Sunday, June 29, 2008
To Make Memories
When we first had Zane I took a lot of teasing because of the number of pictures I took of him. I always had my camera nearby. I literally have thousands of pictures of him (and Rhett's closing in) in his short lifespan already. Sometimes I think that I'm a little crazy, but then I remember how fast I forget things and how quickly I remember them when I look at the pictures. When I look through the albums it reminds me of things, and stories - some are written down and some are triggered by the pictures and the ones I've written. I cherish them and know that in years to come when they are grown and gone the effort will have been worth it.
Then there are things that I purposefully plan in an effort to make memories for the kids that they will remember. Traditions are always a great way to make memories and I think Cliff and I have done a pretty good job of melding our family's traditions. This is the first year that we won't be spending the July 1st long weekend in Raymond. So we are trying to do fun things here. Last night we walked down town (oh wow is it ever a zoo here in Sylvan!) and went to an ice cream store that we don't usually go to. The Big Moo (I think, or just the Moo) sells food and hard ice cream and always has crowds. Although it took a long time to get our ice cream and was outrageously priced, I'm hoping it is something that the boys will remember. We walked home with ice cream dripping and Zane suggested the next time we wanted ice cream that maybe we should go to Dairy Queen! Unrelated, but still cute, Rhett LOVES puddles. When we walk anywhere he's always say hi and bye to the puddles and waving to them. Including the lake. I can't convince him that it's a lake and not a puddle. Every time he sees the lake it's "hi puddle". It makes me giggle and be glad that he's 2 this summer. It's fun to see him learn and grow. He looks like such a big kid now with his long skinny legs and arms. Sigh.
As I said before some tragedy has also had me thinking of memories...a family in my home ward suffered a house fire on Friday. It destroyed everything. No one was hurt but the family suffered a tremendous loss. All their physical mementos of their lives were lost in the fire. No pictures, journals, trophies, music, collections - all is gone. And as I've thought about this my heart just breaks for them because I can't even imagine what it feels like to have a lifetime of stuff destroyed and gone. But part of me remembers that it is stuff. It doesn't make it less important because it is stuff, but the most important thing is that no one was harmed in the fire. They as a family are whole in the physical sense. Re-building their house, collecting new "stuff" and making new memories will be hard and painful. But they have each other to do that with, and that is the most important. It also makes me thankful for technology. I blog and print that and save it as my journal, I also save it on a memory stick. Theoretically, if my computer is destroyed by something I can still access my memories and pass them on to my family. The same goes for my pictures. Technology has made it possible to compress so much information into such a small place that I am able to carry it in my 72 hour kit.
And so I hope that we all continue to make memories - hold on to the good ones, let go of the bad ones and learn from them all!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Am I Prepared?
The kids and I really enjoyed the sunshine we had this week. They've both got tan lines for the first time...we're not hibernating inside an apartment anymore and both kids beg to go outside all the time. I'm sporting some pretty good lines myself this year and hope that the sunshine keeps up so I can keep the tan. It's nice to be a darker shade of white!
I feel like time is just flying by as we go from one activity to the next. I've been working on a quilt, we've gone to the park, played with the Robison kids and Cliff and I were able to do a temple session on Friday. It's always great to go to the temple and feel the peace and comfort that comes from that sanctuary. I am so thankful that we have a temple close enough to go to on a monthly basis and for a great friend who will watch our children all day so that it's possible! Thanks Leslie! We both were able to get some answers that we have been working on for awhile so it made the trip just that more special and nice.
Yesterday I finally finished re-painting the bathroom. Way back in February when Cliff put in the new tub and toilet the walls got a little mucked up in places so cliff mudded and sanded and I painted....The bathroom is NOT my favorite room to paint in the house. Ours has too many little spots that a roller won't fit and the last time I did this I had Kinsey here to help. So much quicker when you have someone cutting and someone rolling. Oh well. It's done, it looks good, and hopefully when we sell people will think that too!
I can't believe that it is almost the 1st of July. We're not going to be home for the first this year... That has never happened in all of my 27 years. But the kids and I are staying for almost 2 weeks at the end of July after Alisha's wedding. We're looking forward to lots of fun times with family and friends. We're very lucky that our families will let us come and stay for such long times and that Cliff is willing to let me and kids go. He misses us so much but knows how much I miss our families and how important it is for the kids to have those family ties as well.
Have I rambled enough? I think I probably have. I know it was fairly random but honestly that's how my brain has been working lately! Hope all is well with everyone!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Pictures, Father's Day and Cathing up
This is the quilt I made for Lara's baby boy Burke. I went to her shower Thursday night and had so much fun. Everyone loved the quilt and I owe it all to Whitney's fabulous tutorial! Thanks Whit!
Rhett has the tail end of his croupy cough and Zane's only on day 2 of it so we stayed home from church. Too many kids in our ward to go out in public with that kind of stuff. The Robison family came over for supper and some fun and we let all the kids take a turn at the drums with Cliff helping...it was so much fun to watch all of their different reactions and expressions. We are so blessed to have such great friends to share good times with.
With today being Father's Day I would like to thank my husband for being the wonderful man that he is. He is so proud of his boys and is such a great daddy with them. I count my blessings every day that he is ours and know that he will do a wonderful job of showing them how to be a righteous man, a worthy priesthood holder and some day a wonderful husband and dad themselves. I love you hun! Hope you had a good day! And of course I am so grateful for my own dad and for Cliff's dad. Both continue to be great supports to us and wonderful examples to their grandsons. My children are truly blessed to have these great men in their lives.
Life is good, the sun is shining at the moment, and I am loved. What more could I ask for?
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Kidnapped....
But seriously, we had a fantastic time. My mom and I quilted late almost every night I was there (and I finished Lara's baby quilt which turned out soooo cute!) I'll post pictures after her shower. I came home with lots of fun material - some that I took with me, some that my mom gifted me, and some that I bought. Also borrowed some quilt books from my mom and can't wait to finish the 2 quilts that I have on the go so that I can get busy on new ones. Oh, and I forgot that Tisha gifted me a ton of fabulously cute scraps. Seriously, if you're a quilter you should drop by my place so we can ooo and ahhh together.
AND we were totally spoiled and got to see lots and lots of Grandpa Dooley. Usually it works out that he has really long runs when we're around but this time was great. Zane even got to go with Grandpa on a short run. If you've already heard this story just skip this part but it makes me giggle every time so I want it recorded for when my memory is gone! Grandpa and Zane had to leave by 6:00 am and when Grammie woke him up he wasn't very coherent and fairly grumbly until she asked if he was going with Grandpa. Then he was wide awake and out of bed real fast. Got dressed without a grumble and they were out the door. Of course Grandpa had to stop for Tim Bits before they got to the big truck...and he bought a 20 pack. By the time they had the big truck unloaded Zane had eaten...wait for it....15! Yep, that's right. He said that it gave him a little bit of a tummy ache so hopefully he's learned his lesson. My dad has a GPS unit in the the truck and when they were on the road it said " At the end of the road turn right". Zane immediately asked "Grandpa, who said that?" Dad pointed and told him the GPS unit had. "no grandpa, who said that?" Again dad pointed and told him that had. "No, Grandpa (very slowly and with emphasis - he does this when he thinks we haven't understood what he's asked) Who said that?"
This time Grandpa told him that the GPS was a small computer and that it tells him where to go. "oh" He totally understood that concept and watched the screen all the way to Taber and back to Coaldale (it has a little marker representing the truck on the road) He was also very impressed that Grandpa's bunk had 2 beds although he told grandpa it would be better if there was a ladder and not just steps to the second bunk. All in all he had a great time.
I got to go out for yummy cheesecake with Lish and Kizzy and cousin Ash. We had lots of laughs and fun and of course the yummiest cheesecake in town. AND I got to meet the new man in Kizzy's life - Danny. Very nice guy and hope all goes well with them!
And now we're home. It was a great time...probably one of the last that we'll have that will be that length...mom has a new part time job at a lawyers in Raymond and Zane will be starting kindergarten in the fall. So we definitely made the most of the time we had!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Some things are wonderful....
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
So much fun!
Today Cliff and I bought something that I have been wanting for a really really long time. New dining room furniture. Table and 4 chairs....Sims furniture let us buy some stuff out of the back of their warehouse (not sure if it's open to everyone or just because the wife of one of the sales guys at Trail is in sales there) Anyways, We have 2 chairs that are the same, one that is pretty similar and one that's not but I don't care because I think they're all great....and very heavy! So one of the best parts of it is the price tag. I added up the total RETAIL with GST = $1595....should I tell you what we paid? You better sit down because I just about fell over when I realized the difference....we paid $215. Yep....we saved more than $1300!!! And why were they such amazing prices? They have a few scratches, aren't perfectly balanced, or some other minor flaw. This might bother some people. It thrills me. Why you ask? Let's review the ages of my children....5 and 2....and we're trying for a third. Kids are hard on furniture. No getting around it. My new stuff isn't perfect and that takes the stress off of me to keep it that way. Plus it lends a bit of character to it. Happy anniversary to us! I should add that the original plan was to buy chairs...no mention of a table but I saw it, fell in love with it and I'm spoiled. There's really no other way to say it. Cliff absolutely spoils me.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Better late than never....right?
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Rhett and W!
So anyways, being the softie and general mommy suck that I am, I thought that maybe if I wrote some of the fun things my little man is doing these days a few days before he actually turns 2 I might get through this without crying. Don't know why 2 is such a hard birthday for me - just is.
Let's see....
Rhett's new favorite words: Hi you guys....Lightning McQueen....I got you....there he is....kitty....JUICE....hat (much emphasis on the T)....run....truck....shoes....my...mine....
Funny or Amusing things he's been doing recently(and of course I don't want to forget!):
The other night I was putting the kids to bed and in Zane's room singing to him when I heard a noise coming from Rhett's room....I stuck my head back in there and Rhett's all cuddled into bed doing the whole fake snoring thing...you know where you do the really loud snore in and the phew thing out? Yep...and then he sits up, grins at me, says "sleep" and lays back down and starts it all over again. I burst out laughing because it was just so cute. He now will randomly lay down anywhere in the house and start to "sleep". It cracks me up every time....what 2 year old does this? I posed this question to Leslie and she started to laugh because Tanner does the same thing....who taught them this?
My son has learned to jump....not just a little bit of a skip, but a whole 2 feet-off-the-ground jump and then he lets himself fall in this dramatic little heap complete with a very dramatic "ohhh" and then he gets up and does it all again. Of course he thinks this is just hilarious
Every car he sees is Lighting McQueen....or truck. Take your pick.
He does not like it when I put things in his pockets.
He is starting to sit on the potty for treats....but has yet to pee in it. But really...we're just trying to get the idea there for now.
Walks around with his blanket in his teeth...not sure what this one's all about but it makes him happy...that is until he trips on it!
Likes to "talk" to grammie on the phone...really he just grabs the phone, puts it on his shoulder and starts to natter. Poor grammie...she can hear him but he can't hear her...although the last couple of times he has put the phone up to his ear for a few fleeting seconds
Has discovered slides...and loves them. I'm to that beloved age where park going is great because I get to sit on the bench and watch instead of climbing all over the silly thing myself
We went for a walk tonight after supper (silly kid has been taking insanely long naps - 2 to 3 hours and didn't wake up until 5...why don't I wake him up do you ask? For the same reason you don't wake up a hibernating bear...I like all my limbs where they are thank you...dealing with him being up a little past bedtime is much preferable to the bear he is when woken..but back to my story!) So I decided we needed to burn some energy...usually our walks lately have consisted of Rhett in the stroller and Zane on his bike and we do about a 30 minute loop. Today I decided to see how Rhett did walking and he did the whole thing! It took a little longer but he did it. Now here's the part that cracked me up....there is a part of our loop that's about 3 blocks of pure sidewalk - no driveways, no new streets, just sidewalk, and it's slightly down hill. Zane loves it because he can go really fast - so he takes off and me and Rhett start after him. Rhett decides to hurry a little and starts to run...about 3/4 of the way I asked him if he wanted to walk because I could hear him starting to pant a little...but he said "no...pant, pant...run...pant, pant" so I kept up and prayed the whole way that neither one of them would biff it because I didn't have band aids and didn't want to pack Rhett home or try to convince Zane to get back on his bike. Luckily we all made it!
On the same walk we encounter big circle compasses set into a great path close to our house. They are labelled with an N, E, S, and W. As we got to the first one, Rhett said clear as a bell "W" and pointed to the ground. I thought, nah, it's just a fluke. We came to the next one and he did it again...and I thought, really? So the next one I asked him "Rhett, where's the W? " And the little stink went and stood on it! Seriously? My 2 year old can say and recognize W? It just makes me giggle because most kids i know learn A first or the letter that starts their name...W just seems so random and I've never heard him say it before either so it just makes it that much funnier to me. But then when my little guy is in a good mood everything he does is fun and funnier.
He loves to wake up daddy in the morning...his idea of this is to crawl up on bed, pounce on Daddy (who usually knows he's coming) and then make a speedy retreat to avoid tickling....some days he makes it, some days he doesn't.
He LOVES Zane. Wants to be Zane and do everything that Zane does. Will do anything for Zane (as long as in a good mood) Thinks that he has died and gone to heaven when Zane plays with him (which is really most of the time). Two boys together really is great.
Is still a mama suck. Sigh. One day I'll make it back to Relief Society....and not nursery...one day
Loves peanut butter and usually eats it 3 times a day...on a bun or on graham crackers...eats most of the peanut butter by sliding his finger through it and then licking it off... crazy kid!
Has refused to drink milk for over a month....not sure what's up with that or if I should really push it? Opinions from you wonderful pediatric nurses?
Knows how to drive his brother crazy...his favorite lately is to "play" the piano while Zane is watching a movie. Drives Zane nuts and Rhett pretends to be deaf to his pleas to stop. I'm torn on these days because I don't want to tell him not to play the piano....but he is annoying his brother. I try to 50-50 it.
Loves to watch sports with Cliff...his attention span is still short but he totally gets that it's all about the ball. The other day they were watching golf (yes, you may roll your eyes) and he watched the guy hit the ball and then looked at Cliff and asked "where's the ball...where'd it go?" And then when they cut to the ball landing on the green he shrieked "there it is!" and cheered when the guy putted it in....we're talking arms in the air and cheer loud enough for me to hear down at the other end of the house. I thought Cliff was going to pee his pants from laughing.
Would live outside...but doesn't always want to stay in the yard...hmmm, may need to put the gate back up even though it's broken. Note to self to think about that one.
Any bump, fall or slight nudge of anything needs an immediate kiss and then it's fine. Even the big bumps that cause real tears get a kiss and then he's done and goes on with what he was doing even though he's still crying.
He knows which shoes belong to who in our family and as soon as it is announced that we are "going" he makes sure that everyone has a pair....even if he has to try a few times to get the appropriate one...(tried to give me heals the other day to go to preschool...just not my style!)
I love this little boy sooooo much. He is so different from Zane and it's a constant adventure with him around. I never know what he's going to do next and not being able to distract him drives me crazy but I wouldn't trade him for the world. Of course I'll do his "official" 2 year old post in a few days but maybe this will keep the chuckles going until then instead of the tears!
Monday, April 28, 2008
I think I'm ready...
So to start at the beginning I have a confession to make: I have been eating way too much and exercising way too little...the result is gaining 10 lbs since the beginning of February. Yep, 10 lbs in just under 3 months. Yuck. My clothes tell me, my scale tells me and as I have watched the numbers creep up I have continued to put off doing the things I should be doing instead of getting motivated and stopping the bad cycle. Now, here is where I need to interject that the next part of this is not written for compliment fishing. And it also very hard for me to put into writing because it is brutally honest and I don't really like how it makes me look as a person. But I keep reminding myself that this is really my journal and that these things and my life will be important to my family one day. So, big breath...When I started losing the weight back in June I did it because I was tired of looking fat, feeling fat, and being fat. I wanted to be skinny. I wanted to be able to wear "normal" clothes, feel good in them and be proud of what I looked like. I didn't want my kids to grow up with a fat mom. The better health, more energy, yada yada yada were all great too, but really I just wanted to be skinny...for once. I started out really great, and the program I chose for myself worked really well for me. I had to tweak it here and there and I definitely wasn't perfect at it...but by Christmas I had hit my 60 lb mark. Wow.....and all along the way wonderful people who love me and people who like me and some who just haven't seen me for a while would comment on how good I looked. (thanks if you were one of them) and I ate it up and somewhere along the way I got caught up in the "high" if you will of being noticed for a positive change...and one that admittedly was dramatic. Now, I"m not saying that I didn't deserve those compliments, I worked really really hard to get there....the problem has come in that since I've been maintaining I don't get that constant positive feedback from others in my life...and here's the kicker and what I've really realized and what's really hard to type. Yes, I'm prolonging it...OK, I'm going to type it quick like you pull a band aid off : I have realized that I don't love myself enough. Enough for what you ask....enough to keep myself from self sabotaging my efforts of the last months. Do you remember what I wrote at the beginning? I've put on 10 lbs in the last 3 months. I've been giving lip service to exercise while eating anything that I wanted. I know better than this and it was driving me nuts!! I mean, what am I doing? I'm throwing it all away. All my work, my effort, and my wonderful new wardrobe! Yes, there are some things health wise that contributed...but I'm not giving myself that excuse. Really I dropped the ball because when I look in the mirror I don't see someone who I totally love. Oh, I really like me most days, but as I've been thinking about this, and praying about this, and meditating about this (for quite awhile now) the answer came to me. I need to love myself enough to make the sacrifice of food and time for exercise worth it. I need to love me and do it only for me and not for the feel good strokes I get from people (although those are always appreciated!).
I've also been experiencing "Divine Discontent"....Emily Watts talked about it in her "How to Survive your Greatest Blessings" talk - Neil A Maxwell actually coined the phrase. Anyways, the gist of it is that there are times in our life when we feel like we aren't good enough, and that's ok, because really we aren't. We are not good enough to make it back to our Heavenly Father without the help of our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ. Spiritual disconcern helps us become aware of things in our lives that we need to change to get one step closer in our eternal progression. And so as I have been mulling this all over and trying to come up with a plan I have made a few changes. I'm trying to increase my spirituality, I'm praying that my Heavenly Father will help me to love myself the way that He loves me, and I'm thanking him for every new day that I get to start over, fresh and ready to try again. Because I'd be hooped without 'do-over' days! So today I'm celebrating because I went for a fantastic, heart pumping and sunshine drinking walk before Cliff left for work. I know I was moving because the route I did I usually run in 35 minutes and I walked it in 45....(have to give running up for awhile because every time I do it seems to bug up my knee for a couple of days.) I've done good on eating so far, me and the kids are going for a great walk after Rhett's nap and we have an active FHE that we get to go to with a bunch of friends. I know that I am not going to wake up tomorrow and be 10 lbs lighter...I'll be lucky to be a few ounces lighter. But I'm not getting on my scale until next Monday, and I'm going to give it my best effort every day to love myself enough to make the good choices that I know I need to. See, it's not just about the weight anymore. I'm happier when I exercise, eat good and when I'm not worrying about what's going to fit me that day. And I'm definitely happier when I say my prayers, read my scriptures and try to have the spirit with me in my day. So, here's to do overs and start overs and whatever other overs you may need in your life!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Still working on it....
I have a really good post forming in my head...but I'm not quite ready to put it into words...I want it here recorded for me and my memory and hopefully for my kids and so forth, but it's one of those that makes sense in your head when you're thinking about it but not when you try to put it into words. So I"ll let you know when I get there.
We got a new Relief Society presidency today in church...I was surprised but now surprised and think the new presidency will be fantastic! But will miss the old one too.
Zane asked/told me something the other day that really just stunned me....and Leslie as well since I was talking to her on the phone at the time....I was doing something in the kitchen and Rhett was asleep, Zane was watching a movie when he walked in the kitchen, sat on a chair and said very matter of fact "mommy I know why our baby isn't in your tummy anymore....it's because Rhett kicked you too many times" (Rhett likes to kick a lot when he's getting his diaper changed and occasionally lands one) It felt to me like time froze for a few seconds. How do you explain to your 5 year old that his younger brother did not make you not have a baby in your tummy anymore and who knew that he was still pondering over this? Thank goodness Heavenly Father has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost because even though it felt like time had stopped I heard myself very calmly explaining to him that Rhett had not made the baby leave my tummy...that something went wrong and the baby wasn't growing correctly in my tummy and that was why we didn't have a baby anymore. I thought that was the end of it but he made another comment a few seconds later so I told him that mommy and daddy had gone to the temple and that Heavenly Father had the Holy Ghost whisper in mommy's head that we would have another baby. I told him when it was time Heavenly Father would put another baby in mommy's tummy...that seemed to appease him but oh my gosh! The things that are going through that boy's head scare me sometimes! He is 5!!!! I'm so thankful that he is young enough and innocent enough to tell me these things though...I hope that doesn't change as he gets older.
Hmmm...this is kind of a random post but I know it's been a while...I'm working on a quilt and it's calling my name right now...I'll post pictures soon. Thanks Whitney for the brilliant tutorial on the circle quilt. I'm loving how mine is turning out!
Friday, April 18, 2008
family time
Yesterday Cliff and I went to the temple (thanks again Leslie for watching the boys) and had a wonderful time. We both got some answers and had wonderful spiritual experiences.