Bailey Family

So I Have It On Record...

2012-01-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

After giving Trey some medicine for his earache, he reaches around me neck, gives me a hug and says:

"Mom, I'm glad I have you. I love you. A lot."

Coming from the kid who will barely hold my hand anymore, it

melted my heart.

Ditto...

Such a smart boy...

2012-01-14T18:49:00.002-08:00

Conversation between Kevin, Trey and myself this evening as we are waiting for Bryan as he is helping a disabled car on the side of the road:

Kevin: That's nice of dad to help those people. Mom, why don't you ever stop and help people on the road?

Me: Well, it's a little more dangerous for girls to help people on the side of the road. Plus, I don't know anything about cars. I help people in other places like grocery stores and malls.

Kevin: Other than helping people on the side of the road, girls can do pretty much everything boys can do. Trey, did you know that a long time ago, girls couldn't vote or have cool jobs or do sports? But now they can do all of those things. Boys are still supposed to treat girls extra special though.

Trey: I know, like we have to open the door for them.

Kevin: But there is one thing that girls can do that boys can't.

Me: And what is that?

Kevin: They can get pregnant and have babies.

Me: Why do you think that Heavenly Father made it so that only girls can have babies?

Kevin: Because it's really hard, and girls are tougher than boys so they can handle it better.

AMEN, KEVIN!!!

I am saving this for your future wife.

Dumb Question

2009-09-05T22:30:00.001-07:00

Trey's hair hasn't been cut for about 3 months and is starting to get curly. I love it. Anyhoo, a lady in an elevator asked me the other day if Trey's hair was naturally curly. I had to bite my tongue.

My gut reaction was to say, "No, it's naturally straight. Every morning I get the curling iron out and curl my 4 YEAR-OLD BOY'S hair. Except for when I put it in curlers the night before."

Hmm, maybe she doesn't like silent elevators and just asked the first question that came to her mind. But really, what would be the alternative if his hair isn't naturally curly? Curlers or curling irons. On my four year-old boy. And what are the odds of that? Pretty dang low, one would hope. So anyway, I kept my sarcastic remark to myself. I simply said, "why, yes it is."

Kevin's First Day of Second Grade

2009-08-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

So basically.....I DREAD the first day of school. Kindergarten because my little guy was growing up and starting a big, new school. First grade because he was going to be away from me all day. You'd think by second grade I'd be fine. I wasn't. Two words - BASKET CASE. What is my problem? Is this normal? Or am I some sort of crazy mom who doesn't know how to let her children go? The Saturday and Sunday before school started, I couldn't think or talk about it because I would start to cry. Then Bryan leaves town for work on Sunday and leaves me to deal with Monday all by myself.

Maybe I get like this because it seems like time goes by so quickly. I mean, it doesn't always feel like that - not when I'm telling Kevin to simply take his shoes off for the 39th time because there is dirt all over my once clean floor. Or when I'm trying to find the one single lego piece that Trey has to take to bed with him. But really - wasn't Kevin just learning how to walk? It seems like yesterday that Trey was a fiesty little baby that wouldn't stay swaddled. Now they're 7 and 4. I would pay a lot of money to just keep them at these sweet, innocent ages. But they're growing up way too fast. Maybe that's what gets me.

Or maybe it's because I never feel like a good enough mom. Am I teaching them enough? Do I read to them enough? Are they getting the life experiences they should be? Do they laugh enough? Are they gaining a testimony? Do they have enough self-confidence? Maybe I didn't do enough with them during the summer. And now the summer is gone and they start school. And they are under the influence of others for most of the day. Did I do enough?

I know, right? BASKET CASE! And then I drop him off. I shed a few tears and then meet some friends for breakfast. I play with Trey, and then I am a normal person again. And things are just fine.

Anyways, Kevin loves school and very easily makes friends. There is really nothing to worry about. I asked him if he had butterflies in his stomach on our way to school. He didn't understand. I said "butterflies" is when your stomach feels funny when you are nervous about something. "Mom, I don't get nervous" was his answer. Not my child. We said hi to his teacher and then Kevin was all about finding his friends on the playground.

Not wanting to get out of bed so early.

Awww, if only every morning could be like this.

Notice the shark shirt. It's only a matter of hours before his teacher will learn about at least 3 different species. And that's only the beginning.

His teacher, Mrs. Hansen. She also taught both of my brothers when they went to Viewmont.

Kevin asking if he can please just go play with his friends and stop posing for pictures.

When he came home, I asked him how his day was. His response - "It was Terrific. Awesome. And really, really great." After telling me about his day, he said "I am so lucky. I get to go back the next day and the next day and the next day - for nine whole months!" Again, not my child. I'm so glad he likes school so much. Now, I just need to make it through Trey starting preschool in a few weeks.

Nice Try

2009-08-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

Five minutes after I put Trey to bed for the night, he gets up and this is our conversation...

Trey: Mom, I think I'm going to throw up!

Me: You're going to throw up? What hurts?

Trey: My chin.

Hmmm . . . I smell a big, fat FAKER!!!

Just to play along, I put a bowl to the side of his bed - just in case his chin got the better of him.

"Mom, I Did a Bad Thing and I'm Really, Really Sorry!"

2009-07-29T20:10:00.001-07:00

Silly Putty. Meet my TV remote. Oh wait, it looks like you already have.

Not sure how to go about tackling this one...

Don't Try This at Home

2009-07-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

I'm out with the boys the other day and there is this guy who is making animals and hats and different things out of balloons. The line of kids waiting for their dumb little balloon dog is at least a mile long. Of course, the boys want a balloon animal of their own. So here's my GENIUS idea. For some reason I can't remember, I have a bag full of those long balloons at home - complete with a book of how to make those strange animals. I tell them that when we get home, they will get their own balloon animal - whatever type and color they want - made with love from their mom. Sweet.

How hard can it be? I have a step-by-step instruction book after all. Kevin wants a dinosaur. Sure, no problem. Trey wants a giraffe. Great. After 90 MINUTES and about 26 popped balloons, THIS is what they get...

Those are supposed to be baseball hats. Look closely and you might be able to catch the vision.

Really, balloon twisting is a tough job - especially if you want to end up with a balloon that actually resembles something recognizable. Those guys who make it look easy and can do it in 7 seconds have some fierce talent. Oh, and the sound of balloons rubbing and twisting together when you do it too slow is awful. Worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. I'm not exaggerating.

The point - I should have waited 20 minutes in line. It would have saved a lot of time, and a small piece of my insanity that day.

Happy Birthday To My Little Rascals - A Bit Late

2009-07-20T23:17:00.000-07:00

Kevin and Trey have both had birthdays within the last month. Kevin turned 7 and Trey turned 4. I know this is late, but I have to wish them HAPPY BIRTHDAY and let them know how much I love them. Sooo... a picture and something I love about them for every year of their little lives...

Kevin...

-You make friends easier than anyone I know. This is one of your greatest talents, and I hope you keep it up. It doesn't matter where we are - the park, McDonalds, the mall even - you ALWAYS make a friend.

-You are very sensitive to others' feelings.

-You have a very strong testimony, and I see it growing all the time. I love hearing that you say silent prayers in your head when you need help with something at school. I love talking to you about those prayers and seeing the tears (that you deny) in your eyes as you feel the Spirit.

-You are very smart! You love to learn. I know more about ocean animals than I ever thought I would through you. I love that you want to be a Marine Biologist. Whatever your dreams are, I hope you have the courage to follow them.

-You have always been a snuggler, even now with your long, growing body. When you come in our bed in the mornings, you still manage to mold your body to ours and snuggle as close as you can.

-You laugh easily.

- You are very creative. The other day, you made a submarine out of food and turned your bed into a boat. I love it!

Trey...

-You are determined. When you want something, you don't stop until you get it. While you are four, this can be frustrating for both of us. I think when you are older, this trait will serve you well and help you to accomplish many things in life. (That's what I keep telling myself).

- Self-mastery is very important to you. You will practice catching a ball until you have it just perfect. You will do something over and over again until you have it just how you want it. Even if it takes hours. Or days.

- You like to be goofy. This is kind of new for you, but you seem to have caught on pretty good. Whenever you sense that somebody is upset at something, you do something funny to diffuse the situation. We can't help but laugh!

-I love the random hugs and kisses you give me throughout the day. "Mom, I need some hugs" and "Mom, I love you" are phrases I hear multiple times each day from you. Please never stop!

Oh, and I can't forget their cupcakes. It's pretty easy to guess whose are whose.

I'm back!

2009-07-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Beloved Blog...

It's been over two months since we've last talked. I really don't have any good excuses for not stopping by. Where has the time gone? We've missed so many things - Easter, the end of school, Mother's Day, Father's Day, traveling for the first time by myself (pathetic, I know), a couple funny stories, some boring stories and a few things in between. So what to do? How about we just say that the last two + months have been great and call it good. Now, this is kind of hard for me. My OCD wants to fill this void (as nominal and boring as it might be) but I'm going to start here and move on. Soooo...let's start with our vacation a few weeks ago.

Newport Beach!!!

The Salmon Fam (My parents, siblings and spouses) spent a week in Newport Beach...with no children. Re-lax-ing!! We woke up when we wanted, went to movies without coordinating babysitters, didn't have to worry about naps or getting home in time for bed, only had to take a single small bag to the beach, and basically did whatever we wanted. It was so nice to get away. I missed Kevin and Trey like crazy and it was great to get back to them. Bryan's cousin, Annie, babysat and the boys LOVED her! She did such a great job with them. After spending a week with her, they probably realized that I am a boring mom.

Some fun memories from Newport...

-Watching Trevor and Bryant try to put on girl wetsuits that were too small on the beach.

-Even funnier...watching Mer try to peel the suit off Bryant when he was done. It ended with his butt skidding across the sand.

-Taking a line-drive tennis ball to my face from MY HUSBAND.

-The Angels vs. Rockies game and the "Go Fish" game with the 1980's baseball cards. "Do you have any guys who look like serial killers?" was the best question asked. Mer had two, possibly three.

-"I'm right here!"

-"Donation..." (You don't want to know).

-Trying to get my parents hooked on "The Office" by making them watch the first season. We got some laughs, but I think the jury may still be out. Seriously, how can you not love that show?

-Backing into a car on the last day in our car THAT HAS BACKUP SENSORS!

-Bryan pulling up to a BMW (in our Oldsmobile minivan) at a stoplight and revving the engine to race. The guy wasn't amused.

-Knottsberry Farm and the Xcelerator rollercoaster. 0 - 82 in 2.3 seconds.

-Thinking I saw a shark when the boys were "surfing."

-Chronic Tacos. Hole-in-the-wall with AWESOME fish tacos.

-Making crepes on Father's Day. Probably my favorite breakfast food ever. I think I ate four.

-The "bubbles" picture. (Don't ask...really).

-Bryan licking up a piece of food that landed on his arm - from Trevor's mouth.

-Longboarding down the street to the pool area.

-Volleyball, basketball, football and tennis.

-The Crab Cooker - best seafood ever!

Basically, my family is awesome. We had such a fun time together. Thank you for the memories!

Stinky Feet

2009-04-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

Me: "Trey, your feet STINK!"

Trey: "No, they don't! They smell like marshmallows. But not the white kind. They smell like colored marshmallows."

I have no idea where this came from, but they definitely DO NOT smell like colored marshmallows - at all. I think it's bathtime...

So Typical

2009-04-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

Conversation between Kevin and Trey last week...

Kevin: "Trey, what did you do in school today?"

Trey: "Had an Easter party."

Kevin: "What else did you do?"

Trey: "Nothing. We had a party."

Kevin: "Yeah, but what did you learn about today?"

Trey: "Nothing. We had a PARTY. I ate candy."

Kevin: "You didn't learn anything? Did you learn about a letter or a number?"

Trey: NO! We had a PARTY!"

Kevin pauses to think for a minute. I can see the concern growing in his face.

Kevin (very sternly): "Trey, school is not just about parties. You're there to learn."

Trey: "No, it's about PARTIES!"

So typical. Of both of them.

Kevin - I hope you still think like this in 10 years. I love it.

Trey - party on.

I love these boys...

A Plug for Harmons

2009-04-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

So I have to preface this by saying that I had a gazillion things to do in a very short time frame that morning. My mind was everywhere. One of the things I had to do was pick up some groceries for dinner that night. I rush through the grocery store in record time and got everything on my list - three bags worth to be exact - $39.42 worth to be even more exact. End of grocery trip, right? Wrong. I get home and opened the back door to retrieve my groceries. THEY'RE GONE! What could have possibly happened to my groceries? I retrace my steps in my mind. I remember pushing the cart to my car. Did I really push the cart to my car and not take the groceries out of my cart? I was on the phone, but...wow, that's bad. Even for me.

So I go back to Harmons to see if I can retreive my groceries. It's only been five minutes. They should still be there. I drive around the parking lot looking for a lonely cart with three bags of groceries. Nothing. Now I have to go inside and actually ask if somebody found the groceries, which is slightly embarassing.

I see the front manager, who is the same woman who bagged the groceries for me.

"Uh, hi...Did someone by chance turn some lost groceries in?"

"Lost groceries?"

"Well, yes. I was just here, and I think I left my groceries in my cart instead of putting them in my car."

"Oh, I remember bagging them for you. Which groceries are you missing?"

"Well, all of them...three bags..."

"You don't have any of them?"

"No." How can I possibly justify my dumbness here. I can't. "I forgot to put them in my car."

"Well, nothing has been turned in. Do you remember what they were?

"Yes. Thanks. I'll just go get them again." Really, I wonder what she was thinking at this point.

She then tells me to go ahead and get the groceries again, but not to pay for them this time. I object. She insists that I get all of the groceries I got before, but not to pay for them. Now, is that customer service or what?

This isn't the end. Later after I get home, I have to load something in the very back of my van. What do I find? THREE BAGS OF GROCERIES - THE ORIGINAL BAGS THAT I THOUGHT WERE LOST. They were in the very back of the van. I just checked the back seat.

So now, I start feeling pretty good about myself. Of course I wouldn't have pushed my cart all the way to my car and not unload the groceries. I did load them. I'm not loosing my mind. Then I realize that this makes me look even dumber than just loosing my groceries - I had them and couldn't find them.

So I go back to Harmons with my receipt. I had to pay them back for the free groceries they gave me. I prayed that the manager I talked to earlier was done with her shift. She wasn't. I then had to explain to her that I found the groceries I thought I had lost and needed to pay her back for the groceries she so graciously gave me earlier. That conversation was as equally awkward as the first conversation. I'm sure she thought I was a complete nut case. I probably would have to agree.

Moral of the story - if you're going to loose your groceries, loose them at Harmons. Great cusomer service.

Randomness

2009-03-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

Some random things that have happened over the past couple of months...

**We finally got Trey in a bed (He's only 3 1/2). Notice the car in is hand. He can't go to bed without bringing the toy of the day with him. Some nights it's a car, some nights it's a golf club - yes, a full-size golf club. The other night it was a basketball.
Kevin has discovered the "Magic Tree House" series books. He LOVES them and will easily read 60 pages a night. We put him to bed and he gets his little light out and reads until he falls asleep. It's great, and I can't get the books fast enough.
Kevin took a basketball skills class and is now done with it. His favorite day was the last day. It's all about the trophy. He did have a fun time and can now sort of dribble the ball. I guess that is worth the thirty dollars?
Kevin also finished swimming lessons. He's determined to become a good swimmer so he can "learn to scuba and become a marine biologist."
Remember how I said that Trey always had to bring some sort of toy to bed with him? One night my brain was on vacation and I let him take silly putty to bed with him. SERIOUSLY, what was I thinking? Kevin even told me that Trey should put the silly putty in a container before he took it to bed. I told him, no, it would be fine. Really - what could have possibly been going through my head that I thought this would turn out well. The picture below is what we woke up to. Aaahhh! This is "the" stuffed animal - you know, the one that he sleeps with every night and can't let anything happen to it. So after a little internet research, I rubbed it with hand sanitizer and WD-40 and got it out. Who would have thought? Note - don't let your kids sleep with silly putty. I'm guessing this is common sense to most moms.
We had so much fun outside with the warm weather last week. Too bad it didn't last long. The boys love playing in the dirt in our flower bed in the front yard (I'm hoping it will be home to flowers instead of toy trucks this year). I don't mind them playing in the dirt. They're boys. That's what they're supposed to do.

Kevin and Trey were in the bathtub for over an hour the other night with their goggles and snorkel. I was cooking dinner and all I heard was hysterical laughter coming from the bathroom. I finally decided to set up the video camera on the counter just so I could capture the fun they were having with each other. The video was priceless. I would show it, but Trey kept standing up and showing his hoo-ha. I'm sure there's a way to edit it and cover it up, I just haven't figured it out. (They're going to love these kind of videos when they're 16). So for now, here's a picture.
I did something VERY embarassing at the grocery store last week. I'm not sure if I want to write about it - it might taint my image. I rarely do dumb or embarassing things. This was a doosey. Is that a word?

"I'm a total idiot, and if you put this on your blog - you're dead..."

2009-03-13T21:50:00.001-07:00

Those are the words I heard from Bryan after about an hour and a half of frustration in the garage. What was he doing, you ask? Well, he happened to lock the keys in the van. It wouldn't be a big deal, except that's our only key. Thinking about it, we only have one key for both of our cars and our house. We should be smarter. Especially since it is the second time in the last six months this has happened. Last time it happened, we had to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a locksmith to come over for five minutes and open the door. Seriously - ridiculous. Not again. Bryan was determined to do it himself. He's done it before in his car (okay, we need extra keys...)

I opted to let Bryan run solo on this one. He needed full concentration. This is usually the kind of situation that leads to arguments between us. I just kept getting updates every so often of "I'm almost there." Okaaay. After a very mangled hot dog roaster and a trip to Lowe's to get something "a little more sturdy," Bryan Macgyvered the door open by sticking his contraption through the window and pushing the unlock button on the door.

So what took him so long? Why did he call himself a total idiot? (He said it, not me). He was trying to unlock the passenger door - the door with the unlock button that doesn't work. The driver must unlock the passenger door from his side. Now, this knowledge is not new to us. We are reminded every time I try to get out of the car, and Bryan has to unlock the door for me on his side. So basically, Bryan spent over an hour pushing down on a button that clearly hasn't worked since we bought the van. When the little light bulb in his brain lit up, Bryan went over to the driver's side door and finagled it open in a matter of minutes.

Here's your sign....

Now if I were him, I probably wouldn't have admitted this to anybody.

Pay It Forward

2009-03-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

Ok so I saw this on my friend's blog (Sarah) and I think it's a fun little idea. The first three people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What it will be or when it will arrive will be a surprise! The only catch is that you also have to participate yourself. Before leaving your comment you have to post a Pay it Forward post on your blog giving the same instructions to keep the fun going. Then you can come back to this post and leave your comment. After that all you have to do is sit back and wait for your gift to arrive!!!! Please also leave your email address in the post so that I may contact you if necessary!! I hope that you will play along, I really think this will be a lot of fun!!!

Where's My Incentive?

2009-02-22T20:01:00.000-08:00

I apologize in advance for this post - I just need to express a few opinions. I've been reading up on the mortgage part of the bailout that was passed last week. All I have to say is - ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?

Everything about this irks me. Here is just one paragraph that stood out..."To provide an extra incentive for borrowers to keep paying on time, the initiative will provide a monthly balance reduction payment that goes straight towards reducing the principal balance of the mortgage loan. As long as a borrower stays current on his or her loan, he or she can get up to $1,000 each year for five years."

Again, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? So essentially, the government is bribing people with money to make their own mortgage payments on time. On what planet does this make sense? Shouldn't that just be a given? It's called PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

I have lived in my house for almost five years. I have made each payment on time - sometimes even early just for kicks. My incentive? SELF-RESPECT, PEACE OF MIND, AND A GOOD CREDIT SCORE. Do borrowers really need an "extra incentive" to pay their mortgage on time? After their interest rate and principle have already been lowered? I don't even give "extra incentives" to my six-year-old for doing his homework. He knows it's part of being a first-grader. I expect that by the time he is an adult, he knows that paying his bills on time is just part of being a responsible person. If you need an "extra incentive" to pay your mortgage on time, you have no business owning a house. It comes with the territory.

What happened to living within your means? My mortgage is about 70% of what the bank said we qualified for at the time. Before we bought a house, we sat down and did a budget and bought a house for what we could afford - not what the bank told us we should spend. Granted, it's not extravagant. The boys bathroom has pink laminate countertops. I'm pretty sure all of our faucets are original to the house (that was built in 1987). We're slowly replacing the floors and other things. That's fine with me. We're not asking anyone to pay for it. It's our house, and we'll take responsibility of paying for it ourselves.

Now, I know there are people with situations such as medical bills, disability and other unforseen circumstances. I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about the people who just don't know how to stop spending, don't know how to make a budget, and expect their "starter" house to be 4000 square feet with granite countertops and a 60" flatscreen above the custom-made fireplace. WHY AM I PAYING FOR YOUR DAMN MORTGAGE?

Sorry. I'll get off my high horse now. My next post will be lighthearted and have some pictures of my super-cute boys.

Ewe...Kisses From Mom

2009-02-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

Kevin recently informed me that he will no longer be kissing me goodbye when I drop him off to school. In Kindergarten it was okay. He would even run up to me and hug me when I volunteered in his class. Now in first grade, he is older and cooler. Kissing your mom in front of everyone diminishes your status. I say goodbye to him for seven hours, and all I get are "props" or "knuckles" or whatever you want to call it. Boo.

Why do they have to grow up so dang fast? When he was little, I would get kisses all of the time. Multiple kisses. He held my hand everywhere we went. (That, too, is off limits in front of his friends). He would snuggle for hours. He still snuggles, and I cherish every minute of it because I know that will also one day be gone. Stop growing!

The other night, Kevin came up to me out of the blue and gave me a big ol' smackaroo right on the cheek. I was in shock. A kiss with no begging, bribing or forcing? I wanted to let him know how much I appreciated this grand gesture, and this is how the conversation went.

Me: "Thank you so much for that! Whenever you give me a kiss..."

Kevin: "...you'll give me a dollar?"

Me: "Um, no! I was going to say that whenever you give me a kiss it makes me the happiest mom in the world."

Kevin: "Oh.....but will you give me a dollar?"

Me: "NO!"

Happy mom moment officially over. But it did provide a good laugh.

Little does Kevin know that after he has fallen asleep for the night, I tuck him in bed one last time and kiss his cheeks and face all over to make up for the lost ones during the day.

I love you, Kevin! Mmmwahh.

Chili Impaired

2009-01-26T18:53:00.000-08:00

I love chili. It's one of my favorite meals. There's just one problem - I can never make it right. It seems so simple, yet mine always turns out wrong. I've tried a bunch of recipes and I still can't get it right. Not enough flavor. The beans aren't cooked enough. Too spicy. Whatever.

I found a recipe online that had a lot of good reviews. I decided to try it. It looked so good. I even doubled the recipe to give some to my sister-in-law. I dished it up and we sat down to eat as a family. Long story short, the boys ended up eating cereal for dinner. Bryan and I ate the chili, but also ate a lot of bread with it. It was just a little too spicy - okay, really spice. We were sweating by the time we were done. And I like spicy food.

Bryan was trying to be really nice. As he is shoving loaves of bread into his mouth to tame the kick of the chili, he says to me, "It's really good. I really like it. But I can see why other people won't like it." What?!? That doesn't help at all. Then he says, "We can't give this to Mindy." Duh.

Now I have an entire pot of chili in my refrigerator, sitting there being all spicy and not being eaten. I think I am chili-jinxed. So if anyone has a good recipe, please share it with me so I can probably ruin it.

On another note, I accidentally poured lemonade into Trey's cereal this morning instead of milk. I didn't even notice it until I gave it to him and he looked at me all weird.

Three-Year-Old For Rent

2009-01-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

I'm not ready to sell him just yet, just rent him out for about 45 minutes each morning while he gets dressed. Then I'll take him back. The rest of the day, we have a lot of fun together. But when I get him dressed, he acts like I am sticking sharp needles in him. For some reason, most of his clothes bug him. Different pieces, different reasons. No rhyme or reason. A few months ago, after a particularly memorable morning, I wrote down what had happened. In case you're interested in renting him, this is what you'll be getting into...

"The jeans I get ready to put on Trey are brand new. Of course, he wants nothing to do with them. He throws a fit and I have to pin him down to get them over his legs. I'm pretty much sitting on him. I finally get them on, and he screams even harder because he can feel the adjustable waist belt inside the jeans. Finally, he calms down.

Next, the hooded shirt. As soon as I put it on him, he decides that the hood drives him nuts. Throws an even bigger fit. Almost strangles himself trying to get it off. He keeps trying to turn around to grab the hood on his back. If I weren't so mad, I would be laughing really hard. He looks like a dog trying to catch his tail. I don't have the time or the nerve to handle another drawn out fit, so I yank the shirt off him (maybe a little too hard) and put on something without a hood or anything that may set him off again.

Now it's time for shoes and socks. I open his sock drawer and realize that the three pairs of socks in his drawer are ankle socks, which he has never minded until I bought his most recent pair of shoes. Apparently, he will only wear long socks with these shoes - not ankle socks. Great. Of course. I try not to let him notice the ankle socks as I put them on. Doesn't work. Yet, another fit. I leave him in his room. I was so mad by this point that I had to just walk away.

Fifteen minutes later, he is still screaming and has both his socks and shoes off. I resort to digging through the dirty laundry to find the "right" kind of socks. He is now wearing dirty socks with his shoes. I put them on thinking the drama is over and he is finally dressed. He then points to the velcro on his shoes and tells me that I did it wrong. What!?! Apparently, I didn't do the velcro straight enough. He carefully replaces all four velcro straps to his standards.

He then smiles and acts like the last 45 minutes of the morning never happened. I, however, am still fuming. He is the only person in the world that makes me want to laugh, cry, and scream at the same time. Or beat him and hug him at the same time."

I only document this so that one day when he is much older with children of his own, he might thank me for resorting to screaming some choice words into a pillow instead of strangling him.

One day I'll laught about this. Right?

Here are pictures of just a few of our mornings the last few months. Yeah - I take pictures of him as he is screaming at me.

New Years Goals...

2009-01-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what 2009 will bring our family. Whatever it is, I am ready and I am excited for this year! I don't make resolutions every year, but this year I have a whole slew of them. Last year was a different story completely. My 2008 resolution was simply to hang on for another year. In a nutshell, 2007 was not a year I would want to relive and 2008 consisted of getting back up from the fall.

2009 is a different story, and I have a lot of goals to make this year the best it can be. I won't post all the boring details of how I plan to accomplish everything, but here is a brief overview of just some of what I want to do.

Become closer to Him.

Go here more often.

Read all of this.

Be better at this.

Fit into this.

Save more of this.

Do more of this.

And this.

Trey's Big Debut

2009-01-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

Trey, bless his little heart, hates any sort of attention - even from Bryan and I. Anytime he catches us watching him doing something, he stops immediately, glares at us and then turns his back to us. He just doesn't like people watching him (or talking to him or looking at him). Also, he is very uncomfortable in new situations (new people, places, routines, clothing) and uncomfortable in any situation that he does not have some sort of control. Super easy child.

Needless to say he was terrified for his preschool Christmas program to happen. He had a few things working against him: It was in a new place (not his preschool), he had to wear a shirt that he doesn't usually wear to preschool (doesn't sound like a big deal but for Trey, it is traumatic), and he had to stand in front of a bunch of strangers and sing.

It took about 53 pep talks the week before and a bribe of an M&M cookie and chocolate milk, but Trey did not end up sitting in my lap and watching the program (which I fully expected). He stood with his class in front of everyone for the entire program. He even very quietly told everyone his name.

The program then consisted of about ten songs, none of which Trey choose to sing. But he did stand in front of everyone with his class while they sang. He even let his teacher put an elf hat on him (again, not a big deal to most children but the fact that Trey did not turn around and wack her when she put a hat on his head is huge).

Trey stood there frozen while everyone else sang, and I couldn't be more PROUD of him. I know he was extremely scared and uncomfortable but he stood up there, without a fight, in front of everyone, and that is a huge step for him.

WAY TO GO, TREY!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Here is just a small clip of Trey being Trey...

Our Gingerbread House

2008-12-13T21:30:00.001-08:00

Kevin, Trey and I attempted to make a gingerbread house the other day. Usually, I try to control the decorating too much. This time, I let them do whatever they wanted. We had a lot of fun. Some of the highlights of the activity included:

*This conversation with Kevin...
Kevin: "Mom, you didn't become an engineer in college, did you."
Me: "Um, no. Why?"
Kevin: "Look at the house."
The roof had slid off. Again.
Me: "Oh, I'll fix it." Again.
Kevin: "You're not a very good gingerbread house engineer, mom."

*Trey freaking out because he got a small drop of frosting on his finger after putting candy on the roof. "Wipe it, mom! Get it OFF!" I know, most kids would happily lick their finger. Not Trey.

*Me knocking over the container of tiny, hard candy balls - sending them into a bouncing frenzy across the kitchen. And having no one to yell at but myself.

*Trey constantly telling Kevin and I that the candy needs to stay "organized." (I didn't even know he knew what that word meant).

*Kevin teaching Trey the lyrics to "Pinecones and Holly Berries." So cute. They both sang it over and over while they decorated.

*Trey jumping up and down in excitement because when he got the nerve to put another piece of candy on the house, he did not get frosting on his finger. "Look, mom, I did it! My finger is still clean!"
*Kevin telling me that I make the best gingerbread houses in the world. (Apparently, he forgot about his previous comments).

*Kevin making Bryan a map from the garage door to the kitchen where the final product was being displayed, so he would be sure to see "the best gingerbread house ever" when he got home.

*Trey giving Kevin a hug and telling him "I love you" with no prompting of any sort.

Old Photos and Memories...

2008-12-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by my friend, Tina, to do this post. You are supposed to go to your sixth picture folder and show the sixth picture and tell about it. This picture is not very good quality. It was back in the olden days when we didn't have a digital camera - so this has been scanned and saved to my computer.
Anyway, this picture brings back a lot of memories because it was taken right before Kevin had surgery on his cleft lip when he was just a few weeks old. I know it wasn't major heart surgery or anything, but I was still terrified. He was my first baby. I was getting ready to give him to a doctor who would change the way he looked for the rest of his life.

I remember him not being allowed to eat for six hours before the surgery. For a baby who ate every two hours, that was a long time. I fully expected him to cry for the last four hours before his surgery, and I was dreading it. Bryan gave him a blessing the night before. Kevin didn't make a single peep the morning of his surgery. Didn't act hungry at all. I know it seems trite now, but to an anxious and frazzled new mom, it was a small miracle. It let me know that God does hear and answer our prayers - even if it's something as small as "please don't let my baby feel hungry for a few hours."

The surgery went great. He cried a lot during the next eight weeks. He had every right to. His arms were tied to his diaper so he couldn't move them enough to touch his face. He had plastic stints up his nose that didn't look comfortable at all. He had a metal bar over his lip so nothing would hit it, and every time I had to take the metal bar off, I ripped a layer of skin off of his cheeks with the tape. Not fun.

I was so worried about everything at the time. Looking back, it all seems so simple. Of all the things to go wrong, a cleft lip was an easy fix and a welcome "defect" (I hate that word) compared to most of the things I saw. I learned a lot during his first three months of life, and if I had a chance to do it over, I wouldn't change a thing.

Trey's Christmas Ornament

2008-12-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

Every year around Christmastime, I buy the boys each an ornament for the Christmas tree. When they are grown and have their own families, they can have these ornaments to remind them of their childhood Christmas trees. I try to buy nice, timeless ornaments that won't look dated 20 years from now. That's the goal anyway.

Well, this year I thought it would be fun to let the boys pick out their own ornaments. We went to the store and found an entire wall full of Christmas ornaments. They were so excited. I thought to myself, let them choose whatever ornament they want. It will be more special if they get to pick it out all by themselves and it will show their personalities.

Kevin, who loves this kind of stuff, spent a long time going through each of the ornaments - touching, feeling, inspecting each of them to find the perfect one. First it was a snowman, then it was a star, then it was an ice cream cone. He finally settled on a candy cane. Not my favorite, but he could have done worse.

Surprisingly, Trey was even getting into it. I thought for sure he would have picked out the shiny car or the boy riding a bicycle. After much deliberation, this is what he comes up with...

Seriously?!? It's easily the UGLIEST ornament in the store. It's the ornament that I secretly said to myself, they better not pick that one. I know that I said that I would let them choose whatever they want - I meant, unless they pick that one. (No offense to anyone who may have this on their tree, but really?)

Once Trey makes up his mind, there is no going back. I tried my best. I showed him the shiny silver car and the boy riding a bicycle. I showed him snowmen and Santa Claus. I even tried bribing him with a trip to the candy store on the way home. Nothing worked. "No, I WANT the red bird."

So I bought the ugliest ornament in the store. I tried telling Trey that we should put his towards the back of the tree "so it would be safe." He didn't go for that little lie, and he put it front and center.

So for the next twenty or so years, we will put the ugly red bird on our Christmas tree. When Trey has his own tree, I will be sure to give it to him and let him know how insistent he was on buying such a special ornament.

(I think I'll be picking their ornaments from now on).

Thanksgiving

2008-11-29T20:38:00.000-08:00

I LOVE THANKSGIVING! This may be because my favorite food is mashed potatoes and gravy. I would be perfectly happy with a plate full of mashed potatoes and gravy and nothing else.

Mainly though, I love spending the day with family. We were at Bryan's family's house this year and had a great time. It was fun, relaxing and yummy. We ate, visited, and watched movies. The kids had a lot of fun with their cousins. It was a great day!

I also like Thanksgiving because it forces me to think of all the things I am thankful for. I know that during day-to-day run of life, it becomes easy to want instead of just being thankful. I know I am guilty of this. So I like just being thankful. There is so much to be thankful for, but some of the things that come to mind are:

I am thankful for my knowledge of God. I know he exists. I know he loves me and wants me to succeed. I know he hears my prayers and answers them. I think he is anxious to answer our prayers, and sometimes I have been suprised at how specifically he answers them. I think this world would be a far scarier place without this knowledge of God.

I am thankful for my trials. In the 10 years that Bryan and I have been married, we have had our share of trials - some large and some small. Looking back, I have learned something from every one of them. I am grateful for the knowledge I have gained through these trials. I am grateful for how I have grown through these times.

I am thankful for my family. First, my husband and children. We have so much fun together. I love being with them. Bryan is the best husband I could ask for, and I never knew that being a mom to two boys would be so great. I am also grateful for my family and Bryan's family. We are both very close with our families, and I don't know what I would do without these relationships.

I am thankful for great friends. I have friends that I can talk to, have fun with, and count on whenever I need them. Great friends definitely make life easier and a lot more fun.

I am thankful for all the material things that make life easier - cars, televisions, cell phones, computers, etc... We live in an amazing era, and I take these things for granted most of the time.

There are so many things to be thankful for. These are just some of the things on the forefront of my mind. It is my goal for this coming year to recognize more readily the things in life to be thankful for.

Redneck Ladder

2008-11-25T17:35:00.000-08:00

We have lived in our house for over four years and have never bothered to purchase a ladder. Why? We know enough nice people who own ladders who let us mooch off them. It was time to put up the Christmas lights today, and what do we need? A ladder. Bryan didn't feel like bothering any of these nice people today so he got creative. I went outside to see if he needed any help, and this is what I found.

Yes, that is my car. And that is a step stool on top of my car. Who needs a ladder when you've got a brain that thinks of this genius idea?

Bryan made it to the roof, but it became apparent that this is not the normal way of doing things. Our neighbor who lives a couple of houses down was driving by and saw my car with a step stool on top of it and Bryan on the roof. He put two and two together and stopped - partly to laugh and partly to offer some help. Bryan told him he was fine, but our neighbor was not convinced. He parked his car, walked to his house, and brought over his ladder. (He's one of the nice people we usually borrow from).

A few minutes later, our next door neighbor came over and tried to give us his ladder. Thank you, really, but the car and the step stool work great, and make us look really smart and resourceful to the rest of the neighborhood. I think maybe it's time to invest in a ladder - for the sake of our nice neighbors.

The lights got put up, and both Kevin and Trey got to get on the roof and hang with their dad. Bryan got done quickly (our lights are simple and boring - but very straight), got off the roof and took the stool off the car. Then we heard a voice from above. "When do I get to come down?" It was Kevin. On the roof. We forgot about him on the roof. We're good parents...

Husbands, Take Notes...

2008-11-20T09:05:00.000-08:00

Ugh, yesterday was awful. Not fun at all. But it did make me realize what a stud of a husband I have. I woke up not feeling well at all - sick to my stomach, massive headache, sore throat, achy all over, fever, chills - the whole deal. I got up and did my best to get Kevin ready for school. Bryan got ready for work. I couldn't even stand up long enough to make Kevin's lunch. Bryan saw this and sent me back to bed. Then he took the day off work.

Yes, I actually got a sick day - you know, the kind of sick day where you stay in bed all day and someone takes care of you. The kind that happens when you're little and have no responsibilities. That's what Bryan gave me, and it was heaven. (Well, not heaven because I was sick, but you get the idea).

Bryan got Kevin ready for school and breakfast for the kids. He drove Kevin's carpool to school. He got Trey ready and took him to work with him to pick up some things to take home. He made Trey's lunch. He played games downstairs with Trey. He brought me juice. He picked Kevin's carpool up. He went to the store. He took Kevin to a birthday party. He put the kids to bed. All while I was in bed doing nothing. I got to stay in bed all day long. I don't remember the last time I've been able to do that. Then later that evening when I was finally feeling well enough to eat, he came home with a Cafe Rio salad (my favorite) just for me.

Am I lucky or what? I really didn't know how I was going to make it through the day, and Bryan came through big time. There is always more giggles and fun (and messes and bruises) when Bryan is home. The boys had a great day with their dad, and I was in bed, blissfully unaware of most of it.

Bryan, I LOVE YOU!!! Thank you for always being there. XOXO

I Am Thankful For...

2008-11-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

1. I AM THANKFUL FOR MY HEATER. As I turned it on last night, I thought how lucky I am to be able to set a temperature, push a button and my house stays warm. I don't have to chop wood and build a fire. I don't have to sleep in the cold. I just push a button. And pay my gas bill.

2. I AM THANKFUL FOR ALL THE LEAVES ON THE GROUND IN MY BACKYARD. Cleaning them up is not all that fun (Bryan does most of that anyway), but Kevin and Trey get so excited whenever they see the leaves start to fall. Their simple joy found jumping in leaf piles is something I look forward to every year.

3. I AM THANKFUL FOR THE GUY WHO LET ME INTO HIS LANE ON THE FREEWAY SO I WOULDN'T MISS MY EXIT TO MY HAIR APPOINTMENT ON FRIDAY. I was running late and would have been really late if I missed that exit. Granted, I may have forced my way over into his lane. But nonetheless, at least he braked to avoid hitting me.

4. I AM THANKFUL FOR THE FULL MOON WE HAD THIS WEEK. We were driving home one night and noticed it. It was huge - twice the size it normally looks. It kept creeping behind the mountains as we were driving. The boys were in awe and took a few moments when we got home to go in the front yard and stare at it.

5. I AM THANKFUL FOR ALL THE STAIRS IN MY HOUSE. I usually complain about having to go up and down the stairs all the time. Looking at the positive side, my butt is extremely grateful because it would probably be a little bigger without the stairs.

6. I AM THANKFUL FOR TWO BOYS WHO ARE EXTREMELY GOOD FRIENDS. They are running around the house right now, making a lot of noise, and laughing hysterically at each other. I can tell when they are laughing at each other because their laughs are different when they are together. Kind of like a laugh only reserved for each other. I love that sound.

7. I AM THANKFUL THAT TREY DOESN'T CRY WHEN I WASH HIS HAIR ANYMORE. Seriously, this is a huge milestone for us. Better than when he started walking. Trey is extremely sensitive to anything that he looses any bit of control over. Up until 3 months ago, he screamed at the top of his lungs at every bath time. I would make sure all the windows in the house were shut because if neighbors heard him, they would probably report us for child abuse. He screamed like I was burning him with a hot curling iron. He would even warn me before his bath that he was going to cry. "Mom, I'm going to cry when you wash my hair." Who does that? Then all of a sudden, it was done. He realized that getting his hair washed wasn't the end of the world and there are far better things to save his lungs for. My blood pressure is now at normal levels during bath time.

100 things about ME...

2008-11-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

This has serious potential to be a very boring post. I've seen this on a few blogs and thought I'd try it out. Plus, I'm bored and don't want to clean the house at the moment. I'm not sure if I can come up with 100 things about myself, but we'll see. I'll throw a few in about my family also. They're kind of important too.

1. I was born almost 8 weeks early and weighed around 5 pounds.

2. I love cereal, and could easily eat it for 3 meals a day.

3. The only time I've lived outside of Salt Lake City was when I went to school in Jerusalem.

4. I got my degree in Recreational Therapy (yes, that is a degree), but if I were to do it again, I would probably go into Accounting or Human Resources.

5. I am terrified of heights.

6. I cannot do the dishes without rubber gloves on. Even if it's just a few. If something happens to my rubber gloves, I will leave dishes in the sink until I go to the store and get gloves.

7. Once, I had a job where I had to ask a mother if she knew that her barely-deceased 19-year-old son had his "area" pierced with a tattoo that said "porn star" above it. She didn't. It was an awkward conversation.

8. I just asked Bryan for another word for "area" and he came up with about 10 right off the top of his head. "Area" seems to be most appropriate.

9. Kevin was born with a cleft lip and had surgery at 3 weeks. His poor hands were tied to his diaper for 8 weeks after that so he wouldn't touch his face.

10. Trey cried almost his entire first year of life. Stopping only to sleep and eat. Consequently, I also cried most of his first year of life.

11. Bryan writes really great poetry but hasn't written anything in a really long time. I'm thinking I don't inspire him anymore.

12. I have more hair than any two people should be allowed to have. I am always trying to find ways to make it look like I have less hair.

13. I can type really fast.

14. I have carpal tunnel syndrome.

15. I used to be kind of a daredevil. Now I am a major wimp. A few years ago at Lake Powell, it took me 20 minutes to jump off a 12 foot cliff.

16. I grew up with a boat. Sadly, I still cannot slalom ski. I can double ski. Sometimes, I can get up on a wakeboard.

17. I tried an air chair at Lake Powell a while ago and it was the funnest thing I've ever done on a boat. And I only stayed up for 7 seconds.

18. I really want to learn how to air chair.

19. I'm not very coordinated. Or so I've been told.

20. When I was about 20, I tried to do a backwards somersault down the stairs. I couldn't. I slid down the length of the stairs upside down and on my back. Major rug burn. I still have a scar.

21. I loved high school. My senior year was my favorite.

22. I could not go to any dances my sophmore year because I was not 16 at the time.

23. My sister and I have totally opposite personalities.

24. One day, I would like a jeep wrangler. Preferably yellow. And automatic. (I know, I know, it defeats the purpose).

25. I can't drive a stick-shift. Too much to think about at one time for me.

26. Bryan is almost always the first to apologize when we have an argument.

27. Bryan has kissed way more people than I have.

28. I'm okay with that. My kisses meant more.

29. No matter what I am eating, I always leave one bite on my plate. I don't know why. It drives Bryan nuts.

30. I have great in-laws. I'm pretty sure Bryan thinks he has great in-laws too.

31. I love to read. I love political fiction books, mysteries - all kinds of books really.

32. I always fall asleep on road trips.

33. I love to go fishing. Bryan needs to learn to fish.

34. I really want to learn how to like running. I think it's boring. I need a treadmill in front of my television. Then I would run more.

35. I also really want to learn how to like vegetables. I hate most of them. Especially tomatoes.

36. Bryan was my date for my first dance in high school - Homecoming my junior year. I still have the corsage.

37. I tried really hard not to like Bryan when he came home from his mission. I told myself over and over that I would not even go out with him. It didn't work very well. He sucked me in.

38. Bryan and I only dated for 3 weeks before we were engaged. I don't know what we were thinking.

39. We did know each other in high school though.

40. We also lived in the same ward growing up.

41. Kevin has taught me more about ocean animals than I ever thought I would know. He can look at a shark and tell you what kind it is, how dangerous it is and whatever else you don't care to know. It's awesome.

42. When Trey was an infant, I really thought his purpose on this earth was to test me for the rest of my life. I am glad that I didn't give him away when I was tempted. Now, he is the sweetest little boy and I can't imagine life without him.

43. I love having boys. I wouldn't know what to do with a girl.

44. Bryan gives great shoulder massages.

44. I hate wearing a bra.

45. My favorite foods are my grandma's tacos, my grandma's roast and mashed potatoes, and chocolate.

46. The first roast I ever made, we both took one bite and threw it away. It was awful. I'm not even sure I bit into it. I might have just looked at it.

47. I love 80's rock bands like Aerosmith, Guns N Roses, Poison...

48. I used to love scary movies. Now I hate them. "Scream" was on the other day and I tried to watch it, but I had to keep changing the channel at the scary parts.

49. If anyone ever came to my door with a "Scream" mask on and it wasn't Halloween, I would hurt them without waiting to find out if it was a joke.

50. If somebody broke into my house and I was home, I would not hesitate to shoot (if I had a gun).

51. I hate shows when a woman is being attacked and she finally hurts the guy but then runs away too soon. He always gets back up and gets her. I would stay there and hurt him some more while he was down. Kick him in the face a few more times. Stab him in a vital organ. Shoot him again. Something like that. He would not be getting back up.

52. I believe in the death penalty.

53. I really am a nice person.

54. I like getting dirty and doing projects around the house. I could totally be a handyman if I put my mind to it.

55. I installed our bathroom light fixture - figured out the wires and didn't get electrocuted.

56. I painted and cut all the baseboards for our living room one day while Bryan was at work. I had a lot of fun with the miter saw and learned a few things about geometry. (Don't tell Bryan this, but they're the best looking baseboards in the house).

57. Bryan has gotten really good at painting our house. I keep changing colors. He's doing the basement next.

58. Bryan can paint walls without needing any tape. He has a very steady hand.

59. The night before 9-11 happened, I had a really weird feeling that something very bad was going to happen the next morning. It was creepy.

60. I once got kicked out and banned from a laundromat. (It was a classy place). The owner didn't speak a lot of English, but the reasons seemed to include a condom on the floor (not mine), a stolen quarter (again, not me) and something about "you people." Whatever that means.

61. I don't use shampoo on my hair.

62. My hair is clean.

63. I desperately want a king-sized bed. Bryan is too tall and hogs my side.

64. My boys are great sleepers. Long naps and 11-12 hours of sleep every night.

65. I have a little bit of OCD when it comes to cleaning my house. For example, if something gets spilled on my kitchen floor, I hate to clean just that spot because that spot will be just a little cleaner than the rest. So then I want to clean the entire kitchen floor. Then I have to clean the rest of the floors in the house because if not, it would be uneven. But I don't want to do the floors without dusting the furniture first, because dust might fall on the clean floor. You see the dilemma. So, my house is either really clean or really messy.

66. I can't stand the smell of catsup if it has been on a plate for longer than 30 minutes.

67. When I was pregnant with Kevin, we were at a Utah basketball game and Swoop, the mascot, came up to us, called Bryan and I by name and started talking to us. To this day, we don't know who it was. Any ideas?

68. I love my job. I can do most of it in my pajamas.

69. Planning parties stresses me out big time. Even if it's just a little party.

70. I love, love, love being a mom. Especially to two boys.

71. Kevin and Trey are very good friends. Their personalities are totally opposite.

72. Bryan is an awesome dad. The boys laugh with him way more than they laugh with me.

73. I almost forgot to pick up carpool the other day. I forgot once last year.

74. In sixth grade, nobody at school could beat me in tether ball, except for one of my best friends. Bryan doesn't believe that, but it's true.

75. I have a problem with calling people names when I am driving. Like the grandpa I was behind yesterday driving 15 in a 30, and the idiot behind me who was a foot away from my bumper. Like I could go anywhere.

76. I have been in love once before Bryan.

77. I have very vivid dreams.

78. I have a lot of recurring dreams. One is that I am in high school and I can't remember my locker combo, can't remember my class schedule, forget all of my History assignments, and fail Gym. It's a stressful dream.

79. When I was in college, I thought about joining the ROTC or the Peace Corps.

80. Once I was in an airplane that was struck by lightening.

81. I cannot edge our lawn. I tried it a few times last year and it looked like Freddy took a chain saw to it. I have since been banned.

82. My favorite band is U2, but I have never been to a concert. Next time they are in town, I am going no matter how expensive the tickets are.

83. I hate mushrooms. My brother-in-law once offered me $50 if I would eat a stuffed mushroom. I tried and failed big time.

84. I used to be able to read in the car on road trips. Now I get major motion sickness.

85. I can still do a backbend.

86. I hate watching sports on TV. Unfortunately, Bryan loves it.

87. A few years ago, Bryan tried to do a double front flip off a high-dive. He over-rotated and got a bloody nose. The next day he had two black eyes.

88. When I was in ninth grade, I broke my nose into many pieces. I had two black eyes for about a month. I got teased forever about that.

89. I wish I could sew as good as my mom. She's an awesome seamstress.

90. The two times that Kevin has been in the emergency room have been caused by his dad.

91. Bryan is no longer allowed to swing our boys by the forearms or send them down the stairs in cardboard boxes.

92. Before I had kids, I never needed an alarm clock. I would think about what time I needed to wake up the next morning, and I would always wake up exactly three minutes before that time.

93. My last semester of college, I worked 30 hours a week at my normal job, 30 hours a week at my internship and took 12 credit hours of class. I saw Bryan in bed between midnight and 5AM.

94. Bryan didn't work his last semester of college. I was his sugar mama.

95. One of my pet peeves is when people take 11 items in the "10 item" checkout line. I always count to make sure I don't go over.

96. I think my fingers look like witch fingers.

97. No matter how hot I am, I have to have a blanket over me when I sleep. I can't sleep without one.

98. I am terrible at bowling. But I just found out that bowling balls are made for right-handed people. Really, they are. I knew it had to be the ball and not me.

99. I am left-handed.

100. Feet are my favorite part of my babies. They are my favorite part up until they turn about four, then they turn into stinky boy feet. Trey is almost at the stinky-boy-feet stage, but not yet. I still kiss them all the time.

Where's The Love?

2008-11-11T10:12:00.001-08:00

My conversation with Trey this morning went something like this:

Me: I love you, Trey!

Trey: I love you, Mom!

Me: I love you more!

Trey: I love you more!.....(pauses thoughtfully for a moment).....Oh, wait.....No, I don't......I love dad more.

I Am Thankful For...

2008-11-08T18:24:00.001-08:00

I thought I would write seven things I am thankful for each week. One for every day.

1. I AM THANKFUL FOR MY BATHROOM SHOWER. To be honest, I despise my shower. I curse it every time I use it. But as I was showering today and thinking how I would love a shower that isn't twenty years old, I also thought of how lucky I am to have a shower at all. Water comes out of it how it is supposed to. The water is hot how I like it. The water is contained in my shower like it is supposed to be. It gets me clean. Really, what more do I need?

2. I AM THANKFUL FOR RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION. When we were first married, Bryan's car was this piece of @#$% that slowly inherited more and more problems. My favorite memories with this car are: towing it up and down the street in the wintertime at least three times a week to get it started in the morning (our neighbors loved us); and having both outside handles break (it was a two-door) so you had to climb in the hatchback to get in. Oh, there are many others - these are just the highlights. I am grateful for two reliable cars.

3. I AM THANKFUL FOR THE WEATHER TODAY. It snowed last week and today was really nice. We worked in the yard and the boys played outside for a long time. It was great.

4. I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE CHANCE OUR FAMILY HAD TO CLEAN THE CHURCH BUILDING TODAY. It gave us a chance to teach Kevin and Trey how to work hard and to teach them respect for the building we worship in every week.

5. I AM THANKFUL FOR SCREAMING BABIES. When Kevin had his surgery when he was a baby, he cried for most of the next night in the hospital. He shared a room with a baby that did not make one sound the entire night. I apologized profusely all night to the other mother for the noise Kevin was making. She said that she actually liked hearing the sound of his crying because her baby had never cried once. They were testing to try to find out what was wrong with her baby. I am grateful that my babies have been healthy enough to cry. Believe me, I've heard my fair share of screams. I am Trey's mom.

6. I AM THANKFUL FOR A HUSBAND WHO GIVES GREAT SHOULDER MASSAGES and who offers to give them on almost a daily basis.

7. I AM THANKFUL FOR FACEBOOK. It let me do something that I would have been too freaked out to do in person.

Here's Your Sign...

2008-11-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

Last night, I made chicken noodle soup for dinner. I asked Bryan to dish up soup for the boys. Here is how the conversation went...

Me: Bryan, would you dish up some soup for Kevin and Trey.

Bryan: Yeah, should I put the soup in bowls?

Me: Um...unless you think a plate is a better alternative...???

After not being amused at all by my sarcastic comment, he informed me that he meant their smaller bowls instead of our bigger bowls.

"Here's Your Sign" comes from this video. It's about people who should wear a sign that says "I'm stupid." Every time someone in my family does or says something dumb, we say "Here's Your Sign." I'm pretty sure I've been given the most signs.

Sorry, Bryan - but it was funny. Just laugh.

Halloween

2008-11-04T06:48:00.000-08:00

Kevin starts thinking about what he wants to be for Halloween months in advance. This year, he gave me three top choices for costumes (after I shot down being a shark for the third year in a row). They were: Spinasaurous, Megaladon (that's a prehistoric shark), and Giant Squid. Why can't he be a pirate, or a mummy, or Superman? Until he was about three years old and taught me all about these weird creatures, I had no clue they even existed. After searching for costumes, patterns, and ideas for any of these costumes, I came up blank. I finally convinced him to be a scuba diver. After all, he does want to be a marine biologist. Scuba divers swim with sharks and squids. I made the costume for really cheap, and he ended up loving it! He's already warned me that next year he wants to be an octopus or an aligator gar - yes, that's a real fish. I didn't believe him until he showed me in a book.

Trey, on the other hand, is not a costume type of person. I can't even put most basic clothing articles on him without him finding something wrong with them. He doesn't wear hats. He hates layers of clothing. He won't wear belts. Anything g that isn't your basic t-shirt and jeans is a no-go for Trey. It's just not worth it to even try. But he is a sports freak. So I put a jersey on him and called him a basketball player. He was estatic and wore the jersey five out of the seven days before Halloween.

We had great Halloween, but I am glad that it's over. Between church, family, friends and school, the boys had 7 different occassions where they wore their costumes. I will be happy not to see those costumes anytime soon. Or ever. The night before Halloween, we had a party with their Salmon cousins at our house, which was a lot of fun. Then Halloween night, the boys went trick-or-treating and we had family over for chili and cider. Yummm...

I finally caved...

2008-11-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

So, I feel like I'm the last person I know that doesn't have a blog. Until now. Maybe it's because my life is not all that exciting. I mean, I have a great life - AWESOME family, have a lot of fun, learn a lot along the way - but I'm not sure it is compelling reading material.

However, I am a HORRIBLE journal keeper. So I started this blog kind of as a journal - for myself. A way for me to keep track of the crazy, mundane, fun, happy, sad, and everything-in-between things that go on in my life and the life of my family. So this is my way of keeping track of my life and thoughts. Yes - my thoughts too. I am normally kind of a private person. However, I do have a lot of opinions and thoughts about things. What better place to share my thoughts than a place where no one can tell me otherwise.

Also, a warning. I may be kind of long winded. At least that's what my family has told me. When I was in Jerusalem, it was not uncommon for my emails to home to be around 3 pages long. I guess I just don't know what to filter, so I include everything. I'll try to be better here, but I can't promise anything...

So basically, this blog is for me. But I would love to share with anyone who is interested.