Snow Man

One of StoneMason's favorite songs is "Sno-Ma" (or Once There Was A Snowman) so we went outside the other day and built this guy. I probably shouldn't have, he was extremely heavy and the neighbors were looking at me like I was nuts!
ANYHOW, true to verse, "in the sun he melted, melted... small, small, small." This was taken not even two hours after completion and he'd melted enough that his rock face and buttons had partially fallen off. Poor guy. He still provides lots of entertainment though as Mason runs to the window to say, "Hi! Snowman!!"

Obedient or Smart Alec?

As we were leaving Grandma R's last night she gave son a fruit snack for in the car. He, of course, wanted it opened right then. Here was the ensuing conversation.
Dad: Wait, son. Say, "Thank you" first.
Son: "Thank you first."

Decoy

This poor tree

has served as a perfect decoy to protect THIS tree.


Thank goodness it mostly works.

Sweet Music

Mason has discovered singing. He has always loved music and being sung to, and frequently dances to music, but now he sings. He surprisingly has most of the lyrics to the first verse and chorus of "I am a Child of God." What he doesn't know he fills in with "hum, a, a, a, hum..." He loves to sing "Jin- Kle Bas" (Jingle Bells), Sno- ma (Snowman), Rosies (Ring around the rosies), Popcorn, the "Spider Song" (Eensy Weensy Spider), and many more. His little outbursts of song ALWAYS make me smile- its hard to be upset with him when he starts singing, "I, ah ah ah, of God." Love that boy.

Still Grateful

We got a bit behind. The keyboard dying along with being gone for holidays didn't help much. I wanted to finish with one more grateful post. Hopefully I don't stop mentioning what I feel thanks for - but this is the last official Attitude of Gratitude post.
1. King's work ethic. He loves to play (note the picture above), but knows when and how to work. He is not afraid to work, and work hard. He keeps things in such good perspective. He is good at helping Stone Mason work and clean up his toys. He doesn't complain when he comes HOME FROM work and I have more work for him to do. He takes out garbage, helps with meals, helps with cleanup etc all without complaint. I am so grateful for his help and could not keep going without it.
2. King's perspective. Nearly always cheerful and optimistic- especially when it comes to dealing with people. I tend to get pessimistic or annoyed, but he is always giving them another chance, or the benefit of the doubt. A people person if there ever was one.
3. My honey's sense of humor. I lack this. I think it was a Robinson trait- we're not funny at all. Good thing one of us is. Our kids won't be completely out of luck. Ask him to tell you a joke sometime- he and his group of friends have a collection of long, puzzling ones.
4. His thoughtfulness. King makes a special effort to take care of me- especially now that the little one is due soon. He helps with my shoes and socks, he carries heavy things, and chastises me when I overdo my day. He sympathizes and listens patiently when I gripe or come up with new inventions I'm going to create to make life nicer for pregnant women. He is wonderfully patient with me.
5. King himself. He is such a good dad and a good husband. Mason waits by the window for him every evening and RUNS to the door when he sees him. He waits by the bathroom door almost every morning until he hears dad turn off the shower. Then he knocks on the door and calls for daddy until he is finally let in. King wouldn't be very pleased with this post- he doesn't like it much when I brag about him, but of all the things I am thankful for, he is one of my greatest blessings. Knowing he doesn't read our blog much gives me a bit of reassurance as well.

My son

1. I am grateful for your smile. Most of the time it is mischievous. He's a little schemer. His smile never ceases to cheer me up, to make me smile, and to obliterate my anger. You can't be upset with him for long.
2. I am grateful for your energy. You run, jump (off of EVERYTHING), and climb non-stop. You have a love for life and a curiosity that can't be satisfied.
3. I am grateful for your love of others. I love how you come give us kisses in the mornings. I love your hugs. I love how you kiss your own and other's "owies" "all bebber". I love your high fives.
4. I love your curiosity. Leaves, snow, sidewalks, rocks, toys, cars, tractors, grass, and yes-even dirt never seemed to interesting to me. I love trying to see what you are seeing- through your perspective- through your eyes.
5. I love your determination. Though often misplaced (and focused on a "doookie"/cookie), when you put your mind to something, you go after it. You can almost always find a way to get to what you're looking for. Often this means you climb on the counter, or on the table, or pull something off of a high place- but you never give up. You are so willing to try, and try, and try, and try again! You seem to have an un-ending number of bruises on your shin, chin, and forehead. Poor guy. We just need to put your determination towards not falling....

Give Thanks

I've never done this before... lets see if it works.
Nope.
Just click here.
I was glad to see someone else was grateful for Macaroni and Cheese besides the boy and I.

1. I am thankful for DI. Love a bargain.
2. Thankful for spray-paint. Makes the DI bargains non-hideous.
3. Grateful for good neighbors. They are wonderful friends and company. Love them!
4. Food storage. A water main broke the other day and we were without water for a few hours. No big deal.... thank you food storage! We just pulled out some bottles and were just fine! Not really inconvenienced at all!
5. Cars. Some days I imagine if I'd go very far if I had to walk... seven months pregnant... with a 20 month old... in the cold... Nope. I wouldn't go far.

I am grateful for:
1. Snow.
2. Macaroni and cheese- the little guy ate FIVE helpings for dinner.
3. Temples- we had a special day with King's family today. His dad and his wife were sealed and he was able to act as a proxy for his brother to be sealed as well.
4. Vacuums.
5. Visitors.
6. New, healthy babies. We welcomed a nephew, and a good friend yesterday, and a niece just a few weeks ago.
7. Anesthesiologists. I was talking to one today, and couldn't help remembering how much I like their profession. I'm sure I'll be even more grateful in January.

Today I am thankful for LOTS of things. Here's the top 5 ish....
1. A GREAT family and extended family. Like Aloysha commented, they are my best friends.
2. Medicine. Mom's been downing cough-drops like candy, and after seeing the Dr. has real stuff to make her feel better. Finally! I must sub-conciously follow her example more than I thought... I've started on the cough-drops myself. Wonderful things.
3. Nesting. Sure, its a bit early- but I do love organizing. True, I now have too many projects started....
4. Books on tape and good music. It makes it easier to keep my hands busy when I don't have to think, "How long will this project take.....?" My brain half listens and half organizes/works. It's marvelous
5. Primary Programs. They are my favorite Sacrament meeting of the whole year!
6. Music in general. We sing lots of songs to our little guy at night- and King is working on his guitar skills again to accompany. Lots of fun!
7. That "accomplished" feeling when you get something done! So rewarding.

If I'd only been faster...

So today I made cookies. Yummy, pumpkin cookies. I the first batch cooling on the counter and the second was cooking. Mason of COURSE knew what they were and immediately started asking for "doogies" (his version of cookies). I told him we'd have to wait, they were hot. I left the room for a minute knowing that while he can climb on SOME counters, this particular counter was safe. I walked back in to see him with the oven mit stuffed on his arm. Because of his size the mit reached his armpit. He was reaching up to the stove and the pan of hot cookies exclaiming, "Hot! Hot!" Yes son, very clever. I wish I'd been faster with the camera. It was priceless.
Not two minutes later after I'd retrieved my oven mit, he managed to snag not one, but two cookies and promptly took bites from each. Theif.
1. Thankful for good doctors. I love my OBGYN. How many people say that?
2. I'm thankful for modern medicine. Got a lovely shot of Rogam today. Painful, but it helps my babies.
3. I'm grateful for naps. Maybe I already mentioned this one.... still thankful.
4. Thankful for a nice, nice, nice husband who takes care of jr. so I can go to the dr.'s in peace... the first time we brought him along he unplugged the ultrasound machine...
5. Thankful for sippy cups. Enough said.

Too funny...

One minute he's fine...

The next he's not...

Poor guy fell asleep in his highchair, eating a COOKIE. Yes, he was tired.
Now for my attempt at telling what I'm grateful for... daily might be a stretch
(I'm usually good if I blog once a week)
I'm grateful I had a friend there to remind me to take a picture... on my own I would have just scooped him up and put him in his bed.
Speaking of which, I'm grateful for cameras- now I can share all the funny moment's King misses with him at the end of the day.
I'm grateful for children's Tylenol and Motrin.
I'm grateful for full night's sleep. Toddler beds have been cutting those short lately.
I'm grateful for the little guy's new-found love of books. At least a few of them. We've read a particular Dr. Seuss and a penguin book at least five time each this morning.

Gratitude

I'm in.

Here's for yesterday: I'm thankful for...
1. Naps. Sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder.
2. Breaks. Mental breaks, emotional breaks, breaks from children getting up in the night...
3. The Conference Ensign. I have forgotten so much already and its only been a month. We don't have the newest Ensign yet, but it's all online!
4. New insights. Mostly about my son. But a few, very helpful ones, about me.
5. Thankful for mattresses and pillows. I sound shallow.

Today:
1. Working computers.
2. Books on tape- entertainment and a distraction while cleaning.
3. Friendly neighbors
4. Beautiful fall weather.
5. Mason's laugh.

We did something right...

Bought computer (20 mo. ago). Bought extended warranty... hesitantly. Bought external drive/ backup system.
Loved computer.
Computer crashed.
Loved warranty. Loved backup.
Love a working computer.

Trains

No, the tracks are not a slide for you...

With the train, in a drawer...

"clean up, clean up..."

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa.

Bankok and Indiana

Why do sisters choose to live so far away? Indiana was far. Very far. I only see those in Indiana once a year IF I'm lucky. But at least it doesn't require a passport and very, very long flight. Bankok? What time zone is that? I don't think I can afford that plane ticket (not that I've afforded the Indiana one often either...) I can pretend that its about as far as Indiana- since I see Ann so rarely anyhow... maybe they're both on the other side of the world. I think I'm going to need to start saving money again. Now I need to go to Indiana AND Bankok. Good thing we have computers and cameras. Best yet- computers WITH cameras.

Woes of a Toddler Bed

Once there was a little boy. His mother REALLY wanted him to learn how to sleep in a toddler bed- but he thought it was more or less a game. Every night they would let him start in his toddler bed, but after a few minutes of giggles and running back to his bed every time his parents came in, he inevitably ended up back in his pack-in-play. That was all fine and dandy until the day he learned how to climb OUT of his pack-n-play. Now what would they do?
When a kind lady in the neighborhood so generously offered to give him her crib that she was trying to get rid of, his mother of course said yes. She was hoping he would dare climb out of the crib yet since it was high off the ground. The kind lady went above and beyond the normal kindness and even came over to help set it up. What did the little boy do? Did he say thank you? Did he mention how nice free beds were? Did he offer to sleep in it all night? No. He simply climbed out in record time. Sigh.
Needless to say, the next TWO HOURS were spent putting him back, and back, and back, and back, and back, and back.. you get the picture... in his bed (instead of having him run around his room!). When he finally crashed at nine pm, his mother too collapsed in bed and promptly fell asleep. There's got to be a better way to do this right?

For Ames

If I could cook... I'd make these.
http://cococakecupcakes.blogspot.com/2009/05/wont-you-tell-me-how-to-get.html
Dedicated to a sister who probably could...
Remind me, if I'm feeling up to it (and if I remember) the little guy's next birthday will hopefully have the "Hungry Catapillar." Adorable.

Family Picture

Just in time to be outdated. But nice none-the-less. We're all in it and we're all smiling. Amazing.

Adventures

Today I am cooking. Cooking, cooking, cooking. I was invited to join a group of girls in the ward who exchange freezer meals. This round there are six of us. We each make two meals- enough for six families (six serving sizes). That's roughly 36 serving sizes. We bag them in freezer bags and trade. Vwala! We now all have 12 freezer meals. YUM! So.... we're making huge batches of stew and stroganoff. A little boy I know (we won't mention any names) was supposed to be over at a neighbors while I cooked (we were going to trade babysitting) but their kids are sick- so he's been at my feet all morning while I've been at the stove. He wants to get up so badly. Usually I lock the oven (because he likes to pull on it)... but if its locked, he climbs on the drawer, holds onto the oven handle and climbs up to the stove. BAD BAD BAD. Does anyone else see a problem with this? So while the oven is not on, its not locked. When it IS on, it IS locked. Who taught him how to climb?
His other new... feat (not yet accomplished) is trying to sleep in the toddler bed. I need his crib come January, so we figured we'd try to switch him over to a bed. Hmmm. He says, "ni-night." (Night night) and lays down holding a blanket and looking very sincere about his desire to stay on his bed. Half a minute (or less) later he's off and playing, or opening the door, or turning on the baby monitor, or climbing on his dresser (yes, he can do this) or getting in the diaper pail, or, or, or, or, or. When we walk in- he JETS back to his bed and says, "ni-night" like he's never going to leave his bed again- because he knows he's about to be put in his crib. Sure enough- in the crib he goes and he HOWLS. Hmmm..... how long can we keep this up?

All Boy

LOVES:
dirt
the word "yuck"
holding rocks in his mouth
cars
trucks (which he calls cars)
anything mechanical or electrical... or off limits
switches
sticking out his tongue
spitting
riding his toy horses
only one book: "Mr. Brown can Moo."
any kind of ball
water
pouring water out of cups... out of anything
shoving large amounts of food in his mouth
his belly-button
anyone's belly-button
being outside

Somewhat less boyish- but still favorites:
having dance parties
shoes

Happenin Times

Lots has been going on lately. Sorry for the lousy commentary, but at least there are some pictures.
King got to take some extra time off due to a family reunion and his brother and his family coming in town to visit. It was great to spend two weeks visiting, playing, and pretending we had lots of kids.
Mason was sure glad to spend the extra time with his dad. Dad took him to the zoo!This is sadly the best shot of our guests. The girl in the middle isn't theirs- but imagine another spunky brunette. And if you look closely you can see the top of their toddler's head. Our little guy snuck in... maybe he wants to be part of their family instead.

Oh yes, I got older. That is important.

This is King's brother. Any resemblance?

As previously stated, he was VERY excited to go to the zoo.

Try number two. Still no luck.

This was the zoo clan. King's mom is right behind the brothers... with various kids spread throughout.

Ah... more of them.

I think the boy was all pictured out by this point.

Head Cold...

IN AUGUST! "I'b assubing/ hobing this beans I get to skib out on being sick while you all have colds this winter." This is really what I sound like. Crossing my fingers.

It's a ...

Girl!
They seemed pretty positive (and that is what I thought anyhow...) so that's what I'm banking on! I hope they're right, because we have NO girl clothes and I think I'm going to go buy a cute little dress!

A toy for all ... jobs?

Some days its a vacuum, others its a lawn mower. In either case, which ever job we're doing, he just wants to help too.

The tortoise and the hare

I decided I wanted to plant a garden. Good idea right? Right. I weeded, I planned (a little), and I planted. Some things I planted weren't what I thought they were. I.E. I have a zinnia flower in the middle of my tomatoes, and a squash plant instead of a pumpkin. Oh well.
The summer started out great. The weeds were growing slow and I was wicked fast pulling them up. "No sweat," I thought to myself. I can keep this up.
Fast forward a few months: Besides the fact that snails have taken over the spinach and the lettuce- we have bigger problems. The weeds and I have reversed roles. Now the weeds are wicked fast and I am slow at pulling them up. After a conversation with another mother in my ward, in which I mentioned that the weeds were winning the race this summer, she said that her goal was five minutes a day in her garden. FIVE MINUTES. I could do that... I think. It seems less daunting than thinking, "I'm going to go outside in the hot sun and try to pull up the stubborn weeds that out number me a thousand to one." Lo and behold- five minutes a day has proven to be FANTASTIC. Partially because I can't keep track of five minutes and usually weed for closer to ten. It also helps that my garden is little. Maybe slow and steady does win the race... maybe.

One down, two to go.

(Two as in trimesters, not as in twins.)
I know, I know, I know. Not everyone loves ultrasound pictures as much as I do.
Tough.

We won't know for sure what gender baby 2 is for another month. But King and I both think its a girl. Why?
1) I'm not NEARLY as sick as I was with Mason. With him it was more like the embryonic plague (see here), this time around, not so bad.
(I said nearly- I'm still using morning sickness and hormones as my crutch to explain my lack of motivation, lack of energy, lack of cleaning, lack of posting, lack of alertness, lack of ... me)
2) I have a hunch.
3) ...I just think so. We'll bank on intuition... and see if it fails me.

Home again, home again, jiggety jig.

Hmm, have I used that title before.
Montana, was in a word- great.
There's nothing like great, GREAT food (and lots of it), family, good company, a nice (cold) lake, boat rides, and, for the boy, rocks and water.
Mason loved the water. LOVED it. He would run down to the rocky beach and sit right in the water and after trying to taste all the rocks, would throw them in the water by the handful.
King spent time in the sauna, and then jumped in the lake. I spent time reading and relaxing.
All in all, great fun.
Time to do some laundry.

Birthday

If all goes according to plan (which, what are the chances of that) King's birthday promises to be an exciting one.

Visiting the Ducks

We're not sure what face King is pulling here...We had a picnic with Grandma G, Grandpa B and L about a week ago.

The highlight? The ducks, of course.Runner up? The slimy mud.
I think it was just a tactic to get into the water.

One Project Down

Sorry Spence, we still haven't taken pictures of your shelves again. King still needs to finish painting the moulding on the last few shelves... THEN we will.

Meanwhile, here's the OTHER project we've been doing. We're smart- we contracted this one out to my cousin so I didn't have to do A THING- otherwise... it would still be ongoing like the other 1700 I have in progress.
Before.... the dark and dreary black corner of gloom.
We'll skip the during pictures.

And after!! With a window, a desk, a nice cover, some bookshelves, and lighter (blue) paint. Vwala! A real office space that is usable! Thank you to my dad for the window, and to my talented cousin for the rest. (King and I get the credit for the paint!)

Elders

Sending out young missionaries is an interesting concept. The world must think we're nuts. We take 19 year old boys (and 21 year old girls), ensure their worthiness, teach them the Gospel their whole lives, and send them throughout the world to share the good news- all at their own expense of time and money. And .... they go!!! They leave behind girls, school, hobbies, worldly music and personal interests. Even more amazing, they're better for it. Not only do they bless others, but God blesses them. So although it may sound a bit confusing to the general population, I'm glad we have missionaries. Some people out there are finding the truth they never knew about- and they're greatful for missionaries too!! I'm even more glad that my brother is going to Ecuador to serve his mission. Dropping him off at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) was a bit rough. Two years looking forward seems like such a long time- but he will do just fine. We love you J. Welcome to the Elder club.

Part two.... finally.

My favorite sites in DC (King or Mason may disagree...)
1. Mount Vernon and these wonderful people!! One week with no work!! Yeah!!! I love spending time with these two boys.2. It's not quite a "site"- but it was hilarious to see him experience sun glasses for the first time. We'd tried them out before, but he'd always yanked them off before he looked through them.


3. Museums in general- but this was my very favorite exhibit. Look closely. It's clever.
I wish I would have thought of it myself.
4. This sign in Old Town. Old Town itself was great- but the sign beats all. For those of you who don't know, the parking lots outside of metro stations are called kiss and rides... get it?

Pictures of DC

We had a GREAT week in DC. I'm promising pictures, but not necessary a full commentary. I'm not sure I can ever get the commentary quite right without something turning blue and linking to who knows what! I'll give it a go. If I stop... you'll just have to guess by the pictures what we did. Here's the only shot I got of the family who was nice enough to host us... not the greatest picture, as none of them are looking at the camera, but they are wonderful. Mason thought it was fantastic having three brothers for a week. In fact, he can now say, "baby!" due to the fact that they have an adorable four month old. He continuously followed the older boys around (especially the 4 yr old). It was hilarious!

On the rainiest day we visited the Smithsonians. They have some neat museums! Mason was lucky enough to hang out in his stroller most of the time - he's a bit too curious and touchy to be let loose in places like that.Some moments were better than others... we'll spare the picture of him crying.

What I really want to know is, how come the National Zoo is free, yet the Hogle Zoo isn't? Well, free might be a relative term. $20 parking.
(King is amazing at making friends and managed to get us two free parking passes. Go Team!)
He looked just like a man on a lazy boy with chips all over his stomach. I guess bamboo is good.
Of course, we went to see the monuments!
The ducks were this kid's favorite. They were out in the middle of the reflecting pool, and swam right over by us... and then jumped out. He loved it!

More later... I need sleep.