27 January 2008

Behind On Everything...

...except playtime.
I made up a new chore chart to help me keep the cleaning under control without getting overwhelmed. I'll be doing last Friday's chores tomorrow.
I can't seem to get it together these days! Roz offered me a writing job, and I have been having the hardest time finding a suitable time to do it! Seems like everytime I sit down on the computer I check my email, then I get distracted. So I'm thinking maybe nights after the boys go to bed; I'm a night person anyway, might as well do something productive.

I did, however, manage to do this:
I made a little blanket-town for the kids to drive their Matchbox cars on. It has a burger joint, a hospital, a gas station, a church, a school, a park, an airport and three houses.
I especially like the church and the park.
And the burger joint.

It actually didn't take me long to make; I probably worked on it for a total of four hours; did some Friday, a bit Saturday night, and the finishing touches today. I got the big ugly green fabric at Wal*Mart for $1.40. I think with all the fabric and paints I used, it's about a $4.00 toy. I'm pretty pleased with it.
Here is a funny little website I saw on Heidi's blog: Do's and Don'ts with Babies
It slays me!

25 January 2008

I Can't Believe I Forgot!

Way back over Christmastime, when Roz was here, we went sledding. I took some pretty fun pictures and a video or two. Here are some of the better ones:

Owen Owen & Roz
Drew & Roz Drew & David

It was ice cold that day. Drew was crying most of the time:


Owen and Roz found a sweet jump:

Roz tried out a verticle approach:

20 January 2008

Too Strict?

I've been kind of ponder-y today about something that happened Saturday, and resurfaced Sunday, with Drew.

Saturday we went to Westwood Discount: the local "Junk Store" as David calls it. It's a discount store that buys inventory from shipments that didn't make it to their destination (like, the truck wrecked or something) and sells them for cheap. I love the store because you never know what gems you'll find. Most of it is junk, I freely admit, but every now-and-then you'll find something awesome like this cake carrier that I got for just $4.95! I get a lot of kitchen things there, like towels, serving bowls and plates, and I always get my dish scrubbers there because they only cost 59 cents as opposed to $5.00 in real stores, and they don't last very long. Roz found a pair of Hush Puppies there, just like Grandad wears. $11.00.

This particular trip to Westwood, I wasn't looking for anything in particular, and Roz was getting a few items to decorate her house; some little vase things and some other stuff. Drew grabbed one of the vases out of the cart and was just admiring it when he accidentally dropped it and it shattered. I went to get an employee to help us clean it up, and I told Drew to apologize to Roz (I would've had him apologize to the employee who swept the mess, but it was the owner's kid and he was like, ten years old. And he didn't make eye contact). Drew said, "Sorry broke a cup, Roz." Roz of course forgave him, and we went on our way.

I was pretty much done shopping at this point, and I think the boys were too. Roz had one more aisle to check out, so the boys and I waited while she finished browsing. I was holding Drew, and he had this sad look on his little face. I asked him what was bothering him. He replied, "I broke a cup." I looked at him and said, "You did break it, and then you said 'sorry.' I'm glad you said 'sorry'--it was very nice of you. And now it's over and we can keep shopping." A wave of relief washed over Drew's face, and he started looking at things and laughing again.

I kept thinking about this all night. I was surprised that Drew took the whole incident so much to heart. I just thought it was water under a bridge, but he was still concerned about it.

Sunday morning, Roz gave Drew a pencil. Drew yelled, "No want!" and grabbed the pencil and chucked it across the room. I told him to pick up the pencil and apologize to Roz. He said sorry, kind of under his breath, but didn't pick up the pencil. So I held his hand, walked over to the pencil, put his hand on it, picked it up and walked him over to the counter where he put it down. This is a sort of frequent event; when the boys refuse to take their plates to the sink, or when they purposely throw something and refuse to pick it up, we go through these same motions. That way, they know that I mean business and that they can't just go to time out and get away with not picking up their stuff. Sometimes all I have to do is threaten to "help" them and they'll do it themselves.

The rest of the morning, Drew was kind of quiet. I offered him milk and cereal for breakfast. He said "No." But when I had my back turned, he took it and ate. Everything I offered he refused. And we were both getting more and more agitated. Finally, I took him into his room and sat him down on his little chair. I told him, "It seems like you need a break, Drew. Stay in here, calm down, and when you're ready to eat, you can come out and eat." He just looked away from me and stared at the wall. His little cheeks turned pink, his eyes welled up with tears and his bottom lip quivered. I felt like just leaving him in there wouldn't resolve the issue, so I asked him if he'd like to talk about it. He said, "Yes" (for the first time all morning). I asked him, "Why are you sad?" He said, "I broke a cup."
I felt horrible! Did I make too big a deal of his wrong-doings? I don't want my kids to grow up hellions; I want them to know that manners are important--when someone offers you something you don't want, you say "No thanks." If you break something, you fix it or pay for it or whatever. Apparently I need to figure out a better way to convey that so my kid doesn't go around thinking I'm mad at him all the time...Oy.

19 January 2008

Three Days in the Making

I've started three posts to get these few little stories recorded, and have not been able to finish one of them. So hopefully with a bit of cut and paste from my other posts, I'll be able to get this posted before the boys come interrupt. Luckily, Aunt Roz is here to help distract them.
The boys were so excited when they heard Roz was coming. Owen said, "Roz come soon home." I decided I should start teaching the boys another language; they already use the same grammar forms--adjectives after nouns and things like that.
The kids and I made a late night Wal*Mart run the night before last. I was totally unprepared for how cold it was. The boys were wearing long sleeve shirts, so I thought they'd be okay with jackets over. They weren't. Samantha had her Easter Bunny suit on, and when I realized her blanket didn't make it from the house to the car, I thought, "Oh, she'll be okay." She'd have been better with the blanket.
I bought the boys some gloves at Wal*Mart because their poor little fingers were bright red by the time we got from the car to the store (and we even had a relatively close parking space). Owen sort of wore his gloves in the store; he had put them on himself, so they weren't really on. I straightened them out when we left the store, and they must have helped, because he didn't want to take them off when we got home. He ran away every time I said, "Let's take off your gloves and get ready for bed." I finally rounded him up, and sort of jokingly asked, "Are you going to wear the gloves to bed?" He said, "Yep." I just let him keep them on, figuring he'd probably take them off during the night (he takes off the rest of his clothes, why not the gloves?). When I went to wake the boys up the next morning, he still had those gloves on. I finally just grabbed them and stuck them in his pocket so he could eat breakfast. He cried for half a minute, then got over it.
Drew has been totally cracking me up lately. He's been so cheerful (most of the time) lately, and he's been pretty good about playing nicely and sharing toys. Here are some conversations I overheard recently between Drew and Owen:
Owen: Ouch!
Drew: Careful, Owen. You okay? [hands Owen something] Here 'ou go.
Owen: Thanks.
Drew: You welcome!
***
Drew and Owen were doing a little wooden picture puzzle.
Drew: Where's it go, Owen? Right here? No.... There! Good job, Owen!
***
This is a conversation Drew and I had the other night:
Drew: A sleepy bird.
Me: What? A sleepy bird?
Drew: Yeah.
Me: What bird?
Drew: A sleepy one.

10 January 2008

Something Unexpected

We've tried so many different methods to get Owen to keep his diaper on during naps. We put a few safety pins on his shirt and attached it to his pants. He some how got them all open and got his pants and diaper off anyway. We tried a Onesie. Then a Romper. They worked for a while, but recently he figured out how to unsnap them and access his diaper. And he's so proud of himself, too.
The other day I put the boys down for a nap. After about an hour of jumping in their cribs and laughing, Drew fell asleep. Then Owen came walking out of his room, holding up his shirt revealing a bare lower half and said, "Diaper off, Mom!" David and I both looked at each other like, "Did you let him out?" Apparently he's something of an escape artist. Not only does he foil all parental attempts to secure his diaper, he can now get out of his crib quietly without anyone knowing. I since put a doorknob cover on the door; if he figures that out, I don't know what we'll do.
David and I actually asked Owen to show us how he gets out of his crib. He looked at us like, "Is this a trap?" But after a little encouragement (probably not the best idea, although, I don't think he's climbed out since), he finally showed us. I didn't think to get my camera until he was half-way out, and the video turned out really dark, so I'll have to see if I can get him to recreate it--for posterity's sake.


Drew is doing a lot better, as far as the Terrible Drews go. He hasn't had nearly as many meltdowns as of late, and I can't remember the last time he fell on the floor kicking and screaming. Well, actually, I can remember what was going on with him at the time; he had a horrible diaper rash (turned out to be yeast of some kind). I applied cream four times a day, and within a couple weeks it was gone, and so were most of the tantrums. He's so much more fun now. If I ask him to do something, he'll say, "Okay," in his most chipper voice and run and do what I asked him. Most of the time, anyway... I'll have to post a video of the little dance he does. The name of it changes, depending on what he's doing. Today it was the "Marshmallow Mateys Dance" and the "Basketball Game Dance" (we went to an ISU game with Grandpa tonight).

Samantha is waxing chubby. I'm finding it tricky to keep her neck folds clean, and today I noticed the insides of her elbows are foldy and need cleaning, too. She hasn't been feeling well, lately, either. I think she's an early teether. She also has a cold which is making it hard for her to eat. Our friend Toni watched her while we were at the game. Of course Toni didn't complain, but I get the impression that Samantha didn't let Toni put her down.

I borrowed this idea from Marissa's blog: Her adorable little girl, Joselyn, has a pink elephant that's bigger than she is (than Joselyn, that is). It makes a fun way to measure growth. Samantha has a cute fuzzy cow (thanks, Aunt Jen!) that makes a fun measuring tool, too. And she likes to eat its nose. Here is the first (and the second) of the monthly pictures I will be submitting all you blog-readers to:


She can only sit up straight for so long...

And here are some random pictures of Drew and Owen being their silly selves:


On the left: Drew is making his favorite Serious Face. He makes that little face, then he gives me the tiniest little smirk as if to say, "Did you think I was serious?"

On the right: Notice Owen's "shoes." He has such a shoe fetish. Usually, though, he tries on actual shoes. Mine, or his dad's, or Grandma's. This time, he's wearing the stacker rings that cousin Jimmy gave Samantha for Christmas. He even tried to wear them to bed.



06 January 2008

A Few Things

I started this blog to document the milestones and general goings-on in our family. I'm not doing a very good job of it, because by the time I get a chance to sit down and type, I can't really remember what all happened throughout the day. Here are some things I can remember:
I'm a big fan of the swaddling technique for babies. All my babies loved it. I don't swaddle Samantha all the time, but the other night she was particularly fussy and having a hard time settling down, so I wrapped her up snug and bounced her and shooshed her. Then I went and stuck her in her car seat to sleep (I've been trying to graduate her to the crib, so she can do some stretching out, but she doesn't seem to like it. I think her tummy prefers to be a little bit elevated). When I came back downstairs to the boys' room, Drew was carrying a stuffed animal that he had sorta wrapped in a blanket. He was walking around the room going, "Shh. Shh. Shh." Owen also had a blanket, but I didn't think he had anything in it. I grabbed a little baby doll and asked if he'd like me to wrap it up for him. He said yes so I grabbed his blanket. As I shook it out to lay it on the floor, a little rubber ducky fell out of the folds. The thing was about as big as his ear. He'd been whole-heartedly swaddling and shooshing that little duck in a toddler-size blanket.
Here are a few lessons in Cause and Effect the boys have learned recently (honestly, I doubt they actually learned anything; I wouldn't be surprised at all if these things happened again. More than once.):
Owen learned that if you stand on a kitchen chair and jump around, you will likely fall, resulting in a big bump and bruise on your forehead. Even though they'll give you a hug and a kiss and an ice pack, you won't get any extra sympathy from Mom and Dad, because they told you repeatedly to sit down on your bobbum. But while Dad isn't looking, Mom the Softy will sneak you little hugs and read a few extra stories to you before nap time.
Drew learned that if Mom is kind enough to help you carry your bowl of uneaten cereal to the sink and you throw the bowl into the sink from three feet away, cereal will fly everywhere and Mom will fly off the handle. She will leave you to sulk in your stickiness while she goes into the bathroom to wash her face and reapply her makeup. Then she will lecture you while she helps you clean up the mess. Next she will pull up your bangs into an awesome 'do and hairspray them into place to show you that you've been forgiven.
Samantha is learning, too. She is getting better at moving her hands on purpose, and reaching out and grabbing things like Drew's hair or Mom's fat rolls. She loves to smile and loves to "talk." She tells long stories involving "oooh" and "aaah." Then she giggles and makes the cutest little face. She won't do it for the camera, though. I'll have to figure out a way to sneak a video of it.

04 January 2008

My New 'Do

I've been shedding so much lately. I should change the name of my blog to "Two Kids and A Molting Mom." I guess it's just good ol' post-partum hair loss, but it's been absolutely out of control. I was shedding so much my hairstylist got scared (she was especially worried because she's due to have a baby in May, and doesn't want her hair to fall out in clumps). I decided to just get rid of all my hair. Here are some pictures:


Before: (this picture is a year old, but my hair hadn't changed since then--until now)
After:
side view:
My hair looks a lot like Drew's now (it looked even more like his before I cut his...):

I really like my new hair style. I actually borrowed the idea from Roz, who has the same 'do but with a streak of platinum and looks gorgeous in it. When I first got my hair cut, I thought it made me look a little chubbier. But I went to the gym that night and stepped on the scale. I noted that I've gained a few pounds over the holidays, which in reality is probably what is making me look chubbier. Oh well!

01 January 2008

Happy New 'Ear

Whew! 2008 already! Boy, do I feel old. I remember feeling old eight years ago at the turn of the century/millennium. Here's what I remember of that particular New Year: We got up at about 4 in the morning on January 1, 2000 (I think that's why December 31, 1999 is no longer in my memory) to drive to Salt Lake to send Andy off on his mission. We were saying goodbye at the airport (back when walking your party to the gate was still allowed). Roz and I had some awesome glow-in-the-dark glasses that were nothing more than the numbers 2000. You look through the middle 0's; the other numbers just stick out off the side of your face. I think we actually got them from Andy. The missionaries got on the plane and I told Andy's Spanish-speaking companion, "Vaya con Dios." He was duly impressed. Then Mom, Roz and I went to Denny's to eat breakfast and hang out 'til the mall opened.
This year we had a good celebration. We went over to hang out with the kids' other "Grandparents," the Longs. David is kind of their adopted son, and Drew and Owen call them Mama and Papa, just like the rest of the grandparents. We played the XBox version of "Scene It" which is way more fun than the DVD/board game version. We ate chicken wings and lots of candy, and then at midnight we lit off some fireworks. Drew and Owen didn't have a nap at all on New Year's Eve, and they still stayed up til half-past midnight. They were absolutely wired. They had loads of fun, and crashed when we got home.
Christmas was a lot of fun, too. I think Owen got to the point where it was too much fun, but he made it through. On Christmas Eve, David's family came over for dinner and present opening. There was so much stuff. The in laws had gotten new bedding for everyone; sheets, pillows, blankets. They got so many toy cars and trucks for the boys that we had to empty out the toy box and put all the old toys away just so there would be room for the new ones. Drew and Owen don't sound at all spoiled, do they? After a while of opening presents and yelling, "Awesome!" (the boys learned that from their cousins), Owen had enough. He ran and hid behind the chair and wouldn't come out. We tried to coax him with presents, to which he replied, "No want presents. No want car. No want shirt." Christmas morning, though, he must've been feeling much better. I got him out of his crib and he ran into the living room yelling, "Ready Santa Clause! Presents!"
I had a lot of fun getting my surprise presents ready for everyone and seeing them open them. I got David an electronic Texas Hold'em set--just plug it into the TV and play; no shuffling cards or dealing. The boys got him a book on how to win at Texas Hold'em. The strategy doesn't work very well with the electronic game, though, because there isn't real money at stake so people will play every hand even if it's a bad one (this is what I'm told, anyway; I really know next to nothing about the game). David wasn't exactly surprised that he got the game and the book, because he'd asked for them, but he was surprised that they arrived in time for Christmas. I (I mean, Santa) also surprised Roz with a book and a stocking full of goodies. And I finished re-covering her baby journal, a project I'd had on the shelf for years. She came to spend the holiday with us, and I'm pretty sure she wasn't expecting anything, but of course Santa found her, even at our house! I had a lot of fun playing Santa's Helper this year, and getting presents ready. We got the boys a little garage for their toy cars, which they really enjoy. Even Samantha likes the little suction cup toy we got to put on her swing tray.
It's been a really fun holiday season. I'm still giddy from all the excitement.
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