45 Months - March 2011

Oh kid I am tired, and for once it is your fault and not Tessa's. You've had a fever for a few days now, and I'm as ready for you to be over it as you are. This morning around the time your Motrin should have been wearing off I felt your forehead and it was cool, and you will never, ever know the instant relief that comes with that touch until you are a parent with a sick kid. But apparently it wasn't meant to be and an hour later you woke up crying again and the fever was back. Needless to say your letter is late and will probably be short.

I saved a few of the funny things you said this month for your letter. One was when we were all having some ice cream after dinner. You, me, and Tessa were all eating ours at the dinner table while your dad went over and sat on the couch. You proceeded to yell at him for eating on the couch to which he responded, "Well I've earned the right to sit on the couch and eat my ice cream." Apparently you didn't think so and responded, "Well we'll just see about that." It might not sound funny to read it but when you pop off with things like that out of the blue it makes us laugh pretty hard.

The other one I have written down was when we were talking about a recent trip to Hurricane when I was able to have ice cream with some friends while you played at grandma's. Your dad was complaining and said that everyone got to have fun with their friends that day but him, but that was because he didn't have any friends. You had a simple solution for him and told him if he didn't have friends he could just make them up in his head. Who needs real friends when you have pretend ones, right?

You still like to watch a movie at night to go to bed, a habit I am trying to break, but recently you've also been listening to a book on CD that we got from a special friend at Christmas. I love going in to check on you before I go to bed and seeing you asleep with a book open next to you.

Lately you love to color pictures for anyone and everyone and the three magnets on our fridge strong enough for the job are constantly stacked on top of at least 5 pictures at once, and I just noticed that you succeeded in using ALL of my printer paper for pictures just in the last week. I guess I'll take it though, since I love seeing the 15-headed dragons and pictures of me with M-O-M written on top.

You are such a sweetie and I hope you get over this nasty bug soon. Love you buddy,

Mom

P.S. Right now you are on Motrin so you're doing a little better, and you and Tessa are playing TOGETHER and NICELY in the toy room. You should see me tiptoeing around the house and trying my best not to interrupt this very rare and wonderful moment!

Giving dad some love...

You're cool even when you aren't feeling good!

Helping mom blow out the birthday candles for the big 2-6.

5 Years - March 2011

So I guess I should write a quick post about our anniversary too since the kids aren't the only important ones in this family. We both have joked that it has seemed like such a LONG time ago that we got married, but it also seems like it has flown by too. When I think about the summer we met, right after I graduated from Snow I swear it all happened yesterday, but when I think of the fact that we have 2 kids, moved 8 times, and are now 26 and 30 then it seems like that day at fire school when we met really was a long time ago.

We are in a pretty good place right now, so good that I keep wondering what is going to happen to mess that all up. In the last year we have learned to budget and watch what we spend, which has made life easier. You reached some goals with your work, and I've settled in more and more to my jobs running the house, preschool, and MT. Because of all these things, and the fact that for the first time since we've been married an anniversary came around when I wasn't pregnant or with a small baby I wouldn't leave, we decided to do something more than just go out to dinner.

We aren't big spenders or big adventurers, and I know there are people who think that what we decided to do sounds lame and boring, but I think that suits us. We're pretty lame and boring! We went up north for a night and stayed at the Marriott in Provo. I had some money saved up from preschool and we kind of went crazy. I haven't spent money on myself like that in a while, and you at least pretended to have fun watching me spend it at the mall. We relaxed at the hotel laughing the fact that it was so quiet, then went out to dinner, bowling, and ice cream. I could mention the fact that with 4 strikes in a row during the second game I totally came from behind and wasted you, but I'm already afraid that you'll never go with me again so we can just say that you let me win so that I would have fun. We kept talking about how crazy it was to be in a place with so many people, young couples, pregnant women, and runners! It was a definite change from Kanab.

On Friday we got up and headed out to breakfast and to Cabela's so you could finally spend a little of the money. We had lunch and left for Otter Creek. After eating in Richfield we made it to the cabin by Otter Creek just in time to sit on the porch for a few minutes listening to the geese before it got too cold. We watched some movies, you fought with the pellet stove, and we enjoyed a peaceful evening in a complete 180 of the environment we had been in up north.

I told myself the whole week before we left that i had to remember my camera, but you know I didn't. Typical. I did take a bad picture of the view off the porch of the cabin when we first got there, so that's about all we've got.

I know most people would think we are lame and probably plan a cruise or trip to some tropical island for their anniversary, but I guess we're a little simpler than that. Truth is I don't think I would have enjoyed myself more doing anything else. We got to spend a lot of time together just hanging out and enjoying one another's company without any distractions (even though we love those distractions!). Thank you for the trip and for the last 5 years. Like I said on my Facebook status that day, no one could make me more angry but no one could make me happier either. Love you!

Here's a few from the year we were married since we were younger and more beautiful then anyway...

Makes me laugh EVERY time.

On the honeymoon!

In the kitchen/hallway in our first apartment March 2006.

21 Months - March 2011

Tessa dear, let's start off on some happy moments before we talk about what you were really like this month...

Dad was out of town quite a bit the end of January/first of February so I convinced my friend Taren to drive down from American Fork and visit us for a few nights. She is one of the funnest people I know, so it was a nice change for you and Logan to get to hang out with her instead of just your mean old mom. She brought candy and let you play with the photo booth on her computer. I'm not sure who liked who more, but the "liking" feeling was definitely mutual.

You were also pretty excited that we got to go visit Bentlee, Bostyn, and Kasidee too. Bentlee was nice enough to share her blue wig with you. I think you were just excited to see more girl toys than you've seen before in your life.

And here's a random picture of you being a goof See the black smudges by your eyes? That's mascara. It's there because you saw me putting on mine and rather than have a huge fit on my hands I just gave in and put some on your eyes too. Guess you should have used waterproof...

One morning I heard you yelling to get out of your crib right before I was done getting ready so I sent Logan in to "talk" to you while I hurried up. When I walked in he had an armful of toys headed towards the crib to pile them in on you. He'd already gotten this many in while you just laid there trying to figure out what in the heck he was doing.

One night the two of you were "fighting" in the kitchen and instead of refereeing your dad and I just sat on the cough and watched. We don't have a clue what you were fighting over but you were yelling back and forth at each other until you finally stopped, pointed your finger towards his room and said "Go! Room!" At this point we just lost it and Logan looked confused, but you weren't giving up and kept trying to send him to his room over and over. We finally broke it up, and it made me laugh to realize that Logan has 3 bosses in this house instead of 2. Poor boy.

You've been a pretty miserable beast again this month. You had RSV again, and this round was actually worse (I think) even though you didn't end up in the hospital like last time. After that doctor visit I finally took you in to see if you needed tubes in your ears. Your TMs are always red or have fluid every time I take you in, but it turns out I spent the $25 specialist co-pay on a good old fashioned ear cleaning. Oh the wax that came out of there was like something from a nightmare. So no tubes, yet, but hopefully that will help you hear a little better.

You are also getting your eye teeth. You've got both of your top ones now and are currently working on one of your bottoms ones. Oh not fun. The eye teeth are the WORST. I was hoping it was something though because after the fit you threw yesterday at the post office, complete with face scratching and hair pulling, I was ready to call in some reinforcements.

You are definitely not the sweet girl from 4 months or so ago, but you've got some good reasons I guess. And since you do still have your sweet moments (like when you say shee ya or howy mowy) I guess we'll keep you around for those... for now.

Quit beating up on your brother (he's practically got a black eye today!), but give those teeth hell.

Love ya,

Mom

I found this picture on my phone just now and even though it is from January there is NO way I could NOT share it. It's fuzzy and the lighting from behind is awful, but your face says everything, and the reason I laugh so hard at this one is because I can actually tell this is a face I make. Oh we are going to butt heads, and I don't know if I am more scared for you or for me...