth. Very quick story. Prayer.

Dinner was a mixed bag. I offered chicken, tangerines, cucumbers, and a roll. All of that was thrown on the floor. So I gave up. Evan ran to the fridge later and after a few grunts and points he picked out OJ. Odd.... my kids hate juice. Whatever, I gave it to him and he drank it. I offered him some cheese crackers to go with it-- he obliged me and ate them. I'm hoping I can get this feral child parenting down to a science....you know so I can write a book. Fingers crossed for sleep tonight!!!!

Grateful for Italian Grandmothers!

My in-laws are here for a visit! I'm in heaven, the kids are in heaven! They play with the kiddos ....and I get to SLEEP! I don't have to worry about anything when they come. Grandma does the cooking, cleaning, and diapers! With the schedule that Brandon has kept the last few years I have done everything on my own 24-7.....so getting a breather every now and then is a welcome change. Evan cracks me up! He LOVES his Nana. We talk with her on the computer about three times a week and he wants to talk to her on the phone all the time. There is a lady at church that reminds him of Nana--every time he sees her he screams "NANA". He just thinks about Nana all the time!

My boys are such mommas boys. When Nana comes to town all that changes. This trip it seems Mom and Nana are intercgangable. Evan climbed up next to Nana on the recliner with the Boppy and his blanket and made the sign for milk--he wanted Nana to NURSE him! She laughed and told him she didn't have any milk. He looked her in the eyes grabbed her shirt and looked down the top and signed for milk again! Oh, if only Italian grandma could take over EVERYTHING!

So suite

We joined Brandon in Portland this week while he was away for business. Ryan loves to stay in hotels and I can always find an excuse to do a little shopping in Portland! (unfortunately that did NOT happen this time....) It's funny the little things you become thankful for when you stop and ponder on each day. As a general rule staying even ONE night in a hotel with my two boys just about does me in! If I may enlighten you....there is the constant breaking away and running (clomping) down the hallway. Not to mention dismantling the phones the TV remotes, tossing the couch cushions, playing in the trash cans, and unraveling the TP. When they are finished the room ALWAYS looks like somebody has robbed the place! I try my best to prevent them from disturbing the neighboring floors of slumbering guests. I'm not sure if I accomplished that this time as Evan has mastered the one year old high pitched shriek!



I was so thankful for our hotel adventure this time around because I got a break! Yes, the kids still tore the place up..... I just really enjoyed NOT having boxes everywhere! We have been living out of and digging through boxes since February. We wanted to have a better chance of selling quickly in Klamath so we depersonalized and pack up a TON of kid stuff.



Highlights of the day: The boys experiencing room service, Ryan kept asking the waiter if his name was "Gusteau". (Ratatouille) so the guy kept telling Ryan "oh no, I'm just a waiter" to which Ryan replied oh I'm sorry maybe someday you can be a chef! I used to be Ryan's favorite chef. He now tells me I'm almost as good a Gusteau.


Evan falling a sleep curled up on my chest ( he has not done that in months.) We sure love that little chubby!

The whole family watched Glenn Beck sitting in bed...well WE sat the boys jumped! They fell asleep in our arms--so sweet.

Thanks x 2

FOUND!

About three weeks ago I misplaced my wedding rings! I was distraught and have torn the house apart searching for them. I finally found them today! I'm always careful with them and put them up high in a REALLY safe place......I just could not for the life of me remember where that was.I'm so thankful that I found them. My hand felt so bare the last few weeks with out them. I'm not big on jewelry but have cherished those rings for obvious reasons. Brandon really went out of his way to find rings that fit my taste and personality. I loved them the minute he surprised me with them. I could not bring myself to even tell him that I had lost them the first week. I knew we could never replace those rings. They were one of kind estate rings. Not something that we could run out to Kay's or whoever and order XYZ......

A Month of Thanks

We have been trying to instill in our boys an attitude of thanks and gratitude.

The goal for this month: Recognizing blessings and giving thanks!

Today the whole family gave thanks for "falling back"! We appreciated the "feeling" of having extra time this morning. Everybody came home from church today and indulged in the Sunday nap. I woke up on my OWN! No kiddos prying my eyes open, no kiddos jumping on my chest, no frantic crying!

There is NOTHING like a 3 hour uninterrupted nap!

I'm a new woman.

Happy Halloween

Evan had a really good time at the ward party this year! He does not get a lot of sweets at home......but made up for it today! This ward had more sweets then I have ever seen at a ward party before. Both boys thoroughly enjoyed the cupcake walk, carmel apples,candy bingo (so cute) and "trunk or treating" which turned into classroom treating because of the rain. I had to bring Evan to the restroom twice tonight to wash off the frosting, carmel, cake, etc.

Evan loves the "baby in the mirror" and the one inside of the stove, the glass back door, and the fridge. I should know this by now but what age do they discover "self"? He spends a good deal of time offering the baby in the stove drinks from his cups and "kisses" the baby at the back door at least ten times a day! So funny.






I get so nostalgic when I see Evan wear the same little outfits that Ry wore at this age. At least it has held up! Not bad for $4.99 from the Albertson's clearance rack!

Woke up bright and early......



This one did too...armed with his treasure chest that he needed "trick or treats" in. It's funny that he calls it that instead of just candy.

Pirate 2009

Ryan has been talking about being a pirate for Halloween for months! He cracked me up as we talked about what he thought a pirate costume was. I was able to talk him OUT of the PIRATE SHIP, TALKING PARROT, & HOOK HAND.....we then agreed on general pirate attire and a treasure chest that he could use to put his "trick or treats" in.

So I made a plan for him and I to stop at Goodwill the next time we were in Portland. We would then look for clothes that I could customize and make "pirate-ish". Ryan adds ish to EVERYTHING these days. The day we went to Portland we ended up stoping at Costco first. While we were there Brandon found this great pirate costume! I was super excited. I love making Ryan little outfits.....but I knew with my impending new calling and a baby who still wakes at night this was just what I needed. Besides it was super cheap! We added a little wooden case that looked enough like a treasure chest to him and we were done! Thanks again Brad for finding these cute little pirate togs.

As I uploaded these picture I was a little taken back by how grown up Ry looks. Gone are the baby curls, chubby cheeks, and short little toddler legs. Where does the time go?


This was just last year.



Popeye 2008

I think I scored big Mom points that year! Some how I was able to get around to sewing a costume that year even though I was so sleep deprived! Ryan LOVED that little Popeye outfit. He had so much fun trick or treating for the first time.




Clown 2007

Ryan sporting the very same clown costume that Brandon wore as a toddler. Brandon's Mom made this darling little costume and then saved it all these years!



Pumpkin 2006

My little precious pumpkin.....wow this was a simple time! Ryan had just started sleeping through the night. My house was immaculate once he went to bed....and stayed clean. This is NOT the case now! The new "precious pumpkin" is just as big or bigger whirlwind then Ryan was.



Pea Pod 2005

Classic first baby. Did I really dress up a 5 month old and take pictures? Oh yes I did! I dress these kids up and take pictures. What can I say.......? I have FIVE brothers who DELIGHTED in decapitating, burying, and generally trashing any dolls I owned. Whatever, these "dolls" are better then cabbage patch babies any day.

Did you get yours?

I Missed Klamath Falls this week..............

NEVER thought I would say that!

Allow me to clarify.

Reason #1 My boys LOVED having a big fenced yard with lots of grass to run on. Without that they get a little stir crazy!

Reason # 2 My boys loved walking to the park across the street from our house. I was game because I only had to keep them from darting into traffic on a walk for about 5 minutes. Huge plus for two very independent boys!

Reason # 3 Uh...... looks like that's it!


Luckily we have found a much better alternative. We have visited the beach about 3-4 times a week since moving here to the Tillamook area. We are still renting the house in Oceanside so we are very close to two really great beaches. When it gets nutty around here I load up these rascals and 5 minutes later we are all in sand heaven. The only draw back for me is my housework suffers. When we lived in Klamath I could stand in the kitchen and cook, clean etc. and still keep an eye on them. At least our beach outings force me to take a break and dig in the sand.

Dear Graco

Do you think you could manufacture a infant seat with a HANDLE that I could use past 30lbs........? PLEASE!!

Taking Evan anywhere requires him to be snoozing comfortably in his car seat. I'm not ready to give that up! I have a hard time believing I'm the only Mom out there who uses this to maintain sanity!!!!!!!

Set up

Evan is finally asleep..... I tried letting him "cry it out" again. This only produced a very upset little boy. (I'm now convinced this DOES NOT work for certain children)

I set myself up for this. In the back of my mind I promised myself sleep when Evan reached 16 months.

That's when Ryan started sleeping through the night (more often then not). That's when Ryan weaned himself.

So here I am wondering how long this will last? I know all babies are different. The constant waking is wearing me down. The migraines, the brain fog, the forgetfulness.....that's getting a little old. I now have insomnia. If I hear one more mother tell me about their baby that started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks...... I might lose it!

Evan's Keeper

Ryan is very protective of Evan! He inherits this trait from me as I'm one of those annoying hovering Mothers..... I cut their food into pea size amounts forever! I freak out when they fall etc. We have baby gates on all three stair levels. (I had locks on every cupboard and door in Klamath) Every time we head to the beach Evan makes a bee line for the water. He really loves the crashing waves, cold water and the sand in his toes. Ryan lets him get so far and then runs after him and hauls him back. Evan only weighs about 15lbs less then Ry so it's not an easy task!

I'm glad that these two get along so well. They laugh, giggle and chase each other all day long. Ryan always has an eye out for his baby brother. He still brings me things that he thinks we should put up so "Ev won't choke it". Ryan prays for help to "tect" (protect) his brother. I laugh every time he says that because he is so articulate and has always said "tect" instead of protect.


We enjoyed watching General Conference this weekend as a family. The spirit was felt by all. Ryan did pretty good and sat though about 2-3 talks per session. ( I bribed him with milk duds--kids have a really hard time talking with sticky Carmel's in their mouths!) Evan found the box of milk duds later that night and crammed about 8 into his mouth at once.... I freaked when I found him--but he had such a huge grin on his face and was making his yum noise I snapped a picture instead.

Hmmmmm.....

My Dad sent me the following in an email. Too bad our children will suffer the most from this mess. I say this because I wonder if it's out of our hands to fix? Brad I and wonder all the time if our boys will grow up in the same America we grew up in?

Can you believe it! This was in the paper in 1934...you can actually (barely) see the date in the bottom corner of the cartoon...Looking back can be a look forward...

This amazing cartoon was in the Chicago Tribune in 1934. Look carefully at the plan Of action.


Remember the adage, "Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it" .

Birdhouse Love

We finally took Ryan to Home Depot's kid's building workshop last month. Officially Home Depot set the starting age at 5 to attend. Since he looks 5 we thought what the heck. I wish I would have brought him sooner since it's not a really organized "workshop" as I had been led to believe. I could never picture Ryan sitting still for a step by step workshop on anything! It's really a free for all--for starters it's FREE, each child receives a Home Depot project apron and you dive in with your kiddo and put together prefab little wooden projects. Ryan had a really good time. As you can tell he is in love with the bird house that he and Dad built--could not take his eyes off of it! He kept asking Brad the rest of the day "lets do another project together". Needless to say they mowed the lawn together, ran errands, etc. Brad said later that night he has never been so exhausted when he said such a willing helper at his disposal! WELCOME to my world! This made up for the comment he made earlier in the week--"Babe, I think what your problem is, is goal setting just set a goal (s) each day and then focus on them until you get them done." He has lots of good one liners. The ones while I'm in labor and just home from the hospital with a newborn are just as priceless.

Teething Teething go away!

Evan is a problem solver.....he snagged a turkey drumstick off the dinner table the other night while I was cleaning up from dinner. He was fussy all day and then like magic there was SILENCE! He sat in his highchair and gnawed on that turkey bone for a good hour. This made for a very easy dinner by the way. Throw frozen turkey legs in crock pot, season and forget about them. Make a salad at 6:00 and eat!

Easter 2009

Evan eating his new books



Easter morning the Siamese twins find their Easter baskets.
Evan is delighted! Ryan is mesmerized by yet another Thomas.....



Ryan dominated the egg hunt.

Dad and Ryan on Easter morning. Dad post call and tired

but still enjoying the sweetness of that morning. Our last

Easter in Klamath!

Evan finding the Cadbury eggs.

Mom confiscating the Cadbury eggs.... Evan sure can pitch a fit!

Love the balled fists and hyper flexed feet!

Evan "showing" his one egg to Ryan....

Ryan takes off with the egg.....

Evan trying to get his Easter egg back from Ryan.

I am powerless by those big blue eyes!

Missing the sunshine!

This time last year we were "wintering" in the Caribbean. It was wonderful! I'm so ready to be done with Klamath Falls and SNOW/COLD/WIND! Brandon was doing an elective rotation at the University. It was lots of fun to see the island again. Surprisingly NOTHING with the island itself had changed! However, the university had tons of new buildings and even a SUBWAY! The church has now established a presence there which was awesome to see. They have two chapels and have already outgrown them. It was really nice to attend church with "local" members and see missionaries tracting in the blazing heat! It was fun for Ryan to experience island life with us. He thoroughly enjoyed swimming everyday and living at the beach. This is a picture from our favorite beach. Ry was only 2 and half then....I thought he was so grown up. Poor kid, we always expect so much out of him because he has always been so verbal and intelligent. The other night I was on his case about something and Ryan looked up at me and said " jeez Mom I'm just a kid! ".

Trying to be a fun Mom....

What kid screams when you finally let them ride the train outside of the grocery store? Actually, Evan does this 24-7 now, unless I'm holding him....... He just went to the doctors for his nine month and SCREAMED the entire time. He did not need any immunizations--thankfully!


So...... my floors are dirty, laundry is piled up, the dishes sit until the end of the day (midnight) when Evan finally passes out in his swing. No such luck in the daytime, Ryan is just too LOUD. I keep the swing in the back bedroom in the daytime but Ryan always successfully wakes him up after about 5 minutes!

Thankfully I can still CRAM him into that swing! Fisher Price really out did themselves when they invented the Papasan cradle swing. I passed them up when I had Ryan because they are UGLY, it screams " I'm a huge plastic baby accessory". Now that I'm an "experienced" Mom I go for function. I love that these swings lay down so the baby can sleep comfortably while swinging. The weight limit goes up to 25lbs which we have now maxed, even at it's highest setting it now swings really SLOW. This swing plugs in,which is a huge plus, since we went through 4 Costco packs of D cells with Ryan! So if you need to get a swing for your baby--go for any of the Fisher Price Papasan or cradle swings. WELL worth the money and worth the eyesore in your living room.

With just one picture

I LOVE finding photos that I thought I had accidentally erased! I was going through all of the throngs of photos we have on the computer trying to organize and sort and came across this one of Ryan at 16 months. These photos had gotten stuck in with pictures of the Grants Pass rental. We always take pictures before we place a new tenet so we can have some sort of a reference point, in regards to damages and cleaning. Anyway, Ryan had a ball that day! "Helping" us install a new kitchen faucet, inspecting the insides of the dishwasher, navigating stairs for the first time etc. Funny how time flies! Just this one picture brought back so many memories. We had gotten back from NYC shortly after these pictures were taken. Brandon's medical school graduation was in NYC at the Lincoln Center. We didn't think Ryan would be able to sit through such a long ordeal and did not relish another long plane trip with him. (We had been to Hawaii just before that) So we left him with my In-Laws. I was a nervous wreck, that was the first time I had been separated from him. I was still nursing at the time so it was a crazy trip of running to graduation events and pumping on the go to keep up the milk supply. We managed to squeeze in a trip to Times Square and enjoy TEN dollar Cold Stone ice cream! (being the frugal people we are, we called that dinner) For some reason it was really important for me to bring Ryan back a "I heart NY" T-shirt..... Not just any T-shirt it had to be a "onesie". I have the hardest time watching my babies grow up! Maybe because they are such strapping kids and they start wearing a 2T at 12 months, they just grow too FAST! Anyway, I finally found a little shop that had what I was looking for, the shirt was only 24 months--but it was HUGE! Perfect.The next day we went to Conney island and ate a really sick "world famous Nathan's hot dog". We are still not sure what the hype is about,they cost like 6 bucks and taste horrible. (worse then a Dodger dog) Nobody beats Costco! Anyway, after throwing away the rest of our Nathan's we checked out the rides at Conney island. ALL of the rides look really old and scary, not safe at all. Most of them were being run by father time, not the most reassuring sight when you are contemplating a carnival ride. Then we saw the "Cyclone" it was either the worlds biggest or the world's oldest wooden roller coaster. I can't remember now. As soon as I clapped eyes on it I was wishing I had Ryan with me so I could bow out and not have to ride that death trap! Brandon LOVES roller coasters, he grew up in So. California and spent many summers at magic mountain and the like. I knew I was in trouble when Brad spied the Cyclone! Suffice it to say we purchased tickets and went through the gate. Father time shuffled over to strap us in and we were off. I'm permanently traumatized from that ride. I have NEVER been that scared before in my life! The bar that held us in our seats was loose and kept flying up even though we both had a death grip on it. The coaster felt very rickety. I just kept thinking this is how I'm going to die....and nobody knows what our wishes are in regards to our son! I had a serious panic attack high in the air on all of those hair pin tuns. The only thing that makes this experience okay is the fact that Brad has never wanted to go on another coaster! I think he was just as scared as me. Our ears always perk up when we hear Conney Island in the news--we are just waiting for them to say they had to tear that death trap down after some one was hurt or killed!

Nine Months

Happy nine months Evan! You now have more time out than in. We love your sweet cheerful disposition. Mommy loves all of your chubby rolls! You kind of learned to crawl on Sunday. Well, it's more of a slither. Like Ry Ry you have a lot of mass to move...... So you are content to roll from place to place or drag your belly and legs behind you. Mommy does NOT mind at all that you and Ry were slow crawlers.... you guys can tear up enough stuff just rolling! You have been such a nice addition to our family. Ryan LOVES you and wants to do everything with you -including wrestling..... Ryan was very interested in you when you were born. When you were three days old I had just finished nursing you and placed you in your pack N play. Ryan was playing trains in the family room near your pack N play. I went to the kitchen to refill my water jug.....just as I came around the corner Ryan comes around the corner with YOU in his arms! He had the biggest smile on his face he was so proud of himself...and said"look Mommy this is a really big baby". I almost died! I walked very slowly to Ryan and scooped you up and checked you all over to make sure you were okay. To Ryan's credit he had you cradled in his arms PERFECT, just liked we had practiced on this doll he named Caribou. I was gone maybe 15 seconds.....I never dreamed he would be able to get you out of the little bassinet potion of the play yard. I should have known better since Ry has always been so tall. In hindsight I should have grabbed the camera it was right by us on the counter. I would have liked to of captured the sweetness that Ryan showed toward you as he held you. I was just so worried about how he got you out of the play yard--I had visions of little boys carrying cats around the neck... Anyway, we all went to sit down on the couch and take a breather. I had kept my postpartum hormones in check before that. I started crying, bawling really. (I'm not a crier!) Ryan kept saying "I'm sorry Mommy, I just love him". I reassured him that I was not mad at him just scared for the baby. It was really hot that day too. We were waiting for the guy to come and fix the AC--so that made it worse. I'm always so hot after having a baby. Later after I had regained some composure I asked Ryan how he got you out of the play yard and he said "I pulled him by his feet"! I was still freaked until Daddy could come home and check you out. You were fine! It is now one of your brother's favorite stories to tell "Hey Mom do you remember that day I got the baby out and you just cried and cried?" Later that day as I held you I Thanked Heavenly Father for sending you almost a month early. You were so tiny, If you had been heavier maybe Ryan would have dropped you? You continue to delight us with you personality and we are grateful for your spirit and cute chubby thighs!

Worth a shot!

A Friend just sent this to me:

Think your little firecracker has the personality it takes to win the Live with Regis and Kelly Beautiful Baby Search? Prove it! Pull out the camera and get your little top model ready, because this year's contest starts the week of January 12, 2009 -- your baby could appear on the cover of Parenting magazine and win $125,000 to be used towards a 4-year college education!

To enter:

Visit liveregisandkelly.com and submit a photo from January 12, 2009 to February 13, 2009. The Live and Parenting staffs will narrow down the hundreds of thousands of entries to 10 semi-finalists, who will be announced on the show on March 9, 2009. You can vote for your favorites, and the top 5 contestants will be announced the following day.

The winner will be announced on Live on March 13, 2009.

So I probably should have sat these boys down and gotten pictures with out blurriness and snot...... I just found out about it--and would like a crack at getting school PAID for for one of these rascals! Ok Moms there is still time, the deadline is tomorrow at 5pm EST. I knew if I did not get something submitted I would forget/ get sidetracked. So if your babies are between 6months and 48 months--snap a picture and get to uploading!

Like I said....Ryan does NOT smile.

Baby Evan can't help it!