Armpits! And Other Stuff

Drew was missing this morning. I thought I heard him downstairs but when I looked, he wasn't there. So I checked upstairs. I found him in my bathroom, brushing his teeth with his dad's toothbrush. I grabbed him and said, "This stuff is off limits. Let's go downstairs." He grudgingly complied, and on the way out the door yelled, "Armpits!" As is not uncommon, I had no idea what he was talking about. I just thought he was naming random body parts. He asked me to carry him downstairs, so I did. He smelled a little funny. After I got him downstairs, I went back and did a little sleuthing around/damage control in my bathroom and discovered David's deodorant sitting on the counter without the lid on. It didn't take me long from there to put all the pieces together. Drew had put on his dad's deodorant. I had no idea he was so hygiene conscious. Hope it's a trait that sticks.

A cousin on David's side has twins. Her boys are ten months old or so. We told her we were going to send her Drew and Owen's old coats to save her some money. The coats are in really good shape, except for the zipper on one coat broke. I thought, "No problem. I can just replace the zipper. Easy-peasy." Well, I unpicked the stitching and took the broken zipper off, only slightly damaging a minor piece of fabric in the process. I got a new zipper but discovered as I went to sew it on, that it didn't separate at the bottom. Ok, whatever. I just went to the store and got another zipper, making sure to get the right one this time. I started sewing the zipper. Something was wrong. I realised that I had forgotten to adjust the stitch length. But there was more than that. I felt like I was in over my head. I just couldn't bring myself to keep trying, feeling I really lacked the skills to do it right. So I decided to take the coat to a place that does alterations and repairs on clothing. I wasn't sure how much it would cost, and I got really worried when I saw the following sign:

Prices per Hour:

$50.00
If we do it for you.

$100.00
If you watch us do it.

$125.00
If you help.

$150.00
If you tried to do it yourself and couldn’t.

Luckily, it was just a "cutesy" little gimmick. Cause the coat I handed to the gal at the shop was in bad shape after I had tried to fix it myself and couldn't. In reality, it will only cost me about 12 bucks to get the coat fixed. Unfortunately, it won't be ready in time for us to ship it for her (her kiddos are getting cold!), so I think we're just going to get her a new coat and give her the other old one. Kind of a Christmas present.

Everything Is Exciting All the Time!

We received a Christmas card and letter from my brother and his family. It totally made my day. I was just rereading it as I sipped my Powerade (can't seem to kick that habit; but I guess it's not the worst thing I could be drinking), and I love the part where my niece tells her dad, "Oh, Dad! Everything's exciting all the time!" I can just picture her cute little face glowing as she says that. And it pretty much mirrors how things have been going for me. Especially during the holidays.

There are so many exciting secrets to be kept! David got me some stuff and had my sister in law wrap it (he "doesn't know how," even though I show him every year). He hasn't put any of it under the tree yet, the bag of gifts is just sitting here next to the computer, taunting me. But that's not even the most exciting part. I'm excited for people to open what I got them; I know they're just going to love it*!

I was getting all my "Santa" stuff ready for the kids. I don't think they're old enough to understand, even though they know Santa when they see him. But I got so giddy wrapping their little presents (well, we actually just got them one big one to share--another bonus of their youth; they don't expect presents, they're just grateful to get them). I also got giddy wrapping the present I (I mean, Santa) got for our family. It's a board game, which David found out despite my attempts to keep it hidden, but he doesn't know which one.

We also try to do something for Secret Santa every year; this year we were able to get a car seat for a little 1 month old. It's not much compared to all the people out there who need help, but hopefully it makes a difference for that family. It broke my heart when I saw the tag for the baby that needs a car seat. I can't imagine not having enough for the absolute essentials. So that was the one we chose. I don't say this to toot my own horn or anything. It's just important for me to be able to do something for someone else because so many people did things for my family during my growing up years that made our Christmases brighter, and now I'm in a position to pay it forward, so to speak. I'm grateful that it's something that David considers important, too.

I'm looking forward to all the relatives coming to visit, too. My sister is coming on Friday, and my sister in law is coming on Sunday, and we're having a dinner party on Monday, and it's gonna be great! It's too much excitement! I think it's what's been keeping me awake so late these days. But I love it!

*My dear, dear father in law loves to get presents for people, but he'll never ask what you want, and even if you tell him, he still probably won't get it for you. I don't always ask what people want, because I try to get things for people based on what they've told me previously that they like. That way, they're still surprised. I don't know what the basis is for some of the things I've received from my in-laws. There's a running joke in the family that stems from a few instances where he bought a gift for someone well in advance of the occasion and said, "I got your birthday [or whatever occasion] present for you. You're gonna love it!" The only thing is, he's usually kind of wrong. Though, to be fair, though I didn't love the apron-with-grill-tools they gave me for my birthday, it will come in handy. So now when we get surprise gifts for each other we'll say, "I got your present. You're gonna love it!" It keeps things suspenseful; will I love it?...

Letter to Santa from Mom

I found this last year at Christmastime, and I actually posted it on our family website, so sorry all you relatives who've already read it. But it continues to crack me up, so I decided to post it here (I couldn't find a way to post a link to it or anything, so here it is on it's own):

A Letter to Santa from Mom

Dear Santa, I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned, and cuddled my two children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground and figured out how to attach nine patches onto my daughter's girl scout sash with staples and a glue gun.

I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes: I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache after a day of chasing kids (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to carry a screaming toddler out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year, I'd like a car with fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking daughter doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with one potty-trained toddler, two kids who don't fight, and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting, "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother", because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

And please don't forget the Playdoh Travel Pak, the hottest stocking stuffer this year for mothers of preschoolers. It comes in three fluorescent colors and is guaranteed to crumble on any carpet making the In-law's house seem just like mine.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container. If you don't mind I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.

It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family; or if my toddler didn't look so cute sneaking downstairs to eat contraband ice cream in his pajamas at midnight.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the chimney and come in and dry off by the fire so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table, but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours always.....Mom

PS: One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.

~Author Unknown

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Get to Work

Drew and Owen have been learning about where people are when they aren't with us. They say things like, "Dad work train," "Roz work 'puters," "Grandpa work police car," or "Grandpa shopping" (during one visit, Grandpa told them he was going to go shopping after he left our house, so they figure if he's not at work he must be shopping).
Lately, the new thing is for the boys to tell me they're leaving and pretend to open the door. For example, Drew will pick up my purse or anything else with a handle and say, "'Bye, Mom. Go work a train." I'll say, "Ok. See you later." Then he'll say, "Kiss a go," and come give me a kiss (instead of just saying "See you later," I used to say, "Can I have a kiss before you go?" And now I don't even have to ask). Then he'll walk around with my purse for a little while before he comes over to me and says, "I'm back." Then he does it all over again. Here are some pictures:

I think the toy Drew is holding is supposed to be like the duffel bag that his dad takes to work.
Here he is taking a 'break.'
Here's Owen doing the other new favorite job: "fix it." He's "fixing" the cupboard door with a corn-on-the-cob holder.
This is Owen going to "work a train. 'Bye ,Mom!" he'd yell.

Favorite Outfits

Samantha will be three months old on Monday. Right on schedule, she's starting to grow out of some of her clothes so I started taking pictures of her in her favorite outfits. I only have two uploaded right now, and they're the least favorite of the favorites, but I thought I'd post them anyway 'cause they're just so cute.
When you're done admiring, check out this other model of cute outfits, Sugar Bush Squirrel. Sugar Bush's owner makes the outfits from scratch and dresses the squirrel in them. Interesting...

Here she is blending in with her sheets. I can barely see her!


Left: Samantha in an Elmo suit. Right: Owen wearing the very same suit, 20 months ago.

I love the flower pattern on these jammas which were sent to us by Aunt Laura. They're actually the first 3-6 month clothes that Samantha has started wearing, and they're only a tiny bit big.

No, You May Not Go To Timeout!

Sometimes, as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, I replay the events of the day. Sometimes, I get the giggles when I think of silly things the boys do or say. This was one of them: We were headed toward the kitchen to get a bedtime snack for the boys when out of nowhere Owen shoved Drew. I was so surprised. I think Drew was, too. Though Owen put a lot of effort into it, Drew didn't fall or anything; Owen isn't very good at being a tough guy (unfortunately, he's been practising more as of late, but he's still not real tough) and didn't aim well enough to have any major force.

Surprised as I was, I couldn't just let it slide. I told Owen to apologise to Drew, then go back to his room, sans snack. Owen yelled, "Time out!" and ran for the stairs (when cousin Westley gets sent to time out--which happens a lot--he sits on the bottom step and folds his arms. I don't usually do time outs because I have yet to witness the effectiveness, but sometimes Drew and Owen will sit themselves on the bottom step and say they're in time out). I grabbed Owen and told him, "Before you go anywhere, you need to apologise to Drew. Then I want you to go to your room." That made Owen mad. He started thrashing around trying to escape my grasp. When he realised there was no escape, he gritted his teeth and said, "I sorry. Drew." He continued to thrash and yell, "Time out!" as I hauled him off to his room. I realise that sending Owen to his room is a form of time out, but it's not the time out on-the-steps-where-you-can-still-make-faces-and-antagonize-everybody. So it wasn't the time out Owen was hoping for. And I still chuckle to myself when I think about how mad he was that I wouldn't let him go to time out.

I See Mitch!

I have to give a little background: David's sister Ace calls Owen "Mitch" (his middle name is Mitchell). My father-in-law hates that she calls him that and tries to get her to stop by telling her it makes me feel bad (it doesn't). The only thing is, the boys don't really understand who she's referring to when she says Mitch. Even though we've told Drew what her name is, he thinks her name is Mitch. When Ace came to visit most recently, Drew kept saying, "Hi, Mitch. Bye, Mitch." It took us a while to figure out he was talking to Ace. It made me chuckle.

Today, I was sitting in the living room feeding Samantha. Drew and Owen were running around being loud and making messes--their two favorite things! Next to the couch is a table that has a glass top and places for pictures. I put a couple of my wedding pictures in there--ones with the whole family, so the boys can see their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Drew paused for a minute to look at the pictures. He pointed to the picture of Ace and yelled, "I see Mitch!" It was awesome. I worry that we don't see some of the aunt's and uncles often enough, and that the boys won't remember them when they do see them. But Drew remembers Ace (or Mitch)!

Other fun things the boys said today (and some not so fun things):

Munch Mom: Owen's way of saying "SpongeBob" (to get the full effect of how he says it, plug your nose and say "munch mom" out loud in your whiniest voice. I don't know why he says it like that, but he does). Drew says MunchBob-- it's closer...

No Want!: This is Drew's new favorite saying. It drives me crazy. I'm trying to get him to say "No, thank you" instead, but every time I tell him to say it, he yells, "No want thank you!" sigh.

Elmo-Grover: What the boys call any and all Sesame Street characters.

Mine diaper, Merle!: I was changing Owen's diaper this morning and the cat came in and sat next to the box of wipes. I guess Owen felt threatened, and felt the need to assert his dominance.

Drew's *Real* Twin

A gal at church was holding Samantha last Sunday, and she made the comment, "I think this is Drew's real twin. She just came two years late." I had to laugh. I always thought Samantha looks like Drew, but with a smaller nose, and when I went home and looked at some pictures, and I was surprised how much these kids look alike.
Here are a couple pics:

Top: Drew at about 2 months old. Bottom: Samantha, with Aunt Roz.


Left: Drew and Owen. Right: Samantha

Lose Five in Two**

I've lost five pounds since Thanksgiving! Here's the two week plan for how I did it:

*Days 1-5: Eat nothing but Lipton Noodle Soup, Powerade and cough drops.

*Days 6-8: Start eating solid foods, but cut them into tiny pieces so you get bored and frustrated and stop eating before the meal is done.

*Day 9-10: Eat a normal diet. Enjoy it while it lasts.

*Day 11: Go swimming really late at night (between ten and midnight). On the way home, stop at Rolberto's and get a ham-sausage-bacon-egg-cheese breakfast burrito. Eat half of it.

*Day 12: Get up really early because last night's breakfast burrito will not be kept down. Switch to Dr. Pepper/Pepto Bismol diet.

*Day 13: Continue to consume mainly Dr. Pepper and Pepto Bismol, but add any kind of solid food you think you can handle. I tried a quesadilla and some Christmas candy. It seems to be working. Maybe eat some funeral potatoes at the Christmas party at the church.

*Day 14: (Hasn't happened yet; hopefully go back to Day 9-10 Diet)

**Disclaimer: This is not a healthy way to lose weight. Nor is it particularly fun, especially with all the good holiday food to be had. I don't know what my stomach problems were caused by (I suspect that delicious breakfast burrito, though I actually felt a little queasy before that). But I hope they go away soon! I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!

Cup o' Goldfish and the Tinks Eye

The boys and I had the munchies late yesterday evening, so we headed to the cupboard to see what we could snack on. There were some Pepperidge Farm Goldfish in there, which sounded good to me. I asked the boys, "Would you like a couple goldfish?" They enthusiastically responded, "Peese!" So I sat them down at the table and gave them each a little handful. Owen started crying. When I asked him what was wrong, he cried, "Cup! Cup goldfish!" I guess when I said "a couple goldfish," he heard "cup o' goldfish." I gave him a paper cup with some goldfish in it, and he was happy as could be. Drew then wanted a cup too, of course, so I got him one. Now when the boys have a cup of anything, it's a cup o'. Cup o' chocolate milk. Cup o' water. And they can't hear the difference between couple and cup o', but as long as it comes in a cup, they're happy. I think I like this new system. The previous system was the nack bag (or snack bag, in regular English). All the little crackers and things fell out of those so easily, and it was tricky for the boys to hold the bag and grab things out of it at the same time. Also, I'd have little baggies all over the house, and I'd have to end up chucking them 'cause they'd be covered in dog hair or something. The cups are easier to keep track of as well as being washable, so we'll stick with the cup o' and see how that works for us.

The boys and I have a little game that we play at meal time. We just make funny faces at each other and see who laughs first. (This is sort of how I get them to feel like part of the goings-on, because when everyone is home, there isn't room for their chairs at the table and they have to sit kind of away from the group.) Drew likes to pretend he's upset and not going to laugh. He'll have his mouth all puckered up, but the corners always twitch and turn upward, especially when I give him the stink eye. The stink eye involves narrowing my eyes into little slits, pursing my lips, raising one eyebrow and moving toward the boys menacingly. I introduced the name yesterday, when Drew tried copy the look. I asked, "Are you givin' me the stink eye? Are you?" He and Owen thought it was pretty funny, because they know what the word stink means, but had probably never thought to connect it with the word eye. Owen squinted his eyes, leaned toward me and yelled, "Tinks eye!" It cracked me up. Then Owen came up with a game where we bump foreheads while giving each other the stink eye. He thought it hilarious, until he bumped me a little roughly and I said, "Ouch!" Then he got all wide-eyed and said, "I sorry, Mom." He's so sweet; he almost always apologizes immediately after hurting someone (if it's an accident, that is-- if he pushes Drew on purpose, it's harder to get him to apologize).

I'm just amazed at how quickly Drew and Owen are learning things, and how much they actually remember. We were cleaning up toys tonight, and Drew started singing the clean-up song, which he's known for a while, then he stopped and said, "Clean up, and snack!" He figured we'd have a snack because in the nursery at church, they always have the snack after cleaning up the toys. Clever, clever.

Well, all this writing about snacks and meal times is making me a little hungry. Since my strep throat has healed and I can open my mouth all the way again,* I can eat more than chicken broth and Powerade. I'm off to get a midnight snack, then off to bed I go!

*Last Monday, the day I went to the doc to get a diagnosis and some antibiotics, I couldn't open my mouth more than just enough to put a spoon in it. If there was any food on the spoon, it would get knocked off by my teeth or my lips. That made eating a little tricky and a lot frustrating. I didn't care so much on Monday, or even on Tuesday, because I mostly slept those days, just waking every three hours to feed Samantha. As the week went on, though, and I felt a lot better, I really wanted to eat something substantial. But it hurt so bad to try to force my mouth open. (If you've ever had dental work on your molars, you know the spot where they give you the shot to numb your mouth; the inside of the hinge of your jaw--that's where it hurt. It felt like I'd gotten a shot there and the pain just stuck around for a week, especially when I tried to open my mouth.) I ended up cutting everything into teeny-tiny pieces so that it took forever to finish a meal. The pain slowly went a way, but I felt like I had lockjaw because I hadn't opened my mouth all the way for almost a week. Then, during dinner last night, my jaw suddenly unhinged. Something popped, or did something; I'm not sure what happened, except that it hurt really bad, then after the pain went away, I could open my mouth again. It's been so nice. I can eat, I can yawn, it's great.

Owen Time

I don't get much one-on-one time with Owen for some reason. It seems like he needs less Mom-time than Drew does and he seems really content to just play by himself most of the time. For example, when we sit down to read, Drew will sit on my lap and look at book after book with me, while Owen will take the book and sit on a chair across the room and read by himself.

Today Owen wanted to go outside and play with Vito, but Vito was more interested in playing with the dog next door. Owen looked so lonely just wandering around the back yard by himself, so I got my jacket and went out to join him. We raked up some leaves and I surprised Owen by jumping into the pile and throwing the leaves around. He thought it was pretty funny to see Mom acting like that. We had a really good time. Here are some pictures, and a little video:

And here is a video of Drew and Owen watching the video of Owen playing in the leaves (they watched the video about nine times, and it was more and more hilarious to them each time. Sorry it's so dark; it was lighter on my camera, but the sound is mostly what it's about, not so much the visual):

So Much for Feeling Better

I started feeling better on Saturday and Sunday. We skipped church because I thought the boys were probably a little too sick to go to nursery, but other than that I felt pretty decent. Then this morning I woke up with a swollen tongue and my throat more sore than ever. So I went to the doc, who was pleased to announce I have Strep. He was pleased because that meant it's something treatable and not something I'd just have to suffer through. He gave me some Amoxicillin and some Magic Mouthwash which was made up of Lidocaine, Benadryl and Mylanta. It's so nasty, but it numbs my throat to give me a few minutes relief. On the down side, it makes me feel like I just got back from the dentist.
I feel a little guilty. Because I'd been feeling better yesterday, and I figured the boys and I probably had the same bug, I shared some ice cream with them last night. Oops. Now I'm worried that they'll come down with it, if they haven't already. They were immunized a month ago, so hopefully those shots will do what they're supposed to do.
Drew has been worse than usual today with his tantrums (he screamed and cried for almost three hours straight). So I think he probably has something that's making him feel miserable. After the kids went to bed, I sat down to watch Monday Night Football with David. He looked so frazzled. Even though he doesn't like his job, it's days like today that make it almost exciting to go to work.
I'm going to keep this post short and go back to bed. 'Night!

Theek-oo Mo Munch*

*That's Drewese for "Thank you so much."

I realised, as I lay in bed last night (bedtime is my thinking time--not so much by choice, but because I can't ever get my brain to shut off), that my previous post sounded a little whiny and not very thankful. This morning I had to get up early to let the neighbor's dog out, so I figured I'd use this time before the kids get up to do all my Internet stuff. And I decided I'd better do a real Thanksgiving post today because I really do have so much to be grateful for. Here are the highlights:

I'm thankful for

I'm also thankful for

And I'm especially thankful for

I'm even thankful for

Disclaimer: My pictures are kind of incomplete and out of date; there are three (soon to be four) grandkids (as in, my mom's grandkids) who aren't featured in some of the photos. Also, I don't have a picture of one of my brothers or his wife. So I just put their kids up there. I don't have any pictures of my dad and stepmom. I don't have any pictures of my inlaws, and I really am thankful for them, despite all the inlaw jokes that I find hilarious and sometimes true. I don't have pictures of the people I consider my good friends, and probably don't have room to post them all. So don't feel bad if your picture isn't up here (or if it is up there and you didn't want it to be)!

Uncle Mommy and the Horse Lady

What a week. Holidays always seem a little anticlimactic to me. All this looking forward to Thanksgiving Day, and now that it's over I feel a little bit "meh" about it all. It's not that I didn't have fun at the relatives' house, but I think I would have liked it better if I had been feeling better healthwise. Here's a run-down of the week.

Monday was nuts, what with the Terrible Drews and all.

Tuesday was almost equally crazy. I don't know how many times I had to pull the boys off the kitchen counter. I'd turn around to get a dish off the table, and when I turned back toward the counter, there they were, monkeying with stuff and making more messes. And to top it off, I started getting a sore throat. I also started getting weepy for no reason--I've come to view this as a sure sign that I'm coming down with something.* I think I got the bug from Owen, who has been running around coughing on everything for the last week or so. Drew caught something, too; he's got a goopy nose and what I think might be cold sores on his face (I thought they were zits, but I read something about cold sores in toddlers and he's got some other symptoms).

Wednesday morning I woke up with a horrible sore throat and a massive headache that extended down into my neck and shoulders. I could barely move, but I managed to put all the chairs in the hallway and gate it off so the boys couldn't get onto the counters again, then I laid down on the couch and watched as the boys trashed the living room. I mean, played. Sometime around 1 pm, I managed to make some Lipton noodle soup, which helped the sore throat for a while. I put some in the boys' sippy cups. They liked it. Drew called it chicken milk.** I laid down on the couch some more, then around 8 pm I decided we should have dinner. So I ordered pizza and soda ("izza and sodad" as the boys call it). Then I bathed the boys and we watched a little bit of "Sword in the Stone," then I put them to bed and I went and crashed.

Thursday, I woke up feeling much better. I didn't feel like I should go to the relatives' house, but David didn't want to go without us, and he didn't want to skip it. So we all went. I tried really hard not to breathe on anybody, which is much more than I can say for Owen. He walked around coughing and not covering his mouth (he actually used to be really good about covering his mouth, but I guess he's feeling a little rebellious. And probably doesn't understand the importance). Luckily, he's short so he mostly coughed on peoples' knees.

The boys had a lot of fun. The relatives have horses, and cousin Mike was kind enough to take the boys out to pet the horses a couple times. David's aunt and uncle (I don't know if they'd like me to use their real names, so we'll just call them The Aunt and The Uncle) also took the boys out a few times. The boys couldn't figure out how to pronounce The Uncle's name, so they call him Uncle Mommy (it's close). When we were getting ready to leave, The Aunt offered to help Drew put his shoes back on (he'd taken them off for a diaper change). David said, "Take your shoes to The Aunt." Drew looked around all confused so David said, "Take your shoes to the horse lady." Drew picked up the shoes and took them right over to The Aunt.

I had a lot of fun mingling with the relatives, too. They're a pretty easy-going bunch for the most part, and always make me feel welcome. So I like visiting with them. And the food is always delicious. On the way home, my big ol' headache came back, and I was suddenly hungry, so I made David stop at A&W. I just wanted a burger and fries, and a Sprite (I like the way it tingles my throat). Turns out this A&W didn't have Sprite. Nor did they have A&W root beer. What a crime! So I just had regular root beer. It was a little disappointing. But it held me over 'til I got home and was able to drink some of the sodad from the night before. David was nice enough to put the boys to bed for me; I suddenly got the chills again and had to lay under my covers for a half hour before I could get warm, at which point I started burning up. My temperature never got over 100.9, so I don't think it killed many germs, but it made me feel a little better.

I don't have much headache at all today, just a bit of a sore throat. So my plans for today include washing all the sheets, getting all the dishes done (they've been sitting in the sink since Tuesday), and wiping everything down with Chlorox wipes. Unfortunately, today is almost over by this time and few things have been accomplished. I did get the sheets washed and dried, and I'm sure I'll get them back on the beds before bedtime (or maybe at bedtime). It just feels better to sit here than it does to do all that work.

Hopefully the next holiday will turn out better.

*I was at a Sizzler once on my mission (which was a huge treat because there's not a ton of American food in Thailand and it's really expensive compared to Thai food), when suddenly I broke into tears that I couldn't explain. I was so embarrassed, so my companion and I ran to the restroom so I wouldn't have to cry in front of the Elders. But the restroom was on the other side of the mall, so all the Thai people got to see this big foreigner running through the mall crying. Anyway. That night my temperature soared and I had to go to the hospital where I was diagnosed with a "wiral infection" and sent home with some drugs. I guess the doctor had learned English from a German guy so he said "w" instead of "v." Since that day, whenever I'm coming down with a wiral infection or something, I get really weepy for no apparent reason. Weird, huh.

** My little brother used to pronounce the word "choclolate" kinda funny so when he said "chocolate milk," it sounded like he said "chicken milk." We had a funny neighbor who used to tease Kevin about it, and it became a huge family joke, so I was very glad to hear Drew carry on the tradition (even though he had no idea there was such a tradition).

The Terrible Drews

I've heard that the Terrible Twos come on suddenly, last for one to two years and leave suddenly. In our case, they certainly did arrive suddenly. I hope they don't last long; in fact, it would be nice if they suddenly left, say, by the time Drew wakes up from his nap.

Drew has always been a pretty demanding kid, and he's always been a little bi-polar. Happy one second, throwing a fit the next, then suddenly happy again. The last few days, though, have been out of control. I should start with the positive things: Drew has been very polite lately, saying "please" and "thank you," many times without being prompted. But be warned; if he says "please" more than once and you don't give him what he wants, he'll drop to the floor and kick and scream, loudly. This part is easy for me to ignore. But sometimes he takes his wrath out on others. That is unacceptable.

When we got back from the store today, he threw a fit once we got into the house. It didn't last long, and soon he was running around playing again. When he tried to run out the front door, I told him No. He turned around and started bawling. Then he walked over to the dog and smacked him in the nose. He got sent to his room for that. David waited til he was done screaming, then asked him to apologise to Vito. Drew refused, so he had to stay in there. Finally, he stopped screaming and apologised to Vito. I let him out, and as we were walking toward the hallway, Drew shoved his bedroom door into Owen (with no apparent reason), thus knocking Owen into the door jam and onto the floor. So he had to stay in his room. He finally went down for a nap, but still refuses to apologise to Owen.

I feel quite blessed that Owen's Twos aren't quite as Terrible as Drew's. He has his moments of tantrums and crying, but he's never hit or bit anyone. I hope it stays that way. I don't think I can handle two kids acting up to that extent.

For me, the hardest part about being a parent is being consistent. Sometimes I just don't have the energy to give the appropriate discipline for misbehavior. And sometimes it's tricky to coordinate with David on which things should be punished and which things shouldn't. Turns out he's a little stricter than I am. Also difficult for me is coming up with the appropriate discipline to begin with. I've read all kinds of books, most of which claim their methods work for kids age 2 to 12, but upon reading I discover they're really for school age kids. Two books that I have liked are 1-2-3 Magic, and The New Dare to Discipline.

The first book involves counting to 3 when your kid is doing something you want them to stop. I like it because it usually works; I usually only get to 2 and the kids shape up so I don't actually have to deliver a punishment.

The second book I like because the author talks a lot about setting boundaries and enforcing them; kids feel safe with boundaries. He also talks about loving discipline. After you reprimand or even punish your kid, you show an increase of love. I'm not actually finished reading this book, but I really like it so far.

So this is where we're at right now. Some days it's more rough than others, and I'm learning that if I handle things correctly, I can keep the tantrums under a decent amount of control until the kids grow out of it (by which point Samantha will probably be getting into the phase).

Oohh, Weerm!

David and I took the boys swimming at the gym today. We left Samantha with Grandpa, and that made the boys mad (they wanted to go to Grandpa's, too), but once we got to the gym they were pretty excited. The boys have mixed feelings about the gym. They like it, but don't like it. Usually, we take them to the day care while we work out. They always cry when we leave, but not for long and always end up having fun. Though, last Monday when we took them, Drew cried every time someone opened the door so by the time we went to pick him up, his eyes were puffy and bright pink splotchy. It looked like an allergic reaction.

While we were standing in the lobby checking in today, Drew chanted, "Gym. Toys. Gym. Toys." Owen was silent, and I noticed his little chin quivering like he was going to cry. He cried in the locker room, but once he got to the pool, he was his usual happy self.

We jumped in the hot tub first off. It felt so good after ten months of not being able to go hot-tubbing! They boys liked it, too. Once they got used to the heat, they splashed around and laid on their bellies. Drew would lay on his belly with his head and his feet out of the water (he's flexible) and exclaim, "Oooh! Weerm (warm)!" Then he'd sit up, then he'd get back on his belly and do it all over again. There was a cute little Asian couple in the hot tub. The lady was watching Drew and Owen splash around and every so often she'd catch her husband's eye and motion over to the boys and they'd both laugh. I think Drew must have noticed, cause he seemed to ham it up a little more after that.

Drew was kind of scared of the regular pool once we got in. It surprised me, because the last time we went, he loved it and Owen was the clingy one. But they switched it up this time. Owen loved the pool. Drew and I got in first, and Owen walked over to me and stepped off the edge, right into the pool. I caught him by the arm and pulled him above water. He sputtered a little, then was ready to splash and play. David held Owen up so he could kick his legs. Then I demonstrated how to do the front crawl (the boys found this funny for some reason) and Owen tried moving his arms while kicking his legs. He got a face full of water, but thought it was hilarious. The boys had such a great time that when we asked them if they wanted to go to Grandpa's they both said No!

Doctor Visits and Adventures in Shopping (Part IV)

I think I've made a trek to the doctor either for myself or a kid just about every day this past week. Mostly just check-ups and immunizations, but it makes for a lot of trips to and fro (especially when the radiologist calls you and asks to reschedule and tells you to come in at 3:15, but when you get there she gives you a dirty look and says, "I told you to come at 3:00" and makes you reschedule yet again). And I have to go back to the office on Monday because Samantha kicked off a sock in the ultrasound room and I didn't notice 'til I got home. Oh well. At least we don't live out in the middle of nowhere where we'd have to drive forever to get to the doctor.

Yesterday was Samantha's two month check-up. She's doing quite well; chunking right up. She weighs 10 pounds 14.5 ounces and is 22.5 inches long. She's right on the 50th percentile for height and weight. Her head circumference seems a little small to me; it's only on the 25 percentile. But it's growing on a steady curve, so it's nothing to worry too much about. While he was checking Samantha out, the doctor made a comment that she doesn't have much of a neck. She's mostly cheeks and chins (yes, it's plural). We had a good laugh about that. I was really impressed with how Samantha did with all the poking and prodding of checking her ears and eyes and listening to her heart and lungs. She just wiggled around and seemed to enjoy it. Drew and Owen screamed bloody murder at every doctor visit until about 18 months (24 months for Owen).

We went grocery shopping last night. Just as a side note: I really wish Walmart had frequent shopper discounts. I'm thinking of getting a job there just for the 10% employee discount. It would really help out with diapers and such. There's another store in town whose prices are actually a little cheaper than Walmart's, but they don't take credit cards. This is a problem for us, because we're trying to rack up points and take a vacation in February.

Any outing with Drew and Owen in tow is an adventure. Now, with Samantha joining us, it's even more exciting. For some reason, we seem to make a bit of a spectacle and draw a lot of comments. For example: I was carrying Samantha in the Snugli, and a guy passing by said, "What a cute bundle you have there! That's really cool." It was a rather cute bundle, I must say. Samantha was snuggled into my chest with her arms and legs dangling out the sides of the Snugli, and her little pink pom-pom hat sticking out the top.

Adding to the spectacle are Drew and Owen who have to say "Hi" to everyone we pass, and comment on every screaming kid: "Baby crying," Drew always says loudly. The parents always look at us like they're embarrassed, so I feel compelled to remind Drew that he, too, behaves like that quite often. Yesterday, one of the ladies Drew said hi to stopped and chatted for a minute. She said, "You boys have such great hair!" She asked me if they always had good, thick hair like that. I told her that Drew was born with quite a bit but that Owen was bald for the first year or so. She said, "Well, it looks great! You have newscaster hair!"

By the end of our shopping trip, Samantha was getting fussy. It was probably around 9:30, which is past her bedtime. Plus, she'd been sitting on a dirty diaper for half the trip. She cried and cried while I was putting groceries into the car. Owen was in the car seat next to her and as I loaded the last bag into the car, I saw him petting her arm as he said over and over, "See nuff 'Mantha (that's enough, Samantha)." I hurried and closed the car door so he wouldn't hear me giggling all the way to the cart return.

...

I can't think of any witty title to my post today. My brain is fried from lack of sleep. I've been getting up at 7:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays (okay, so I've only done it twice so far);about 2.5 hours earlier than usual (I try really hard not to compare myself too much to other moms out there, because then I feel really lazy). I started going to the gym with a friend from the neighborhood. When I first got my gym membership last year, I got a free meeting with a personal trainer. She gave me a list of exercises to do which are supposed to get my muscles all nice and toned without being too bulky. I still have the list, but I can't remember what some of the exercises are. For example, what did she mean by "leg drops" and what is a "Superman?" So I just did the ones I knew for now.

I also went for a ride on my new bike. David got me this bike for my birthday. The red design on it is a mass of butterflies. It looks cooler close up. The first time I rode the bike, I made it around the block. The second time, I was able to go around the neighborhood. For some reason, I was feeling extra good yesterday, so we went on some trails. I wasn't feeling so good afterward. My legs felt like wet noodles! But it was such a rush to be flying down a mountain again, dodging trees and bushes and jumping over rocks and sticks. It reminded me of going biking with my friends in Logan. There are a lot of good trails there. And according to David, there are lots of good ones here. So I'm looking forward to making the most of the beautiful Fall days we've been having before they're gone (and David makes me pick up snowboarding again--for some reason that particular sport doesn't thrill me as much as the rest)!

Mom Bob

Here are our Halloween costumes:

Owen was a little devil. Drew was a little bat.
Samantha was a little witch.

Here we are on the way to trunk-or-treat at the church.

Everyone has jobs to do here. I have most of them, but the boys have been getting more and more little chores every day. Things like taking their dishes to the sink, putting their dirty clothes in the hamper, putting toys away. Sometimes they "help" sweep the floor or wipe the table, but they usually end up making the messes worse, so those ones we call "Mom bob" or Mom's job. It comes in handy when they're trying to do things I don't want them to do, like "comfort" Samantha or plug things into electrical outlets. I just say, "That's Mom's job." And they generally back off.

Today was a day I feared would come... One of the few chores my kids are big enough to do themselves, they no longer want to do. Here's how it all went down:

We went outside this morning after breakfast, so the boys could get some fresh air. I didn't realize it was quite so cold until we came inside and Owen told me his hands hurt. They were bright, bright pink and cold, cold, cold. I looked at our thermometer. Sure enough, only 40 degrees outside. Brr! So I made the boys some warm chocolate milk. They chugged it right down and their hands got warm in the process. Then, Owen heard the sounds of fun toys coming from Westley's room. So he yelled, "'Bye, Mom!" and started scooting downstairs. I asked him if he was done with his milk. He said yes, so I told him to put his cup in the sink. He said (almost gleefully), "Mom bob!" and proceeded to scoot down the stairs.

Some Random Pictures

Here are some of the pictures I tried to attach to my previous post:

Drew and Owen getting ready to blow out the candles. We were smart this year and took their shirts off before they could get them all dirty.
The football cake I made. Kinda hard to see the whole shape, but believe me; it's shaped like a football...
Proud little two-year-old Owen.
Happy little two-year-old Drew.
One of the little riding toys we got. Your feet go on the black spots, and you wiggle the handle and the thing moves forward or backward, depending on which way the handle is facing. So fun!

Two Down, 17 To Go*...

Drew and Owen are TWO years old! We survived another year! It was definitely a lot easier than the first year. Well, maybe not definitely. But for the most part, quite a bit easier. The birthday itself was pretty hectic. I didn't get many pictures taken, but I took a picture of the cake, and I took pictures of each of my birthday boys. My sister in law took pictures of Drew and Owen blowing out the candles, so I'll have to get copies of those from her.

All day long the boys were singing the birthday song. They were thrilled when everyone sang it for them and clapped when they blew out the candles (they didn't actually do it themselves; David helped). They loved their presents, too. David and I got them new coats (boring, I know) and two riding toys (these, they love. We love them, too; they actually hold up to 200 pounds, so we can ride them with the boys. Or without them). Cousin Westley gave Drew a little helicopter and Owen a little airplane. And the Colorado cousins sent cute Curious George stationary.

I was going to post pictures, but blogger is acting up. So maybe some other time.

*I figure the boys will live at home at least until they're 18, but I'm not going to officially kick them to the curb until they're 19... Actually, I'm hoping they'll decide to go on missions at that point. I guess even if they don't serve missions, or go away to college or get married, they can still live at home. But only 'til they're 30. That's the cutoff point.

Uncooperative Kids

Thanks, everyone for the toilet training advice! There were a lot of good ideas for me to mull over. I think I'm going to wait a while to really start the training, and for now I'll not press the issue. This evening, I noticed Drew sitting in the cupboard below the kitchen sink (nothing strange in and of itself). He was grunting a little and his face was red, so I asked him if he wanted to sit on the toilet. He got all excited, and ran to the bathroom. But once on the toilet, he did nothing. Just sat. But we had a little "conversation" about the bodily functions, so I figure at the very least, he's getting used to the concept. When Owen is given the opportunity to sit on the toilet, he generally declines, and Drew, overhearing us talk about it, always wants to have a go at it. And it's fine; we'll just leave it at this for a while.

I've been trying to get some pictures of the kiddies that I can put on my mantle. The ones I have of the boys have been up there for about a year and a half, so they're pretty out-dated. Samantha was actually fairly cooperative and these are the pictures I got of her.

Owen does okay for portrait-y pictures, but when he's doing something clever, he won't let me get a picture of it. For example, tonight he was walking around my room with my belt draped over his shoulders, wearing my shoes (on the wrong feet) and Vito's empty water dish on his head. And gross as the dog dish was, he just looked so darn cute. So I dashed to get the camera, and as soon as I got it turned on and was about to snap the picture, he dropped everything and just smiled demurely for me. But this is the closest thing to portrait shot I've gotten.

Drew seems to make the same face in every single picture. It cracks me up, but I also wish he would act more natural and less "cheesey." He's much cuter than this in real life. (that's Cousin Westley in the background)

Here are some random photos of all the fun we've been having around here lately:

Drew loves the glasses.

Owen loves the glasses.

Samantha doesn't love the glasses quite as much. Sorry, Drew. Maybe when she's a little bigger...

All the boys hanging out in the emergency pop-up tent. it's called the emergency pop-up tent, because we only bring it out when we absolutely can't think of anything else to do and everyone is going crazy ('cause it's a pain in the butt to put away).

"Just try to tell me that I'm too big for this exersaucer..." --Drew