Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Picture This

Jacob drew a picture for me today and hung it on my bedroom wall (with a thumb tack). He told me, "Mom, this is so you will always know I love you." He certainly can be so kind. Jake then went on to tell me, "I love your husband, too." HA!

Last night Joshua told Jacob, "Jacob, I LOVE YOU when you draw me in your pictures." Willie and I gave each other a "Oh, how sweet!" look. Jacob was completely silent. I was trying to coax him into a brotherly, "I love you too," and said, "Jacob, what do you say to someone when they say they love you?" He looked and Josh and said, "Thanks." What a crack up!

Nathan had a rough and whiny day today and at one point when Jake wanted something but I was tending to Mr. Teething (I hope that's what his problem is), Jacob said, "Mom, can't you just put Nathan away and come play with us?" I'm not quite sure what he had in mind with this one!

And last but not least Jacob answered the phone today with a not-so-friendly, "Who the HECK are you? This is Jacob. Who the HECK are you?" I was helplessly nursing on the couch and wanted to curl up and die. Luckily when I finally got the phone, my sister was laughing on the other end. That could have been really embarrassing if it hadn't been someone so understanding.

They always keep me laughing!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Bye-bye boxes!

Right now by the side of my bed I have a box, actually a stack of boxes, that has been doubling as a nightstand since Nathan was born. PA-THET-IC. Bye-bye boxes! We got some nightstands on Craigslist today. Willie hasn't gotten them home yet (he's officially my CL runner) but even though the post said they needed a little "TLC," honestly, they've got to be better than a stack of boxes...right?

I'm picturing maybe changing the knobs (what do 'ya think?) and putting some baskets on the shelves so that I can stuff lots of junk in them and no one will ever know. Possibly a knew finish depending on how they look in person...which won't be a problem now that refinishing is one of my new hobbies.

My friend Maria came over this morning and helped me get started on refinishing a table for my nook. (Yet another CL find.) We did pretty well, especially since neither of us knew what we were doing. We were able to complete the first step of stripping the wood. It was kind of fun, like peeling a sunburn. I'll have to take pictures of it for the before/after effect.

I guess if Willie brings these nightstands home and they're real trash, Maria and I will have another project!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Good Times in Seattle!

We had a blast this past weekend in Washington. I'm sure I had more fun (Willie had to go to conferences) but it was just the pick-me-up I needed. I got to wake up slowly and when I wanted to. Watching TV in bed (not one thing I watched was animated!!) was a true luxury. And did I mention the shopping? Here are some pictures of our trip.

Suprisingly I did miss the boys (I cried one time when I saw two boys playing) but Willie and I enjoyed the peace and quiet and being able to enjoy each other's company. H-U-G-E "Thank you" to Mom, Dad, and Scott for staying with the little guys and for doing such a great job with them! The organization of the boys' closets is greatly appreciated, too!!!

Friday, November 9, 2007

We're OFF!

Well, Willie and I leave soon for the airport. My mom has come to stay with the boys (yes, even the baby) and Dad and Scott will be joining her here tonight! We are going for Money Tree's annual conference and party in Seattle and I am so excited. Hopefully the boys will do well and thankfully I know they'll be in good hands while we're away. Think happy thoughts for us!

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Turkey Day

Today the boys and I went visiting teaching. (They're great companions!) The gal I went to see has lots of animals and the boys loved checking it all out. They have a stinky goat named Jacob, which gave us a good laugh. I thought the turkeys were pretty cool (and loud). I'm not sure I've ever seen or heard a turkey in real life. I've always thought they said, "Gobble, gobble." Here is what a REAL turkey sounds like.

They are kind of funky looking creatures and I'm told they're not very smart. The boys also got to see the goats, alpacas, and chickens. Josh said everything was "fluffy." I'm proud that they didn't freak out, which is what I was expecting. Hopefully she didn't think I was a complete weirdo for having my camera out and snapping pictures while visiting teaching! What can I say? Mamarazzi...always got to have that camera ready!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Primary Program

Last week was our ward's primary program. Our family had a participant for the first time ever this year. It was a pround moment, indeed. Even though I missed SEEING it...I heard it over the speaker in the mother's room, drat! But I'm told Jacob said his part in the microphone ("I know my Redeemer lives!) and then jumped off the stand. Next year Josh will get to have a part too!

Monday, November 5, 2007

Wish List

Well, the Christmas lists have already started here. Jacob has been wanting to call Santa and let him know what he'd like. I don't know Santa's phone number, so he drew a picture with a bunch of letters that I'm told says, "Santa Claus, I want a pool table. I've been so good. Please give that to me for Christmas." (Honestly, what 4-year-old wants a pool table?)

Here's what the boys are asking Santa for this year.

Jacob - pool table. He wants a full-sized one (yeah, right!) but we decided that would be hard to fit in a sleigh, so a kid-sized one will be great.

Joshua - train table. He's still happy with anything (thankfully) and a family in our ward is giving us a train table and train. Is it bad that Santa is a regifter?

Nathan - Drop & Roar Dinosaur. I totally scored one on Craig's List!

To make the shopping easier this year, here's a list of wishes from the boys. (Not to mention if I don't keep track of what they want, I'll forget!) The links are not the only places these items are sold. It's just to give you an idea of what they're talking about.

New markers. Jacob is an artist. He loves to draw...so of course Josh does, too. We go through markers like no one I know. Washable is always nice.
Puzzles. We are crossing the threshold of wooden board puzzles into the world of interlocking pieces. I've seen some that have 12 to 20 or so pieces and I think the boys are up for the challenge.
Pattern blocks. These look fun and educational. What a nice combo!
Board Games. We have quite a few (Candy Land, Cootie, Hi Ho Cherry-O, matching games), but can you really have too many games?
Lego Mosaics. Jacob wants Star Wars Lego's so bad but they're for older kids. These are the Lego's for kids ages 4+.
My Real Digital Camera by Little Tikes. I think these look cool and I know the boys would have a blast with them. Maybe they'll leave mine alone if they have their own!
Little Einsteins movies. We don't have any of them but the boys love the previews for them on other Disney movies.
Winnie the Pooh Learning Adventures movies. We have the "Shapes and Sizes" movie and I only feel half guilty when the boys watch it. (And they know all the shapes!) There is a word one, days of the week, rhyming, etc.
Wagon. This is a cool one by Little Tikes but any wagon to ride in will do. They are too big (and cool) for strollers now but I think this would be fun for tired legs on a family walk or for hauling "stuff" around the backyard.
Star Station by Fisher-Price. I think the boys would love singing into these things and seeing themselves on TV!
Inflatable trampoline by Little Tikes. This just screams winter sanity to me. It's hard when they can't go outside and burn energy, so bring the fun indoors! They also have bigger, pricier ones (of course).
Living Scriptures movies. We have "Nephi and the Brass Plates" on VHS (the free sample one) and the boys LOVE it. Although I've always worried it's not EXACT doctrine, it's helped them learn the storyline and be more interested when we do read the account from the scriptures.

I'll keep updating this as the list grows...Yikes!

Saturday, November 3, 2007

New Niece!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to introduce my new niece, Hailey Burr! She arrived in all her glory Friday, November 2, 2007...a month early...she's just getting a jumpstart on life.Even though she came earlier than planned, she still weighed in at 5 lbs. 14 oz. (Not too shabby, huh?) and was 18 3/4 in. long. What a beautiful addition to their cute family!Here's the real kicker though...NO EPIDURAL. That's right, Cynthia did it all on her own. You go girl! And speaking of girls (something we can't seem to get at this house) here's a pciture of the girls club at my sister's house. (We've seriously discussed swapping babies next time since we both seem to be stuck on one gender.)Check out the proud grandparents...this makes #5 for them. Welcome, Hailey, we're so glad you're here!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Candy Galore!

We roamed our neighborhood last night collecting candy with our friends (and neighbors) Jenny and Kai, a.k.a. Spiderman!Here we are ready to head out. Can you tell Willie is smiling?It was funny to watch these little boys in action. I don't really consider trick-or-treating a difficult activity but we were CONSTANTLY having to remind the boys what to do. Sometimes they would go to the door and yell "trick-or-treat!" before ringing the bell and the door being opened.Then they would ring the bell, the door would open, and they'd just stand there. No "trick-or-treat" was even uttered! Very often we would have to remind them to say, "Thank you." And the whole thing just wore Nathan out! Once we made it back home, they took inventory of their stashes and chose which candy would be their first piece, a very important decision indeed.And Nathan, even though you can't have any candy, I have to say..."Yoda" man!

Pumpkin Pizza

My mom always made holidays really fun for us kids. One thing we ALWAYS had was dinner in a pumpkin for Halloween. Rice, hamburger, water chestnuts (kinda like a homemade Hamburger Helper) all cooked inside a pumpkin! This is something that I love! The only problem is the boys and Willie don't like it. Boo-hoo! Sadly, this is a tradition we've had to put aside.BUT this year we saw a commercial for Papa Murphy's jack-o-lantern pizza and the boys just HAD to have it. The boys helped me make our own pumpkin pizza for Halloween dinner last night. It was yummy and I have to admit it was lots easier than making and cooking dinner inside the pumpkin. (No offense, Mom!)